Body and Soul

 Prayer  2 Responses »
Jun 142018
 

After having lost 145 pounds I am now pretty much in maintenance mode. Still throughout my life I have lost significant weight and then regained it. Although never as much as this. So I am well aware of the fact that to maintain my current weight takes effort. This year, I have been successful at this, but it also takes a lot more effort than I previously imagined.

Just to maintain my current weight I am still doing intermittent fasting with usually only one meal a day. This combined with daily exercise, usually some walking and at least 15 miles on bike. So maintenance for me has meant maintaining the daily regimen I used to loose that weight.

Thinking about this it seems to me to be quite parallel to the spiritual life. You might overcome some vices and grow in virtue, yet you can’t just rest on this. It also takes a daily effort to nourish my spiritual life and love of Christ. You just can’t have a “cheat day” as some call it in reference to dieting. This also takes more effort than I might have previously expected. You just can’t tread water in the spiritual life.

I now have a deeper appreciation for the metaphors St. Paul uses in references to athletes. That it takes continuous training and perseverance. As an avid cyclist now (never thought I would be that guy), I now look forward each day to my ride. To measure distance and speed and to see the positive effects of this. I wish I had that same “look-forwardness” when it comes to my efforts in regard to the spiritual life.

Still I am carving out the time for scripture study and prayer and am starting to enjoy scripture reading along side a commentary. I would be happy and almost proud with my progress, if this verse didn’t keep me a little better grounded.

“Say: we are unworthy servants, we have only done what was our duty” (Luke 17: 10)

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The Weekly Francis – Volume 231 – 13 June 2018

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Jun 132018
 

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This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 28 May 2018 to 13 June 2018.

The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc which I also post at Jimmy Akin’s blog.

Angelus

General Audiences

Messages

Papal Tweets

  • “For those who are with Jesus, evil is just a provocation to love even more” @Pontifex 7 June 2018
  • “The Feast of the Sacred Heart reminds us that God loved us first: He is always waiting for us, welcoming us into His heart, into His love.” @Pontifex 8 June 2018
  • “Let us ask the Lord to give us good priests: hardworking men, men of prayer, who are close to God’s people.” @Pontifex 8 June 2018
  • “Mary is exactly what God wants His Church to be: a loving and humble Mother, poor in possessions but rich in love.” @Pontifex 9 June 2018
  • “Whatever we do, let us sustain the voice of the Holy Spirit through practical good deeds and actions.” @Pontifex 10 June 2018
  • “The Holy Spirit gives us the strength we need to achieve holiness in the midst of our everyday lives.” @Pontifex 11 June 2018
  • “Children must be able to play, study and grow in a peaceful environment. Woe to anyone who stifles their joyful impulse to hope!” @Pontifex 12 June 2018
  • “Never tire of encountering Jesus in prayer, in listening to the Word of God, and in receiving the Eucharist.” @Pontifex 13 June 2018

Papal Instagram

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The Weekly Francis – Volume 230 – 06 June 2018

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Jun 062018
 

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This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 25 January 2018 to 6 June 2018.

The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc which I also post at Jimmy Akin’s blog.

Angelus

General Audiences

Homilies

Letters

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “When the Holy Spirit is present, something always happens. Where blows the Spirit, things are never at a standstill.” @Pontifex 30 May 2018
  • “The Eucharist contains all the flavour of Jesus’ words and deeds, the taste of His Death and Resurrection, the fragrance of His Spirit.” @Pontifex 31 May 2018
  • “Love can recognize good things even in bad situations. Love keeps a tiny flame alight even in the darkest night.” @Pontifex 1 June 2018
  • “Seek the Lord in prayer: He is the one who has called you.” @Pontifex 2 June 2018
  • “On this Feast of Corpus Christi, we need to remember that Jesus, the Bread of Life, is our strength and support on life’s journey.” @Pontifex 3 June 2018
  • “The living presence of Christ within us is the light that guides our choices, the flame that warms our hearts as we go to meet the Lord.” @Pontifex 4 June 2018
  • “Lord, reawaken in us a sense of praise and gratitude for our Earth, and for everything you have created.” @Pontifex 5 June 2018
  • “Loving Christ is not a superficial sentiment. It is an attitude of the heart that we demonstrate when we live as He wants us to.” @Pontifex 6 June 2018

Papal Instagram

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Upon this Rockchain

 Humor  No Responses »
Jun 052018
 

There’s Now A Religion Based On the Blockchain. Yes, Really..

Liston unveiled his blockchain religion, which he calls 0xΩ (“Zero ex omega”? … He distributed 40 hard copies of a document he calls 0xΩ’s “flame paper,” the closest thing the religion has to a “holy book,” that reportedly outlines how Liston wants 0xΩ to function.

“It’s a religious framework that could allow for belief sets to update much more quickly and also to democratize the relationship between membership and convergence on what everyone believes in this religion,”

The fundamental idea is that blockchain could eliminate the need for the faith to have a governing authority. In many of today’s major religions, the beliefs and decisions of the people at the top — the Pope, the Dalai Lama, the Chief Rabbi — trickle down to the rest of the believers. The average follower has very little influence on the religion’s core beliefs.

0xΩ could work differently, because users could have a say. Followers might decide they want to change parts of the blockchain religion’s texts (starting with the flame paper) or start using donations to support certain charitable causes. …

Because it is distributed and difficult to hack, blockchain may provide the perfect platform for followers to voice their opinions on these matters, or give their vote to another member to vote on their behalf.

And if followers can’t reach consensus on a topic, 0xΩ could “hard fork” into two separate religions.

Via WikiPedia

A blockchain, is a continuously growing list of records, called blocks, which are linked and secured using cryptography. Each block typically contains a cryptographic hash of the previous block,[6] a timestamp, and transaction data.[7] By design, a blockchain is resistant to modification of the data. It is “an open, distributed ledger that can record transactions between two parties efficiently and in a verifiable and permanent way”. For use as a distributed ledger, a blockchain is typically managed by a peer-to-peer network collectively adhering to a protocol for inter-node communication and validating new blocks. Once recorded, the data in any given block cannot be altered retroactively without alteration of all subsequent blocks, which requires collusion of the network majority.

A blockchain is most known for providing the ledger for the cryptocurrency bitcoin.

Still this got me thinking about Catholic parallels. For Catholic we have sort of a “Upon this Rockchain”. That a combination of the Magisterium, Apostolic traditions, and scripture provide a secure way together of providing sort of a ledger of what the Church believes.

Without this private interpretation results in a “hardfork” into separate religions as the article mentions. The Ordinary and Extraordinary Magisterium provides a “christo-graphic hash” verifying the authenticity of her teachings. The best hash is one signed with what Vatican I called “divine and Catholic faith".

Yes I am stretching the comparison here – but just indulging my geekiness poorly.

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Here and There

 Humor, News, Saints  2 Responses »
May 312018
 

Love this statue. It seems the only statues of Mary I ever see are the sorrowful ones. Certainly there is a place for this and to contemplate the sword that pierced her heart. Still I loved the imagery of the playful Mary in The Passion of the Christ and would like to see more such imagery.

An article about the Church of England using Alexa to spread “Christianity”.

  • Alexa, when did Anglican Orders become null and void?

Maureen at “Aliens in This World” post another of her interesting articles St. Leonides, the Father of Origen. Did not know his father was a martyr.

And in other saintly news. While I knew that there was an investigation into the life of G.K. Chesterton, apparently it could be moving forward. GK Chesterton’s sainthood cause may soon be opened.

I’ll leave you with a couple of my bad jokes.

  • My Mother’s sisters want me to go to Mass with them on Saturday evening. I declined since I want nothing to do with Vigil aunties.
  • I would see the new Star Wars movie, except for the fact that I know that the Council of Trent rejected Solo Script.
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The Weekly Francis – Volume 229 – 30 May 2018

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May 302018
 

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This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 7 June 2017 to 30 May 2018.

The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc which I also post at Jimmy Akin’s blog.

Regina Coeli

General Audiences

Messages

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “Today we are united in prayer with our Catholic brothers and sisters in China, on the Feast of Our Lady Help of Christians of Sheshan.” @Pontifex 23 May 2018
  • “Love of God and love of neighbour should be the two cornerstones of our lives.” @Pontifex 25 May 2018
  • “The Gospel calls us to live outside our comfort zone, because anyone who follows Jesus, loves the poor and the lowly.” @Pontifex 26 May 2018
  • “The mystery of the Blessed Trinity invites us to live in communion with one another, in love and in sharing: certain that wherever there is love, there is God.” @Pontifex 26 May 2018
  • “What lasts? What has value in life? What treasures don’t disappear? Definitely two: God and our neighbor.” @Pontifex 28 May 2018
  • “The Eucharist gives us the strength to produce the fruits of good works, and to live true Christian lives.” @Pontifex 29 May 2018
  • “When the Holy Spirit is present, something always happens. Where blows the Spirit, things are never at a standstill.” @Pontifex 30 May 2018

Papal Instagram

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The Weekly Francis – Volume 228 – 23 May 2018

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May 232018
 

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This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 13 May 2018 to 23 May 2018.

The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc which I also post at Jimmy Akin’s blog.

General Audiences

Homilies

Letters

Messages

Regina Coeli

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “I express my great sorrow over the dead and wounded in the Holy Land and the Middle East. Violence never leads to peace. Therefore, I call on all sides involved and the international community to renew efforts so that dialogue, justice and peace may prevail.” @Pontifex 16 May 2018
  • “God loves us in a way that crushes all loneliness and isolation.” @Pontifex 17 May 2018
  • “Mary lived Jesus’ Beatitudes like no other: she is saintly among the saints, she shows us the way to holiness and accompanies us.” @Pontifex 18 May 2018
  • “Never forget this golden rule: “Do to others what you would have them do to you” (Mt 7,12)” @Pontifex 19 May 2018
  • “Holy Spirit, you who sustain the Church, come down upon us again, teach us unity, renew our hearts, and help us to love as Jesus taught us.” @Pontifex 20 May 2018
  • “God needs people who bring His forgiveness and His mercy into the world.” @Pontifex 21 May 2018
  • “A Christian’s life should be invested in Jesus, and spent for others.” @Pontifex 22 May 2018
  • “A Church that loves the poor is always tuned to the God Channel. It never loses the Gospel signal.” @Pontifex 23 May 2018

Papal Instagram

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The Weekly Francis – Volume 227 – 16 May 2018

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May 162018
 

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This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 10 April 2018 to 16 May 2018.

The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc which I also post at Jimmy Akin’s blog.

General Audiences

Homilies

Regina Coeli

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “The Ascension of the Risen Jesus contains the promise that we too will participate in the fullness of life with God.” @Pontifex 10 May 2018
  • “We begin building peace in our homes, streets, and workplaces: wherever we craft communion and community.” @Pontifex 11 May 2018
  • “Your response to Jesus cannot be conditioned by momentary calculations and convenience. It must be a life-long “yes”.” @Pontifex 12 May 2018
  • “Our Lady of Fatima, turn your gaze towards us, towards our families, our country, and the world.” @Pontifex 13 May 2018
  • “I invite communications professionals to promote a journalism of peace at the service of all people, especially those without a voice. #WorldCommunicationsDay” @Pontifex 13 May 2018
  • “There is no freedom greater than letting yourself be guided by the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to lead you wherever he wishes.” @Pontifex 14 May 2018
  • “The Family is the hope of the future. Let us pray especially for families facing serious difficulties: may Our Lord assist them.” @Pontifex 15 May 2018
  • “There is no love without works of charity. Service towards our brothers and sisters springs from the heart that loves.” @Pontifex 16 May 2018
  • “I express my great sorrow over the dead and wounded in the Holy Land and the Middle East. Violence never leads to peace. Therefore, I call on all sides involved and the international community to renew efforts so that dialogue, justice and peace may prevail.” @Pontifex 16 May 2018

Papal Instagram

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The Weekly Francis – Volume 226 – 09 May 2018

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May 092018
 

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This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 19 April 2018 to 9 May 2018.

The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc which I also post at Jimmy Akin’s blog.

General Audiences

Messages

Regina Coeli

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “In the Cross, Jesus showed us the greatness of His love and the power of His mercy.” @Pontifex 3 May 2018
  • “Joyfully performing works of charity for those who are suffering in mind and body, is the most authentic way to live the Gospel” @Pontifex 4 May 2018
  • “Every insult, injury or act of violence inflicted upon our neighbour, offends God our Father and Creator.” @Pontifex 5 May 2018
  • “How wonderful to be “envoys of hope”, simple and joyful messengers of the Easter acclamation.” @Pontifex 6 May 2018
  • “Convert our hearts, Lord, so that love may spread here on earth.” @Pontifex 7 May 2018
  • “Our Lady Queen of the Rosary, pray that Jesus may have mercy on us sinners.” @Pontifex 8 May 2018
  • “We are Christians to the extent that we allow Jesus Christ to live in us.” @Pontifex 9 May 2018

Papal Instagram

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I have God’s Back

 Theology  No Responses »
May 052018
 

From then-Cardinal Ratzinger “On The Way To Jesus Christ”

“Exodus, clearly pointed to Christ, the refusal to allow him to see and the restriction that he could only glimpse “the back of God” could not likewise be applied to Jesus. In the first instance, the figure of Moses accordingly represented both the mystery of Christ and the way of Jesus’ disciples; the second text, then, must point to them, that is, to all of us who believe in Christ. This is the basic thought in the patristic commentaries on Exodus 33; naturally their interpretations of this difficult text about seeing God’s back, about standing in the cleft of the rock beneath God’s hands, which cover our eyes, vary greatly as to the details. Personally, I always find particularly moving the commentary on this passage that Gregory of Nyssa gives. Being able to see God only from the back—what else does that mean, he says, but that we can only encounter God by walking after Jesus; that the only way we can see him is by following Jesus, which means walking behind him and thus going along behind God’s back.”

I copied a lot from this book into my quote journal.

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