Justice Thomas is one of my heroes so I was pleased to find this Q & A session as I was browsing the internet. He gave many interesting answers and insights but the one thing that I will keep tucked away in my mind and try to always put into practice is:
“Stay positive, do the right thing, and do your best.”
This video is rather long, about 90 Minutes, but you will be glad you listened!
http://mediasite.video.ufl.edu/mediasite/Viewer/?peid=89374250b14749a9958da667a4cd571a
Those magic men the Magi
Some people call them wise
Or Oriental, even kings
Well anyway, those guys
They visited with Jesus
They sure enjoyed their stay
Then warned in a dream of King Herod’s scheme
They went home by another way
Yes they went home by another way
Home by another way
Maybe me and you can be wise guys too
And go home by another way
We can make it another way
Safe home as they used to say
Keep a weather eye to the chart on high
And go home another way
Steer clear of royal welcomes
Avoid a big to-do
A king who would slaughter the innocents
Will not cut a deal for you
He really, really wants those presents
He’ll comb your camel’s fur
Until his boys announce they’ve found trace amounts
Of your frankincense, gold and myrrh
Time to go home by another way
Home by another way
You have to figure the Gods saying play the odds
And go home by another way
We can make it another way
Safe home as they used to say
Keep a weather eye to the chart on high
And go home another way
Home is where they want you now
You can more or less assume that you’ll be welcome in the end
Mustn’t let King Herod haunt you so
Or fantasize his features when you’re looking at a friend
Well it pleasures me to be here
And to sing this song tonight They tell me that life is a miracle
And I figured that they’re right
But Herod’s always out there
He’s got our cards on file
It’s a lead pipe cinch, if we give an inch
Old Herod likes to take a mile
It’s best to go home by another way
Home by another way
We got this far to a lucky star
But tomorrow is another day
We can make it another way
Safe home as they used to say
Keep a weather eye to the chart on high
And go home another way
Patience is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit in us. Practically, we are required to be patient in many ways: for there are some things, trials and crosses, which come to us from God; others, temptations and enticements, that come to us from our old adversary the devil. Still other difficulties arise from our neighbor: persecution, complaints, unjust accusations. Against all this we must be ever on guard lest we give way to complaining against trials our Maker sends us; lest again we be led astray into sin, which is what the devil wants; or to be overly disturbed by the thoughtlessness or unkindness of others. For if we want to have our own way always aren’t we really seeking our reward here below in the things of this life? Let us couple patience and long-suffering in the spirit of meekness and faith (and so bring forth fruit in patience)!
— St. Anthony of Padua
November 2009
General: That all the men and women in the world, especially those who have responsibilities in the field of politics and economics, may never fail in their commitment to safeguard creation.
Mission: That believers in the different religions, through the testimony of their lives and fraternal dialogue, may clearly demonstrate that the name of God is a bearer of peace.
This has nothing to do with my intention for this blog! I figured since I never write a darn thing here and I truly do want to write, I should write about ANYTHING I find interesting. I figure something is better than nothing and since nothing seems to be what I’ve been producing for the past year and a half I’ll give this idea a go!
I was at the library today, paying another fine for not returning items on time and as usual I made my way over to that dusty corner we call the “Friends of the Library” section. Housed here are books donated for sale to raise funds for the library. I rarely leave these shelves without finding a gem or two or three. Well today was no exception! I found a tiny little paperback, actually my daughter found it, called “The Writer’s Quotation Book” edited by James Charlton. As the title suggests, it contains pithy quotes from writers, editors, booksellers or commentators who are interested in writing. If you love reading and have the lofty notion that someday you’ll write, you’ll LOVE this book! Even if you don’t care for reading and have no interest in writing you will find this book amusing.
One of my favorite quotes from the book:
“Writing is easy; all you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until the drops of blood form on your forehead.” ~Gene Fowler
Hey, I’m halfway there!
And another:
“If you want to get rich from writing, write the sort of thing that’s read by persons who move their lips when they’re reading to themselves.” ~Don Marquis
Hilarious!
General: That the Christians of the Middle East may live their faith in full freedom and be an instrument of peace and reconciliation.
Mission: That the Church may be the seed and nucleus of a humanity reconciled and reunited in God’s one and only family, thanks to the testimony of all the faithful in every country in the world.
I’m sure it’s quite noticeable that I don’t often post. I guess it’s just that I don’t usually feel that what I have to share would be all that important to the rest of the world. But today is different, very different. Today, I feel compelled to share this video, to proclaim from the rooftops (or the internet) what is happening in a particular hospital in Illinois and what is happening in our Congress.
You see, I believe we as human beings are all made in the image of God. I believe that babies, pre-born as well as those who have survived an abortion along with the rest of us, the wanted and the unwanted alike, have a right to life. God has a plan and a purpose for each and every one of us-we have no right to intervene in that process!
The video I am posting not only broke my heart and brought me to tears, it provoked a righteous anger in me, and sickened me to the point of nausea! I cannot let another day pass without doing what I can to stop the infanticide-to get the word out that this, as difficult as it is to believe, really *is* going on in this country!
I feel it is important to know what the leaders of this great country stand for and believe in. We need to know who those politicians are who will stand for life and those who stand for death, even the death of the most vulnerable of our society-helpless babies!
If you feel so compelled, please get the word out!
I think this is a very important post and so I am passing it along, albeit in a very primitive manner.
It is from:
St Peter Canisius Apostalate
http://catholic-teaching.org/2008/07/august-2008-is-officially-pray-for-pz-myers-month/
But I will encourage you to make August a month of prayer for PZ Myers. But let’s not just pray for his conversion. Let’s be a little more daring. Let’s pray that he will become our next St. Paul — not an the Apostle to the Gentiles, but an Apostle of the Eucharist.
This isn’t as odd as it might sound. One theme running throughout the lives of the saints, espeically saints that lives worldly lives before their conversion, is this: Their greatest sins became the foundation of their holiness. St. Paul persecuted the Church, and so God used him to build up the Church. St. Augustine lived a life of fleshly pleasure, so God made him the one to clarify the Christian view of conjugal love and made him the model of acesticism. St. Ignatius of Loyola longed to be a military man, and so God made him the head of, at one time, one of the most influential religious orders in the world. And little Therese Martin was extremely selfish in the smallest things of life, so God used her to teach the world how to become extraordinarily holy by giving Jesus the smallest of our acts.
So beginning next Friday, August 1, let us all join in prayer for the conversion of PZ Myers every day, until Sunday, August 31. Let us pray Rosaries for his conversion, offer up the Mass for his conversion, engage in abstinence and fasting for his conversion, and spend time in Adoration for his conversion.
In other words, let’s treat the man as Christ would have us treat him — with profound love.
So get the word out. Email your friends and relatives. Put it on your blogs and websites. Maybe one of you could made a flier that we could put in our parishes (contact me, and I’ll make it available through the Apostolate).
