Blessed John Duns Scotus

My latest read was a little gem which I picked up at the Flores Mariae gift shop when we visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wisconsin two weeks ago. It is Blessed John Duns Scotus: Marian Doctor,  written by Fr. Stefano M. Manelli, FI, and published by Academy of the Immaculate in New Bedford, Massachusetts. It caught my eye because it was about a philosopher, it was short (106 pp. plus an appendix), and the price was just right at $5.

What a refreshing read! It was enough of a combination of philosophy, theology and hagiography to give me a good scope of the development of the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, scholastic philosophy and the heroic virtues of Blessed John. At the same time it did not get so bogged down in detail that I could not understand what was written. The author wanted a book for the layman, and something which would incite love for Our Lord and for Blessed John, and I certainly came away feeling so. I have a new appreciation for scholasticism as the perennial philosophy of the Church. I will continue to meditate on the primacy of Christ which I understand to mean that Christ is not only God, but the perfect man, the necessary bridge between God and man irrespective of the fall. Mary is the perfect woman. The Incarnate Word and the Blessed Mother are the supreme acts of the Creator.

Thank you, Fr. Maneli for this thoughtful book.

Strawberries

We have more strawberries than we can eat in a day or two. We do not care for frozen strawberries, so I decided to make jam. I thought I would do freezer/refrigerator jam since We do not have tons of berries. Then I thought, I really do not care to have all of those jars taking up space in the refrigerator or freezer. I decided to process the jars. After about three hours of cleaning and cooking berries, washing the canner, jars and rims, and processing the completed jam, I ended up with only four half pints of jam. Hardly worth the effort. That is enough jam to last the two of us for the entire year.