Views of a new Catholic in an old world on the joy and inexhaustible meaning found in the Faith
Bach knows coffee…
Johann Sebastian Bach loved coffee, before coffee houses were cool. He and his musician friends hung out at a place in Liepzig that was something along the lines of Central Perk in the television series Friends, and they jammed, and penned masterpieces, and stuff.
Being the giant of music knowledge that I am, I found all this out today via a Google search (about 5 minutes ago) because I love books, coffee, and music. [Read more...]
Once I met up with Thomas Merton, it didn’t take long for him to introduce me to St. Bernard of Clairvaux. Not exactly the founder of the Cistercian Order, as that distinction belongs to the trio of monks Robert of Molesme, Alberic, and Stephen Harding, all in the Communion of Saints now too, he nonetheless grew the Cistercian Order into a powerhouse of prayer.
Bernard, a Doctor of the Church, was indefatigable in his allegiance to Christ and to the Catholic Church. He was a contemplative, but was constantly being called into action, attending Church councils, while providing counsel to monarchs, and even preaching the Second Crusade. Repairing schisms and matching wits with Peter Abelard (and others constantly), it’s a miracle he had time for prayer, or anything else for that matter.
Personally, I don’t think he slept much. [Read more...]
The other day I shared the story about the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s letter to the University of Tennessee regarding prayer before events. The University has stated that they will continue to allow “non-sectarian” prayer before sporting events, etc., and the FFRF has said they will not pursue further legal action, but that they will continue to monitor the situation.
As the clip below reports, the FFRF is on the march throughout the state of Tennessee, doing what they can to free the masses from what they consider to be an exclusive practice, and one that violates the separation of church and state. Roll tape, [Read more...]
No, I don’t mean any of the talking heads over at News Corp., The Big Three, or any of the Sunday Morning shows. No siree. Cut to the chase and get straight to the facts, with a little fun to boot.
First up? Stephen Colbert believes and is overwhelmed with a bittersweet sense of loss. [Read more...]
And try as we might, it’s completely beyond our control…
Image Credit: NASA’s GSFC, SDO AIA Team
Smart folks explain, [Read more...]
I heard 12 baskets were left over…
You really should read his Apostolic Exhortation, On the Church in the Middle East: Communion and Witness. You’ll be glad you did.
If this post doesn’t cut you to the quick, nothing will. Put on the shoes of the other side, and recall clearly where consequentialism leads, and how if we let it, it will damn us all to Hell. [Read more...]
Which points out to me that though he (perhaps) will be perceived as being on the right/correct side of history, he’ll still be just another casualty in the train wreck of relativism.
All the world’s major religions, with their emphasis on love, compassion, patience, tolerance, and forgiveness can and do promote inner values. But the reality of the world today is that grounding ethics in religion is no longer adequate. This is why I am increasingly convinced that the time has come to find a way of thinking about spirituality and ethics beyond religion altogether.
Sounds like anarchy to me. What do I know that the 61,789(and climbing) folks (in four hours) that liked this thought on Facebook don’t know? Something G.K. Chesterton observed regarding our proclivity to throw in the towel and cry uncle. [Read more...]
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