in the form of a cross

A brother asked an old man, ‘How can I be saved?’ The latter took off his habit, girded his loins and raised his hands to heaven, saying, ‘So should the monk be: denuded of all the things of this world, and crucified. In the contest, the athlete fights with his fists; in his thoughts, the monk stands, his arms stretched out in the form of a cross to heaven, calling on God. The athlete stands naked when fighting in a contest; the monk stands naked and stripped of all things, anointed with oil and taught by his master how to fight. So God leads us to victory.’

The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers, #11

Israel Levin

If you could switch lives with a famous person for a week, who would it be and why?

I think it would be interesting to switch with friends of famous people. They have the benefit of proximity and a relationship with a celebrity while not having the downsides of fame.

So! I would like to switch with Israel Levin. In case you do not know, he was secretary to Soren Kierkegaard (until about 1850). He also proofread all his writings and had a cup of coffee (and chat) with Kierkegaard every day. And, tbh, that is the life!

baptism again

Source: Public Baptism of Infants

Dearly beloved, ye have brought this Child here to be baptized; ye have prayed that our Lord Jesus Christ would vouchsafe to receive him, to release him of his sins, to sanctify him with the Holy Ghost, to give him the kingdom of heaven and everlasting life. Ye have heard also that our Lord Jesus Christ hath promised in his Gospel, to grant all these things that ye have prayed for: which promise he, for his part, will most surely keep and perform. Wherefore, after this promise made by Christ, this Infant must also faithfully, for his part, promise by you that are his sureties, (until he come of age to take it upon himself,) that he will renounce the devil and all his works, and constantly believe God’s holy Word, and obediently keep his commandments.

I demand therefore,
Dost thou, in the name of this Child, renounce the devil and all his works, the vain pomp and glory of the world, with all covetous desires of the same, and the carnal desires of the flesh, so that thou wilt not follow nor be led by them?
Answer.I renounce them all.

it will be okay

If you could go back in time and give your younger self advice, what would it be?

It will be ok. Do not catastrophise everything because in the end it will be okay. And if not, do not give it a second thought. It never turns out as bad as you can make it in your thoughts.

And even if the absolute worst happens, you will be ok. You will get through it. This is not the end.

sentimental humanism

During the mid-1990s the recognized churches, particularly the Church of England, moved from the theology of sin and redemption to a less uncompromising doctrine: corporate social responsibility coupled with a sentimental humanism. Rosie [the TV evangelist] has gone further and has virtually abolished the Second Person of the Trinity together with His cross, substituting a golden orb of the sun in glory, like a garish Victorian pub sign. The change was immediately popular. Even to unbelievers like myself, the cross, stigma of the barbarism of officialdom and of man’s ineluctable cruelty, has never been a comfortable symbol.

PD James, Children of Men

autodidact

What’s the best online course you’ve ever taken?

Tbh, I cannot recall ever taking an online course. Yes, I have done the “are you okay to work for us” stuff but that was just “blah”. I am often doing something else while listening to the material – yes, playing a game on my phone.

I think I might be an autodidact. I do not learn well with others. The limits of a classroom stifle my creativity. My best is to let my mind “wonder”. I have not done well academically.

So there …