As We Approach the Throne

Our neighbors boast some of the best pets on the block. Even dog lovers like their cat. He’s a “cool cat,” the kids say. “That’s his name.” Older members of the community smile. “Cool cat.” But when everyone gathers for block parties in their favorite feline’s home, they find Mr. Cool Cat stretched out in his favorite doorway, oblivious to those walking by, and they acknowledge he’s aptly named. Nothing disturbs him. That is, until he’s let out. Once outside, Mr. Cool Cat becomes Mister Terrified of Everything. Not inside. Inside he is the picture of trust and confidence. Kind of how we’re supposed to feel spiritually....read more

Nothing New Under Sun or Moon ... read more

“They came to Jericho. And as Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, ‘Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.’ And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, ‘Son of David, have pity on me.’ Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him.’ So they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take courage; get up, he is calling you.’ ” Jesus was calling. Who wouldn’t respond?. . .read more

Don’t Forget to Ask ... read more

A noted university professor thanked his family for a healthy perspective concerning his possessions: “My parents consistently taught us that everything we had must be held in an open hand,” he wrote. “When we close our fingers tightly over anything placed in our trust, we lose the joy and the blessing they offer. Those things acquired as ends in themselves become idols. We don’t possess them. They possess us.” Who among us would allow any thing to separate us from what is most important in life? In his exchange with a wealthy young man, it is a question Jesus addressed.. . .read more

Let’s Hear It Again ... read more

“The entire universe is one dominion and realm, governed by one Ruler, who is the First Mover, the First Truth, the First Good—God, blessed forever and ever.”  

                                                                               St. Thomas Aquinas

“Read some chapter of a devout book. It is very easy and most necessary, for just as you speak to God when at prayer, God speaks to you when you read.”

                                                                               St. Vincent de Paul

“Almost everything said of God is unworthy, for the very reason that it is capable of being said.”                                                                                               

                                                                              St. Gregory the Great

“One man carries an ax all his life and never cuts down a tree. Another, who knows how to cut, gives a few swings and the tree is down. That ax is called discretion.”             

                                                                              St. Ammonas the Hermit