Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been working hard on a paper for my spirituality class.
The paper is on St. Bonaventure’s understanding of grace, as presented in his document called the Breviloquium. The challenge of the paper is how to help people in 2012 understand the thought of this Medieval writer, and make his beautiful understanding of grace come alive for them.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve spent all weekend trying to catch up. Catch up on yard work. Catch up on rest. Catch up with friends and family. Catch up on reading. Catch up on work.
So often, we use these long weekends to re-group, get back on track, and relax a bit before we have to start all over again. Today being Memorial Day, I think we need to pause and remember why this day came about, and not take it for just another day off.
I’m in my second week of doctoral classes at Catholic University of America. Actually, if you throw in the on-line component (six weeks), I’m more than half way through the semester. Thanks be to God 🙂
One of the real joys of being on campus is that I can visit the National Shrine, which sits on campus. One of the largest Catholic churches in our hemisphere, the Shrine is a remarkable place.
Earlier this week, I walked by one of the side entrances, and looking up, I read this passage from James (1:22), which is above the doorway. I hope you can make out the words in the photo, but if not, they read: “Be doers of the Word and not hearers only.”
It’s been some time since I last quoted from the book Grace In Every Season, written by Catherine Doherty. Sadly, this book is difficult to find now, but I recently found that you can still get it through Madonna House, the community that Doherty founded.
So often, many of us are hardest on ourselves.
“Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise.”
Luke 24:5-7
Wishing you a most joyous Easter Season!
“But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his wounds we were healed.” Isaiah 53:5
It is hard to believe another Good Friday is here. It’s a beautiful day in my area, and I’ve just come back from a walk. I’ll be heading off to church a bit later, but I sometimes feel like just getting out in nature helps me clear my mind before a long service.
When was the last time you went away for some time of prayer and reflection?
For most people, the answer might be never. That’s sad, because we all need some time to decompress from the stresses of life. We all know things have been tough for a lot of people, and all this stress has taken its toll.
Some might seek the peace they need by going to the ocean, the mountains, or maybe even the desert. People have been going to these places for thousands of years.
Others find peace by going to a church or retreat center. I recently had such an experience by visiting a Franciscan Monastery not too far from my house. It was a great day.
In mid April, my good friend George and I are going to start out on a new adventure, and yesterday, we sat down over coffee to talk about it.
George and I recently got accepted into a doctoral program at Catholic University of America in Washington DC. The program is somewhat specialized and it looks like there will only be about eight other people joining us on this three-year endeavor. We’re excited!
“And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; the one who seeks, finds; and the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Luke 11:9-10
Over the last several days, my church has hosted what we call a Parish Mission. Our parish community gathered each night to hear a spiritual talk, and our presenter this year was a retired bishop named Harry Flynn. He was the Archbishop of St. Paul & Minneapolis until retiring in 2008. Before he left yesterday morning, he celebrated our early morning Mass, and I had the chance to hear him preach one more time.
Eternal Lord of all things, I feel your gaze on me. I sense that your mother stands near, and the great beings crowd around You.
Angels and powers and martyrs and saints. If you help me, please, I would like to make an offering:
I want it to be my desire, and my choice, provided that You want it this way, to walk this earth the way You walked it.
I know that you lived in a little town, without luxury, without great education. I know that you refused political power.
I know that you suffered: Leaders rejected You. Friends abandoned You. You failed. I know. I hate to think about it.
None of it looks very romantic to me, or very useful. But it seems to me a toweringly wonderful thing that Your divine majesty might call me to follow after You! – St. Ignatius