Quick Takes Friday

--- 1 ---

I've been a little under the weather, so I'm going to take an easy route and link, link, link. Here are some things that caught my attention. First I'm referring you to Elizabeth Scalia's blog for a page full of links and snippets itself, but it's worth it to follow and read them in their entirety. She "links" them all together in a post titled "The Orgasmic 'Yes' of Catholic Faith." C'mon, you know you want to look. Beautiful, wonderful stuff.

--- 2 ---

I found this lovely reflection on "Sic Deus dilexit mundum," the image and the language.

Sounds all good, right? Well, the interesting thing is, the Latin is rendered dilexit! Again, I'm not a Latinist by any stretch of the imagination, but what I do know of it means that diligere--the infinitive form from whence we derive dilexit--also has a specific meaning. It refers to a taking delight in, a high esteem and pleasure in something. At first glance, this may seem like a reduction from egapesen--it's no longer specifically selfless and divine. There's something very human about diligere, isn't there?

Yes, there is! And, I propose, that diligere is not a reduction of egapesen, but the fulfillment of it!

Read it all.

--- 3 ---

And because February 2 is coming, here's my own preparatory Candlemas post from last year:

It's been about four or five years since I learned that we can bring our own candles to be blessed for devotional use at home. Since then I have brought my basket laden with candles to Mass, for our pastor to include in the rite with which he blesses the candles. But it always seems I am scrambling the night of February 2, trying ot think of--and find--what we will use this year. This year I will be ready.

--- 4 ---

For the politically inclined (and really, we should all be vigilant at the least when stuff like this is happening), I couldn't decide what to give you. Here's Mark Shea, about Ben Franklin's warning. Or check out this sample at his blog about the deplorable HHS rules concerning mandated contraception coverage. The Anchoress writes here on the march the media missed, and here exhorts America to reject the notion that women's dreams need be built on the blood and bones of their children.

There's more, and more links in both places. If you're like me and the "state of the union" already wears on you, and this early in an election year, please, don't forget to pray.

--- 5 ---

I am working on my New Year's resolutions. I am actually doing pretty well so far: I set the bar low and spelled out baby steps for myself the whole way. But I'll tell you more about that later. Here's an organizing pep talk I have found cheering and will probably refer back to, oh, around March, December, and all of summer this year.

--- 6 ---

I haven't linked to Simcha Fisher this month; have to remedy that. Here's one I liked, not least because she made a Flannery O'Connor allusion.

--- 7 ---

And my latest faddish habit: Downton Abbey, discussed here at Karen Edmisten's blog. I think I'll be caught up enough to actually read the comments there by Sunday. Is there such a thing as a real-time broadcast of the show available online? Or do I have to wait for this?

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Candle image credit