"The man who fears to be alone will never be anything but lonely, no matter how much he may surround himself with people. But the man who learns, in solitude and recollection, to be at peace with his own loneliness, and to prefer its reality to the illusion of merely natural companionship, comes to know the invisible companionship of God." --Thomas Merton
Albert Einstein's response to the question "Do you believe in God?":
"I'm not an atheist. The problem involved is too vast for our limited minds. We are in the position of a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many languages. The child knows someone must have written those books. It does not know how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. The child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arrangement of the books but doesn't know what it is. That, it seems to me, is the attitude of even the most intelligent human being toward God. We see the universe marvelously arranged and obeying certain laws but only dimly understand these laws."
Blessings and peace dear brothers and sisters.
Sante Benedicte, ora pro nobis.
-Dean
H/t to So, God... are You listening?
Do not let your love be a pretence, but sincerely prefer good to evil. Love each other as much as brothers should, and have a profound respect for each other. Work for the Lord with untiring effort and with great earnestness of spirit. If you have hope, this will make you cheerful. Do not give up if trials come; and keep on praying.
- Romans 12:9-12, from Vespers for 27 January 2009
No one in the world can change truth. What we can and should do is seek truth and serve it when we have found it. The real conflict is within. Beyond the armies of occupation and the hectacombs of the extermination camps, two irreconcilable armies lie in the depth of every soul. And of what use are the victories of the battlefield if we are defeated in our innermost selves?
-St. Maximilian Kolbe
Show me your hands. Do they have scars from giving? Show me your feet. Are they wounded in service? Show me your heart. Have you left a place for divine love?"
-Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
As the spring semester approaches, we need to remember the following words from Mother Angelica. Yes, learning is all well and good, and can be beneficial in our mission to spread the Gospel in word and action. But in the end, it all comes down to this:
Where most men work for degrees after their names, we work for one before our names: "St." It's a much more difficult degree to attain. It takes a lifetime, and you don't get your diploma till your dead.
-Mother Mary Angelica
This dear brothers and sisters, especially those of you who are still in school, is the most important degree that we will ever receive. Let nothing stand in the way of your quest for this, for eternal life in the presence of Our Lord...
Pax et bonum,
Dean
Remember, the Christian life is one of action; not of speech and daydreams. Let there be few words and many deeds, and let them be done well.
St. Vincent Pallotti
H/t to EWTN.
The reason that the Ten Commandments are short and clear is that they were handed down direct, and not through several committees.
-Dan Bennett
Grateful h/t to the Happy Catholic...
Blessings,
Dean
Said by G.K. Chesterson in his autobiography in 1937:
"Religious liberty might be supposed to mean that everybody is free to discuss religion. In practice it means that hardly anybody is allowed to mention it."
So unfortunately very true to this day...
Blessings and peace,
Dean
I give honor to the Holy Trinity each morning with three snoozes...
-Student from the St. John Vianney Theological Seminary
Don't we all feel like that sometimes? :)
Blessings and peace,
Dean
Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort me and restore me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger. -- St. Patrick
My thoughts and prayers are with you all. I miss typing on this thing... I should return to regular posting after next week...
Pax Christi,
Dean
"Dear friends, truth is not an imposition. Nor is it simply a set of rules. It is a discovery of the One who never fails us; the One whom we can always trust. In seeking truth we come to live by belief because ultimately truth is a person: Jesus Christ."
-Pope Benedict XVI April 19 in his address to the youth
Seen on a plaque on a building in Old Hangtown (Placerville), CA:
On this site in 1897, absolutely nothing happened.
And for those looking for a good Catholic quote for the day:
Christians must lean on the Cross of Christ just as travelers lean on a staff when they begin a long journey. - St. Anthony de Padua
Blessings and Peace,
Dean
Not 100 in the United States hate the Roman Catholic Church, but millions hate what they mistakenly think the Roman Catholic Church is. -- Bishop Fulton J. Sheen
Good man, Bishop Sheen was. Try looking up some of his videos on YouTube sometime, or check out the cause for his sainthood. Interested in purchasing some of his work? Check out this site.
Pax,
Dean
During the reign of Napoleon, Pope Pius VI was captured and imprisoned. Napoleon then proceeded to declare that he would destroy the Church. Pius VI's Secretary of State, Cardinal Consalvi, responded:
"What makes you think you will be able to do what us priests have been trying to do for the last 1800 years?"
Matthew 16:18 holds true. As if it ever wont. :)
By the way, this is post number fifty! Not a large milestone, but it's cool nonetheless. Thank you for putting up with my incoherent ramblings over the past few months. I continue to pray for the Holy Spirit's guidance, that He does the writing, and keeps my horrible ideas out of it!
Blessings and peace,
Dean
