Sunday Meditation: Love is not rude!

Regular readers know that I like the Epoch Times -- a lot! The June 17-24 issue had a great article on The Steep Price of Declining Civility. I think most would agree that we see that almost every day, the behavior on social media being a good example. Rudeness is just the tip of the iceberg, though. The riots in our cities, school shootings, assassinations of political figures -- they all show the "steep price" of a culture entering chaos!

"Without contention, without willfullness, without obstinacy...."

Today is the feast of St. Peter Canisius, Doctor of the Church, a Jesuit who knew St. Ignatius. He was a powerful preacher against heresy who participated in two sessions of the Council of Trent called to address the inroads of the Protestant revolution. 

Sounds like a perfect intercessor for own day, eh? As I was reading the entry in Butler's Lives of the Saints this morning I asked St. Peter to be an intercessor overlooking and interceding for those who comment on the blog, including myself and my blog partner, Susan. St. Peter was never contentious. 

He described the "spirit and manner in which Christian apologetics and controversy should be conducted." I think it would be a blessing if all who engage in apologetics and commented anywhere on blogs or social media followed his advice. The passage I quote below relates to Protestants, but it could relate to many other situations as well. How do we react to those with whom we disagree? Are we patient, kind, not rude? Do we engage with anger seeking the elevation of our own opinions above theirs? Do we rejoice in evil to the extent of chortling over the murder of others taking pleasure in the killing as long as the ones who die are the "bad guys" according to our judgment? 

Thought for the Day: A Little Courtesy Would Improve the Culture Immensely!

I don't have many original thoughts and this one certainly is not. It reflects an almost proverbial truth:

Courtesy is the grease that makes the gears of society run smoothly. 

Whenever I think of that word "courtesy," I think of Hilaire Belloc's poem:

                            Courtesy

                            Of Courtesy, it is much less
                            Than Courage of Heart or Holiness,
                            Yet in my Walks it seems to me
                            That the Grace of God is in Courtesy.

                            On Monks I did in Storrington fall,
                            They took me straight into their Hall;
                            I saw Three Pictures on a wall,
                            And Courtesy was in them all.

Anonymous, Nasty Spammers Unwelcome!

Lizzie is so polite to Mr. Darcy he never realizes her dislike
for him, proposes to her later, and is shocked by her refusal.

I've reached my limit on name-calling trolls hiding behind rocks and spewing their venom. So I've disabled anonymous comments. If you are a civil commenter and have been posting anonymously, join the blog to continue posting.

I also will not post any comments attacking Dr. Byrne. His career has been nothing but service to the sick and suffering. So if you want to attack a man I consider a living saint who could be enjoying a soft retirement, but instead fights for the helpless, go start your own blog.