Category Archives: Christian
On Not Judging the Man-Just the Record
For the record: judging, discerning, and choosing are part and parcel of life. From day one, our senses present the world to us and we’re off on the grand adventure. All is recorded in the Book of Life from cradle to grave. “Known but to God” can be recorded on every tombstone. And so, now we come to the death of the “great man”, Edward Moore “Ted” Kennedy. What constitutes this greatness matters. Of late, we have seen idols and iconic figures come to their respective ends. To judge, to discern, to choose is human, wisdom depends on it. Society learns and survives by it.
Let a merciful and just God judge the disposition of a soul. I’m okay with that for myself and others. What to make though, of hours and days and in some cases eons of public pronouncements and near cult worship. Senator Ted Kennedy died and now the myth begins, or has it been spun like a cocoon about him throughout life? For the butterfly to emerge, the cocoon must be broken.
I’m of the opinion that God isn’t wowed by the Kennedy legacy and I’m certain all spin stops before His throne. A face to face with God isn’t like Facebook, Twitter or even “Meet the Press”. Men may flatter us, but the truth is that pride goes before a fall. Before the Almighty, humility is the better garb.
For my part, I see that Edward Moore “Ted” Kenned, had it all; life lived to the full. He got the chance as the youngest of nine children born to a Catholic mother who practiced her faith, not birth control, to experience family, faith, power, love, fun, sin and foolishness. He got to make mistakes, ask forgiveness, build bonds of kinship and friendship. He got to roar like a lion and cry like a baby. I see, too, that this gifted and blessed man, failed to find it in his heart or philosophy to support the unborn, the un-named also conceived by the will of God, failed to grant them protection or welcome into the same life he so abundantly lived. May these, the Holy Innocents, now pray for him, their brother, offering the purest Innocent, the Lamb of God, to a loving Father who even Now, stoops to the lowly when they cry out for mercy. Lord have mercy!
Ignatius Press sticks to the facts and leaves the funeral fuss, fantasy, and lionization to press, popular myth romantics, and political agendas.
Ordination 2009 New York
H/T nypriest.com and Grassroots Films:
Effects of Divine Love
My Imitation of Christ by Thomas a’ Kempis
Book Three-Fifth Chapter
The Wonderful Effect of Divine Love
The Disciple:
I BLESS You, O heavenly Father, Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, for having condescended to remember me, a poor creature. Thanks to You, O Father of mercies, God of all consolation, Who with Your comfort sometimes refresh me, who am not worthy of it. I bless You always and glorify You with Your only-begotten Son and the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, forever and ever. Ah, Lord God, my holy Lover, when You come into my heart, all that is within me will rejoice. You are my glory and the exultation of my heart. You are my hope and refuge in the day of my tribulation. But because my love is as yet weak and my virtue imperfect, I must be strengthened and comforted by You. Visit me often, therefore, and teach me Your holy discipline. Free me from evil passions and cleanse my heart of all disorderly affection so that, healed and purified within, I may be fit to love, strong to suffer, and firm to persevere. Love is an excellent thing, a very great blessing, indeed. It makes every difficulty easy, and bears all wrongs with equanimity. For it bears a burden without being weighted and renders sweet all that is bitter. The noble love of Jesus spurs to great deeds and excites longing for that which is more perfect. Love tends upward; it will not be held down by anything low. Love wishes to be free and estranged from all worldly affections, lest its inward sight be obstructed, lest it be entangled in any temporal interest and overcome by adversity. Nothing is sweeter than love, nothing stronger or higher or wider; nothing is more pleasant, nothing fuller, and nothing better in heaven or on earth, for love is born of God and cannot rest except in God, Who is above all created things. One who is in love flies, runs, and rejoices; he is free, not bound. He gives all for all and possesses all in all, because he rests in the one sovereign Good, Who is above all things, and from Whom every good flows and proceeds. He does not look to the gift but turns himself above all gifts to the Giver. Love often knows no limits but overflows all bounds. Love feels no burden, thinks nothing of troubles, attempts more than it is able, and does not plead impossibility, because it believes that it may and can do all things. For this reason, it is able to do all, performing and effecting much where he who does not love fails and falls. Love is watchful. Sleeping, it does not slumber. Wearied, it is not tired. Pressed, it is not straitened. Alarmed, it is not confused, but like a living flame, a burning torch, it forces its way upward and passes unharmed through every obstacle. If a man loves, he will know the sound of this voice. For this warm affection of soul is a loud voice crying in the ears of God, and it says: “My God, my love, You are all mine and I am all Yours. Give me an increase of love, that I may learn to taste with the inward lips of my heart how sweet it is to love, how sweet to be dissolved in love and bathe in it. Let me be rapt in love. Let me rise above self in great fervor and wonder. Let me sing the hymn of love, and let me follow You, my Love, to the heights. Let my soul exhaust itself in praising You, rejoicing out of love. Let me love You more than myself, and let me not love myself except for Your sake. In You let me love all those who truly love You, as the law of love, which shines forth from You, commands.” Love is swift, sincere, kind, pleasant, and delightful. Love is strong, patient and faithful, prudent, long-suffering, and manly. Love is never self-seeking, for in whatever a person seeks himself there he falls from love. Love is circumspect, humble, and upright. It is neither soft nor light, nor intent upon vain things. It is sober and chaste, firm and quiet, guarded in all the senses. Love is subject and obedient to superiors. It is mean and contemptible in its own eyes, devoted and thankful to God; always trusting and hoping in Him even when He is distasteful to it, for there is no living in love without sorrow. He who is not ready to suffer all things and to stand resigned to the will of the Beloved is not worthy to be called a lover. A lover must embrace willingly all that is difficult and bitter for the sake of the Beloved, and he should not turn away from Him because of adversities.
Gathering His Chicks
Jesus is still gathering His chicks in a world bent on self rather than Salvation. Jesus will never give up on us though.
Five little ducks went out one day,
Over the hill and far away;
Mother duck said, “Quack, quack, quack, quack.”
But only four little ducks came back.Four little ducks went out one day,
Over the hill and far away;
Mother duck said, “Quack, quack, quack, quack.”
But only three little ducks came back.Three little ducks went out one day,
Over the hill and far away;
Mother duck said, “Quack, quack, quack, quack.”
But only two little ducks came back.Two little ducks went out one day,
Over the hill and far away;
Mother duck said, “Quack, quack, quack, quack.”
But only one little duck came back.One little duck went out one day,
Over the hill and far away;
Mother duck said, “Quack, quack, quack, quack.”
But none of the five little ducks came back.Sad mother duck went out one day,
Over the hill and far away;
The sad mother duck said “Quack, quack, quack.”
And all of the five little ducks came back
“God, our Father, created a big and loving family in His Church. Jesus prays that we are one (John 17:21-23), as He and His father in heaven are one. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we wish to invite you to learn more about our family in faith: a Church filled with beauty, miracles, heroes, history, love and peace.” (Catholics Come Home)
“Love is a mutual self-giving that ends in self-recovery. You recover God, and He recovers you.”
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
Obama Concerned – Drawing Attention Away From God?
Obama afraid he might over-shadow God by his presence at Sunday worship?
Lynn Sweet reports in the Chicago Sun-Times:
Gibbs was asked at the briefing, “Is the Time magazine report correct, that the president has told his staff that he intends to not search for a church in Washington but he will worship at Camp David instead?
Gibbs’ answer used the word formal many times–a wiggle word, perhaps.
He replied, “No. He’s — there have been no formal decisions about joining a church. I think I’ve mentioned in here, in the past couple of weeks, that when he goes to Camp David, he has attended services at the chapel there. He enjoys the pastor there.
“They’re not formally joining that church. And there have been no formal decisions on joining a church in this area. I will say, I think, one aspect of the article that is true, as I mentioned here in that same discussion, was the concern that the president continues to have, about the disruptive nature of his presence on any particular Sunday, in some churches around the area.
“I think that was discussed in the article. And I know he’s — I think obviously he shares the strong belief that there’s a very personal nature to one’s spirituality. And for it to be — for his presence to be disruptive, I think, he believes that takes away from the experience that others might get and certainly doesn’t want to do that.”
Be Holy! 