Jay Percival

-
I have always liked the name Percival for three reasons:

1. It is the name of one of the famous Knights of the Round Table.
2. It means to pierce the mystery.
3. I love Walker Percy.

Today I was doing a little online research about Percival (you guessed it wikipedia) and come to find out he was the knight who found the grail (later with Galahad) and healed the fisher king. The fisher king is the wounded king and his wound has immobilized him and made him impotent to rule. So all he does all day is fish behind the castle. The result is that his kingdom is in ruin and is referred to as The Waste Land. This is what Eliot wrote his famous poem about. Percival heals him by asking him a question: "What ails thee?" or something like that.

This blog is given to that question. What ails thee? Since the fall the sacredness of man has been wounded fatally. Christ has made the hope of restoration real, but only if we will stop fishing and recognize our wound ... the Fisher king was wounded by the sin of pride and his healing ultimately comes from recognizing the reality of the grail that he guards. (His castle is often the same castle as the castle of the graal.)

Percival is not wise in the legends ... he just happens to be there (on the scene) and so he is used for the healing of the king and the healing of the land. He is brave.

Fortitude is proof that the world is fallen ... Fortitude proves that evil exists ... that fact that we must bravely stand for justice (risking loss and death) is proof that there is good and evil. (these are the thoughts of Augustine).

Brothers we must stand with God on the side of justice. We must be brave. Before all of this we must be prudent so our eyes can see justice aright. And after that we must be temperate so that we are not lost in sloth or lust. And we know that steadfast faithfulness will win because of the hope and love in Jesus Christ.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Intellectualized Racism is Still Racism

-
Image
John Eastman wrote an opinion piece in Newsweek on Aug 12th 2020 asking questions about Kamala Harris's right to run as Vice President. Eastman is actually arguing what he wishes/wants to the law to say: that you are only a citizen by birth if your are parent was a citizen, AKA he is questioning birthright citizenship. Birthright citizenship is one of the unique things about America and it massively contributes to our diversity as a nation.  It is also born out of the racist maneuvering of the laws around slavery. The famous Dred Scott case of 1857, which contributed to starting the civil war, resulted in a 7-2 decision that African American Dred Scott had no claim because he was not a citizen. In an opinion written by Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Taney, the court ruled that black people "are not included, and were not intended to be included, under the word 'citizen' in the Constitution, and can therefore claim none of the rights and privileges which that instrum
Read more

The Hearth

-
Image
"A stove used to furnish more than mere warmth. It was a focus, a hearth, a place that gathered the work and leisure of a family and gave the house a center. Its coldness marked the morning, and the spreading of its warmth the beginning of the day. It assigned to the different family members tasks that defined their place in the household. The mother built the fire, the children kept the firebox filled, and the father cut the firewood. It provided for the entire family a regular and bodily engagement with the rhythm of the seasons that was woven together of the threat of cold and solace of warmth, the smell of wood smoke, the exertion of sawing and of carrying, the teaching of skills and the fidelity to daily tasks." (Albert Borgmann: Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life ) So what is our new center? Warmth is now provided in a completely uniform way requiring no demands on our skill, strength or attention. In fact, the warmth device (central heating system) is c
Read more

Lack of Empathy from Liberals

-
I just finished a book which I don't want to name. It was by a really good parent and about parenting children with neurodifferences. It had great information and ideas in and and it came recommended to me by close friends who I love and respect and who are also exceptional parents. So I really don't have anything to say about the content of the book or the need for the book.  It was the tone. It was clear from many references this person was a certain type, an NPR listener, someone who used  to drink diet coke, fluent in a million cliches, etc. This type could be narrowed to white liberal, but lets just stick with liberal for the moment. One major beef liberals (which I consider myself in the completely impoverished terms we have for ourselves in this country) have with conservatives, is how narrow-minded they are and how they refuse to see various perspectives and have empathy for people who are different than themselves. Liberals typically wear the love of difference on thei
Read more