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Saturday, July 24, 2021
Thursday, July 22, 2021
TEACH ME HOW TO PRAY
"The Three Hermits" (Russian: Три Старца) is a short story by Russian author Leo Tolstoy written in 1885.
A bishop and several pilgrims are travelling on a fishing boat from Archangel to the Solovétsk Monastery. During the voyage, the bishop overhears a discussion about a remote island, nearby their course, where three old hermits live a spartan existence focused on seeking "salvation for their souls." Inquiring about the hermits, the bishop finds that several of the fishermen claim to have seen the hermits once.
The bishop then informs the captain that he wishes to visit the island. The captain seeks to dissuade him by saying, "the old men are not worth your pains. I have heard say that they are foolish old fellows, who understand nothing, and never speak a word." The bishop insists and the captain steers the ship toward the island. The bishop subsequently sets off in a rowboat to visit. He is met ashore by the three hermits.
The bishop informs the hermits that he has heard of them and of their search for salvation. He inquires how they are seeking salvation and serving God, but the hermits say they do not know how, only that they pray, simply: "Three are ye, three are we, have mercy upon us." Subsequently, the bishop acknowledges that they have a little knowledge but are ignorant of the true meaning of the doctrine and how to pray properly. He tells them that he will teach them "not a way of my own, but the way in which God in the Holy Scriptures has commanded all men to pray to Him" and proceeds to explain the doctrines of the incarnation and the Trinity. He attempts to teach them the Lord's Prayer, the "Our Father", but the simple hermits blunder and cannot remember the words. This compels the bishop to repeat the lesson late into the night. After he is satisfied that they have memorized the prayer, the Bishop departs from the island leaving the hermits with a firm instruction to pray as he has taught them. The bishop then returns to the fisherman's vessel anchored offshore in the rowboat and continues his voyage.
While on board, the bishop notices that their vessel is being followed. At first he thinks a boat is behind them but he soon realizes that the three hermits are running across the surface of the water "as though it were dry land." The hermits catch up to the vessel as the captain stops the boat, and inform the bishop, "We have forgotten your teaching, servant of God. As long as we kept repeating it we remembered, but when we stopped saying it for a time, a word dropped out, and now it has all gone to pieces. We can remember nothing of it. Teach us again." The bishop is humbled and replies to the hermits, "Your own prayer will reach the Lord, men of God. It is not for me to teach you. Pray for us sinners." After this the hermits turn around and walked back to their island.
THE CATHOLIC THING
I’m late to this celebration.
A few years ago, I began receiving email invitations to watch a crowdfunded TV series about Jesus. I ignored them. Then, more recently, friends began to ask me what I thought of the series, and I ignored them too. Finally, I decided to watch an episode or two, although mostly out of a perverse hunger to review it with the gimlet eye I bring to anything overhyped and under-produced.
Now, two full seasons into watching The Chosen (five more are planned), I happily admit I was wrong not to have begun watching when it was first released. Without a doubt, it’s the best-ever presentation of the life of Our Lord on film.
I’ve always been especially fond of Franco Zeffirelli’s 1977 miniseries, Jesus of Nazareth, which is both very painterly and very Catholic, features a truly all-star cast, and includes marvelous music by Maurice Jarre.
The Chosen, on the other hand – which is the brainchild of Dallas Jenkins – features an all-character-actor cast: the kind of actors whose faces you may recognize without knowing their names or remembering what you saw them in. Mr. Jenkins, who directs every episode and participated in writing all of them, threw a wide – you might say Galilean fisherman’s – net in casting his series: a very bold move indeed, given the schedules of working actors. It’s one thing to keep a cast together for one or two seasons. . .but seven?
My guess is he’ll succeed because one senses a remarkable work ethic in The Chosen’s production. I don’t want to dwell on production though – more important is to describe what makes the film both moving and riveting. But I will mention (in what sounds like one of those “go-into-a-bar” jokes), that a rabbi, a priest, and a minister have acted as consultants on every script, that the filming was done – for season one – in a re-created Capernaum in Texas and – for season two – at a re-creation of Jerusalem in Utah, and that the actors come from a number of different nationalities and faiths.
And it all comes together beautifully, in fact astonishingly so.
Without question, the key to any film about the life of Christ is the actor who plays the Lord. When you first see Jonathan Roumie as Jesus, you may be skeptical, but he’ll quickly win you over. The writing and directing help Mr. Roumie seem as he should: human and divine.
However, the humanity of this Jesus is not austere, as it has been in performances by most other actors who’ve portrayed Christ. It’s not that Mr. Roumie isn’t dignified but that he smiles and laughs and sings and dances – in the way a religious Jew of His time would have. As seen through the eyes of those who follow him, he slowly transitions from a remarkable teacher to the Messiah – in scenes subtle and clever, profound and funny. I am not suggesting The Chosen makes the Son of God a jokester. His humor is uplifting; it causes people to see themselves in a new, profound light.
Simon (or Peter, as we know he’ll become – played by Shahar Isaac) tells Jesus that the calling of the tax collector Matthew (Paras Patel) is bad idea. Jesus replies: “You thought it was wrong when I called you!” Simon says: “This is different.” Jesus says: “Get used to different,” which is a good guide for watching the series.
As the poster for season one (above) indicates, the title of the series refers not to the Messiah but to those whom He has called. Accordingly, the actor on the poster is Mr. Isaac. No doubt the script and Mr. Jenkins have instructed and directed each actor to find his or her character’s unique personality, quirks and all. And the quirkiest is Mr. Patel’s Matthew, who (at least so far) clearly suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder.
There are the historical characters (those whose words and stories are known to us from Scripture), and there are characters created just for The Chosen. All of them have backstories. That’s exposition, a sometimes-necessary technique in drama that often becomes leaden. Not here though. The interactions between the fictional Roman praetor Quintus (Brandon Potter), who “runs” Matthew in both his tax-gathering and intelligence operations; or Thomas (Joey Vahedi) and his fictional girlfriend/business partner Ramah (Yasmine Al-Bustami), who first meet Jesus when they cater a certain wedding in Cana. Marvelous backstories for one and all.
From the Catholic perspective, there can be no backstory more compelling than the Blessed Virgin’s, played here by Vanessa Benavente. She is very much a Jewish mother, the ima of Jesus, who is always ready to help: famously at Cana, of course, but also in soothing the frazzled nerves of Mary Magdalene (Elizabeth Tabish).
Miss Tabish has some remarkable scenes involving Nicodemus (Erick Avari), who attempts to exorcise her demons, followed by a meeting between him and the man who succeeded in freeing Mary, in which Jesus explains the paradox of being born again.
Ms. Tabish has, so far, the most interesting character arc, going from distraught over the stir Jesus is causing, to joyful, to despairing, to more deeply joyful as she comes to realize who Jesus is.
Accessing the series can be a bit complicated. I was easily able to stream Season 1 from Amazon ($22.99), but the only way I found to watch Season 2 was on computer, probably because both my “smart” TVs are actually stupid. But the Angel Studios website has both seasons – for free. So, if you don’t mind watching on a small screen (or if you’re better at getting website content to your television than I am), that’s the way to go.
Season 3 is in the works, and Mr. Jenkins and Angel Studios could use your help in crowdfunding it – and the projected four to follow.
So, now you know not to do what I did. Watch it. Now.
© 2021 The Catholic Thing. All rights reserved. For reprint rights, write to: info@frinstitute.orgThe Catholic Thing is a forum for intelligent Catholic commentary. Opinions expressed by writers are solely their own.
Brad Miner
Brad Miner is senior editor of The Catholic Thing, senior fellow of the Faith & Reason Institute, and a board member of Aid to the Church In Need USA. He is a former Literary Editor of National Review. His most recent book, Sons of St. Patrick, written with George J. Marlin, is now on sale. His The Compleat Gentleman is now available in a third, revised edition from Regnery Gateway and is also available in an Audible audio edition(read by Bob Souer
Tuesday, July 20, 2021
Saturday, July 17, 2021
THE GUARDIAN July 15
Ex-officers direct anger at Salvation Army over pensions ‘injustice’
Pensions Ombudsman has had 17 complaints and campaigners say hundreds more are affected
A Salvation Army musician in Regent Street, London. The church faces a series of formal complaints over its refusal to pay out pensions. Photograph: Guy Bell/Rex/Shutterstock
Harriet Sherwood
@harrietsherwood
Thu 15 Jul 2021 11.13 BST
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The Salvation Army has been accused of a “grave injustice” by refusing to pay pensions to former full-time officers who quit after years of dedicated service but before their official retirement date.
At least 17 complaints from former officers have been lodged with the Pensions Ombudsman since May 2020, and campaigners say hundreds more have been affected.
Philip Mountain, one of the complainants, said it had been a shock to discover he would never receive a pension even though he served as a minister of religion for 21 years.
“It was a tremendously rewarding experience, I have no regrets at all. But I do feel angry with the leadership over this,” he said.
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The Salvation Army, a global Christian church which works among disadvantaged communities, provides officers with housing and a car and pays them an allowance of £12,240 a year.
Officers are not legally employed by the Salvation Army, and have no contracts of employment. Instead they sign a “covenant with God”.
The Salvation Army funds a non-contributory pension scheme, the Salvation Army Officers Pension Fund, established by an act of parliament in 1963.
The Salvation Army says the fund is a registered charity that provides discretionary allowances to retired officers. Those who resign before their retirement age usually receive a modest one-off grant to tide them over.
But former officers say their pension pots should be allowed to grow until retirement age when they can be drawn upon, in line with most pension funds.
Mountain and his wife, Marion, between them served 46 years in the Salvation Army, in training and as officers. Marion Mountain served an additional nine years as a sister-in-charge of a leprosy hospital in India.
When they quit in 2011, Mountain was given a termination grant of £1,378 to help with temporary living expenses. Both have been told they will not be entitled to a pension at retirement age.
“The Salvation Army was paying in amounts to the pension fund every month we worked. For many years, our payslips had a section detailing ‘employer’s pension contribution’,” he said.
“What’s happened to that money? Between us we gave 55 years of full-time service without a penny of pension to show for it.”
David Kendall, another former officer, resigned in 2006 after 16 years of service. His wife, Barbara, who also served for 16 years, quit at the same time.
Kendall, 56, now runs his own business. “When I retire, a pension from the Salvation Army would be helpful but not essential. But this is not just about me, it’s a matter of fighting for justice.”
In August 2013, Kendall received a letter from the Salvation Army saying he would after all get a pension. Seven months later, another letter said he would only be able to draw a pension if he was in receipt of pension credit, rather than by right – in other words, the pension would be means tested.
The pensions policy was “irreconcilable with the ethics of the Salvation Army”, said Kendall, who still serves as a volunteer, or “soldier”. “They are hiding behind the letter of the law rather than doing what’s right.”
Under new arrangements put in place in 2017, officers who resign with more than 10 years service may receive a discretionary portable pension. This provision has not been backdated.
According to the Charity Commission, the Salvation Army Trust and the Salvation Army Social Work Trust, both UK charities, had a combined annual income up to March 2020 of £400m. Seven staff employees earned more than £100,000 a year.
A Salvation Army spokesperson said the fund was “legally prohibited” from paying a pension to officers who leave service before retirement age.
“In order to address issues that may arise from this, we began paying a grant to Salvation Army officers who resign before reaching retirement age in the early 2000s.
In 2017 the Salvation Army updated their practices so an officer leaving service before retirement who has been in service for at least 10 years can receive a transfer value into a nominated pension pot. While this remains discretionary, it should mean that no officer who chooses to leave early goes without some financial support.
“Our donors expect their money to be used to help vulnerable people and we work hard to ensure as much money as possible goes directly to our services.”
A spokesperson for the Pensions Ombudsman confirmed it had received at least 17 complaints which were at “very early stages of our process”.
Sunday, June 6, 2021
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