The Three-Hour Plan by Thomas S. Buchanan

The Three-Hour Plan

Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
—Psalm 119:18

St. Caesarius (470–542), bishop of Arles, was a formidable foe of the heresy of semi-Pelagianism. He is also known for his many homilies, which were written at a very popular level. Recently I was going through some of his catechetical lectures when I was struck by the following sentence:

When the nights are rather long, who is there able to sleep so much that he cannot either read himself or listen to others read the sacred text for at least three hours?

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Thomas S. Buchanan is the George W. Laird Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Delaware. He has studied at UCSD, Northwestern University, and MIT, and has held visiting professorships at the University of Western Australia and the University of Aix-Marseille. He has served as department chairman, deputy dean, and institute director, president of the American Society of Biomechanics, and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Applied Biomechanics. He is on the Board of Trustees of Saint Katherine College, the editorial board of Touchstone, and the board of The Fellowship of St. James.

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