Paul D. Melley, PhD

… 👀

First glimpse inside burnt scroll after 2,000 years The document charred by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius is being 'unwrapped' using X-ray scans and AI.

Thrilling that many lost literary treasures may be discovered this way! #news #archaeology #classics www.bbc.com/news/article...

What's the course number on this class????

144K views · 2.1K reactions | Do you believe in fairy forts? From The 2 Johnnies Podcast Ep.363 out now and available to watch or listen to on Spotify. #irish #ireland #folklore #fairies #irishfolkl... Do you believe in fairy forts? From The 2 Johnnies Podcast Ep.363 out now and available to watch or listen to on Spotify. #irish #ireland #folklore #fairies #irishfolklore #spooky #ghoststories.

This is — to my mind— the most Irish (and Catholic thing) I’ve seen in a while. Come at me.

Happy Feast of Thomas Aquinas!

Have now dropped my youngest at college for the new spring semester—excited and hopeful and yearning for them both.

But it doesn’t get easier.. the same beautiful profound ache I felt dropping them in grammar school and of letting them go and do their thing. Kyrie eleison.

YouTube video by Catholic News World BREAKING NEWS Nuns Released/Ceasefire Details/Holy Land Bishops/Top 10 Countries of Persecution

WATCH #BreakingNews Kidnapped Nuns Released/Ceasefire Details/Holy Land Bishops on Future/Top 10 Countries of Christian Persecution for 2025/ #Pope Baptizes 21 Babies www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZDC...

"I am (obviously) much in love with plants and above all trees, and always have been; and I find human maltreatment of them as hard to bear as some find ill-treatment of animals."

- Tolkien
(Letter 165)

You're invited to take part in the Spring '25 Attention Project (at no cost)! (But don't wait to sign up. We start tomorrow!) www.bit.ly/AttentionProject

Nice stack. Spirit in the World is a banger. And I’m making my way through Przwara now.

Oh really? I never would have suspected such a thing! 🙄

Let’s renew ourselves to cherishing and supporting what is uniquely human— and that includes doing what is hard persistently—which we seem to have become allergic to

🙄

NEW Tolkien book coming soon
Releasing January 24th
📚 amzn.to/42au2HX

Opinion | On the brink of an unimaginable AI future Technological change is about to speed up, perhaps beyond our ability to adapt.

“A quick glance over the past 200 years suggests that most people will eagerly substitute cheap, mass-produced anything for a lovingly handcrafted version that’s more expensive…. Political and cultural elites [will] fight to maintain their status.”

www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Paul Melley I’m glad you’re posting this Felix Pastorius. As a longtime fan of your father’s artistry, my initial reaction was as shock at the photo. As someone who is deeply concerned about AI, this is another.....

www.facebook.com/16003826/pos...

Fall 2024 grades are posted and settling in for a long winters nap...

#Tolkien #Christmas #Beauty:

Saint Peter Canisius, a Jesuit, and Great Advocate of the Rosary! Patron Saint of Catholic Press and Germany - Saint Dec. 21 Catholic Church, Catholic News World, Vatican, Pope Francis, Breaking, Pope News, c na, Catholic Headlines,

Saint Peter Canisius, a Jesuit, and Great Advocate of the Rosary! Patron Saint of #Catholic Press and Germany - Saint Dec. 21
www.catholicnewsworld.com/2024/12/sain...

Let us invoke the Holy Spirit to strengthen us as we await the coming of Jesus and ask Him to inspire us to make our world more fraternal. #HumanSolidarityDay #Advent

Jesus, joyful light of the world December 17, 2024 Matthew 1:1-17 This may seem like one of the more boring Gospel readings, listing the fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen more from David to the Babylonian exile,…

Matthew 1:1-17
This may seem like a boring Gospel reading, listing three times 14 generations to the birth of Jesus, the Messiah. Yet it signifies what Jesus realized and that Israelites looked to numerical patterns to confirm, that it was God’s plan.

contemplativejournal.blog/2024/12/17/j...

Just got back from watching War of the Rohirrim. The whole family loved it so much. I can’t wait to watch it again! A fresh and yet familiar take on Middle-earth.

Feast of St. John of the Cross: “To come to the knowledge you have not—you must go by a way in which you know not…To come to be what you are not—you must go by a way in which you are not”—Ch.13, Ascent of Mount Carmel

A bruised Pope Francis tells 21 new cardinals: 'Walk in the path of Jesus' Pope Francis, with bruises visible on his neck and chin, led a Dec. 7 consistory elevating 21 new prelates. He has now named 110 of the 140 cardinals who are eligible to participate in a future papal ...

Congratulations to our author, Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, on his recent elevation to cardinal! He is the author of several Liturgical Press books, most recently "Listening Together: Meditations on Synodality."

More from @ncronline.bsky.social: www.ncronline.org/vatican/vati...

YouTube video by The Wonder of Tolkien Two Sides of JRR Tolkien #booktok #tolkien #hope

Dr. Verlyn Flieger on the two unique sides of Tolkien - taken from his essays on Beowulf and On Fairy Stories.

As a Catholic, these two ideas do not contradict one another but co-exist; the expectation of death and the hope of redemption!

Keep watch, dear Lord,
with those who
work or watch or weep
this night
& give your angels
charge over those who sleep.

Tend the sick, Lord Christ;
give rest to the weary
bless the dying
soothe the suffering
pity the afflicted
shield the joyous;
& all for your love's sake.

Amen.

Comic by War and Peas. Panel 1: A man stands beside a bench where a woman is sitting. He asks, "What are you doing?" Panel 2: The woman, seated with her hands clasped, replies, "I'm having fun inside my head." Panel 3: The man, now looking intrigued, asks, "Can I join you?" The woman responds simply, "Yes." Panel 4: The man sits beside the woman on the bench, both looking serene as a single cloud floats in the sky.

Soulmates

Precisely… all human progress has been subject to pushing through limits and maintaining a sustained effort of critical reflection

From Gratitude to Kindness 'Judaism Is About Love' is a must-read for all thoughtful Christians.

"It is a 'must read' for all thoughtful Christians, who, if they take its message to heart, will really begin to see Jews as our elder brothers and sisters in faith."

Stephen J. Pope on Rabbi Shai Held's 'Judaism Is About Love':
www.commonwealmagazine.org/gratitude-ki...

The 2024 MIAA Football Championship Matchups.

D8: Randolph vs West Boylston
D7: Uxbridge vs Mashpee
D6: Hudson vs Fairhaven
D5: Shawsheen Tech vs Foxborough
D4: Duxbury vs Scituate
D3: Mansfield vs North Attleborough
D2: Catholic Memorial vs King Philip
D1: Xaverian vs Needham

* WHAT...South winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts between 50 and 60 mph possible. * WHERE...Bristol RI and Eastern Kent RI Counties. * WHEN...From Wednesday afternoon through late Wednesday night. * IMPACTS...Damaging winds could blow down trees and power lines. Widespread power outages are possible. Travel could be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles.

* WHAT...South winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts between 50 and 60 mph possible. * WHERE...Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. * WHEN...From Wednesday afternoon through late Wednesday night. * IMPACTS...Damaging winds could blow down trees and power lines. Widespread power outages are possible. Travel could be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles.

🚨 High Wind Watch issued December 10 at 2:16AM EST until December 12 at 3:00AM EST by NWS Boston/Norton MA 🚨
Additional Details Here.