Month: November 2013

Want to be humble like me?

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…then pray this prayer!

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being loved…
From the desire of being extolled …
From the desire of being honored …
From the desire of being praised …
From the desire of being preferred to others…
From the desire of being consulted …
From the desire of being approved …
From the fear of being humiliated …
From the fear of being despised…
From the fear of suffering rebukes …
From the fear of being calumniated …
From the fear of being forgotten …
From the fear of being ridiculed …
From the fear of being wronged …
From the fear of being suspected …

That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more than I …
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease …
That others may be chosen and I set aside …
That others may be praised and I unnoticed …
That others may be preferred to me in everything…
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…

This prayer comes from Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val (1865-1930). Here it is in musical form, courtesy of the melodious Audrey Assad:

Catholic Bucket List #6: Read some CS Lewis

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Today we have something of a rather odd Catholic Bucket List item:

Catholic Bucket List #6: Read some CS Lewis

cs-lewis

This is something of an odd Bucket List item since CS Lewis isn’t, in fact, Catholic. However, he is an absolutely terrific writer. This year I have read four C.S. Lewis books and have been so impressed by his depth of thought and refined style. His insight into spiritual battle and temptation in The Screwtape letters is so insightful. His articulation of the Christian faith in Mere Christianity is just superb.

However, you don’t have to read this theological works to fulfill this bucket list item though. Lewis was a writer of some wonderful fiction. I grew up with my mother and sister reading The Chronicles of Narnia to me and they were some of the first books I read myself when I was able. In fact, I would go so far as to invite you, if you have not yet read them, to read The Chronicles of Narnia. In the past few years I have made new friends who have never read them before. When I discover this to be the case, I immediately go out and buy a set for them.

Time to dessert

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If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you may have noticed that I’ve been slacking for a while. I haven’t really written anything substantial for at least a month. Sure, I’ve published every day, but the posts have been extremely brief.

At the beginning of October I began a new series, The Bogwash Epistles, a spin-off of C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters. Despite having notes for the next ten or so letters, I only completed a few. I had also intended to do a series of posts to supplement the talk I gave at Theology On Tap, expanding on some of the areas I had to truncate due to time constraints. That didn’t happen. I had wanted to do a post examining the logic of those who oppose Halloween. Nope, that didn’t happen either… 🙁

The last two months have certainly been busy, so time has been at a premium, but even though now my time constraints have relaxed a little I feel like I don’t have the “head space” to do much writing.

This is all a long-winded way of saying that I’m going to take another blogging hiatus. I’m going to take a break from writing for all of December. As before, quotations from the Desert Fathers are scheduled to keep you company while I’m away.

I’ve been studying Hosea recently and in that book the Lord speaks through His prophet saying that He will draw Israel back out into the desert, to the place where she first encountered Yahweh. It is there that He will speak tender words to her, restore her and rekindle the Divine Romance. I’ve booked myself a weekend silent retreat, blocked Facebook and cancelled a bunch of activities I had planned for December. I think t’s time to head back to the desert…

desert

Wise Words on Wednesday: Alumni

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Solenidade-de-todos-os-santos

Many of the alumni who have attended the university before you fill the seats. The fans, the band, and your teammates are Wolverines. You are family alongside them. The Wolverine family. They want you to win. They consider themselves part of your team even though their time at the university has already come and gone. You are a part of a team who is encouraged by a huge team of fans not only in the stadium but also watching on televisions in bars and homes and listening on radios in cars and trucks all

– Jeff Cavins, “I’m not being fed!”

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