Steve Frost is a Catholic
priest whom I met when he was running the Newman Center at Sonoma
State University and he invited me to participate in a discussion
group for faculty and employees. He studied with the great Paniker and
we had reading assignments. What I remember best is Steve's answers
to questions from an ex Catholic secretary. What about virgin birth?
That means she was pure of heart. What about original sin? That
means the separation of heaven and earth. Why didn't they teach me
this in catechism? - He just sort of dismissed that with a Oh gosh -
What do expect? answer. I felt like he and I were on similar wave
lengths amid earnest queries coming from the damage that literalism
and institutional corruption has done. We've kept in touch since
then. - DC - 9-06-14
That's his 1985 ordination picture
Christmas day, 2020, podcast with Stephen Frost
Here's an essay Frost wrote about
Raimundo Panikkar that uses three
Buddhist terms
to title its 3 main
segments.: Pratityasamutpada, Nairatmyavada,
Avyakrstastuni. Frost writes, "It presents my
take on
Panikkar's take on the Buddha
from his book
, The Silence of God."
4-21-19 -
An Easter 2019 email to Lewis Lancaster
and DC from Steve Frost
Security, Nourishment, Fellowship loom large, but mostly as
distractions to the essential issue of birth and death. We don't ask
for either, usually. After the first, the second is Mother to all
other topics- especially the poignancy of Love and Beauty.
When someone dear to me died, a good, wise counselor said "Death is
our friend." It didn't feel like it at the time, so I rather
selfishly said, "Death may be our friend, but its not the friend of
our friends!" -having just lost mine.
According to some Monks and Yogis, death should always be kept before
you. One can entertain some very powerful states of consciousness
that are described with terms like the 'void' or 'emptiness.' In such
states one seems to transcend the frontier identified as Death- It
being just another phantasm or phenomenon.
The capacity to perceive, Consciousness
itself, remains untouched by any of this. We might go on (endlessly
it seems) about topics like goodness, truth and beauty. But the one
issue that remains ineffable is
Consciousness- A constant
participation of the Divine in Creation.
1-13-15 - Steve sent these SAYINGS OF AESCHYLUS:
He who learns must suffer, and,
even in our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the
heart, and in our own despair against our will, comes wisdom to us by
the awful grace of God.
In war, truth is the first
casualty.
It is a profitable thing, if one
is wise, to seem foolish.
10-29-12 - Father Steve Frost with a poem,
De Deum, and a
diagnosis -
Paean's Song.
8-02-12 - Had lunch with Father Steve Frost yesterday. He ran the Newman
Center at Sonomas State U for years. Check out his
NEW PAINTINGS -
SPRING/SUMMER 2012.
and the Nepsis Foundation for
his writing - from cuke-the-arts---art-art
4-25-11 - Father Steve Frost's Easter upload of his
painting,
EC STASIS! - from cuke-the-arts---art-art
4-06-12 -
Good Friday to you - death of the ego day. Here's Father Steve Frost's
offering for the day: the Berkeley Core:
FORAYS INTO THE PSYCHE OF
BEING
1-23-12 - Father Steve Frost's
Clear Light Missiles blog.
Steve separated his FALL SERIES blog posts into their own
blog with the great name of the Clear Light Missiles Blog since, he says,
they are hopefully the final statement summing up his whole 40 year NEPSIS
project that Lew Lancaster put on line at UCB. Its a new layout for his
theological/philosophical statement with paintings.
University of California, Berkeley site:
Nepsis
Art and Poetry Nepsis site under
development
9-27-11 - Father Steve Frost with
The Light and the Lonely - a painting and a poem
4-05-11 - CHAMA
WITCHES, the blog of poet and Stephen Frost previously seen on
cuke as artist Stephen Frost, who I first met as Father Stephen Frost
who ran the Catholic Church's Newman Center at Sonoma State College. I
see his Nepsis site
with both art and writing is still there. But today the focus is the
mystical CHAMA
WITCHES - from cuke-the-arts-writing
12-27-10 - Father Steve Frost has new writing, poetry and
prose, on his web sites, mainly <http://ecai.org/NEPSIS/>
but also http://www.nepsis.com/. But
the sites are dominated by his wonderful art. - from
cuke-the-arts---art-art
12-27-10 - Father Steve Frost has new writing,
poetry and prose, on his web sites, mainly <http://ecai.org/NEPSIS/>
but also http://www.nepsis.com/.
But the sites are dominated by his wonderful art. -
from cuke-the-arts-writing
An Easter 2019 email to
Lewis Lancaster and DC
from Steve Frost
Subject:
Astarte
DC Note: Astarte refers to Easter and Parusia is the
2nd coming
Dear Lew and David,
Considering that most of early Christianity was enthused by a
delusion about the Parusia- and we are still waiting- so much
of the morality and initiation rites, sacraments, ecclesial
structures and expectation was begun and based on the
expectation that the Lord was coming again soon- in the life
time of the Apostles and Disciples or soon after, or, or, or...
tomorrow! -Considering all that nonsense, it all nonetheless
does the job! Somehow! It opens the doors of Heaven for
believers and non-believers. -Humiliates us with all the crafts
of our own making when just the slightest glimpse of the Holy
blows it all away. Thomas of Aquino is famous for noting that
after creating the Suma. It still kindles, despite the
foolishness- maybe because of it! -the Holy in the heart of our
being.
Considering that I am part of all that as a 'Catholic priest in
good standing,' it still should be noted that when I finished 45
years of the Nepsis project with it's 4 versions on-line, my
life's work some say, it was to two Buddhists that I first
announced the glorious occasion- your noble selves. Yesterday,
Good Friday 2019, I told two Catholic priest friends as it
seemed natural to do so. I don't expect a different response
from them. We've all known one another and this was too
important for words- or even notice.
So, considering all that, I feel qualified to extend an Easter
greeting to both of you. I hope in your hearts, minds and body,
the Spirit lifts you to a plane of (silent?) exultation.
-however anonymously! Cheers!
Steve
The Reverend Stephen Frost Ph.D.
Father Stephen Frost PhD
NEW EBook of Frost ARTS by
Matt DeFano is available as a free download from the Apple Store,
click here.