A wonderful priest pointed something out the other day to me. The truth is we interact with many people in our lives - some who we're close to and some we're not so close to. But regardless of the nature of our relationship with a given individual, some of our interactions will leave a better impression upon us than other interactions. Sometimes it is tempting to presume malicious intentions on the part of the other person when thinking about an exchange that did not go quite to our liking.
It may seem obvious but what the priest told me was that such malice is generally not reflective of that person's true nature. It's all too easy to focus on a few interactions that went badly and assume that the other person is just inherently despicable. It's also all too easy to overlook the many interactions that went well and take the other person's good intentions for granted because they're "expected" to be that way "all the time." The good things the other person has done most of the time is who they really are. That's all we have to remind ourselves of, lest we start to allow ourselves to overthink certain conversations and let our minds play tricks on us.
Mark 1: 21-28
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Official Prophesy: The world will end in 2012!
Even the most unmotivated, and sometimes hostile, people will respond well to deadlines. On the other hand, even the most motivated and cooperative people may not always maintain their drive in the absence of deadlines. We don't know exactly when the kingdom of God will manifest. We only know that it's "at hand." Why not live our lives then as if the deadline is imminent? 2012 is as good a year as any to do that! I mean, isn't the world supposedly going to end in 2012? Just sayin'. Besides, this approach would be less risky than the opposite approach, which would be procrastinating and possibly being caught by a rather unpleasant surprise.
Mark 1: 14-20
Mark 1: 14-20
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Life is Good
Last year around this time I went to Washington, DC with other people from the Archdiocese of Boston for the March for Life. Unfortunately there will not be a repeat performance from me next week. But less than a week ago I heard through some Facebook friends that there would be a New Hampshire March for Life so on Saturday morning I went up to Concord (pronounced "conquered," NOT "con-chord"), the capital of the Granite State. New Hampshire comprises about 0.5% of the USA's population so I neither expected nor experienced the endless sea of humanity found in DC last year or next Monday (23 January). Nevertheless I am glad I went. Every human deserves a chance to live and this was our show of solidarity, support, and hope.
Every creation is something special and unique. Most will not be as famous as Jesus, John the Baptist, the first disciples, Saint Paul, or Samuel. But did we know what kind of potential these people had before they were born? For the most part, no. Furthermore, even those who do not become famous are special and unique in their own way. Just think about the people who may have touched your life to various extents. Most of them will not become famous and certainly not for having been in the right place at the right time in your life to have made an impact, however small or big. You never know when someone you meet (or already know) might lead you to someone else who brings out the best in you. Each individual's purpose may not be all that tangible or perceptible but every creation has a purpose nonetheless.
John 1: 35-42
Every creation is something special and unique. Most will not be as famous as Jesus, John the Baptist, the first disciples, Saint Paul, or Samuel. But did we know what kind of potential these people had before they were born? For the most part, no. Furthermore, even those who do not become famous are special and unique in their own way. Just think about the people who may have touched your life to various extents. Most of them will not become famous and certainly not for having been in the right place at the right time in your life to have made an impact, however small or big. You never know when someone you meet (or already know) might lead you to someone else who brings out the best in you. Each individual's purpose may not be all that tangible or perceptible but every creation has a purpose nonetheless.
John 1: 35-42
Sunday, January 08, 2012
Isn't it ironic (don't you think)?
Today is the last day of the Christmas season in the United States. In most other countries, Christmas is already over but the powers that be in the USA pushed Epiphany to the nearest Sunday so we get to rejoice a little longer and read another nativity story.
Today's story, of course, concerns the magi and King Herod. All of them were earthly kings but at least the magi were real kings. Herod was just a figurehead - the Romans were the ones really running the show in Jerusalem. Nevertheless, Herod was very intent on keeping his "power" and was wary of any potential threat to it. So when kings - real kings - from other lands came and inquired about the newborn king of the Jews, Herod was quite troubled and decided to be a little sneaky about it. He tried to use the sincere intentions of the other kings - real kings - to help him devise a sinister plan of his.
In stark contrast to Herod's power-hungry ways (even though he had no real power), the magi from the east - they're real kings, unlike Herod - knew that there was one greater than they, and they had no problem with that in the slightest. Curiously ironic, don't you think? It seems our friend Herod was a little insecure.
Matthew 2: 1-12
Today's story, of course, concerns the magi and King Herod. All of them were earthly kings but at least the magi were real kings. Herod was just a figurehead - the Romans were the ones really running the show in Jerusalem. Nevertheless, Herod was very intent on keeping his "power" and was wary of any potential threat to it. So when kings - real kings - from other lands came and inquired about the newborn king of the Jews, Herod was quite troubled and decided to be a little sneaky about it. He tried to use the sincere intentions of the other kings - real kings - to help him devise a sinister plan of his.
In stark contrast to Herod's power-hungry ways (even though he had no real power), the magi from the east - they're real kings, unlike Herod - knew that there was one greater than they, and they had no problem with that in the slightest. Curiously ironic, don't you think? It seems our friend Herod was a little insecure.
Matthew 2: 1-12
Sunday, January 01, 2012
Do you see with shepherd eyes?
Last year around this time, our parish had what was the best attended of its Theology on Tap events that year. Father Peter Grover, OMV came to speak and a recurring theme of his was "do you see with shepherd eyes?" Back in the day, shepherds were very simple people. Little or no education, very few teeth.
But perhaps it was their simplicity that made them believe. They were told, they saw, they believed. Just like that. The more learn-ed folks may have been inclined to come up with intellectual reasons as to why this sort of thing was "irrational" and "illogical." As matter of fact, there were plenty of reasons to see this event in those ways. The Son of God being born from a human? As a "bastard" child? In a place for animals? And the list goes on...
But the shepherds saw the birth of Jesus for what it was because they knew no other way. It was really very simple, just like the shepherds. Sometimes if you know in your heart what is right but you can't find a way to explain it, perhaps there's no need for explanation.
Luke 2: 16-21
But perhaps it was their simplicity that made them believe. They were told, they saw, they believed. Just like that. The more learn-ed folks may have been inclined to come up with intellectual reasons as to why this sort of thing was "irrational" and "illogical." As matter of fact, there were plenty of reasons to see this event in those ways. The Son of God being born from a human? As a "bastard" child? In a place for animals? And the list goes on...
But the shepherds saw the birth of Jesus for what it was because they knew no other way. It was really very simple, just like the shepherds. Sometimes if you know in your heart what is right but you can't find a way to explain it, perhaps there's no need for explanation.
Luke 2: 16-21
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