Photina

Photina
n., An issue of water from the earth; a spring; a fountain. v.intr., To rise to the surface, ready to flow; to rise or surge from an inner source. v.tr., To pour forth. adj., In a satisfactory condition; right or proper. interj., Used to introduce a remark, resume a narrative, or fill a pause during conversation; used to express surprise.dictionary.com

Friday, January 03, 2003

Last night in the midst of much white and drifting snow, several friends and I watched Monsoon Wedding, snug in a warm house with hot chocolate and great cookies. I'd heard good reviews of the movie, but living in a town fond of independent film, it's possible to hear good reviews of movies that are, well, perhaps artistic, but not necessarily "good."

The distinctions between "artistic" and "good"and "entertaining" and "good" have been at the top of my mind lately--this seems to be an area ripe for conscience formation for me. Friends of mine have dealt with the entire issue by eliminating R-rated movies from their entertainment diet entirely. This is a valid solution, but it encounters problems at each end of the spectrum: Simply because a movie didn't acquire an R-rating does not make it appropriate, and simply because it did does not make it reprehensible (e.g., Schindler's List). So we're left with another version of "How Far Is Too Far."

And, as with physical relationships, even to ask the question misses the point. The point is not "How far can I get before I'm really sinning," but whether this activity will this draw me closer to God or push me from Him (or leave me in pretty much the same place). Hard, fast boundaries (e.g., "no R-rated movies") can be helpful, but they can also be places to hide from the more demanding work of conscience formation--are you responsible for your conscience, or are you trusting the MPAA to be your conscience for you? I wouldn't trust their track record...

I am not a fan of floundering, on the other hand; measuring rods are necessary. Two tools in particular have been sharpening my conscience lately (meaning that it's been pricking more--not that I'm yet to the point of consistently avoiding the things that make it prick). The first is Paul's exhortation to the Philippians in chapter 4:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Second is the ancient understanding that you become what you look at. A reference to this is in the first reading for today, from 1 John 3: Beloved, we are God’s children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

Sugar-coated entertainment is not my goal, however. Kant was wrong--the world is not getting steadily better and better without any interference from Above, yea though Disney often seems to think so.

And so I would throw in a third measuring rod. Les Miserables. A story of a convict, a prostitute, and the law himself. Justice and mercy; sin and salvation. Redemption and grace.

Our place as Christians is not to pretend that sin does not exist nor to glorify its existence but rather to embrace the wondrous reality of God's redeeming grace.

And so I come back to Monsoon Wedding. A "Christian" movie? No--Christianity appears nowhere except perhaps in the glimpse of a cross on a servant's necklace. Nor is the movie a paragon of moral virtue--the bride chooses to let her parents arrange a marriage for her partly as a rebound from a relationship she was having with a married man. That said, though, it was a movie that, holding up my measuring rods, I would see again. I would summarize its strength by saying that her sins and others' were neither ignored nor glorified, and true familial love was central in the movie.

posted by Heidi | 3.1.03

Happy Eleventy-first Birthday to J.R.R. Tolkien!

Tolkien had a special place in my heart even before I could read...for the longest time, I thought this picture (appearing on the back of my father's paperback Lord of the Rings books) was of my grandfather, and to this day I don't know whether I remember Grandpa smoking a pipe or just have him confused with the picture of Tolkien.

posted by Heidi | 3.1.03

Thursday, January 02, 2003

It is the feast of St. Basil the Great! One of the ten children of Sts. Basil the Elder and Emmelia, he was a Bishop and Doctor of the Church. You can take a look at his writings.

A Prayer of St. Basil the Great

O God and Lord of the Powers, and Maker of all creation,
Who, because of Thy clemency and incomparable mercy,
didst send Thine Only-Begotten Son and our Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of mankind,
and with His venerable Cross didst tear asunder the record of our sins,
and thereby didst conquer the rulers and powers of darkness;

Receive from us sinful people, O merciful Master,
these prayers of gratitude and supplication,
and deliver us from every destructive and gloomy transgression,
and from all visible and invisible enemies who seek to injure us.

Nail down our flesh with fear of Thee,
and let not our hearts be inclined to words or thoughts of evil,
but pierce our souls with Thy love,
that ever contemplating Thee, being enlightened by Thee, and discerning Thee,
the unapproachable and everlasting Light,
we may unceasingly render confession and gratitude to Thee:
The eternal Father,
with Thine Only-Begotten Son,
and with Thine All-Holy, Gracious, and Life-Giving Spirit,
now and ever,
and unto ages of ages.

Amen.

posted by Heidi | 2.1.03

January 2nd and I have basically recovered from New Year's Eve festivities... Alcohol was not the issue (I only had a wee bit of champagne at midnight)--it was the fact that I didn't make it to bed until after 4am. Too many entertaining conversations:

Art: As a reflection of modern philosophy; are artists intentionally or unintentional mediums (media?) of the Zeitgeist; Why I Don't Like Modern Art; and You Have to See It In Person to Appreciate It.
Music: One of the partygoers is studying at Interlochen and his sister had some of us listen to a recording of a piece that he composed and conducted. Impressive, especially considering that he's somewhere under 20. The orchestra & the recording didn't do justice to the piece. That led to Can Film Scores Be Legitimate Art? (Conclusion: Yes.)
Literature: Ranged from Shakespeare to what was the third book in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series? (& when we finally remembered, we realized that we had forgotten no less than Life, the Universe, and Everything...)
Language: Classical Latin versus Ecclesiastical Latin; when on earth would one really use the word "reify"? The fine distinctions between "Nerd," "Dork," "Geek," and "Tool."
Philosophy: Is This the Best of All Possible Worlds? (although I wasn't really involved in that conversation...)
Physiology: Specifically, hair. Facial hair, lack of facial hair, non-facial hair, and no sympathy from guys for the amount of shaving women do. And eye color (one of those really enlightening conversations--"I have blue eyes," "I have brown eyes," etc.)
Dancing: The guys hosting had done an amazing job cleaning their basement specifically so they could have a dance floor for salsa dancing after midnight. and of course we talked about...
Beer: The World Encyclopedia of Beer, lagers, bitters, ales, and "malternative beverages"--and then the horrifying realization that someone who knew better was drinking Guinness straight out of the can.

posted by Heidi | 2.1.03

Tuesday, December 31, 2002

New Year's Eve.

For all those who didn't have enough time to reflect on mortality and immortality during Advent, this is the twenty-four hour pause on the brink of a new year to reflect on the previous one, for better or for worse, and to mull what lies ahead . . .

My own past year, in snapshot form:

January: Made the decision to head for an M.A. in Theology at a Catholic seminary, despite being Lutheran.
February: Started second round of radiation treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma (nodular sclerosing, stage IA).
March: Finished up radiation treatment! Hallelujah! Spoke at YES retreat (Youth Equipped to Stand); helped organize Good Friday prayer vigil.
April: Finished up year of staffwork for University Christian Outreach.
May: Started Philosophy class.
June: Hair on the back of my head grown back enough; chopped off the rest to match (drastic--had been below shoulder blades). 29th--reading Under the Mercy, headed toward Catholicism.
July: Birthday, Ecumenical Youth Congress, World Youth Day in Toronto.
August: Moved.
September: Started RCIA.
October: Rite of Welcoming; spoke at Crossroads retreat; started not-for-credit New Testament Greek class.
November: One year since Hodgkin's diagnosis; now completely free of it--takes about a year from the end of treatment for full recovery of energy, however.
December: miscellaneous...

Crazy, amazing, wonderful year. God is good! In the coming year, may He teach me ever more how to "Trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding; acknowledge Him in all my ways, and He will direct my paths..." (Prov. 3:5-6, paraphrased).

posted by Heidi | 31.12.02

Today is the feast day of Pope St. Sylvester I.

posted by Heidi | 31.12.02

Monday, December 30, 2002

Ahhh...home. It was a good trip, and the roads were clear for it, for which I am thankful. Riding in the car for seven-ish hours gave me plenty of time to read, as well as some time to think and sleep. I finished Tolkien's Return of the King and was surprised at how much I'd forgotten since the last time I'd read it. I have no idea how the movie will be able to do justice to it... (especially after ruining Faramir in Two Towers. Ah well...

A misty, moisty day here right now. The snow is slushing--if it freezes tonight it'll be nasty tomorrow.

posted by Heidi | 30.12.02