Thought for the Day: How Do I Choose to Behave? How Do I Use my Free Will?

I've been re-reading People of the Lie by Scott Peck. I don't agree with everything he writes, but as I neared the end of the book in the last chapter but one, I came across this absolutely true statement about free will:

Each of us is ultimately free to choose how we are going to behave. We are even free to reject what we have been taught and what is normal for our society.We may even reject the few instincts we have, as do those who rationally choose celibacy or submit themselves to death by martyrdom. Free will is the ultimate human reality. 

Courses at Hillsdale College are Worth Checking Out!

Hillsdale College, Home of Imprimis

We never stop learning from the time we are in the womb where we can hear our mother's heartbeat and her voice. A child is born having an intellect infused with the natural law and the gift of free will. The intellect was given to us to study the world and recognize and learn the truth. Our free will was given to us, not to choose to do whatever we want, right or wrong, but to choose the true, the good and the beautiful, in other words, to choose the will of our Creator.

It's Up to You: Choose to Be Happy!

This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

I used to know a woman at my parish in Alexandria, VA who was always grumpy, always complaining, and as rude as could be to those around her. I'll call her Grumpy. She was elderly and no doubt had medical issues and other problems. But she wasn't, as far as I know, mentally ill or suffering from dementia. She just seemed to revel in being miserable and spreading her misery to others. And then she wondered why people avoided her. It was a head-shaker. Really, Grumpy, you treat people with disdain and rudeness and wonder why they don't want to spend time with you? Hello? Reality calling!

Thought for the Day from St. Dominic

My Confirmation patron is St. Dominic. What a wise and holy man. And how much we could use him today. We live in a culture of feelings. If a woman feels like a man, she insists she really is one. If a man feels like a woman, he insists he is one. But feelings will never make a woman fancy on the outside or a man fancy on the inside as Mr. Rogers would put it. Nope! Feelings can’t change biology. They can, however, change a person in an instant from a rational being making sensible decisions, to an out-of-control puppet ruled by his feelings.

Sunday Meditation: It All Starts with the Theological Virtues

Our catechism class this morning at the chapel was on the theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity. Every journey begins at the beginning and first step in the spiritual life is faith. This is how the ancient form of the Sacrament of Baptism begins (my comments in red):

AT THE DOOR OF THE CHURCH [The child or adult to be baptized is recognized as a catechumen -- not yet a full member of the Church. The sacrament begins outside the body of the Church since the one to be baptized is not yet a member. The explanations below explain it.] 

The Music That Kills the Soul

More mementoes from the "Religion of Peace"

The website for Gatestone Institute posted a story today about the tragedy in Manchester England I think is worth reading.  It mentions the fact Muslims hate the "music of the west."  Here is the link to that story.

I am a free market capitalist.  I don't believe in censoring literature and music except in extreme cases such as public defilement of religious icons for the sake of sensationalism.  Other than that, I think the consumer should be free to enhance or destroy his life as he chooses.  If you want to fill you head with mushy erotic novels instead of history and philosophy and religion, you have the free will that allows you to do that and a government that makes it possible.  If you want to listen to discordant filth set in motion with vulgar costumes and dancing, that too is your choice. 

Homeschooling: It's No Guarantee Your Kids Won't Make Bad Choices.

There's no magic potion for parenting.

Homeschooling isn't a magic potion!

Actually, this is a no-brainer. Hello! Our kids have free will and we can do everything possible to help them be responsible, holy adults and still watch heartbroken as they make bad, self-destructive decisions. I take comfort in Proverbs 22: "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."

Some children accept what parents say and believe, take it to heart, and never rebel. Others learn the hard way. They have to stick their fingers in the fire to see if it's really hot.