CowPi Journal

O my God, I ask of You for myself and for those whom I hold dear, the grace to fulfill perfectly Your holy will, to accept for love of You the joys and sorrows of this passing life, so that we may one day be united in Heaven for all eternity. — Saint Thérèse of […]

“To sin, it is not necessary to break the rules,” the sage said. “just keep them to the letter.” It is more than possible to make rules for our existence, the measure of our souls. But when rule-keeping takes precedence over the very essence of spirituality—justice, compassion, and union with God—rules become the very thing […]

Christ on the cross bows his head, Waiting for you, That he may kiss you, His arms are outstretched, That he may embrace you, His hands are open, That he may enrich you, His body spread out, That he may give himself totally, His feet are nailed, That he may stay there, His side is […]

At the end of the movie, American Beauty, the main character Lester Burnham reflects on his life: …there’s so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I’m seeing it all at once, and it’s too much. My heart fills up like a balloon that’s about to burst. And then I remember to relax, […]

“Repentance seeks to know the truth.” I am guilty before You. I admit it. You are the Judge. I come before You, against myself. I desire You. I want to be with You. I want Your will to be done, for You are holy. You are right against me. I love You. I judge myself […]

In one day, yesterday, I noticed the hint of green among the barren trees along the road sides. The blossoms on the Bradford pear trees are beginning to open, preparing to share their white bouques with the world. The pair of swallows returned to their mud nest over the porch. A bull frog could be […]

Come, Thou holy Paraclete, And from Thy celestial seat Send Thy light and brilliancy; Father of the poor, draw near; Giver of all gifts, be here; Come, the soul’s true radiancy. Come, of comforters the best, Of the soul the sweetest guest, Come in toil refreshingly; Thou in labor rest most sweet, Thou art shadow […]

Please pray for all the babies born today; that they will be drawn into a deep relationship with God and bring others to Him. Pray for all those that God calls home today; that He will grant them His grace of a good death, that is, one more chance to choose Him before they die. […]

“We are constantly invited to be what we are.” — Henry David Thoreau

It’s Spring Break, and I’ve stepped out of the iHermitage to look around a little. In “It’s Not About Belief” by Jon Zuck, I found this intriguing little tidbit that adds another way to look at something: The Greek word pisteo is almost always translated “belief” or “faith” in the New Testament. However, it also […]

No one sin is too much for God to forgive. Sometimes that is hard to believe. Or maybe it’s too much to trust? If you think your sin is too bad, then it’s pride that is helping you to hold on to it instead of letting it go. Maybe you have become so attached to […]

Romano Guardini, in his book The Lord, describes how it was supposed to be: God has shaped human life mysteriously indeed. Man’s essence is meant to leap up to its God and return with the life it has [received] from him. Man should live in a downward-sweeping movement that begins in heaven, not from earth […]

A poem from awhile ago reflects this line from Romano Guardini in The Lord: Love is a stream that flows from God to me, from me to my neighbor (and not to one only, but to all), from my neighbor back to God. “Then the angel showed me the river of life-giving water, sparkling like […]

We all are virgins of the heart. We seek, often desperately, intimacy with another person. But even in the midst of close intimacy, be it physical, emotional, spiritual, or intellectual, it is not perfect. Something is always missing. It remains unsatisfactory on some deep level, whether we are immediately aware of it or not. It […]