Narration: St. Louis of France (1214-1270)

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Source:  Secular Franciscans of LBI

Narration of "St. Louis of France" from "Stories of the Saints" by Grace Hall:

St. Louis of France was born in the 1200's.  He was a beautiful boy, very religious and pious.  This was helped by the fact that his mother was also a religious, pious woman.  Unfortunately, he wasn't the strong type, but that's okay because neither am I.  He had a tutor who didn't hesitate to chastise him when needed.

When Louis was 19, his mother arranged a marriage for him.  Luckily for Louis, his bride was beautiful, very religious, like he was, and loving.  Luckily for both of them, the marriage worked out, considering it was an arranged marriage.  They both adored each other and stuck with each other through thick and thin.  Margaret bore Louis no less than 11 children, which was very good.

Louis was a very just and kind king.  He also went to the Crusades twice.  The first time he went, everybody wasn't happy because Louis was very sick.  Everybody was praying for him.  God, in the end, decided to make him better.  Louis, despite the fact that he looked dead, raised his arms and said, "I feel fantastic!"  At least, that's what Miguel said.  =)

Since he recovered, he wanted to go to the Crusades.  He told the Bishop to place the cross of the Crusades on his breast.  Everybody was worried that he would succumb to sickness again, since he had just recovered.  Stay home, recover first!

Louis, however, ignored them, which was brave / foolish.  He still wanted to go, so the Bishop relented and put the cross on his breast.  He travelled to the Holy Land and brought his wife and children with him.  He told his men, "All right, lads, if we die here, we will go to Heaven.  If we are victorious, it is for God's glory!"

Unfortunately, he had one foe, which he could not defeat -- it was called disease.  It weakened his men.  Louis kept on fighting in the Holy Land until he was captured.  All his friends wanted to ransom him, but he refused because ransom would come from taxes.  So he remained captive for 4 years until he was able to pay his own ransom and went back to France.

On the way home, his ship was incredibly damaged near Cyprus.  Somebody suggested that he and 500 people on board go to Cyprus.  Louis could then go to the other ship and leave the 500 people behind.  Louis didn't want to leave these people behind, never to return to France again.  He brought them all safely home.

Louis continued to reign.  He was one of the best kings France had ever had.  He was kind, just and a loving family man.  Unfortunately, Louis decided to go to the Crusades again.  During a stopover in Tunis, he got sick and died.  He died in a Franciscan monk's habit, and his last words were from a Psalm.  His heart was taken to Sicily, where his brother reigned.

Louis also built the Sainte-Chapelle for God, where he placed the Holy Crown of Thorns, which he bought from Baldwin II.  It's a great building.

He was canonized in 1297, which was a pretty short time, considering he died only 20 years before.

Source:  St. Mary's Catholic Church

King St. Louis, pray for us!

New things I learned Today

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Portrait of Dante by Sandro Botticelli

Source:  Wikipedia

1.  Dante Alighieri

Mama read aloud "Dante and Beatrice" from the book, "Stories from Dante" by Mary MacGregor.  I learned that Dante was only 9 years old when he fell "in love" with this beautiful girl named Beatrice, whom he never spoke to at all except when she said "Hi" to him once.  She married someone else and then died.  He was heartbroken, then he made her his Guardian Angel in his "Divine Comedy."  

He was exiled from Florence by his enemies, who said he could return, but only as a pardoned criminal.  That hurt his pride too much, so he didn't.  He went from city to city instead, where he was invited to rich people's homes because he was a noble.  He never went back to Florence and died in Ravenna.

Source:  BSHS Travel Guide

2.  Science

Mama read aloud the first lecture in Arabella Buckley's book, "The Fairy-Land of Science."  I learned that Science can be compared to fairy tales.

Source:  Catholic Harbor of Faith and Morals

3.  St. John Gualbert (985 or 995 – 1073)

Mama read aloud St John Gualbert's Crucifix from the book, "Stories of the Saints" by Grace Hall.  He nearly killed somebody, then he didn't -- because his brother's murderer asked him for forgiveness, and at that moment, John saw a vision of Jesus on the cross, saying "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do."  So he forgave the man and ran to the church, where he asked God for forgiveness for nearly killing someone.  He saw that God forgave him when Jesus on the crucifix bowed his head to show that he was forgiven.

St. John Gualbert, pray for us!

FILM: The Little World of Don Camillo (1952)

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~ Watched DVD:  Grade 9, 2011-2012
~  Foreign film / comedy from Italy and France

~  Total time viewed:  2 hours
~  In a village of the Po valley in Italy, the priest and the communist mayor are always fighting to be the head of the community. If in secret, they admired and liked each other, politics still divided them ....  The people are hard as the country, but they are good at the bottom of their heart.
~  Loved it!

Film Review from the New York Times:

January 14, 1953

"Little World of Don Camillo," With Fernandel as the Priest

By BOSLEY CROWTHER

That lively account of robust squabbles between an Italian Communist Mayor and a village priest, which Giovanni Guareschi sketched in his popular book, "The Little World of Don Camillo" ...

... has been charmingly reconstructed and pictured on the screen in a French language dramatization, directed by Julien Duvivier.

Beautifully photographed in Italy with the brilliant French actor Fernandel playing the pugnacious padre and Gino Cervi in the role of the bull-headed Communist Mayor, this picture-story is resolved in a vigorous and amiable conflict "between two strong personalities."

Don Camillo and Peppone

Here is a characteristic we think should be fully impressed upon those who have any preconceptions of political factionalism in this film, which had its American première yesterday at the Bijou. For the notion appears to be widespread that the essential drama here is in a clash between Roman Catholicism and Communist ideology.

While the proud and determined padre undoubtedly typifies a man of rigid devotion to the established disciplines of the Church and the Mayor is patently symbolic of the comradeship of the working class; while the cross and the hammer and-sickle are frequently juxtaposed and there is some occasional discussion of social obligations and attitudes, the essential complication out of which humor and humanity flow is simply a tangle of the natures of two stubborn peasants in a village on the Po. And the moral is not the triumph of either, but the evident brotherhood of both.

When the Communists celebrate their victory with a noisy rally in the village square, the priest tries to drown out their ranting with a tintinnabulation of the church bells. And when the Mayor tries to stop the bell-ringing, the priest, his old comrade-in-arms during the war in the resistance movement, joyfully slugs it out with him. Likewise, the two stalwart rivals battle heroically and long over who shall first give a recreation park to the people.

Withal, when the local landowners force the underpaid peasants to strike, the priest speaks up for the latter, at the cost of being called a "Communist," and he secretly joins with the Mayor in milking the poor, untended cows. When a couple of star-crossed young lovers attempt to commit suicide, he rallies the villagers to their rescue and makes their families permit them to be wed. 

And when the old boy is finally directed by his bishop to leave the town, he receives a warm and loving send-off from his old friend, the Mayor, and the "reds."

This may not be wholly realistic in its picture of the state of affairs in Italy today, and it is certainly not without a clear tracing of strong idealism and sentiment. But its confidence in human goodness, regardless of politics, is inspiring, at least and its candid display of contradictions in words and deeds makes for good, healthy fun.

Much of the charm of the picture is due to Fernandel, who plays the priest with explosive gusto and infinite alteration of moods. 

His Don Camillo is a horse-faced bumpkin, just this side of a hiph-class clown. And his grotesqueries are outrageous, but his spirit is plainly generous and warm. Even the private conversations the priest holds with his God in the church are played by Fernandel with credibility and are staged with simplicity and restraint.

Signor Cervi is no less artful as the barrel-chested Mayor who maintains his dignity and his authority as the temporal spokesman for the people of the town. His pompous and taciturn nature is a fine foil for the flaring violence of the priest. And Sylvie. as an old school teacher; Vera Talqui, as a patrician girl, and Franco Interlenghi, as her Communist suitor, are strong among the other village types.

There may be guileless simplicity and calculated comedy in this folk tale, but, thanks to M. Duvivier and all his company, it makes up into a cheerful and wholesome film.

THE LITTLE WORLD OF DON CAMILLO, adaptation and dialogue by Julien Duvivier and Rene Barjavel from the novel by Giovanni Guareschi; directed by M. Duvivier. At the Bijou. 

Don Camillo . . . . . Fernandel

Peppone . . . . . Gino Cervi

Christiana . . . . . Sylvie

Gina . . . . . Verz Talqui

Mariolino . . . . . France Interlenghi

Bishop . . . . . Charles Vissieres

Filotti . . . . . Luciano Manara

Brusco . . . . . Armando Migilari


Excerpt from the Delightful Book:

Religion: Gospel and Homily at Mass - The Kingdom Parables (Sunday, July 17, 2011)

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From Matthew 13:24-43

a)  The Kingdom of Heaven is like the man who sowed good seed in his field ....

The Parable of the Wheat and Tares 

Immature tares -- very difficult to distinguish from wheat at this stage.

 Almost mature wheat and tares ... the tares are really starting to stand out now.

Wheat and Tares

 

The wheat gathered into the barn and the tares burnt.  (Matthew 13:30)

b)  The Kingdom of Heaven is like the mustard seed .... 

"... if you have faith the size of a mustard seed .... Nothing will be impossible for you."  Matthew 17:20

c)  The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast ....

Yeast added to flour

Yeast makes the bread rise

Knead the bread, shape, then bake.

Hmm ... delicious!

~  Discussion at home during dinner, then again during lunch the next day:  Total time - 40 mins.

~  Some highlights from Fr. Saunders's homily:  

God allowed the wheat to live with the weeds.  Father talked about the "tare," which in the Bible is a noxious weed that is like a narcotic, in that it can cause dizziness when eaten and death when taken in large amounts.  He talked about how we need to be careful because tare can look like wheat.  He especially talked about how kids going to high school or college for the first time need to be careful not to be fooled by the weeds and be poisoned.

I also told the kids about how the world sometimes disguises the poison and presents it as sweet, like in the seemingly harmless scene in the Audrey Hepburn movie, "Sabrina," where she is shown sitting on her dressing table in her Paris apartment, looking beautiful in her dressing gown, writing to her Father, and proudly saying that she is now "in the world and OF the world."  A person who is beguiled by Audrey Hepburn and the movie, AND lacks spiritual formation, can be persuaded to live that way, when Christ has really called us to be "in the world, but NOT of the world."

 Quote from "Sabrina" (1953)

I also talked about how the devil is sneaky and inserts little bits of poison, again in seemingly harmless places, like in an otherwise good book or movie -- all it takes is one poisonous scene, picture or page, and it's stuck in our minds forever.  We don't know whether the person writing the book or making the film is a wheat or a weed, that's why I need to screen these things for you, while you're still kids.  That way, the devil won't rob you of your precious innocence and youth.  It's our way of protecting you from the weeds of this world.  When you're older, with stronger spiritual formation and experience, then you can screen everything for yourself.

Films: Modern Times - Grade 9, 2011-2012

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DVD:  Modern Times (1936)

• Total time:  1.5 hours
• Viewed on:  Tuesday, August 9, 2011
• Actors:  Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard and Henry Bergman 
• Director:  Charles Chaplin
• Writer:  Charles Chaplin
• The Tramp struggles to live in modern industrial society with the help of a young homeless woman. 

Film Review from Catholic News Service:

Charlie Chaplin's insightful fable of man versus machine centers in the artificiality of industrialized society and the anxieties caused by the Depression as Charlie dances his way through the hazards of an assembly line job. 

A model of silent comedic technique and refined slapstick humor, the movie marks the last appearance of the Little Tramp character as Charlie takes his final walk down the long empty road, this time in the company of Paulette Goddard, who adds an element of freshness to the plot's old-fashioned romance. (A-I) (G) 

Science: How Big is the Earth?

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Earth Science:  Grade 9 (2011-2012)

Book:  Exploring Planet Earth ~ The Journey of Discovery from Early Civilization to Future Exploration by John Hudson Tiner

Eratosthenes was in born in North Africa, now Libya, and lived around 275-195 BC.  He was a Greek astronomer, geographer, and mathematician. He was also appointed director of the great library of Alexandria in 236 B.C.

During his time, many people believed the earth was flat, except for the Ancient Greeks, who understood that the earth was round from several observations.  One of them was this:  if the earth were flat, a ship sailing away would disappear on the horizon.  But instead, they observed that the ship's mast would still be visible on the horizon, while the rest of the ship would disappear.  This showed that the earth was round.

Eratosthenes's greatest achievement was to measure the distance around the earth.  He  measured its circumference by using a deep-water well.  Most of the Greeks didn't like his conclusion that their known world was tiny compared to the rest of the world.  Eratosthenes will always be known as the man who measured the earth, although the ancient Greeks would probably never admit it.

~  SLED's Part-Narration / Part-Research

Additional Sources:

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/science/math/eratosthenes.htm

http://answers.askkids.com/Math/who_was_eratosthenes

FILMS: The King's Speech - Grade 9, 2011-2012

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DVD:  The King's Speech  (2010)

• Total time:  2 hours, 20 mins.
• Director:  Tom Hooper
• Actors:  Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter
• The story of King George VI of Britain, his impromptu ascension to the throne and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch become worthy of it. 
• We forwarded the restricted parts, of course (offensive language).  Otherwise, great story for all ages!

Colin Firth as George VI

Film Review from Catholic News Service:

Stirring historical drama, set between the world wars, about the unlikely but fruitful relationship between the Duke of York (Colin Firth) -- second in line to the British crown -- and the eccentric speech therapist (Geoffrey Rush) under whose care he reluctantly places himself at the instigation of his loyal wife (Helena Bonham Carter) to overcome the stammer that hobbles his public speaking. 

Geoffrey Rush as his Speech Therapist & Friend

This task becomes all the more urgent as the death of the Duke's father (Michael Gambon) and the abdication of his brother (Guy Pearce) propel the unwilling heir toward the throne. Weaving together the story of one of the modern era's most successful royal marriages and the lesser-known tale of the friendship by which an unflappable commoner helped to heal the emotionally crippling childhood wounds underlying his princely client's impediment, director Tom Hooper creates a luminous tapestry reinforced by finely spun performances and marred only by the loose threads of some offensive language.

Two brief but intense outbursts of vulgarity, a couple of uses of profanity, a few crass terms and a mildly irreverent joke. A-III -- adults. (R) 2011