The Contributor: Nov. 24, 2021 by the-contributor-live

Buy this paper with Venmo! Include your Vendor’s Name & Badge #:

w w w . t h e c o n t r i b u t o r. o r g

Volu m e 1 5

| Number 24 | November 24 - December 8, 2021

Wrapping Paper Is sue!

ART WORK BY DANIEL H . ('CONTRIBUTOR ' VENDOR)

IN THE ISSUE 4

Contributor Board

Tom Wills, Chair Cathy Jennings, Bruce Doeg, Demetria Kalodimos, Ann Bourland, Kerry Graham, Peter Macdonald, Amber DuVentre, Jerome Moore, Annette McDermott, Drew Morris

Vendor Submissions

Rapid Rehousing

Moving Pictures

Album Review

Longtime Contributor Vendor Mario helps move vendors into housing and Norma B. sees Garth Brooks and his guitars!

This piece asks is providing short-term rental assistance and services, usually with a one-year expiration date, enough?

Intimate new Tom Petty documentary, The Making of Wildflowers is now streaming for free on YouTube!

Tommy Womack's newest album, I Thought I was Fine, explores themes from when he was a younger rocker.

Contributors This Issue

Daniel H. • Linda Bailey • Amanda Haggard • Hannah Herner • Joe Nolan • Mr. Mysterio • Justin Wagner • Norma B. • Jim Patterson • Maurice B. • Lindsey Turner • Johnathan Lewis

Contributor Volunteers Joe First • Andy Shapiro • Michael Reilly • John Jennings • Janet Kerwood • Logan Ebel • Christine Doeg • Laura Birdsall • Richard Aberdeen • Marissa Young • Ezra LaFleur • Rachel Stanley

Cathy Jennings Executive Director Tom Wills Director of Vendor Operations Hannah Herner Staff Writer Carli Tharp Social Services Intake Specialist

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

Dymin R Cannon Section 8 and E&T Specialist Ree Cheers SOAR Manager Rachel Ternes Housing Navigator Catherine Hardy Housing Navigator Jesse Call Operations Consultant Raven Nye Director of Housing Initiatives Barbara Womack Advertising Manager Amanda Haggard & Linda Bailey Co-Editors Andrew Krinks Editor Emeritus Will Connelly, Tasha F. Lemley, Steven Samra, and Tom Wills Contributor Co-Founders

The Contributor now accepts Venmo! Scan the QR Code above, or find us: @The-Contributor Make sure to include your vendor’s badge name and number in the description. If you bought this version digitally, you can still leave your regular vendor a tip. Email Cathy@thecontributor.org for more information or with questions!

Editorials and features in The Contributor are the perspectives of the authors. Submissions of news, opinion, fiction, art and poetry are welcomed. The Contributor reserves the right to edit any submissions. The Contributor cannot and will not endorse any political candidate. Submissions may be emailed to: editorial@thecontributor.org Requests to volunteer, donate, or purchase subscriptions can be emailed to: info@thecontributor.org Please email advertising requests to: advertising@thecontributor.org

The Contributor P.O. Box 332023, Nashville, TN 37203 Vendor Office: 615.829.6829

Proud Member of: Printed at:

Follow The Contributor:

PAGE 2 | November 24 - December 6, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

YOU CAN SUBSCRIBE ONLINE TO THE CONTRIBUTOR FOR JUST $99 A YEAR OR $30 FOR 3 MONTHS. DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION AVAILABLE OR YOUR ISSUES WILL BE MAILED MONTHLY AND YOU CAN DESIGNATE A VENDOR TO RECEIVE THE PROFITS — AND EVEN LEAVE A TIP FOR YOUR VENDOR! SIGN UP AT: WWW.THECONTRIBUTOR.ORG

Seeking a Medical Secretary in the Clarksville area at The Compassion Care Clinic. Applicants must have Athena Net Certification and/or experience. Interested applicants may submit CV's to: compassioncareclinic01 @gmail.com

November 24 - December 6, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 3

VENDOR SUBMISSIONS

Mario Makes Moves Former ‘Contributor’ vendor helps haul furniture for newly housed folks BY HANNAH HERNER When The Contributor got an influx of donated furniture that needed to be picked up, former vendor Mario Martinez was commissioned to help. He’s picked up a number of loads of furniture from his old neighborhoods, Donelson and Hermitage, and brought them in to newly housed Contributor vendors. An unexpected bonus is that he gets to catch up with old customers. Many of those he picked up furniture from recognized him from when he sold The Contributor. “I enjoy it because it's going around in a full circle. So I'm running into my customers again, and I feel good to see them and talk to them. They can see where I'm at and what I've done,” he says. Mario is one of the early success stories of the paper, transitioning from living in a barn to living in his own home and leveraging his connections built through selling the paper to create his own business, Bear Lawn Care. The business is named in memory of his dog Bear,

a big fluffy white dog who used to sell papers with him. “I'm surprised that people will come approach me and say, ‘Are you Mario?’ I say 'yes ma'am,' And they'll say 'I knew that was you!' You know, I always thought that nobody really recognized me or knew me, because everybody knew Bear. And so but now I'm finding out that they do know who I am also,” Martinez says. He uses the trailer typically reserved for his lawn mower to transport the furniture. Timing was good to help The Contributor this fall, as lawn mowing season was slowing down, he says. It’s a full circle moment for Martinez, who experienced homelessness for years before moving into his own home five years ago. He remembers that when he moved in, neighbors and friends swooped in to outfit his apartment. “I want to do what I'm doing to help others out by picking up furniture and delivering it and doing my part, because I've had people do that for me,” he says.

An Evening With Garth and His Guitars BY NORMA B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR So are you tired of hearing my stories about Garth yet? If so, this IS NOT the story for you. On the other hand, if you are a true Garth enthusiast like me, read on! One might expect a superstar like Garth when performing at such an iconic venue as The Opry House to belt out one song after another from his vast catalog for the duration of the show, but that is not what happened at all when I saw him last Thursday. He opened the show doing two or three songs as a “sound check” saying that while you typically do those before the show starts, it sounds totally different in an empty auditorium than in a room full of people, which I can attest is absolutely true. After that, he said the show could begin. He went on to cover a multitude of artists both old and new often citing their influence

on his own music, each famous in their own right — people like: James Taylor, Jim Croce, Ashley McBryde (Garth sang his version of, “A Boy Goin’ Nowhere.” Between you and me, I think he’s goin’ places.), and Dan Fogelberg. (At this point in the show, Garth told the audience exactly why guys sing in or join a band: “It’s for the girls,” he said.) He continued on with still more music from the likes of Bob Seger, George Strait, Billy Joel, George Jones, Merle Haggard and Bill Withers (“Ain’t No Sunshine When She’s Gone” was a highlight, and he said his mom was channeling him for that particular song.) Not to be left out, he also sang Otis Redding, David Allan Coe and Don McLean. So, was I disappointed? Not at all! For me, it just validated the way I listen to music. I put it on shuffle, and let it play. Of course, there were a number

of Garth’s classic hits in the mix too. Many of them had the crowd of approximately 2,600 clapping, singing along, and often bringing them to their feet for standing ovations. He spoke with great emotion about his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame especially the participation of George Strait, James Taylor, and Bob Seger each putting their own spin on one of Garth’s memorable melodies. Just when you thought the show couldn’t possibly get any better he introduced his lovely wife Trisha Yearwood and the crowd went wild! They teamed up for a few songs. Notably, “Walkaway Joe,” (Garth’s request), “Shallow,” “Golden Ring,” and “Whiskey to Wine.” She finished her set with her hit, “She’s In Love With the Boy” accompanied by Garth on guitar. In fact, the entire show was like that. No big band or back up singers

to drown out the purity of his voice or sheer raw talent that he clearly possesses, or to cover glaring flaws (not that there were any.) It was just Garth and his guitars — in fact, that’s what led to the title of this story. There was one exception. He sang “Anonymous” acapella to a cancer patient undergoing treatment for the second time in three months. It was BEAUTIFUL! The show fittingly concluded with, “The Dance” with the audience once again on their feet singing along right to the end. Well Garth, you’ve done it again — lived up to the hype, and put on an unforgettable show! Thanks for the memories! One can only wonder what’s next for this legendary performer. He hinted that this show may have been a test for a possible residency at The Opry House.

PAGE 4 | November 24 - December 6, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens with that... one thing’s for sure, if it does happen I have no doubt his fans will show up. How do I know? I met people who came specifically for the show from Florida and Austin, Texas. I also met a few locals. There was a lovely couple from Franklin enjoying their first time at the Opry on a date night, as well as a wonderful woman from Sparta who watched as I struggled to pick from two T-shirts so I could have a lasting memento of the event. She said, “You should never have to choose when it comes to Garth,” and secretly paid for both shirts! When I realized what she’d done, I thanked her and in exchange I gave her the current issue of The Contributor, hand sanitizer, and a bumper sticker — that way she got something out of the deal too. Now that’s pretty cool if you ask me.

November 24 - December 6, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 5

NEWS

Brookmeade Park homeless encampment draws Metro attention, potential surveillance BY JUSTIN WAGNER As Brookmeade Park’s homeless encampment faces growing scrutiny, nearby Nashvillians and activists express concern for the camp residents’ safety. Lisa Wysocky, founder of local homeless outreach group Colby’s Army, assists the residents of the Brookmeade camp weekly by offering food, living supplies and guidance toward housing. “Every Tuesday we load our horse trailer full of supplies — and these supplies are all donated by members of the community — and we go out,” Wysocky said. “And then we also get to know people on an individual basis, and I've known some people out there for 10 years or more. And you know, we try to figure out, ‘how can we best help you?’” Wysocky said that Metro worked closely with Colby’s Army to enact solutions for housing and distribution of supplies where possible — but Metro’s current relationship with the Brookmeade camp involves more than occasional outreach assistance. On Nov. 17, Metro’s Council

Budget and Finance Committee voted to defer a bill which would fund security cameras to be placed in parks with homeless encampments — including Brookmeade — for the second time this month. The bill would also fund the “renovation and repair” of Brookmeade Park, involving construction vehicles to remove debris. Wysocky said the bill could be helpful in monitoring flow of drugs in and out of the camp if committed to in a limited capacity, but that a glut of cameras would be “invasive.” Following the bill’s first delay, though, Mayor John Cooper invited Metro council members to visit the Brookmeade encampment, as well as Wharf Park and the park adjacent to Casa Azafran — a move which placed the camp in the public eye via multiple local news stories and social media controversy. Andrea Fanta, Cooper’s press secretary, said the move was intended to provide council members with perspective on the issues of homelessness and to illustrate why the cameras might be helpful. “These cameras never were, and

are still not, intended to monitor or target any individuals,” Fanta said. “Instead, Metro Parks has requested funding for cameras to protect unhoused neighbors by detecting and deterring possible criminal activity, which victimizes unhoused people who are already vulnerable.” “The visits Council members made to these three parks hopefully helped Council understand both the city’s homelessness needs and also the intent for and use of cameras.” And having seen the Brookmeade camp grow and grow over the last decade, now at 57 people, Wysocky explained that conditions can grow harsher when a community is concentrated so intensely. “When we first started at Brookmeade, maybe in 2010, there were 10 or 12 folks there, and a few of those folks are still there today. And there was enough room, I think, to support that,” she said. “Now we’ve got so many people that it’s very crowded, certainly with the water construction project they’ve got going on.” That construction, which is expected to resolve in the fall of

next year, according to Clean Water Nashville’s website, has pushed an already overpopulated community into closer quarters, Wysocky said. “Number one, nobody needs to be living in homelessness … but I think in Brookmeade, it has gotten problematic because there’s too many people there. And we do have much more of an issue there with drugs and alcohol than we used to.” Those issues of crowding and illegal activity have garnered attention from activists and Metro, but it also presents danger for other unhoused people in the area. Lonny Jones, who has experienced homelessness for years but arrived in Tennessee only months ago, said the risks of having belongings stolen or being assaulted exacerbate each other in situations like the one around Brookmeade — and that survival can be difficult in a bloated, vulnerable community. “If you’re on the streets, unfortunately, a lot of it’s not hunky dory,” Jones said. “You survive the best way you can, you know? I found out [the Brookmeade camp] wasn’t a good place to be.”

PAGE 6 | November 24 - December 6, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

Despite the seeming advantages of sticking together, Jones said it would be safer, at least for him, to go it alone. Wysocky said the visits may have been well-intentioned, but that the issues impacting these communities need to be approached respectfully and persistently. “One thing we have to remember is that if somebody is living in Brookmeade or any other place that they're living in a tent, we have to be respectful of the fact that that is their home,” she said. “I don't want people to show up at my home unannounced and expect me to drop everything and talk to them. I don't think the council members or anybody else would appreciate that either.” Despite these concerns and Metro’s activity in the area, though, Wysocky said the issues would likely persist until there was housing affordable enough for low-income residents to stay in. “The problem is, Metro has no affordable housing, so we have new people coming in all the time. There's no place for them to go.”

NEWS

Rapid Rehousing Can a temporary fix lead to permanent results? BY HANNAH HERNER This time last year, homeless service providers got a chunk of money — CARES Act money sent down from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development meant to get people under a roof, and quickly. It’s through a program called Rapid Rehousing. Nine area organizations took on this challenge — Catholic Charities, Community Care Fellowship, Nashville CARES, Nashville Downtown Partnership, Oasis Center, Step Up on Second, The Contributor, Salvation Army and Safe Haven. For four of them, it was their first time participating in Rapid Rehousing. Seven of them brought on new staff to handle the caseload. When the group of organizations set out to take part in Rapid Rehousing in November of 2020, the goal was to house a total of 400 people. Data from Metro Homeless Impact Division shows that as of Nov. 15, 2021, 602 individuals have been housed. Between them they’ve spent about $2.7 million thus far. The contract is set to end in September of 2022, and a spokesperson for Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency, who is reimbursing organizations as they spend on clients, says there’s no concern that that money will run out before then. The Rapid Rehousing program is a strategy that is meant to provide short-term rental assistance and services, usually with a one-year expiration date. This typically looks like paying rent and helping to secure a form of income while gradually stepping the person down until they can pay the full rent themselves. With this program starting in the winter, organizations wanted

to get people out of the elements quickly, and opted for temporary housing options — putting a number of participants in motel rooms with one-year “leases.” The clock began ticking to find each of these people a more permanent place to stay. And the 603 housed include a portion of those still in this limbo. While many have moved onto a more permanent option, others still lay in wait. Step Up on Second was one that opted not to put clients in hotels in the interim. But recently, they were forced to for some on the sex offender registry for whom it is very challenging to find housing for. Arthur Murray, vice president of the Southeast division of the organization, argues that the Rapid Rehousing program doesn’t work as well for those who are chronically homeless, struggle with mental health problems or who can’t hold down a job for whatever reason. Subsidized housing is too scarce, and can take too long to get, to fit well within the year timeline of RRH. Step Up typically goes for permanent supportive housing, a different funding bucket that offers care indefinitely. “[Rapid Rehousing] is not a model that we like to sign up with. Because the end outcome could be that if we don't find a permanent housing solution for the tenants, then they could return to homelessness. You have a year to do that, so it gives you a little bit of time to work with those people,” Murray says. While there’s not a set limit on the amount of money available to spend per client, there is a limit on the amount of money an organization can get total, based on how

many clients they offered to work with — so they must spend wisely. Gary Basham is one relative success story of the Rapid Rehousing program. Since March, he’s been in a public housing unit for seniors that is subsidized, so he pays 30 percent of his monthly income for rent — no matter what that income may be. He wouldn’t be able to afford anything more, not even the $100 The Salvation Army was asking him to pay as they stepped him down, he says. Before his current spot, he was staying at a motel for three months, after being moved from the original extended-stay hotel he was in after the staff there found a dead body, and before that, he was living in an encampment. He wasn’t sleeping in the cold anymore, but while he waited at a motel for his current place, the environment wasn’t safe. “It was scary — there's a lot of drugs out there. Especially fentanyl that's laced with embalming fluid, it's killing a lot of people. I lost a few friends out there,” he says. “There are no security guards at night. And it just goes wild. There are shootings there, there's robberies, there's stabbings, there's fights. And I've still got friends that live out there that are waiting for housing right now. They've gotten their Section 8 approval. They're just waiting to find the place.” Finding a landlord that accepts Section 8 vouchers is creating a bottleneck in the Rapid Rehousing system. Even though the voucher gives guaranteed rent, homeless service providers try to sweeten the deal by offering case management along the way.

“I think the landlords have been the challenge — recruiting new owners to work with the voucher or to accept persons with challenging backgrounds,” Murray says. “Because even for our Rapid Rehousing people, it might not just be the criminal background, but poor credit history. So everyone is running some sort of check on the person. So it's convincing them that everyone deserves that second chance, right?” Of the organizations taking part, Safe Haven has housed the largest number — more than 200 individuals at last count. But many of their clients are families with children and they have existing landlord connections — they are starting out with 27 connections compared to The Contributor’s zero, for example. Community Care Fellowship was able to up its number to 60 with the help of 48 units soon to be available to their clients at a refurbished senior living center called High Road. The list for Section 8 housing choice vouchers won’t open again until November of 2023, though some are receiving vouchers today that got on the 10,000 person waiting list when it was open back in 2019. Social workers also watch for wait lists to open at MDHA’s project-based properties monthly. Not open spots, but open wait lists. If that sounds bleak, that’s because it is. Outside of subsidized options like these, there are few options that are affordable, where within a year's time, people could step down from having their rent totally paid for, to having enough income and wherewithal to pay for the whole price themselves. Basham now has a case manager

When you make a donation to The Contributor between Nov. 1 and Dec. 30, NewsMatch will match that donation up to $10,000! Go Here to Donate >>>> www.thecontributor.org

November 24 - December 6, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 7

at Centerstone, and recently won the chili cook off at his apartment complex. In the span of being part of Rapid Rehousing he got sober, got an emotional support dog named Roxy, and made some friends along the way. But it’s not his last stop — he hopes to get a bigger apartment so his family can visit more. “Thank God the Salvation Army took care of my end, because I couldn't afford [rent]. And now they have gotten me into this place which I thank God every day for and life is good right now,” Basham says. Ryan LaSuer of Community Care Fellowship says the Rapid Rehousing program has created more unity amongst homeless service providers. With such scarcity in affordable units and willing landlords, it can often feel like a competition between organizations. He says they were all being more transparent about their goals, strategies, and working in unison with this program. “We saw it, honestly, as an opportunity that might not come around again,” LaSuer says. “Just to see that opportunity and to want to be a part of it collectively with the other community members that were partaking in that funding.” This CARES Act-funded Rapid Rehousing is indicative of what homeless service providers have going for them now — money, government money, aplenty. But it remains to be seen if that can all be converted to homes for people experiencing homelessness, places they can stay put for the long run. There simply aren’t enough of those places. If homeless service providers can’t wrap it up by this time next year, those folks will be back on the streets.

*Paid for by Friends to ReElect Lynda Jones, Cathy Werthan, treasurer

PAGE 8 | November 24 - December 6, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

FUN

HOBOSCOPES SAGITTA R IUS

PISCES

There’s cookies in the break room, Sagittarius. In that star shaped tin with the snowman on it. A paper divider separating red sprinkles, green sprinkles, and no sprinkles at all. You know the feel of the sugar crystals cracking between your teeth. Are you afraid you’ve had too many? More than you wanted or more than your share? Pace yourself, Sagittarius. There are better things coming.

You may or may not be visited by three ghosts, Pisces. You may or may not find that one shows you the past, one the present, and one things yet to come. You may or may not be forced into a profound shift in perspective. I can’t be sure. But remember one thing: whether or not there are ghosts, you’ve still got time to change your mind.

CAPRICORN

I’m not the best at wrapping presents, Aquarius. I always seem to end up with a bad fold or a crooked cut or weirdlyway-too-much tape. Still, I wrap them. Mostly so I can watch it come off. I love the moment just before you realize what’s inside — excited but unsure. Tearing and peeling in hope. Think about that moment, Aquarius, and see if you can take it with you.

Jingling these bells was easy at first. Maybe even a little energizing. Hey, you’re pretty good at this! But when you started, Capricorn, you didn’t know you’d be expected to jingle ALL the way. That’s an awfully long way to jingle. I think it’s best not to focus on the ending. All you can do in this moment is jingle right now. “All the way” will take care of itself.

AQUA RIUS

I’m not the best at wrapping presents, Aquarius. I always seem to end up with a bad fold or a crooked cut or weirdly-way-too-much tape. Still, I wrap them. Mostly so I can watch it come off. I love the moment just before you realize what’s inside — excited but unsure. Tearing and peeling in hope. Think about that moment, Aquarius, and see if you can take it with you.

ARIES

TAURUS

The first “S” flickered out on the “Self Storage” sign across from my apartment and it made me think of you, Taurus. I mean, all those elves and angels and reindeer that you keep in boxes in the attic during the off season — I guess you have to keep them somewhere. But hanging on to all your old stuff might keep you from becoming who you want to be next.

GEMINI

Sure, it’s cold outside, Gemini. And that old song might think you should stay. But what I’m seeing is that it’s going to be even colder tomorrow. You may need to get a move on before things get any icier.

CANCER

You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen? Yeah, they all work from home now. It’s just hard to go back into the office once you get some distance. Honestly, Cancer, I think you could use a change in your work environment, too. It doesn’t have to be extreme, but don’t wait around for change to happen to you.

LEO

When I was a kid, we’d go to the tree lot and pick out the tallest one we could strap to the station wagon. We’d drive it home, put it in some water and cover it with lights and sparkling snowflakes and homemade pasta-angels. Now I just decorate the tree in the backyard. Seems less destructive. How much of this do you need, Leo? How much do you even want?

VIRGO

Did you write your letter yet this year? The one where you ask the big guy for all the things you want? I highly recommend it (even to people who don’t believe in the big guy.) Try it. Think of 10 things you want. Write them down. If you’re feeling daring, put it in the mail.

LIBRA

What do we do when nothing seems right, Libra? When the victories are so small and the defeats seem so insurmountable? Well, tonight just get your feet warm. Make some hot apple cider. Call a friend. Read a little. Tomorrow we can go out and fight again.

SCORPIO

Halve yourself right down the middle, Scorpio. You’ll find half of you wants to give your best and push forward while the other half is scared and ready to give up. Now have yourself a chat between one half and the other. Both halves want you safe and comfortable, but each half sees that differently. Have you had a breakthrough yet? Have yourself a cup of tea and think it over.

Mr. Mysterio is not a licensed astrologer, a registered bell-jingler, or a trained elf. Mr. Mysterio is, however, a budding intermediate podcaster! Check out The Mr. Mysterio Podcast. Season 2 is now playing at mrmysterio.com. Got a question, just give Mr. M a call at 707-VHS-TAN1

#RedKettleChallenge 1 Kettle | $1,000 | 1 Life Changed ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pick the Path to Your Goal

1 Volunteer to Ring the Bell for 8 hours. 2 Start a Peer to Peer Digital Kettle Campaign. 3 Get 5 friends sign up as $20 recurring monthly donors. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What is Your Impact? The $1,000 raised in your kettle can provide 100 meals to individuals as we work with them on Rapid Rehousing solutions. Or it can cover 1 months rent to keep a family in their home. Or it can keep the lights and heat on for 2 families by covering a utility bill. Or it can provide hours of educational support to a family in our Emerging Youth Program. The ability to impact and change lives is endless!

Learn More At SalvationArmyNashville.org November 24 - December 6, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 9

The New Christian Year Selected by Charles Williams (1941)

Charles Walter Stansby Williams (1886–1945), the editor of the following selections, is today probably the third most famous of the famous Inklings literary group of Oxford, England, which existed in the middle of the 20th century, and which included among its ranks the better-known and longer-lived Oxford Dons J.R.R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. First published in 1941, this series of profound quotations, encompassing all walks of life, follows the sequence of the themes and Bible readings anciently appointed for contemplation throughout the church's year. It is hoped that the readings reproduced here will prove beneficial for any who read them, whatever their place in life's journey. — Matthew Carver

26th Wednesday after Trinity MAN’S last and highest leave-taking is leaving God for God. St Paul left God for God: he left everything he could give or take of God, every concept of God. In leaving these he left God for God since God remained to him in his essential self; not as a concept of himself, nor yet as an acquired thing, but God in his essential actuality. This is no case of give and take between himself and God: It is the one and perfect union. Eckhart: Sermons and Collations.

26th Thursday after Trinity VIEW every part of our redemption, from Adam’s first sin to the resurrection of the dead, and you will find nothing but successive mysteries of that first love which created angels and men. William Law: The Spirit of Prayer.

CONSOLE thyself, thou wouldst not seek Me, if thou hadst not found Me. Pascal: Pensées. HOW admirable is thy Justice, O thou First Mover! Thou hast not willed that any power should lack the processes or qualities necessary for its results! Leonardo da Vinci: Notebooks.

1st Monday in Advent GOD is Love; and He cannot deny Himself. Doctrine in the Church of England, Report of the Commission. WHEN God was made man, the innermost heart of the Godhead was put into man. Eckhart: Sayings.

WHEN the house of sensuality is at rest, that is, when the passions are mortified and concupiscence quenched, the soul begins to set out on the way of the spirit, the way of those who progress and of proficients, which is also called the illuminative way. St John of the Cross: The Dark Night of the Soul.

FROM all bodies together, we cannot obtain one little thought; this is impossible, and of another order. From all bodies and minds, we cannot produce a feeling of true charity; this is impossible, and of another supernatural order. Pascal: Pensées.

26th Friday after Trinity

Feast of St. Andrew

ASSURE yourself . . . that all creatures be, as it were, nothing to that soul which beholdeth the Creator: for though it see but a glimpse of that light which is in the Creator, yet very small do all things seem that be created; for by means of that supernatural light, the capacity of the inward soul is enlarged, and is in God so extended, that it is far above the world: yea, and the soul of him that seeth in this manner is also above itself; for being rapt up in the light of God it is inwardly in itself enlarged above itself, and when it is so exalted and looketh downward, then doth it comprehend how little all that is, which before in former baseness it could not comprehend. St Gregory the Great: Dialogues.

THE Church was created before all things, and for her sake the world was framed. Hermas: The Shepherd.

26th Saturday after Trinity HE says to men, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” We are said to love, so is God: we are said to know, so is God: and much to the same purpose. But God loves like Charity, knows like Truth, sits in judgement like Equity, rules like Majesty, governs like Authority, guards like Safety, works like Virtue, reveals like Light, stands by us like Affection. St Bernard: On Consideration. BLESSED be God that he is God only, and divinely like himself. Donne: Life, by Izaak Walton.

First Sunday in Advent GOD is intelligible light.

Aquinas: Summa Theologica.

GOD is that which demands absolute love. Kierkegaard: Fear and Trembling. THE beginning is faith, the end is love. And the two blending in unity are God, and all else follows on these, ending in perfect goodness. St Ignatius: Epistle to the Ephesians. A NOBLE lover does not rest in the gift, but in Me above all gifts. Thomas à Kempis: Imitation of Christ.

IF you have the unity (of the Church), whoever possesses anything in that unity possesses it also for you. St Augustine: On St John. EVERYTHING in the Church is done to create love, in love, for the sake of love, and by love. St Francis de Sales: On the Love of God.

1st Tuesday in Advent THE will to all goodness, which is God Himself, began to display itself in a new way, when it first gave birth to creatures. The same will to all goodness began to manifest itself in another new way, when it became patience and compassion towards fallen creatures. But neither of these ways are the beginning of any new tempers or qualities in God, but only new and occasional manifestations of that true eternal will to all goodness which always was and always will be in the same fulness of infinity in God. William Law: The Spirit of Love.

1st Wednesday in Advent THE years a.d. 1–30 are the era of revelation and disclosure; the era, which is shown by the reference to David, sets forth the new and strange and divine definition of all time. The particularity of the years a.d. 1–30 is dis- solved by this divine definition, because it makes every epoch a potential field of revelation and disclosure. Barth: The Epistle to the Romans. WHAT was the purpose of the Incarnation but this—that the flesh which had sinned could be redeemed by itself? St Ambrose: On the Incarnation.

1st Thursday in Advent THOU hast united, O Lord, thy divinity with our humanity and our humanity with thy divinity, thy life with our mortality and our mortality with thy life. Thou hast received what was ours and given unto us what was thine. Syrian Liturgy of St James.

O make this heart rejoice, or ache; Decide this doubt for me; And if it be not broken, break, And heal it if it be. Cowper: Olney Hymns.

1st Friday in Advent RELIGION is the possibility of the removal of every ground of confidence except confidence in God alone. Barth: Epistle to the Romans. NOTHING burneth in hell but self-will. Therefore it hath been said, Put off thine own will, and there will be no more hell. Theologia Germanica.

1st Saturday in Advent

A CERTAIN brother asked an old man, saying, “What shall I do because of my negligence?” The old man said unto him, “If thou wilt root out this small plant, which is negligence, a great forest will come into being.” The Paradise of the Fathers. EVEN the things which you do after the flesh are spiritual. For you do all things in Jesus Christ. St Ignatius: The Epistle to the Ephesians. YOU will never be younger; if not done soon it [the work] will never be done, to the end of all eternity . . . You may indeed excuse yourself and see reasons why the work should not have been done, but it will not have been done. Gerard Hopkins: Letters.

Second Sunday in Advent WHAT, then, is God? As regards the universe, He is the final end; in respect of election, He is salvation; as regards Himself, He is self-knowledge. What is God? He is almighty will moved by loving-kindness, virtue, eternal light, incommunicable reason, highest blessedness; He is the creator of minds to enjoy Himself; He endows them with life to perceive Him, disposes them to long for Him, enlarges them to receive Him, justifies them to be worthy of Him, fires them with zeal, fertilizes them that they may bear fruit, guides them into sweet reasonableness, moulds them into loving-kindness, regulates them for wisdom, strengthens them for virtue, visits them for consolation, illuminates them for knowledge, preserves them for immortality, fills them for happiness, is about their path for safety. St Bernard: On Consideration.

2nd Monday in Advent IN every soul, even that of the greatest sinner in the world, God dwells, and is substantially present. This way of union or presence of God, in the order of nature, subsists between Him and all His creatures. St John of the Cross: Ascent of Mount Carmel. BY love all God’s chosen have been made perfect; nothing is well pleasing to God without love. St Clement: Epistles.

2nd Tuesday in Advent GOD is in all things as being, as activity, as power. But he is procreative in the soul alone for though every creature is a vestige of God, the soul is the natural image of God. This image is perfected and adorned in this birth. No creature but the soul is susceptible to this birth, this act. Eckhart: Sermons and Collations II. GRACE is indeed needed to turn a man into a saint; and he who doubts it does not know what a man or a saint is. Pascal: Pensées.