Many years ago a very holy old Anglican priest of the old school died and left his "occasional book" to me. This book was a collection of quotations and words of wisdom that he had compiled over the years. He was a very cultured and well educated man, like so many of the old Anglican priests [...]
Texts from Anglican Evensong: Confession: ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father; We have erred, and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against thy holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; And we have [...]
We pray with our eyes closed so that we can see better
I read a smart comment yesterday: "Conservatives want to convert people by arguing with them. Liberals want to convert people by agreeing with them." It's pithy I can see the distinction, but I'm not sure it is merely a "conservative-Liberal" clash. Underlying the tensions within the Catholic Church --which blew up at the recent synod was [...]
Worried about that Synod in Rome? Read This UPDATE: Here is John Allen's summary of the day's happenings at in Rome. He says the synod is turning out like a high drama soap opera...Go here. Whew! has there ever been such a furore amongst the faithful! We've got the clash of cardinals, a [...]
Protestants sometimes charge Catholics with "vain repetition" in praying the rosary. This is a reference to Matthew 6:7 where Jesus instructs, "When you pray to not babble with vain receptions as the pagans do." Sure, when we pray the rosary there is a lot of repetition. The problem is not repetition but vain repetition. If repetition were the [...]
Most of us know that simply praying for something you want is not the best way of praying. God is not a cosmic vending machine in which you put your prayer in the slot and the goodie you want drops into the tray at the bottom. Don't get me wrong. God delights in any prayer and [...]
Is there a demonic element to seemingly ordinary human problems? Sometimes. While full blown demonic possession is rare, it is much more common for souls to be troubled by what might be called "demonic infection". In counseling people spiritually I have come to believe that there is a state of demonic influence in our lives which is [...]
I remember how they wired up the visionaries at Medjugorje while they were experiencing their apparitions. The scientists wanted to study what was going on in their brains as they "saw" the Blessed Virgin. Religious experiences of the mystical kind occur throughout human experience and in most every kind of religion. But what is happening when [...]
This summer in America has erupted in racially charged protests about the verdict on the killing of Trayvon Martin. Yesterday I posted this video of an atheist who went berserk with rage. I've commented earlier about the irrational rage which seems to be simmering just below the surface in our country, and wrote here about my [...]