Daily Update: Tuesday, June 25th, 2024

With no Saints to honor today, we note that today is the anniversary of the first day of the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, and the date upon which my father died in 1998.

Daily Update: Monday, June 24th, 2024

Today is the Solemnity of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist. Today is also Midsummer’s Day.

The Virgin in the Ice by Ellis Peters

This is the sixth book in the Chronicles of Brother Cadfael, of the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Shrewsbury, in the England of the twelfth century. Cadfael lived a full life before becoming a monk, having been to the Crusades; he has now been a monk for some sixteen or seventeen years, and is sincere about his faith, his obligations to the Benedictines, and his maintenance of the monastery herb gardens. However, his intellect is always piqued by mysteries, especially concerning young people. These are fun little mystery novels, and this one is a great introduction to the series. My first recorded reading of this book was in 2002, and the next in 2010.

Daily Update: Sunday, June 23rd, 2024

Today is the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Alleluia!). In the secular world we note that today is Midsummer’s Eve. And today is United Nations Public Service Award Day.

Daily Update: Saturday, June 22nd, 2024

Today is the Optional Memorial of Saint Paulinus of Nola, Bishop (died 431), and the Optional Memorial of Saint John Fisher, Bishop and Martyr, and Saint Thomas More, Martyr (both died 1535).

Islam: A Short History by Karen Armstrong

This relatively short non-fiction book was published in 2000, so besides being a little old as regards current history, it also came out before the events of 9/11, which among other things was a watershed in relations between the Muslim World and the West. But I enjoyed reading this book, and it is a good reference book to have on one’s shelves.

Daily Update: Friday, June 21st, 2024

Today is the Memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious (died 1591).