A hummingbird flitters by, The glittering feeder gone dry. Guilty, I note, Unwholesomely, upon my feathered friends, I dote. To watch and claim my own wee-beast I succor them from best to least. A flighty friend, too, am I, To wander hungry, expectations sigh. Where to feed, To fill my […]
Profitable Aspects of Writing—Little Cash Involved
The most profitable aspect of writing has little to do with money. When I began my writing journey, I believed I might make enough profit to buy…to repair…to solve… To fill in some blank in my life. Yet, during the ten years that I’ve been writing and publishing novels, non-fiction […]
Humility—What is it? Where is it? Who has it? How do we attain it? Let’s ask St. Benedict
What is humility? The dictionary defines it as: (noun) “modest opinion or estimate of one’s own importance, rank, etc.” The opposite of humility is pride. Pride is defined as: (noun) “a high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.” Apparently, […]
The Humility of the Blessed Virgin Mary—The Most Humble Person who ever Lived
We know that the Blessed Virgin Mary was, without doubt, the perfect disciple of Jesus in the practice of all virtues. Ironically, the most profound and important of all the virtues, the actual bedrock of their very existence, is the virtue of humility. We never really hear of this virtue […]
Weak Tea, by Janice Lane Palko
In February 2015, my daughter surprised us by announcing that she was in her second trimester of pregnancy. After experiencing three miscarriages in 14 months, we were overjoyed. Our prayers for a baby, it appeared, would be answered. Plans were soon hatched for a baby shower. This would be the […]
Humility: Jesus, Grant Me The Grace To Desire It
Some years ago, at my morning prayer group, my cherished friend Deacon Larry brought copies of the Litany of Humility. I never had heard of that prayer until that day. The men in my group trust Larry implicitly, so we dove right into reciting the prayer. We read the first line […]
Humility and Pope Francis
This is from the Gospel of Luke; Chapter 9: vs 46-50 An argument arose among the disciples about which of them was the greatest. Jesus realized the intention of their hearts and took a child and placed it by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in […]
How significant are you?
Disappointment crept into my heart when I failed to land a plum writing assignment. This came after I visualized my writing glorifying God and my work becoming significant. I thought that would help me become significant. It got me thinking about how we become significant and how we judge the […]
Meet “The Doorkeeper:” Solanus Casey, the Man without Ego
By Larry Peterson The 2016 election (more than a year away) has already worn me down. The pundits include the greatest thinkers of our time. I know this because virtually all of the TV and radio commentators, campaign officials, editorial writers, government officials, TV talk show hosts, comedians and, of […]
Faith on the Edge of a Cliff – Thoughts of a Wyoming Catholic College Student – Episode 3
Last month in my blog series on my journey to Wyoming Catholic College, I explained the purpose and benefit of a Great Books curriculum. This month, I offer a reflection on WCC’s outdoor program—one of the school’s most distinctive and essential elements. Three years ago my family took a vacation […]