Merton . . . on Life

I’d like to remember this on those days that are hectic, when I am trying to accomplish too many tasks:

Take more time, cover less ground.

– Thomas Merton
Dancing in the Waters of Life

Maybe I could take a clue from this fellow.

Every Being, an Abode of God

Every being is an abode of God, worthy of respect and reverence.

– Hindu Scripture

I imagine this fellow saying, much like Rodger Dangerfield, “I can’t get no respect.”

Miracles According to Einstein

There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.

-Albert Einstein

Miracle of sea and sky –
Miracle of human engineering

What Is the Source of a True Smile?

Salvadoran woman with sorghum . . . and a true smile

 

 

The source of a true smile is an awakened mind. Smiling helps you approach the day with gentleness and understanding.

– Thich Nhat Hanh
Peace is Every Step

Watching the Dawn Arise

One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 139. And on Friday it is one of our readings – the Responsorial Psalm.

Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.

If I take the wings of the dawn,
if I settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
Even there your hand shall guide me,
and your right hand hold me fast.

Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.

Watching with God at dawn

Waiting for God Takes Courage

Thursday’s Responsorial Psalm is from Psalm 27

“I believe that I shall see the bounty of God
in the land of the living.
Wait for the God with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for God.”

How right it is to say that waiting for God takes courage,
because, really, what I would like to do is run ahead.

How about you?

May we be as courageous as the tender flower as it faces the elements.

Merton on Gratitude

To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything.”

– Thomas Merton

Recognizing God in the wild mushroom!

The Feast of the Guardian Angels

Tuesday, October 2nd is the Feast of the Guardian Angels. We can’t prove they are there, but I’m pretty sure that they have been around and kept me out of a scrap or two in my life. The picture below is from a fresco at San Domenico in Bologna. It shows the angels carrying the body of St. Dominic.

May the angels be with us “now and at the hour of our death.” Amen.

St. Dominic is often recognized by the star on his forehead.

The Feast of St. Thérèse of Lisieux

October 1st is the feast of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the Little Flower. She is a favorite saint of many; many of my sisters are fond of her. I share a quote of hers today.
For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy. “
There is more than one website that claims to be the official website for a woman who would never wanted to be noticed publicly. To learn more about St. Thérèse of Lisieux go to the Catholic Online site which has the biographies of many women and men of the church.

Why Are We Content to Simply Wait for Heaven?

Bolinas heavens

We are reminded by Henry David Thoreau to be attentive now:

Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.”

And Catherine of Siena, the Dominican Saint, said centuries before him that,

All the way to heaven is heaven.”

Why wait?!