Category Archives: Musings

Principles for life

Posted on by
Reply

THY WILL BE DONE – Are we completely giving ourselves over to God’s will? And embracing the high adventure of His plan, over our plan, wherever that may lead?

LOVE OUR PEOPLE – Are we loving our people above all else and as if they are Jesus in disguise? Are we detached from things, money, power, honor and comfort, so we are free to love people most fully? Are we helping each person take one step closer to reaching their own dreams in this world and becoming a saint in the next?

DELIGHT and SURPRISE – Are we doing everything that is expected of us…plus more? And delivering joyful, radical service that delights and surprises?

KEEP IT SIMPLE – Do we relentlessly simplify our processes and solutions, so our product and organization stays “lean and mean,” rather than cluttered or slowed by the unimportant? Are we continually asking, “What would this look like if it were simple?”

RADICAL FOCUS – Do we know who we are? Are we focused on the mission? Are we willing to give up everything non-essential? Are we able to cut through the distractions, noise, and busy-ness and just do the hard work that really matters?

GIVE MY BEST – Am I being a good steward of God’s gifts, working hard, taking initiative, and always giving my best?

CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT – Is this making us better versions of ourselves? Are we committed to excellence, personal accountability, understanding the why, and getting better at our craft every single day? Are we more disciplined, smart, virtuous, prayerful, faithful, and effective today than we were yesterday?

BE GENEROUS – Are we generous with our gratitude, time, patience, mercy, forgiveness, optimism, and kindness? When in doubt, be generous.

GREATER THAN THE SUM – “I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot. Together we can do great things.” — Saint (Mother) Teresa

LEAVE ROOM – Work is a means to an end, not an end itself, and should not be all-consuming. Is our work sanctifying us and benefiting others? Is it nourishing our families, rather than competing with them? Is it enabling and supporting leisure and a rich contemplative life, with plenty of room for silence, prayer, worship and life’s higher things?

St. Barnabas

Posted on by
Reply

Today is the Memorial of St. Barnabas one of the prominent Christian disciples in Jerusalem. According to Acts 4:36, Barnabas was a Cypriot Jew. In Acts 11:22, the Jerusalem church sent Barnabas to Antioch to proclaim the word of God. While there he apparently heard that St. Paul, former persecutor of Christians, was in Tarsus. Acts 9 tells of the conversion of Saul in the memorable Damascus Road story.  What Acts leaves out and St. Paul provides in Galatians 11, after the experience in Damascus, for three years, Paul was in “Arabia” (Gal 1:17) In the first century this refers to the Syro-Arabian desert, farther north, which includes portions of modern-day Syria and Jordan; likely the region of the Nabataean Arabs, east and south of Damascus. Continue reading →

Raqa

Posted on by
1

In today’s gospel we hear a warning from Jesus about anger and the words we use.

“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, Raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.” (Mt 5:21-22)

In Hebrew the word “raqa” means “empty” or “foolish.” Here is a story from the Talmud about “raqa.” Continue reading →

Fish or cut bait

Posted on by
1

Fish or cut bait is a common English language colloquial expression, dating back to the 19th-century United States. Its origins are not exactly clear and over time the meaning has changed. Most often these days its meaning is clear enough: get to the important task at hand, or get out of the way and at least do something supportive. More generally it can be an admonishment to stop procrastinating. Continue reading →

Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of the Church

Posted on by
Reply

In 2018 Pope Francis decreed that the ancient devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of Mother of the Church, be inserted into the Roman Calendar. The liturgical celebration, B. Mariæ Virginis, Ecclesiæ Matris, is celebrated annually as a Memorial on the day after Pentecost. In the decree, it was noted that the Pope’s decision took account of the tradition surrounding the devotion to Mary as Mother of the Church. The Pope also noted his desire to promote this devotion in order to “encourage the growth of the maternal sense of the Church in the pastors, religious and faithful, as well as a growth of genuine Marian piety”. Importantly, this feast specifically commemorates Mary’s motherhood of the Church rather than her motherhood of God, a feast celebrated on January 1. Continue reading →

Oneness in Charity

Posted on by
Reply

“…so that they may be one just as we are one...” (John 17:11).  The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) para. 811 holds that the four marks of the Church are: one, holy, catholic and apostolic – each inseparably connected to one another. I would certainly encourage you to read the paragraph and the following sections, but in the interim here is the condensed version as regards “one.” Continue reading →

How we think of her

Posted on by
Reply

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Visitation when the Blessed Virgin Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth. It is but one piece of the mosaic of this woman. Today’s gospel passage, the Magnificat is a mosaic of Old Testament quotations and allusions interpreting the coming of Jesus. As a whole the canticle sees these actions of God as part of a longstanding process of overthrowing proud human expectations and exalting the lowly. It is part of the mosaic we have built over the millennia that speaks of how we consider Mary in the role of salvation history – a mosaic that richly, perhaps extravagantly, places Mary above us, on a pedestal, beyond our reach. We think of her as the Queen of Heaven, robed in the royal drapings of the Queen Mother – and so she is. We think of her as the Pieta at the foot of the cross, the Mother of Sorrows – and so she is. Think of all the titles and honorifics that we bestow upon her. Continue reading →

Courage and Fear

Posted on by
Reply

“In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.” – such are the closing words of today’s gospel. Now I have the odd problem, but if people asked me if I had troubles, my response would be “No.” I recognize that such fortune has been a gift from God. And yet…it makes me wonder if I have ever really been tested – and if I was, would I have courage. Would I really believe Jesus has conquered the world? Continue reading →