LUCIUS ANNAEUS SENECA

Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart.

Guests from far and near: welcome!

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Dear Visitors, Unknown Friends, Welcome Guests,

You are invited to take what you need from this blog and share it with others. That is, if there is anything worth taking.

Make yourself at home; put your feet up and stay awhile. The 'Labels' menu is an easy way to access items by theme.

Whatever brought you here, may you find something that inspires you to give thanks to God for His many blessings. And, even if you don't find something to inspire you, may you be reminded to give God thanks and praise, remembering always to "worship God in the beauty of holiness".

A heart of gratitude is a home made by God for God and for others to find the peace only God can give.

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Gilbert

Visitors June 1 to 11, 2020

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Through Thick and Thin: Surfing The Wake Of The Council

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The Personal Ordinariates: Unity, Diversity, Harmony.

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

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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...
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Beauty Overcomes Envy: Politics And Liturgy

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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...
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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).

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

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

WORDS TO THE WHYS

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