I rarely comment about political issues in this journal, but I have to note my revulsion to the new “fence” on the US-Mexico border. Bush recently signed a bill for the US to start building a 700-mile “fence” along the border with an estimated cost of $2.2 billion. Descriptions of it sound vaguely like the […]
“In support of human dignity and the rights of immigrants, with and without documents.” — April 10 Mobilization. [via]
I do not do many memes, but I like this one found at Happy Catholic. 1. Who is your favorite Biblical personage, other than Jesus? It is hard to narrow down to one person. Near the top of the list are Jacob (don’t think he would be considered a saint by the church’s standards today […]
TSO links to an opinion piece by George Will on sport team nicknames. Will comments that it is a misguided sense of political correctness that is pushing this issue of sport teams like the Illini, Seminoles, Braves, etc. are insults to Native-American culture. I’m not so sure. I think maybe something much more insidious is […]
A recent quote from a Bruderhof’s Daily Dig got me to thinking about indifference: I think the greatest source of danger in this world is indifference. I have always believed that the opposite of love is not hate, but indifference. The opposite of life is not death, but indifference. The opposite of peace is not […]
Steve at Catholicism, Spirituality & Holiness posted the following quote: “Unhappy the land that has no heroes,” says a character in a Bertolt Brecht play. “No,” replies another. “Unhappy the land that needs heroes.” It’s time to bring management and leadership back down to earth. — Henry Mintzberg, Harvard Business Review, Nov 2004 Now, I am […]
In the worst of times, the human spirit, with God’s help, does the best things. Karen Marie relays such one remarkable story of mercy and forgiveness called “With My Own Eyes” by Pastor Richard Wurmbrand. This is a must read.
Karen at Raw Faith links to piece called Holy Indifference (see Chittister’s full article). I agree with this piece except for one line in the second-to-last paragraph: Nothing lasts. No single thing can consume our entire life’s meaning. No single thing can give us total satisfaction. Nothing is worth everything: neither past, nor present nor […]
In a comment to my previous entry, Karen asked a question regarding anonymity, spirituality, and weblogging. My reply was too long. It deserved it’s own journal entry. Do you see blogging as being antithetical to this sort of anonymity? Yes and no. It depends on why you blog. If you are into blogging to be […]
It is the very nature of the Bible to affront, perplex and astonish the human mind. Hence the reader who opens the Bible must be prepared for disorientation, confusion, incomprehension, perhaps outrage. — Thomas Merton A couple of days ago, I received an email from Anita asking me to write about what is meant by […]
Rumor has it You love me Rumor has it the world spins upside down Rumor has it my only hope is in You And the rumors are true I turn everything over The above lines from a Switchfoot song keeps running through my mind in light of a recent conversation I had with an atheist […]
A few comments about particulars of the movie, The Passion of the Christ… Warning: If you have not seen the movie, there are spoilers below.
I saw the movie, The Passion of the Christ. I was not going to comment on it, but…
Do you have a bumper sticker on your car? I don’t. Never found one that perfectly expressed my attitude or opinion. Do you remember those bumper stickers a couple of years ago that read, “Shit Happens”? I always thought that statement was mildly amusing because of its comment on how things tend to happen in […]
Hung Thanh Le© Okla. Dept. of Corrections Please pray for a stay of execution for Hung Thanh Le. He is scheduled for execution on Thursday in Oklahoma. Regardless of your position on capital punishment, there seems to be some issues within this case. To quote Amnesty International: The trial was riddled with prosecutorial misconduct. The […]
When we are crushed like grapes, we cannot not think of the wine we will become. — Henri Nouwen Last week, I posted a journal entry about how I felt “the weight of darkness looming at the edge of depression.” Today, I think I have crawled, then walked, to a relatively safe distance from that […]
Awakening begins when a man realizes that he is going nowhere and does not know where to go. — Georges Gurdjieff
I do not like this quote from Blake. It has become an irritation to me like a burr under a horse’s saddle. The idea that “my flesh is a prison” is a negative attitude about the body. Who said the body was bad? Doesn’t the Bible say that the body is a temple? I understand that Blake is alluding to the fact that the body is the cause of a great many sins due to its impulses and urges. I can even see how the body is a limit or a boundary to many things, such as the complete union of a man and woman.
As my dad warns, New Year’s Eve is amateur drinking night. Be careful, be safe. 2004 is another year full of grand adventure! Are you going to maximize your potential? Or are you going to be a minimalist and just get by? It is up to you, and you alone (with help from Him), to […]
One touchy area (sorry, pun intended) has always been whether a congregation holds hands during the Our Father. The new, minor changes to the Liturgy do not address this issue. Some parishes hold hands, others do not. It does not exactly make one way right and the other wrong. It is the preference of that community. I can accept that, whatever it may be. But…
This story just made me sick to my stomach. God help us.
Over this past weekend, I felt compelled to get involved in an ethical debate on abortion in the comment section of Gil Milbauer’s weblog A Reasonable Man. The discussion has been mostly cool-headed with a couple stimulating comments from others. For me, I knew before hand that I was not going to change anybody’s opinion. […]
I was wondering why the Bush administration pushed through a tax cut in such hard economic times and ever increasing budget deficits. I don’t remember anybody complaining too much about taxes. I don’t understand much about finances, but it seems to go against common sense to reduce your income when your outflow has stayed the […]
Last night, the Oklahoma City Board of Education laid off 380 certified teachers. (Actually, “laid off” is not the proper term. These teachers will not have their contracts renewed for next year.) Two suburban districts let go of 100-120 certified positions each. A nearby rural school district let go of 30 positions, or one-third of […]
It is Day 12 of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The news reports are talking about another 100,000 U.S. troops being sent to Iraq to help topple Saddam Hussein’s regime. Some reporter made the comment that this will most likely push the war into the summer. I don’t think that the troops will be home for Christmas. […]