We Are All Called to Lives of Holiness
We live in an age marked by utilitarianism. If an item, building, or artwork does not serve some use it is easily discarded. It is also an age of secular humanism in which the person is the center of the cosmos, not God. These two philosophical undercurrents have impacted us as Catholics whether we like …
Continue reading "Abandoning Utilitarianism to Embrace Transcendent Beauty"
Anyone who has spent serious time in their parish in ministry, catechesis, other activities knows the state of catechesis within the Church. It is abysmal. The same is true for anyone who is brave, or crazy enough, to read comboxes on orthodox articles and blogs. This state of affairs is sad and frustrating at the …
The next few days will be busy for me with papers due and reading to be done so I won't be online much, but I wanted to put up a beauty theme because of how important I think beauty is in the spiritual life and in daily living. My husband and I have begun our …
Continue reading "Surprised by Beauty for Friday: Countryside"
I have been watching the plight of persecuted Christians in the Middle East and elsewhere for a while now. About a year ago, some friends and I organized a grassroots campaign to raise awareness for their plight, as well as raise money for the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA). We called the project Help …
Continue reading "Catholic Exchange: Christ and Marriage in a Time of War"
It's Monday, so time for beauty. Over the weekend I took a break from my studies to watch the 2004 movie version of The Phantom of the Opera. It re-kindle my love of the musical. It is actually my all time favorite musical. When I was a kid I listened to it and sang it …
Continue reading "Monday is for Beauty: The Phantom of the Opera"
I am a Montana native with a great love of the Rockies, but I now reside in the Appalachians. They have a softer and less rugged beauty, but they are stunning in their own right. So the Appalachians are today's beauty theme. All images were found via Google Images. God bless. Happy Feast Day of …
Continue reading "Friday is for Beauty: Appalachian Mountains"
At the very dawn of creation your Spirit breathed on the waters, making them the wellspring of all holiness. Roman Missal, Easter Vigil 42, Blessing of Water
I had the great privilege of living in the United Kingdom for 14 months. I actually lived in Lincoln which is located in Lincolnshire county in the middle of the country. I was rather astounded that many Londoners had no idea where Lincoln was located even though it was only 1.5 hours away by train. …
Continue reading "Friday is for Beauty Theme: My Favorite English City, Oxford"
It is Friday and a good day for marveling at and contemplating beauty. Today's theme is stained glass. There are so many beautiful options, so I will revisit this theme many times. These were gleaned from a Google search and are not mine. I hope they bless you as you prepare for the weekend. God …
This morning I was out watering my flowers in preparation for a hot day. My rose bushes are in full bloom and I found this beauty of a rose petal laying in the grass. There on this tiny petal is a sunset. I wondered and marveled at it and then put it in my book …
Continue reading "Monday is for Beauty: Sunset on a Rose Petal"
Swimming the Depths 