deacon's corner

An Irresistible Enticement

25. March 2015 · Write a comment · Categories: Reflections

Willful Disobedience

At some point in our lives, usually when we are very young, we find ourselves conflicted and torn upon being clearly and expressly forbidden to do something, especially when the command is issued without explanation or reason. When a reason or rationale is requested (often expressed with high-volume emphasis by the very young) the common response is “Because I said so” which is seldom if ever sufficient to appease or mollify. Indeed, it is not uncommon to find that such a command will almost certainly prove to be an irresistible enticement sufficient to induce compulsory disregard and willful disobedience to the taboo.

The Luckiest People In The World

18. March 2015 · Write a comment · Categories: Reflections

Are you feeling lucky?

A letter to the editor in a magazine I was reading recently caught my eye. What struck me most about the letter was how it made me realize just how much we as Catholics take for granted and how quickly we dismiss the great gift we have in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Few take advantage of the opportunity to ask for God’s mercy, to clear the conscience and cleanse the soul.

Rich Or Poor

12. March 2015 · Write a comment · Categories: Reflections

giving it all away

Wealth and poverty come in many forms, so many in point of fact that it is often difficult to accurately categorize those to whom one can say are wealthy and those to whom you ought label poor. What is wealth to one may well be considered poverty to another, much along the lines of the expressions “Beauty in things exists merely in the mind which contemplates them”[1] or “Beauty, like supreme dominion is but supported by opinion,”[2] both of which might well seem more familiar as in the expression “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”[3]

Insufficient Funds

05. March 2015 · Write a comment · Categories: Reflections

giving God his due

It is worth a moment to reflect upon that which motivates us, drives us forward, propels us toward some purpose which lies beyond our own perceived abilities to imagine or achieve. From the very beginning man has heard that siren call to achieve more, become more, and be more, to “be like gods who know what is good and what is bad”.[1] Our sense of self-esteem or self-importance often blinds us from the truth of whom we are and to whom we owe our gratitude. We live our lives unconcerned for the consequences of our thoughts and actions, and as a consequence, to borrow a line from the 1986 film Top Gun, “we let our egos write checks our bodies can’t cash”.[2]

All In Perspective

25. February 2015 · Write a comment · Categories: Reflections

Giving it all away

The Roman Emperor and stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius is widely known for his words describing a philosophy of service and duty.[1] In his book Meditations he wrote much on that which makes for a good life. He wrote “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature.”

The Importance Of Being Humble

19. February 2015 · Write a comment · Categories: Reflections

Rich or poor, which is better?

Beatrice Kaufman, the wife of playwright George S. Kaufman once quipped “I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor. Rich is better.”[1] This sentiment is undoubtedly shared by many for we quite obstinately hold to the belief, despite evidence to the contrary, that wealth can indeed purchase greater happiness. Studies conducted of people whose fortunes dramatically changed have consistently shown that whether the change was considered positive (winning an enormous sum of money) or negative (accidental dismemberment or physical impairment) one’s level of personal happiness returned to prior levels in very short order.[2]

The Poor In Spirit

11. February 2015 · 2 comments · Categories: Reflections

When asked to give, all was given

In a letter sent to Jean-Baptiste Leroy in 1789, Benjamin Franklin wrote “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” While there may be some question as to the certainty of taxes, the absolute inevitability of death can brook no argument.

Falling Short

09. February 2015 · Write a comment · Categories: Reflections

Meeting Expectations

Saint Anselm wrote in “On the Fall of the Devil” that angels, as well as humans, are primarily driven in whatever they choose to do by two motivations.[1] In the first instance they are motivated to act in their own self-interest in pursuit of personal happiness, or to put it another way, they choose that which best benefits themselves. In the second instance angels and humans are motivated to do what is right; that which is the just and moral thing to do; what God wants them to do.

Becoming A Child Of God

28. January 2015 · Write a comment · Categories: Reflections

on loving the unlovable

Irish playwright Oscar Wilde once said, “Some people cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.” We all know those whose presence warm our hearts and fill the room with joy and laughter just as we are aware of others for whom we cringe at the very thought of them. To paraphrase Wilde: “Some people we love without reservation; others, with great reservation.”

The Equality Of Being

22. January 2015 · Write a comment · Categories: Reflections

It is all in the difference

If you consider for a moment the high degree of similitude that describes every human being it truly is amazing. With few exceptions, we come into this world possessing a torso upon which rests a single head that contains a brain encased within a skull, two ears placed one on each side of the head of approximately the same shape capable of hearing sound, two eyes set in sockets at the front of the skull capable of seeing images, a nose set between and slightly below the eyes which allows us to breath in life-giving oxygen and to smell, and below the nose a mouth which can perform a myriad of functions from inhaling oxygen, ingesting food, smiling, frowning, and uttering sounds. And so it is with the rest of our body. Each of us has been marvelously constructed from the same set of parts, certainly with respect to our physical structure.