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Category Archives: Paroxysm of Giggles
Wisdom from “The Imitation of Christ”
by Thomas à Kempis, published by Vintage Spiritual Classics:
“…the union he desires with God is sacramentally achieved on earth whenever he partakes of Christ’s gift of His Body and Blood in the Eucharist.” — Introduction, page xxxvii
“No one undergoes a stronger struggle than the man who tries to subdue himself.” — Book 1, Chapter 3, page 6
Just a Taste…
I have TONS of pictures for your viewing pleasure!
But for now, I will leave you with just one:
When Venti is Just Too Small…
I thought this was hilarious! Biggby coffee already has as their largest size a 24 oz, which is 4 oz larger than a Starbucks Venti (my usual size). But then, I was randomly looking at Biggby Bob’s blog and found THIS!
Check it out, you will laugh too! Happy Wednesday!
Says something about us, doesn’t it?
10 Second Humor of the Day
Co-worker Kathy gets off the phone and her face is bright red. We ask why. “I said ‘Amen!’ instead of ‘Goodbye!’,” she says. Then, she looks at me, “This is all your influence!!! You need to tell your priests what you are doing to me!”
I will take the credit/blame.
Anchor of the Soul
This struck me as I was reading the Scriptures this morning. I love the picture which came to mind.
This we have as an anchor of the soul, sure and firm, which reaches into the interior behind the veil, where Jesus has entered on our behalf as forerunner, becoming high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. — Hebrews 6:19-20.
I found this passage to be very Eucharistic. The Eucharist — the very real Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord — is the anchor of our soul. Without Him, we can achieve nothing. Our souls find no rest. Our toil is fruitless. Our hope is in vain. In feeding on Him, we take Jesus into the very core of our being, whether we are aware of it in that moment or not. Within us, God-made-flesh goes behind the facade we erect — our public persona — to the heart of who we are, where we cannot hide from Him. With the power of He who created all that is, He dwells within us; changing us from our core, and giving us the grace and incredible power that He has to offer which can dramatically change our lives — if only we cooperate with that.
Jesus became human for us, so as to become the ultimate sacrifice for our redemption. The saving power of that sacrifice, the love that prompted that unimaginable humbling of our God to come down to our level so as to save us — this is what we take inside of ourselves every time we partake of the Eucharist. How humbling for us this should be. How incredible that we are able to take this for granted. He not only humbled Himself so as to save us, but He further hid Himself under the appearance of unleavened bread and wine so that we might take Him into ourselves — to further unite ourselves to Him, which has been His intention from before the Fall.
I love going to Mass. Not because I particularly want to be able to tell you all that I go to daily Mass and have you think that I am somehow more holy or more devout or something like that. I certainly know that I am nowhere near being a holy person! I just mention this so that you may perhaps come to find the peace and strength and grace of the Lord which I have found. Perhaps it is more telling of my inner sinful nature that I do go to Mass nearly every day. I need Him to make it through my day! And even then I fail much of the time!
I find myself adrift on a sea of my own wretchedness, unable to navigate my way home. I thank God the Father for providing us such a Son — who is the anchor of my soul, who can penetrate all my defenses and reach the core of my being to get my attention and lead me home.
On Our Way to Jamaica!
We are on our way to Jamaica! The first leg of our journey is complete and we have successfully made it to Memphis! Lindsay was the first to notice after getting off the plane that Memphis smells like fried chicken and hot sauce…everywhere we go! There is the requisite Elvis things and lots of big pigs associated with the restaurants. 🙂
Vocations – A Reflection on the Single State of Life
I think the single life is a state of life which is not often recognized as a vocation in our culture today. Too often, it may be seen more as a state of pending — waiting to determine if I am called to marriage or to consecrated life, instead of as an authentic calling on its own. I bought into this and was waiting myself, until I realized that God calls me all the time, and that I am currently in a valid state of life. And that I had better start responding. As a single, I do not have the same ties on my time, resources and attention as married couples. I can travel on pilgrimage. I can be that substitute catechist. I can be on parish council. I can volunteer at the various fundraisers. I can sponsor events. I can help out on a moment’s notice. Parents are the primary educators of their children, but in some ways, singles are the primary educators of their peers. I am living in the world in a way in which religious are not and I have potentially more free time to attend lectures to deepen my understanding of the faith and have greater access to a wider population of people. There is an expectation of a married couple to be more responsible, more religious, and in some ways more mature than a single. This, I find to be a great challenge for me to step up and attempt to be a good example of what it can be to live a good Christian life as a single. God is not waiting to call me, so why am I waiting to respond? If my state of life changes, then I will respond in that capacity at that time, and serve in the new role which God has called me to fulfill. He is calling today and I am answering today, with all the flexibility, resources and time that I have currently as a single, able to live my life entirely for others.
— Published in the OLGC Bulletin, March 22, 2009 🙂
Spiritual Thoughts from our Papa
— From “Benedict XVI: Spiritual Thoughts in the First Year of His Papacy” by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
On spiritual deserts: “…the emptiness of souls no longer aware of their dignity or the goal of human life.”
“The world is redeemed by the patience of God. It is destroyed by the impatience of man.”
“The Word of God and reason go together.”
“We cannot communicate with the Lord if we cannot communicate with each other.”
“…without suffering, nothing is transformed.”
“…for the ascent to life’s future it is essential to exercise an interior life.”
“True joy is something different from pleasure; joy grows and continues to mature in suffering, in communion with the Cross of Christ.”
“The more you seek Him, the more you are moved to seek Him.”
“…only those who first listen to the Word can become preachers of it.”
“…no community can forego the witness of a prayerful priest…”
“‘Spiritual reading’ of Sacred Scripture consists of pouring over a biblical text for some time, reading it and rereading it, as it were, ‘ruminating’ on it as the Fathers say and squeezing from it, so to speak, all its ‘juice,’ so that it may nourish meditation and contemplation and, like water, succeed in irrigating life itself.”
“Deceived by atheism they consider and seek to prove that it is scientific to think that all things lack guidance and order as though they were at the mercy of chance.”
“The closer a person is to God, the closer he is to people.”
“Faith…is the criterion that determines our lifestyle.”
Why God Made Moms
Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:
Why did God make mothers?
1. She’s the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.
How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.
What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men’s bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.
Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1. We’re related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people’s mom like me.
What kind of a little girl was your mom?
1. My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don’t know because I wasn’t there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.
What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?
Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that mom didn’t have her thinking cap on.
Who’s the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn’t want to be boss, but she has to because dad’s such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.
What’s the difference between moms and dads?
1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power ’cause that’s who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friends.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.
What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don’t do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.
What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she’s already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I’d diet, maybe blue.
If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I’d get rid of that.
2. I’d make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it not me..
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.
