Monday, February 14, 2005

Who has the time?

I just started to read a book called The Cloister Walk and have gotten as far as the end of the Preface. The book apparently tells the story of the author Kathleen Norris' unusual experience of becoming a Benedictine Oblate ( a layperson dedicated to religious life). I was immediately struck by the following of the author's words:
"I had often heard the Benedictines refer to their Liturgy of the Hours ... as "the sanctification of time," but had not much idea of what this could mean until I'd attended the liturgies at St. John on a daily basis for many months. Gradually, my perspective on time had changed. In our culture, time can seem like an enemy: it chews us up and spits us out with appalling ease. But the monastic perspective welcomes time as a gift from God, and seeks to put it to good use rather than allowing us to be used up by it."
Today, regardless of your age or occupation, we all struggle with time. When will we find the time to get work done, do homework, shop for groceries, cut the lawn, hang out with friends, think, pray, listen to music, sleep, read that book you've been meaning to read, write someone back. It can be pretty overwhelming. But, if you look at time as a gift and just try to put it to its best use instead of stressing about fitting everything in, we'd all be better served.

Thursday, February 10, 2005

So what are you giving up?

I find it pretty funny how everyone, no matter what their faith or background, inevitably asks of everyone wearing ashes on their forehead, "So what you giving up for Lent?" They then proceed to pass judgment on whether it is good enough and might remind you that they'll be checking up on you to see if you stay true to the course. Give me a break! To me, it is sort of a private decision. You might give something up or not. You might decide to try to do something positive instead. Whatever you do, I hope it deepens your experience of the Lenten Season and your appreciation for the suffering that Christ endured for us.

People will probably also ask you what the ashes on the forehead stand for. Well, if you need a reminder, you can look here.

Wednesday, February 02, 2005

Virus Free

Well, my computer is back up and running after a run in with a few trojan horses. So, I will soon be updating the blog.

Until then, and in light of the recent 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, I'll leave you with the following quote from Viktor Frankl, a holocaust survivor:

"We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number ... but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of his freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstance, to choose one's own way."