A Carpe Diem Snapshot:
James E. Person, Jr. has done it again! Last summer he delivered a wonderful powerpoint presentation on my Dad's life at the Kirk Center, and this summer he created a new presentation for the public at the local library, with an emphasis on my Dad's roots in Mecosta. With the girls listening to every word and captivated by the extensive collection of photos he presented, Jim gave my kids a priceless gift-- an introduction to their own family history in the context of the larger world. When Jim was discussing the first two decades of my Dad's life, including the universities he attended, Valentina repeatedly giggled and leaned over to me to whisper, "And Grandma hadn't even been born yet!", referring to my parents' unique twenty-two year age difference!
Jim is the editor of The Unbought Grace of Life: Essays in Honor of Russell Kirk (1994) and the author of Russell Kirk: A Critical Biography of a Conservative Mind (1999). Most recently he edited Imaginative Conservatism: The Letters of Russell Kirk (2018).
Liturgical: Feast of Saint Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr
"Brothers and sisters:
Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,
and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion,
for God loves a cheerful giver.
Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you,
so that in all things, always having all you need,
you may have an abundance for every good work."
Bishop Barron's Gospel reflections today.
Sanctoral: Today the Church celebrates the Feast of Saint Lawrence (d. 258), who was chief among the seven deacons who served the Roman Church during the mid-third century. The young cleric held a position of great trust, caring for the goods of the Church and distributing its alms among the poor. He was arrested under the Emperor Valerian in 258, laid upon a gridiron and slowly roasted to death. Lawrence rejoiced in his gruesome martyrdom and died praying for the conversion of the city of Rome, in the hope that from it the faith of Christ might spread throughout the world. From that time idolatry began to decline in Rome.
San Lorenzo fuori le Mura is a minor basilica and one of the seven traditional pilgrimage churches of Rome. St. Lawrence (Lorenzo) is buried there next to St. Stephen. Pope Pius IX is buried in a beautiful "Liberty style" crypt near the martyrs' relics.
Human: It was on this date in 1519 that the explorer Ferdinand Magellan set off to sail around the world.
Click below to hear what happened. What a story!
The Writer's Almanac edition today.
Natural: There are flocks of wild turkey with growing "jakes and jennies" all over the roads of northern Michigan these days! Here's an article on the differences between wild and domesticated turkey.
Italian: The Italian Flag: 6 Fun Facts!
Quote: "Kirk recognized that conservatism is a philosophy or a way of looking at life that makes for a manner of belief and of action that most closely honors the way men and women ought to act among their neighbors in community and in matters of transcendent faith. Conservatism is certainly not a program, a campaign, or a career choice. Rooted in the small community, it is homely and humble and it makes for respectful peace within families, between neighbors, and ultimately among nations. It looks to the past, to be sure, but only to more clearly see the way through to tomorrow. It is brought about by example and persuasion, not by sloganeering and shouting down." --James Person
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