On Tuesday, November 1, the House passed a resolution to reaffirm our nation's motto, "In God We Trust", with an overwhelming majority.
This is good news, but difficult news. A motto identifies its subject. It's meant to be something that sticks with you, something you remember. Something you live by.
The motto of the United States of America presents a challenge to all American citizens.
"In God We Trust": are we living it, America?
TJTM,
V
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Motion is a Sign of Life
During the first week of my semester abroad in Austria, I visited Stift Melk, a famous Benedictine abbey, with my classmates. I discovered the reflection below posted in one of the exposition rooms. It helps to reassure me when I'm feeling restless or uncertain of the Lord's will.
Motion is a Sign of Life
When I am in motion I see only one side, one aspect. Some things are unclear; I see only parts, not the whole.
When I am in motion, on my way, I am continually reaching new shores, getting to know the world, other people, and myself. I always have a new goal.
Being on the move causes unrest, but this unrest enables me to move, lets my heart grow wide.
Being on the move has a great destination. As long as I am moving towards this destination I am looking in a mirror and see only a dim reflection. When I arrive at my destination I shall be seeing face to face. "Now I only perceive incompletely, but then I will realize through and through, as I will also be realized through and through." (as per 1 Cor 13:12)
Although I do not perceive the whole truth when I am on the way, this very lack of perfection is a sign that I am still alive.
My staying in motion brings God's spirit to me: The spirit is what brings life.
____________________
Time does not stop. It keeps moving forward. We can choose to be carried aimlessly through the passing moments, or we can move confidently onward in the direction of our destination.
As Christians, our ultimate destination is heaven, God, the beatific vision. If we keep our eyes fixed on this goal, this final reward, we shall not be lost. Of course, we may certainly wander, for life is a journey, and "not all who wander are lost" (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings).
TJTM,
V
Motion is a Sign of Life
When I am in motion I see only one side, one aspect. Some things are unclear; I see only parts, not the whole.
When I am in motion, on my way, I am continually reaching new shores, getting to know the world, other people, and myself. I always have a new goal.
Being on the move causes unrest, but this unrest enables me to move, lets my heart grow wide.
Being on the move has a great destination. As long as I am moving towards this destination I am looking in a mirror and see only a dim reflection. When I arrive at my destination I shall be seeing face to face. "Now I only perceive incompletely, but then I will realize through and through, as I will also be realized through and through." (as per 1 Cor 13:12)
Although I do not perceive the whole truth when I am on the way, this very lack of perfection is a sign that I am still alive.
My staying in motion brings God's spirit to me: The spirit is what brings life.
____________________
Time does not stop. It keeps moving forward. We can choose to be carried aimlessly through the passing moments, or we can move confidently onward in the direction of our destination.
As Christians, our ultimate destination is heaven, God, the beatific vision. If we keep our eyes fixed on this goal, this final reward, we shall not be lost. Of course, we may certainly wander, for life is a journey, and "not all who wander are lost" (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings).
TJTM,
V
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Just a Bite
I discovered this wonderful poem while reading some posts in Dr. Daniel McInerny's blog, High Concepts, and I simply must share it with you.
"Artichoke" - by Joseph Hutchison
O heart weighed down by so many wings.
--------
Yes, ladies and gentlemen; a one-line poem.
We could all use a bit more clarity and simplicity in our lives. Not all expressions of beauty require a long explanation. Sometimes, words can be superfluous. Silence, a word, a phrase; these are perfectly proper value responses.
TJTM,
V
[Citation, as per Joseph Hutchison's website:
“Artichoke” in The Poetry Home Repair Manual: Practical Advice for Beginning Poets, Ted Kooser ed. (University of Nebraska Press, 2005).]
"Artichoke" - by Joseph Hutchison
O heart weighed down by so many wings.
--------
Yes, ladies and gentlemen; a one-line poem.
We could all use a bit more clarity and simplicity in our lives. Not all expressions of beauty require a long explanation. Sometimes, words can be superfluous. Silence, a word, a phrase; these are perfectly proper value responses.
TJTM,
V
[Citation, as per Joseph Hutchison's website:
“Artichoke” in The Poetry Home Repair Manual: Practical Advice for Beginning Poets, Ted Kooser ed. (University of Nebraska Press, 2005).]
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Some widsom from St. Therese.
As today is the feast day of St. Therese of Lisieux, I thought it fitting to share a short passage from her autobiography, The Story of a Soul.
"I had wondered for a long time why God had preferences and why all souls did not receive an equal amount of grace....Jesus saw fit to enlighten me about this mystery. He set the book of nature before me and I saw that all the flowers He has created are lovely. The splendour of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not rob the little violet of its scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. I realised that if every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness and there would be no wild flowers to make the meadows gay.
"It is just the same in the world of souls - which is the garden of Jesus. He has created the great saints who are like the lilies and the roses, but He has also created much lesser saints and they must be content to be the daisies or the violets which rejoice His eyes whenever He glances down. Perfection consists in doing His will, in being that which He wants us to be."
St. Therese of the Child Jesus,
pray for us!
"I had wondered for a long time why God had preferences and why all souls did not receive an equal amount of grace....Jesus saw fit to enlighten me about this mystery. He set the book of nature before me and I saw that all the flowers He has created are lovely. The splendour of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not rob the little violet of its scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. I realised that if every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness and there would be no wild flowers to make the meadows gay.
"It is just the same in the world of souls - which is the garden of Jesus. He has created the great saints who are like the lilies and the roses, but He has also created much lesser saints and they must be content to be the daisies or the violets which rejoice His eyes whenever He glances down. Perfection consists in doing His will, in being that which He wants us to be."
St. Therese of the Child Jesus,
pray for us!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
A "Defense of Sanctified Common Sense"
Dr. Scott Hahn used these words to describe the book Back to Virtue by Peter Kreeft. Throughout the summer, I have been digesting this book bit by bit, and after savoring the last bite (which is a great morsel of Scripture), I was left thoroughly satisfied. At the same time, I was hungry for more, which means that I’ll just have to read it again.
Whether you are a sister of TTM, a practicing Catholic, or someone desirous to learn more about the Beatitudes or the Christian ideals, I wholeheartedly recommend this book to everyone. It is without a doubt on my list of “Best Books I’ve Ever Read”.
I learned so much while reading this book, and if I had it my way, I would have stopped after each paragraph to reflect and jot down notes and thoughts in the margins.
As a sister of Totus Tuus Maria, the Beatitudes are of particular significance to me; they are literally a part of our covenant. To me, they’ve always been pretty hard to grasp, but Mr. Kreeft elucidated them in a way that helped me to understand them a bit more clearly. He matches up the vices or “seven deadly sins” with their corresponding Beatitudes, showing that the Beatitudes not only provide a way to happiness, but a guard against vice. Kreeft also covers the theological virtues (faith, hope, and love) and the cardinal virtues (justice, prudence, temperance, courage).
But before getting to all of this, Kreeft demonstrates both the lack of and need for virtue in our world today. He explains how Christian virtue has shifted from a sought ideal to a rejected fancy. The world tells us that seeking virtue is foolish, for it restricts our freedom and pleasure-seeking. However, as Christians, we follow Christ, who has shown us that the way of virtue is THE way to eternal life. We understand that by growing in virtue, we draw nearer to God and desire ever more to do His will, rather than our own. Thus, our freedom and pleasure are fulfilled in following God’s will.
Perhaps what I enjoyed most about Back to Virtue is that HOPE runs through the whole of it. The Beatitudes, the Way of Christ, Christianity: these are not “impossible dreams”, for they have been made possible through Christ. Living virtuously is POSSIBLE! This is truly good news; this hope for new life provides an alternative to despair. That is something to rejoice about!
I’ll close with a few words of Kreeft himself from the concluding chapter of Back to Virtue:
“Virtue is winsome. Virtue wins the world.” (pg. 190)
“When the world is shown, as it was two thousand years ago, that heroic virtue is the most fascinating life in the world, the world will be won.” (pg. 191)
TJTM,
V
Whether you are a sister of TTM, a practicing Catholic, or someone desirous to learn more about the Beatitudes or the Christian ideals, I wholeheartedly recommend this book to everyone. It is without a doubt on my list of “Best Books I’ve Ever Read”.
I learned so much while reading this book, and if I had it my way, I would have stopped after each paragraph to reflect and jot down notes and thoughts in the margins.
As a sister of Totus Tuus Maria, the Beatitudes are of particular significance to me; they are literally a part of our covenant. To me, they’ve always been pretty hard to grasp, but Mr. Kreeft elucidated them in a way that helped me to understand them a bit more clearly. He matches up the vices or “seven deadly sins” with their corresponding Beatitudes, showing that the Beatitudes not only provide a way to happiness, but a guard against vice. Kreeft also covers the theological virtues (faith, hope, and love) and the cardinal virtues (justice, prudence, temperance, courage).
But before getting to all of this, Kreeft demonstrates both the lack of and need for virtue in our world today. He explains how Christian virtue has shifted from a sought ideal to a rejected fancy. The world tells us that seeking virtue is foolish, for it restricts our freedom and pleasure-seeking. However, as Christians, we follow Christ, who has shown us that the way of virtue is THE way to eternal life. We understand that by growing in virtue, we draw nearer to God and desire ever more to do His will, rather than our own. Thus, our freedom and pleasure are fulfilled in following God’s will.
Perhaps what I enjoyed most about Back to Virtue is that HOPE runs through the whole of it. The Beatitudes, the Way of Christ, Christianity: these are not “impossible dreams”, for they have been made possible through Christ. Living virtuously is POSSIBLE! This is truly good news; this hope for new life provides an alternative to despair. That is something to rejoice about!
I’ll close with a few words of Kreeft himself from the concluding chapter of Back to Virtue:
“Virtue is winsome. Virtue wins the world.” (pg. 190)
“When the world is shown, as it was two thousand years ago, that heroic virtue is the most fascinating life in the world, the world will be won.” (pg. 191)
TJTM,
V
The Secret Life of Bzzzzz
Once classes ended, I decided it was time for some lighter reading. I picked up The Secret Life of Bees (written by Sue Monk Kidd), and three days later, I was quite pleased and pleasantly surprised with the novel.
The novel is set in South Carolina during the Civil Rights period. Tensions between races is evident throughout. A fourteen year old white girl, Lucy, runs away from home with her black nurse and takes refuge with three black beekeeping sisters that live in a hot pink house. During her time living with the sisters, Lucy experiences love and loss, learns more about herself, finds confidence, and comes to terms with the tragic death of her mother.
Honestly, the only reason I was interested in reading the book at first was to figure out what Sue Monk Kidd would say about “the Black Madonna”. I soon found that the book had much more to entice me. For example, I connected with the narrator, Lucy, because of her love for literature and desire to be a teacher and writer. In time, she develops a love for and devotion to the Virgin Mary.
Kidd offers an interesting perspective on Marian devotion in her novel. Perhaps she removes Mary from the context of Catholic practice in order to demonstrate the idea of the universal mother, be she a Mother Earth or a Mother of the Savior. I appreciated that Kidd elevated Mary instead of minimizing her, and explained that devotion to Mary is secondary to faith in Christ.
Finally, as with any good book, there are some lines that stick out as memorable or are particularly relevant to the reader. So, I will share a short excerpt from the novel. One of the beekeeper sisters, August, says:
“You’ve been halfway living your life for too long. May was saying that when it’s time to die, go ahead and die, and when it’s time to live, live. Don’t sort-of-maybe live, but live like you’re going all out, like you’re not afraid” (pg. 211).
How many times do we hesitate to act because of fear?
There are times to stop and think, and there are times to be spontaneous.
But at all times, we should be living life to the full.
Thoreau endeavors to “suck all the marrow” out of life, and Bl. John Paul II encourages us to “Be not afraid” and “Open wide the doors to Christ”.
So don’t sort-of-maybe live; live vibrantly and passionately, with a purpose.
TJTM,
V
The novel is set in South Carolina during the Civil Rights period. Tensions between races is evident throughout. A fourteen year old white girl, Lucy, runs away from home with her black nurse and takes refuge with three black beekeeping sisters that live in a hot pink house. During her time living with the sisters, Lucy experiences love and loss, learns more about herself, finds confidence, and comes to terms with the tragic death of her mother.
Honestly, the only reason I was interested in reading the book at first was to figure out what Sue Monk Kidd would say about “the Black Madonna”. I soon found that the book had much more to entice me. For example, I connected with the narrator, Lucy, because of her love for literature and desire to be a teacher and writer. In time, she develops a love for and devotion to the Virgin Mary.
Kidd offers an interesting perspective on Marian devotion in her novel. Perhaps she removes Mary from the context of Catholic practice in order to demonstrate the idea of the universal mother, be she a Mother Earth or a Mother of the Savior. I appreciated that Kidd elevated Mary instead of minimizing her, and explained that devotion to Mary is secondary to faith in Christ.
Finally, as with any good book, there are some lines that stick out as memorable or are particularly relevant to the reader. So, I will share a short excerpt from the novel. One of the beekeeper sisters, August, says:
“You’ve been halfway living your life for too long. May was saying that when it’s time to die, go ahead and die, and when it’s time to live, live. Don’t sort-of-maybe live, but live like you’re going all out, like you’re not afraid” (pg. 211).
How many times do we hesitate to act because of fear?
There are times to stop and think, and there are times to be spontaneous.
But at all times, we should be living life to the full.
Thoreau endeavors to “suck all the marrow” out of life, and Bl. John Paul II encourages us to “Be not afraid” and “Open wide the doors to Christ”.
So don’t sort-of-maybe live; live vibrantly and passionately, with a purpose.
TJTM,
V
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Eureka!
Ever had an "AHA!" moment, when everything suddenly starts falling into place like dominoes and affirms that there must be one incredible Thread that ties this whole beautiful tapestry of reality together?
Well, I had such an experience yesterday in my medieval philosophy class as we learned about Bonaventure. I've been able to follow the class material for the most part, but on Wednesday, it all tied together and clicked like a seat belt. A seat belt of truth, you could say, which fastens you into an awareness of THE Truth. And with that, you're able to drive forward on the road to knowledge and wisdom.
In class, we discussed the circumstances of Bonaventure's day and discovered that he, like many of us, thought things around him were falling apart. The tapestry was unraveling because the Thread had been left out, or in some cases, severed.
Allow me to explain.
In the medieval period, it was a truth universally acknowledged that God exists. Bonaventure held, along with Augustine and Anselm, that the center of all and source of all truth is the Logos (aka Christ, the second person of the Trinity). He explains that, through the Logos, we come to truth and participate in the divine. God is involved in our very act of cognition, or knowing! How is that for a way of thinking!
Unfortunately, the secular universities of his day began to restrict God to the Theology department. Sure, God exists, but He does not have to be a part of everything.
Or does He?
Bonaventure criticized the universities for being full of men seeking knowledge, but lacking in men seeking wisdom. He believed that, without recognizing God in the seeking, you do not arrive at the full truth. For all truth is rooted in God as its source and end. All truth comes from God and must return to Him to give Him glory.
So how do we relate this to our own time? First of all, we can clear up any doubt about God's existence. Bonaventure gives a number of different proofs to demonstrate that God's existence is indubitable (as opposed to "inconceivable!"). Through these proofs, we recognize that: (1) all creation cries out that God exists; (2) that human persons are created in the image of God and, thus, reflect Him, and (3) that all truth involves a participation in the divine. Any proper process of reasoning shows that God exists. If a person thinks carefully, he may understand that God is the most evident truth. Bonaventure concludes that any doubt about God's existence comes not from a deficiency on God's part, but a deficiency on our own part. Thus, if you doubt that God exists, according to Bonaventure, you are either a fool, or your reason is deficient.
When we acknowledge God's existence and believe that He truly is the source and center of all, this has to permeate EVERYTHING: the way we look at the world around us, the way we relate to other people, the way we study and learn, etc.
Think about it - and keep in mind that, in your very act of thinking, you are proving God's existence.
TJTM,
V
Well, I had such an experience yesterday in my medieval philosophy class as we learned about Bonaventure. I've been able to follow the class material for the most part, but on Wednesday, it all tied together and clicked like a seat belt. A seat belt of truth, you could say, which fastens you into an awareness of THE Truth. And with that, you're able to drive forward on the road to knowledge and wisdom.
In class, we discussed the circumstances of Bonaventure's day and discovered that he, like many of us, thought things around him were falling apart. The tapestry was unraveling because the Thread had been left out, or in some cases, severed.
Allow me to explain.
In the medieval period, it was a truth universally acknowledged that God exists. Bonaventure held, along with Augustine and Anselm, that the center of all and source of all truth is the Logos (aka Christ, the second person of the Trinity). He explains that, through the Logos, we come to truth and participate in the divine. God is involved in our very act of cognition, or knowing! How is that for a way of thinking!
Unfortunately, the secular universities of his day began to restrict God to the Theology department. Sure, God exists, but He does not have to be a part of everything.
Or does He?
Bonaventure criticized the universities for being full of men seeking knowledge, but lacking in men seeking wisdom. He believed that, without recognizing God in the seeking, you do not arrive at the full truth. For all truth is rooted in God as its source and end. All truth comes from God and must return to Him to give Him glory.
So how do we relate this to our own time? First of all, we can clear up any doubt about God's existence. Bonaventure gives a number of different proofs to demonstrate that God's existence is indubitable (as opposed to "inconceivable!"). Through these proofs, we recognize that: (1) all creation cries out that God exists; (2) that human persons are created in the image of God and, thus, reflect Him, and (3) that all truth involves a participation in the divine. Any proper process of reasoning shows that God exists. If a person thinks carefully, he may understand that God is the most evident truth. Bonaventure concludes that any doubt about God's existence comes not from a deficiency on God's part, but a deficiency on our own part. Thus, if you doubt that God exists, according to Bonaventure, you are either a fool, or your reason is deficient.
When we acknowledge God's existence and believe that He truly is the source and center of all, this has to permeate EVERYTHING: the way we look at the world around us, the way we relate to other people, the way we study and learn, etc.
Think about it - and keep in mind that, in your very act of thinking, you are proving God's existence.
TJTM,
V
A Prologue to the Blog
Welcome, dear readers, to my everyday blog, Pearl and Chain.
This blog has been in the works for quite some time, and I am thrilled to finally make it official! I've created this blog not as a personal journal, but as a way to share some of my perspective, a bit of the truth, beauty, goodness, and more that I experience, and insight on many of my interests.
Perhaps you will laugh, cry, smile, agree, disagree...whatever it is you do, I hope you find the time you spend here worthwhile and enjoyable. So feel free to read, reflect, comment, etc.; just be sure to give credit where credit is due, and "don't be hasty".
Thanks for stopping by!
TJTM,
V
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