Category: Esolen, Anthony

Two good friends of mine

Sr. Dorcee, belovedLeave a comment

One of the things I find most delightful is introducing good friends of mine to each other.  That recently happened to me again.  If any of you have checked out the “Biographies” section under the “Books to Read” tab in this blog, you’ve seen that I have read two books about Father Arseny, an Orthodox priest who served time in Russian prison camps,  a number of times.  Hence, he has become a good friend.  I have often said about him, “I want to be like him when I grow up.” I recently introduced him to Anthony Esolen, a professor at Providence College (who has also become a good friend).  Professor Esolen writes for Touchstone magazine and, as many of you have probably noticed, for Magnificat.  He recently commented on an article about a priest in a concentration camp who heard the confession of one of his tormentors and the magnanimity of love he showed him.  Having read Professor Esolen’s comments, Fr. Arseny immediately came to mind so I sent the two books off to him in the hope that he would value meeting him as much as I have.  Here are his comments about the books: “The Beauty of the Saints.”

And my hope is that each of you get to know each of them.  Remember I love it when my good friends meet each other.

(I know I included a lot of links in this post–all of them worth reading.  If you only have time to read one, read the last: “The Beauty of the Saints”.)

“Davey’s Song”

A Professor of English writes about the “divine music” of his autistic son.

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Sr. Dorcee, beloved2 Comments

This article by Anthony Esolen (Professor of English at Touchstone College and senior editor of Touchstone magazine) has been on  my mind.  He wrote it a few years ago about his relationship with is son, Davey, who is autistic.  It is subtitled “Anthony Esolen on the Divine Music of an Autistic Son”.  I encourage you to read it (and anything else by him as well): “Davey’s Song.”

God loves ordinary people

“God loves ordinary people. That is why he made so many of us.” (Anthony Esolen)

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Sr. Dorcee, belovedLeave a comment

This is a follow up to “Is my life of any account?” I’ve read this piece by Anthony Esolen in this month’s Magnificat twice now (and will reread it again, I assure you) and thought I would share part of it with you.  It’s from his comments on Gerard Manley Hopkins’ poem, “In Honour of Saint Alphonsus Rodriguez.

    . . . God loves ordinary people.  That is why he made so many of us.  Nor is there any shame in it.  The word suggests order,  the providential design built into our natures as men and women, and into the time and place and created world wherein we dwell.  The Church wisely blesses this order in what we call “ordinary time,” those times of the year when we are not celebrating a great feast such as Christmas or Easter, but cutting the wheat, watering the livestock, mending a fence, baking a loaf of bread, and otherwise merely living with one another with forbearance, a few good fights, some better forgiveness afterwards, and charity above all.  Anyone who does not find the wonder in such a life would probably also not see the beauty of a creek, or the gentle strength of a father’s hand as he rests there, fishing.
     It’s true that we are each of us called to be saints.  But if we suppose that we are all called to be loud and bustling saints, regular Sons (and Daughters!) of Thunder, we do not understand the wonder of the ordinary, and we are probably mistaking vanity for holiness, too.  Gerard Manley Hopkins, priest and poet, made no such mistake.  The man who could see the lush glory of weeds in April, or the shine of good soil after the farmer has tilled it, celebrated also a saint who reached the heights of holiness by being no one important at all.  Saint Alphonsus Rodriguez, a Jesuit, lived at the College of Palma in Majorca for forty years.  His job at that house was simple.  He opened the door to the main hall.  That’s what he did, faithfully and obediently.

Reminds one of Fr. Solanus Casey and Blessed Andre Bessette.  I wonder which one will be opening the door when we get to heaven?

There really is hope for us all. . .

"Come, Christians, Join to Sing"

Sr. Dorcee, belovedLeave a comment

I just read this week a piece by Dr. Anthony Esolen, professor at Providence College, entitled “Come Christians, Join to Sing!” It’s worth reading the whole article. Last paragraph: “How sorry such a life [without a culture in which to celebrate] would be! Which makes me think–or I should say, makes me insist–that long before we Christians take to the streets in protest, we should take to the streets in song. Let our merriment abash our opponents, before our indignation steels their resolve. Let’s take them by a storm of celebration. I have no idea what is stopping us. Surely it can not be our knowledge that we’d probably celebrate with lousy music. Our opponents have lousy music too. They invented most of it, after all, and we picked it up from them. Let’s go for the celebration. Not to proselytize; just to pray and sing and be together, outdoors, with people to look on and laugh at us for being the fools that we are. Let them. We keep it up, and they’ll be fools alongside us too.”