That alone is liberal knowledge, which stands on its own pretensions, which is independent of sequel, expects no complement, refuses to be informed (as it is called) by any end, or absorbed into any art, in order duly to present itself to our contemplation. The most ordinary pursuits have this specific character, if they are self-sufficient and complete.[1]

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The Chosen, whose fourth season out of a planned seven has recently been released on streaming, continues to be enormously popular. It also continues to depict central scenes from the Gospels—including this season's portrayal of the raising of Lazarus—in deeply moving and memorable ways, even if season four seems to contain more filler and more clumsily executed scenes than previous ones. A powerful and pervasive theme in this season has to do with grief, loss, and the mysterious designs of God.

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In the early 16th century, Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, designed a method of meditation that came to be known as the Spiritual Exercises. The meditations involve a "composition of place," a reconstructing in the imagination of a scene from Scripture. So at one point Ignatius writes that the goal "will be here to see with the sight of the imagination, the synagogues, villages and towns through which Christ our Lord preached." The aim is to "see the persons with the sight of the imagination, meditating and contemplating in particular the details" of the scene and then applying the "senses" one by one so that we can immerse ourselves bodily in a particular setting. The next step is to explore the emotions that are aroused and the thoughts that are prompted by an imaginative encounter with the person of Christ and thus invite God's transforming grace into every aspect of one's interior life.

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"Our politics is sick," writes Michael Wear in his new book, The Spirit of Our Politics, in an observation that seems difficult to refute.

If polls are any indication, Americans, facing the upcoming presidential election with a deep sense of foreboding, are sick of our politics. There's even a name for this affliction: election stress disorder. Is there anything we can do about our exhaustion with the toxic elements in our political culture, which seems to intrude into all aspects of our lives?

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The philosopher Pascal once quipped, "All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone." Pascal's deliberate hyperbole contains a truth that is perhaps more evident in our time than in his. While we seem to find ourselves more alone and more lonely than in previous generations, we are hardly quiet or at rest. We seem addicted to lives of endless distraction, especially on screens, an addiction that makes us less capable of being silent, still, and attentive.

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