In today’s episode, I sit down with my friend Liz Perry, a teacher and writer who currently works at Saint Mary’s High School, but will one day be known far and wide as a comedy writer on a famous TV show.
Show Notes (in order of appearance)
Heads up: Links to books theoretically earn me money at Amazon. This has never actually happened.
- Windsor, Ontario vs. Detroit, Michigan. This blog post supports what I heard, but, based on all the other results I found online, it is entirely possible that, a) I have no idea what I’m talking about and/or b) both towns suck.
- Our Lady of Częstochowa. Click here to learn how to pronounce it properly, as Liz did and not like some rube, as I did.
- I learned something cool about this image on Wikipedia:
“The Virgin Mary is shown as the “Hodegetria” (“One Who Shows the Way”). In it the Virgin directs attention away from herself, gesturing with her right hand toward Jesus as the source of salvation. In turn, the child extends his right hand toward the viewer in blessing while holding a book of gospels in his left hand.” - Hodegetria is a fitting title for Mama Mary (see here) and a great Scrabble word.
- Wikipedia also confirmed something truly weird that I knew, but that, you, dear reader/listener, may not have known.
- Rev. Jesus Urteaga is an incredible author who will kick your lukewarm a$$. He wrote two excellent books. An English copy of his book Los defectos de los santos (The Defects of the Saints) is harder to find than the Holy Grail* (and more expensive). I got my copy from the Philippines via my ex-sister-in-law’s visiting aunt who saved me the $40 shipping fee.
His book El valor divino de lo humano was originally published in English as Man, the Saint and was a bare-knuckled tune-up for your pathetic excuse for a spiritual life. It was later renamed Saints in the World, toned down a bit, and given an incongruously milquetoast cover. It’s still totally worth reading, especially if you’re in a men’s group. Here’s Chapter 1. You’re welcome.
* Every chalice at every validly celebrated Mass is a Holy Grail. [drops mike] - St. Thérèse of Lisieux wasn’t everyone’s cup of “T.” The release of her unaltered autobiography made her a lot more relatable. Here is a great blog post on the subject: I Didn’t Like St. Therese of Lisieux… Until I Learned These 8 Little Known Facts About Her. Tell the author of that post I sent you. I want her to be on the podcast. Here’s a bonus post from her that is just lovely: A Love Story In The Time Of Quarantine.
- St. Philomena. Not my jam.
- My jam. Also, what the wha…?
- I was pretty sure St. Josemaría had this to say about praying the Rosary, but I only found it in one place–with no citation–on the internet. The INTERNET. Weird, right? I think it means he probably didn’t say it, but it sounds like him, so here:
“If you get distracted in spite of your good will, don’t worry. Keep praying, for that prayer is like the strumming on the guitar by a lover singing to his beloved. Even though the thoughts might be elsewhere, your good desires and your vocal prayer will be there as a present to the Lord and his Mother, in a song of love.” - Praying the Rosary be like… (until 1:00).
The unaltered version of St. Thérèse’s autobiography reveals a more relatable Little Flower.
“One evening, not knowing in what words to tell Our Lord how much I loved him, and how much I wished that He was served and honoured everywhere, I thought sorrowfully that from the depths of hell there does not go up to Him one single act of love. Then, from my inmost heart, I cried out that I would gladly be cast into that place of torment and blasphemy so that He might be eternally loved even there.”
St. Therese of Lisieux, Story of a Soul
- The Supper of the Lamb by Robert Farrar Capon is different from Scott Hahn’s The Lamb’s Supper. Both are great.
- Ferial days and feast days.
- Canadian astronaut fixes toilet. You might not know his name, but there are a few folks who think this guy is out of this world. (No rest areas in space…)
- Canadian porter becomes first Canadian living after Confederation to be canonized. Great saints are formed by fidelity in little things. Saint André Bessette was a doorman for most of his life. “When I joined this community, the superiors showed me the door, and I remained 40 years.”
- Fun Fact: His grand-niece is my neighbor. We love her.
- Undercover Boss cleans portable toilets. His trainer thinks of his job as an adventure. Amazing.
- Josh Hartnett. Do you remember him now?
- Saint Genesius. He’s the patron saint of actors, comedians, clowns, and lawyers, among others.
- Missed opportunity. I should have shared this Chesterton quote from his book Heretics with Liz. But I didn’t. D’oh! “Mr. McCabe thinks that I am not serious but only funny, because Mr. McCabe thinks that funny is the opposite of serious. Funny is the opposite of not funny, and of nothing else.”
- Stephen Colbert gave a great interview that goes nicely with Chesterton’s quote.
“The times are never so bad but that a good man can live in them.”
Saint Thomas More
- Saint Thomas More was also funny. On his way up to the scaffold where he was to be beheaded, he asked for assistance. “I pray you, master Lieutenant, see me safe up and [for] my coming down, let me shift for myself.” As he placed his head on the chopping block, he carefully positioned his beard so that is would not be cut. “This hath not offended the king,” he said.
- I’m quite sure Hilaire Belloc would’ve thought my Lorenzo story was hilarious (no pun intended). He wrote these quarantine-must-read classics.
Jim: Who Ran Away from His Nurse and Was Eaten by a Lion is a delightful pop-up book based on Belloc’s Cautionary Tales for Children. It is one of my soon-to-be-six-year-old daughter’s favorite books. Delightful.
- Watch The Chosen. Low budget. High impact. Here’s an article about how it’s the largest crowdfunded amount ever raised for a movie.
- Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead
- Speaking of booze and Catholicism… Pints with Aquinas is a great podcast. Matt, if you trackback links to your page, hi. Please be on my show. Not to brag, but Trent Horn could pick me out of a lineup and not for the usual reasons people pick other people out of lineups.
The Usual Links
- RCIA at St. Thomas the Apostle: http://staphx.org/becomingcatholic
- Leave us a message here. Or email me rdrapeau at gmail . com
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- Pray for Us!
- Stay Healthy!
Special Thanks:
- To Liz Perry for coming on the show.
- To Canadia for sharing its Native Daughter.
- To Mr. & Mrs. Perry for sharing their actual daughter. (Well done, Mom and Dad!)
- To Gary Somers, ERP Analytics, and the Los Angeles Community College District for making delays of this podcast possible. (My wife and our creditors thank you, too!)
- To BPD for producing the show. You are extra, double-plus awesome, mate. Innit though?