Friends ,and Loved Ones, Children and Grandchildren,
Gus Lloyd's blog
Reflections is good his post today about the changes in the American Catholic Church as regards satisfying the obligation for the Feast of The Ascension is very informative.
Also, from a Protestant Evangelical perspective you might also be interested in
Hank Hanegraaff Hank Hanegraaff serves as president and chairman of the board of the North Carolina-based Christian Research Institute. He is also host of the Bible Answer Man radio program, which is broadcast daily across the United States and Canada—as well as around the world through the Internet at www.equip.org.
Widely regarded as one of the world’s leading Christian apologists, Hanegraaff is deeply committed to equipping Christians to be so familiar with truth that when counterfeits loom on the horizon, they recognize them instantaneously.
~read more~
Last Sunday, as we Catholics are aware from childhood, was the "Fifth Sunday After Easter", "The Fifth Sunday of Easter", or "The Fifth Sunday of Pacaltide" depending on which flavor of English you speak.
Recently, I have returned to a church to which I have a deep and long standing emotional attachment, St Michael's Houston, Texas, it is the building to be sure that I have the emotional attachment to and the Wicks organ. I have been going to Saint Mike's since it was built and I was there during the several days when the Wicks was installed.
Coming up this Sunday is Pentecost an important day in the Christian tradition. As much as the Western Protestants would like to object the liturgical calendar is still set by The Pope in Rome as far as I know and the best source I've found for the Christian liturgical calendar is The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops wherein you will find Liturgical Calendar 2009 for the Dioceses of The United States of America. The USCCB also has an excellent page of documentation, Committee on Divine Worship, about the Catholic liturgy, if you're interested in such things.
Many of you, my children and grandchildren in particular, are of some faith, in some way, Epsicopalian or Protestant Evangelical, and one of you was baptised in the Roman Catholic Church in infancy. Some of you, my friends in particular are of no particular ostensible faith but still seem to have some sense of something beyond the senses, some measure of "the force" if nothing else that lies within human life and its various expressions in art and literature as well as social and political organizations.
I have had some extensive exposure to other philosophical traditions, in particular Zen Buddhism, and no less a person than His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama himself has encouraged me to continue in a spiritual tradition that is familiar to me, especially if that tradition and its training extend back into my preschool years. So, with the Dalai Lama's exhortation in mind I have begun to refamiliarize myself with my Catholic faith.
Pentecost is coming up this Sunday. No matter your faith, whether you have one or not, whether you have a little or alot, whether you can express your faith or lack of faith in words or hold it close to yourself in a nonverbal way, I encourage you strongly to at least read about the history and meaning of The Pentecost and perhaps consider the true meaning of the word inspiration and how it might apply to your life on a daily basis.
Inspiration
c.1303, "immediate influence of God or a god," especially that under which the holy books were written, from O.Fr. inspiration, from L.L. inspirationem (nom. inspiratio), from L. inspiratus, pp. of inspirare "inspire, inflame, blow into," from in-"in" + spirare "to breathe" (see spirit). Inspire in this sense is c.1340, from O.Fr. enspirer, from L. inspirare, a loan-transl. of Gk. pnein in the Bible. General sense of "influence or animate with an idea or purpose" is from 1390. Inspirational is 1839 as "influenced by inspiration;" 1884 as "tending to inspire."
Quick definitions (inspiration)
▸ noun: arousing to a particular emotion or action
▸ noun: a product of your creative thinking and work ("He had little respect for the inspirations of other artists")
▸ noun: a sudden intuition as part of solving a problem
▸ noun: arousal of the mind to special unusual activity or creativity
▸ noun: the act of inhaling; the drawing in of air (or other gases) as in breathing
▸ noun: (theology) a special influence of a divinity on the minds of human beings
From the Tent Maker, a few words worth thinking about, in my opinion, in this context, no matter how much you might not like the Tent Maker or his greater body of work, here he has, I think, something worthwhile
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
In My Own Words, By Bstan-ʼdzin-rgya-mtsho, His Holiness The Dalai Lama, His Holiness, The Dalai Lama, Dalai Lama XIV, Rajiv Mehrotra
The journey is the destination
And, from our old Hebrew brothers
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.
Well, I'm sure you've had enough by now. I can only encourage you to have some LORD in your life, some guiding principle verbalized or unverbalized, something you can be inspired by every waking moment.
Without competent and immediate medical intervention we are at any given time about six breaths and three heartbeats away from the next adventure.
Every breath is a gift, every beat of your heart is benevolence.
Be thankful, be inspired.
May the God of Hope fill you with all Joy and Peace as you trust in Him, so that You may overflow with Hope by the Power of the Holy Spirit. Amen! ~read more~
Love,
George
!-)
P.S. Yes, freight is slow. Sitting in Chicopee,MA waiting for a load since last night.
God does not call those who are ready but rather God makes ready those He calls.
www.qualityofthelight.blogspot.com
