This blog chronicles Christ centered reflections about our era.
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One of my favorite places to take pilgrims when I guide Catholics through the Holy Land is the Brook Elah in the broad valley where the Israelites faced off against the Philistines and their champion, Goliath of Gath (1 Samuel 17). It is a narrative that has fascinated me since I was a young boy, and it is our first reading in today’s Mass. As you probably recall, the Israelites were paralyzed with fear, listening to weeks of mocking of their God by their enemy, the Philistines and Goliath, in particular. Even the hero-king Saul would not face off against the towering warrior from Gath.
Enter young David, bringing lunch to his brothers in battle. His courage is matched by his righteous indignation that God’s name is being shamed and mocked by Israel’s enemies. Rejecting the offer of armor, David simply picks up five smooth stones from the small brook that ran through the Israelite camp as his weapons. I had often wondered why he would pick up five stones… (more)
I have invited a long time friend and colleague to contribute articles to this blog. Check out his information on the contributors page. I look forward to sharing with you in his insights. Look for posts beginning tommorow!
Cough; headache; indigestion; nausea; vomiting; severe allergic reactions; mood changes; mouth sores; red, blistered, peeling, or swollen skin; severe muscle pain or tenderness; symptoms of liver problems (e.g., dark urine, decreased appetite, persistent nausea, stomach pain, unusual tiredness or weakness, vomiting, yellowing of the skin or eyes); taste changes; unexpected weight loss; unusual bruising or bleeding; vision changes; diarrhea. This is a partial list of side effects that accompany a drug that can be taken to eliminate toe fungus. Suddenly, toe fungus is the least of your worries.
With the expansion of the designer prescription drug market, we have all seen a lot of these commercials on TV, they show people enjoying life because the drug they are on, has alleviated their problems, then we hear, very quickly at the end, a partial list of side effects. They have to report these side effects, not because everyone will experience them, but because a number of people did experience them during a trial for the drug. There is a drug that will help you quit smoking that list “suicidal thoughts” as a side effect. Another drug, one for people with Parkinson’s disease, might give you amnesia. One must weigh the risk of any drug or medical procedure before consenting to it. We need to ask the question, which is better: pretty toe nails or a properly functioning liver? Continue reading
A version of the article originally appeared in the Craig Daily Press in October 2009.
“What we’ve got here is…failure to communicate.” These words, uttered by the prison warden in the classic film Cool Hand Luke, have become a familiar part of American pop culture lingo. Most people would agree that breakdown in communication is at the root of many of our mistakes and dilemmas. Thus, proper communication should not be taken for granted.
I remember the first phone call I had with a friend I made in Mexico after living/studying there for six weeks. It was my first phone call in Spanish and it was awful Continue reading
A version of this article originally appeared in the Craig Daily Press in June 2010.
Bumper stickers are like tattoos–they seem like a great idea at the time, but later on people tend to regret them and they’re really tough to remove. At least with bumper stickers you get to leave them behind when you buy a different car.
I am not a bumper sticker person. I have never put a bumper sticker on my car. One time I had a Denver Nuggets license plate frame, but I decided not to keep it when I bought a new car. I don’t even like the tag that dealers Continue reading
A version of this article originally appeared in the Craig Daily Press in January of 2009.
While living in Moffat County I once saw a bald eagle picking at road kill. I had a vision of this magnificent bird of prey swooping down and snatching a salmon out of a river with its talons. Instead, my new vision is of a scavenger ripping off a quick piece of road jerky and scurrying away before my car passed.
After lamenting its fall from grace, an interesting thought came to me: A bald eagle does not know it is a “bald eagle.” Okay, as much as it knows what it is, it knows it is a bald eagle, but it has no idea it is a symbol for our nation. Looking at an advertisement for the U.S. Postal service, the “bald eagle” represents a great number of virtues: strength, Continue reading
I was reading about saint, St. Andrew, and I came across an interesting item. It is a long standing tradition that he was crucified on a saltire (x-shaped) cross. He is is the patron saint of Scotland and the Scottish flag is a saltire cross. When King James the VI of Scotland became ruler of England he blended the flags of Scotland (the St. Andrew Cross) and England (the cross of St. George) forming what today is known as the Union Jack. Continue reading
A man asked his priest for some advice. He said: “Father, I just don’t think I stand it any longer. I have a big family; nine of us are living in a two room cottage. Now that it is winter, we are jammed up and always getting in each other’s way. Do you have any suggestion about what we could do?”
The priest responded, “I will lend you my holy goat. I want you to have him live in your house for one week.” The man took the goat and headed home.
One week later the man returned to the church with the goat in tow. He was very angry and more upset than he had been the week prior. He said to the priest: “Father, this goat is not holy; it has ruined my life. In the past week it ate all of our food, tore holes in our clothing, broke our furniture, and in general it reeks of something ungodly. Thanks for nothing.” Continue reading
Once again I will be doing my ski ministry. Check out the flyer below for dates and locations. If you are in Summit County, try to join up with us!
This article originally appeared in the Craig Daily Press in March of 2009.
Humans like to wander around. We go shopping, that is, without a specific commercial need, we go to browse, with the expectation of finding and buying something. We surf the Internet, opening ourselves up to a universe of potentiality, including more shopping. We go on vacation to exotic locations to see new and different things that will entice us. Sometimes, we just go to the public square to people watch. While all of this seems to find its origin in a natural curiosity, there is a certain risk we are taking when we wander, and I am pretty sure that many of us are not only unaware of the risk, but we are Continue reading
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