Safe Haven

I just saw "Man Of Steel", AKA the new Superman movie. I am not capable of providing a review full of movie-buff knowledge or cynicism; I'm just not that guy. My very being resonates with unalloyed Truth and Love; if you want to play my heart-strings, they are available. I make no bones about that. I'm sorry. This movie lays the Christ-homage on thick, and I loved every second of it. Superman's real name is Kal-El, or "Kal, son of El," which means plainly, "son of God." Clark/Kal tells us he is 33 years old. Actually, the film reminds us of this more than once, in case we are dull. We get views of Kal's childhood, and his foster father's wise decision that Kal should keep his true identity secret "until the right time," more than vaguely reminiscent of St. Mark's "Messianic Secret." In fact, Kal's human parents are so saintly that if you don't think of Mary and Joseph, well, I know some good PSR/RCIA te...

I am a long way from fond memories; from the cold that made us laugh, the keys and the strings which held such wonder. I am very far from the hopes caused by magical arrows from a messenger's bow. If I am only The Disappointed One, it is rather you who has misjudged me. In my anger still, I would rather die than harm you. But it shows me that I am wounded. Do you still believe you owe me nothing? Are you certain you know this man who does not exist? If you knew the pain I carried, I do believe you would not stay silent.

There's a scene in one of my favorite movies, For Love Of The Game, (note that there is not in fact another "The" in the title) where our co-protagonist Jane is caught off-guard by Billy's forwardness on what amounts to a first date. So, she makes a semi-joking comment that people should wear signs about themselves. It would save everyone time, she says. Well, mine would have more than one word, unlike in the movie. Of course, I got to thinking what I'd put on mine. Forgive me if this betrays some frustration, but mine would say, "I am neither same-sex attracted nor asexual, and I am most certainly not your brother." On the other hand, it's true that I'm not exactly the same as you, ever so desirous I may be to feel as "normal" as possible. Living with a physical disability from the beginning makes you different. I couldn't really understand it until I listened to Stanley Hauerwas. I am vulnerable--even emotionally--in ways that...

Big Things. Dude. At least I can say that if my old buddy wasn't struggling with a medical issue or getting on TV, I'd have less to write about. [That was shockingly self-referential.--ed.] I know. I just wanted to share a few things I appreciate about Russ Ramsey while I'm at it. In case he doesn't know, or has forgotten. There is not a single inch of the world that doesn't belong to Jesus Christ, ultimately. And if you meet Russ, you know it. Better still, you believe it. I didn't know when I met Russ that I was a creative person; I didn't know that I had something a little unique to give. He used to have these very colorful sheets of paper outlining the talks he'd give. There'd be all these pop culture and literature and art references; he sees Christ in everything. And he never did it to be cool, although frankly, it didn't hurt the cause. He did it to show us that the reason that we resonate with so much of this stuff is because its goo...

Did you know that I'm not a mind-reader? I do have a great deal of emotional intelligence, I'd say, but there's a big difference between cleverness of a sort, and being a telepath. Anyone who knows me knows I just say what I think. There's a big variance between being frank, and being willfully hurtful, too. Yet I count on people to contextualize what I say with what they know. It doesn't always work, and I'm not even close to being a good friend in so many ways. I expect a lot of my friends. I expect them to tell me when there is a problem. I expect them to listen to my response, and not just be thinking of the next thing to say. My response may be foolish, unjustified, or otherwise unrealistic, but if your friends don't know you're a fool, they're not your friends. It's a powerful word: "friend." As outgoingly ENFP as I am, as skilled as I may be at connecting with someone who was previously a complete stranger, I don't use it...

5 Thoughts For Today 5. If I want juice and crackers, I'll go to the grocery store. 4. If I need to remember what Christ has done for me/us, that's what Rosaries and Bibles are for. 3. If I want Jesus in the Eucharist, I'll go to Mass. 2. There is no dichotomy between the Sacred Scriptures, and Sacred Tradition. 1. As it was in the time of the Apostles, neither is there a dichotomy between Truth written, and Truth spoken.

Have you noticed that they do pretty well? St. Elsewhere ran from 1982-88. ER ran from 1994-2009. Grey's Anatomy is currently running its 9th season. And there are a couple lesser-known ones. I got to thinking about this last night. What is it about drama that pulls us? I don't know, but I think a medical drama has a special resonance. Death has a way of burning away the chaff. This is why medical drama usually does well. I think the goodness and dignity of human beings that people tend to celebrate when people die begs for us to inquire as to its origin. Goodness endures. "The good is diffusive of itself." People often doubt God exists because of evil, but isn't the far more interesting question, "From whence did good come"? We can define it, we can name it, we know what it is and isn't. Isn't that odd? Existentialism, the philosophy that each man defines himself and his own meaning, doesn't jibe with a pretty universal standard of wh...

And you don't realize it at first. And this character seems oddly cold at times, with his logical analysis and suppression of emotion. The story on the Vulcans is that they are deeply passionate people with a lively spiritual life, but some centuries ago, those passions almost destroyed their civilization. A man named Surak led the people in prizing logic over emotion. The frustrations of the other characters at this philosophy often pushes the story forward. But Spock is no ordinary Vulcan. His mother Amanda was human. After she died, his father Sarek (not to be confused with Surak above) took another human wife, Perrin. Spock often feels the tension of his emotions, believing them to arise from his human half. Of course, he is mistaken; the passions of his Vulcan heritage dwarf that of any human. But his friendship with Jim Kirk would change how he understood humanity and himself. James T. Kirk is a roguish, passionate, loyal, and supremely courageous man. He has cheated deat...

I spent all day with Bob yesterday. He and his wife are huge Trekkies. That's awesome. And it followed upon Confession and Mass in the early afternoon. And then we ate meat. I stayed until late in the night. We watched the TOS episode, "The City On The Edge Of Forever." I love you, "Edith Keeler." Even if you are a humanist hippie. [Dude, she's like 75 now.--ed.] Don't you kill my dreams. [Your dreams are stupid.--ed.] I grant that it would be better if she were 25, Catholic, and actually real. [Duh.--ed.] Most of the time, I mock either Captain Kirk or the writers for subjecting us to their amorous whims. Not this time. Dark black hair, eyes to light up a city...sheesh. Well played, Kirk, well played. [But...--ed.] Shhhh. There might be people who haven't seen it. But of course, it won't work out. We all know that Kirk's true love is the Enterprise. Remember Elaan of Troyius? She literally chemically addicted him, and he just quit her. Col...