THE VIENNA VEGETABLE ORCHESTRA. Read more

“THE WOUNDED TORTURER”: …Neither man would describe what they’d endured. “It is secret, intimate,” Fr. Roman said, “I saw saints fall, and I saw the simple rise and become saints.” Fr. George admitted that he gave way under torture. When a victim is out of his mind with pain, he doesn’t know what he is saying. Fr. George told his interviewer, “It was a spiritual fight, between good spirits and evil spirits. And we failed on the field of battle;... Read more

We can’t be silent, ’cause they might be blogwatch(And what are we gonna do unless they are?)… Alias Clio: A field guide to irony. “It should be added, however, that there are dealers in irony for whom the initiated circle is not of outside hearers, but is an alter ego dwelling in their own breasts.” Daniel Mitsui: Remnants of a Nagasaki cathedral; Gothic cathedral in full color. Hit & Run: The taco truck menace. The Wall Street Journal has an... Read more

These all died in faith, not having received what was promised, but having seen it and greeted it from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.–Hebrews 11:13-4 Read more

RESPONSES TO MY COMMONWEAL PIECE: I thought this one was really fascinating. I don’t have the knowledge necessary to agree or disagree–I, uh, didn’t actually read any of LT Johnson’s books before I reared up on my hind legs and started fussin’ at him–but anyway, people following the discussion should check it out. Also, if you’ve emailed me, I will respond, but it may take me a few days. If you haven’t emailed me, but you might want to, please... Read more

IF YOU’RE HERE VIA THAT COMMONWEAL PIECE, you might check out the sidebar, where I have links to a bunch of other articles on God ‘n’ gay stuff. Oh, and: welcome! Read more

TWO LINKS: Christian Wiman: …I wish I could slow things down at this point, could linger a bit in those months after our marriage. I wish I could feel again that blissful sense of immediacy and expansiveness at once, when every moment implied another, and the future suddenly seemed to offer some counterbalance to the solitary fever I had lived in for so long. I think most writers live at some strange adjacency to experience, that they feel life most... Read more

O TELL ME THE TRUTH ABOUT LOVE: The current issue of Commonweal features “Homosexuality & the Church: Two Views.” Luke Timothy Johnson is view #1, and I am view #2. Hie thee thither, and let me know what you think. Read more

For a long time I would go to bed early.–Marcel Proust, In Search of Lost Time v. 1: Swann’s Way, tr. CK Scott Moncrieff and Terence Kilmartin Read more

THE GLORIFIED BODY: One of the side-effects of moving Corpus Christi to Sunday, rather than Thursday, is that this year it coincided with DC’s gay pride weekend. Two celebrations, two parades; I’ve been mulling over the coincidence, and nothing’s cohered yet, but here are a few notes about things I found suggestive. * the body as sacrifice, to be offered up entirely to God–lifted high on the Cross, exaltation gained only through submission and humiliation–the monstrance vs the parade float….... Read more