pardon
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Benedict XVI in Paradise!
—Is it morning or evening? My breath stopped, then started again. As if it were giving signs of a defect. It was leaving me. The pneuma was leaving me. I breathed that I was ready. My God, how I love it! But, the breath returned, as if it had gone out on an errand. The memores is out. Continue reading
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Antigone, rebellious and intimate (7/7. Love)
7th and final part: Love Antigone's desire is familial; she does not want to leave her brother unburied; Creon, on the other hand, wants to assert himself as king and demonstrate his power. Antigone favors family ties that embody love and reveal a being. Creon establishes his power by signing a bill that must Continue reading
Antigone , stupidity , counter-revolution , ethics , history , intimacy , forgiveness , politically correct , religion , totalitarianism , tradition -
Antigone, rebellious and intimate (6/7. The vocation)
What a fuss about identity! The word appears neither in Greek epic nor in tragedy. Identity in Antigone's time was based on lineage and belonging to a city. Identity was imbued with roots. Family and city gathered under a virtual banner everything that others needed to know about themselves. Continue reading
Antigone , Catholicism , counter-revolution , ethics , intimacy , forgiveness , religion , revolution , totalitarianism -
Based on the values
Authority has lost its nobility along with humility. Authority has become a synonym for implacable order, thoughtless force, and tyranny. What an inversion of values! Whereas, according to Antigone, authority prevented tyranny! The modern era has this impression of authority because it has been trampled underfoot by Continue reading
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Antigone, rebellious and intimate (3/7. Destiny)
Part 3: Destiny Man descends from the tree. Man, like the tree, is defined by his roots as well as by his fruits. Man, like the tree, depends on external and internal elements to reach maturity. Man resembles this trunk sculpted by trials leaning on its roots and bearing fruits more or less Continue reading
Antigone , counter-revolution , ethics , history , intimacy , forgiveness , religion , revolution , totalitarianism , vulgarity -
Antigone, rebellious and intimate (2/7. The funeral)
Part 2: The Funeral — "My dearest Ismene. I came this morning to tell you that I took care of everything. I used the same funeral directors for our two brothers. I couldn't choose, and since our brothers didn't leave any last wishes, I took matters into my own hands to Continue reading
Antigone , counter-revolution , ethics , history , intimacy , death , forgiveness , priest , religion , revolution -
Antigone, rebellious and intimate (1/7. The family)
Part 1: The Family From the first reading of Antigone, an ambiguity sets in in the reader's mind. Does Antigone embody action or reaction? What moves Antigone? Reaction never exists by itself, whereas action needs no one; it legitimizes itself in the act. Action always inaugurates something. Unlike what is often Continue reading
Antigone , Charles Maurras , counter-revolution , ethics , history , intimacy , forgiveness , priest , religion , revolution -
Humility News
The human vision of humility is like the human vision of love, reduced. Humility must exercise its authority at all times and in all places. Humility does not allow one to choose whether it should be exercised. Humility thus demands infinite availability and infinite vigilance. It demands a term that has almost disappeared from our Continue reading
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In the shadow of Ernesto Sabato
When Ernesto Sabato died on April 30th at the age of 99, he repeated to himself the words of Maria Zambrano: To die, that elusive action that is carried out by obedience, happens beyond reality, in another realm. In his house in Santos Lugarès ("Holy Places" near Buenos Aires), Ernesto Sabato obeyed this last injunction. He Continue reading
Argentina , stupidity , Catholicism , counter-revolution , Ernesto Sabato , war , history , forgiveness -
original fault
Despite Shûsaku Endo's doubts about the true Christianity of the Japanese, as evoked in the admirable "Silence," it also seems to me that the Japanese have a real fundamental point in common with the Christian in the ease with which they put themselves in the place of the other. Is this not one of the founding bases of Christianity, one Continue reading
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Forgive me, there will always be something left...
In this little reflection on forgiveness, I just wanted to come back to the inadequacy of saying sorry. Forgiving is sometimes extremely difficult. I admit that I still hold some grudges deep in my heart. I constantly confess them and ask for a little grace to soften the hardness of my heart, but no, Continue reading