Pondered In My Heart

{pretty, happy, funny, real} - Bookshelf Edition

The other day Leila posted a great piece entitled 'To educate children, you need books on the shelves.' I highly recommend it as Leila always articulates so well the things about which I only manage to rant to my family. (There's also good discussion in the comments.) As it says right up there in my tagline, our family culture is largely centered around books and we believe books should be made of paper. We enjoyed the peek at Leila's bookshelves and she has followed up with a bookshelf themed {p,h,f,r}. It seems very appropriate to show some of our shelves seeing as my last post was about the vast quantity of books we got for Christmas. So without further ado-

These new bookcases are definitely the Pretty as well as the pride and joy of our bookshelf collection. Josiah made Five ! of these beautiful modular bookcases for us this summer. They are made of pine and are constructed with blind template routered dados. That's fancy woodworker speak that means the end pieces are grooved so the shelves fit in and there is no hardware used.

Three of the shelves are in the office along the wall behind a huge desk:

So pretty!

The shelf on the left has our collection of Landmark books on the top shelves, followed by a shelf of Bethlehem books. Next comes a shelf of Cornerstones of Freedom that Eliza was so thrilled to acquire. The bottom shelves contain some history and geography along with Eliza's favorite history picture books. The other two cases in the office are quite a mix.

The other two bookcases are in the foyer in this little area alongside the stairway. It was rather unused space and thus perfect for books. We like how these bookcases were made to fit the areas so they look like they are built in, but they aren't, so they can come with us if we ever move. (In our last house we had a huge bookshelf built along a wall at the top of the stairs but alas it was Built In.) Also note all five of these are strategically placed to maximize unused spaces behind things and thus are also safe from toppling dangers.

We have rather random books on these shelves and also jestingly refer to them as 'rental shelves'. Mary Rose keeps some of her extra books down here and Lydia has some of her bird books on a shelf.

And look! Empty shelves are a happy sight too as there is room for more books some day. ;-) We do also have some Recent Acquisitions on here so folks know where to look for new books.

Also in the foyer we have this shelf of books acquired from a Catholic school library that closed along with some oversized goodies on the bottom. Some folks wanted to keep all of the 'books from the free library' all together, like so.  The little table there under the holy water font is a collection of Really Old Books; most are from my mother-in-law's house and most are well over a hundred years old.

Things like a Princess and the Goblin from 1913, Black Beauty from 1898, The Complete Poetical Works of Edgar Allen Poe circa 1902 - that sort of thing. There used to be a nice vintage doily-type cloth under the books but I reckon it disappeared somewhere.

They say your entryway should reflect the family's interests and décor so that guests get an immediate feel for what your home is like. I think we have that covered pretty well with the Sacred Heart, holy water, and a bunch of bookshelves. :-)

On the landing halfway up the stairs we have another bookshelf with several collections. This one is a rather rustic job from the thrift store, but it is made of Real Wood. We have vintage My Book House books on the top shelf, wonderful old books of fairy tales and all sorts of stories. Next are books from the American Heritage Junior Library series on various history topics. We also have several sets of Churchill's History of the War. Several folks here have enjoyed the whole series and they are very good so I admit we always grab any we see at library book sales. And yes, that's a little paper doll of of Churchill giving a V for Victory! on the bottom shelf there.

At the very top of the stairway is another thrifted bookcase housing my Lucy Fitch Perkins Twins books on the top shelf. The remainder of the books were gifted to us from a family at church. It's an interesting assortment of old Catholic books with some craft and how-to mixed in, and again my kids insist on housing all the books from the M family together. I should probably sort through them and cull some of the craft books and such, but for now they all live together on here.

Here's a little thrifted bookcase in my bedroom containing some of my personal fiction books - Elizabeth Goudge, Tolkien,  Janet Holt Giles, Jane Austen etc. (Some have pesky stickers that I need to go at with the hair drier to remove, ahem.)

Back downstairs we have a little shelf of some of our picture books, with a special place on top for Lydia's Roses in the Snow. ;-) This is another rather rustic specimen but one we can't part with as it goes way back in our history: this one we actually pulled out of a dumpster at the apartment complex we lived in when we were first married (that's nearly thirty years ago!). :-) Our little Beatrix Potters are here in a clementine crate as the box they came in pretty much fell apart from overuse. This works out handy as Eliza likes to take the whole box to the couch to read through a bunch at a time. These are some of our most favorite children's books - I think a child could go a long time on a desert island with just Beatrix Potter and Winnie-the-Pooh. You definitely want the little individual hardcovers of these if you can get them rather than one of those collections done all in one volume - some of their charm is lost when multiple illustrations are placed on one page and the stories aren't in their own individual books.

Back downstairs we have a nice little shelf with our collection of Mary Fabyan Windeatt saint stories and Vision books old and new. These are Catholic homeschool standards that have been read over and over throughout the years. There are other saint books as well on the bottom shelves, and you can see some folks keep their missals and prayer books on top.

Here we have the pair of built in shelves in the music room, and these are looking rather real with the doors that never close just right. On one side we have historical fiction arranged in chronological order, starting at the top of the shelves, along with a couple shelves of biographies. The last shelf is history picture books, again arranged by time period. In the closed cupboard below are two more shelves, one with music and one with picture books for the very young. As this is the music room there is usually random sheet music left about there in a friendly fashion.

On the other side of the room is the same configuration. The top shelf is actually empty as we moved the Landmarks to the new shelves in the office. The next shelf is our We Were There, Dear America, and vintage Childhood of Famous Americans. Then we have some of our field guides and science picture books.

We have two more of these built in pairs in the living room as well; one side holds a good deal of our kids' fiction collection and the other side is religious books. There are toys in the cupboards below as we don't have a separate playroom in our house and we like the young children to spend their playtime on the main level, not up in the bedrooms.

So that's probably plenty of bookcases for a blog post. We do have more bookcases elsewhere and the children have shelves in their own bedrooms. As a visitor once said while glancing around our house, "There are books everywhere." That's quite the way we like it. ;-)

Don't forget to visit Leila for more Bookshelf {p,h,f,r}! It's fun to peek at everyone's shelves. 

Books We Got for Christmas

When your family culture is deeply centered around books you naturally center a lot of your Christmas gift-giving around books as well. (It also comes in quite handy for achieving this thing we call home education.) Ever since our children were little we have been adding to our family library by gifting each person with a stack of books for Christmas. I can still remember those early years when each child's pile consisted entirely of lovely picture books. Most of the kids are grown but our reading and book gifting habits continue. Some years it's fewer books, some years it's more substantial stacks; this year ended up being the latter. :-)

We do a fair bit of book buying throughout the year, particularly in the months before Christmas. Some titles are new, some are special finds from used book stores or online sellers, and some are from library book sales or even the thrift store (such bargains!). As you can see, each person has a wide variety of interests and books on curious subjects are always welcome. If one is looking for a small, inexpensive, perhaps humorous or quirky gift for a stocking-stuffer quite likely one can find a book to fit the bill. And we all tend to operate on the principle that an old book is always better than a new book.

So here is this year's collection gifted between this family of nine bibliophiles...

If you cannot read all your books, at any rate handle, or as it were, fondle them- peer into them, let them fall open where they will, read from the first sentence that arrests the eye, set them back on their shelves with your own hands, arrange them on your own plan so that if you do not know what is in them, you at least know where they are. Let them be your friends, let them at any rate be your acquaintances. - Winston Churchill

Starting off with my husband's pile- He's done a lot of WWII reading this past year so I was happy to have found him a few more titles along those lines. World War II in Their Own Words, An Oral History of Pennsylvania's Veterans is a collection of stories told by the veterans themselves, some of whom we have met. It is always good to read history straight from those who lived it, so this should surely be a good read. He read Eisenhower's own memoir, Crusade in Europe, last year so when I found Letters to Mamie at a book sale I thought it might be a fun read. Beyond Band of Brothers is Dick Winters' own memoir. Unbroken was another book sale find. I don't normally go for popular or NYT bestsellers but it was inexpensive (dirt cheap), and some veterans we know said it was pretty good, so I thought I'd give it a try. The above marvelous quote about books is from The Wit and Wisdom of Winston Churchill, a perfect stocking-stuffer for one who has read all of Churchill's six volumes on the war. He also received the wonderful big hardcover Peanuts Treasury from Anna, and most everyone in the family has had their turn reading through it all. She also gave him A Living Treasure, a beautiful coffee-table style book with seasonal photographs of Arlington National Cemetery. Rounding out his collection of books he also got Light of the World from Jonathan, as he greatly enjoys reading Pope Benedict XVI and I gave him God or Nothing by Cardinal Sarah which several of us are looking forward to reading. (House rules are that the owner always gets to read a new book first, however long that takes. Within reason.)

My pile is much smaller but I did get some goodies. My husband gave a few encyclicals for stocking-stuffers and I got Benedict XIV's Deus Caritas Est. My other books are all from Anna, who seems to enjoy buying books almost as much as I do. She found me a lovely copy of John Toland's Battle: The Story of the Bulge. I had read the excellent kids' Landmark version, (also by Toland) last January in preparation for the reenactment we attended and had wanted to read the full version, so I was very happy to get an elusive vintage hardcover copy from Anna. She also gave me Return to Thrush Green for my collection. (Some of Miss Read is very good, and some definitely veers more towards comfort-twaddle, but she is always entertaining and sometimes just what is needed for a light read.) Best of all Anna gifted me with a beautiful hardcover vintage copy of Sigrid Undset's Master of Hestviken, along with a matching Kristin Lavransdatter! I read Kristin in the fall and truly loved it, and am much looking forward to reading Master of Hestviken. (Thank you, Anna.)

Jonathan received quite the variety. He got Spe Salvi by Benedict XIV in his stocking, along with a neat little vintage book expounding on the Creed and Confiteor. The Tolkien Quiz Book was in his stocking as well but turned out to be full of really obscure trivia. I also gave him the little vintage books on composers from the New York Philharmonic Symphony Society - Wagner and His Music Dramas, Schubert and His Work, Tschaikowsky and His Orchestral Music and Johann Sebastian Bach. Other books include a vintage hardcover (the hidden grey book) of the classic Fulton Sheen's Life of Christ, Pennsylvania's Best: The Story of Pennsylvania's Contribution to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness for Students of History, Librarians, Armchair Travelers and Everyone who is proud to be Associated in any way with Pennsylvania (how could I resist a title like that?), and Dante's Purgatorio (I mistakenly thought he didn't have a copy, but he is pleased to have this edition with parallel Italian and English). There's also a 1928 edition of Pilgrim's Progress, just in case someone wants to read the book everyone in books reads, a Christmas carol book that turned out to be not so great, and The Illustrated History of Helicopters as watching military helicopters is a bit of a thing in my household. I also gave him a lovely vintage hardcover of the Pulitzer Prize winning Admiral of the Ocean Sea: A life of Christopher Columbus (not pictured, as he's currently reading it). Anna also gave him the fantastic little Bugle Signals, Calls and Marches from MCMXVI (!) as he sometimes plays calls for us on an old trumpet we have. Another fun little find was Mend Your Speech, as Jonathan has some interest in linguistics and vintage books on speech are always a hoot. A taste:

nice. A much-abused word that originally meant "foolish," "simple," "ignorant." Then it came to mean "particular," "fastidious," "finical," "foolishly hard to please." Now it has acquired the sense of "agreeable," "dainty," "pleasing," or "refined," and is applied indiscriminately to a pie, a sermon, a young man - in fact, to almost everything.

(This rather cracked us up as it called to mind the dear priest who once told us "nice" is a Greek word that means "stupid.")

  On to Josiah's goodies. He has long enjoyed reading about divers skills thus we have Chapman's Piloting, Seamanship and Small Boat Handling from his brother (a nice 1943 edition formerly owned by a member of the USCG), Making Useful Things of Wood, and How to Develop, Print and Enlarge Pictures from his sister. His brother also gave him The Worse-Case Scenario Survival Handbook, a delightfully entertaining book full of unusual but potentially life-saving skills that you will quite likely (and hopefully) never need to use: escaping from quicksand, fending off sharks, identifying a bomb, wrestling an alligator - that sort of thing. The Big Trick and Puzzle Book from 1929 is a nod to Josiah's fondness for vintage kids' books of this kind. Letters to Lanah is a collection of letters written by a drafted Union soldier to his wife and family members and published by the keeper of those letters. War Stories: A collection of 150 little known human interest stories of the campaign and battle of Gettysburg and Inside Lincoln's Army: The Diary of Marsena Rudolph Patrick, Provost Marshal General, Army of the Potomac round out his gifts of first-person Civil War accounts. Also pictured is Airplane Boys on the Border Line because a little vintage boys' fiction is always fun, and a nifty little Catholic Prayer Book for the Army and Navy from 1917 because a little vintage prayer book is always good.
Josiah received Lilith, a George MacDonald title that we didn't have, from his brother and I gave him Magic City, an E. Nesbit I found that we didn't have. It's always fun to find that there are yet more books by favorite authors that we haven't actually read yet. Josiah is our big Dickens fan, thus Anna was delighted to gift him with a really old copy of David Copperfield she found, apparently from around 1867 or so (old enough to not have a publishing date). (Also, the only Copperfields we previously had in the house were abridged, gasp.) Josiah notes that the collection of Dickens Christmas stories that snuck  into the picture was not a gift this year - it just happened to be out with his new books as he was reading it. He's always enjoyed tall tales so I gave him Ol' Paul the Mighty Logger, and Military Small Arms: 300 Years of Soldiers' Firearms is an interesting reference book for all. He also received Caritas in Veritate in his stocking from Pa, and I gave him Mother of the Savior and Our Interior Life, highly recommended by our priest. (You have to love a guy you can give Glenn Rounds and Garrigou-Lagrange to at the same time, no?)

On to Lydia's loot, starting with the picture books: King of the Birds is full of curious illustrations of all sorts of interesting birds. Silent Observer is the unique memoir of a deaf girl in 19th century Nova Scotia; she grew up to become an artist and the book is illustrated with her own lovely watercolors. Naughty Nancy was a perfect little stocking stuffer because John S. Goodall! And mice! Delightful. Her sister also gave her Black Beauty illustrated with beautiful paintings by Lucy Kemp Welch (it's not this exact edition, but with the same illustrator). Also with pictures is Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens fabulously illustrated by Arthur Rackham. In the Civil War department, a favorite time period of hers, she received Who Comes with Cannons, a Patricia Beatty we somehow never had, Undying Glory: The Story of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment, and I gave her Muddy Road to Glory by Stephen Meader, a favorite historical fiction author. I like to collect vintage hardbacks of his books. In the scientific department she got Darwin's Black Box by Michael Behe and The Insect World of Jean Henri Fabre to add to our Fabre collection. She also received The Fireside Book of Dog Stories from me and A Dog for Davie's Hill from Anna. Lydia is also fond of western and pioneer stories, thus I gave her A Lantern in her Hand and No Life for a Lady. Being a girl of diverse interests she also was happy to receive Modern Fighting Helicopters.

  Here we have Anna's gifts.  The Long Road to Gettysburg by Jim Murphy is one I remember borrowing from the library when the boys were little and Abraham Lincoln From His On Words and Contemporary Accounts. Cowboys of the Wild West is by the favorite Russell Freedman. A Treasury of Western Folklore is a huge collection of 'Stories, Legends, Tall Tales, Traditions, Ballads and Songs of the People of the Great Plains and Far West.' Also present is a vintage 1895 Stories of Great Americans filled with marvelous little stories of all sorts of interesting folks and terrific old illustrations. The Key to the Constitution of the United States is a neat little book with the text of the Constitution and Amendments along with explanatory commentary and illustrations all done in that nifty 1940 style. Midshipman Lee (1938) is a vintage boys' book about Navy life. The Cave by the Beech Fork, A Story of Kentucky 1815 by Fr. Henry Spalding has recently been reprinted by St. Augustine's Academy Press but I found a hardcover from 1901. ;-) I am really looking forward to reading Toward Morning:A Story of the Hungarian Freedom Fighters a story set during the Hungarian Uprising of 1956, as told by favorite author Alta Halverson Seymour. Told Under the Christmas Tree is a lovely vintage 1941 anthology of tales. Tales Told in Holland is a delightful collection of poetry and prose beautifully illustrated by Maud and Misha Petersham, copyright 1926.  A first edition 1930 hardcover of Mr. Currier and Mr. Ives is self-described as 'A sparkling commentary on American life and manners during the most colorful period of our history, magnificently illustrated.' It's one of those large format books with heavy cream paper, interspersed with full page illustrations.

Finally, as requested, Anna received a set of twenty-seven volumes of the Funk & Wagnalls New Standard Encyclopedia from 1931 (actually, two of them are from 1937, she wanted you to know). She had her eyes on these in the book shop for quite some time, and seeing how it was Christmas and there was a sale... (I can't look at them without thinking of James Herriot that time his wife sent him to market, hee.)

Now for Mary Rose! As fond as she is of the WWII era she is by no means a one trick pony, thus a diverse collection of books for her as well. She is actually writing a novel about a WWI soldier, so we have some goodies here along those lines. Aunt Jane's Nieces in the Red Cross was a very interesting bookshop find about which I knew little when I picked it up. Turns out Edith Van Dyne is a pseudonym of L. Frank Baum, and he wrote the book in 1915,  later revising it to reflect the US involvement in the war. Fascinating.  History of the World War: An Authentic Narrative of the World's Greatest War is a comprehensive volume from 1918, while The Hundred Days Offensive is a modern 'snapshot' book with lots of photographs. She also got Randy Starr After an Air Prize and Randy Starr Leading the Air Circus, a series from the thirties that falls into the category we fondly refer to as whiz-bang vintage twaddle. Along similar lines we have Sally Scott of the Waves with a fabulous dust cover. The Tangled Skein, post WWII period fiction, and When the Dikes Broke, set during the 1953 Holland flood, are both by Alta Halverson Seymour. To Far Places: The Story of Francix X. Ford is by Eva K. Betz and John Neumann, The Children's Bishop is a vintage Vision Book by Elizabeth Odell Sheeham. Poems of Patriotism is a lovely vintage book Anna found for her sister. She also received They Loved to Laugh and Fear in the Forest, a couple of Bethlehem Books we didn't have.

Eliza received a nice mix of picture books and books about her favorite subject - American history. The Goat Lady tells of a dear eccentric elderly lady who keeps goats, and the neighbors who befriend her. When John & Caroline Lived in the White House is an intimate look at what the children's daily lives were like during the time their father was in office, as well as a glimpse of how the events surrounding the assassination affected them. The White House: An Historic Guide is another book from that era, commissioned by Jacqueline Kennedy as a guidebook for visitors to her home and originally intended for the children but grew to "a book that could be of profit to adults and scholars too." I quite agree with Jackie as she notes, "it never hurts a child to read something that may be above his head" and Eliza is quite delighted with this book filled with photos and descriptions of that famous home. Eliza loves to read biographies of her favorite characters and thus she was very happy to receive America's Robert E. Lee  by Henry Steele Commager and illustrated by Lyn Ward (yay), the Landmark Thomas Jefferson, Father of Democracy, Meet George Washington, Meet Thomas Jefferson, The Story of Abraham Lincoln, and Clara Barton. These old treasures are just the sort of living books we like for studying history; Eliza has already read them all and likes to tell us about them. I couldn't resist a Dover Abraham Lincoln Coloring Book. The Golden Book of America is another nice tome from a bygone era, filled with pictures and all sorts of curiosities. I've already mentioned Lincoln and His Boys by the terrific combination of Rosemary Wells and P.J. Lynch. Finally, a couple of airplane books: Military Planes and the vintage 1938 Airplanes in Action: Planes of the Navy, the Army, the Coast Guard, and Commercial Airlines, illustrated with Official Pictures (!). Oh and The Fireside Book of Folk Songs because Eliza loves to sing and it's wonderful.

Last but not least we have Kateri's new books. I was happy to give her her own copies of All-of-a-Kind Family and More All-of-a-Kind Family, classics that her big sisters enjoyed years ago. (I had forgotten that More isn't actually second in the series; I'd like to find hardcovers of Uptown and Downtown for Kateri as well.) Set in New York City during the early twentieth century, these tales of immigrant family life are delightful. She also received Five Little Peppers Midway, next in that old fashioned series. Anna gave her In American Vineyards: Religious Orders in the United States, an old Vision book, and Our Amazing Birds. One Hundred Best Loved Poems for Boys and Girls is a dear little book from 1930 and I can never resist vintage children's poetry books. The big oversized Gallery of North American Game has beautiful full color plates of all the animals along with descriptive text. Speaking of books bought for the illustrations, she also received East O' the Sun and West O' the Moon; I haven't read it yet but it's P.J.Lynch.  Another folk tale book is the illustrated Wonderful Adventures of Nils. We've had the hardcover text version for years and so were surprised and intrigued to find this illustrated version at a book sale; it's done in real photographs showing the locations of Nils' travels for a unique version of the book. Kateri also got Legends and Stories of Italy, which I hope to read aloud, and a wee vintage picture book of Saint Therese, one of the old 'First Books for Little Catholics' series.
A peek at St. Therese, the poetry book, and the picture book of Nils in his red cap.

Here are two more I forgot to photograph as Kateri keeps them on the shelf with her purse to take to daily Mass and Holy Hour. The Sacred Art Series, Gospels of Luke and John is a gorgeous book featuring the gospel texts generously interspersed with the finest classic religious artwork to go along with the stories. It's a very beautiful book, with gilded edges and a ribbon marker, and makes for lovely as well as meditative Bible reading for young and old. We also gave her Welcome: Holy Communion Before and After by Mother Mary Loyola; the fact that it is already dog-eared tells all.

Bonus: I guess I was on a bit of an Alta Halverson Seymour binge as I also gifted the family with these three in her Christmas Around the World series. I read A Grandma for Christmas aloud during one teatime and it was enjoyed by all, and we're looking forward to Kaatje and the Christmas Compass and The Top o' Christmas Morning. Tales like this of life in simpler times in faraway places are always a delight.

And Snoopy. There was lots of vintage Peanuts in the stockings this year, much to everyone's delight.

Thus endeth this colossal post of our Christmas book gifting. I reckon if you've read this far you must really like books too! Nice to meet you. ;-)

Snow!

We've had an historic amount of snowfall here today. The moderate snow of last evening continued all night so that we woke to a white wonderland. And then the epic snow just kept on and on and on all day into tonight. Shoveling efforts were concentrated on keeping the entryways clear and not too much else. We are cozy in front of the fire with tea in the pot, a fresh pound cake waiting for blueberries and whipped cream, and girls singing carols. We are thankful to be tucked inside all snug. Hope you are safe and sound wherever you are this winter's night.

{pretty, happy, funny, real} -

Linking up with Leila for some {pretty, happy, funny, real} in the New Year. (Also trying to remember how to write a blog post-Josiah had to come and point out the handy dandy 'restore content' button when I accidentally deleted it all...)

{pretty}

A pretty little goldfinch enjoyed a lengthy feast of crepe myrtle seeds.

Winter sunlight is so lovely and cheery. I have determined that I am solar powered - nothing lifts my spirits and energy level like sunshine does, especially in winter. Strawberry jam on Kateri's hot cream tea scones is a pretty sight as well, I must say.

We still have an occasional Christmas Fairy around here, and we do tend to keep our tree up until Candlemas. It's pretty as long as you don't look to closely. ;-)

{happy}

January happy is seeing folks enjoying their Christmas gifts-

Kateri was delighted to receive this charming horse from Anna for Christmas, and Flapjacks is now  happily stabled under the sideboard. She pretends to pump him fresh water every day but thankfully no mucking out is required...

Josiah is having fun learning to use his marvelous new toy - a lathe! Every day we hear it zip and whirr and then he comes up from the cellar with some new cool thing he's made.

And Eliza is so happy to have a new book about Abraham Lincoln to add to her vast collection - Lincoln and His Boys by Rosemary Wells. It's also illustrated by P.J. Lynch, one of our very favorite illustrators, and thus has been enjoyed by all.

{funny/wonderful}

Eliza had asked Lydia for a 'patriotic notebook for her helicopter data' and Lydia was all to happy to oblige. She found the perfect red blank book and added the blue ribbon for a closure, and Lydia has also passed on her love of data to her little sister. Whenever she hears a helicopter Eliza runs outside and checks her watch to mark the time - Black Hawks, Life Lions, Apaches, Chinooks, she's learning them all.

My dear husband happened to come across a reference to hexaflexagons in his scientific reading and sent us a link to a video about them, telling us 'If I had seen this video before Christmas, you would have all gotten one of these in your stocking.' Thus hexaflexagons have become a bit of a thing around here lately - half the fun is in decorating them of course. Can you tell whose are whose? (mine are the viney ones, Kateri's have flowers, and Lydia's have birds. She also made that flame-y one portraying heaven, hell and purgatory on the three sides...) They are fun to make and fun to play with. We hope to master the hexa-hexaflexagons next.

{real}

Here we have the binder brigade stuffing pages and pages of music for his students...

Jonathan is teaching Gregorian chant to a newly formed group of young choristers at our church. I get to watch him in action and try to learn along too.

Even Eliza is learning solfège and can sign ut, re, and mi! :-)

Do visit Leila and friends for more {p,h,f,r}. Happy January!

In Nómine Jesu Omne Genu Flectátur

Today we celebrated the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus.

In the Name of Jesus let every knee bow, of those that are in Heaven, on Earth, and under the Earth: and let every tongue confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father. O Lord our Lord: how admirable is Thy Name in the whole earth! Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.  - Introit, Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus (Philippians 2:10-11, Psalm 8:2)

O God, who didst constitute Thine only-begotten Son the Saviour of mankind, and didst bid Him to be called Jesus: mercifully grant, that we who venerate His holy Name on earth, may fully enjoy also the vision of Him in heaven. - Collect,  Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus

 The Holy Name is unlike any other name on earth. It is itself a prayer, ofttimes repeated continuously by those who seek to pray without ceasing. It is the first utterance that comes to the heart and mind and lips when we are in grave distress - our soul instinctively cries out to the Name that is above all others. It is the Name by which we are saved. It is the Name by which we live and breathe and have our being. This feast day, and this month of January dedicated to the Holy Name, is a perfect time to increase our love and practice devotion to the Holy Name. We can make a prayer card with Philippians 2:9-11 on it, and give it a prominent position in our homes. We can take the time to memorize these verses this month if they are not already known. We can teach our children the custom of bowing our heads whenever we hear His Holy Name. We can encourage older children to pray the litany of the Holy Name as part of their daily prayers. And we can instruct our children to make reparation for sins against the Holy Name. Whenever we hear the Lord's Name taken in vain we silently pray the first few lines of the Divine Praises (or as much of the Praises as can be recited given the circumstances).

Blessed be God.

Blessed be His Holy Name.

Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.

Blessed be the name of Jesus.

Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart.

Blessed be His Most Precious Blood.

Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.

Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.

Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.

Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.

Blessed be her glorious Assumption.

Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.

Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse.

Blessed be God in His angels and in His Saints.

(Optional) May the heart of Jesus, in the Most Blessed Sacrament, be praised, adored, and loved with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the tabernacles of the world, even to the end of time. Amen.

 At Mass today Father began his sermon with the words of St. Bernard of Clairvaux:

"The Name of Jesus is Light, and Food, and Medicine. It is Light, when it is preached to us; it is Food, when we think upon it; it is the Medicine that soothes our pains when we invoke it. Let us say a word on each of these. Tell me, whence came there, into the whole world, so bright and sudden a light, if not from the preaching of the Name of Jesus? Was it not by the light of this Name that God called us unto [H]is admirable Light? Wherewith being enlightened, and in this light, seeing the Light, we take these words of Paul as truly addressed to ourselves; Heretofore, you were darkness; but now, light in the Lord." (do read the rest of St. Bernard's words here)

 

Litany of the Most Holy Name of Jesus

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. 
Jesus, hear us.
Jesus, graciously hear us.

God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us .
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God, the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Son of the living God, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Splendor of the Father, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Brightness of eternal Light, have mercy on us.
Jesus, King of Glory, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Sun of Justice, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Son of the Virgin Mary, have mercy on us.
Jesus, most lovable, have mercy on us.
Jesus, most admirable, have mercy on us.
Jesus, mighty God, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Father of the world to come, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Angel of great counsel, have mercy on us.
Jesus, most powerful, have mercy on us.
Jesus, most patient, have mercy on us.
Jesus, most obedient, have mercy on us.
Jesus, meek and humble of heart, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Lover of chastity, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Lover of us, have mercy on us .
Jesus, God of peace, have mercy on us .
Jesus, Author of life, have mercy on us .
Jesus, example of virtues, have mercy on us .
Jesus, zealous lover of souls, have mercy on us .
Jesus, our God, have mercy on us .
Jesus, our Refuge, have mercy on us .
Jesus, Father of the poor, have mercy on us .
Jesus, Treasure of the faithful, have mercy on us .
Jesus, Good Shepherd, have mercy on us .
Jesus, true light, have mercy on us .
Jesus, eternal wisdom, have mercy on us .
Jesus, infinite goodness, have mercy on us .
Jesus, our Way and our Life, have mercy on us .
Jesus, joy of Angels, have mercy on us .
Jesus, king of Patriarchs, have mercy on us .
Jesus, master of Apostles, have mercy on us .
Jesus, teacher of Evangelists, have mercy on us .
Jesus, strength of Martyrs, have mercy on us .
Jesus, light of Confessors, have mercy on us .
Jesus, purity of Virgins, have mercy on us .
Jesus, crown of all Saints, have mercy on us .

Be merciful unto us, spare us, O Jesus!
Be merciful unto us, graciously hear us, O Jesus!

From all evil, Jesus deliver us.
From all sin, Jesus deliver us.
From Thy wrath, Jesus deliver us. 
From the snares of the devil, Jesus deliver us.
From the spirit of uncleanness Jesus deliver us.
From everlasting death, Jesus deliver us.
From the neglect of Thy inspirations, Jesus deliver us.
Through the mystery of Thy holy Incarnation, Jesus deliver us.
Through Thy Nativity, Jesus deliver us.
Through Thine Infancy, Jesus deliver us.
Through Thy most divine Life, Jesus deliver us.
Through Thy labors, Jesus deliver us.
Through Thine agony and passion, Jesus deliver us.
Through Thy Cross and dereliction, Jesus deliver us.
Through Thy faintness and weariness, Jesus deliver us.
Through Thy death and burial, Jesus deliver us.
Through Thy Resurrection, Jesus deliver us. 
Through Thine Ascension, Jesus deliver us.
Through Thine Institution of the Most Holy Eucharist, Jesus deliver us.
Through Thy Joys, Jesus deliver us.
Through Thy Glory, Jesus deliver us.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord Jesus!
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord Jesus!
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us, O Lord Jesus!

Jesus, hear us.
Jesus, graciously hear us.

Let us pray. -

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who hast said, "Ask and ye shall receive; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you"; grant, we beseech Thee, to us who ask, the gift of Thy most divine love, that with all our heart, words, and works, we may love Thee, and never cease to praise Thee.

Make us, O Lord, to have a perpetual fear and love of Thy Holy Name; for Thou never failest to govern those whom Thou dost solidly establish in Thy love. Who livest and reignest for ever. Amen.

(originally posted January 3, 2010)

Edited to add: In today's excellent sermon Father F. also encouraged us to not be fearful in defending the Holy Name when we hear others using it inappropriately in public. In addition to making silent reparation, we can also ask that others not insult Our Lord by using His name in vain. We can explain that just as we would not insult someone's mother or father or family members by profaning their names, we can ask others to have the same respect for those who are dear to us - God our Father and His Son and Mother, and to refrain from using their names inappropriately. Prudence is required of course to discern the situation, but boldness in defending the holy is ofttimes called for and appropriate.

He also called for restraint in using our Lord's given name in casual conversation as some well-meaning folks are wont to do. It is better to reserve the Holy Name for prayerful use and to employ other means of referring to Our Lord in casual discourse.

Father concluded by reading us the words of St. Bernadine of Siena, as quoted in today's reading in Divine Intimacy:
"O Name of Jesus, exalted above every other Name! O triumphant Name! O joy of Angels! O terror of hell! All hope of pardon, of grace and of glory is found in You! O sweetest Name, You pardon the guilty, You reform evil habits, You fill the timid with divine sweetness and drive away terrifying visions! O glorious Name! By You, the mysteries of eternal life are revealed, souls are inflamed with divine love, strengthened in time of struggle, and freed from all dangers. O desirable Name! Delightful Name! Admirable Name! Venerable Name! Little by little You raise the souls of the faithful by Your gifts and graces to the heights of heaven. All to whom You communicate Your ineffable grandeur, by Your power attain to salvation and glory!”

Let the Holy Name be frequently in our prayers, that it may come naturally to our lips at that time when we will need it most - at the hour of our death.