Altars, Pagan and Christian

First of all, let me say this: To see LeBron get sat-down was…SWEET!

…At Holy Mass, after Communion, when the deacon or priest cleanses the chalice, he says this prayer quietly to himself:

Quod ore sumpsimus, Domine, pura mente capiamus: et de munera temporali fiat nobis remedium sempiternum.

The translation of this Latin sentence which appears in the current English Sacramentary is an utter mush.

But soon we will have a new English-language Missal! This is how the prayer will be translated:

What has passed our lips as food, O Lord, may we possess in purity of heart, that what has been given to us in time may be our healing for eternity.

Beautifully put. Speaking of well-written sentences: I have seen Hamlet many times. I have seen all the movies, and I have seen it on stage probably a half-dozen times.

The other night I saw the best Hamlet I have ever seen. At the Folger Shakespeare Library. (Not the Folger Shakespeare Theatre Company downtown, which is to be avoided like a noxious cesspool.)

The Hamlet at the Library was great. Seeing it restored my faith in the art of Thespis. Ophelia stole the show. The play made sense to me in a new way–as the story of ruined love. Do whatever you can to get a ticket.

…Here is a short Ascension Day homily:

Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by hands, but heaven itself, that He might now appear before God on our behalf. (Hebrews 9:24)

St. Paul traveled the world to teach the Good News. When he went to the pagan city of Athens, he observed the many shrines to the many pagan gods. This moved him to explain the difference between pagan worship and Christian worship.

Scewtape Lives

Imagine trying to write a paperback made up solely of letters. They are letters from an experienced demon to a “junior tempter” containing advice about how to lure the “patient” away from the snares of the Enemy (God).

It would take a master of both the spiritual life and English style to produce an entertaining book like this. C.S. Lewis was a master of both, and he did it: The Screwtape Letters.

Now imagine trying to set this paperback on the stage. This is one of the most formidable theatrical challenges of all time.

There is only one speaking part.

The only “plot”–the twisting fortunes of the ‘patient’–is completely invisible to the audience.

It would take a madman to attempt to stage The Screwtape Letters.

C. S. Lewis

It would take a true thespian genius to pull it off–to make it fun, exciting, and edifying.

Max McLean is the genius who has managed to do it.

He transforms the clever book into a 90-minute dramatic production that moves–moves itself and moves you.

I almost never say this: This play is better than the book–more delightful, a great deal more exciting.

Tickets are available in Washington for one more weekend–this coming weekend.