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Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
Today is the feast of my local parish’s patron saint, St. John the Baptist. It being a weekday we had a morning Mass, which I normally attend, and a special evening Mass due to this solemn occasion. I was able to attend both. Today also marks the first novena I have ever completed, the novena of St. John the Baptist. A novena is a prayer over a span of nine consecutive days. It is usually timed so that it ends on a special feast day. It is a traditional Catholic prayer and I may have done one when I was a child in grade school, but I do not remember doing one. Focusing, meditating, praying, and pondering over the life of St. John the Baptist over these last nine days has given me pause to rethink about my own life. When am I called to be a “voice in the wilderness?” Am I proclaiming “Behold the Lamb of God” for all those who need to hear it in my life? I think of John leaping for joy in his mother’s womb when Mary pregnant with Jesus arrives for the Visitation. Do I leap for joy? May we all be filled…
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The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
Today was the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. This is a very important day for Catholics as it represents one of our core beliefs, the real presence of Christ in the body and blood at Communion. Today at Mass I happened to be both a greeter and an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist. Since our patron saint is St. John the Baptist and his feast day is tomorrow, we also had fellowship after Mass. This consisted of beverages, donuts, and cookies. A nice time to meet and talk with those you know and any new faces that you might not know. I wish more people took advantage of it, but unfortunately, many left right after Mass. Perhaps they had other pressing things to attend to. I am not trying to judge; it is just that I feel it was a missed opportunity. I was born and raised a Catholic, but I drifted away over the years and it was not till 5-6 years ago that I earnestly “came home.” It really did feel like home. It is one of the tales where you go off and search every where else only to find that what…
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The Adventures of Augie March
Title: The Adventures of Augie March Author: Saul Bellow Published: New York: The Viking Press, 1953 I am an American, Chicago born – Chicago, that somber city – and go at things as I have taught myself, free-style, and will make the record in my own way: first to knock, first admitted; sometimes an innocent knock, sometimes a not so innocent. But a man’s character is his fate, says Heraclitus, and in the end there isn’t any way to disguise the nature of the knocks by acoustical work on the door or gloving the knuckles.[1] And that my friends is how Bellow begins The Adventures of Augie March. It truly is an American story. One that captures the hopes, dreams, and disappointments that many may experience. The characters are alive and believable. There is a little bit of Augie in each of us I believe. We want to do our own thing and make the best of life, but very often we are carried along by the current. It is almost as if the inevitable has a way of grabbing us by the coattails and dragging us along. The experiences and encounters that Augie experience are very wide in what…
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Clump of Cells?
My brother James called me this morning to vent some frustration he felt on a conversation he had on social media with a lady who is pro-choice. He complained of her calling the fetus just a “clump of cells.” The woman claimed she had an abortion in the past and was proud of this fact. My brother argued back that aren’t we all a “clump of cells?” One would think that arguing that the fetus is just a clump of cells is really a very poor argument. I do admire my brother for standing up and voicing his opinion and attempting to engage with others. Unfortunately, the argument degenerated into name calling and my brother was frustrated as he would really like a real debate or dialogue as to why this woman thought it was okay to have an abortion. Perhaps she did answer his question in a way. The answer is a devaluing of human life. In an age where we claim that we are sensitive to the sacredness of every individual and their unique value, we seem to practice just the opposite. A civilized society honors the individual, especially its weakest members. Let’s face it, none of us…
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Who took the treasure? Exploring the mystery of missing literature in our libraries
Libraries. A place of learning and a repository of knowledge. The other day I visited one of our local branches with my son and grandchildren. While he was returning books and looking for new ones I strolled around the place. I had not been in this particular branch in over a decade. I was surprised at how open it was. Lots of free space. The shelves were half covered with books. The children’s section was huge. Several people were on computers playing games or web browsing. There was the large section of movies and audiobooks. I made my way to the actual book collection. The fiction section was the dominant part with just a small part for non-fiction. As I browsed the fiction books, I noticed many contemporary authors and multiple copies of their books. I walked through the aisles looking for classics or time-honored works. I am a firm believer in classics. They give us a good litmus test to judge contemporary works. After going up and down all the rows of books I walked up to the desk to ask for some help. The young lady behind the counter was very pleasant and seemed eager to help me. …
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Applying the Dignity of Human Life
It is in the practical and concrete application of ethics and morals that we run in to trouble. For example, we may believe that we need to recognize the value of every human being, but how exactly to manifest this in our day to day activities is another matter altogether. How do we give value to the life of a pedophile, rapist, murderer, or specific people like Stalin, Mao, or Hitler? We must first recognize that we are having a problem reconciling the two opinions. What usually happens is that we can agree in the case of a general rule, i.e. that we are made in the image of God and that we need to respect human life. But when it comes to the specific, we have difficulties applying this rule. One needs first to clarify their belief in the original moral statement. Then we compare and rationally understand how this applies to the group or individual we feel compelled to exclude. This may need some soul searching and even a humble admittance that we too have the potential to become that which we most abhor. Let us look at the dignity of a human life. As we have advanced…
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Childish vs Childlike
At first it may appear that these two terms are very similar as they deal with children. But that is not really true, as we use them many times to describe adult behavior. To be childish has a very negative connotation whereas childlike has a positive connotation. When I think of childish, I think of regression, selfishness, immature, absorbed in one’s own interests in a harmful way. On the contrary, when I think of childlike, I think of curiosity, innocence, smiling faces, youth, energy, trust, amiability, playfulness with a sense of experiencing true leisure, exploration, honesty, and love. The former is more destructive and in opposition to growth and maturity. The latter is a good quality that we should attempt to nurture throughout our life. Let’s face it, there is more to this world and life than we will ever know. When we decide to stop looking at the world around us, exploring and discovering both our inner selves and those around us, we start regressing. It is all how we look at the world. When we give up on the world and think it owes us, or we have taken the measure and found it wanting, when we have…
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My History with The Great Conversation
The Great Conversation is the first book of the series The Great Books of the Western World. You can find it in the reference section of most libraries. To understand my relationship with this collection, a little personal history is required. I was an Electronics Vocational student in high school that graduated in the bottom third of his class. Not a great start, but I graduated. I went on to enroll in an Electronics Engineering degree program. I did great my first trimester, earning a 4.0. This boosted my confidence and I went into the second trimester thinking this is easy. Unfortunately, most of the first trimester was over what I had learned in two years of high school vocational studies. The real challenge was just beginning and I did not have the discipline and study skills to succeed. My grades quickly plummeted and I dropped out. Shortly thereafter, I attended the Ohio State Fair and they had a booth selling the Encyclopedia Britannica. Now this being 1982, Al Gore had not yet invented the internet and I did not have Wikipedia at my disposal. With a little coaxing I was convinced to purchase the complete set of the Encyclopedia…
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Changing Seasons, Are You Ready
As the daylight lessens in the northern hemisphere and the leaves change colors, it is once again time to start looking forward to the holiday season. Halloween is over, Christmas shopping season is starting. Thanksgiving is lost in the middle. More on that on another day. The weather is changing also. Harvest time has passed for most crops. Rural folks are making sure they have the heating oil and wood they need for the winter. Urbanites are turning on their furnaces and calling landlords/repairmen if needed. We should all start preparing for the cold of winter. Ensure your car is ready for the weather in your area. Are the tires properly inflated? Does your heater work? How’s your battery doing? Do you have a blanket in the car where you can reach it without getting out of the car? (The trunk is fine if you can get to it there.) It is best to think about these things before there is cold weather than to wait and forget them till they are needed and it’s too late.
