About the College

Tiffany at Life of a Catholic Librarian has posted a "linkup" appeal, so I will add my own 2 bits. (Tech humor)

She asks several questions:

(1) How you got started in social media; (2) How you started your blog or podcast
I answer: I am a computer scientist and a Chestertonian, and it was through Nancy Brown at Flying Stars back in 2005; she's a Chestertonian and the great biographer of Frances Blogg, who was of course Chesterton's Favourite Blogg. Since 2005 I have sporadically posted comments there, or elsewhere, and have also written a periodic column on the old blogg of the American Chesterton Society. More recently I have been busy with writing the Saga, as mentioned here or on its own site, http://www.DeBellisStellarum.com; a new series called "Case Studies in Computer Science" is about to be launched. One of my readers remarked that he had never read a book on such a technical matter which quoted Chesterton so often... so you may know what to expect. But it is a tech book, NOT a meditation; it also has a good deal on pedagogy and related matters. (I hope to have it ready in the near future.)

(3) Why you value our online Catholic community
One of the major mysteries in my Saga De Bellis Stellarum is a curious organization called the College. Now, as you may already know from Chesterton (ILN Aug 10 1907, CW27:523-8) there are three reasons why secrecy is permitted, and the first of these is the most famous, governing mystery stories and wrapped Christmas Presents: these secrets are kept solely in order that they may be revealed at the proper time; what we know as "the fullness of time". Anyone who violates this secrecy deserves the most severe punishment:

The man who tells the truth about a detective story is simply a wicked man, as wicked as the man who deliberately breaks a child's soap-bubble - and he is more wicked than Nero. To give away a secret when it should be kept is the worst of human crimes; and Dante was never more right than when he made the lowest circle in Hell the Circle of the Traitors. It is to destroy one human pleasure so that it can never be recovered...
[GKC ILN Nov 7 1908, CW28:210]

Hence, while I truly want to tell you more, I can only point to the Saga, and say, "The online Catholic community is valued by me because it is so much like the College." But since that is very self-serving, I will say it another way.

The Catholic online community - indeed every online community when it is well-ordered, honest and charitable and striving to be virtuous - provides a slight faint foretaste of the Communion of Saints, of that "great multitude, dressed in white, which no one could count" that St. John saw, and asked about. It would take me a dozen pages to discuss this at length; issues of things like the various networking protocols, the mysteries of communication between humans - and between angels! - things like how a woman of Nazareth manages to handle thousands of concurrent input requests in dozens of languages, some of which didn't even exist when she was alive... all this and more.

But especially since it helps demonstrate Subsidiarity: the idea that this marvel provides us with a way of transmitting an appeal for PRAYER to more people, in a faster and more wide-spread way, than has ever existed before! It is, as the great Marconi said when he introduced the Pope on the Vatican radio station, the idea that with this technical marvel God has provided the faithful with the comfort of hearing the voice of the Holy Father, wherever they may be.

The same is now true for us, in a lesser degree. We have colleagues who are as close as e-mail. (Or, supply your favourite electronic extension here.) By the very nature of the hierarchy of the Church, every single Catholic is related to every other single Catholic through no more than five other persons... and such a tool helps us relate in more direct ways, with greater convenience for all concerned.

Let us, therefore, as professed Field Agents of the College, sworn to "Watch and Pray" [see Mark 14:38] remember each other frequently in our prayers: we must face such enemies in our daily lives! But as Bernie Brown remarked:

We have allies who are more than a match for our adversaries.
[PJF Ite Milites Audaces]

What to do when "The Enemy is at large..."

Maybe due to the recent trio of feasts - St. Monica, St. Augustine, and the Passion of St. John Baptist - I was thinking about the Battle... you know, the one GKC warned about in his very last words: "It is between light and darkness and every one must choose his side." [Ward, Gilbert Keith Chesterton 650]

And so I thought I ought to post this so you will know what goes on when bad things happen in the Saga. (I hope you catch the Augustinian reference, hee hee) I think it wise for us to keep for reference when bad things happen in our cosmos, since it's really the same cosmos, you know, and as Bernie remarks, "We have allies who are more than a match for our adversaries."

Hence, we must be ready to go into action ourselves, since we also are Warriors. Huh? You say you are waiting for an invitation to join the College? Don't be absurd - you are already belong. (At least as a trainee; I dare not say any more here.) Like Uncle and Auntie, you are a Field Agent, and have the same tools as your disposal as they do. So get busy!

In St. Michael’s Orphanage, Father Bondost gathered the boys and had them pray in the chapel while he made some phone calls. First he called the monastery in Altiora and talked to the diocesan exorcist. Then he called his old friend C. B. Cardinal Tallisen in New York... and from these two points, ripples propagated over both very ancient and very modern networks of communication: The Enemy is at large, the Warriors are mustered.

And so, in certain far-flung places, behind high and thick and near-impenetrable walls, a tiny host of Amazons were marshalled and went into action. Few they were in number, many were no longer young, and most were weak physically, yet they were mighty in spirit and especially in prayer: like their foundress, they had chosen the better part, no less able to confront their Enemy for their seclusion than any others... indeed, perhaps more able, since they were far more single-minded in their discipline, and far less distracted than those who lived beyond their walls.

And in a tiny chapel in New York, a group of men gathered while the eldest among them put on the garb of an ancient Roman, including the stole of authority and the maniple of a servant. Then, now clad in what he called his “Altar-ego,” the Pontifex offered the One Sacrifice...

[PJF Ite Milites Audaces]

Today: Sunday, August 25, 2013

Yes, the calendar of the Real World has caught up to the Saga... and we now embark on the same journey as our young friends from Quayment...

But finally, the day of transition came. Sunday, August 25, Bernie and Marty went to Mass at St. Ambrose’s up at the top of the north hill. They went with their parents for brunch at Shelly’s. After that, they loaded their gear into the old station wagon Bernie had gotten earlier that summer, and they set off on their four-hour drive north, into Pennsylvania, to the little mountainous town called Stirling, the home of Howell College.

 

                They parked behind the dorm and carted their things up to their room. They peered around the place curiously. It was a suite for three: a large central workroom with three desks, three chairs, and three comfy chairs by the windows. Open doors led to two smaller bedrooms with doorless clothes closets and chests of drawers: one room, slightly larger, had bunks, the other had a single bed. Obviously, the third person had not yet arrived.

                “I don’t see why we shouldn’t take the bunks,” Marty said. “I’d like the top, if you don’t mind.”

                “Sure, that’s fine. I wonder what our roommate will be like.”

                “We’ll find out soon enough, I guess. But let’s get moved in, then we can go get some dinner.”

                “Right.”

                “And the first thing after that is to check out the chapel. Remember what Dr. Grosjean told us?”

                “Oh yeah... It’s open round the clock... the founder wrote it into the college charter that the students were always to have access to the best possible means of assistance...”

                “Exactly. I guess it’s not Catholic, but they have Mass there, and it will be a good quiet place. We’ll need it.”

                “Oh yeah.”

[PJF Three Things Which Go Well]

New: Introduction to Heraldry For Chestertonians!

Due to overwhelming demand at the presentation on Heraldry at the just-concluded 2013 ACS conference, I am pleased to announce, as promised, a short introduction to Heraldry.

Visit http://www.debellisstellarum.com/heraldry/overview.htm

Please inform me if you wish any augmentation or further details. At some point I will try to devise a glossary, but not just now.  And be sure to check out the various coats of arms for the Saga, which are elswhere on that site...

Modern Knighthood (and the Worse Dragons)

A sample for your contemplation...

                Other than the presence of a cardinal and a bishop – and the youth of the deceased – there was little out of the ordinary about the funeral Mass. The cardinal had selected the usual scripture readings, but to the surprise of many his gospel selection was the healing of the centurion’s servant: “For I also am a man subject to authority...”[Mt 8:9] And, as perhaps only Father Bondost might have expected, his homily was surprising too:

                “Many of you will be wondering about all these men in robes, with swords at their sides – older men, mostly. Or about these young men with swords... men you may have already encountered here in Stirling, and you knew they were bold young men, ready and willing to do the hard jobs, to defend the defenseless and protect the innocent, to help in unusual circumstances. It may sound like some sort of exaggeration to call them modern Knights, especially since knights get some bad press in these decadent ages – but they really are Knights. Don’t go by the fantasy stories and movies – don’t expect to see them jousting on horseback.... but when dragons come to destroy, they will be in the forefront of battle. Dragons! You scoff. Maybe not the fire-breathing lizards of mythology, but these dragons are worse, for they are the kind which lurk in human disguise. Yes: they are Knights, not because they ride horses, wear armor, or have swords, but because they are men sworn to virtue.

                “And this young man...  put his own life at the service of virtue – and by divine providence, while he still breathed, one of these knights bestowed the dignity of knighthood on him... who died in defending a young girl from deadly force.

                “This is not the time or place to describe the formalities of knighthood. But there is another sort of knighthood – a sort which is not beyond the reach of anyone, male or female, old or young, strong and hearty or weak and disabled. It is the sort of knighthood to which our centurion alludes.

                “It’s a marvellous story, you know: the singular case in the gospels where someone had the audacity to preach a parable to Jesus! Think about it: this soldier gives quite a perfect little analogy about how obedience works, and very humbly appeals to Authority for assistance. The scholastics of the Middle Ages would cheer this most elegant intellectual presentation; the Popes of modern times would applaud the succinct application of the great principle of Subsidiarity. But there’s more.

                “The centurion did not expect Jesus to ‘join up’ in the Roman military. In fact, he hardly knew what to expect of Christ in the way of action. Certainly he didn’t expect to get that unique commendation ‘Amen I say to you, I have not found so great faith in Israel.’ Our own case is similar: This daring young man was trying to do what he understood as the knightly thing: to safeguard that young lady from danger. He didn’t expect to suffer... nor did he expect to receive that unique commendation of knighthood.

                “All too often we come to our worship as we come to any of our ordinary duties, not knowing what we might expect. Certainly we don’t expect to run the risks this young man ran – nor do we come as the centurion, expecting assistance from Authority. But we do run risks... we need to recall what Chesterton said: The most dangerous thing in the world is to be alive; one is always in danger of one’s life. [GKC The Apostle and the Wild Ducks 165] We are always running risks, even in the safest and sanest occupations. But if we understand what the centurion understood: that there is one with Authority, Whose commands compel obedience – then we also know that utterly unexpected answers, marvellous answers, amazing results can come from such risks. We do not need to swear in our own blood to defend virtue. We are already obliged to live virtuously, as good Christians, as good citizens, as men and women who expect to live as good neighbors in our little towns... for this vast planet, nay, not even the planets of the entire universe, would be big enough for us to live together unless we are willing to live by virtue. Let us then proceed with our duties, and remember how the centurion phrases his request: ‘I am not worthy... but only say the word...’ May God make us worthy to live – and to die – as this young man did.”

[PJF Et In Luna Pax]

Petro-Pauline Novena (June 29-Nones of July)

Jesus told us to "pray always"... (see Lk 18:1, repeated by St. Paul in 1 Thes. 5:17) – and every time of day, or of year, is a good time to pray.

But there are certain paradigmatic arrangements of dates where the very great, mystical, and symbolic numerical structure called the NOVENA (from the Greek for "nine") seems to be especially suited - such as the dates between Saint Ignatius of Loyola (July 31) and Saint Dominic (August 8). Another is the one which begins today, from the great Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul to the (old) feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius on the Nones of July. And though there is not a lot of prayer in most fiction, even most Catholic fiction, it is good to bring this most essential action continually to our attention.

For example, in that most wonderful story called The Miracle of the Bells (by Russell Janney) our hero William Dunnigan prays to someone he calls "St. Michael the Scrapper"... and if you haven't read it yet, you ought to make haste, it is quite splendid. And speaking of novenas, and in particular the one which starts today, you might enjoy this excerpt.

[Scene: Mark's room on the third floor of the Weaver home, the evening of June 28, 2008. Mark is struggling with – ah – let us say – his future.]

[Mark was getting ready for bed when] he heard a knock and his sister Mary’s voice, and he pulled on his robe.
 “Come in.”
 “You OK? You were so quiet for so long – I thought maybe you had fallen asleep with the light on.”
 “No... I was... uh... kinda lost in another world.”
 “Oh, I understand,” she smiled, and he stared at her curiously. “I wanted to talk...”
 He sat on his bed, his arms around his knees. “Sure. Have a chair.”
 She sat, her eyes downcast. “Mark, I’m still struggling... you think I’d have worked all this out long ago. But it’s getting hard.”
 “What do you mean? The idea of going into Carmel?”
 “Yes – well – no. The idea of saying good-bye to so many good things. Mom and Dad. You and your brothers. This house. The store. The town. The bay.” She chuckled, but with an odd tone in it. “Even that horrible siren on the roof.” Then she shook her head, her eyes beginning to well with tears. “Thy will be done, O Lord... It’s rough, being attacked like this, with just three weeks to go!”

...

 Mark stared, wondering. Could she know? Was the College behind all this? But he did what he had to do, even though he began to hear his own words being applied to himself: “Mary! Didn’t you tell us – isn’t it in the gospels, about seeking God’s will and gaining a hundred times more what you give up? Are you in love? Is Ted? Aren’t Mike and Joan in love? Aren’t Matt and Catherine in love?”
 “Yes, Mark... yes, I am in love. I want to do this. But this part of the world – this little town, our family and our home and our store – is lovely.”
 “Sure it is. That doesn’t stop when you go into Carmel. You add to it, not lose it!”
 “I know that,” she sniffed, pulling out a handkerchief and blowing her nose.
 Gently he said, “Look, Mary – I understand what you’re going through. I’m trying to make a decision about something too – something about the rest of my life.”
 She looked up, her eyes wide. “What do you mean?”
 “I don’t want to say just now, all right? It’s kinda hard to – well, kinda unconventional, perhaps...” Staffs and floating teatrays; ellipsoids and atomic brooms and duels; that huge, ornate cathedral, and the crucifix in Uncle’s room...  and miracles. “But definitely orthodox.”
 “Really?” Her whole face had changed, as the sky changes as the storm departs. “I’d love to hear more.”
 “Not just now. But here’s an idea. Let’s do a novena – I’ll do mine for you, you do yours for me.”
 “For what?”
 “That we’ll know what we’re to do. That we’ll be given a sign.”
 “A sign? It’s a faithless and evil generation that seeks a sign,” she quoted. [See Mt 12:39] 
 “We’re only asking for it, Mary, not seeking one. God can grant it or not; it’s up to Him. But in such a critical matter we ought to ask, in order to be sure that we are not making a mistake.”
 “That’s a good point, Mark. All right. We’ll start tomorrow, it’s saints Peter and Paul.”
 “Great.”
 “Thanks, Mark. Good night.”
 “Good night – and thanks.”

[from The Psephy in the Dome. Note: don't bother trying to find a book of that title by any normal means, it will not avail. You will have to proceed into the Saga in the ordinary manner if you want to find it.]

Now Available: Part 13: Et In Luna Pax

Good news on the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary!

Announcing part 13, the "final" installment of the great Saga Se Bellis Stellarum:

Et In Luna Pax

which is subtitled "How the Pope Went to the Moon".

(There's really nothing I can add to explain further – you will have to read it to find out what that could possibly mean.)