Good Bloggage

Paul S., at his blog Spike is Best has a thoughtful meditation on Jesus' parable of the generous landowner who pays equally for unequal work. A fellow Chestertonian, he writes well and features some fine original poetry, as well, from time to time.

Professio is a new-ish blog of Catholicism, art and culture from another Chestertonian (there can never be too many). In a recent post, he poses the question "Can It Be Done Smaller?" in a brief defense or explication of the Distributist spirit. He also asks another question that I'll deal with in another post.

Finally, Paul N. - The Aesthetic Elevator - has been musing on the concept of Beauty and includes human relationships as being among the truly beautiful (or I guess, ugly) things we can create. He also features some good quotes on the subject from people like Cardinal Henri de Lubac and C.S. Lewis. I was gratified to read his thought about the beauty of human relationships being similar to creating beauty in more temporal ways... art, music, poetry, that kind of thing.

Every Christan artist ought to try and read Tolkien's short story Leaf by Niggle, which touches on and develops this idea. He seems to confirm that in our daily decisions and relationships we create something far more durable and significant than any conceivable work of earthly art could hope to be. Our life in Christ - that aspect of our personhood that is united with and animated by his will through the Holy Spirit - exists in eternity as something solid and distinct, like an everlasting sculpture we work on every day without realizing it. We shape it by our thoughts and actions.

Paul is also depressed about scarves right now... or probably more accurately, about mass produced and mass marketed "hominess". This reminds me of all the trouble I used to go to as a teenager in order to get my jeans to wear and fade just right... then the industry giants started mass producing pre-faded and worn jeans, even including the holes and frayed cuffs.

Yesterday, I saw an ad flashed on a gas pump LED screen that read "Grandma's Cookies, 2 for $1.00". I don't know what they're selling in every gas station coast-to-coast in those little mylar pouches, but it ain't my grandma's cookies.

Comments

[Dominic]

Tim,
Thank you for the kind words and the link. In fact it was your blog along with the book Inside the Vatican which inspired me to create my blog.

Thank you for the inspiration and keep up the thoughtful commentary.

[Paul S.]

"He seems to confirm that in our daily decisions and relationships we create something far more durable and significant than any conceivable work of earthly art could hope to be. Our life in Christ - that aspect of our personhood that is united with and animated by his will through the Holy Spirit - exists in eternity as something solid and distinct, like an everlasting sculpture we work on every day without realizing it. We shape it by our thoughts and actions."

God's blessings to you Tim. In 'Leaf by Niggle' we encounter the 'spiritual realm' as more real than our reality, as it should be. The tale is wonderful. Have you read 'Smith of Wootton Major'? That one has some similiar threads as niggle, but duskier and permeated with that Elven sadness. One of my faves.

Thank you very much for the generous words and links.