holy man goofing along

What I’m doing with my January February sabbatical my rector graciously concurred in. Sunday morning seems an apt moment to contemplate and comment. So, as to thought, word and deed, several perhaps unrelated thinkings and doings.

One a preLenten exercise of the self-examination St. Paul calls for in 1 Corinthians 11:27f that is a daily part of Ignatian spiritual discipline but of which I am ongoingly negligent. This in lieu of the 3, 5, or 8 day directed silent retreat in a Catholic center that I need, even at my age and especially at the state of my soul, where Paul warns of κρίμα (1 Cor. 11:29), which the KJV renders “damnation” and others “judgment” startlingly implying a guilty verdict. As the old ways were best, I prefer the straightforward language of the 1928 BCP Exhortation to the watered new language (1979 BCP 326). At any event, mindful of self, examining, and meaning to get the best of me during this sabbatical, I’m a work in process but hardly a work in progress.

Two trip to visit my brother, whom I’d not seen in too long, and with whom alone I share a unique connection, two boys growing up 1939 years following on Massalina Bayou Cove and 12th Street StAndrews. Linda and I no longer enjoy nor feel safest driving, hate flying. Were this a proper country we’d train travel, but it’s hundreds-mile drive to a train station now Amtrak cancelled the Sunset Limited across Florida. Transportation was simpler in my youth. The Louisiana visit was enjoyable and relieving to me to find Walt so well, and we’ve in mind Tallahassee and maybe Apalachicola, but otherwise it’s the almost-silent retreat afforded at 7H.

Three a taste of self indulgence. Read, think, some movies, films on my MacBook. Not to enrich life, not at all, not by any means, but to complete life in ways. Bit of English, Chaucer, C S Lewis, G MacDonald. Bit of dark Russian, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, E Vodolazkin (Laurus, if it ever arrives). Some short stories by F Kafka, German-speaking Bohemian Jew whose sisters the Germans murdered in the Holocaust, he’s a bit nuts, but okay, so what, so am I. What the hell, so are you, most excellent friend.

Then more serious and busman’s holiday on this sabbatical, reading Romans yet one more time again, but this time for myself and my own enjoyment and edification, not as before in prep for quiz or exams. Reading on MacBook screen, Bible Gateway three columns, NRSV, DLNT, SBLGNT, jumping to BibleHub for Greek-English interlinear and parsing. Break to google “How can the genitive mean ‘in’ at Romans 3:22, 26" πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ? My Greek is too kindergarten to have come across distinguishing between subjective genitive and objective genitive per Bill Mounce Blog, who is correct, “faith of Jesus Christ” or “faith in Jesus Christ? William D. Mounce and Robert H. Mounce (“faith in”) have their own Mounce Reverse-Interlinear New Testament (MOUNCE) translation, which I’ve never used and don’t know Mounce (credible scholar?). Up to now I say genitive is possessive, means “faith of”. Plus viewing monotheistic Paul the Pharisee as low Christology not exhorting Romans to have faith in Christ, but to have the faith of Christ or the faithfulness of Christ. Like most and all, it’s arguable and English speaking scholars have and do disagree. Luther says: “den Glauben an Jesum Christum” which to my sophomoric Deutsch looks like “the faith of Jesus Christ”. 

Still suspicious of everyone including myself bringing their own theological judgments and preconceptions, I like (Dewey, Hoover, McGaughy, Schmidt), “unconditional confidence in God of Jesus, God’s Anointed” (The Authentic Letters of Paul, Polebridge, 2010, p.218). Ignorant and alphabet stupid, I'm taking my best shot and knowing where to seek.

Finally, recalling Holden cars I rode in Down Under in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and a Chrysler (pronounced kroizler) that I borrowed once for a weekend, I spent my most recent car Time checking out the 1948 Holden, introduced as

Australia's Own Car. Here I am then, three quarters of my sabbatical yet to ponder, suffer, walk, read, think, do, sip, eat, nap, scribble absolute nonsense, and enjoy. 

Top: Sunday Sunrise

Next: GriegStar’s Star Istind, 650x102 underway from East Terminal with wood pulp.

Little red tug pushing a barge 

DThos+ in Stoppage Time

Two pics 7H porch Redfish Point to Davis Point, Shell Island, Courtney Point and home at eventide

DThos+ still here