Only eight Roman Catholic saints have been beatitfied from the United States. And of those eight, I believe only one was born in America; the others were immigrants. Mexico has nearly 30 saints. Japan, a country with a small population of Catholics, has 20 saints. So, what’s wrong with America? What is it about our […]
What if interruptions are what we are supposed to be focusing on?
What if the traffic light turned red just for you so that you could stop and accept the gift of the present moment?
“Holy crap!” I hear this expression occasionally from my students. I wonder, is this to be found only in Jesus’ latrine?
What is common between joy and sorrow? My answer: Joy comes from God; sorrow leads to God. Through the Cross, sorrow is transformed into joy. Simone Weil, in Waiting for God, says that the source is the same. She likens it to two sentences written on a wall in different colors. For one who cannot […]
I’m staying in Hot Springs, Arkansas for a week for an AP Institute for math and science teachers. Hot Springs is a neat little town situated among beautiful, tree-covered hills of the southern Ozark mountains. The downtown area with the historical bath houses is full of interesting shops and stuff. As a colleague and I […]
Is an inability to forgive another person connected to an inability to receive forgiveness? Are these connected to an inability to forgive oneself? Something to ponder. I know that I am much harder on myself than others. And I know that none of them happen without much prayer and God’s grace.
Tom writes “What Would Jesus Laugh About?”. I have always wondered if the apostles joked around a little with each other as they journeyed across the country side with Jesus. I imagine Simon Peter got teased a bit by his friends in a good-natured way after he tried to walk on water toward Jesus (Matthew […]
Go ahead, you know you want to answer. Please do as a comment, even if others have left the same comment. (There is a reason for this… ) Marco?
All is gift. Your next breath is gift. Reading this sentence is gift. Your next thought is gift. What you feel in your heart at this very moment, whether it is happiness or sadness or something else, is gift. You are a gift. When, where, how, and to whom do you […]
What does a holy place feel like? There is no right or wrong answer to this question. I ask that you please pause a moment and think seriously about your answer before reading further.
I was reading a post on another weblog this morning that reminded me of something. I once saw a bumper sticker on the back of a huge, expensive Ford Expedition SUV. It read, Don’t let the car fool you. My real treasure is in heaven. Does that strike anyone else as ironic?
Some pointless ponderings on an age-old question: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Aristotle: Actuality precedes potentiality in terms of value. An egg is a potential chicken. A chicken is actual. Therefore, the chicken came first. Evolutionist: There existed a bird, a proto-chicken, whose DNA mutated when it laid an egg from which […]
Sorry. 🙂 To see the answers, use your computer mouse to highlight the area between the arrows. What is the Pontiff’s favorite snack food? >> Pope-corn << What does the Pontiff like on his pizza? >> Pope-eroni << What do you call a cold Pontiff? >> a Pope-sicle << […]
Here are some corny pope jokes. To see the answers, use your computer mouse to highlight the area between the arrows. What does the Pontiff have for breakfast? >> Pope-tarts << What is the Pontiff’s favorite spice? >> Pope-rika << What is the Pontiff’s favorite air freshener? >> Pope-pourri […]
I found this quote by Matthew Lickona, author of Swimming with Scapulars, posted at Godspy: “To submit themselves to Christ.” Everyone must bend his or her will, but this desire to clean up one’s own spiritual mess seems a more masculine failing. From a distance, the danger is easy to see: “It’s my problem, I’ll […]
You know how they have those plastic colored bracelet bands with sayings on them? Lance Armstrong started the fad with the yellow band that read “Live Strong”. They have dozens of different colors and sayings on them now, from breast cancer awareness to anti-hate slogans. My wife has been wearing one from the hospital where […]
How often do you hear the words, “I love you”? Be honest. Once a day? Once a week? Once a month? Can’t remember the last time? How about the flip side of that question: how often do you say the words, “I love you”? Maybe you have heard or said these words a little more […]
Ever wonder where ice cream cones come from? You have been warned… 🙂
Have you noticed the prevalence of snowmen as a growing secular symbol for Christmas? Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing personal against snowmen. I like them and they bring a sense of nostalgia along with the Christmas season. In a way, this is a false nostalgia for me because I can count on one […]
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 […]
My brother told me about this dream he had of our mom shortly after she had died back in 1993 of ALS. In this dream, she looked happy and healthy. She basically told him that she was alright, and that everything would be okay. Every now and then, I play around in my head this […]
We are familiar with Jesus’ call to agape love, to love unconditionally. But we live in a fallen world. We are not perfect. Which makes me wonder: What are the consequences of conditional love? (Please share your thoughts within the comments.)
Do you greet the morning sun each day with your to-do lists? Or do you greet the sun with prayer and silence? Do you greet the morning with clenched hands stuffed with your own devices? Or do you greet the morning by extending an empty hand to the world and waiting for wonder to happen? […]
What if a demon were to creep after you one night, in your loneliest loneliness, and say, ‘This life which you live must be lived by you once again and innumerable times more; and every pain and joy and thought and sigh must come again to you, all in the same sequence. The eternal hourglass […]