Spirituality cafe.SAY WHEN "When it's over, I want to say: All my life I was a bride married to amazement. I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms. "When it's over, I don't want to wonder if I have made of my life something particular, and real. I don't want to find myself sighing and frightened, or full of argument. "I don't want to end up simply having visited this world." (Mary Oliver Mary Oliver (1935 – ) is an American poet. Life Mary Oliver was born on September 10, 1935, in Maple Heights, Ohio. As a teenager, she lived for a brief while in the home of the deceased Edna St. , "When Death Comes," New and Selected Poems Among the numerous literary works titled Selected Poems are the following:
"BE NOT ANGRY that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be." (Saint Thomas Saint Thomas, island, Virgin Islands Saint Thomas, island (2000 pop. 51,181), 32 sq mi (83 sq km), one of the U.S. Virgin Islands, West Indies. Charlotte Amalie, the capital of the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Univ. of the Virgin Islands are on Saint Thomas. a Kempis, Imitation of Christ) APOCALYPSE "We know that marriages, families, communities, and nations often come together and discover their strength when some apocalypse--some new revelation of the fault lines in our lives--has occurred. Hospital chaplains see this all the time. For some reason we human beings seem to learn best how to love when we're a bit broken, when our plans fall apart, when our myths of our self-sufficiency and goodness and safety are shattered. "Apocalypse is meant to bring us to our senses, allowing us a sobering, and usually, painful, glimpse of what is possible in the new life we build from the ashes of the old." (Kathleen Norris For the contemporary poet/essayist of the same name (b.1947), see Kathleen Norris (poet) Kathleen Thompson Norris (b. July 16 1880, San Francisco, California; d. in U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report Weekly newsmagazine published in Washington, D.C. U.S. News was founded in 1933 by David Lawrence (1888–1973) to cover important domestic events; he founded World Report in 1945 to treat world news. The two magazines were merged in 1948. , Dec. 15, 2002) IN THIS SEASON Because June finds the Catholic Church celebrating, on successive Sundays, the feasts of Pentecost, Trinity Sunday Trinity Sunday, first Sunday after Pentecost, observed as a feast of the Trinity. It was an innovation in medieval England and spread through the Western Church in the 14th cent. The Sundays until Advent are counted from either Pentecost or Trinity. , and Corpus Christi Corpus Christi, in Christianity Corpus Christi [Lat.,=body of Christ], feast of the Western Church, observed on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday (or on the following Sunday). , here--in quick succession--are observations about the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, and the Real Presence: "The Holy Spirit is ... the impatient desire of the Father's glory that human beings should live." (Father Jean Corbon, Catechism of the Catholic Church The Catechism of the Catholic Church, or CCC, is an official exposition of the teachings of the Catholic Church, first published in French in 1992 by the authority of Pope John Paul II. ) "The Trinity is the icon of human family, and the wholeness and holiness of the Trinity is a mystery, so we should not be surprised that the family is a mystery, too." (Madeleine L'Engle, Penguins & Golden Calves; Harold Shaw Re print, 2003) "If we but paused for a moment to consider attentively what takes place in this sacrament, I am sure that the thought of Christ's love for us would transform the coldness of our hearts into a fire of love and gratitude." (Saint Angela of Foligno Angela of Foligno (c. 1248 – 4 January, 1309) was a Christian author, nun, and mystic. She was noted not only for her spiritual writings, but also for founding a religious order. , quoted at www.therealpresence.org) TRAVEL "People travel to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars; and they pass by themselves without wondering." (Saint Augustine, quoted at www.inspirationpeak.com) IN PRACTICE In time for Father's Day, a discussion about integrity that anyone can benefit from. "Integrity = Rules + Relationships. If you are rule-oriented, you will likely demand compliance for the sake of the rule, not for the sake of the relationship. Children can sense this and may break the rules to get back at you--or just to get your attention. If you're relationship-focused, you may forget to hold your children accountable to the standards you have set in place. This approach will commonly foster selfishness in your kids rather than concern for others.... "Assess where you stand on this rules/relationships equation. Be willing to admit your shortcomings A shortcoming is a character flaw. Shortcomings may also be:
"If you're more relational in your approach, stop and recognize the importance of structure, rules, and discipline. If you usually leave discipline up to your spouse--or worse, if there is no discipline--sit down with her and talk through an approach that works for both of you. Start being more of a disciplinarian dis·ci·pli·nar·i·an n. One that enforces or believes in strict discipline. adj. Disciplinary. disciplinarian Noun a person who practises strict discipline Noun 1. ; show your kids that you love them enough to hold them accountable to the natural rules of respecting others." (Rick Boxx, "Fathering with Integrity," www.fathers.com) |
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