miniZibaldone

From the audience “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5) There is no land more beautiful than the heart of others; there is not territory more beautiful to gain than peace found again with a brother. Meekness is manifested in moments of conflict, seen is how one reacts to a hostile situation. Anyone can sow meekness when all is calm, but how does one react “under pressure,” if attacked, offended, assaulted? In Scripture the word “meek” also indicates one who does not have earthly property; therefore, we are struck by the fact that the third Beatitude says, in fact, that the meek “shall inherit the earth.” So, the meek is he who “inherits” the most sublime of territories. He isn’t a coward, a “weak” person who finds an expedient morality to remain outside of problems. Quite the contrary!  Here we must make reference to the sin of anger, a violent motion, whose impulse we all know. Who hasn’t been angry sometime? All. We must reverse the...

Gentle Regrets by Roger Scruton Sexual Desire Roger Scruton

You’ve said that at both the University of Sydney and the University of Cambridge, you were “a bad student” who consistently read off-course. To the ears of my  contemporaries, reading off-course is the sort of procrastination that qualifies being a good student. Now, with the internet, we have so many distractions that is  almost impossible to stay focused on any one thing at a time, and work is scarcely one of them. Do you worry about the future of literature in this virtual  environment? Literature will win through the way it always has, by being too valuable to be ignored. All you have to do is write something as good as  Pride and Prejudice . A  cinch. Finally, do you have any advice for young writers? When the young writers ask me for advice, I give them the same advice as I give my niece: stop right now if you can. The Meaning of Recognition by Clive James Flying Visits Clive James

From the homily At Christmas, the question is this: “Do I allow myself to be loved by God? Do I abandon myself to his love that comes to save me?” The grace of God has appeared. Tonight we realize that, when we failed to measure up, God became small for our sake; while we were going about our own business, he came into our midst. Christmas reminds us that God continues to love us all, even the worst of us. To me, to you, to each of us, he says today: “I love you and I will always love you, for you are precious in my eyes”. God does not love you because you think and act the right way. He loves you, plain and simple. His love is unconditional; it does not depend on you. You may have mistaken ideas, you may have made a complete mess of things, but the Lord continues to love you. How often do we think that God is good if we are good and punishes us if we are bad. Yet that is not how he is. For all our sins, he continues to love us. His love does not change. It is not fickle; i...

                                                            La Sagrada Familia, Nativity facade

From the homily Each of us is called tonight to rediscover in the Risen Christ the one who rolls back from our heart the heaviest of stones. Why do you seek the living among the dead?” (Lk 24:5). Why do you think that everything is hopeless, that no one can take away your own tombstones? Why do you give into resignation and failure? . . . What is the stone that I need to remove, what is its name? . . .  Why do you seek the living among the dead? Why not make up your mind to abandon that sin which, like a stone before the entrance to your heart, keeps God’s light from entering in? Why not prefer Jesus, the true light (cf. Jn 1:9), to the glitter of wealth, career, pride and pleasure? Why not tell the empty things of this world that you no longer live for them, but for the Lord of life? . . . Let us ask ourselves: In my life, where am I looking? Am I gazing at graveyards, or looking for the Living One? . . . Let us ask ourselves: In my life, where am I going? So...