CONCEPT
COMMENTS:
– And yesterday rounded out the rest of a lovely weekend. After I finished the rest of the Oneidine 5 post, Jessica and I spoke with both of our families. We walked to the the Hyde Park Coop, and bought food for dinner. The temp had risen into the mid-forties, and so we sparkled in the sunshine with our little glass Cappuccino bottles. Once we were back, we made a ham for dinner, with stuffing and cooked carrots, and Dr. Pepper, and watched Monk: “Mr. Monk Takes a Vacation.” The story relied a little too much on coincidence for my taste, but the mystery itself was pretty cool. And after that, Desperate Housewives. It gave me a creepy feeling in the end, but Jess gave me a ride home, and I filled out the rest with Sam and his sister, Emily, listening to Hooker and doing some writing.
– As I mentioned, I’ve resolved to attend Mass each day of the Octave of Easter. As of today, I’m officially 25% of the way there. I attended the 7 AM Mass at Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago’s own Castle of Catholicism. The church has got a remarkable history with some very colorful characters, including an ecclesiastical Rasputin who didn’t necessarily not redecorate the church with bizarre fake marble paneling during the 1960s or incite near-rebellion among midwestern priests. But I’m not naming names.
The Church was much emptier than I’m accustomed, but this was expected; I usually find myself at Holy Name around noon. The homily was alright; something about realizing the resurrection in stages, but of course, greetings were somewhere between chilly and listless during the Sign of Peace, and when people don’t get into it, it’s almost a drag. That said, the floral arrangements were spectacular. The sanctuary could’ve been filled with trees for all the greenery.
– Later today, reading and wedding and financial planning for grad school. Later this week, Cleaning begins. God, you’ve gotta love Spring!
– And speaking of Spring, we have to ask the classic midwestern question… now that Winter is slipping way, will we plunge headlong into summer, or might we have three weeks of cool breezes and warm sunshine? Will there bother to be khaki and jacket weather? With mud and moss?
– Signs of Spring:
Remember when it was warm all through late February, and then the temperature plunged again in March? Remember how it felt unusual for it to do so? Notice this.
Remember when, even at its coldest this March, the lake never really froze over again? We had snow and sleet, but the waves kept tumbling in? Notice this.
This morning, I noticed two mallards in the Lincoln Park inlet near Fullerton. Two were sailing through without disturbing the water, while a third landed in a cloud of spray and foam. Notice this.
I have to keep a lookout for birds and squirrels on birdfeeders, around dumpsters, and on the street. Notice this.
Now the sun’s up for more than half of the time. Notice.
CHICAGO NEIGHBORHOOD OF THE DAY
Kenwood.
WORD OF THE DAY
Monergism.
from the Old English Dictionary:
monergism, n.
1. The doctrine that regeneration is the work of the Holy Spirit alone. Opposed to SYNERGISM n. 1.
1890 Cent. Dict. 3831/2 Monergism, in theol., the doctrine that the Holy Spirit is the only efficient agent in regeneration. 1911 P. SMITH Life & Lett. M. Luther xviii. 208 [Luther’s] determinism is..simply and solely the logical deduction from his doctrine of justification by faith alone, or, as it is technically called, of the monergism of grace. 1928 Philos. Rev. 37 391 In this matter [sc. free will] the Jesuits bore away a victory over the Dominican and Jansenist champions of the monergism of grace. 1967 D. T. KAUFFMAN Dict. Religious Terms 316/1 Monergism, belief in regeneration by God alone, with no human cooperation. 1989 Conc. Dict. Christian Trad. 369/1 This teaching [sc. synergism] was advocated by Melanchthon in the synergistic controversy within Lutheranism, 1550-1577. It contrasts with monergism.
2. = MONENERGISM n. rare.
1907 in N.E.D. 1966 R. BARR Main Currents Early Christ. Thought vi. 112 The heresy is to be called monergism, or monothelitism,depending upon whether one refers to Christ’s activities in general or to his will-acts in particular.
NEWS OF THE DAY
BBC News: Kyrgyz political stand-off eases.
PICTURE OF THE DAY
Cathedral of our lady assumed into Heaven. ndetour48, Webshots.
QUESTION OF THE DAY
What is your favorite park in the town you live in?