Scrooge felt that he had to steel himself against the harshness of the world. And, as he became wealthy, his fiancé found that he wanted a golden idol more than her. Cutting himself off from her love, he failed to realize that she hadn’t changed – no matter the state of the world.
Sometimes, It’s Better to Just Say No
“Aren’t you that guy who goes to that Buddhist place?” I said I was and she looked at me, paused, and then said “I always found it funny that people would worship a guy who isn’t a God.” I smiled because it probably is funny from the outside, what we Buddhists are doing.
Pastoral Pope, Pastoral Church?
In the first six months of his pontificate Francis I has proposed a radically different view of the Church. Will he live long enough or remain pope long enough for this view to filter down to dioceses and parishes around the world? Perhaps he needs the help of the people in the pews.
Egotheism
The admonition to pray for those we dislike prompts the author to speculate on praying for people who would be offended by being objects of prayer, because they have rejected your concept of God in favor of one that reinforces their own egos.
Hell in a Handbasket
“God loves you,” the little old man said to me. “But if you don’t accept him into your heart and believe only in him then he will not hesitate to condemn you to hell.”
“Nice guy,” I replied.
Faith Comes Through Doubting
By questioning what I had been taught, by doubting God because of my past, I came to a certainty that had been missing earlier with my faith.
The Shoes of the Fisherman
This 1968 film, with its idealized vision of a truly humble and charitable pope, is worth watching in light of events in the Catholic Church today.
New Year’s Resolution #3 – A healthy mind and spirit
One section of my 2012 New Year’s Resolutions was to do with another kind of health from the physical. Some might call it emotional health, or mental health, or spiritual health – it’s all of these things, and I just referred to it casually as my Morale. In this article I’d like to offer some advice to anyone who wants to improve their quality of life in 2013.
Stolen Church
Vatican II was striving to flatten the hierarchical structure that had rigidified over the centuries and in doing so create a Church characterized by the harmonious participation of all its members in bringing the message of love to the world.
Bravo Sir Knight
Many have seen the articles in the Canadian press regarding Vincent Gabriel Kirouac. He is our Canadian Knight errant traveling across the vast expanse of Canada in his knightly garb riding his gentle steed Coeur-de-Lion (Lionheart).