Andrew Sullivan has a well written short piece on his blog today about Mr. Bush and the war in Iraq. Mr. Bush is a sad sack of humanity that managed to get himself elected President of the United States. He has violated nearly every principle that he once said he stood for. He’s also violated every principle that he has sworn to protect. Continue reading “Sad Sack”
Lasting Peace
If you truly want to discover a lasting sense of peace and contentment, you need to learn to rest your mind. Only by resting the mind can its innate qualities be revealed. The simplest way to clear water obscured by mud and other sediments is to allow the water to grow still. In the same way, if you allow the mind to come to rest, ignorance, attachment, aversion, and all other mental afflictions will gradually settle, and the compassion, clarity, and infinite expanse of your mind’s real nature will be revealed.
–Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, The Joy of Living (Harmony, 2007), 125
Always
One of my friends, PlainFoolish has written a thoughtful piece on the current state we find ourselves in here in the United States. It is hot here today and yet there is a peaceful gentle wind blowing, but half a world away in the deserts, streets and villages of Iraq there is enormous slaughter. Continue reading “Always”
Contemplative living
I came across an article in my reading this week that was just what I needed to read that day. I was in the process of sending an E-card from Gratefulness.org when somehow I spotted this piece written by Brother David Steindl-Rast on contemplative community. Continue reading “Contemplative living”
Do not resist an evil person
Nowadays, much of what passes as patriotism is actually fanaticism. In some quarters our attempts to combat fanatical forces that oppose us has actually engendered a movement towards fanaticism. I read this quote from Thomas Merton tonight and reflected on its message for today. Continue reading “Do not resist an evil person”
The power of intention
Today was a lazy day. Up at 9:30 am and then lounging all day until it was time to head over to Mt. Irenaeus for an Evening of Re-Creation. I’ve grown accustomed to these summer evenings. I wasn’t sure I’d go tonight as family was coming in and with it being the Fourth of July I thought that not many folks would be at the Mountain. Continue reading “The power of intention”
Gratefulness for today
I came across this lovely video reflection produced by Brother David Steindl-Rast, a Benedictine monk of the Mt. Saviour Community. I’ve read several of Brother David’s books and even been on retreat at Mt. Saviour Monastery when he was present in community. Enjoy. Continue reading “Gratefulness for today”
Boiled Frogs
I work in a corporate culture where resistance to change is omnipresent. Incessant reading has led me to believe over the years that most folks don’t change because they’re comfortable doing what they’re doing. This old story illustrates that the myopia of that sort of thinking. Jalal ad-Din Rumi, a Persian poet and mystic once said, “Sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment.” Continue reading “Boiled Frogs”
St. Irenaeus
Thursday, June 28 was the feast of St. Irenaeus. Irenaeus has come to have a lot of meaning for me. I am a member of the Mt. Irenaeus community and regularly attend Mass there. I’m also a member of the St. Irenaeus Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order. This week I also came to realize that my wife’s birthday is the same day as the feast of St. Irenaeus. That’s an interesting coincidence.
Prayer of St. Irenaeus
It is not thou that shapest God
it is God that shapest thee.
If thou art the work of God
await the hand of the artist
who does all things in due season.
Offer Him thy heart,
soft and tractable,
and keep the form
in which the artist has fashioned thee.
Let thy clay be moist,
lest thou grow hard
and lose the imprint of his fingers.– St. Irenaeus
In the gap..
The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery; they have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the alien without redress. And I sought for anyone among them who would repair the wall and stand in the breach before me on behalf of the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one.
– Ezekiel 22:29-30
This quote made me think of much of our domestic and foreign policy which is unfortunately geared to extortion and robbery. We covet our neighbors goods. We kill and maim innocents. We turn back the clock on civil rights. We grandstand about displays of the Ten Commandments in public places but our hearts are far from the creator.