Franciscan quotation

“... all things created have an order in themselves, and this begets the form that lets the universe resemble God.” - Dante 

Pax et bonum

On Being Snarky

One of my failings (there are many, mind you) as a Franciscan is my sarcastic/snarky side.

I grouse and crab and criticize so easily here, and on Facebook, and especially on Twitter.

I have a tendency to comment or reply with some snide remark even when I don't have to, and sometimes even when I was not part of the original discussion.

Not only is this not very Franciscan, it is not in keeping with G. K. Chesterton's style. He argued and debated often, but in a way that did not attack or demeaned the opponent. Yes, people did grow angry, and some were quite vicious when they did so, but that was on them, not instigated by him.

I have been trying to catch myself. I have been trying not to jump in or to make harsh comments, but have not always succeeded.

As with so many of my other failings, I need to avoid situations that encourage me to fall, and to ask God's help.

Pax et bonum

Franciscan quotation

"Let us love our enemies, bless those who curse us, pray for Those who persecute us. For love will conquer and will endure for all eternity. And happy are they who live and die in God's love." - Blessed Franz Jagerstatter

Pax et bonum

Franciscan quotation

“Charity is the measure by which Our Lord judges all things.” - St. Padre Pio

Pax et bonum

Achilles clerihew

Achilles
gave most Trojan foes the willies.
But Paris said, "He's no big deal.
I just told him to heel."

Pax et bonum

Franciscan quotation (St. Padre Pio)

You must not be discouraged or let yourself become dejected if your actions have not succeeded as perfectly as you intended. What do you expect? We are made of clay and not every soil yields the fruits expected by the one who tills it. But let us always humble ourselves and acknowledge that we are nothing if we lack the Divine assistance. - St. Padre Pio

Pax et bonum

Parishioners Refuse To Stand During The Our Father

"I support their right to protest." - Lucifer



Parishioners Refuse To Stand During The Our Father

Pax et bonum

Remember, God is watching ...

"... conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ ..." (Philippians 1: 27)

I look at the hate-filled protests and violence - even acts committed by those in the name of "love" or "rights," and I think of God.

He is watching - not to judge, but in sorrow.

Imagine the pain we are causing Him as we do foolish and hurtful things to ourselves and others.

Forgive us, Lord.

Pax et bonum

9 facts you need to know if you’re considering an abortion

Please, read the following before you do anything -



9 facts you need to know if you’re considering an abortion





Pax et bonum

Franciscan quotation (St. Padre Pio)

The prayers of the Saints in heaven and of the just on earth are a perfume which never will be lost. - St. Padre Pio

Pax et bonum

Franciscan quotation

We must not be wise and prudent according to the flesh, but, instead, we must be simple, humble and pure. - St. Francis of Assisi

Pax et bonum

Being back in school ...

Except for the Franciscan quotations, I have been posting little of late. Being at a new school with a new curriculum means lots of reading and lesson planning, and I find myself with little time or mental energy. Sigh.

On a positive note, it's a wonderful school, with great students. I am enjoying it. The spirituality there is incredible.

Now, back to getting ready for the day!

Pax et bonum

Franciscan quotation

Prayer is the raising of the mind to God. We must always remember this. The actual words matter less. - Pope St. John XXIII

Pax et bonum

Franciscan quotation

Take care to have around you people, whether clerics or laymen, who are wise, upright, and loyal, and free from covetousness. Talk with them often, but shun and fly from association with the wicked. - King St. Louis

Pax et bonum

Franciscan quotation

As in heaven Your will is punctually performed, so may it be done on earth by all creatures, particularly in me and by me.

- Saint Elizabeth of Hungary

Pax et bonum

Franciscan quotation

Many apply themselves to prayers and offices, and practise much abstinence and bodily mortification, but because of a single word which seems to be hurtful to their bodies or because of something being taken from them, they are forthwith scandalized and troubled. These are not poor in spirit: for he who is truly poor in spirit, hates himself and loves those who strike him on the cheek. - St. Francis of Assisi

Pax et bonum

Franciscan quotation

There are many who if they commit sin or suffer wrong often blame their enemy or their neighbor. But this is not right, for each one has his enemy in his power,—to wit, the body by which he sins. Wherefore blessed is that servant who always holds captive the enemy thus given into his power and wisely guards himself from it, for so long as he acts thus no other enemy visible or invisible can do him harm. - St Francis of Assisi

Pax et bonum

Mason Proffit - Sweet Lady Love / Terry Talbot & John Michael Talbot

Pax et bonum

Saul Alinsky - with a nod to Lucifer and Hell

Saul Alinsky is the father of community organizing, His writings and tactics influenced community organizing, political parties, and even some social justice programs of the Catholic Church (such as Call to Action). Among the tactics he taught: demonizing foes, destroying them on a personal level, and taking adversarial approaches to issues and problems. 

In an interview with Playboy shortly before he died he said: 
 

ALINSKY: ... if there is an afterlife, and I have anything to say about it, I will unreservedly choose to go to hell.

PLAYBOY: Why?

ALINSKY: Hell would be heaven for me. All my life I've been with the have-nots. Over here, if you're a have-not, you're short of dough. If you're a have-not in hell, you're short of virtue. Once I get into hell, I'll start organizing the have-nots over there.

PLAYBOY: Why them?

ALINSKY: They're my kind of people.

 

His last book Rules for Radicals, contains the following epigram:

 

Lest we forget at least an over-the-shoulder acknowledgment to the very first radical: from all our legends, mythology, and history (and who is to know where mythology leaves off and history begins — or which is which), the first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom — Lucifer.
— SAUL ALINSKY

 

The rules:

 

      1. "Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have." Power is derived from  main sources – money and people. "Have-Nots" must build power from flesh and blood.

      2. "Never go outside the expertise of your people." It results in confusion, fear and retreat. Feeling secure adds to the backbone of anyone.

     3. "Whenever possible, go outside the expertise of the enemy." Look for ways to increase insecurity, anxiety and uncertainty.

    4. "Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules." If the rule is that every letter gets a reply, send 30,000 letters. You can kill them with this because no one can possibly obey all of their own rules.

    5."Ridicule is man's most potent weapon." There is no defense. It's irrational. It's infuriating. It also works as a key pressure point to force the enemy into concessions.

    6."A good tactic is one your people enjoy." They'll keep doing it without urging and come back to do more. They're doing their thing, and will even suggest better ones.

    7."A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag." Don't become old news.

    8."Keep the pressure on. Never let up." Keep trying new things to keep the opposition off balance. As the opposition masters one approach, hit them from the flank with something new.

    9."The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself." Imagination and ego can dream up many more consequences than any activist.

   10."The major premise for tactics is the development of operations that will maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition." It is this unceasing pressure that results in the reactions from the opposition that are essential for the success of the campaign.

   11."If you push a negative hard enough, it will push through and become a positive." Violence from the other side can win the public to your side because the public sympathizes with the underdog.

   12."The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative." Never let the enemy score points because you're caught without a solution to the problem.

   13."Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it." Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy. Go after people and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions.

You see in these rules the roots of many of the tactics used in everything from community organizing to political campaigns - just think of how Rules 5 and 13 applied to the some recent Presidential elections.

In the book he also says "The third rule of ethics of means and ends is that in war the end justifies almost any means...." - clearly out of synch with Catholic teachings. Yet so many in the Church embraced his tactics.  Sad.

Pax et bonum

Franciscan quotation

“Every grace granted to man has three degrees in order; for by God it is communicated to Christ, from Christ it passes to the Virgin, and from the Virgin it descends to us.” - St. Bernardine of Siena

Pax et bonum

Rock of Faith God of Wonders 2016

Pax et bonum

Franciscan quotation

“In things of beauty, he contemplated the One who is supremely beautiful, and, led by the footprints he found in creatures, he followed the Beloved everywhere.”   - St. Bonaventure (of St. Francis)

Pax et bonum

Franciscan quotation

"While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart."  - St. Francis of Assisi

Pax et bonum

Franciscan quotation

The devil is afraid of us when we pray and make sacrifices. He is also afraid when we are humble and good. He is especially afraid when we love Jesus very much. He runs away when we make the Sign of the Cross. - St. Anthony of Padua

Pax et bonum

Franciscan quotation (Chaput/Michelangelo)

For Christians, art is a holy vocation with the power to elevate the human spirit and lead men and women toward God. - Archbishop Charles Chaput

Pax et bonum

Franciscan quotation (St. Bonaventure)

Chastity without charity is a lamp without oil. - St. Bonaventure

Pax et bonum

Franciscan quotation (St. Francis - peacemakers)

They are truly peacemakers who are able to preserve their peace of mind and heart for love of our Lord Jesus Christ, despite all that they suffer in this world. - St. Francis of Assisi

Pax et bonum

Is It Ever Okay for a Christian to Judge Someone? | ChurchPOP

Is It Ever Okay for a Christian to Judge Someone? | ChurchPOP

Pax et bonum

Franciscan quotation (Padre Pio)

Keep your eyes fixed on Him who is your guide to the heavenly country, where He is leading you. What does it matter to you whether Jesus wishes to guide you to Heaven by way of the desert or by the meadow, so long as He is always with you and you arrive at the possession of a blessed eternity? - Saint Padre Pio

Pax et bonum

Misericordias Domini / Les Pauvres de Saint-François

Tres bien!




Pax et bonum

Franciscan quotation (St. Clare)

Place your mind before the mirror of eternity! Place your soul in the brilliance of glory! And transform your entire being into the image of the Godhead Itself through contemplation. - St. Clare

Pax et bonum

Franciscan quotation (Fr. Bodo)

Both in art and in nature one is moved to awe before the created thing and the mind and heart that created it - and awe is the prelude to admiration or adoration. One admires the human artist; one adores the Divine Artist. And from adoration flows all prayer. - Father Murray Bodo O.F.M.

Pax et bonum

Franciscan quotation - a Blessing from St. Francis

A Blessing from St. Francis

May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May He show His Face to you and be merciful to you.
May He turn His countenance to you and give you peace.

May the Lord bless you.

Pax et bonum

Franciscan quotation

The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis. - Dante

Pax et bonum

Franciscan quotation

“Let us thank God that He makes us live among the present problems. It is no longer permitted to anyone to be mediocre.” - Pope Pius XI

Pax et bonum

Father Kupaun Book: Informative, but ...

For school, I read The Miracle of Father Kupaun: Priest, Soldier, and Korean War Hero by Roy Wenzl and Travis Heying.

I had heard a little about Father Kupaun before, but did not really know much. The book certainly filled in details about his actions during the war, his death, and how he affected a number of people. He came across as a good man worthy of admiration. Certainly inspiring.

Should be officially recognized as a saint? I don't know. I leave that to the Church to decide.

I do wish the book had been better written, though. It's repetitive at times, and the interweaving of the stories of his two possible miracles becomes irksome after while; it would have been better just to tell each of the stories straight through.

If you want to know more about him, the book is a good start. Just don't expect a great read.

Pax et bonum

Franciscan quotation (St. Charles Borromeo)

“Be sure that you first preach by the way you live. If you do not, people will notice that you say one thing, but live otherwise, and your words will bring only cynical laughter and a derisive shake of the head.”  - St. Charles Borromeo

Pax et bonum

Franciscan quotation

Beauty awakens the soul to act. - Dante

Pax et bonum

A response to Father Martin from Cardinal Sarah

A response from Cardinal Sarah to Father Martin.

Worth a read.

Pax et bonum

Three Clerihews (Clare, Moses, Trump)

Too sick to attend, St. Clare
miraculously saw the service as if there.
Because of that vision
she's now the patron saint of television!

If Moses
really supposes his toeses are roses,
then I'd be inclined to think
he's had too much to drink! 

Allegedly President Trump
called the White House a "dump."
If true, we presume he meant the facilities
and not his own policies.
Pax et bonum