New Blog Title

"Ave" seemed fairly dull as a blog title. I've changed mine to "Summer Afternoon", after reading (in the WSJ's weekend edition) the quotation from Henry James.

The quotation captures what I love about Florida weather. When I was a boy growing up on Long Island, "summer afternoon" meant a hot baked feeling from the hot sun and clear blue skies, playing baseball all day long with my brother, or golf at the Black Course, and staying outside until long into the evening.

For me, living in Florida is like that kind of a summer afternoon, almost year round.

Favorite Quote of the Day

"This is one of the most important persons in the world. How can he do this?" the friend asked of Strauss-Kahn, an influential international power broker.

Ha ha ha ha! You gotta be kidding me!

Last Launch of Shuttle Endeavor

A vapor trail visible from Ave Maria. This is the best picture I could take using the magnified setting on my iPhone.

"Keep the Old Missals -- It's Coming Back"

Saints often speak prophetically. I know a priest who knew St. Josemaria Escriva and remembered him saying this.

How eerily prophetic given today's instruction from the Vatican which, effectively, aims to make the extraordinary rite a part of a Catholic's ordinary life of worship and prayer!

When I was in Rome for the beatification of John Paul II, I had the pleasure of attending an early morning Mass at St. Peter's celebrated by a priest friend who serves in the office charged with implementing the Old Mass, Ecclesia Dei. I explained to Father how the Old Mass is celebrated on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings at Ave Maria, and each Sunday at 12:30, so that members of the university community as a matter of course become conversant with both forms.

Father agreed that Ave's practice represented something of an ideal for parishes, where the Ordinary and Extraordinary forms illuminate each other, each revealing better the distinctive reality of the other.

Influential, But Usually Wrong

Although I think that almost always Leo Strauss is wrong in his interpretations, I would have made many sacrifices to attend one of his classes. Now, in a sense, all of us can (from the Jack Miller Center):

... all of the extant collection of audio recordings of Leo Strauss are now online at the Leo Strauss Center Website. You can listen to all of the available classes HERE. Fully edited editions of all course transcripts are also ongoing. The combined efforts of the Leo Strauss center will produce a body of original materials which is larger than Strauss’s published works.

Blessed are you, beloved Pope John Paul II, because you believed!

The jubilant scene moments after John Paul II was pronounced Blessed by Pope Benedict XVI.

(BE SURE TO EXPAND THESE VIDEOS TO FILL THE WHOLE SCREEN, TO GET A TRUE EFFECT!)

The scene in the Via dell Conciliazione at the end of the Mass of Beatification.

As a pilgrim, I brought many intentions with me, to present to our new Beatus, and I was sure to ask for John Paul II's guidance over and assistance for Ave Maria University, which, as an institution earnestly striving to fulfill Ex Corde Ecclesiae, without doubt is very dear to his heart.

Upbeat Painting in the Vatican Museum

The contrast between this picture and the Raphael stanzas, which came just before, was fairly striking. Still, I rather liked this one, in a perverse sort of way. It's by Philip Evergood and is called "Strange Bird Contemplating the Doom of Man."