WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

I doubt not then but innocence shall make false accusation blush, and tyranny tremble at patience.

LUCIUS ANNAEUS SENECA

Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart.

The Wanderer

-
Photo by S.M.E.

I left the Lord at the edge of my folly
And walked until hope wasted away;
Drifting by those sadly familiar places,
Among the weathered and tethered faces,
Seeking a path to freedom
And coveting a life
No common man could give,
I fought to live
Among the nomads, the wearied souls;
Bleary-eyed and beaten,
I sought a rare gold,
And, made cold by the search,
I turned around to see that
God was exactly where
I left Him waiting for me.

W14SEPT2019C

Comments

Post a Comment

Your comments will be appreciated and posted if 1) they are on topic and 2) preserve decorum.

Stand by your word.

Popular Posts

Through Thick and Thin: Surfing The Wake Of The Council

-
Image
Team Thick versus Team Thin On 4 December 1963, following the last vote at the Second Vatican Council, Paul VI promulgated the Apostolic Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium on the Sacred Liturgy. Later, with the Apostolic Letter Motu proprio data Sacram Liturgiam dated 25 January 1964, Pope St. Paul VI established a Special Commission, called Consilium ad exsequendam Constitutionem de sacra Liturgia (Council for the Implementation of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy). https://www.cultodivino.va/en/chi-siamo/storia/il-consilium-ad-exsequendam-constitutionem-de-sacra-liturgia.html The Consilium consisted of 48 members (11 Cardinals, 36 Bishops and 1 Abbot) and more than 200 international consultors and advisors, spread across 40 study groups (coetus a studiis). The internal debates within the Consilium ad exsequendam Constitutionem de Sacra Liturgia were intense, often revealing two competing visions of liturgical reform. Primary Axes of Disagreement 1. Continuity vs. Reconstructi...
Read more

The Personal Ordinariates: Unity, Diversity, Harmony.

-
Image
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Bridgeport, PA In 2023, Monsignor Keith Newton, then head of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, coined the term “realized ecumenism” to describe how the Ordinariates created by the Apostolic constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus offer a welcoming path for those seeking the fullness of the Faith. https://ewtn.co.uk/article-the-head-of-the-ordinariate-for-former-anglicans-in-england-and-wales-assesses-its-past-present-and-future/ The Personal Ordinariates represent one of the most quietly remarkable ecumenical achievements of the last century: a form of unity that does not require amnesia. They embody a model of reconciliation in which distinct traditions are not dissolved but transfigured — brought into full communion without losing the theological, liturgical, and pastoral instincts that shaped them. The Personal Ordinariates are a quiet work of the Holy Spirit, gathering what was once separated and transforming it into communion. Th...
Read more

The Lord in The Liturgy: The Formation Of Intentional And Resilient Christians

-
Image
The Ordinariate’s Liturgy Shapes the Soul Through Beauty, Order, and Sacramental Realism Divine Worship, the liturgical expression entrusted to the Ordinariates, is far more than a beautiful way of praying. It is a formative environment — a spiritual architecture that shapes the worshipper’s imagination, posture, and self‑understanding. In a culture marked by distraction, fragility, and self‑invention, Divine Worship quietly trains the believer to stand firm, to speak truthfully, and to live faithfully. Its beauty is not ornamental; its order is not rigid; its language is not nostalgic. All of it works together to cultivate resilience and responsibility as lived habits of Christian maturity. The Gravity That Strengthens the Soul One of the most striking features of Divine Worship is its gravity. The Liturgy carries a seriousness that is neither severe nor distant, but deeply dignified. The worshipper is confronted with the reality that he stands before the living God. The Collects, the...
Read more

Beauty Overcomes Envy: Politics And Liturgy

-
Image
Envy doesn’t just distort individual judgment — it reconfigures whole political parties and conversations by shifting motives from common good to status competition, from policy reasoning to resentment‑management, and from deliberation to punitive comparison. Political psychology treats envy as a relational toxin: it warps how groups see themselves, their rivals, and even their own members. Envy reshapes political parties. Envy in politics is seldom acknowledged directly, instead showing up through indirect behaviors like moralizing, scapegoating, enforcing purity tests, and fostering factionalism. Here’s a breakdown of how envy can mutate party dynamics. Status mimicry. Parties begin imitating the rhetorical style, emotional tone, or organizational tactics of rivals they resent. Envy drives copycat radicalization: “If they mobilize outrage, we must mobilize more.” Internal purging. Envy of rising figures inside the party produces loyalty tests, ideological policing, and factional pu...
Read more

Worship Blooms in Truth and Love and Awe

-
Image
SJHN Divine Worship I. The Wound The altar groans beneath a fractured rite, When hands forget the holiness they hold; For once the sacred slips from earnest sight, Its fire grows thin, its embers faint and cold. The Church stands bruised when reverence is lost, And Christ is met with casual, hurried breath; Such wounds, though quiet, carry weight and cost, For they unteach the way that leads from death. II. Identity Unmade The Church forgets the grammar of her grace When gestures stray from what the Fathers knew; Her ancient voice grows strange within this place, And borrowed forms obscure what once rang true. For liturgy is language of the Bride, The shape of love made visible and clear; When this is blurred, her heart is pushed aside, And mission falters where it should draw near. III. The Mission Dimmed A people formed by rites malformed will fade, Uncertain of the gift they bear within; For worship teaches how the world is made, And how the Cross unmakes the power of sin. If rites ...
Read more

Who is Brian Holdsworth? And Why You Should Watch His Videos.

-
Image
Are you thirsty for solid Catholic content? Do you seek to raise your children in a vibrant Catholic culture that helps them become faithful adults? Are your hungry for truth, goodness and beauty? Are you tired of parish programs that waste resources and do little to feed the soul? Are you seeking to learn how you can help build up the Body of Christ? Introducing Brian Holdsworth. If you haven't watched this articulate, insightful and faithful fellow share a thoroughly Catholic understanding of the Faith, then you are invited to start by watching one of his videos. Visit Mr. Holdsworth's main site at:  https://www.brianholdsworth.ca/ Brian Holdsworth, a Catholic convert, resides in Edmonton, Alberta, with his wife and seven children. His videos are rich with genuine Catholic content, revealing a deep faith. Far from being just another "influencer" or social media personality, he is a true man of God, passionately advocating for truth, goodness, and beauty within the C...
Read more

POPE LEO XIV Magnifica Humanitas

Even in the darkest nights, the Lord raises up men and women who refuse to give up, who persevere in doing good, who protect the vulnerable and open pathways to reconciliation. The memory of the saints, righteous people and the oft-forgotten peacemakers, show us that grace does not magically eliminate conflict, but instead it inspires active resistance to evil and an astonishing creativity in doing good” (paragraph 211).

WORDS TO THE WHYS

You cannot subsidize irresponsibility and expect people to become more responsible. Thomas Sowell