My long-delayed return to the 7QT fray!
1) It sounds dumb to say, but I care less about clothes. My wife can attest, I haven't always sought to be the most fashionable guy. Like many guys (I like to think), apathy often wins over dapper dressing.
The reason I care less about clothes? Most of my t-shirts have been puked on, peed on, or drooled on. One t-shirt in particular: Leo emptied the contents of his tiny stomach onto it. I took it off, put stain remover on it, and it went in the wash. The next day, when it came out of the dryer, I put it on again. It took less than 10 minutes for Leo to puke on it again.
2) I have another article up at coraevans.com, this time on Ignatian spirituality. The folks there are remarkably patient with a hack like me. They kindly helped me finish part two of the treatment on Ignatian spirituality.
3) I know I'm behind as far as this blog is concerned... this is my first post in a couple months... but the shock of the Supreme Court decision was considerable. Actually, not so much that it happened (just take a quick stroll through TV shows over the past ten years), but seeing so much dissent among Catholics. Well, living in a few different parishes and working in the Church for a time after college, that actually isn't all that surprising. Those thoughts are pretty depressing.
One Scripture verse that helped me was stunningly simple:
"All his precepts are trustworthy, they are established for ever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness." (Ps 111:7-8)
God's laws are not popular, always convenient, or what we want. Yet they are trustworthy! Not because a guy in the Church says so, but because of Our Father in heaven.
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| Over-the-top picture for purposes of levity |
4) As things happen in the world, I wonder how close we are to the end times. No, really! I've read Mark Mallett (who's great), Charlie Johnston, and other pings are registering, too. Charlie is of the opinion that sh-tuff is going to get REAL in 2016 for about a year or so. I haven't read up on it in a while, but some of the things Charlie said reminded me of what was given to the Medugorje visionaries.
It's a hard message--if they're correct, what lies ahead is the worst catastrophe in the history of civilization--and I appreciate Mark's and Charlie's take on their predictions:
a) they submit whole-heartedly to the Catholic Church, the Scriptures, and Sacred Tradition
b) the strongest theme of Mark's writings is hope
c) Charlie isn't fanatical about the instructions he's given. He merely passes on the message.
d) both guys repeat and repeat to return to faith in God
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| Becoming a Dodgers fan is simply the right thing to do. |
5) One of my favorite homilists, Fr. Robert Barron, is now Bishop-Elect Robert Barron! The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is lucky to have him. From my time as a seminarian, I developed a new appreciation for the tough job that every bishop has. They deal with a lot of crap (more than we ever know about), have to fight for the faith not only in the secular world but with their own clergy & chancery, and somehow have to maintain their own spiritual lives in the midst of all that.
Maybe Bishop-Elect Barron will have to start rooting for the Dodgers, given his new digs...
6) Ok, back to #4. That kind of thing has been on my mind a lot lately. Watching one of Charlie Johnston's latest videos made it sink in even more. While the best preparation we can do is spiritual, that doesn't mean that we can't materially prepare. I don't believe it's a violation in trust to prepare a "Get Home Bag" in case I need to walk home from work. To that list, I'd add a small copy of the Bible, a rosary, and a St. Benedict medal.
7) Still on #4. The mentioning of somewhat specific dates by Charlie Johnston ("sometime in 2016" is as detailed as it gets) raises a red flag in some respects. I have to mull it over some more, and pray about it even more than that; I don't have a reason not to believe him right now. Even if his messages are wrong, redoubling our dedication to Christ is never out of season!
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