Publications, Changes, and Updates to Goretti Publications, publisher of free digital and print books and literature http://gorpub.freeshell.org en-us http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification http://gorpub.freeshell.org/letterlogo.png http://gorpub.freeshell.org A long alliterative poem, published in parts, and heavily symbolic and allegorical. It explores two great cities and their relationship to one another, and how one can (or cannot) pass between them. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/two_cities.html#partiv poetry 26 June 2019 12:00:00 GMT A long alliterative poem, published in parts, and heavily symbolic and allegorical. It explores two great cities and their relationship to one another, and how one can (or cannot) pass between them. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/two_cities.html#partiii poetry 20 June 2019 12:00:00 GMT A long alliterative poem, published in parts, and heavily symbolic and allegorical. It explores two great cities and their relationship to one another, and how one can (or cannot) pass between them. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/two_cities.html#partii poetry 10 June 2019 12:00:00 GMT A long alliterative poem, published in parts, and heavily symbolic and allegorical. It explores two great cities and their relationship to one another, and how one can (or cannot) pass between them. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/two_cities.html#parti poetry 05 June 2019 12:00:00 GMT In the grand tradition of St. Anselm's famous phrase, Fides quærens intellectum ("Faith seeking understanding"), this short manual of Catholic theology gives the English-speaking reader an insight into the treasure-box of the Church's theological thinking. The authors have admirably distilled centuries of thought and development into an accessible and compact form, allowing layman and seasoned theologian alike access to these incalculable riches. Starting from the standpoint of faith, first and foremost, and applying human reason to faith in the tradition of St. Thomas Aquinas, the authors lead us through all the major topics of revelation: what revelation is, Who God is, what God has made, how creation has fallen, how God has chosen to redeem it, and what are our last ends. Over the course of these two volumes, the reader will increasingly apply St. Anselm's other great maxim: Credo ut intelligam ("I believe so that I might understand"). The reader cannot help but have a better and more thorough understanding of the divine Faith after reading these great manuals. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/books_27.html theology,catholic,books 26 May 2019 00:00:00 GMT A long alliterative poem, published in parts, and heavily symbolic and allegorical. It explores two great cities and their relationship to one another, and how one can (or cannot) pass between them. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/two_cities.html poetry 08 May 2019 00:00:00 GMT Yet another study of the dandelion from a poetical perspective. It is spring, after all; and the Easter imagery naturally arises from the ruminations, as well. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/dandelion_again.html poetry 01 May 2019 00:00:00 GMT The title says it, really; a few brief thoughts on Good Friday, linking it to the day of the Fall. Worth lining up alongside The Worst of Days, from last year. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/good_friday_1203.html poetry 17 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMT A new take on the familiar (familiar, at least, to classical philosophy students) analogy of the wild horse, with an added notion of Brother Ass and how he should be treated. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/horse.html poetry 10 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMT A very short but evocative look at the color red and its role in the springtime. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/redbuds.html poetry 03 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMT Prayer is *necessary*; without it, no one can hope to be saved. Christ gave us the perfect examples of prayer: in the Lord's Prayer; in the Garden of Olives. Christ constantly prayed, and His Apostle St. Paul told us to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thes. 5:17). But *how* are we to do this? How can we possibly pray without ceasing? How do we pray without merely mouthing words, without care or devotion in our souls? Should our prayer be merely verbal, or mental? If the latter, how do we actually conduct mental prayer? Fr. de Maumigny explains to us how excellent prayer is; why it is so important; and, crucially, how to do it. Particularly, he explains how we should begin to pray, and how we should progress in prayer. He tells us what difficulties to expect and how to overcome them. This book, an easy but incredibly important read, is an important resource for any Catholic. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/books_26.html prayer,religion,catholic,catholicism 01 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMT An unusual meter for me, this poem explores the idea that Providence has designed any given moment specifically for each one of us. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/sings_for_me.html poetry 27 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMT This is the last part of a long poem, which will contemplate the ancient pagan and modern pagan notions of the universe, and how unsatisfying they must be; and finally, propose the Christian vision as the answer. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/providence.html#partconc poetry 20 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMT Faith is rational; it's the response of the mind that leads us to believe based on the authority of the one who tells us. We have ``faith'' when scientists tell us that our cells each contain forty-six chromosomes, or that lithium atoms have three protons; we haven't counted them or done the experiments ourselves. It is perfectly rational for us to have this faith; those who tell us such things have authority; and we believe what they tell us precisely due to that authority. But what about when God tells us something? Should we not respond with an even stronger faith; indeed, with a supernatural faith, a faith that only God can give us? In this little book, Fr. Graham goes through all these things: what faith is, why we should have it, and the foundation of the authority on which we base it. An excellent resource for showing that our faith is, indeed, supernatural; but it is also rational, a necessity in this pseudo-rational age. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/books_25.html faith,religion,catholic,catholicism 17 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMT This is the fourth part of a long poem, which will contemplate the ancient pagan and modern pagan notions of the universe, and how unsatisfying they must be; and finally, propose the Christian vision as the answer. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/providence.html#partiii poetry 13 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMT This is the third part of a long poem, which will contemplate the ancient pagan and modern pagan notions of the universe, and how unsatisfying they must be; and finally, propose the Christian vision as the answer. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/providence.html#partii poetry 06 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMT This is the second part of a long poem, which will contemplate the ancient pagan and modern pagan notions of the universe, and how unsatisfying they must be; and finally, propose the Christian vision as the answer. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/providence.html#parti poetry 27 Feb 2019 00:00:00 GMT This is the first part of a long poem, which will contemplate the ancient pagan and modern pagan notions of the universe, and how unsatisfying they must be; and finally, propose the Christian vision as the answer. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/providence.html poetry 21 Feb 2019 00:00:00 GMT Noting that many things are very easy, but that there is no praise in them; and that the true glory of being a free creature is the ability to do what is good even though it is hard. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/proper.html poetry 14 Feb 2019 00:00:00 GMT A short poem, really more of a versification, with a brief message about the greatest of our temptations. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/purge.html poetry 06 Feb 2019 00:00:00 GMT We so often hear of a "blanket of snow." This poem explores the concept a bit, particularly its contradictions. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/snow.html poetry 30 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT We see how certain things in nature, though tiny and visibly insignificant, have huge effects well beyond their immediate impact, and contemplate what that means for our own deeds. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/ripples.html poetry 24 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT An attempt to juxtapose some ideas which are generally considered antithetical---joy and death---and unite them in a single rumination. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/rejoice.html poetry 16 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT A dozzet on what is solid and what is changeable, and the relative values of each. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/fickle.html poetry 09 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT An interesting format (two lines of two anapests followed by one of four), this poem for Christmas of 1202 contemplates the salvific light brought by the Savior, piercing through every cloud and mist. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/tower_cloud.html poetry 25 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMT Another Advent-themed poem, exploring the retreat of nature beneath the soil in the wintertime, the encroaching cold, and the salvation from death offered by the sun. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/creeping_cold.html poetry 19 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMT This timeless tale by Charles Dickens, so unlike most of his other work, has been a Christmastime favorite since its first publication in 1843. Adapted countless times for film, none have yet fully captured the magic, beauty, and charm of the novel. Subtitled "A Ghost Story of Christmas," the tale follows legendary miser Ebenezer Scrooge through his meeting with three ghosts, who show him the error of his ways and inspire him to care once more for his fellow man. The novel, filled with countless delightful characters that will never leave the reader, is here presented in a beautiful new printing with many illustrations from three separate editions. Goretti offers this wonderful book in three different print editions: one full-color hardback, one black-and-white hardback, and one black-and-white paperback. It is also available for download in black-and-white PDF. We sincerely pray that this book will be a profit for our readers at Christmastime and throughout the year. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/books_24.html Christmas,carol,scrooge,ebenezer,dickens 18 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMT A contemplation of the love of the mother for her child; the love of the child for the mother; and the incredible depth of the connection when the two are combined. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/mother_child.html poetry 12 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMT An offering in the idiosyncratic trochaic heptameter, contemplating the earth-shattering nature of the coming of Christ. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/advent_1202.html poetry 05 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMT No greater prayer is possible, besides the Sacraments themselves, than the Rosary. Given to St. Dominic by Our Lady herself, the Rosary combines the best prayers in the world into a single, unified whole. The Lord's Prayer, taught to us by Christ Himself; the Angelic Salutation, taken from Scripture and enhanced by the Church in apostolic times; the timeless doxology to the Trinity; the prayer given to us by Our Lady of Fatima; and meditation upon the great mysteries in the life of Our Lord Jesus Christ. What better way of spending a few minutes in prayer could we possibly find? This book takes an old Rosary devotional from the turn of the century and adds to it beautiful artwork, one for each mystery, and some additional considerations to assist in praying Our Lady's Psalter better and with more devotion. Adding in instructions for praying the Rosary; a diagram detailing its parts; and the texts of the prayers themselves, this booklet should be a valuable aide for this ancient and beautiful prayer. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/books_23.html books,religion,catholicism,catholic,rosary,devotion,artwork 02 Dec 2018 11:00:00 GMT Yet another attempt to contemplate the incredible scope of the universe in time and space, and how small we are in comparison to it. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/degree.html poetry 28 Nov 2018 00:00:00 GMT A double dozzet, describing the hugeness of time and space, and how tiny we all are in comparison. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/time_goldfish.html poetry 21 Nov 2018 00:00:00 GMT No better introduction to the Catholic Faith in the English language has ever been written than the venerable Baltimore Catechism. A mainstay of Catholic education for generations, these four little books have been the mainstay of education of Catholic youth. As long as the Baltimore Catechism has been used, the Faith has been followed; when it ceased to be used, the Faith ceased to be learned. No. 1 offers a very simple, very brief introduction to the Faith, suitable for very young children. No. 2 is an excellent course for First Communion students. No. 3 is suitable for Confirmation candidates. No. 4 is a general explanation of nearly all the aspects of the Faith, and can be profitably read and studied by any Catholic throughout his life. Goretti Publications is proud to offer this new edition of the Baltimore Catechism; may it serve another generation of Catholics as well as it has so many in the past. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/books_22.html books,religion,catholicism,catholic,catechism,baltimore 16 Nov 2018 00:00:00 GMT A very short comparison of enthusiasm and real love. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/enthusiasm.html poetry 14 Nov 2018 00:00:00 GMT A poem exploring how huge the universe is, and how hopeless the task of comprehending it for finite creatures. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/vast.html poetry 07 Nov 2018 00:00:00 GMT Starting out with some strong imagery, this piece ponders the modern pursuit of youth and how fruitless and nonsensical it is. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/youth.html poetry 31 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMT Thoughts on the fleeting nature of even our strongest enthusiasms. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/opinion.html poetry 24 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMT A series of paradoxes that apply to life in general, and note the ultimate meaninglessness of death when life itself is properly understood. A few tougher rhymes in this one. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/paradox.html poetry 03 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMT A rumination on autumn, life, and death. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/autumn.html poetry 26 Sep 2018 07:00:00 GMT A brief rumination on the symbolic importance of fasting, here in an Ember week. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/refill.html poetry 19 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT Another poem ruminating on the current ecclesiastical crisis. This one again starts very dark, and the use of enjambment in the first dozzet serves to make the reader feel harried and breathless; but it does turn up in the second and third dozzet. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/plague_roses.html poetry 12 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT A nightmare. That is, literally a nightmare, the feelings that many of us are having during these dark times. Of course, God is there to resolve them; but for this poem, we focus on our own inability to do so. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/nightmare.html poetry 05 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT A rumination on the fact that, though many things are predictable, very few are certain; the birds and the flowers prepare for winter, but they're really just guessing, and sometimes they're early or late. We really know very little about the world around us. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/uncertainty.html poetry 25 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMT An alliterative poem, which at length explores the rise and fall of what we knew as Christendom, and concludes with hope for its resurrection. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/death_christendom.html poetry 15 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMT A contemplation on the way our coasts are formed over countless years, and the way that such a peaceful environment is formed by such huge conflict. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/ripostes.html poetry 08 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMT Another alliterative piece, this one laments the incredible, indeed indescribable, agony thatis hunger; yet then goes on to ponder why and how one might embrace it. Obvious allusions to St. Francis's Lady Poverty. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/hunger.html poetry 01 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMT A paean to the life-giving refreshment of rain, which quenches the thirst and cools the heat. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/come_rain.html poetry 25 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMT The team which will save the world is assembled, and we meet a number of characters who will be important over the next week, along with one who will be with us for quite a bit longer. The great gravity, and likely impossibility, of their task weighs heavily. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/gawake_2_3.html story 17 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMT Along the lines of Defeat Thyself, a slightly different rumination on the importance of conquering onself before attempting to conquer one's enemies. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/defeat_self.html poetry 11 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMT A dozzet concerning the influence of a father on a man's life, even if the man himself doesn't realize it. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/to_a_father.html poetry 04 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMT Here we meet John Knighton, one of the main characters of our story. John will be a constant presence throughout the text, though here he seems to be of very little importance. We also get to see a little of how the plague spreads throughout the United States. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/gawake_2_2.html story 02 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMT A new take on an old metaphor. The phoenix does, as usual, represent the cycle of birth and death, here it is turned to a singular purpose. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/phoenix.html poetry 27 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT Our first alliterative poem, this details the emotions and thoughts of the poet on the death of his father, and beseeches the prayers of the reader for him. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/death_father.html poetry 20 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT In this first section of Chapter 2, we meet the general who will be in charge of dealing with the newly-arrived plague in the United States, along with his assistant, and hear a little about how he expects to do so. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/gawake_2_1.html story 19 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT We consider the goldfish, famous for his short attention span and tiny perspective, and imagine him as having man's assurance of the completeness of his knowledge. We note that this assurance is foolish, and consider how foolish man's must be, as well, given the shortness of our time on earth and how little of the universe we can know. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/goldfish.html poetry 13 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT A loving examination of the beautiful symbolism of incense and the thurible at Mass, trying to encompass the sight, sound, and smell of it. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/incense.html poetry 06 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT The beginning chapter of a long saga with many characters, many locations, and a great expanse of time and place. There are three hundred pages thus far in the draft of Part I, so stay tuned! While we don't meet any of the characters of this part again, there are dozens, and I think you'll find them all compelling and interesting. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/gawake_1_1.html story 05 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT Presenting the figure of a lady in the night, and then the moon in the sky, we compare and eventually identify these two, and note how the cool, silvery light of the moon is ultimately just the warm, golden light of the sun reflected onto earth. The comparison to the Blessed Virgin Mary is immediately evident; and we note that moonlight can be just as good as sunlight for those who are blind, if that's what they're able to see. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/silverlight.html poetry 30 May 2018 00:00:00 GMT Amidst the rejoicing of Pentecost, this poem was written. It's not subtle, but it does aptly express the joy of the Christian at the coming of the Holy Spirit. Combining the two primary symbols of the Holy Spirit (the dove and the flame), we contemplate how the Holy Ghost comes in after the Ascension. It echoes some of the symbolism from our earlier poem for Easter, "Alleluia! The Sun has Arisen", but I think that's fair theologically and historically, given that the works of the Three Persons are the works of each and every, and that Christ Himself was incarnate of the Holy Spirit. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/pentecost_1202.html poetry 23 May 2018 00:00:00 GMT Sort of a combination of horror and philosophical fiction, this short story delves into and dwells upon the nightmare that is an immortal soul without supernatural redemption. The reader will notice that the main character is without the consolation of religion; this factor is by design. Only Christianity can really resolve the conundrum of the philosophical certainty of the immortality of the soul combined with the problem of evil. Our main character's depression, then, is reasonable---and horrifying. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/goodman_alone.html story 20 May 2018 00:00:00 GMT In continued keeping with our recent nature theme, we turn now to the female cardinal. Less showy (some would say less gaudy) than her mate, the female cardinal has a unique beauty all her own. We contemplate that beauty and how it speaks to us. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/lady_cardinal.html poetry 16 May 2018 00:00:00 GMT In keeping with our nature theme for the last two weeks, we present another poem concerning the lovely sights of spring. The cardinal remains in the area for the winter, of course, but one caught my eye on a walk recently, and in the lovely spring day this poem came out of it. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/cardinal.html poetry 09 May 2018 00:00:00 GMT We have already addressed this beautiful little flower once before; here, in honor of their blooming once again in this beautiful spring, we honor them again. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/dandelion_revis.html poetry 02 May 2018 00:00:00 GMT Inspired by my daily walks this spring, this poem poured forth. Less "deep" than most of the recent work I've posted, this is pure revelry in the beauties of spring, with only brief reflection on how brief those beauties are, and how they will return again. Also written entirely in couplets, which is an unusual form for me. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/o_spring.html poetry 25 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT St. Francis famously referred to his body as his "brother the ass," referring to its brutishness and the difficulty of controlling it. St. Thomas Aquinas also compared defeating temptation to supporting one side in a fight: we feed the fighter we hope will win, but we deprive the fighter we hope will lose. So when we fight aspects of our selves, we starve those aspects, and feed the aspects that we wish to rise and win. This poem echoes both these metaphors, along with a modernized version of one of Plato's famous analogies about the passions as opposed to the reason. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/brother.html poetry 18 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT Arithmetic has both fascinated and terrified students for countless generations. A big part of that fright, though, has been due to the use of decimal numbering. The more or less chaotic multiplication tables; the lack of easy factors, particularly for thirds; and, most of all, the lack of adequate explanation of the place notation system in general have served to make arithmetic, and by extension mathematics, an opaque subject full of magical spells that, when executed properly, will give the right result, but which are only imperfectly understood. This text starts from the very beginning, with counting; explains place notation along with other notational systems; and goes through basic and advanced arithmetic step-by-step, with examples and exercises. Featuring answers to the exercises; a complete glossary; a table of definitions; an appendix of tables; and recommendations for further reading, the adult student should need no other text. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/books_21.html mathematics/arithmetic/dozenal 13 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT Some reflections on the fact that we're constantly fighting everything around us, never happy with anything that happens or anything that we have, when the real enemy is within us, ourselves; and that if we get our selves under control, we've gone a long way to controlling what is wrong with us. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/defeat_thyself.html poetry 11 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT Last week we had a somber poem for Holy Week; this week we have a very joyful and upbeat poem for Easter week. Reflecting on a number of the great joys of the Resurrection, this poem takes the unusual tack of rhyming all four lines of each verse on the same sound. Although the analogy of the Son to the sun is obvious, the fact that in American English the words "son" and "sun" are pronounced identically (at least, in all dialects with which I am familiar) does benefit the symbolism here. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/alleluia.html poetry 04 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT A somber poem for Holy Week. A new style that I have not tried before, but which I think accomplishes the task. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/worst_days.html poetry 24 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT Back to anapestic heptameter this week, we explore the nature of changing oneself, and how any real change in oneself will require suffering, by analogizing to the building of a traditional Native American canoe. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/canoe.html poetry 21 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT A three-dozzet series on death, and the ultimate hopelessness of life in the absence of a supernatural destination. Decidedly downbeat for most of its length, it ends on an upnote. Inspired by some comments on the death of my father, though certainly not a historical account of such. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/too_young.html poetry 14 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT Much less ominous (though no less portentous) than its title implies, this poem ponders the nature of love, intentionally invoking Shakespeare's famous love sonnet which turning it in a completely different direction. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/spilled.html poetry 06 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT Cups and oceans! Inspired by an old story of St. Augustine contemplating the Trinity, this poem explores the notion of knowledge by comparing what can be held in the sea with what can be held in a cup. A dozzet. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/mysteries.html poetry 28 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT A dozzet meditating on St. Francis's great love, "Lady Poverty." Most of us, of course, don't embrace Lady Poverty with the enthusiasm of St. Francis; but in Lent, we do certainly (or should certainly, at least) improve our acquaintance with her. This poem ruminates on the importance of Lady Poverty and fasting, and how it can be a profit for us in life. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/lady_poverty.html poetry 21 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT A new type of poem (for me), written in the *terza rima* which Italian poetry, especially Dante, has justly made so famous. We see little of it in English-language literature. Here, we contemplate the fact that we can see the infinite sky, but only through the muddying medium of the atmosphere and the clouds, and whether we can be happy with this vision. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/skyward.html poetry 14 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT A dozzet, reflecting on the moon and the nature of its light, with meaning for the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the saints, in reference to the Light of the world. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/light_moon.html poetry 07 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT The prayer that combines vocal and contemplative prayer, which focuses on the great mysteries of the lives of Christ and Mary, and which has been so highly recommended by so many of the saints of the Church. We offer it here in multiple formats and multiple languages; in each language, this little booklet can be downloaded as a normal, sequential PDF, or as a PDF which is laid out for easy printing as a booklet on normal, American letter-size paper. 8 pp.; Latin, English. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/books_20.html prayer/rosary/catholic/book 2 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT Yet again in anapestic heptameter, this poem was inspired by one of St. Therese of Lisieux, which spoke of lait virginal, along with the famous story of St. Bernard of Clairvaux. Taking some obvious cues from Revelations, Chapter 10 (decimal twelve), it reflects on how if we seek to imitate Christ, we should imitate also His feelings about His mother. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/virginal_milk.html poetry 31 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT More anapestic heptameter, this poem explores the "happy fault" of St. Thomas Aquinas, and the reality of original sin, which seems so unjust to so many, when really it's a great gift (as well as not being unjust in any way). I'm particularly happy with some of the alliteration (e.g., "long-ago garden agleam"), but think the rhythm, topic, and imagery fit together well. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/road_eden.html poetry 24 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT We've redesigned our books index page to look a lot better, and added individual pages for all of our individual books. Permalinks will continue to work without changes. Check it out, and enjoy! http://gorpub.freeshell.org/books.html books,admin 24 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT Inspired by a line from "For the Fallen" by Robert Lawrence Binyon ("They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old: / Age shall not wither them, nor the years condemn"), I've written this dozzet about a very different topic. While we ourselves weaken and eventually die, tradition---especially Sacred Tradition---improves and strengthens over time. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/grow_old.html poetry 17 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT Back to anapestic heptameter! This is my second poem in anapestic heptameter (after "The Woman in the Meadow"), and it's a delightful meter for English poetry. Somehow, it manages to remain a light-hearted, natural rhythm without excluding the gravity of more traditional iambic meters. This poem has a great deal of internal rhyme (universally on the third line of a verse, optionally one other lines), and explores themes of the season of winter and the death that accompanies it in a decidedly hopeful way. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/winter.html poetry 10 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT A very long poem at 760 (decimal 1080) lines, The Hero's Tale is a detailed rumination on the journey of the soul from pagan despair to Christian hope and finally to the finish, divine love. Deeply symbolic, the poem draws on the traditional imagery of Western Christendom, particularly Gothic architecture and the Psychomachia, along with using a great deal of other traditional symbolism, especially color, time, and season. Sadly, much of this imagery is unknown in our day; the book, therefore, presents extensive marginal notes identifying the sources of its imagery in Scripture, in artistic traditions, and so forth, along with explaining the meaning of the various symbols. This booklet is a great companion to the poem, particularly those who want to more more about its deep symbolism. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/books.html#herotale poetry 07 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT A longer poem, made up of three dozzets, on the mystery of childbirth and child-raising and the immense power of woman that is tied up therewith. Though only the last dozzet ends in a couplet, this also contains pretty clear echoes of St. Francis's Canticle of the Sun. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/hail_woman.html poetry 03 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT A poem for the season of Christmas. Emphasizes the elements of full-swollen pregnancy and fullness of time, and the mind-bending notion of a human being giving birth to her own Creator (and the Creator of everything else). http://gorpub.freeshell.org/christmas_1201.html poetry 27 Dec 2017 00:00:00 GMT A poem for the season of Advent. Interesting for its use of enjambment in almost the entirety of the first eight lines, calling to mind the "smothering" that is referenced early on. Read it out loud to see what it means; one must do so almost in a single breath. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/advent_1201.html poetry 20 Dec 2017 00:00:00 GMT At long last, we conclude The Hero's Tale, a long poem on a man's journey from darkness to light; specifically, his voyage from his natural, fallen state to the possession of virtue and, eventually, truth. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/journey.html#conc poetry 15 Dec 2017 09:00:00 GMT Part X (dozenal Roman numeral twelve) of The Hero's Tale, a heavily symbolic examination of a hero's voyage from his natural, fallen state to the possession of virtue and, eventually, truth. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/journey.html#partx poetry 13 Dec 2017 07:00:00 GMT Part IX (dozenal Roman numeral eleven) of The Hero's Tale, a heavily symbolic examination of a hero's voyage from his natural, fallen state to the possession of virtue and, eventually, truth. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/journey.html#partix poetry 06 Dec 2017 00:00:00 GMT Part IIX (dozenal Roman numeral ten) of The Hero's Journey, a heavily symbolic examination of a hero's voyage from his natural, fallen state to the possession of virtue and, eventually, truth. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/journey.html#partiix poetry 29 Nov 2017 00:00:00 GMT Part VIII (dozenal Roman numeral 9) of The Hero's Journey, a heavily symbolic examination of a hero's voyage from his natural, fallen state to the possession of virtue and, eventually, truth. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/journey.html#partviii poetry 22 Nov 2017 00:00:00 GMT Part VII (dozenal Roman numeral 8) of The Hero's Journey, a heavily symbolic examination of a hero's voyage from his natural, fallen state to the possession of virtue and, eventually, truth. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/journey.html#partvii poetry 15 Nov 2017 00:00:00 GMT Part VI (dozenal Roman numeral 7) of The Hero's Journey, a heavily symbolic examination of a hero's voyage from his natural, fallen state to the possession of virtue and, eventually, truth. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/journey.html#partvi poetry 08 Nov 2017 00:00:00 GMT Part V (dozenal Roman numeral 6) of The Hero's Journey, a heavily symbolic examination of a hero's voyage from his natural, fallen state to the possession of virtue and, eventually, truth. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/journey.html#partv poetry 01 Nov 2017 00:00:00 GMT Part IV (dozenal Roman numeral 5) of The Hero's Journey, a heavily symbolic examination of a hero's voyage from his natural, fallen state to the possession of virtue and, eventually, truth. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/journey.html#partiv poetry 25 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMT Part IIV (dozenal Roman numeral 4) of The Hero's Journey, a heavily symbolic examination of a hero's voyage from his natural, fallen state to the possession of virtue and, eventually, truth. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/journey.html#partiiv poetry 18 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMT Part III of The Hero's Journey, a heavily symbolic examination of a hero's voyage from his natural, fallen state to the possession of virtue and, eventually, truth. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/journey.html#partiii poetry 11 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMT Part II of The Hero's Journey, a heavily symbolic examination of a hero's voyage from his natural, fallen state to the possession of virtue and, eventually, truth. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/journey.html#partii poetry 04 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMT A heavily symbolic examination of a hero's voyage from his natural, fallen state to the possession of virtue and, eventually, truth. Written as a series of dozzets, I'm very excited about it. It is *lengthy*, basically a mini-epic; as a result, we will be publishing it in parts. The first part was published today, 23 September 1201; the most recent publication dates will be shown below. Each part's publication will be noted in the usual places. Today, the introduction (one dozzet) and Part I (three dozzets) are published. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/journey.html poetry 27 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT Attempting again to use the red-green-white symbolism to good effect, this poem also mixes in some Marian imagery. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/pursue_the_sun.html poetry 19 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT Obviously inspired by William Ross Wallace's "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle Rules the World," this poem explores the huge influence a mother has on her child, and the deep relationship between them. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/rock_cradle.html poetry 13 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT A bit more prosaic (insofar as that makes sense in a poetical context) than most of our posts have been of late, this dozzet-plus-couplet explores the great treasury of knowledge that Christians (and specifically Catholics) have built up over the centuries, and how, as we gradually abandon our mother tongue, we're losing access to our own glorious heritage, a heritage which belongs to the Church and to all mankind. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/mother_tongue.html poetry 06 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT Though still sort of a dozzet, this poem is a bit different structurally than the others. Each quatrain is grouped as a separate verse, and the first and third lines of each are divided into two rhyming half-lines, with the second and fourth rhyming each other at the end and their accompanying half-lines halfway through. It's simpler to read than to describe; think of it as an alexandrine version of The Raven's structure. Using traditional color imagery, this poem briefly contemplates the virtues. Enjoy. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/on_virtue.html poetry 30 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT On 19 August 1201, the United States was host to a solar eclipse that was visible nowhere but in its territory, lending it the name "the Great American Eclipse". This was a full solar eclipse; and though many of us only were able to see a partial eclipse, the experience of even so much (I last saw one some two dozen years ago or so) was moving, and inspired this piece. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/eclipse.html poetry 23 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT Another dozzet, this one focusing on the heavens, which have traditionally been viewed as a symbol of Divine Providence (in contradiction of the silliness that is astrology). http://gorpub.freeshell.org/spinning_stars.html poetry 16 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT A dozzet which is (clearly, I hope) about baptism, and the freedom and peace that it offers us, even though it does *not* necessarily offer us an easy journey there. There's a great deal of alliteration as well as the standard dozzet meter and rhyme here; I hope that it achieves its aim. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/water_delve.html poetry 09 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT A dozzet again in a generally happy vein, discussing the vicissitudes of time, but also the amazing gift of it. It again shows some experimentation with some deliberate alliteration along with rhyme. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/life_to_live.html poetry 02 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT The First World War gave rise to a large body of deeply poignant poets; but few can claim the moving profundity of Siegfried Sassoon. The son of the disinherited scion of a wealthy Jewish family, Alfred Sassoon, and an Anglican, Theresa Thornycroft, Sassoon had enough independent wealth that before the war he mostly played cricket and wrote traditional, nature-focused, Romantic-style verse. Upon enlistment, however, and his lengthy stints on the Western front, his poetry rapidly became dark, tormented verse, contemplating the nightmare of the trenches, staring down the barrels of guns and the glinting points of bayonets---and driving them into enemies, as well. Haunted by the war his whole life, Sassoon found peace and solace only in his later years, upon conversion to the Catholic religion; but his poetry of the war years, his most powerful and affective work, should be mandatory reading for those who have the public trust, and is profitable for the rest of us, as well. 65pp., index of first lines. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/books.html#sassoonpoet poetry 31 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT This dozzet is a love poem, again focusing on the very important distinction between love and feeling. Everyone is joyful on their wedding day ("[w]hen two are join'd to one"), but eventually that enthusiasm will wear off, and something much deeper than mere emotional or physical attraction will be required. Only love can sustain the two then. Rather than wrapping up the dozzet in twelve lines, an envoi couplet sews the threads together. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/two_hearts.html poetry 26 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT A sonnet contemplating suffering and its role in our happiness and love. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/born_to_sorrow.html poetry 19 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT Widely known during his life for his most famous poem, "Trees," Joyce Kilmer was a prolific poet and essayist of the early years of the last century. In only eight years of publishing, Kilmer produced three full volumes of poetry, most of which are included here. Converted to Catholicism, with his family, in 1135 (1913.), Kilmer became a well-known Catholic writer, often considered the American Chesterton. Kilmer was tragically killed in the trenches in World War I. Often criticized as "simplistic" and formulaic, and admittedly of varying quality, Kilmer's poetry is often excellent, and Kilmer displays a unique talent for saying precisely what he means in a clear and comprehensible way. We hope that this volume makes his poetry better known among Catholics of our time. 106 pp., index of first lines. English. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/books.html#kilmerpoems poetry 12 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT A dozzet doing the nearly stereotypical comparison between time and a river, with the usual statements about never stepping in the same river twice, and so forth. However, it ends with a couplet that concludes something different from the usual time-river ruminations. I think that this is interesting different from most such poems. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/river_flow.html poetry 11 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT A series of four dozzets which explore the utter meaninglessness of life and death in the absence of some spiritual reality, and the greatness of both when a deeper significance is understood. Much less bleak that Our Only Certainty, which ends without any hint of redeeming joy, this poem starts out _very_ bleak but ends with real hope and joy. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/rest_in_peace.html poetry 05 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT Another of the new poetical form (which I'm ridiculously referring to internally as the "dozzet"), along the lines of The Dandelion, this poem focuses relentlessly on the more depressing aspects of our world; specifically, on the fact that everything in it will eventually end, and that this ending is really the only certainty we have about it. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/passing_away.html poetry 27 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT I have often thought the dandelion to be one of the prettiest of all flowers; yet it is commonly derided as merely a useless weed. That's a real shame. This poem is an ode to the dandelion. It's also a bit of an experiment with a new poetical form, which when crafting this piece I found truly powerful. It is twelve lines of twelve iambic feet each; but each line is not limited to the alexandrine, but can be divided however the syllables work best. I hope the reader enjoys reading the form as much as I enjoyed writing it. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/the_dandelion.html poetry 21 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT This poem, quite like _The Raven_ in its meter and rhyme scheme, provides some more thoughts on life and death, and how we ought to face both; and further, it reminds us that some have already done so, and that we should look to them for example. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/run_race.html poetry 14 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT A shorter poem (two dozen lines) with a shorter message, taking some symbolism from Dante in the last stanza. Iambic tetrameter in lines 1-2 and 4-5, but iambic hexadecameter in lines 4 and 6, of each sestet. Interesting in its symbolism of the flame and the stars, and also interesting in providing an iambic form of Poe's trochaic meter in The Raven. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/fire_not_consume.html poetry 07 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT A longish narrative-type poem, this piece explores the subject of death and how it has perplexed mankind throughout the ages. It's the first significant piece I've written in blank verse, and it's also my most overtly Christian poem so far published. It points out that Christianity doesn't make suffering hurt less; it just gives meaning to the suffering that we all must endure. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/the_question.html poetry 31 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT Sporting an unusual rhyme scheme (tercets with rhyming first two lines, followed by a third line which matches the first two lines of the following tercet), this poem not only uses the excellent word "thole," but also explores interesting themes relating to Providence. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/tholing_child.html poetry 20 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT Vinicius, a Roman patrician just returned from the wars in Armenia, falls in love with Lygia, a hostage taken in the northern wars and adopted by noble patricians Aulus and Pomponia Graecia. Little did he suspect, though, that Lygia is a Christian; he and his uncle, Petronius, react to this as typical pagan Romans, and seek to take Lygia for Vinicius by force. Over time, however, Vinicius changes, while Petronius doesn't. The author presents a vivid picture of the grandeur and corruption of Nero's Rome, and an incredibly compelling narrative of how the viewpoints of Vinicius and Petronius diverge as Vinicius approaches the new faith. Exploring the great fire and subsequent persecution, this novel is an excellent read. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/books.html#quovadis fiction 19 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT This poem continues our theme of exploring various elements of nature and what they can teach us about life and what lies beyond. Here, we consider the ant, and the single-minded purpose of his narrow world, and how that compares to we ourselves. Structurally, it's interesting, as well; its four-line stanzas are rhymed in lines 1, 2, and 4, with line 3 rhyming with lines 1, 2, and 4 of the following stanza. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/the_ant.html poetry 18 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT This poem, at 22 (twenty-six) lines, is a rumination on age, development, wisdom, and tradition. A bit of an oddball, as it consists of four-line stanzas rhymed at the second and fourth lines, but ends with a rhymed couplet. I think it's interesting. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/the_oak.html poetry 13 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT Not a sonnet! This poem, still relatively short at 30 (thirty-six) lines, uses only two rhymes. A meditation on the relationship between suffering and love. Just as the tulip blooms in the spring, but loses its bloom in summer and must endure tremendous hardship in the fall and winter in order to bloom again, so love is at first nothing but color and joy, but eventually becomes difficult and hard. But without these hardships, love just isn't love. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/tulip_grow.html poetry 11 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT A love sonnet, using only three rhymes throughout, which compares the lover's desire for his beloved with a few of the poet's traditional analogies---the thirsty for drink, the bee for the flower, and the plant for light---and identifies his love as being of a very different kind. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/better_half.html poetry 08 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT A poem (in anapestic heptameter) meditating on the limits of earthly justice. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/woman_meadow.html poetry 03 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT A sonnet meditation of Plato's allegory of the cave. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/the_cave.html poetry 24 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT A sonnet on the need for and value of suffering. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/seed_sonnet.html poetry 22 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT A poem about a painful journey yielding despair followed by new hope. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/red_disc.html poetry 19 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT William Cullen Bryant's classic poem Thanatopsis ("view of death") is still read in most American schools as an example of early nineteenth-century American poetry, and it is a fine example of that. Prior to Whitman, Bryant was likely the most famous of American poets. However, Thanatopsis provides what Christians would likely believe to be a very simplistic and dpressing view of death. This poem tries to follow Bryant's lead while still giving a more enlightening view of its topic. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/thanatopsis.html poetry 12 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT Renzo and Lucy are betrothed; but Don Roderick, a local baron, threatens the vicar to prevent their matrimony. Father Christopher, the saintly Capuchin friar at a nearby convent, intervenes to assist them; but before long, the couple is engulfed in events that are far above their heads. Famine; food riots; flight; duplicity; kidnapping; repentence; redemption; plague; and, above all, Providence. All are major players in this drama of northern Italy in the midst of the troubles and chaos of the Thirty Years' War. More than a drama of events, however, this is a drama of characters; we meet saints and sinners, repentant and unrepentant. No cardboard cutouts, these characters are complex and realistic, with motivations and outcomes to match. This is a masterpiece of the medium, well worth a close and detailed read. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/books.html#betrothed book/fiction 07 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT Fr. Adrian Fortescue (adventurer, liturgist, calligrapher, organist, scholar, and first and foremost priest) dedicated his life to the service of Christ, and much of his mind to the study of the liturgies of Christ's Church. In an effort to help support his parish church, St. Hugh, Father Fortescue decided to correct a long-standing lacuna in English-language Catholic literature: the lack of a thorough guide to the liturgical ceremonies of a normal parish church. In so doing, he created a masterpiece, a faithful guide that has assisted English-speaking Catholics throughout the world ever since. Covering the ceremonies of the Mass, first and foremost; the specific ceremonies of the liturgical year; the other sacraments celebrated in parish churches or in homes; and the ceremonies of the ritual, this work is comprehensive and immensely instructive. Completely retypeset, with the text optically scanned and then carefully edited by hand for correctness, this edition also presents completely redrawn diagrams of all the ceremonies, as well as a page detailing the common appearance of a few of the vestments referenced in the work. A treasure for any Roman Catholic library. http://gorpub.freeshell.org/books.html#fortcere book/nonfiction/liturgy/religion 19 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT