The new man

For the “new man” everything is new. Even the old is transfigured in the Holy Spirit and is always new. There is nothing to cling to, there is nothing to be hoped for in what is already past-it is nothing. The new man is he who can find reality where it cannot be seen by the eyes of the flesh-where it is not yet- where it comes into being the moment he sees it. And would not be (at least for him) if he did not see it. The new man lives in a world that is always being created and renewed. He lives in this realm of renewal and creation. He lives in Life.

Thomas Merton. “A Search for Solitude.” Journals, Volume 3. Lawrence S. Cunningham, editor. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1997: 269

Aerocivic and hypermiling

This information came from my brother. He sends me lots of interesting reading, but this funny looking car gets 95 miles per gallon which might be worth considering with spiking fuel prices.  Read about the Aerocivic here.  The mileage comes in part from Hypermiling, a technique designed to improve your fuel economy. There are some good tips here and I thought you might enjoy saving money. Hypermiling might be equivalent to mindful driving. I’ve actually been practicing hypermiling without realizing it.

In the beginning was the word

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Christmas is a celebration of the word made flesh that has come to dwell among us. The incarnation blesses the world because God loves the world and always has. Jesus was not created for the world. The world was created for Jesus. Continue reading “In the beginning was the word”

Inner Christmas

A visit to Brother David’s website is always a treat and today was no exception. There was an invitation to celebrate inner Christmas. This resonates for me because it’s a sensation I’ve experienced since I was a young boy. Christmas Eve, the Easter Vigil and Holy Thursday night are the most sacred and mystical events of the Church year for me. I still celebrate the twelve days of Christmas in my heart. My mom never took down the Christmas decorations at our home until after the Feast of the Epiphany. I used to spend hours standing or sitting in front of our own nativity set. It was always an invitation to the mystical. I hope you take some time now to visit and enjoy this link to an Inner Christmas.

Namaste

This video captures what is in my heart for the whole earth and all of heaven too. Namaste, the ancient Sanskrit greeting literally means, “I bow to the divine in you.”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcgNJ7cgDVs]

Beautiful Solitude

Today my usual was interrupted by mother nature. We awoke to a blanket of five inches of snow and then freezing rain on top of that. I was to travel to Mt. Irenaeus for Mass and then a meeting our Secular Franciscan fraternity. I called Fr. Lou and then a couple of our members and decided it best to call off the meeting. Mt. Irenaeus is located at the top of 2200 foot hill in rural Allegany County. It sits astride a dirt road that can be treacherous with a coating of ice. Continue reading “Beautiful Solitude”