A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. This mystery takes me back to what I said about the Scourging at the Pillar. I am not the Queen of my own heart; I am not, if I’m doing it right, the captain of my soul. I’m not the fantasy character who was raised as a mere pigkeeper but learns that... Read more
origin of the poem, which I hadn’t known, etc: …It isn’t widely realised, though, that the poem actually comes from a strange novel by Chesterton entitled The Flying Inn which was published in 1914 and is described by Charles Moore in the linked article, which oddly fails to name it in its title. As he says, “The novel is mostly quite silly, and occasionally objectionable.” The theme of the book, which in a way is prophetic but at the same... Read more
at A Queer Calling: …I belong to a Christian tradition where confession is offered, and it is encouraged that people make confessions as often as needed. Confession is, without a doubt, one of the most meaningful spiritual practices in my life. Every good confession makes me feel like a newly-illumined handmaiden all over again. Forgiveness is the most incredible of gifts. Each experience of this mystery leaves me feeling washed, renewed, restored, made whole, joyous, grateful, and empowered. At times,... Read more
writes: The Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General has just released part of its report on the awful case of Daniel Chong. Here’s some background from the San Diego Union-Tribune: Chong was a 24-year-old engineering student when he was caught up in the drug sweep by a DEA task force two years ago. On the morning of April 21, 2012, Chong was detained with six other suspects and transported to the DEA field office, where agents determined that he was... Read more
tr Dennis Keene: After a soupy dish of beans and assorted cereals boiled together with giblet-like fragments floating in it, a meat dish appeared which Q was quite unable to conjecture at. The meat, cut into petal shapes, enclosed a considerably thick bone and was of very gelatine-like quality. It gave the impression of being segments of a much larger, stick-shaped object. “What kind of food is this?” asked Q of the theologian, but he received no reply. The rector... Read more
The two things I focus on with this mystery are the union of body and soul–Mary enters Heaven all at once, continuing her lifelong task of showing us what true human integrity looks like–and the rest and peace offered to those who “have fallen asleep in the Lord.” I often pray this mystery for people whose lives were unpeaceful and for whom death may have appeared to be a relief or a release, in the hopes that death will bring... Read more
*should be “haven’t been convicted of any crimes,” sorry; also I fixed the link: “As Governor Deval Patrick has acknowledged, we are actually the only state that incarcerates people who are suffering from addiction to drugs and alcohol, who haven’t been convicted of a crime. And imprisoning people because they have a disease is wrong, and it’s also unconstitutional,” ACLU staff attorney Jessie Rossman told the News Service. She said the lawsuit is specifically focusing on women because they are... Read more
Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem. At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd, but they were confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Kind of a stretch today, but the Holy Spirit calls us together and guides us when we act as a Christian community. Pentecost is a story of diversity within unity: the wildly varied languages which express a common call from God, like the many... Read more
at the National Catholic Register; lots of interesting material, but this was my favorite part and the part which makes me really look forward to Deliver Us from Evil: Where did Father Mendoza come from? I owe a lot to the actor, Edgar Ramirez, who played him, for that character. … So I went after Edgar. He was the only person I went after for the role. And he read it, and he passed on the script. He said, “The... Read more
A very generous piece at Slate, in which I’m cited: Far from the mainstream LGBTQ experience of pride parades and marriages, Outward and the Advocate, there exists a small, tight-knit group of LGBTQ people who, though fully out, remain committed to conservative Christian prohibitions on gay sexual activity. While some refer to themselves as SSA or “same-sex attracted” as a means of distancing themselves from queer identities, others proudly use the LGBT or LGBTQ initialisms that highlight their connection to... Read more
Eve Tushnet
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