Somewhere in flatter-than-flat western Kansas, a patch of sky blue next to the edge of a golden orange-to-red cloud reflecting the setting sun is just so beautiful that you want to pause, hold your breath, soak it in all in, but it is so much bigger than you, you can’t take it all in, so […]
It’s tempting, but I do not think this would make a good high school math classroom poster:
Applies to prayer too! (Posted with permission. Savage Chickens has been become one of my few regular routines on the internet. Refreshing observations on life that remind us not to take everything so seriously.)
Have you noticed the prevalence of skulls on clothing lately? Don’t people realize that skulls and bones have been symbols of death in every culture and in every time period throughout history? Come on people, skulls equal death. Is death what you really want to celebrate?
When I was a teenager, I remember asking my dad if he made New Year resolutions. He replied, “Nah, I’m perfect enough as is.” I don’t make New Year resolutions because I’m never in sync with the calendar. I make January 7th resolutions.
World: Do unto others before they do unto you. Reality: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. World: Life is something I have. Reality: I am a part of life. World: Love is a part of me. Reality: I am a part of love. World: Freedom from something. Reality: Freedom for […]
I wonder if the individuals who are against immigration reform and are celebrating Cinco de Mayo today will appreciate the irony of the situation?
There is a moment in each day that Satan cannot find. — William Blake I saw this quote today. My mind searched for a specific time or label for this moment in each day. I was tempted to answer, “Now. Now, the present moment, is the moment Satan cannot find.” Many of the saints, and […]
Found this piece of advice for girls of all ages: Girls are like apples on trees. The best ones are at the top of the tree. Most guys don’t want to reach for the good ones because they are afraid of falling and getting hurt. Instead, they sometimes go for the apples near the ground […]
I very rarely click on ads on webpages, but this one had a t-shirt with “Calculus” written across the front. To be honest, there are just not that many neat math t-shirts out there that I like. But this one was cool enough to warrant further investigation. Following a link or two lead me to […]
On Ash Wednesday, the traditional words said as one receives ashes are: Remember, man, you are dust and to dust you will return. Our school’s deacon has “suggested” a modern, up-to-date version: Remember, dude, you are dust and like to dust you’ll actually return.
Deb at Abiding linked to an interesting little experiment in “mapping personality awareness” called a Johari window. Developed in 1950s, a Johari window is “describing yourself from a fixed list of adjectives, then asking your friends and colleagues to describe you from the same list, a grid of overlap and difference can be built up.” […]
And guess who is singing?
Recently, I heard two songs with one line in each of them that crystallized an old memory and symbolized a connection for me that was just lying under the surface. The line from the first song was by Tim McGraw, “Live Like You were Dying”: and I watched an eagle as it was flying The […]
At the beginning of March, a very dear friend gave me the book Against an Infinite Horizon by Ronald Rolheiser. The gift came out of the blue as a very pleasant surprise. I had intended to start this book after I finished reading another book at the time. Well, I was sort of reading another […]
Last summer, Mark at Minute Particulars rephrased Camus’ famous statement about suicide in terms for a reasonable discourse on abortion: There is but one truly philosophical problem regarding abortion, and that is homicide. Judging whether an unborn child is or is not a human being amounts to answering the fundamental question of abortion. All the […]
Gratitude is the seedbed of joy. — Peter Kreeft Tom contemplates what is meant by “A Eucharistic Life”: We could say, then, that a Eucharistic life is a life of thanksgiving, of blessing God, of humble gratitude for everything and everyone; a life free of complaint, of claims of privilege, of accepting what other people give us […]
Lord Jesus himself said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” — Acts 20:35 When material gifts are shared, they are divided and diminish. That is why people are selfish—if I share with you, then there will be less for me. For most things, this is an illusion for us living in an overly abundant […]
A Cherokee elder sitting with his grandchildren told them, “In every life there is a terrible fight—a fight between two wolves. One is evil: he is fear, anger, envy, greed, arrogance, self-pity, resentment, and deceit. The other is good: joy, serenity, humility, confidence, generosity, truth, gentleness, and compassion.” A child asked, “Grandfather, which wolf will […]
Our memories play tricks on us. We label moments and episodes in our pasts as either happy or sad, joyous or painful. In reality, the joy and the sorrow exist simultaneously. One of them just seems to dominate over the other in that particular memory. Joy and sorrow does not flip on or off like […]
The first time I heard the song “The Space Between” by Dave Matthews Band, I only heard the refrain, and specifically only the words “space between”. I was not in a quiet place at the moment so the rest of the words were kind of muffled. The music had this haunting quality that drew me […]
With your computer mouse, highlight the whole line below from the X to the O: X Even though you can’t see Him, GOD is there! O
This post is a follow-up to “Conditions of Love” from two weeks ago. It is also partly a reply to one commenter’s suggestion that God’s love is preconditional. Unconditional love is the choiceto love a personwho does not deserve it. Unconditional = Freedom. No conditions, no pre-conditions, no post-conditions, no conditions whatsoever. Something freely offered. […]
Not in heaven do we learn to love God, but here on earth. — Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, Everlasting Life A couple weeks ago, I posted the following question: “What are the consequences of conditional love?” I have been contemplating this question in attempt to better understand Jesus’ call to love unconditionally. I was surprized, but […]
Of Courtesy, it is much less Than Courage of Heart or Holiness, Yet in my walks it seems to me That the Grace of God is in Courtesy — Hilaire Belloc John Saward, in his article, “The Grace of God in Courtesy” (via Flos Carmeli), writes about courtesy as part of all of the virtues: […]