After a Dozen Years, Something (Sort of) New

Posted on January 28, 2021 by Brian H. Gill

I started “A Catholic Citizen in America” on September 16, 2008; as a Blogger blog.

Time passed.

By 2016, I was having technical issues with Blogger.

Then, in May of 2016, the service’s zeal to protect users and viewers from a particular image file format gave me the last straw.

That’s when I decided to re-launch “A Catholic Citizen in America” as a WordPress blog. Which I did, finally, a few months later:

Experiencing Technical Difficulties


(Norbert Nerdly: my frustrations, personified. (2015))

Then, somewhat later, I got around to the post I’d been working on when Blogger became more trouble than it was worth.

Not quite two years later, persistent technical issues were back.

Not the same technical issues, but frustrating nonetheless. My son, over the course of a few days, traced my problem to the household router. Technically, the solution was simple: get a new router. Financially, not so much.

But eventually I got back to more-or-less regular posting.

Which brings me to what I’m doing here. Back again, that is. (January 27, 2021)

Back to the “Vocation” Thing

Recapping what I said yesterday, I’m a Catholic layman: a member of the laity. That’s my vocation. Narrowing it down, which I didn’t do yesterday, I’m a married Catholic: so being married is my vocation. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1601–1617)

Part of it, at any rate. I didn’t talk about marriage as a vocation yesterday and I won’t today: partly because I also didn’t talk topics I pick for writing, either.

And that, more or less, is what I’m doing today.

But first, here’s what I said I’d be doing with the first iteration of “A Catholic Citizen in America,” back in 2008.

What’s it Like, Being a Catholic in America?

“About 300 million people live in America. Roughly one out of every four is Catholic. And one of them is me.
“You’re not as likely to meet a Catholic in America as you are in Mexico, Poland, Kenya, or the Philippines: but odds are pretty good that you know one, or that someone you know does.
“We’re Hispanic, white, black, American Indian, Asian, and quite a few other ethnicities.
“And we’ve been here for quite a while. Baltimore became the seat of the first American diocese in 1789: and the first archdiocese in 1808.

“Following Catholic beliefs and practices in America: One man’s experience

“This blog is about my experiences as a practicing Catholic living in America. My values are somewhat counter-cultural, so following my beliefs in a system that isn’t built around them can be challenging.”
(“A Catholic Citizen in America,” first post (September 16, 2008))

Not quite eight years later, I’d been writing about science, history and whatever else caught my attention.

Along with how I saw the topic(s).

I’m still not sure whether I should be focusing on “my experiences” more than I have been.

An ‘up’ side is that what I write would be more obviously consistent with the “A Catholic Citizen in America” description: “Following Catholic beliefs and practices in America: one man’s experience.”

A ‘down’ side is that my everyday experiences are not all that fascinating. Not from where I’m standing.

My routines are, well: routine.

Now What Do I Do?

I’m not a teen idol pop superstar YouTube influencer — someone who can post “I #flossedmyteeth #lol:” and get a million hits, making a quarter-million dollars by doing so.

Not that anyone’s quite that redolent with newspaper fame. Or Internet fame.

And I might not enjoy getting that much attention. I’m pretty sure that others in the family wouldn’t like it. At all.

I was going somewhere with this. Let me think.

  • This blog’s first and second iterations.
  • What I’d planned to do, what I actually did and a cheese sculpture.
  • Cheese sculpture? Never mind.
  • Focusing more on me, but staying interested.

Right.

For a little over a dozen years, I’ve known what I’ll be writing about next: whatever catches my interest, and looks like it’d be worth the time I’d spend researching it.

I plan to keep doing that. Which is why I’ll be getting back to the current “Dr. Faustus” post, after a cup of coffee: and that’s another topic. Topics.

But I also plan to keep doing these ‘journal’ entries, focusing more on me and what it’s like being a Catholic in my here and now. How I’ll keep doing them, and make them worth writing and reading, is a good question. But, again, that’s my plan.

And now, the seemingly-inevitable links:

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Time and Talent: What am I Doing Here, and Why?

Posted on January 27, 2021 by Brian H. Gill

I found a few resources for my next “Dr. Faustus” post this morning and afternoon, and got some writing done. Then it was time for my hour at the Eucharistic Adoration chapel.

That was, I think, an hour well-spent. But I’d been on a roll with the writing, and I don’t think that will happen again in the time I’ve got before supper.

I’d been reading about stewardship during my ‘chapel’ hour, so that’s more or less what I’ll write about here. But mostly about vocations. My vocation, specifically. And I don’t mean a job or career.

Vocations, in the Catholic sense, are what each of us does that will matter in the long run. In my dialect of English, Catholics who say “vocation” in this context generally mean being a priest, monk or nun. But I’ve got a vocation, too. We all do.

“VOCATION: The calling or destiny we have in this life and hereafter. God has created the human person to love and serve him; the fulfillment of this vocation is eternal happiness (1, 358, 1700). Christ calls the faithful to the perfection of holiness (825). The vocation of the laity consists in seeking the Kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and directing them according to God’s will (898). Priestly and religious vocations are dedicated to the service of the Church as the universal sacrament of salvation (cf. 873; 931).”
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, Glossary)

Using What I’ve Got

I’m human, so wanting God is written into my heart. (Catechism, 27)

Metaphorically.

That sort of writing is real, but it’s not the sort that shows up in MRI scans.

I figure that loving and serving God won’t happen if I don’t know God, and know about God.

Happily, I can learn about God by paying attention to what the Church says: and to myself, folks around me and this marvel-filled universe we live in. (Catechism, 26-43)

Also happily, my talents — the kit I was issued — includes off-the-chart language skills and a knack for remembering and correlating idea. That’s not bragging.

Like I said: it’s the kit I was issued. All I did was decide to develop some skills that are possible with those aptitudes.

Using my knack for noticing and writing seems like a way I can support the common good. Which is a good idea. (Catechism, 1878-1889, 1936-1937)

Noticing God’s Universe

I figure paying attention to the wonders and beauty surrounding us makes sense.

It’s also fun. At least it’s fun for me. And it’s one way I can learn about God: by noticing what God is making, and what we’re learning.

Humanity’s continuing efforts to understand how this universe works is a good idea. Within reason. (Catechism, 2292-2295)

But it’s not humanity’s end game:

“BEATIFIC VISION: The contemplation of God in heavenly glory, a gift of God which is a constitutive element of the happiness (or beatitude) of heaven (1028, 1720).”

“HAPPINESS: Joy and beatitude over receiving the fulfillment of our vocation as creatures: a sharing in the divine nature and the vision of God. God put us into the world to know, love, and serve him, and so come to the happiness of paradise (1720).”
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, Glossary)

I’ve talked about this before:

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Another Tuesday: Faustus, Focus, Prayer and Routine

Posted on January 26, 2021 by Brian H. Gill

Today’s been like most Tuesdays, apart from how it hasn’t been.

I’m not always working on a “Dr. Faustus” post, for example.

That took most of the afternoon. As usual, I didn’t get as much done as I’d hoped. Or as little as I’d feared.

Also as usual, my Faustus focus has been a bit broad. The last part I wrote was mostly about the Dionysus and Pentheus story.

Like Faust, Pentheus really should have known better. Pwyll, too, and that’s not quite another topic.

I figure my ‘Faustus’ series would be much more linear — and shorter — if I stuck to a well-defined outline. But I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun.

And I figure if I don’t enjoy writing something, expecting someone else to enjoy reading it makes no sense at all.

The ‘mostly routine’ part of my day so far included my morning prayers. Which I remembered while it was still morning. I’ve still got two Divine Mercy chaplets to do, maybe right after I finish this.

I talked about prayer earlier this month. (January 6, 2021)

Another ‘mostly routine’ thing today was chatting, digitally, with number one daughter. That’s becoming a daily item, one I enjoy.

But none of my evening routines will happen if I don’t get this journal entry done.

So next I’ll do the usual links to allegedly-related posts, and then it’s time or prayers.

That makes it sound like I pray a lot. Which I don’t think I do, and that’s yet another topic.

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Dawn of My Daily Journal, Continued

Posted on January 25, 2021 by Brian H. Gill

If you’re back for more of “A Catholic Citizen in America:” thank you!

These daily ‘journal’ posts are something new. I started talking about them last Saturday. (January 23, 2021)

Then I got distracted, which is par for the course and almost another topic.

Today I’ll say what I’d planned to say then.

Adjusting Focus

John Tenniel's Alice and the Knitting Sheep, Alice Through the Looking-Glass.“Following Catholic beliefs and practices in America: one man’s experience” is “A Catholic Citizen in America’s” description tag.

But I’ve discussed science and history, health and holidays: not how I hold my hands when I pray or what I do during Mass.

What’s science, of all things, got to do with “following Catholic beliefs and practices”?!

Plenty, and that’s yet another topic:

But my posts were, for the most part, focused more on science, history, or whatever else had caught my attention. And not so much about me and how my faith affects what I do each day.

Which is where these ‘journal’ posts come in.

And that reminds me.

If you pick journal from my Categories drop-down menu in the sidebar — you’ll get the usual title link, date posted and the first few dozen words.

Anyway, I’ll keep these daily journal posts focused more on me and less on everything else. That’s my plan, at any rate.

Mostly Routine

Dragon playing a video game.Which brings me to what I’ve done today.

Let’s see. I woke up — which is always a good thing, and yet again another topic — and did my usual ‘first thing after rebooting brain’ prayer. Then I ate breakfast and didn’t get much done before lunch.

Pretty much routine.

Wait a minute. I left something out. I also went through my (routine) morning prayers. Which I occasionally forget about until well into the afternoon. Or evening.

But today I remembered them.

This afternoon was mostly chatting with number one daughter, then researching and writing the current “Dr. Faustus” post. After which came supper, reading part of a chapter in a mystery novel and now writing this post.

I’ve got another set of prayers — two Divine Mercy chaplets — to do before the day’s out.

Maybe the ‘Catholic’ angle of those prayers is obvious. Or maybe not. Either way, I pray because I think it’s a good idea. Sort of the spiritual equivalent of flossing my teeth, which sounds weird. Never mind.

But my faith’s engaged while researching and writing, too. And that’s still more topics.

Somewhat-related stuff:

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People Who Need People — and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Posted on January 24, 2021 by Brian H. Gill

A song from the Sixties has been on my brain’s Top 40 Golden Oldie Earworm list for the last week or so:

“People,
People who need people,
Are the luckiest people in the world….”
(“People;” Jule Styne, lyrics by Bob Merrill (1964))

That started me thinking. Are people who need people lucky? Should they be lucky? Just what is luck, anyway? And for that matter, are there any people who don’t need people?

Thoroughly answering any one of those questions would take a book. A whole lot of books, more likely.

I’m trying to keep these ‘journal’ entries short, so thorough is out, superficial is in.

Human, Yes — All Alike, No

I’m not one of those folks who likes getting together with a few hundred close personal friends every other day or so.

Don’t get me wrong. I like people just fine.

But trying to have a coherent conversation with a varying number of people, while sorting other conversations into categories like ‘ignore,’ ‘engage later,’ ‘engage now’ and ‘switch to other group’ ???

That is not my idea of a good time.

And I’m certainly not someone who starts going through social withdrawal after maybe three days without at least a few hours in a crowded room.

But I’m human. We’re social critters. “Needing people” comes with the territory.

I can sympathize with folks who really do need people: people who are physically close, not ‘close’ only in a virtual sense. I’m also willing to accept that not everyone is like me. For which we should all be thankful. And that’s another topic.

That said, COVID-19 pandemic restrictions haven’t cut into my social life all that much.

Before ‘social distancing’ — a poorly-chosen phrase, and that’s yet another topic — started becoming a cliche, most of my social life was online.

It still is.

If I thought that online communities were “pretend communities” and folks weren’t real people when they connect with each other through post-industrial tech —

Well, I don’t. And I’m pretty sure that I’m a real person, even when I socialize online.

I’ve talked about that, and other seemingly-obvious stuff, before:

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