-
Trolls and Convictions: An Encouragement
What things are you willing to die for? Or what things are you willing to forfeit your reputation and social capital for (to put it less dramatically)? Before the dawning of the internet there was less anonymity in day-to-day dealings. Conversations happened either over the phone, in writing, or in person. Each of those methods of communicating required that the parties involved knew the other parties in some way. Yes, of course, you could send a letter to or prank call a stranger. That was more for the young though and less for the serious adult. In order to express…
-
Windows to the Soul
Have you ever realized how little people look at each other? I was sitting in my office having a conversation with a friend the other day and noticed that I am guilty of it. This was a person I have known for a while. I felt absolutely comfortable, and yet I realized how strange it felt to look at him for more than a few moments. Ding! My internal timer would be up and I would casually find something to draw my attention away. Option one: rub my eyes. Check. Option two: look over his shoulder as if something important…
-
Stop and Smell the Roses
Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed. (Mark 1:35) Jesus the God-Man knew the importance of entering into silence, leaving the world behind Him, and taking the time to speak with His Father in prayer. Why is this something that we have so much trouble with sometimes? I know personally that I struggle with distractions. The entire reason behind my choosing to write about this came from a revelation I had the other day. I was driving with my friend in his truck to go to an appointment we had. He was…
-
Wherever The Catholic Sun Doth Shine…
The prolific Anglo-French writer Hilaire Belloc once said, “Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine there’s always laughter and good red wine.” This quote stands as one of my favorites from the rough personality that I have admired since first being introduced to his work. I mean, what’s there not to like about the man whose “Cautionary Tales for Children” bears such titles as “Matilida: Who told Lies and was Burned to Death,” or “Jim: Who ran away from his Nurse and was Eaten by a Lion?” If you have never explored his writing and appreciate staunchly orthodox Catholicism amidst a…
-
That Space Between Big Steps
Lord, my God and my loving Father, you have made me to know you, to love you, to serve you, and thereby to find and to fulfill my deepest longings. I know that you are in all things, and that every path can lead me to you. But of them all, there is one especially by which you want me to come to you. Since I will do what you want of me, I pray you, send your Holy Spirit to me: into my mind, to show me what you want of me; into my heart, to give me the determination…
-
The Abstinence Challenge: A Reflection
Have you ever seen the movie Mean Girls starring Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams? Don’t lie… you know you have. I want you to think back to one scene early on in the movie, when Lindsay’s character first meets her two new friends Janis and Damian and she skips health class. During a cut-scene we see what she was missing as the coach goes into a monologue regarding sex: “Don’t have sex… because you will get pregnant… and die. Don’t have sex in the missionary position. Don’t have sex standing up. Just don’t do it, promise?” He then holds up…