Flannery O’Connor’s stories don’t lend themselves to simplistic interpretations. There is good and there is evil but the edges are frayed and the colors are often indistinct. The ambiguity in her stories often rattles us because we like our morals sharp-edged and uncamoflaged. But in Flannery’s stories it is not so. Each one demands reflection and care [...]
Archive for March, 2008
A fine grain of stupidity
Posted in Flannery O\'Connor, Literature, symbolism on March 24, 2008 | 8 Comments »
It really happened
Posted in General on March 23, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
truly
Baptism now saves
Posted in Baptism, Sacraments, Salvation, The Church, Theology on March 19, 2008 | 2 Comments »
In his discussion of the Nicene creed’s statement “one baptism for the remission of sins,” T. F. Torrance explains what it means to be baptized into Christ:
“In baptism we are united to Christ through the Holy Spirit in such a way that we partake of the whole substance of the gospel, for all grace and [...]
Gratitude
Posted in Flannery O\'Connor, Literature on March 18, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
From “Greenleaf” by Flannery O’Connor
Scene: Mrs. May speaks with Mr. Greenleaf about the new dairy barn his sons have built:
The barn was down the lane from the house. She had not seen it before but Mr. Greenleaf had described it in detail for it had been built according to the latest specifications. It was a milking parlor [...]
Sucat the Great
Posted in St. Patrick, biography, missions on March 17, 2008 | 4 Comments »
Today we commemorate the life of one of the greatest and most courageous missionaries in the history of the Church: St. Sucat. Sucat (who changed his name to “Patrick” some time prior to 432 A.D.) became the patron saint of Ireland for his labors in spreading the gospel through that land. By the blessing of [...]
Eight Marks of a Robust Gospel
Posted in Scott McKnight, Theology on March 14, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Scott McKnight
Greenleaf (I)
Posted in Flannery O\'Connor, Literature on March 10, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
There’s always a danger in commenting on an O’Connor story. She often protested about the tendency of literary critics to see things that weren’t present; importing into her stories all sorts of symbolic meaning that she never intended. She wanted to preserve the ambiguity and mystery of her stories and never appreciated the strained efforts [...]
Great, Now I’ll Have This Song Stuck in My Head All Day
Posted in Music on March 9, 2008 | 4 Comments »
Mesmerizing.
Hypnotizing.
Mongolian Throat Singing.
It was a cold day in…
Posted in General on March 7, 2008 | 3 Comments »
By the way, it is currently snowing in Monroe, Louisiana.
If you will kindly idle your car in the driveway for a while, and release some extra greenhouse gasses, we would appreciate it.
Update: It worked. Thank you.
Motivation, etc.
Posted in General on March 7, 2008 | 1 Comment »
The people that work in the print shops which produce these inspirational posters with colorful photographs illustrating such principles as “teamwork” or “achievement”, do you think that they remain in a constant state of motivation?
Speaking of achievement, when you have listened to an unabridged audio book in your car, do you tell people, “Yeah, I [...]
The Psalm Singing Controversy
Posted in Liturgy, Music, Psalms on March 5, 2008 | 4 Comments »
From the mid-16th to the 17th century, psalm-singing in England exploded in popularity. English psalters were published at an incredible rate, and the people sang from them not only in church, but throughout their work day, and at home in the evening. Singing metrical psalms in four-part harmony was as much a form of family [...]
The Best of O’Connor
Posted in Flannery O\'Connor, Literature on March 3, 2008 | 10 Comments »
Ok. So what are the top five Flannery O’Connor short stories? Everyone always lists “A Good Man is Hard to Find” and, of course, that would have to be in the top five, but that’s too easy. Let’s agree to place it to the side for the purposes of this list. What are the five best other than “A Good Man”? Here’s my list:
1. [...]
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