"These eyes are not thy only paradise"

Today is the last Friday in August. Let Fall begin! The days are noticeably shorter and the overnight temperatures blessedly cooler. Our sky here along the Wasatch Front is still filled with smoke from fires to the west of us. The smoke is high-up but it gives evenings an end-of-the-world tint. When I think back over the last year-and-a-half, I can honestly say that I never thought I'd live through what we are now living through. It's weird and, I'll say it, scary.

It's been great to have been able to serve at the first two Masses for our parish school this year. I preached at our Mass this morning. Because I am only going to rework my homily slightly for Sunday, I am not going to post it until then.

One of the advantages of preaching for more than 17 years is that I've stopped overthinking the readings for the most part. While each set of readings in the Sunday lectionary can be taken in a variety of directions, it's useful to find the kernel of meaning I think my parish community could benefit from. I am not going to lie. I enjoy preaching. What I enjoy most about it is the preparation.

In my role as Director of the Office of the Diaconate for my diocese, I am busily engaged with a wonderful group of collaborators in selecting applicants for our next diaconate formation class. It's a lengthy process and more involved than I had guessed. We're getting there. The plan is to begin in November.

As for the rest, I have taken far too little time to read the past few weeks. I always feel a void when I'm reading. I need to knuckle down and finish the 4 books I am somewhere in the process of reading.

One of the signs I am too busy is when I start having the recurring thought of quitting everything, staying home and working on my house my yard, and reading. Call it what you want- self-care, pacing myself, recognizing and living within my limits- but I need to get back to setting and maintaining boundaries. Since Fridays are penitential days, I guess that's my confession for today.

I don't feel like I've posted a proper, heartfelt Friday traditio for a while, I wanted to do that today. Looking back, over the history of the Καθολικός διάκονος Friday traditio, I've only ever posted three songs by The Cure. One of those, "Lovesong," was a very nice cover. Another is no longer available. This week I came across a live version of what is probably the band's best-known song, "Just Like Heaven." After listening to it three times in a row, thought Friday traditio for sure. But, then, I am a sucker for a great bass line.

Hearing "Just Like Heaven" this week made me think that many people have someone like Dante's Beatrice. My next thought was that our Beatrices are highly idealized versions of a real person for whom we perhaps feel an immediate and deep attraction. What I mean is that we take someone to whom we are very attracted and ascribe to that person all we want and a lot of what we need to this person. This idealistic distortion can both inspire and depress. After all, ideals only exist for us to fall short of them.

When one considers it was likely the case that Dante only met Beatrice Portinari twice in his life, the first time when they were both 9 and again 9 years later when they were 18, the point I am trying to make becomes clearer. In any case, those are the thoughts that brought us this week's traditio.

While the everlasting pleasure, that did full
On Beatrice shine, with second view
From her fair countenance my gladden'd soul
Contented; vanquishing me with a beam
Of her soft smile, she spake: "Turn thee, and list.
These eyes are not thy only Paradise" (Paradiso Canto XVIII)