Sunday, February 29th, 2004
“In order to arrive at having pleasure in everything, desire to have pleasure in nothing. In order to arrive at possessing everything, desire to possess nothing.” John of the Cross
Archive for February, 2004
Saturday, February 28th, 2004
“I suppose I divide people into two classes: the Irksome and the Non-Irksome. Yes and there are the Medium Irksome and the Rare Irksome.” Flannery O’Connor
Devil’s Feast
Friday, February 27th, 2004Excerpted from my article in the March/April 2001 issue of The Catholic Answer:The full terror of Jesus’ death is well magnified by looking at it through the prism of diabolic vengeance: Jesus took Satan’s beating. Jesus, Full Being incarnate and therefore Full Goodness incarnate, was assailed by Satan, the anti-being of evil. Satan unleashed his [...]
Friday, February 27th, 2004
“We cannot live without ascribing some meaning to our existence, or act without ascribing some goal to our activity; when philosophy no longer provides men with satisfactory answers to those questions, the only means they still have to escape skepticism and despair are moralism, or mysticism, or some combination of both.” Etienne Gilson
After Forty Days
Wednesday, February 25th, 2004“Jesus brought Satan to a standstill. He alone was able to stare him down. To the extent that we succeed in looking with Christ’s eyes, we too shall see him; to the extent that Christ’s heart and spirit become alive in us, we shall dominate him. The clever will of course smile at this.” Romano [...]
Tuesday, February 24th, 2004
A woman wrote to me the other day in response to my article on the f-word. She wrote: “I think most of the seemingly perplexing uses of fuck can be explained in this way: Fuck is an intensifier. It delivers a thought in bold italics, or all caps, as a howl of disaffection or annoyance. [...]
Silence
Monday, February 23rd, 2004“Silence puts man to the test.”"That is what silence itself is: holy uselessness.”"The mark of the Divine in things is preserved by their connection with the world of silence.”"The man who lacks the substance of silence is oppressed by the all-too-many things that crowds in upon him every moment of his life today.”Max Picard, The [...]
Saturday, February 21st, 2004
Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) tended to dislike music. When someone tried to tell him about the merits of a violinist’s performance, Johnson replied, “Difficult, do you call it, sir? I wish it were impossible.”
Friday, February 20th, 2004
Reckless moneymaking, status seeking, womanizing, overeating, addiction to delicacies and snacks, wine tippling, irascibility, anxiety, desire for fame and public recognition, fear of contact with other human beings. Those, said Cicero, were Roman characeristics as the Republic decayed and fell. The “polis is man written large.” Plato.
From Malcolm’s Messages
Thursday, February 19th, 2004“Have you heard of the Dwarves of the Corn?” Malcolm asked Mr. Rufus, who shook his head. “They are the malevolent beings who taunt people is rural areas. They swarm, hitting people with doubts and dissatisfaction. No matter how blessed, or wise, or knowledgeable, or rich a person is, he often feels like he’s missing [...]
Thursday, February 19th, 2004
Ireland yesterday outlawed smoking in pubs. While reading about it, I found this little piece of information: “The catering trade will have to remove all ashtrays and put up ‘no smoking’ signs within six weeks of the ban. . . The Office of Tobacco Control, which has been given powers to deputise smoking inspectors, will [...]
On the Proliferation of Vice
Wednesday, February 18th, 2004“The white man who begins by cheating a Negro usually ends by cheating a white man.” Booker T. Washington