30 December 2009
pick one.
“If I were not a Catholic, and were looking for the true Church in the world today, I would look for the one Church which did not get along well with the world; in other words, I would look for the Church which the world hates. My reason for doing this would be, that if Christ is in any one of the churches of the world today, He must still be hated as He was when He was on earth in the flesh. If you would find Christ today, then find the Church that does not get along with the world. Look for the Church that is hated by the world, as Christ was hated by the world. Look for the Church which is accused of being behind the times, as Our Lord was accused of being ignorant and never having learned. Look for the Church which men sneer at as socially inferior, as they sneered at Our Lord because He came from Nazareth. Look for the Church which is accused of having a devil, as Our Lord was accused of being possessed by Beelzebub, the Prince of Devils. Look for the Church which the world rejects because it claims it is infallible, as Pilate rejected Christ because he called Himself the Truth. Look for the Church which amid the confusion of conflicting opinions, its members love as they love Christ, and respect its voice as the very voice of its Founder, and the suspicion will grow, that if the Church is unpopular with the spirit of the world, then it is unworldly, and if it is unworldly, it is other-worldly. Since it is other-worldly, it is infinitely loved and infinitely hated as was Christ Himself. … the Catholic Church is the only Church existing today which goes back to the time of Christ. History is so very clear on this point, it is curious how many miss its obviousness…” - Abp. Fulton Sheen
29 December 2009
Reflections on the Christ
He was conceived and born contrary to all biological law.
He grew up to be a very bothersome man.
He told the truth and it cost Him His life.
He could have avoided assassination by going fishing in Galilee for the weekend.
He was often seen talking and laughing after His death.
He remains forever a question mark with which people are never quite finished.
Non-believers forever worry lest they might be wrong.
The Church He founded is discussed daily on the first pages of the major newspapers of the world.
What might He have accomplished has He lived to 50?
As a babe, He terrified a King. As a youngster, He puzzled scholars. As a man, He intimidated a Roman Governor.
He was constantly in hot water. He did not seem to mind. He felt it would keep Him clean. He has no training in psychiatry. Yet, He has cured more minds and spirits than anyone else in history. - G.K. Chesterton.
Alexander, Caesar, and Napoleon established mighty empires by force. He began His with love and service. Theirs have disappeared. His remains.
Statesmen have legislated on their turn. Artists and philosophers have reigned for a short period. Some have said they were more popular than He. But their names are written in the sand. His is spoken with frequency by one billion followers.
Each week, millions assemble to salute Him in the Eucharist. He spoke that last night to a small band of illiterate men as though the memorial ceremony would continue down through the centuries. History has proved Him correct.
He calls us to Liturgy both to remember Him and worship Him.
The first food consumed on the moon was bread and wine consumed in His name.
Those who discover they cannot believe in Him live with sorrow. Those who believe but lack the courage to resemble Him survive with regret.
Though centuries separate us from Him, He is more vital than we. We will not even be memories in the next generation, but He will flourish.
He no longer stands in the dock. He has nothing to prove. He has survived the test of time. It is we who are on trial in our reaction to Him.
Unlike countless peoples who impacted society by jumping in front of it and going with the flow, He got in front of the parade to take it in the opposite direction.
No historian can portray humanity honestly without giving Him the foremost place. - H.G. Wells.
Millions utter His name upon rising. Other millions will shout it throughout the day in anger or pain. For still other millions, it is the last name they whisper before they die and the first they expect to speak when they awaken in His presence.
He is the hero you could never invent. - Robert Griffin.
Angels rush to Him. Devils flee from Him.
He not only pushed the envelope. He broke through it.
In a poor mans apparel, He pursues us always.
He is the long delayed but always expected something we live for. - Tennessee Williams.
His name is not so much written into the history of the world as ploughed. - Ralph Waldo Emerson.
He changed B.C into A.D. - Harry Emerson Fosdick.
He has no interest in people theorising about Him but rather reproducing Him in their lives. - Albert Nolan.
It is not He who needs us. It is we who need Him.
He grew up to be a very bothersome man.
He told the truth and it cost Him His life.
He could have avoided assassination by going fishing in Galilee for the weekend.
He was often seen talking and laughing after His death.
He remains forever a question mark with which people are never quite finished.
Non-believers forever worry lest they might be wrong.
The Church He founded is discussed daily on the first pages of the major newspapers of the world.
What might He have accomplished has He lived to 50?
As a babe, He terrified a King. As a youngster, He puzzled scholars. As a man, He intimidated a Roman Governor.
He was constantly in hot water. He did not seem to mind. He felt it would keep Him clean. He has no training in psychiatry. Yet, He has cured more minds and spirits than anyone else in history. - G.K. Chesterton.
Alexander, Caesar, and Napoleon established mighty empires by force. He began His with love and service. Theirs have disappeared. His remains.
Statesmen have legislated on their turn. Artists and philosophers have reigned for a short period. Some have said they were more popular than He. But their names are written in the sand. His is spoken with frequency by one billion followers.
Each week, millions assemble to salute Him in the Eucharist. He spoke that last night to a small band of illiterate men as though the memorial ceremony would continue down through the centuries. History has proved Him correct.
He calls us to Liturgy both to remember Him and worship Him.
The first food consumed on the moon was bread and wine consumed in His name.
Those who discover they cannot believe in Him live with sorrow. Those who believe but lack the courage to resemble Him survive with regret.
Though centuries separate us from Him, He is more vital than we. We will not even be memories in the next generation, but He will flourish.
He no longer stands in the dock. He has nothing to prove. He has survived the test of time. It is we who are on trial in our reaction to Him.
Unlike countless peoples who impacted society by jumping in front of it and going with the flow, He got in front of the parade to take it in the opposite direction.
No historian can portray humanity honestly without giving Him the foremost place. - H.G. Wells.
Millions utter His name upon rising. Other millions will shout it throughout the day in anger or pain. For still other millions, it is the last name they whisper before they die and the first they expect to speak when they awaken in His presence.
He is the hero you could never invent. - Robert Griffin.
Angels rush to Him. Devils flee from Him.
He not only pushed the envelope. He broke through it.
In a poor mans apparel, He pursues us always.
He is the long delayed but always expected something we live for. - Tennessee Williams.
His name is not so much written into the history of the world as ploughed. - Ralph Waldo Emerson.
He changed B.C into A.D. - Harry Emerson Fosdick.
He has no interest in people theorising about Him but rather reproducing Him in their lives. - Albert Nolan.
It is not He who needs us. It is we who need Him.
24 December 2009
20 December 2009
18 December 2009
remember.
"Do not forget that true love sets no conditions; it does not calculate or complain, but simply loves."-JP2
15 December 2009
14 December 2009
12 December 2009
...and still He loves you.
There is never a sudden revelation, a complete and tidy explanation for why it happened, or why it ends, or why or who you are. You want one and I want one, but there isn’t one. It comes in bits and pieces, and you stitch them together wherever they fit, and when you are done you hold yourself up, and still there are holes and you are a rag doll, invented, imperfect. And yet you are all that you have, so you must be enough. There is no other way.
— Mayra Hornbacher, Wasted
— Mayra Hornbacher, Wasted
10 December 2009
06 December 2009
happy. period.
One day at school they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I said “Happy”. They said I didn’t understand the assignment. I told them they didn’t understand life.
05 December 2009
04 December 2009
Two from the Windshield...
Give Yourself Away
“Jesus said to them, ‘How many loaves do you have?’” ~Matthew 15: 34
Everyone has heard this story. Seven loaves and a few fish feed crowds of thousands with baskets full to spare. I usually interpret this gospel as a reminder that there is more than enough. God is boundless and likes to share. But my friend got me thinking about this story in another way. It is not just about God’s ability to do anything (even though he can). He could have fed the thousands without the seven loaves. But it says something about us that he would want us to participate in his miracles. That he would want us to give all we have even if the contribution looks pitiful compared to the need.
Love Letter
On this first day of December, I decided to give myself some advice, to let my smarter side speak kindly to my more panicky, frantic, worrisome self.
Dear Friend,
I know you doubt yourself and the world around you. You don’t have to. There’s enough time, talent, money and happiness to go around. Even when things don’t look like they are working out, trust that they are. Your big impossible dreams are closer than you think. So relax. Enjoy the holidays. And remember you are truly, deeply blessed.
Love,
Your Wiser Self
PS: Eat more vegetables and get some exercise.
VIA a GREAT blog
thank you note
When someone says "Thank You" it is a recognition of the love of the giver.
I thank God for you today because, through you, He loves and cares for me.
I thank God for you today because, through you, He loves and cares for me.
more!
"I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no hurt, but only more love." - Mother Teresa
01 December 2009
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