Josefina is sitting on my back.
She just came over with her little bag of activities and I guess I was already bent over...so she sat right down. Should I let her get away with this?
Well, I've been hunched over this laptop for a few hours now, researching a couple of theological topics. This was not wasting time; it was serious work. No work seems more worthwhile to me now than the patient and attentive study of Josef Ratzinger, whose theological wisdom is slowly becoming the patrimony of the whole Church. I marvel at how the Holy Spirit, in His own time, continues to unfold in the heart of the Church all the riches of continuity and authentic renewal that constitute the great grace of the Second Vatican Council.
Perhaps I'll offer another lecture series this summer. It's been three years since I did a seminar.
Since then I've published a book, had a relapse, climbed out of it, and began exploring the world of electronic media. All the while, I have read extensively; I have covered the histories of Poland, the Habsburg monarchy, and modern France. I have fought the Napoleonic wars, observed the movements of the Balkans, and suffered with the Poles. Of course, the shadow of Russia was everywhere.
All of this historical study is driven by my desire to understand that mysterious "fault line" that runs through the heart of Europe, that separates "East" and "West." The deep secrets of the tragedy continue to elude me, but I have learned enough to know that we must all pray for a great healing.
Josefina is gone now, but I'm still hunched over. She left her stuffed yellow ducky with me. She probably thinks I need company.
I think I need to take a break!
