August will end in a couple of hours.
Today, I celebrated a new friend’s birthday.
Today, I remembered my parents and my grandparents.
Today, as I looked into the sky filled with bright white clouds, there was both joy and sadness in my heart as memories of yesterday and hopes for tomorrow collided.
And so on this Monday, I have an understanding of where I have been and where I hope to go.
I understand why prayer is needed.
Hope is good.
God is love.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Virtue from a Distance
Life often encourages us to define real. At some point our friends, loved ones will tell us to define reality.
Since this is the last Sunday in August, the official end to the summer season, I think that this might be a good time to examine our minds and sould.
This is a great time to review our ideals. What are some simple, general ideals that you have? How do your ideals influence or shape your life?
In a couple of weeks, autumn will begin. As the seasons change, our understanding of virtue should also change and deepen. Now is a great time search for how virtue influences your life. What are some virtues which people might associate with you?
As a Christian we must both understand and try to infuse the virtues into our everyday lives; it is not sufficient to say that I am baptized, but our actions must proclaim the love we feel for God in the deeds that we do for others. Hopefully when virtues are honestly infused in our hearts and in our lives we will be filled with and share God’s grace, love, and compassion. Virtue sometimes inspires either questions or assumptions; reason is easily obscured when confusion closes the curtains of truth.
A noisy late summer afternoon stretches and reclines around this great city. The anxious traffic on the old raggedy streets barely stop when the light turns red, accelerates into intersections as the lights turn green and a man leaves church thinking about incorporating the Christian virtues into his life.
Sunday is a great day to think of humility.
We must always remember the sacrifice and love of Jesus Christ and strive to share unconditional love and compassion with both familiar and unknown people.
As I write this, I acknowledge the difficulty in doing this but at the same time I can see the benefits of doing it.
Since this is the last Sunday in August, the official end to the summer season, I think that this might be a good time to examine our minds and sould.
This is a great time to review our ideals. What are some simple, general ideals that you have? How do your ideals influence or shape your life?
In a couple of weeks, autumn will begin. As the seasons change, our understanding of virtue should also change and deepen. Now is a great time search for how virtue influences your life. What are some virtues which people might associate with you?
As a Christian we must both understand and try to infuse the virtues into our everyday lives; it is not sufficient to say that I am baptized, but our actions must proclaim the love we feel for God in the deeds that we do for others. Hopefully when virtues are honestly infused in our hearts and in our lives we will be filled with and share God’s grace, love, and compassion. Virtue sometimes inspires either questions or assumptions; reason is easily obscured when confusion closes the curtains of truth.
A noisy late summer afternoon stretches and reclines around this great city. The anxious traffic on the old raggedy streets barely stop when the light turns red, accelerates into intersections as the lights turn green and a man leaves church thinking about incorporating the Christian virtues into his life.
Sunday is a great day to think of humility.
We must always remember the sacrifice and love of Jesus Christ and strive to share unconditional love and compassion with both familiar and unknown people.
As I write this, I acknowledge the difficulty in doing this but at the same time I can see the benefits of doing it.
Friday, August 28, 2009
In and Out Trying to be Devout
Life presents many opportunities to forget and to remember things.
Telephone numbers, addresses, names, faces, birthdays, and anniversaries are often on the memory carousel within the brains of most human beings. It is a fact of life. We are in a state of starting and stopping tasks, arriving and departing from different places.
This morning I resumed reading Introduction to the Devout Life by Francis De Sales. I had begun reading it several months ago. With great enthusiasm I read the Translator’s Introduction, then the Dedicatory Prayer and Notice to Reader, then The Author’s Preface and then finally I read the eight chapters with building interest.
In my zeal, I neglected reading and understanding the table of contents. Being in a rush I jumped into the book without planning how to learn the lessons of the book. At the time stopping and doing eac meditation sounded great. At that time I must have been a lunatic in search of an asylum.
I created a very rigorous regimen of reading one meditation a day, and then sitting quietly contemplating on the topic. I downloaded some nice chimes to monitor my meditation time. My mind was too cluttered with clamoring thoughts and I was neither prepared nor able to focus my mind on one topic for longer than a second or two. Somewhere during the second or third meditations I came up with the idea of capturing my meditation thoughts.
Well, reading of the book stopped. Each day I read only the the chapter which related to the meditation topic. With each advancing day, meditating became harder and harder. My ability to focus was on holiday. So, at some point the book was returned to the book shelf and I too went on holiday.
But, something in the book remained in my mind, swirling and bubbling in my gray matter. I was still interested in reading the book. I just had to decide upon a time. Since I was going to New York I decided this would be the perfect traveling companion.
And so I began reading this book again. I skimmed through the table of contents and then read the chapters and through the chapters describing the meditations.
Reading was an enjoyable experience, I had to force myself to concentrate several times because of people of talking loudly on their cell phones, because of a silly violent movie, and because of the sound of the rain and the other vehicles on the interstate.
Later, I will do the meditations. After I finish reading the entire book.
Life presents many opportunities to stop and start, forget and remember, pray and pray.
Telephone numbers, addresses, names, faces, birthdays, and anniversaries are often on the memory carousel within the brains of most human beings. It is a fact of life. We are in a state of starting and stopping tasks, arriving and departing from different places.
This morning I resumed reading Introduction to the Devout Life by Francis De Sales. I had begun reading it several months ago. With great enthusiasm I read the Translator’s Introduction, then the Dedicatory Prayer and Notice to Reader, then The Author’s Preface and then finally I read the eight chapters with building interest.
In my zeal, I neglected reading and understanding the table of contents. Being in a rush I jumped into the book without planning how to learn the lessons of the book. At the time stopping and doing eac meditation sounded great. At that time I must have been a lunatic in search of an asylum.
I created a very rigorous regimen of reading one meditation a day, and then sitting quietly contemplating on the topic. I downloaded some nice chimes to monitor my meditation time. My mind was too cluttered with clamoring thoughts and I was neither prepared nor able to focus my mind on one topic for longer than a second or two. Somewhere during the second or third meditations I came up with the idea of capturing my meditation thoughts.
Well, reading of the book stopped. Each day I read only the the chapter which related to the meditation topic. With each advancing day, meditating became harder and harder. My ability to focus was on holiday. So, at some point the book was returned to the book shelf and I too went on holiday.
But, something in the book remained in my mind, swirling and bubbling in my gray matter. I was still interested in reading the book. I just had to decide upon a time. Since I was going to New York I decided this would be the perfect traveling companion.
And so I began reading this book again. I skimmed through the table of contents and then read the chapters and through the chapters describing the meditations.
Reading was an enjoyable experience, I had to force myself to concentrate several times because of people of talking loudly on their cell phones, because of a silly violent movie, and because of the sound of the rain and the other vehicles on the interstate.
Later, I will do the meditations. After I finish reading the entire book.
Life presents many opportunities to stop and start, forget and remember, pray and pray.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Confession Calls and I Crawl Away
My dearest reader,--I have been sitting in front of this computer for hours, waiting minute after minute for some new fresh inspiration.
Between imagination and indecision, I am happily wading this morning in the rushing wild waters of some distant frontier river, wading without socks or spell checking software.
So many things are swimming through my mind. I overheard a terrific story which I immediately decided to interpret as a sign of goodness and faith.
I want to write about prayer. So many words and phrases move back and forth in my brain. I am writing and erasing words, making and unmaking sentences, creating phrases. Indeed I am having fun as a wordsmith but concerned about the lack of progress.
I long to live a devout life of prayer and good deeds.
I am moving toward that goal, slowly toward it.
Goodness, kindness, compassion, hope, and love can encourage us to be better people, to live more humble, more beautiful lives. Our Faith can lead us to many exquisite, inspirational things when we allow ourselves to follow.
I have a juvenile aversion to confession. Disclosing my imperfections and sins to another living person slightly unnerves me. I do not have to be reasonable. I do not have to create syllogisms in my mind. I just have to accept the current status quo. I can listen to all my friends who enjoy confession, who go regularly, and who are able to describe the benefits of it.
I privately think of going, sometimes make elaborate plans for going to confession in another part of the city but somehow I do not follow through. But, there is something good in the making and unmaking of those plans. I am making progress; I do not have a fantastic aversion to confession. My mind just has to add it to my weekly routine, schedule it like a dentist or doctor’s appointment. My mind needs to allow me to imagine it as a dreary sort of desolation or exposition before a new plot point can occur.
An important part of confession occurs before the meeting with the priest. The examination of conscience, the cataloging and acceptance of our sins should happen before confession. The cataloging and acceptance is fun, terrifying, and tiring. I know that it is not enough locate and shine the spotlight on my sins. I know that I need to repent, to acknowledge fault and ask for strength to avoid sinning in the future.
One of these days I will do it, before the next Easter Vigil. Maybe even before Labor Day.
There is a soothing melancholy in life, as ideas become plans, plans become actions, and other actions become plans, and plans becomes ideas. Our minds are constantly working. Our souls should be constantly praying. We create some plans to give our lives a lulling, rhythmic atmosphere. Motion waits for us but we have a plan to execute.
After my confession I will allow myself to enjoy the beautiful, romantic architecture of Venice, to read Scripture while reclining in a gondola, and then listening to music in the Piazza San Marco as I give thanks for the splendor that God has allowed my imagination discover.
Between imagination and indecision, I am happily wading this morning in the rushing wild waters of some distant frontier river, wading without socks or spell checking software.
So many things are swimming through my mind. I overheard a terrific story which I immediately decided to interpret as a sign of goodness and faith.
I want to write about prayer. So many words and phrases move back and forth in my brain. I am writing and erasing words, making and unmaking sentences, creating phrases. Indeed I am having fun as a wordsmith but concerned about the lack of progress.
I long to live a devout life of prayer and good deeds.
I am moving toward that goal, slowly toward it.
Goodness, kindness, compassion, hope, and love can encourage us to be better people, to live more humble, more beautiful lives. Our Faith can lead us to many exquisite, inspirational things when we allow ourselves to follow.
I have a juvenile aversion to confession. Disclosing my imperfections and sins to another living person slightly unnerves me. I do not have to be reasonable. I do not have to create syllogisms in my mind. I just have to accept the current status quo. I can listen to all my friends who enjoy confession, who go regularly, and who are able to describe the benefits of it.
I privately think of going, sometimes make elaborate plans for going to confession in another part of the city but somehow I do not follow through. But, there is something good in the making and unmaking of those plans. I am making progress; I do not have a fantastic aversion to confession. My mind just has to add it to my weekly routine, schedule it like a dentist or doctor’s appointment. My mind needs to allow me to imagine it as a dreary sort of desolation or exposition before a new plot point can occur.
An important part of confession occurs before the meeting with the priest. The examination of conscience, the cataloging and acceptance of our sins should happen before confession. The cataloging and acceptance is fun, terrifying, and tiring. I know that it is not enough locate and shine the spotlight on my sins. I know that I need to repent, to acknowledge fault and ask for strength to avoid sinning in the future.
One of these days I will do it, before the next Easter Vigil. Maybe even before Labor Day.
There is a soothing melancholy in life, as ideas become plans, plans become actions, and other actions become plans, and plans becomes ideas. Our minds are constantly working. Our souls should be constantly praying. We create some plans to give our lives a lulling, rhythmic atmosphere. Motion waits for us but we have a plan to execute.
After my confession I will allow myself to enjoy the beautiful, romantic architecture of Venice, to read Scripture while reclining in a gondola, and then listening to music in the Piazza San Marco as I give thanks for the splendor that God has allowed my imagination discover.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Breifly
On Tuesday morning I visited the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop website and learned about their Roman Missal Formation and Health Care Reform websites. I glanced at an article about Liturgical Reforms. I read about the Tridentine Mass and statements made by the Vatican economists. I read accounts of some of Pope Benedict’s Sunday statements.
On Wednesday morning I learned that Senator Edward M. Kennedy had died. On different channels television this was the lead story. This was one of the lead stories of the New York Times and the Washington Post.
A close friend called and informed me of Senator Kennedy’s death. We were saddened but not surprised by this event. I carefully chose which articles to read. It took me several attempts before I could write anything, feel anything. Each death unlocks the feelings of the previous deaths of other loved ones that I have experienced. Each death makes me wonder about my own personal death.
Death often is more intriguing to us than life.
And life continues. We keep breathing. We keep praying. Our Faith keeps growing.
Death encourages and receives lavish praise which often extend beyond the immediate subject. A good life can inspire others to be compassionate, humble, serving God.
On Wednesday morning I learned that Senator Edward M. Kennedy had died. On different channels television this was the lead story. This was one of the lead stories of the New York Times and the Washington Post.
A close friend called and informed me of Senator Kennedy’s death. We were saddened but not surprised by this event. I carefully chose which articles to read. It took me several attempts before I could write anything, feel anything. Each death unlocks the feelings of the previous deaths of other loved ones that I have experienced. Each death makes me wonder about my own personal death.
Death often is more intriguing to us than life.
And life continues. We keep breathing. We keep praying. Our Faith keeps growing.
Death encourages and receives lavish praise which often extend beyond the immediate subject. A good life can inspire others to be compassionate, humble, serving God.
Am I A thinking and Writing Catholic?
I am thinking and writing about God and my faith; I have naturally been
excommunicated by many of my old acquaintances and friends because since immediately before my conversion I reduced the amount of contact I had with many of them. It was really simple. I stopped calling and sending emails. It was quite painless actually. No profanity or angry protestations were exchanged. I simply drifted away. I am a person who likes to talk and if I am not concentrating I tend to mumble and speak under my breath as a consequence many new acquaintances often ask me to repeat my sentences which I do. It is with new people that I learn about me and how I move through this world.
My thoughts are often on God, my Faith, and living a life of love, compassion, and social justice. I feel exhausted after confronting the arrogance, ignorance, avarice, confusion, indecision, and anxiety of modern living. This list changes each day, it contracts and expands everyday. This list reminds me of my schooldays when I was learning how to say and spell these words. I never then thought that my life or anybody’s life could exist with the extremity of any of those “dollar” words. My schooldays were filled with reading books, playing basketball, running track and wondering about how great and grand the future would be. As a child I imagined a loving safe world of happy church going people.
As an adult I discovered that life exists within close proximity of confusion and indecision. Hesitation is often the greatest ally. We all do need time to think, to ponder, to imagine.
The more time we spend in prayer or in service to God the more our lives are enriched. The more we stop thinking about acquiring new bric-a-brac and start living our lives following in the footsteps of Jesus the better our lives will be. Consumerism is noisy. Consumerism preys on insecurities. Consumerism likes agitation and anxiety.
We must remember patience. We must remember kindness. We must remember God is quiet, loving.
As adults life presents many journeys, many routes. There are often many things that we desire to do and as many obstacles. And so the trip to the coast is organized in conjunction with this celebration, those weather conditions, those boat rides, that house party, seeing those people while not seeing these people and eating at that new restaurant mentioned in some magazine. Both the fragility and perplexity of the journey is lost, hidden beneath the weight of the plan. Life is made up of choices and choices have been made. As adults life often encourages us to stop and examine the wildflowers and tall grass that we are trampling on as we move toward our destination.
At some point we must stop, allow ourselves to linger in the love and grace of the Lord. It is good to be a spiritual visitor, to allow yourself a moment to ponder a passage from Scripture, some ecclesiastical doctrine, or the life of a particular saint.
As adults we must remember all the goodness and love that God has given to us and we must find ways to share that goodness and love with others.
excommunicated by many of my old acquaintances and friends because since immediately before my conversion I reduced the amount of contact I had with many of them. It was really simple. I stopped calling and sending emails. It was quite painless actually. No profanity or angry protestations were exchanged. I simply drifted away. I am a person who likes to talk and if I am not concentrating I tend to mumble and speak under my breath as a consequence many new acquaintances often ask me to repeat my sentences which I do. It is with new people that I learn about me and how I move through this world.
My thoughts are often on God, my Faith, and living a life of love, compassion, and social justice. I feel exhausted after confronting the arrogance, ignorance, avarice, confusion, indecision, and anxiety of modern living. This list changes each day, it contracts and expands everyday. This list reminds me of my schooldays when I was learning how to say and spell these words. I never then thought that my life or anybody’s life could exist with the extremity of any of those “dollar” words. My schooldays were filled with reading books, playing basketball, running track and wondering about how great and grand the future would be. As a child I imagined a loving safe world of happy church going people.
As an adult I discovered that life exists within close proximity of confusion and indecision. Hesitation is often the greatest ally. We all do need time to think, to ponder, to imagine.
The more time we spend in prayer or in service to God the more our lives are enriched. The more we stop thinking about acquiring new bric-a-brac and start living our lives following in the footsteps of Jesus the better our lives will be. Consumerism is noisy. Consumerism preys on insecurities. Consumerism likes agitation and anxiety.
We must remember patience. We must remember kindness. We must remember God is quiet, loving.
As adults life presents many journeys, many routes. There are often many things that we desire to do and as many obstacles. And so the trip to the coast is organized in conjunction with this celebration, those weather conditions, those boat rides, that house party, seeing those people while not seeing these people and eating at that new restaurant mentioned in some magazine. Both the fragility and perplexity of the journey is lost, hidden beneath the weight of the plan. Life is made up of choices and choices have been made. As adults life often encourages us to stop and examine the wildflowers and tall grass that we are trampling on as we move toward our destination.
At some point we must stop, allow ourselves to linger in the love and grace of the Lord. It is good to be a spiritual visitor, to allow yourself a moment to ponder a passage from Scripture, some ecclesiastical doctrine, or the life of a particular saint.
As adults we must remember all the goodness and love that God has given to us and we must find ways to share that goodness and love with others.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Being Good is Difficult
Several news organizations wrote articles which mentioned some of the statements which were made by Pope Benedict XVI’s on Sunday from Castel Gandolfo, Italy. His statements echoed Sunday’s Gospel and reminded us how difficult it is to live the Christian virtues. The difficulty of following Christ remains the same as when he was alive and many of his disciples left him.
Our lives today are filled many choices and distractions. How difficult can it be to live a life of love, compassion, and mercy? Is putting God first and trusting that frightening? I wonder if sometimes we forget how important the spirit is to our lives. The flesh and the pleasures of the flesh dominate our culture. The church reminds us that the spirit provides life.
Each time we pass a homeless person and do not have any feelings of compassion, we are moving away from God. Each time we think that abortion is an acceptable alternative, we are moving away from God.
Goodness is not fashionable. Living a life of Christian virtues is not fashionable. There are some things which are more important than the current fashions. Being unique opens us up to different experiences. Being Christian means understanding the dualities of our lives and our desires. Being Christian means living a life of social justice that is moral and ethical. Being Christian is often difficult with an ever growing list of distractions and diversions leading us away from God’s teachings.
Our faith in God can give us strength and hope.
At sometime in our lives all Christians are asked, “Do you also want to leave?” It is a refrain in our lives, that is always there, always a choice. But, there is another question which accompanies that one. At sometime in our lives all Christians are asked, “Why do you want to stay?”
How we answer these questions teach us about ourselves and our beliefs! We need to have God in our lives. We need goodness and hope in our lives and hearts. We need to have things in our lives which encourage and strengthen our faith.
Our lives should always reflect our belief in the words of eternal life which were given to us by Jesus Christ.
Our lives today are filled many choices and distractions. How difficult can it be to live a life of love, compassion, and mercy? Is putting God first and trusting that frightening? I wonder if sometimes we forget how important the spirit is to our lives. The flesh and the pleasures of the flesh dominate our culture. The church reminds us that the spirit provides life.
Each time we pass a homeless person and do not have any feelings of compassion, we are moving away from God. Each time we think that abortion is an acceptable alternative, we are moving away from God.
Goodness is not fashionable. Living a life of Christian virtues is not fashionable. There are some things which are more important than the current fashions. Being unique opens us up to different experiences. Being Christian means understanding the dualities of our lives and our desires. Being Christian means living a life of social justice that is moral and ethical. Being Christian is often difficult with an ever growing list of distractions and diversions leading us away from God’s teachings.
Our faith in God can give us strength and hope.
At sometime in our lives all Christians are asked, “Do you also want to leave?” It is a refrain in our lives, that is always there, always a choice. But, there is another question which accompanies that one. At sometime in our lives all Christians are asked, “Why do you want to stay?”
How we answer these questions teach us about ourselves and our beliefs! We need to have God in our lives. We need goodness and hope in our lives and hearts. We need to have things in our lives which encourage and strengthen our faith.
Our lives should always reflect our belief in the words of eternal life which were given to us by Jesus Christ.
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