Things continue to unfold apace in the United States, as clashes over monuments, history and ‘what it’s all about’ continue. This isn’t really about ‘racism’, a canard thrown about mostly from a bygone era, but rather about what we might call ‘culturism’. That is, what is our culture, what are all those things we hold dear, that we want to retain in our memories through statuary, books, museums, in classes and curricula, in our families and our storytelling, and, ultimately, in our religion, however transcendent it may be. What is unfolding are deep divisions within the body politic, that transcend ‘race’ and skin colour, and go far deeper. President Trump is caught in a maelstrom for which he himself is not fully prepared. I am not sure who would be, even a man far more ‘perfect’ than the imperfect commander-in-chief. One nation under God no longer holds, for we all now worship different ‘gods’, and the one God who rules over all is, sadly, oft-forgotten. In fact, many want to obliterate any image of Him, as well as the history (itself composed of imperfect men) over which His providence holds sway.
On a more positive note, perhaps you could check out the young adult novel Black Bottle Man, by Craig Russell, recently and positively reviewed by the National Catholic Register. We are always on the look-out for new and good literature, which should be supported. Please let us know any feedback.
I spent yesterday evening and this morning on a family farm, a very positive and uplifting experience. Farm life is good for the soul, producing strong and disciplined children, who grow into productive and diligent adults, rooted in all that is good, true and real. The only sad part is that farms are now more or unaffordable unless you are born into them, or are a millionaire (and then some). But even some aspects of farm life are good for the soul: A garden, a few animals, or at least being connected with nature and its beautiful vagaries. God is good, and is watching over all. His providence will unfold, and so long as we stay faithful, as Bd. Julian of Norwich declared, all manner of things will be well, be they ever so fraught from our temporal and transitory perspective. To paraphrase an old adage, vita brevis, aeternitas longa.