Reading List Update
Last year I didn’t complete my Reading List and so to encourage me to finish it this year I’m going to post an update on the 1st of every month with my progress.
Tag: featured
Resolution Update
Resolution update time!
Resolution #1. Go dancing at least once a week.
I’ve done reasonably well on this one, doing a load of swing and a little bit of salsa.
Resolution #2. Check bank statements once a week.
Utterly failed. Only checked it once. C’mon man!
Resolution #3. Complete Reading List
So far I’ve finished The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, Mere Christianity, Problem of Pain,
The Desert Fathers: Sayings of the Early Christian Monks. I’m about a 50% through After Jesus, 30% through Every Man’s Journey and 10% through both Confessions and Hold Me Tight.
Resolution #4. Give up Facebook for Lent
It’s not Lent yet 🙂
Resolution #5. Guard free time more jealously
I’ve done pretty well at this and I’ve also managed to do a Holy Hour each week (even if I did get kicked out of the Adoration chapel a few days ago!). I had an hour-long massage this week. Things have been a little stressful and I’ve been really glad about the extra “margin” in my life 🙂
Resolution #6. Invest more time in friendships
Had several hang outs with friends who I haven’t seen in a while.
Resolution #7. Blacklist TV Shows
Blacklisted shows have remained blacklisted. I’m still spending more time in front of the TV than I would like though.
Resolution #8. Run a half marathon and do a 15 minute plank
I’m currently up to a 10 minute plank. I also signed up for the Warrior Dash in April.
Resolution #9. Cook a proper meal once a week
I’ve only done some proper cooking for two out of the four weeks. I need to be a bit more disciplined about this.
Resolution #10. Write the book
I haven’t done any more work on it yet, but I’m trying to clear out the “Drafts” folder of my blog first.
Bible Translations
One of my friends sent me an email asking about Bible translations and requesting an introductory post on the subject. Well Ricardo, here you go…
Before we start talking about different translations, let’s begin by considering the language of the original Biblical manuscripts, which are known as “autographs”. In what language were these originals documents written? Despite what Henry Higgins suggests, the Bible was not originally written in English…
So, if it wasn’t English, in what language was the Bible initially written? Well, the original Biblical documents were, in fact, written in several languages. Different languages were used for the Old Testament and New Testament, so let’s look at them in turn…
Group Pilgrimage
I thought I would do a follow-up to yesterday’s post about friendship…
Since the earliest times, as pilgrims traveled towards some holy site, they would travel together in groups. They would band together for support, encouragement and safety as they journeyed towards their pilgrimage destination. Likewise, in our pilgrimage towards Heaven, good friends along the way can offer us all kinds of support.
Given my personality type, I benefit greatly from time by myself, but in recent years I’ve come to understand how much I need friends. Good, virtuous friends support and encourage, but also tell us the cold, hard truth about ourselves when we really need it.
A while ago I was praying The Office of Readings and read about the beautiful friendship between St. Basil and St. Gregory of Nazianzen. These were two of the three “Cappadocian Fathers” who were Early Church Fathers in Fourth Century Turkey. On Wednesday, in the Eastern calendar, it will be their feast day, the “Feast of the Three Holy Hierarchs“, I thought I’d share an extract from one of Gregory’s sermons where he describes his relationship with Basil.
Temple of Friendship
Today I’d like to ramble a little bit about the subject of “friendship” as it has been on my mind recently. In fact, one of my New Year Resolutions this year was as follows:
Resolution #6. Invest more time in friendships
I have some really good friends. I should spend more time with them.
This was inspired by one of my favourite Bible pages from the Deuterocanon:
Let your acquaintances be many, but one in a thousand your confidant.
When you gain a friend, first test him, and be not too ready to trust him.
For one sort is a friend when it suits him, but he will not be with you in time of distress.
…
A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds one finds a treasure.
A faithful friend is beyond price, no sum can balance his worth.
A faithful friend is a life-saving remedy, such as he who fears God finds;
For he who fears God behaves accordingly, and his friend will be like himself.
– Sirach 6:6-17
OCD: Curse and Blessing
Earlier this week I produced a summary of a paper written by Dr. Daniel G. Amen about combating Automatic Negative Thoughts. I decided that today I’d add something of an addendum to that post and talk a little bit about my experiences with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
OCD is an anxiety disorder in which the sufferers have repeated, unwanted thoughts which compel them to perform certain actions which provide relief from the unwanted thoughts. This relief, however, is only temporary and the feelings, unbidden, soon return. The OCD mind then demands that the actions be performed once again. The actions quickly become ritualistic, increasingly elaborate and need to be repeated over and over again with increasing frequency in order to relieve the sufferer’s mind.
Squishing Ants
Knowing that my interest in the subject of psychology has been increasing recently, last week a friend gave me a paper written by Daniel G. Amen, MD on the subject of Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs). Those who suffer from depression will almost always suffer from Automatic Negative Thoughts, filling their minds of such people are filled with a succession of dispiriting thoughts. They view the world through a dim grey lens and this colours their thoughts concerning both themselves and others. They look to the past with regret, find the present unsatisfactory and look to the future with anxiety and pessimism.
I thought Dr. Amen’s paper contained such solid advice that I would write a short post here summarizing its contents.
