It is necessary that I write

I do this for myself alone—not for my contemporaries, nor for posterity, nor even my own specific posterity, nor even for the would-be mother of that posterity, (who, I assure you, dear Reader, is very much present in my life at this exact moment and who is very much scintillated by my ability to coin a clause).

Indiscipline is the root of all evil—original sin and fundamental flaw are two other ways of saying it. It is necessary that I write as a matter of discipline, as a crucial column in the army that I marshal on the march towards the perfection of my being!

And so, in short, this is for me. Perhaps the greatest insight I ever heard in sermon was during a basic explication of the three vocations: married life, religious life, and the priesthood. Our priest was discussing the priesthood when he said, “the first intention of any priest must be the salvation of his own soul.” I now approach this escritorial altar with just such fear and trembling. The man with the courage to live and die for his own glorification may yet bring forth much fruit. I offer no warranty. But perhaps you will find something herein to savor.

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