Hold That Thought

Actual letter from Fr. Hattie received Tuesday December 8, 2015.

Something unusual: this time I received an actual, paper letter in the mail from Father Hattie. As usual, above is a scan of the letter (I crudely pasted the two sides into one sheet and had to adjust the color to try to capture the actual soft green colored paper) and below is my transcription.

You probably notice that the appearance of the letter looks different from what you might expect. That is because Father manually types his letters on a (manual) typewriter. It can be a challenge (or a game) for some to read the actual letter due to the various conditions of the letters (e.g., too light, overstrikes) or typos. If you find it difficult to read the actual letter (hint: a larger view is available by clicking on the image of the letter above), hopefully, my transcription will help you "read" Father's message. If you notice any mistakes I made, please let me know.

I find it rather ironic (and mysterious) that I received this letter on December 8th and that it is connected to his letter of October 9th. As I previously mentioned, October 9th is the birthday of John Lennon of Beatles fame. The irony is that John Lennon was murdered on December 8th. It seems an unusual coincidence that both letters are associated with those dates. However, I am fairly certain that Father Hattie is not a Beatles or John Lennon fan.

For a list of other letters I have received from Fr. Hattie, see my Fr. Hattie page. You will also find there details on how to contact Father, as well as how to make a donation to help Father's "orphans" in Uganda. It's not too late to send him your own Christmas card.

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Dec. 5, 2015

My dear Rick:     Peace of Christ!

     No better way to begin the day than by thanking you sincerely for your latest kind & generous Gift of $X for our orphans. During the last 6 months many former donors have fallen away, so I'm sending them a Christmas Card as a reminder. Prayers, please.

     My plan* to leave for Africa on Jan. 1 have been botched. On the very day that I was to have spinal surgery, I was found to have cellulitis** in the right leg, and the Dr. was hesitant to perform the surgery. Now I am on antibiotics & the Dr. won't do surgery un[til] there is a complete cure of the cellulitis. And, after surgery I'll have to remain in the USA for 4 months for observation. That means that I'll be going to Africa only at the beginning of May. I guess that the Lord is doing this to tempt my Faith & I think He'll win.

     Just now I'm busy with Christmas Cards, for I must have them in the mail by Dec. 12, since I'll be at my sister's home from Dec. 12-19. Wish me luck.

Many thanks for the Circular+. I am quite familiar with all the projects mentioned.

     Please do pray that I'll finally find my way to the Land of my Dreams. You & the family are in my daily Mass & prayers.

Tons of love & gratitude,                                       

Fr Gene, SJ                            

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* See Father's October 9th letter.
** Cellulitis is a bacterial infection involving the inner layers of the skin.
+ I mailed Father a newsletter from Hope Seeds that reported on their efforts in Africa, including several places in Uganda and Kenya.
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Links:
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/p/letters-from-fr-hattie.html
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/typewriter.aspx
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2015/10/back-to-africa-please.html
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/p/letters-from-fr-hattie.html
http://www.uecon.org
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2015/10/back-to-africa-please.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellulitis
http://hopeseeds.org
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Written Saturday 12/12 2015.

A Reading of the Spong Book On The Fourth Gospel

Autographed by the author November 7, 2015.

Today I finished reading the Spong's book on the Gospel of John, The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic. I bought it at the conclusion of the Spong lecture I attended on November 7th; I started reading it that evening and have essentially been reading a chapter a day.

The back cover of the book gives this summary: "Spong argues that this last gospel to be written was misinterpreted by the framers of the fourth-century creeds to be a literal account of the life of Jesus when in fact it is a literary, interpretive retelling of the events in Jesus' life through the medium of fictional characters, from Nicodemus and Lazarus to the "Beloved Disciple." The result of this intriguing study not only recaptures the original message of this gospel, but also provides us today with a radical new dimension to the claim that in the humanity of Jesus the reality of God has been met and engaged." The adverts for the lecture further claim that in this book, "Spong provides a unique primer about how to be a Christian in the post-Christian 21st Century" (think about what that actually says).

My post is not intended to be a review or a critique of the book. Rather, my intent is to document a few quick thoughts after one reading of the book.

First, I found the book to be an easy read. Spong writes in a very personal style that feels like you are sitting together chatting rather than reading a book. Chapters are not overly long (roughly 10 pages each).

The Preface presents a sort of biography of Spong's life and career as an Episcopal priest and bishop (Newark, NJ). While it doesn't directly have anything to do with the subject, it gives the reader a sense of who the author is. The book is divided into five (5) parts:

1. Introducing the Fourth Gospel
2. The Book of Signs: Mythological Characters Wrapped Inside History
3. The Farewell Discourses and the High Priestly Prayer
4. The Passion Narrative: From Darkness to Light, From Death to Life
5. Resurrection: Mystical Oneness Revealed.

Footnotes are located within the chapters at the bottom of the page. These notes are limited to clarifications. An extensive bibliography is provided at the end of the text. An index and scriptural index are also provided.

A few editorial aspects irritated me. Use of scriptural references was inconsistent and often incorrect (by verse or two). I found myself penciling in the references for future use. A good editor should have caught this. Spong also sometimes slipped into an arrogant voice that assumed his position was obviously factual or truth (i.e., an air of superiority).

I came to this book hoping and expecting to learn something new about Jewish mysticism but was disappointed to find very little about this topic. I guess I will have to read further about that in other references. Instead, what I found was the not very new (to me at least) concept that the Gospel of John can be read as figurative rather than literal. Duhhh. 

I'm not sure if I learned much that was new to me from this book. Probably the most interesting new nuggets are other books that look intriguing: 

• Mysticism in the Gospel of John by Jey Kanagaraj (1998)
• Mystical Christianity A Psychological Commentary on the Gospel of John by John A. Sanford (1993)
• The Mystical Way in the Fourth Gospel by L. William Countryman (1995)

Who knows if I will ever get around to ready these. I have a lot on my list and have still many books of the Bible that I have not read.

A common proclamation in the book is that "one cannot know the fullness of life until one can give one's life away." [p. 316] This sounds very similar to a platitude in the 1970 rock opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, "to conquer death, you only have to die." [in the song, Poor Jerusalem].

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Links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_John

http://johnshelbyspong.com/store/the-fourth-gospel-tales-of-a-jewish-mystic

http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2015/11/spong-lecture-can-you-believe-it.html
http://www.amazon.com/Mysticism-Gospel-John-Background-Testament/dp/0567446670

https://books.google.com/books/about/Mystical_Christianity.html?id=jsfYAAAAMAAJ

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_A._Sanford

https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Mystical_Way_in_the_Fourth_Gospel.html?id=-Rd9QgAACAAJ

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_Christ_Superstar

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Written Tuesday December 8, 2015.

Turkey Day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

How else to celebrate this holiday than a walk in a cemetery?  That's what I did. After a leisurely morning of coffee and reading, I took a walk to work off the calories from the slices of nut and poppyseed rolls my mom had sent. (They tasted great with hot coffee).

Naturally, I overdressed for the walk and ended up carrying my pullover "R" jacket (from my sister, Amy -whose birthday is today) for much of the walk. Thankfully, I had a sweatshirt on (or perhaps that's why I got too sweaty). Anyways, the weather was very mild, with very pleasant temperatures (no jacket required) and a fair amount of clouds.

One of the nice aspects of cell phones is being able to walk and talk long distance at the same time. I had a nice chat with my Mom (in Ohio) while I walked.

I hadn't been to my local cemetery since Memorial Day. In addition to chatting with my mom, I also said a rosary (but not at the same time) as I strolled around the various sections of the cemetery.

Ironically, shortly after I arrived at the cemetery, I noticed a headstone with an unusual graphic which turned out to be the General Society of Mayflower Descendants. As you may recall, the Pilgrims sailed in 1621 on the ship Mayflower from England to Plymouth (located in present day Massachusetts) seeking religious freedom. The celebration of their first Thanksgiving was an inspiration for what came be a national holiday in the USA.

Engraving on tombstone. Compare to logo below.

Logo for General Society of Mayflower Descendants.

Earlier this morning, I read several essays on the history of Thanksgiving. One piece that I read was President George Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation (1789), the first national celebration of Thanksgiving. In today's secular age, it is stunning to see reference to Almighty God, the great and glorious Being, Beneficent author of all the good, etc. and of the "duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor...."

Sundial on gravestone. "Tempus Fugit" is Latin for "time flies"

Celtic cross

After walking for two (2) hours, I had worked up an appetite to justify eating a turkey feast. Being alone and not practical to cook a turkey ans fixings for one, I purchased my feast from our local Boston Market restaurant. Although it was open on Thanksgiving, I purchased it the afternoon before so as not to encourage being open on a holiday. I merely reheated via the modern miracle of the microwave oven.

My dinner plate.

I had turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, and creamed spinach. I washed it down with a glass of wine (Toasted Head 2014 Chardonay-California). I forgot to make the corn.

For dessert, I had a slice of no-sugar apple pie with a "scoop" of ice cream. I had wanted vanilla frozen yogurt but the closest I could find was cookie dough frozen yogurt.

Dessert

With all those calories, I did not want to spend the rest of the evening sitting around the house. So it was out for another walk. As I walked in the dark, I received several text messages from a few of my siblings. These were mass distribution texts rather than a personal text to me. In light of the solemnity of the day it seemed sacrilegious to communicate so impersonally. So I (attempted) replied with my own text to sarcastically suggest that they include Christmas greetings so they don't have to bother texting again in a month! (I'm sure that didn't go over well if I transmitted it correctly. I don't really know how to send mass texts-because it is such a grossly impersonal way to communicate).

Although it was chilly during my evening stroll, the weather was mild. I reflected on how calm things were today as compared to last year. I wonder what happened to the woman who crashed into the pole? I hope she is okay and had a better Thanksgiving this year.

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Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2015/05/planting-flags.html
https://www.themayflowersociety.org
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_(United_States)
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/GW/gw004.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundial
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempus_fugit
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_cross
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dessert
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2014/11/thanksgivingcrash.html
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Written Thursday 24 December 2015 (at least I finally got it done).