David Ancell / Sunday, October 30, 2022 / Comments(0)
I admit I haven’t had the best time trying to read the classic Catholic writings of the saints. I read the Imitation of Christ a long time ago but wasn’t really ready for it. I didn’t even appreciate St Therese of Liseux’s Story of a Soul when I read it. I gained a greater appreciation for her reading other stuff about her. I read an abridged version of St Francis de Sales’ Introduction to the Devout life, and that went much better for me.
Ascension Press has been putting together some great podcasts with Fr Mike Schmitz’s Bible in a Year, and coming next year, Catechism in a Year. Now, they’ve published a new edition of Introduction to the Devout Life and have a podcast where they are reading through it. From what I have read so far, this is a very accessible edition of the book. If the print version they are selling is too expensive for you, they’ve also published as an ebook. It’s available now, while the print version isn’t shipping yet.
The podcast, by the way, is going to run in seasons. It looks like they are going to spend a period of time reading a certain classic and then stop for a while. From what I see, Ascension must be planning to publish updated translations of a number of classics, and each time they do, we will have a podcast where we can read through it. The season for Introduction of the Devout Life is expected to last 42 days. You can follow along each day as you read the section, and I’m sure for me the days won’t be consecutive. You’ll have an opportunity to catch up on the break between seasons.
If they keep this up, and I hope they do, it’ll be an awesome way to study the classic writings of our faith.
David Ancell / Wednesday, October 26, 2022 / Comments(0)
I’m not a big fan of some of the semantic games people play. Many of them seem to be used just to start arguments. For example, there were some media posts going around that were against saying a husband was “helping” around the house because it’s his job, too. I’m not sure how having responsibility precludes helping, but really, I digress . . .
There’s one usage I really do wish would die. I’ve often heard of churches speak of the “weekend Masses.” Why can’t we just say “Sunday Masses?” We celebrate the Lord’s Day on Sunday in obedience to God’s command to keep holy the Sabbath and to celebrate the resurrection of Our Lord on Sunday. Even if you attend a vigil Mass on Saturday night, as my family and I did during the pandemic, you are still going to a Sunday Mass. The ancient Jews reckoned their days from sunset to sunset, so I think they’d agree.
The weekend is a societal construct. The Sabbath is a command of God. At a time where our culture is intent on keeping us always busy, we need to remember to set aside this day. Even though it’s right next to Saturday, it’s not just part of a weekend.