A nasty thought that I have to get out. Sometimes the world seems like an onion rotted black, one that smells loathsome and stings your fingers when you touch it. But you feel compelled to keep touching it nonetheless, and find yourself tearing off the layers even as the odor and the burning grow worse. And we all know how an onion works; there's always more layers. Until, finally, you find yourself reeking, your hands covered with a foul substance, your mind reeling and your heart sickened from sheer awfulness.

I think that it is at these times that we need a sense of community. For myself, I've found this litany from the Discalced Carmelites of Philadelphia to be helpful. They call it "Night Litany for Our City."

God, our Father, hear us.  We plead before You, O Sacred heart of Jesus, for all who tonight in this great city stand in the most need of Your merciful love and protection.
On souls beset by temptation, have mercy.
On those who have fallen into sin, have mercy.
On those who are given up to worldliness and are forgetful of You, have mercy.
On those who are, at this moment, in danger of losing You forever, have mercy.
By Your agony, save them, Jesus.

On those who carry on wicked trades and profit by sin, have mercy.
On those indulging in sinful amusements, have mercy.
On all who are imperiling their souls by self-indulgence and luxury, have mercy.
On all frequenting haunts of sin, have mercy.
By Your scourging, save them, Jesus.

On all who are out tonight, the homeless, the weary, the starving, those tempted to suicide, the intemperate, have mercy.
On those who are out for sin, have mercy.
To those who are out to rescue others, grant help and protection.
For those who work at night, the police, railwaymen, firemen, those engaged on the stage, soldiers and sailors, sentries on duty, editors and journalists, let Your Presence be with them, Jesus.
For the sick, and suffering and all who are enduring any agony of mind and body, comfort them, Jesus.
For all undergoing surgery, strengthen them, Jesus, and help them in body and soul.
For the sleepless and lonely, be near them.
For those in anxiety, nervous or mental distress, calm them.
For the mentally ill, keep them under Your protection.
For those who care for the mentally ill, make them tender-hearted and compassionate.
For night nurses, give faithfulness and sympathy.
For priests and doctors, called out this night, reward them.
By Your crown of thorns, deliver them, Jesus.

For those who this night must suffer bereavement, visit and sustain them.
For those for whom this will be their last night on earth, deepen their contrition and receive their souls.
For those whom sudden death summons before Your Judgement, have mercy.
For those dying alone without priest or sacrament, have mercy.
For the dying who reject the ministry of Holy Church, have mercy.
On those dying unconscious, have mercy.
On those dying blind to their sin, have mercy.
On the souls of unbelievers who are hear death, have mercy.
On those who are trying to turn to You even in their last hour, have mercy.
For those who are afraid to die, turn their heaviness into joy.
For dying priests and religious, have mercy on them and receive them to Yourself.
For the faithful departed, grant them light and peace.
For ourselves in our last hour, grant the pardon of our sins, our negligences and our ignorances.
By Your holy death, deliver us all, O Jesus.

On behalf of those who have said no prayers today, let us say:  Our Father… Hail Mary…
On behalf of those who neglect to praise God and thank Him, let us say: Blessed be God.  Blessed be His holy name.
On behalf of those who blaspheme and neglect the Blessed Sacrament, let us say: Blessed, praised, worshiped and adored be Jesus Christ on His Throne of Glory and in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.

Every hour of the day you are being remembered
in the ceaseless prayer of Carmel. 

I do like the last part best.

 

You know what's tough to do? Conveying to your friends why a work of art leaves you reeling. And God forbid if you react to genre art.

It's hard to understand why, exactly, one reacts to art. Exploring that particular alleyway is ultimately stupid; no matter what you do, the person to whom you speak cannot possibly have the same emotional investment you have.

People are confronted by art constantly, however one defines it. How they react to that art is rooted in themselves, however one defines "self." It is not for nothing that many couples unite based on their shared appreciation of a particular work.  Not that thist happens all that often; rare is the romance based on mutual communication from day one. One might argue that art exists as much for the possibility of communication as it does for the desire to mark one's existence to future generations.

I believe that the best television series ever produced is Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This is not an opinion shared by anyone I know personally. But since the series ended in 2003, I have watched the various shows in the conversation for GOAT of television series, and my opinion has remained unchanged. While I do love those other shows, for me, Buffy remains the best. And yet many of the people involved with the series struggle to scrape by, both financially and artistically.

So how does one "spread the word?" And more to the point, should one spread the word? I have tried in the past (Buffy's been gone 11 years now), but at this point I'm thinking that the horse is out of the barn. It's not that the show is dated (although I cringe watching the episode where Big Bad Voodoo Daddy plays the Bronze). It's more that the show is no longer novel; people simply no longer expect Spike, Drusilla or Angelus to show up looking for an artistic feed.

If you like, I could list several episodes of the series, and of its spinoff, Angel, that absolutely ripped my heart out. Three episodes in 2001 alone left me reeling, to the point that even now, well over a decade later, I find myself returning to them in the darkest hours of the night.

Which, of course, is not the point at all. As Jubal Harshaw once said, "art is the process of evoking pity and terror." And what evokes those two feelings for a particular person are probably more unique than a fingerprint.

So what do we do? Assuming that we -- for whatever reason, although one hopes the action is rooted in empathy -- want to know what evokes pity and terror in others, how do we reach it?

Ultimately, I think we have to listen to one another. And that ain't easy.