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(Marguerite's garden in Gounod's "Faust," set design by Édouard Desplechin. (1859)) Christopher Marlowe based his "Dr. Faustus" on Germany's Faust legend, which was in turn inspired by Johann Georg Faust's reputation. And on J. G. Faust's abrupt death in 1520, give or take a few decades. Someone or something wrung Faust's neck. Or he didn't survive an alchemical laboratory explosion. Stories agree that he died abruptly, but vary on details. J. G. Faust had been a Renaissance con man of sorts, presenting himself as an alchemist, astrologer and magician. His reputation grew after his unpleasant death, inspiring a slew of chapbooks, plays, operas, ballets and video games. Gounod's "Faust" was an early Faustian opera, and I'm wandering off-topic. 1 Or maybe not so much.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I like Art Deco. Partly because I see it as one of the 20th century's better ideas. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

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I logged in to my Twitter account yesterday. It was the first time in months that I'd been able to log in. I could spin my experience as Twitter, Big Media, the Pixie-Leprechaun Cabal or whoever suppressing The Truth. But I won't. I'm pretty sure it was a technical glitch somewhere. Or maybe operator error. I've noticed that I sometimes read 'sign up' as 'log in.' Particularly late at night.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

  Okay, let me go on record to say that I do not support the outlandish ideas spouted by QAnon and Marjorie Taylor-Greene and I would be the very last person to support her antics. But, I was admittedly disappointed when I heard Senior Political Reporter Nia-Maliki Henderson’s analysis on CNN of the address Taylor-Greene gave defending herself. Henderson was saying that Taylor-Greene was wrapping her conspiracy theories in conservative talk, and she gave a few examples.   And she may be right about that, but Henderson went on to say that when Taylor-Greene “talked about God creating man and woman, that really is sort of being anti-transgender." Huh? This is what Taylor-Greene said: “God’s creation . . . as he created them male and female and that should not be denied. I am censored for saying those type of things. That is wrong,” Is that really where we are today?   Honestly, I have no idea if Taylor-Greene was attempting to make a subtle slam against transgender

I've been feeling frustrated. Nothing unusual there. Feeling frustrated, satisfied, discouraged, elated: that's part of being human. Emotions happen. I'll get back to that. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

  I was expecting a package to be delivered one day and kept checking the porch to no avail.   Then I received a text from our oldest daughter asking if I had brought in the package that was delivered.   Sure enough, I looked again, and there it was, sitting on my front porch.   Because she gets text alerts notifying her of package deliveries whenever she orders a package on our behalf, she can tell me what is right under my nose, even though she lives 50 miles away! The Good News that Jesus came to save us is likewise right under our nose, but we often miss it because we are either looking in the wrong place, or we have not yet heard about his arrival and therefore, are not seeking him at all. It is up to those who believe in Jesus to get the word out.   If we don’t, how will those who are seeking him, or those who have not yet heard, discover what a tremendous gift we have been given through his incarnation (God taking on humanity in the person of Jesus.) The other part of

It's February 2nd, Groundhog day. It's a North American tradition, one of Punxsutawney's local events and — at least in my country — national news. Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow this year. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

  St Roch Asking the Virgin Mary to Heal Victims of the Plague Jacques-Louis David [ Web Gallery of Art ] The  notes about this painting  on the WGA website have a contemporary ring about them:  David’s first independent commission was for an altarpiece for the chapel of the Lazaret (or quarantine centre) in Marseille, France’s major Mediterranean port, and a place that lived in continual fear of contagion brought by travellers from the East . St Roch is one of the most popular saints in the Philippines where he is known as San Roque. Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   Mark 1:29-39 ( English Standard Version Anglicised: India) And immediately Jesus left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.   Now Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her.   And he came and took her by the hand