L'Irlanda contro il Papa

Ottimo articolo di Introvigne sulla tensione diplomatica tra Irlanda e Santa Sede.

Intervista a Marshall McLuhan

Intervista a Marshall McLuhan sulla Australian Broadcast Corporation.

Madrid

Questa bella foto me l'hanno scattata a Madrid, la scorsa settimana, in occasione della scuola estiva dedicata a Stanley Jaki.

Studies

Il mio libro su Newman è stato recensito sull'ultimo numero di Studies, rivista dei Gesuiti irlandese.
(Purtroppo solo l'indice è disponibile in linea.)

The Plans of His Heart...

The Plans of His Heart...: "I wish I had the time to write the posting - well, the book - that deserves to be written about today's feast, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It would give many reference to Father Jaki, but would also contain material from books which it appears he (like so many priests and bishops) never examined - books on developmental anatomy. These texts ought to be sources for truly deep and powerful meditations upon the mystery of the God-Man, Jesus - and, naturally, upon the mystery of Man the species, to which we belong.

Jesus was still an embryo of perhaps a month old - probably Mary had been with Elizabeth for three weeks by now - when His Heart began to beat. This needs to be considered at length... Unfortunately, I don't have time to go into it at any length today, so if you have a library at hand, please go hunt for a book on developmental anatomy (the one I have is by Arey) and check it out.

But perhaps you are wondering about that title. Well, that's from the Psalms, rather from the Divine Office, also called the Liturgy of the Hours. That version (whatever translation it may be) gives it as Psalm 33:

He frustrates the designs of the nations,
He defeats the plans of the peoples.
His own designs shall stand for ever,
The plans of His heart from age to age.
[from Ps 33 Morning Prayer, Tuesday of Week I]

Why is that relevant to us, to scientists? Because those plans include matters of science, not only theology or philosophy. This is not a mere truism about the formation of the cardiac structures and hemopoiesis (that is the Making of Blood). It was told us by St. Paul:

That their hearts may be comforted, being instructed in charity and unto all riches of fulness of understanding, unto the knowledge of the mystery of God the Father and of Christ Jesus: In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. [Col 2:2-3]

In Jaki's wonderful little volume on the LItany of the Sacred heart, you will find a good starting point - no, it won't have lots of footnotes to medieval or modern scientific works, but it has something even more important. It reveals some very interesting matters about the devotion to the Sacred Heart, matters which deserve a fuller treatment by our Society, since they concern thinking men of faith and reason, for anyone who is interested in the foundations of Science Writ Large - and also who may be concerned with the state of our sad and fallen world. This devotion to the Incarnate Love of God offers much hope, which we need very badly, and gives us many seeds for growing new gardens, no, new orchards of fruitful produce, not only in the direction of spirituality, but also in more confident science and more robust and effective engineering...

Hardly more than a hundred years old as approved for public use, the Litany of the Sacred Heart has, of course, a much older history. In the Introduction that history is traced out as it developed from a Litany of seventeen invocations to one with twenty-seven, and finally to our Litany with thirty-three invocations. While this development is not without importance of its own, attention is best focused on the spiritual factors and efforts that lie behind it. Especially noteworthy should seem the connection of the approval of the Litany for public use with events that prompted Pope Leo XIII to decide on the consecration of the entire world to the Sacred Heart, which took place on June 10,1899. This act Leo XIII called 'the greatest act of his pontificate.'
[SLJ The Litany of the Sacred Heart introduction]

Indeed. the greatest of more than 25 years of serious, difficult work! (Another day we shall examine the parallels between Leo XIII and John Paul II - they are striking.)

God will not be frustrated. He is worth our trust, or we could not reason about anything, be it ontology or automata, stars or quarks or turtles or halogens...

Let us remember, and add this line to our Great Epigrams:

the Plans of His Heart shall stand forever...

"

Un preziosissimo dono dal nostro caro amico Angelo Bottone da Dublino ed anche dal presidente della Central Catholic Library!

Un preziosissimo dono dal nostro caro amico Angelo Bottone da Dublino ed anche dal presidente della Central Catholic Library!: "

'Caro presidente,

in allegato trovi un po di foto che ho fatto ieri. Oltre al sottoscritto, che stava scattando le foto, mancano altre due persone che sono andate vie presto.Ho portato i tuoi saluti, ovviamente, ed ho parlato della SCI.


Tra le foto della mostra c'è la sorpresa che ti avevo promesso. Peter Costello, il direttore della Central Catholic Library, ha scoperto che Chesterton ha visitato la biblioteca il 10 agosto 1924 e ha parlato ad un pubblico qualificato. Tra i presenti cera William Cosgrave, il presidente dell'Irish Free State. In quel periodo la biblioteca si trovava in un altro edificio, non in quello che hai visitato.


Come puoi capire dalle foto, la mostra comprende cimeli, foto e libri del nostro amato, alcuni dei quali in prima edizione. Insomma, ci sono tanti motivi per visitare la biblioteca in questo periodo.


Buon Chesterton Day!
Ci sentiamo quando sono in Italia.


Angelo'.


E che deve dire, il povero presidente, se non GRAZIE?
Sono un amante dell'Irlanda, un ammiratore della Central Catholic Library di Dublino (che ho avuto la fortuna di visitare, e che dico ai lettori di visitare! Ne abbiamo parlato in un post dello scorso Marzo, andatelo a vedere! Ci sono anche le foto) ed ora che so che il nostro Gilbert è stato pure da loro non posso che essere lieto e commosso.
Tra le foto trovate, per la cronaca, la trascrizione a stampa di una lettera inviata da Chesterton al rettore dell'Università Nazionale Irlandese come ringraziamento per avergli comunicato la volontà dell'istituzione università di conferirgli la laurea honoris causa. Se ingrandite la foto, potete vedere che essa fu spedita nel Novembre 1929 dall'Hotel Hassler di Roma... Dall'Italia! I casi non esistono.
Il gathering della Società Chestertoniana Irlandese si è tenuto sabato, ed avevo pregato Angelo, che ci si sarebbe recato, di portare i saluti miei e di tutti i chestertoniani d'Italia. Angelo mi aveva preannunciato una sorpresa, ed è stata grande!
Chesterton con William Cosgrave, presidente dell'Irish Free State (Saorstat, in gaelico). Chesterton che scrive agli irlandesi dall'Italia.
Grazie, Angelo, grazie, presidente Peter Costello!
Spero di poter rendere in qualche modo la sorpresa, ed intanto vi invito tutti a venire in Italia per un bell'incontro chestertoniano! Noi vi aspettiamo!

"

The secret world of doing nothing

La mia ultima recensione scritta per Metapsychology online.


What people do what they are apparently doing nothing? Billy Ehn and Orvar Löfgren, two ethnologists from Sweden, explore the infra-ordinary, i.e. those moments in daily life that are taken for granted and therefore do not attract much attention. The familiar everyday that surrounds us is full of empty activities, wasted time and lost moments. This volume explores the secret world of doing nothing not from a psychological but from a cultural point of view.

Continua qui.

The Politics of Well-Being: PoW: On revolutionary Aristotelianism

The Politics of Well-Being: PoW: On revolutionary Aristotelianism: "One of the most influential modern philosophers is the Neo-Aristotelian Alasdair MacIntyre, who helped kick-start the revival of virtue et..."