A Carpe Diem Snapshot:
I am a lunatic and I freely admit it! (Interpreted as "moonstruck", of course!) But I am in good company. Shakespeare waxes poetic about the moon throughout his work, including these lines: "The moon’s an arrant thief, And her pale fire she snatches from the sun." (Timon of Athens). It is true that the moon only reflects the light of the sun, the source of all power, which is why some Catholics have poetically described Mary as the moon, beautifully reflecting the light of her son, Jesus.
In A Midsummers Night Dream, Shakespeare also describes that "second sun" as a harbinger of the dangers that the night may possess:
Now the hungry lion roars
And the wolf behowls the moon,
Whilst the heavy ploughman snores
All with weary task foredone.
Speaking of wolves howling at the moon, I cannot fail to mention our favorite contemporary book series for children at this point, The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place. Without giving too much away, let's just say that the moon plays a very central and dramatic role in this exciting tale of mystery, adventure, and classical allusions. The book also enthusiastically encourages children to howl at the full moon with abandon, which does remind me of my youth (ahem) howling at the moon from the cupola of Piety Hill, the name my parents gave to our family home in Mecosta, which was not the best example for all the neighborhood dogs.
And finally, did you know that the earth has a "second moon"? (albeit only in a poetic sense!)
Liturgical: Thursday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea."
Sanctoral: John Baptist de Rossi (1698-1764), was from Genoa, and studied and worked in Rome before becoming a priest there and a canon of Santa Maria in Cosmedin. He worked tirelessly for homeless women, the sick, prisoners and workers, and was a very popular confessor, being called a second Philip Neri.
Human: 2024-- The Vatican Dicastery for the Causes of Saints announces that the second miracle has been approved for Carlo Acutis, paving the way for his canonization.
Birthday of Carolus Linnaeus (botanist) – 1707. Here's a book we really like about him.
Natural: 2024- The full flower moon of May!
Quote: "The more Eucharist we receive, the more we will become like Jesus, so that on earth we will have a foretaste of Heaven." --Carlo Acutis
ความคิดเห็น