Wake Up Call - Insights & Musings to Stir Your Soul

Were Jesus and Mary Magdalene Lovers?

February 13, 2019 By Tom Rapsas

If you read the gospels, you quickly see that Jesus is a man of many emotions—and not all of them are positive. As one Christian publication points out, he is at times angry, indignant, distressed, depressed and sorrowful. On the plus side, he also has moments of joy and happiness, empathy and compassion. Which raises a question: If Jesus was in fact “flesh and blood” and experienced the full spectrum of human emotions, did he also experience the feelings of… Read more

Are You Being You? (Insights on the True Self)

February 10, 2019 By Tom Rapsas

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Let the world know you as you are, not as you think you should be, because sooner or later, if you are posing, you will forget the pose, and then where are you? ~Fanny Brice From the outside looking in, James Martin was living the good life. He was 29 years old and had a good job working for a Fortune 500 company. He had a fancy apartment, hip friends, wore stylish suits to work and had begun to climb… Read more

How to Make an Important Decision (advice from Saint Ignatius)

February 6, 2019 By Tom Rapsas

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Where do you turn when you need help making an important decision, one that involves changing your job, your relationship or where you live? According to Kevin O’Brien, author of The Ignatian Adventure, the best advice come from a man who lived 500 years ago. O’Brien writes that Saint Ignatius of Loyola, who founded the Jesuit religious order in 1540, was known as a master in the art of spiritual direction. Ignatius collected his thoughts, insights and prayers in… Read more

Death by Work: The Cautionary Tale of Frank Meyer Lemon

January 30, 2019 By Tom Rapsas

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Did you ever wonder where the name “Meyer” lemon came from? I did the other day and after some research discovered that this juicier, sweeter version of an ordinary lemon was named for one Frank Meyer. And there’s an amazing, cautionary story behind the man. Meyer was an explorer whose travels across China in the early 1900s were written up by major newspapers and earned him an audience with Teddy Roosevelt. But Meyer was no ordinary adventurer—he was an “agricultural explorer”… Read more

Do Guardian Angels Really Exist?

January 23, 2019 By Tom Rapsas

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Each one of us, even the poorest of the poor, has angels watching over him. The angels are glorious, pure and splendid, but they have been given to us as companions along the way of life. They have the task of watching over you all, so that you do not stray away from Christ, your Lord. ~Pope Pius XII, 1958 There’s a group within the Roman Catholic Church that’s called Opus Sanctorum Angelorum (Work of the Holy Angels). But it might… Read more

The Greatest Thing in the World (as found in the Bible)

January 16, 2019 By Tom Rapsas

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To me, reading the Bible for inspiration can be like panning for gold. I can go hours sifting for insights and meaning only to come up empty. That’s why I prefer to have other, wiser souls point out the golden nuggets to me, because if you know where to look, there is wisdom to be found. I recently uncovered an important Biblical insight in the book The Greatest Thing in the World, which draws it draws its message from the… Read more

The one vital lesson that all religions teach

January 9, 2019 By Tom Rapsas

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Karen Armstrong is a former Catholic nun who left the church to become one of the world’s leading writers on spirituality and faith, penning books on the Bible, Buddhism and Islam, as well as A History of God. Recently, she was interviewed by Oprah and asked the question: “Is there a common thread that ties together all religions?” Leaning on a lifetime of religious study and writing, Armstrong said that there was one theme she found in all religions. She… Read more

Why Resolutions Fail—and What to Do About It

January 2, 2019 By Tom Rapsas

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It’s that time of year, when we again make promises to become a better version of ourselves. Your resolution may involve improving your diet, your health, your relationships or your spiritual well-being. And if you’re like most people, at some point you’ll backslide, reverting back to your old form. The good news is you can take action before trouble starts. In the book Mastery, The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment, George Leonard writes that the experience of backsliding is… Read more

The Top 15 Things Money Can’t Buy

December 30, 2018 By Tom Rapsas

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I stumbled upon a unique list the other day, in a way it’s the spiritual opposite of a to-do list. It’s a reminder that for all the concerns we may have about financial matters, the things that matter most in life have nothing to do with money. The list comes from the inspirational author Roy T. Bennett and it serves as a helpful reminder that while money may be important, it does not equate to happiness or a life well-lived…. Read more

7 Tips for the Spiritual Investor

December 26, 2018 By Tom Rapsas

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I first published this column back in 2015, when the stock market had a few hiccups. Now that the market is going through a particularly tough stretch, I thought it was time to revisit it—both for my own peace-of-mind and that of any readers who have money invested in the market. If you’re like me, and you have money invested in a 401K account, the last few weeks have been more than stressful. The stock market has been moving steadily downward… Read more