Screwtape Letters XXV-XXVI

We should be mere Christians.  We should not make up our own rules and follow them and make everyone else follow them too.  Being a Christian means believing that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and that will never change.  With the help of the Holy Spirit we should try to do what God wants because it pleases Him.

Wormwood's patient was in a courtship with a Christian woman and so Screwtape gave Wormwood some tips on how to proceed.  When you are "in love" you probably would try to ignore the other person's faults, but when you ignore them you keep deep down in your heart a little grudge against them and expect them to recognize the fact that you ignored it.  When they do not you still might not say anything, but eventually it will come out, one way or the other.  When you do this you think you are being unselfish, but really it is just the opposite.

The Escape

   At midnight one night they decided to escape.  They managed to take some bread from the dinner table and then when their duties were finished they went to their room.  When they thought it was safe, they were able to get over the wall and through the moat to the woods where they started traveling towards Duke William's castle.

   They had traveled for about two days when they were so hungry that they decided to try and find someone who would give them some food.  They found their way to a little peasant's hut where the lady of the house gave them bread and some cheese made from goat's milk.

   When they had thanked her profusely they made their way further on their journey.  The next day they came to a monastery where they were welcomed and given food.  When the head monk heard that they had a message for the duke, he gave them some horses and sent on their way with another monk for company.
 
   They told the duke the story of the shipwreck and asked if he would help Harold out of his predicament.  He agreed and said that he would make them his guests as well.
 

My Version of I Have Seen Many Glorious Mornings

I Have Seen Many Glorious Mornings
Flatter the mountain-tops with kingly eye,
Kissing with golden face the green meadows,
Pale streams coated with heavenly magic;
Soon allowed the lowest clouds to ride
With ugly burden on his heavenly face,
And from the miserable world his face hide,
Creeping unseen to west with this disgrace:
Even so my son one early morn was born
With all-triumphant splendor on my head;
But, oh, so sad! he was but one hour mine,
The dark cloud has hid him from me now.
But for this my love did not disdain him;
Suns of the world may die when heaven's sun dies.
                                                        Sonnet XXXIII

The Shipwreck

They sail along and are near the white cliffs of Dover when a squall comes.  They are shipwrecked and some of them are saved but ten men are drowned.  Harold, Wulf, Osgod and Beorn were some of the ones who were saved.  Some fishermen spoted them and one of them recognized Harold so they were captured and taken to the ruler of that land.  Harold is imprisoned to await their captor's decision of what to do to him.  

Wulf and his friend Beorn, however, are made their captor's pages since they had been pages to Harold.  Wulf tried to think of a plan to escape to tell someone where Harold is so they can be rescued.  

My Chick

My chick is fuzzy, cute and round

His eyes are small and chocolate brown.

His feet are silky, small and grey

With toes that on my finger stay.

His brothers keep him warm by night,

They cheep and peep with all their might.

This spreads to him and makes him call,

"Oh mommy take me to the mall!"

My chick has wings that flap and flap,

But leave him on the ground so flat.

He stays and waits and eats his crumbs

And waits until his time will come.
 

My Version of "Tell Me Where does Infatuation Lie?"

Tell me, where is "love" born,
In the heart, or in the brain?
How was it born, how cared for?
Tell me, tell me.
It starts in the eyes,
With lots of gazing; and then dies
In the cradle where it lies.
Let us all ring love's death toll.
I'll begin it-Ding, dong, bell.
All: Ding, dong, bell.
                From The Merchant of Venice

In this case love does not mean real self-sacrificing love, but fancy or "being in love."

A Man for all Seasons

Thomas More was liked by king Henry VIII.  This was great, but the only problem was that there were powerful men who didn't like More.  One of the reasons that they didn't like him was that he was very good. He was very committed to his faith and would not swerve from his beliefs even if it would help himself.

   Because the king liked More, he made him his Chancellor.  More didn't really want to be the Chancellor, but he obeyed him anyway.

   More was a good Chancellor, but he disagreed with the king in one important way and it was this:  Henry was married, but he wanted to divorce his present wife and marry someone else and More thought this was wrong.  Some people thought this was lawful, because in one of their laws it said that the king was the head of the church as far as God allowed.  They left out the "As far as God allows" part, though, and payed attention to the rest instead.

This problem grew too much for More that he resigned as Chancellor.