Classes begin today.  It is also raining. 

On my first day of college at the Univ. of Akron, it rained.  I parked about 6.3 miles away from my classroom on the second floor of a 123 year old building.  It was obvious that the building was 123 years old: nothing else smells like 123 year old building.  The class was Psychology and I was late.  The professor pointed my tardiness out to everyone which was very embarrassing.  I subsequently dropped the class out of spite; I sure showed her (whoever she was).

Next Tuesday, August 29, I turn 32 years old.  I may look 23 years old but I’m not.  I wanted to give all of you a warning in case you wanted to mail me any presents. 

Yikes!  The week before classes is busy.

Seven years ago today, Hope Golden and I were married.  She still likes me.

The Resident Directors returned to campus from the far corners of the earth this past Monday.  Nathan has returned and we have two new RDs: Alison in Baker / Roush Halls and Laura in Hardy Hall.  The students will enjoy getting to know Alison and Laura.

 

We took a one night retreat to Chicago on Tuesday.  We ate Girodono’s Pizza and at the Cheesecake Factory at the base of the Hancock Building.  In between, we visited Millennial Park, the Chicago Art Museum and, of course, Starbucks.  After dinner, we watched the Twins defeat the hated White Sux 4 – 3.  After a late breakfast and visit to the Shedd Aquarium (note to self: buy tickets online in advance), we returned home.  From here on out, we will make preparations for the return of RAs and the remaining students.  It will be a busy year.

 

Yesterday, I took home an espresso machine that SAB has had for a long, long time.  But it hasn’t been used since Kyle Kastraba worked a SAB coffeehouse (read: a long, long time ago).  I bought some beans from Coffee d’Vine and talked to Jeremy to see how to make a “Coffee d’Vine Mocha”. 

 

The kids were very excited to see the machine because of the many buttons.  After some deep cleaning, trial and error, I successfully made a CDV Mocha for my lovely wife.  It actually tasted like their signature drink!  Give me an apron and call me Bob Sloan!

Isaac, from here-on-out, who will be known as “The Alpha Male”, learned to ride his two-wheeler on Friday in about 30 seconds.  It was amazing to watch. 

One trip up the sidewalk to Jack’s house, I kept my hand on the back of his seat.  The return trip had me running by myself.  In a short time, he was able to start himself while keeping one foot on the front steps.  Last night, he only needed to have one pedal in the “launch” position.

Stopping is something different but we’re working on it.  Most stops include him reassuringly saying, “I’m OK.”

More about The Mission.

After the Guariani reject the Cardinal’s offer to leave their Mission and return to the forest, they decide to defend themselves against the seasoned Spanish army.  You can imagine how the movie is going to end now. 

 

Brother Mendoza and two other priests has renounced their priestly vows and will fight alongside the Guariani for their independence.  Before the battle (if you can call it that) begins, Mendoza speaks to Father Gabriel.

 

“I’ve come to ask your blessing,”

“I cannot bless you.  If you’re right then you’ll have God’s blessing.  If I’m right then my blessing won’t mean anything.”

 

I don’t have a very well-formed view on violence but Father Gabriel seems to speak for me.  Throughout history, we have sought God’s blessing in our conquering of other nations and shedding of blood.  I don’t think that we will know if our endeavors (even those called self-defense or in the defense of the weak) were God-ordained or not until the end of time.

A few thoughts have settled.

The scenes where Mendoza (Robert DeNiro) is carrying his armor through the jungle and finally up the side of the waterfall were difficult to watch.  I wanted someone to free him of his burden (like Christian in Pilgrim’s Progress) and when Brother Fielding (Liam Neeson) finally does, Mendoza scornfully ties the burden back upon himself.  Father Gabriel (Jeremy Irons) has already told Brother Fielding that his burden would be removed only when Mendoza thought it was time.  Meaning: when Mendoza has felt that he has suffered enough for his sins, he would stop carrying his burden.

 

Does God expect us to do penance for our sins?  Making something right that we have wronged seems like an expectation that God has for us but do we really need to suffer a specific amount of time?  Does suffering for the sake of suffering prove beneficial to our spiritual walk?  Penance, in this form, seems man-made. 

 

God did not require Mendoza to carry the trappings of his former mercenary life for atonement.  Mendoza was forgiven when (or if) he asked for it.  Perhaps he never sought forgiveness but tried to atone for his sins by himself.  Atonement can not take place unless we seek God’s forgiveness, right?

 

Mendoza’s burden is finally lifted by one of the Indians who could have easily cut Mendoza’s throat without blame (humanly speaking).  But this interaction does not illustrate atonement, only forgiveness.  Perhaps some definitions would be helpful here.  By atonement, I mean, “to make whole”.  By forgiveness, I mean, “to cover over, be not offended”.  Only by seeking God’s atonement could Mendoza be made whole.  And the best that the Indian could offer him was non-offense.  Mercy as well as justice was given.  Mercy because the Indian did not kill Mendoza; justice because the Indian did not have the right to take Mendoza’s life.

 

The scenes are, nonetheless, very powerful.  I do not know what the Roland Joffe’s (Director) intent was for the scenes but it seems as if Mendoza is trying to earn his wholeness through suffering.  I have been guilty of doing the same thing, however.  Penance for sins may be a Catholic dogma but Protestants (myself included) have assumed it as well: “If only I do so-and-so or such-and-such, God will forgive me.”  From what I understand about God, he is able to forgive us even if we don’t do anything to make it right or self-punitive.

I’m collecting my thoughts about “The Mission” (1986). 

Above is Spanish Jesuit priest, Father Gabriel (Jeremy Irons), climbing a waterfall so that he can convert the Guariani Indians in South America and build a mission in their village.  While doing so, he tries to defend the community against the cruelty of Portuguese colonials, who are trying to enslave the Guariani.  This image illustrates the amount of effort that one man went to evangelize a community.

My initial thoughts as the seven children canoed away were: humanity is cruel.

The kids have a new swimming pool.  We bought one of the large, blue, inflatable pools that kill your lawn from there sheer size or by the amount of water that is dumped out when emptied.  Unfortunately, we placed it on a slight slope which made it impossible to fill up completely.  Hence, the emptying process and relocation.  Perhaps I’ll try to drown the otter that lives in my yard.

It’s only supposed to get up to 121 degrees today.

Last night there was a strange storm.  The amount of thunder didn’t equal the amount of lightening that lit up the sky.  We pay attention to thunder and lightening in our house because Isaac is very afraid of storms.  If he can count the seconds between the lightening and thunder, it gives him something else to think about other than the possibility of his pillow being struck by lightening.