Those who visit here regularly know that I'm a big fan of the Epoch Times. I especially appreciate their Life and Tradition section and always read it carefully. I often clip articles for a grandchild or a friend to tuck into a letter. So much joy overflows those pages and I learn a lot as well.A few days ago I was catching up on back issues and found a wonderful quote from an article by Jeff Minick who lives in my own neck of the woods. One day I'd love to meet him. The article was titled The Boons and Blessings of Eucatastrophe.
If you're like me, you've never heard that word before. It was invented by J.R.R. Tolkien and described in his essay On Fairy Stories. Tolkien defined eucatastrophe as "the joy of the happy ending: or more correctly of the good catastrophe, the sudden joyous 'turn.'" He called the Resurrection the greatest eucatastrophe possible!
I'm always fascinated to discover the origins of expressions. Where did the expression, for example, mind your Ps and Qs come from? Some are obvious and based on common sense. How much thinking does it take to realize the meaning of "A stitch in time saves nine." Every seamstress knows that. And then there are those relating to the company we keep. "One bad apple can spoil the whole barrel." or "Birds of a feather flock together." My mom used those expressions warning about the importance of choosing friends wisely.
This post continues my reflection on the virtue of patience which I've discussed here, here, and here. It may take me a long time to plumb the depths of this difficult virtue.
I was reminded of patience in a recent conversation with a soccer coach I know. He described one of his young players as being very hard on himself. Whenever the lad makes a mistake on the field he berates himself with self condemning statements. I don't know exactly what he says, but I can imagine, since many of us are also quick to condemn ourselves for our mistakes. Can you hear the refrain in your head?
The latest would be Trump assassin, Ryan Wesley Routh, sounds like a man who is mentally unbalanced, like the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski, who terrorized the nation for almost two decades before his deranged 35,000-word manifesto led to his identification and arrest. A psychiatrist diagnosed Kaczynski as a paranoid schizophrenic. He pleaded guilty to prevent his lawyers from entering an insanity plea. Here's an excerpt from a 2023 NPR article written after Kaczynski died in prison at the age of 81:
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| Lila Rose vs. Donald Trump -- How does telling voters not to vote for Donald Trump help babies in the womb? It doesn't! It will help elect pro-abort radicals Harris/Walz! |
I'm shocked by some of the pro-lifers who would rather feel self-righteous in their moral purity than vote for Donald Trump. Politics is not and never will be our salvation. There is one Savior, Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, engaging in politics is a moral duty for Catholics. And, like the doctors' motto, First Do No Harm, that should be our motto as well. And putting Harris/Walz in office is to inflict a grave harm to babies in the womb.-
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| Does anyone else find this creepy? Are all those folks going up to St. Peter's to knock on the door and say, "Trick or Treat?" |
The Synod on Synodality seems to have gone low key over the past few months. Some of the most controversial issues were taken off the table and designated to study groups. Does that make you feel relieved? Not me. It takes them away from the public spotlight and lets the assigned committee members, dare I say change agents, work in the dark. The enemy sneaking up on you from behind is always more dangerous than the enemy you face directly. And there are many enemies within the walls of Holy Mother Church!
What's at stake? Plenty! As Jonathan Liedl wrote at the National Catholic Register:
For a few weeks I've thought about choosing an extended Bible focus on 1 Corinthians 13. What a wealth of thoughts for meditation! The vocation of a Christian is love. Love God first; and then, out of love for God, love for yourself and for your neighbor. St. Paul give a pretty complete list of the attributes of love. Some are positive describing what love IS; and some are negative describing what love IS NOT. According to St. Paul, these attributes
