Smorgasbord #10
Joy, introspection, bossa nova
Hello friends! This is Peregrino, a newsletter about the journey. Welcome to another edition of Smorgasbord, a self-service buffet of ideas. If you’re new here, welcome! It’s good to have you. If you haven’t subscribed, I will make it easy for you to do so.
Thoughts
I’ve been rereading “Advent of the Heart” by Fr. Alfred Delp S.J., a German Jesuit priest who was outspoken against the Nazi regime. He was arrested, tortured, and ultimately executed on February 2nd, 1945, three months before VE-Day. This book contains his sermons and prison writings about Advent between 1941 and 1944.
Guadete Sunday hit me differently this year. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. First, we went from gaudare—>gaudium—>joie—>joy. From the Latin word for rejoice, passing through French—think joie de vivre, to middle English joy.
I’ve been thinking about the word for joy in Spanish, gozo, and how it’s no longer part of people’s vocabulary. I’ve been reading what Aquinas, Chesterton, and Kreeft have said about joy. What is it? How can you attain it? I want it.
I’ve been thinking about the joyful mysteries of the rosary. The Annunciation, The Visitation, The Nativity of Our Lord, The Presentation, and The Finding of Jesus in the Temple. Wait, what? If these are joyful, why are two of the seven sorrows of Mary—the prophecy of Simeon and the finding in the temple—included?
Reads
Anger as a Trauma Response: Why it Happens and How to Manage by
confirmed something that’s been revealed to me through prayer: anger is just the tip of the iceberg.When Good Catholics Vape in Your Face by
made me feel called out by addressing the problem of poor witness but reminded me that we’re on a ship full of unruly passengers and need to be transformed. It was both real and hopeful. A good reminder that there’s a lot of room for improvement.Are we in the End Times? Yes, but that shouldn’t really matter by
is something Diana and I have talked about for a while now. How much should we look into the “signs” of the times? What does it mean to be prepared for Jesus’ second coming?End of the Year Reflection Questions by
is right up my alley in that she provides a list of questions to reflect on the year that is ending before you make plans for the upcoming one, which I think is a great idea.
Music
If, like me, you need a break from Advent/Christmas/LoFi music, I suggest you play this in the background, grab a drink of your choice, kick your feet up, and chill.
Merry Christmas
Finally, I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. May the light of Christ illuminate your lives always!
Sobremesa
What combo of Masses are you attending for the 4th Sunday of Advent/Christmas?
What are you having for Christmas dinner?
Have you wrapped all your presents?
A lovely smorgasbord here, Walther; thanks for sharing. And I've thought about that before re: the joyful mysteries containing the finding in the temple. As a mother, that frequently stops me in my tracks.
What an interesting thought on joy. As someone who is new to the rosary, I still don’t know all the mysteries and I didn’t know that some of the joyous ones are counted as Mary’s seven sorrows.
I have understood for a while that joy and happiness are not the same thing but the depth of joy and how that is truly lived out is worth pursuing. How could we not have joy if we are in Christ? Good food for thought here, Walther.
And thanks for sharing my post! I actually got around to checking out Pints with Aquinas and listened to the episode with Dr. Ralph Martin. The episode called “A Church in Crisis.” They touched on End Times a little but in a very levelheaded way which some evangelicals do not. It was anlso interesting hearing about some of the things going on within the Catholic Church that I, being an “outsider” didn’t know about. But also strangely familiar as I just left the United Methodist denomination which is, in my opinion, going all in on following the culture. I definitely feel like the [T]radition of Catholicism gives the church much more solid ground to stand on in our time.