St. John Vianney's Boiled Potatoes

They were so insipid!

It's almost like his real food was fishing for people, and the nets of his confessional were constantly tearing from the weight of the miraculous draught.

This notion about building some super Catholic culture is what's insipid. Like the notion about the Catholic Literary Revival. Oh, what happened to the Catholic Literary Revival? the people ask.

I'll tell you what happened to the Catholic Literary Revival. The Catholic Literary Revival was born in an artifice of self-consciousness, and being self-conscious, it died. And thank God for that.

Again and again, especially under Francis, I am made aware of how Christ operates most powerfully through the most humble species. Not "most humble" as in "more humble than another". Unworthy and broken. Worthy of damnation. A poor church. As in truly humble species - lowly, sinners. People are scandalized by the impact.

I've never been a fan of the Catholic steak and cigar/pipe and ale club. Love steak. Hate cigars/pipes (like cigarettes, sometimes, but not as habit). Love ale. But hate the club.

Never think you have a handle on what the Catholic culture is supposed to look like. I keep thinking about Pope Francis's phrase "the culture of appearances". I know how badly I can be a slave to it, all the subtle ways it insinuates itself into your life and how it can dictate to you who you are.

This means of course both being taken in by appearances, and putting up an appearance; and they always go together. Like Carnival. But the Pope said it best didn't he - that circus time is over?

I know he never said that, but I wish he did.

Lazarus and the Rich Guy. He was so consumed in the culture of appearances that he failed to really see Lazarus lying there. I sure as hell don't want that. A church sick from clinging to its own security.

What was that Narnia tale where the boy sticks his hand into the fire to break the spell that has been cast on him? I like the Temple of Doom version. "Indy - I love you!" Good old Short Round.

Anyways, some people erroneously think that fasting doesn't mean downgrading, as it were, the tasty potential of your provender. There is, according to this view, fasting and feasting, and never the twain! And if that is so, then what is abstaining from meat, but precisely that, on some level?

I remember how "Jansenist" was tossed around back in the Christopher West debate in the comment boxes. I deleted all the Christopher West posts some while ago, but I remember how one commenter remarked about St. John Vianney's boiled potatoes, and the other commenter Jansenistically hurled the accusation of Jansenism in opposition to this.

It's like people don't really care to see how far-reaching the life of the Church goes. They want everything nice and pat and "traditional" (which is of course their own imagisterium in operation).

But the nets are put to the utter straining point. Did Jesus tell the apostles that they needed stronger, more secure nets before He was to perform the miracle? No, He said cast your nets. What happened? Pay attention to these three things: the nets begin to break. The other boat comes over to help (that's a tough one for the wagon-circlers). Then the boats themselves begin to sink from the load.

I believe Pope Francis remarked somewhere about people seeking to control God's transcendence. They make a big stink about "weaponized ambiguity" and confusion and lack of clarity. Never hear of the obscurity of faith?

Clinging to laws. Fasting and feasting and never the twain!

Right, anyways, the Bishop that visited St. John Bosco.

He wanted to see if the padre was really all that was being said of him, and the soup that Bosco served him for lunch was so pallid that the Bishop went to a restaurant immediately after paying his visit.

LOL.

Then there's that one about St. Francis and St. Bernard. After begging they came together with their food. Bernard obtained some tasty items because of his good looks, and Francis said no, we're not going to have this food you were given because it is too good for us.

Imagine that. The lot of them! What horrible Jansenists!

By the way, did you know that the fellow friars of St. Thomas Aquinas had to cut a half circle into the table for his belly? Sounds so true!

But I know G.K. Chesterton is joking with him in heaven.

"Yeah, that fable they're telling about you is all good fun, but in actual fact, they had to get me out of my deathbed with a crane through the window. Beat that!"

Wishing all a veggy, veggy, veggy, holy Lent! (That's an inside Chestertonian wink)





So insipid and banal!






There we go! That's more like it!