linx

Martello Castle

martello castleThe heat’s on, french fry, and as usual at this point in the summer, it’s managed to wear me down a bit.

Here are some recent linx:

  1. I enjoy Fr. Jim’s blog, very inspiring; I’m perpetually behind, in keeping up with him, in posting my Homilies.

  2. Fr. Michael Berry, is on assignment at World Youth Day.

  3. I first noticed Christopher’s Apologies awhile back via Twitter, and now he’s a regular draw for me.

  4. The other day I discovered Martello Castle, also known as Tower Dupre. It’s a crumbled fortress, and a part of the fading coastline which fascinates me. That led me to this now defunct blog.

  5. Nola.com is having a Blighted Homes Photo Contest. I don’t think it gets more maudlin than that.

  6. And, because all I think about is food, I stumbled across this piece on how horrible bleached/white flour is for us.

There are many more blogs I check out, and am going to make it a point to redo my pertinent links in the not too distant future. It’s just that, you know, life goes on fairly nicely without doing so, and I’m tending to some spiritual house cleaning. And… the heat’s got me down, I tell you. Down I say!

It’s time to wrap this up and go make an examen.

Lord, now you let your servant go in peace;
your word has been fulfilled:

my own eyes have seen the salvation
which you have prepared in the sight of every people:

a light to reveal you to the nations
and the glory of your people Israel.

May God bless you this night, and always.

Amen.

A New Teaching

This from the Naked Pastor.

The Anchoress was writing about just the same thing today. More or less. She writes: “Perhaps if all of us turned off the TV, shut down the internet, silenced the iPods and spent 15-30 minutes a day taking instruction in his presence or beneath his Cross, our humility would be such that we could never cry out “heretic” without first proclaiming it for ourselves.”

Salient thoughts. And discourse today has gotten so strident. Ouch.

Now, I had really meant to post something about the Burning Bush today, since it was in the daily Mass readings and it was a great source of prayer this morning. I’m just remarkably tired. Or just tired of things as they are.

I am opting out of political discourse I do believe. The world has gone crazy in so many areas. Of course my site is currently called ‘Life and Times‘ of a 21st Century Priest, not just ‘Life’. Maybe I should call it ‘Photoblog of a 21st Century Priest’s Life.’

That’s a real winner. Catchy.

I was going to call it Confessions of a Catholic Priest, but… I didn’t. It’s a long tragic tale, filled with drama and intrigue. It’s the type of thing I never write about here on my dull, lifeless weblog.

I am going to be devoting myself to prayer and discernment of the work of the Holy Spirit in my life, and in the world. The future is so bright in many ways.

I have some walking to do before I get to Night Prayer. And then, blessed sleep. The hour, it grows late for such things…

A Couple of Catholic Sites

the chi-rhoI stumbled upon Vox Nova the other day. It’s a google away from the personal website of David Cruz-Uribe, who I first noticed chronicling anti-Catholicism on the web.

Also, found Catholic Tide the other day. Good Catholic news aggregate site, easy on the eyes, solid info and an encouraging section on praying the Liturgy of the Hours.

Fr. McNabb

Speaking of books (we were, weren’t we?), The Church and the Land is on my Wish List.

It’s an essay touching on the modern trend of life in noisome, disconnected cities versus a life lived on the land. Written by Fr. Vincent McNabb,(albeit a hundred years ago,) the preface can be found here.

Redoing Linx..

I’m getting together some links to eventually redo my connections, and have a couple here…

Well, I just deleted one, realizing it’s heretical. Life is tough like that sometimes.

Focus on the Family’s Plugged In offers reviews and reflections, etc., on pop culture.

Well, I guess that’s it.

An Interesting Article relates ongoing Christian leaders’ concerns for the continuation of Christianity in the Mid-East.

“According to the archbishop, Europe and North America are blind to the possibility of such an “Islamization” of the Middle East.

The western mentality does not allow it to fully comprehend this risk,” he said.

He explained that politics and religion are interwoven in the Middle East, whereas there is “a tremendous void” between them in western nations.

This results in two extremisms, he said. The Middle Eastern mentality is dominated by Islam, while a secularism that denies its Christian roots and relegates Christian values to the private sphere reigns in the West.

Although “material violence” does not appear in the West, the general privatization of Christianity is “against democracy,” he said. “In the East, however, it is the opposite: religion pervades all.”

He called the future of the Middle East “unknown and scary” and said the international community is “incapable of moving” in reaction to the recent turn of events.

The Rev. Kenneth Allen