SOMEHOW, I ALWAYS KNEW...

This, of course, comes as no surprise to anyone who knows me...hehehe. Although, I HAD thought myself more of a rogue than that...oh well.

John Wayne

You scored 59% Tough, 4% Roguish, 28% Friendly, and 9% Charming!

You, my friend, are a man's man, the original true grit, one tough talking, swaggering son of a bitch. You're not a bad guy, on the contrary, you're the ultimate good guy, but you're one tough character, rough and tumble, ready for anything. You call the shots and go your own way, and if some screwy dame is willing to accept your terms, that's just fine by you. Otherwise, you'll just hit the open trail and stay true to yourself. You stand up for what you believe and can handle any situation, usually by rushing into the thick of the action. You're not polished and you're not overly warm, but you're a straight shooter and a real stand up guy. Co-stars include Lauren Bacall and Maureen O'Hara, tough broads who can take care of themselves.

Find out what kind of classic dame you'd make by taking the Classic Dames Test.

WEEKLY? WEEKENDS??

I've come to the conclusion that I am not going to be able to post as regularly as I'd like. After a crazyinsanelybusysummer, we have now entered into the equallyastimeconsumingandfrantic school year. Our oldest started school yesterday and we attended the morning mass as well as coffee and donut gathering for parents afterwards. Half days all week this week, so we scramble to find places for him to go afterwards since we both work. And then tonight there was the all school kick-off picnic at a park. Sheesh.

Every day at work I send home links that I wish to post, comment on, etc. on this blog. And every night I come home tired and needing to spend time with family parenting and all that it entails. And so, nothing gets posted.

I may just have to do an essay a week, or weekly wrap up with links, or SOMETHING...sort of like a weekly column, etc. Or, I may just chuck the whole idea of a blog altogether. I simply do not have the time, energy or drive that those who are doing such a great job already are doing.

Check back from time to time...I'll let you know what happens. God bless.

OPRAH, TOM & NOAH

What do these three people have in common? Not much you say? Well take another look because I think they do.

That headline makes me sing The Land of the Lost theme outloud, as their names would fit right in where "Marshall, Will and Holly" used to go.

Oprah, Tom and Noah
On the subject of religion
Met the greatest earthquake ever known...

But I digress.

It has become widely known that Tom Cruise is a kook of the highest order when it comes to his "religion" of Scientology. Unable to convert his ex-wife Nicole Kidman, or estranged girlfriend Penelope Cruz, he succeeded in seducing Katie Holmes and presto/chango...the pair are engaged. Apparently he is now after Oprah.

Now, personally I shrug at this and don't pay it a second thought. But think about it: who is the most influential woman in America today? Who has almost created her own religion with the way that the hordes of viewers and book clubbers follow her every move and suggestion for living life. If Oprah became a believer in Scientology I shudder to think of the effect it would have upon those souls.

And what is Scientology? The article simplifies it down to this:

Founded by the late L. Ron Hubbard in 1955, Scientology is defined by a belief in the power of a person's spirit to clear itself of past painful experiences through self-knowledge and spiritual fulfilment.

This is achieved through intensive counselling. Scientologists believe humans are an exiled race from outer space called Thetans and claim to have eight million followers worldwide (though some critics would argue its true membership is only about 50,000).

[snip]

On the set of his latest film, War Of The Worlds, Cruise demanded that a Scientology tent - complete with volunteer ministers - should be available at all times to help any sick and injured among the movie's cast and crew.

[snip]

According to members of the group, Cruise has reached the sixth of eight "Operating Thetan" levels and is trusted enough to know almost all the secret truth of the universe.

Ummmm....sure. Now, what does all of this have to do with Noah? Well take a look at this survey's results, and then read the entire article. It's one of the best at analyzing the paradoxes rampant in American society today. And if we, a nation of self-professed Christians, really are this ignorant of what Christ called us to be as Christians, then Scientology doesn't need Oprah. It may already be too late.

ONLY 40 PERCENT of Americans can name more than four of the Ten Commandments, and a scant half can cite any of the four authors of the Gospels.

Twelve percent believe Joan of Arc was Noah's wife.

This failure to recall the specifics of our Christian heritage may be further evidence of our nation's educational decline, but it probably doesn't matter all that much in spiritual or political terms.

Here is a statistic that does matter: Three-quarters of Americans believe the Bible teaches that "God helps those who help themselves." That is, three out of four Americans believe that this uber-American idea, a notion at the core of our current individualist politics and culture, which was in fact uttered by Ben Franklin, actually appears in Holy Scripture.

The thing is, not only is Franklin's wisdom not biblical; it's counterbiblical. Few ideas could be further from the gospel message, with its radical summons to love of neighbor. On this essential matter, most Americans - most American Christians - are simply wrong, as if 75 percent of American scientists believed that Newton proved gravity causes apples to fly up.

FOUR QUESTIONS

Tonight I attended the rosary for a matriarch of our parish, and mother to Fr. Jim Benton. Her funeral is tomorrow at three, and perhaps then I'll write more about it because I found myself observing so much I wanted to get on paper (screen), but I wanted to touch on something else first.

In the social hall afterwards, I was introduced to Fr. Christopher Kubat, the Director of Catholic Social Services in our diocese and writer of a weekly column in our diocesan paper, the Southern Nebraska Register. I told him that I was going to be reading his latest when I got home because my wife had highly recommended it to me. It was very good, and I'm going to place some excerpts from it below.

He started his column by writing in gratitude for the nun who was principal at his school who prayed daily for him to become a priest. After ordination, he was a teacher himself, and writes:

When I was teaching, on the first day of class, I would pass out 3x5 cards so the students could write their names, their parents' names, and their telephone numbers on one side (in case I needed to call their parents!). Then on the back of the card I would ask these three questions: How much TV do you watch daily? How much do you pray daily? How do you think God feels about that?

I would like to ask all of you who are reading this column the same three questions plus one additional one--when was the last time you told God that you loved Him? St. Teresa said that prayer is lifting one's heart to God. It is an intimate conversation with the Lord. When one falls in love with someone, they make it their business to talk to them daily, and not just a few minutes. So if we really loved God, we would want to converse with him daily, not just for a few minutes.

What a GREAT idea! Grab your 3x5 cards and get busy! And not just for your kids...reserve one for you, too. He goes on:

I recently gave our clinical staff a two-day retreat on the interior life. The staff prepared themselves by reading the book entitled, The Soul of the Apostolate by Dom Jean-Baptiste Chautard, O.C.S.O. Three striking elements stand out in his book, the absolute necessity of morning mental prayer, the busier you are the more one needs an interior life, and our success depends on one thing, an interior life centered on the Blessed Sacrament.

I have been recommending this book a lot over the past several months to people, but have never done as good a job as Fr. Kubat did in that paragraph in describing the basis for the book. So there ya go. Get the book AND some 3x5 cards and go to work!

THE DIAGNOSIS

After the initial testing of six weeks ago, Janell got a phone call from her younger sister Lisa while I was posting the pictures below. Lisa has MS...multiple sclerosis. Honestly, we're too stunned right now and I'll have more posted later. Right now I'd just ask for your prayers.

MS 101

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, long-term condition that affects the central nervous system, including the brain and the spinal cord. MS is an autoimmune disease, which means that the body's immune system mistakenly attacks itself, targeting the cells, tissues, and organs.

MS is part of the family of autoimmune diseases that includes:

• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Psoriasis
• Type 1 Diabetes
• Lupus
• Crohn's Disease

Scientists now believe that MS results from an abnormal response to an infection or an environmental factor. Numerous studies show that genetics may play a role in the development of MS, but are not the sole cause of the disease.

MS affects over 400,000 people in the US, and may affect 2.5 million people worldwide.

JONAH LOVES HIS ROSARY TOO

My almost two-year-old son Jonah recently danced up a storm in his pajamas while sporting his favorite piece of jewelry. Now THAT'S some bling bling. Hehehehe.

WHILE THINKING, I DO THIS...

A few months ago, I decided to pick up a $10 "make your own rosary" kit at Gloria Deo so that my 9-year-old son and I would have something to do on a rainy weekend. We both enjoyed it, although it was a little harder using only some well-worn needle nose pliers and I believe a pair of tweezers. But we made it and had fun.

That only gave me the bug to do more. I was looking for a little hobby to do anyhow and thought that this would be a neat thing to do. Along the way, I picked up the proper pliers and tools for the job at my local Hobby Lobby, and stumbled across a wonderful website from which to design and order parts: The Rosary Shop.

Since then I've made about a half-dozen rosaries and plan on doing more, but also branching into rosary bracelets, chaplets, etc. I've had fun designing them and putting them together. Below are samples of two that I build, one for my wife and one for me.

(Click on images for larger photo)

This rosary I designed for my devotion to St. Maximilian Kolbe. I used 8mm garnet stones (I was born in January) for the Our Father beads, and 8mm silver rose petal beads for the Hail Marys. The centerpiece is a St. Max medal, and the crucifix is what's known as a "penal" cross. Since St. Max was martyred in the prison of Auschwitz, I thought it appropriate.

Janell, however, thought I'd made a very "masculine" rosary, and wanted something softer for her own. So I came up with this:

I went with gold plating for the chain, pins, centerpiece and crucifix. I used 8mm pearls for the Our Father beads, and a 6mm SW Emerald crystal (the birthstone for May) for the Hail Mary beads. The centerpiece represents the Holy Family, with a pretty gold crucifix that she liked.

This is not necessarily an inexpensive hobby to be sure, but I enjoy praying the rosary while making them, and the challenge of designing each one especially for the person I'll be giving it to. When finished, the rosary will come in a satin white pouch with a holy card (if they told me of a favorite saint), and rosary instructions.

TAKING TIME TO THINK

Back on August 3rd, I had mentioned that I needed a "break" so to speak, from the deafening noise that is American political discourse. I might add that I also needed a break from the left/right or liberal/traditional etc. conversations within our own Catholic Christian camp. Either way, silence I craved and sorely needed.

Since then I've read at least two other bloggers make mention of the same. The Anchoress and An American Housewife. I'm sure there are more, I just haven't found them yet.

I still feel this way, and still have a ways to go, but it is getting better. Ever since I began reading "The Soul of the Apostolate" (also available at TAN books here) more than three years ago (I have read probably 50 books in between, but this book is so rich I can only do 2 pages at a time), I realized that I had no interior life whatsoever. I studied apologetics, my faith, and was in the pew each Sunday and a few times during the week. But something huge was missing: my conversations with God through prayer.

I began an hour of adoration 1-3 times a week. I had my weekly men's rosary group. And I began praying the Liturgy of the Hours. But I still was staying so "busy" with things that at times I was going through the motions instead of just sitting down and having a "heart-to-heart" with God...and LISTENING when I was done talking.

I've talked before about how I have three words written on a Post-It note on my monitor at the office:

Contemplation
Communion
Mission

My mission is not going to happen if I am incapable of completing the first two steps along the way, which Dom Jean-Baptiste Chautard writes about often in his book. How can I go anyplace (Mission) or help anyone (Communion) if at first I haven't taken the time to listen, discern and reflect upon my counsel from Him? The truth is, I can't. I've tried it that way for years and years before finally having it drawn out for me. And it does work...much better in fact.

But I'd begun to have His voice get drowned out in all the clutter...the noise...the ugliness of this world. I crave beauty...silence...peace. The ability to remain quiet long enough to THINK.

Can you just imagine what the world would be like if we took one hour per week...nay...per DAY and simply reflected upon the lessons learned that day? To examine our consciences?

I'm trying to do my part anyhow. I'm glad to be in the good company of the bloggers I mentioned above. Very glad indeed.

Anyone else?

GETTING GRIMMER IN THE BRONX

Now that the Red Sox are up by 5.5 games, I wonder if we'll see more of this. Hehehe.

Fan jumps from upper deck, arrested

OH, THEY TELL ME OF AN UNCLOUDED DAY

Well lookie here...science is making my case about mass communication drowning out eros.

Attentional Rubbernecking. Interesting name for it.

ON THE SUBJECT OF EROS

I read this today at Mere Comments and could not agree more.

What were men and women for one another, in the bad old days? In my lifetime I have seen an eight-hundred-year old tradition of love poetry and song, begun in Provence with the troubadours, finally peter out in its last decadent efflorescense in rock and roll. Surely it must make Satan sneer with delight, having used the sexual revolution to produce drab androgyny and the death of eros.

So, by way of memorial, and a longing call to regain some of the mysterious love we have lost, I would like to post on this site, from time to time, samples of the love we have lost. Here is the first: two stanzas from Edmund Spenser`s wedding hymn, Epithalamion (with spelling normalized):

Tell me ye merchants daughters, did ye see
So fair a creature in your town before,
So sweet, so lovely, and so mild as she,
Adorned with beauty`s grace and virtue`s store,
Her goodly eyes like Sapphires shining bright,
Her forehead ivory white,
Her cheeks like apples which the sun hath rudded,
Her lips like cherries charming men to bite,
Her breast like to a bowl of cream uncrudded,
Her paps like lilies budded,
Her snowy neck like to a marble tower
Ascending up with many a stately stair
To honor`s seat and chastity`s sweet bower.
Why stand ye still, ye virgins, in amaze
Upon her so to gaze,
Whiles ye forget your former lay to sing,
To which the woods did answer and your echo ring?
But if ye saw that which no eyes can see,
The inward beauty of her lively spright,
Garnished with heavenly gifts of high degree,
Much more then would ye wonder at that sight
And stand astonished like to those which read
Medusa`s mazeful head.
There dwells sweet love and constant chastity,
Unspotted faith and comely womanhood,
Regard of honor and mild modesty;
There virtue reigns as Queen in royal throne
And giveth laws alone.
The which the base affections do obey
And yield their services unto her will,
Nor thought of thing uncomely ever may
Thereto approach to tempt her mind to ill.
Had ye once seen these her celestial treasures
And unrevealed pleasures,
Then would ye wonder and her praises sing,
That all the woods should answer and your echo ring.

Spenser wrote those stanzas (and 22 others) for his own bride. Making allowances for the decline in poetic virtuosity, how many men are there who could be so inspired? How many women who could so inspire them?

Indeed…many women today could so inspire them? But men today are not, for whatever reason, inspired to sit down, contemplate, and write things like this anymore. I would argue that they are not expected to be inspired in the area of eros and so have fallen away from the art. Witness the recent articles I've noticed on the MSN homepage written for the acolytes of Oprah and Brittany and Dr. Phil on the "Top 10 things every single woman should have" and similar lists for men. Instead of "her lips like cherries inspiring men to bite", men today if pressed would say something like "her legs like a vise clamping down while we grind" or "knockin' da boots" and all that tripe…and the women would shrug and nod in agreement because they themselves have no sense of eros as well. Lust has surpassed Eros in the minds of many. Indeed, eros to them is unknown. Yet it is there somewhere, deep inside all of us. Because when the lust is gone and the empty feelings and longing begin, people today do not know that the emptiness is a longing for eros to exist. Instead, we return to Oprah and pop magazines and gorge ourselves on the theology of self-esteem and look once more for the quick fix that only lust is able to fulfil.

I've known for years that I'm old-fashioned…I was old-fashioned at the age of 13. But I hang on to stuff like this because when I'm a grandfather and I have my granddaughter or grandson on my knee, I want to be able to convey to them timeless wisdom, magic, romance, and a sense of the sacred from the past. I believe kids today still believe in them even if we do not. Witness the overwhelming success of Harry Potter, the re-discoveries of Tolkien and of Narnia. If you're not into poetry, but wish to read some classic books I'd refer you to a list put together by C.S. Lewis.

I've read many on the list myself, and only last night began re-reading Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. Next up will be T.H. White's The Once and Future King. Reading books such as these will awaken the poet within and inspire you to be inspired. There is such beauty in the world but it's shouted down and drowned in the sea of today's mass communication which intrudes upon our senses like a jackhammer in the noisy city. Beauty does speak clearly; with a clarity that is capable of being heard amidst all the noise. But if our senses are not seeking, we will remain blind.

As Dante wrote in Canto I of Inferno, the first of the three books that make up his Divine Comedy: (available with commentary).

Halfway through the journey we are living
I found myself deep in a darkened forest,
For I had lost all trace of the straight path.

Ah how hard it is to tell what it was like,
How wild the forest was, how dense and rugged!
To think of it still fills my mind with panic.

So bitter it is that death is hardly worse!
But to describe the good discovered there
I here will tell the other things I saw.

I cannot say clearly how I entered there,
So drowsy with sleep had I grown at that hour
When first I wandered off from the true way.

We are in the darkened forest and have lost almost all trace of the straight path. But it's still there…hidden amongst the leaves that have fallen over it. I plan on being able to "describe the good discovered there" to my future offspring as much as I can. There's so much to be found. It's only waiting to have the leaves brushed away from it so that we may once again walk unencumbered along its path.

BLOGGING FROM COLOGNE

As World Youth Day approaches in Cologne, EWTN will have a fair amount of information daily. I've found a few other places that may be worth looking into in the meantime. If I find any more, I'll let you know. I'm sure there will be tons of them. Really makes me wish I was there.

• Drew Mariani will be broadcasting for Relevant Radio
• Tim Drake will be covering WYD for the National Catholic Register
• The blog of a college student from St. Paul who will stay in Europe to study for a year
• The Official WYD site
• Vatican Radio
• The Criterion, the Diocese of Indianapolis' newspaper

BLOGGER...EDIT THYSELF

Oh the joys of having to wait until getting home to blog after work, after dinner, after kiddos, etc, etc. But it does force me to edit myself more carefully, so that's a plus.

Some housecleaning first of all:

Over to the right I added Fonticulus Fides to my list of blog links. She's a Lincolnite like myself, and I enjoy reading her as I think you will too. Check her out, especially her posting today concerning the latest "superhero"...but it's not what you think. In fact, it's pretty disgusting. Hint: it involves Planned Parenthood.

Over the past weekend we had some dynamic young college students address our parish after Mass from FOCUS, The Fellowship of Catholic University Students. They are an energetic group of young people of the JPII Generation, who is working hard to help keep those Catholic students who enter the pitfalls of higher academia Catholic, through small group Bible studies, one on one mentoring, leadership training and more. Check them out online, and consider making a donation if you can. Our colleges and universities are where so many Catholics falter and lose their faith in the face of overwhelming opposition to it. Let's help them out.

That's it for now...but I'll be back. This is only a fifth of what I wanted to post, but it'll have to do.

BIG, FAT RAINDROPS ARE FALLING ON MY HEAD

"I'm into spirituality, not religion!"

Carl Olson writes: "I wish I had $5.00 and an aspirin everytime I hear something along those lines." I would agree. Beliefnet, a website increasingly referred to and used by members of a Catholic chat community I used to belong to, is a site so fraught with errors that I cringed every time one of the community members posted something from it or praised it. Certainly they do have some good articles there, but increasingly they are drifting further and further away from Christianity.

A case in point would be this article by Nancy Colasurdo in which she describes her shopping for a new religion. She unleashes almost every cliche known to be used to justify her search, and in the end writes an article that should serve as a wake up call to those of us complacent in our evangelization efforts.

First off, Nancy stopped being a hypocrite and admitted to herself she was no longer a Catholic. So it made sense for her to begin her search. But where to go next? First off, she had to define her religion...her new god:

Finally, I took the time to learn that I was in fact attending a New Thought church. I have since read up on it and, with the help of a wise friend who also attends the Sacred Center, am just beginning to understand why it speaks to me so. According to the Affiliated New Thought Network, "New Thought...is a modern spiritual philosophy stressing the power of right thinking in a person's life, the idea that our thoughts and attitudes affect our experience and that God (or whatever other name a person might have for a Higher Power) is within the individual." Each Sunday, about 100 people come together for energizing song, guided meditation and a sermon-like message.

I decided three years ago it was time to divorce Catholicism. The priest scandal was the last straw. I had already departed from church doctrine on premarital sex, birth control, homosexuality, priests marrying, and abortion, among other things. With the scandal and its subsequent cover-ups, I finally got the courage to stand up and say, "No more. It's not for me." I vowed to do some church "shopping." I concentrated on visiting churches, rather than get bogged down reading mind numbing comparisons and explanations of religions. What ensued was a full-blown spiritual journey that has been at once educational, jarring, inspiring and affirming.

I wanted a faith that is culturally diverse, guilt-free and non-judgmental. But did it exist? I gravitated to the idea of a Christian church, mainly because it was what I knew, but kept my mind open. I definitely didn't want to frequent a place run by flakes or spiritual snobs.

[snip]

Somewhere in this swirl, the journey had shifted from shopping for a church to shopping for spirituality. I can best trace it to what was happening at the used bookstore in my town, which had begun featuring Wednesday evening salons around spiritual themes. The staff brought in facilitators - sometimes local clergy -
to lead discussions on such topics as mysticism, The DaVinci Code, dreams, meditation, and The Passion of the Christ. As a result, I began asking myself questions I never had the forethought or audacity to ask before: Who is divine to me? Is Christianity based on a belief (in Jesus' resurrection) that I just couldn't accept? Where does the Bible fit into my beliefs?

The Da Vinci Code? As a spiritual theme? No wonder this girl was confused. Dan Brown has done more damage than even I had previously imagined. But as long as he fits into HER beliefs, why not him? It's all about Nancy, Nancy, Nancy. (Marsha, Marsha, Marsha...as Jan Brady would say.)

Next, Nancy declares her new beliefs:

Perhaps most significantly, I have begun to form answers to questions that seemed to pelt me like big, fat raindrops when I first left the Catholic church. So here goes:

We are all divine. Christianity may be based on a belief I can't accept, but does any of us really know? I certainly no longer feel that worshipping or thinking like a Christian is positive or sensible for me. As for the Bible, it is filled with wisdom, but it was not written by the hierarchical God espoused in Judaism and Christianity. I will not go to hell for living a positive, purpose-filled life in which I take responsibility for my actions. In fact, the concepts of heaven and hell now seem contrived and man-made to me.

What I know unequivocally is that I feel deep peace when I attend the Sacred Center. New Thought doesn't ask me to discriminate, feel guilty, dwell on suffering, judge, worship a punishing God or be anyone I'm not. When Rev. Gold--or whoever else is delivering the message--stands at the front of the room and speaks, I settle in and enjoy the ride. I have begun to heighten my awareness of "right thinking" by reading books that augment my weekly experience. All of this has made me richer spiritually, more effective as a life coach, more likely to engage in healthy questioning, and essentially more evolved as a person.

So no heaven, and no hell. Sounds like a John Lennon song. She now just "enjoys the ride", going wherever the wind blows and however she feels at the moment. No guilt, no responsibility, no sin, no JOY. Oh, but she is more "evolved" now. So that's a plus. Better to be an enlightened free-thinker than a sin and salvation knuckle-dragging dullard, eh?

Instead of fretting about Harry Potter so much, I think we Catholics ought to be devoting more attention to the Nancy Colasurdo's of the world...obviously hurting and searching...and getting more lost all the time. J.R. Rowling is not the enemy. Neither is Dan Brown. But the enemy is definitely working overtime, and we'd better start praying and waking up. Too many souls are at stake.

WORKING ON THE WEEKEND

My apologies for being gone so long, but we've been busy beavers here in my household. Instead of having a "take it easy" type weekend (when does THAT ever happen), we spent it outside in the sun working in the yard. The most strenuous project was digging a 2 foot deep hole next to my driveway and then filling it with 330 lbs. of cement along with the base pole for our new driveway basketball hoop. That will cure for the week and I'll put the rest of it together next weekend after we return from celebrating my niece's first birthday.

There have been many things I've wanted to blog about, yet at the same time nothing is really inspiring or capturing my imagination at the moment. I'm in a dry spell to be sure, but hopefully all I need is a break and I can come back with gusto a little later. Until then, peace be with all of you.

THE LITTLE MANDATE

by Catherine de Hueck Doherty

Arise - go! Sell all you possess . . . give it directly, personally to the poor. Take up My cross (their cross) and follow Me - going to the poor - being poor - being one with them - one with Me.

Little - be always little . . . simple - poor - childlike.

Preach the Gospel WITH YOUR LIFE - WITHOUT COMPROMISE - Listen to the Spirit - He will lead you.

Do little things exceedingly well for love of Me.

Love - love - love, never counting the cost.

Go into the market place and stay with Me . . . pray . . . fast . . . pray always . . . fast.

Be hidden - be a light to your neighbour's feet. Go without fears into the depth of men's hearts . . . I shall be with you.

Pray always. I WILL BE YOUR REST.

FUTURE POSTINGS AT QUO VADAM

I am no longer able to post to my blog during the day, so I save up links and articles and such so that I can post during my evenings. I was just getting ready to do so in fact. However, I stepped back and saw that many of the things I was going to post are of a negative or just plain weird nature. One example is of the "parish" St. Joan of Arc in Minnesota. I've blogged on them before, and have a few links showing that they are definitely stretching the boundaries of Catholicism, bordering on heresy, but have had a change of heart. In fact I'm not going to post the links or others that I've collected at all...at least not tonight.

I read recently where blogs were basically broken down into two categories (and I'm going to have to paraphrase). But one category was of the "news and information" type--one that is updated several times a day with links and commentary, etc. That is the kind I'd wanted to be when I began, but the constraints of time, the fact that so many others are doing it in a grand fashion, and the fact it tends at times to let out the worst in me...a sarcastic prideful me...I've decided to begin shifting towards the second category.

The second category is one that is more introspective. A place of ideas, writings, commentary, reflection, creativity, etc. This is the path I'd rather be on. It's one that will not be updated every day, but perhaps 2-5 times per week...more or less depending upon my time and how I'm led by the Holy Ghost.

I've been reading a LOT for the past few weeks in my devotional Divine Intimacy about Charity. And I have recently begun reading some of the works by a woman I had never heard of before, Catherine de Hueck Doherty, who passed away in 1985 and is being considered for canonization as a saint by the Catholic Church. I'll likely post some of her writings, as well as others that I stumble across in future days and weeks. But I'll also be posting some of my own I hope.

Either way I hope you stay with me. There's still a lot we can learn from each other, you and I.