One Catholic Life Blog

Chandelier Tree 2005

Homily

Are We There Yet? – Homily for the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B

First I want to wish a happy Father’s Day to all of my fellow fathers and grandfathers, those here present, and those who can’t be with us today. I wish you a blessed and peaceful weekend. With summer here, I imagine many of you are preparing for one of fatherhood’s greatest responsibilities, the family vacation. One of my favorite fatherly duties is driving the family down the road to some exciting and new vacation spot. Whether it’s a quick trip to Seattle to see the Mariners play, or...

She by H. Rider Haggard

Book Review / Books and Reading

Classics Club #20: She by H. Rider Haggard

She is the landmark fantasy/adventure novel by H. Rider Haggard that has influenced authors like J.R.R. Tolkien, Rudyard Kipling, and George R.R. Martin. It has appeared on lists like Fantasy: The 100 Best Books, Horror: The 100 Best Books, and Classics of Science Fiction. Serialized from 1886 to 1887, She was one of the first “lost world” stories, and laid the foundation for stories featuring characters like Doc Savage and Indiana Jones. In She, Horace Holly narrates the tale of his journey with his adoptive son Leo Vincey to the heart...

Convent of the Petit Picpus

Books and Reading

Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along: The Convent

Today is day 127 of the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, which is about a third of the way through the book. For those who are participating, well done. It’s not easy to limit yourself to a few pages a day, especially when you have to leave characters behind for a week or more to read Hugo’s digressions.  If you’re staying with the schedule, then right now you’re in the middle of reading the history of the Convent of the Petit Picpus. Like the chapters on Waterloo, this can be...

maple tree

Homily

A Hulking Monstrosity of a Tree: Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Easter – Year B

This passage in John’s Gospel about the vine and the branches is one of the most beautiful in all the Gospels. Jesus says, “I am the vine, and you are the branches.” It’s a beautiful image of life, growth, and relationship, and it tells us a lot about how much the Father cares for us. Now, I don’t know much about vines or branches or pruning, but Brenda and I do have this huge maple tree in our back yard. It’s a great tree, about thirty years old,...

Books and Reading / Music

Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along: The Les Mis Mix Tape

When I taught Les Misérables to eighth graders, one of my favorite assignments was a final project in which students were to choose contemporary songs to go along with the book. I always loved seeing the connections students made between the novel and popular culture. Inevitably, at least one student would choose Abba’s “Waterloo,” but there were also some very original choices as well. In the early years of the project, students turned their songs in on cassette tapes, but over time they switched to CDs. I wonder, If...

Stars in the Sky

Books and Reading

Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along: No Stars in the Sky

As we enter week 14 of the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, the story moves from the Battle of Waterloo back to the more personal stories of Jean Valjean and Cosette. One of the things I noticed as I read the chapters for this week was Hugo’s continued use of star imagery. Here’s what stood out to me as I was reading: The ship at the center of the action this week is named Orion, not only the hunter of Greek mythology, but also one of the brightest constellations in...

Notes from the Upside Down

Book Review / Books and Reading

Notes from the Upside Down by Guy Adams

If you’re a fan of the Netflix series Stranger Things and you want to know more about what inspired the creators, then you’ll probably like Guy Adams’ Notes from the Upside Down. Adams goes through each episode of the series and discuss the music, TV shows, and movies and that have made their way into the show. While the book does discuss the plot and characters of Stranger Things, it tends to focus more on introducing readers to the late 70s and early 80s sci-fi, fantasy, and horror. I grew up in...

Javert

Books and Reading

Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along: 25 Percent Done

Yesterday, April 1, besides being Easter Sunday, was also the one quarter mark in our Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, based on the number of chapters read. Congratulations for making it this far, and thanks for staying with the read-along to this point. Here’s what it means to have read the first twenty-five percent of Les Misérables together: Ninety-one chapters read, including: Fourteen chapters on the Bishop of Digne  Nineteen chapters on the Battle of Waterloo Almost one hundred tweets with the #lesmisreadalong hashtag, including: Favorite quotes from each chapter Pictures...

from the Panorama of the Battle of Waterloo by Louis Dumoulin

Art / Books and Reading

Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along: The Art of Waterloo

Only four more days until we finish this section on the Battle of Waterloo. One of my favorite things about reading these chapters has been trying to find artwork to go along with the quotes I’ve posted on Twitter. For those who don’t use Twitter, or who might have missed them, here are some of the images I’ve posted:

Book Review / Books and Reading

Cries from the Earth by Terry C. Johnston

My wife’s family is from the Camas Prairie, a beautiful region in North Central Idaho that includes communities like Grangeville, Cottonwood, and Winchester. That same area is the setting for Terry C. Johnston’s Cries from the Earth: The Outbreak of the Nez Perce War and the Battle of White Bird Canyon June 17, 1877. I purchased Johnston’s fictionalized account of the beginning of the Nez Perce war mostly because of its setting, and I hoped the history would come alive because of my familiarity with the area. Unfortunately, the...

Waterloo

Books and Reading

Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along: Waterloo and More Waterloo

The rest of the month of March may be the most challenging portion of the entire Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along. After the dramatic end to Volume I, not only does the narrative shift to a completely different scene, but that shift goes on for nineteen chapters. The characters that the reader has become so invested in are seemingly abandoned for a sixty page account of the Battle of Waterloo. And of course, reading only a chapter a day makes this section last even longer. All I can say...

These High Green Hills by Jan Karon

Book Review / Books and Reading

These High, Green Hills by Jan Karon

These High, Green Hills is the third book in Jan Karon’s The Mitford Years series, and I have to admit that I really enjoy these books. I haven’t written about this series before, so rather than review this third book, I will simply say that each of the first three books have the same charm, humor, and uplifting themes. The stories center around Father Tim, pastor of a small Episcopal parish in the fictional village of Mitford, North Carolina. Father Tim is a good man and a good...