What a great country

As the results from yesterday's election was rolling in last night, and pundits discussed what it all meant, the thing that was going through my mind was, "what a great country," The balance of powers is a beautiful thing. I don't like this blog to be political, but I was very happy last night for two reasons that relate to the Faith. 1.) The amount of pro-life candidates who won was incredibly hopeful, and 2.) The debt and size of government is a moral issue.

Every society has to decide how much taxation is too much, and when you reach the tipping point, then the next questions becomes, where do we spend it. We don't have a revenue problem in America, we actually have a very healthy revenue with a $14 trillion economy. So where should we spend the revenue that is coming in. When you reach a point that you are going into debt, that is when you start hurting the very engine that feeds the $14 trillion. That is not fair. Like any family or group, there comes a time when you have to go into debt for an emergency, and maybe we reached that point with the economy in 08', but in the fix, you have to make sure you feed the horse that is pulling the carriage. People ask me all the time, as a Christian, don't you feel obligated that people have health care, and the answer is certainly yes, in fact, I want people to have health care, housing, cloths, food, all of the basic necessities.

The greatest way to lift the largest amount of people out of poverty, is a vibrant economy. St. Paul says, "let those who will not work, not eat," St. Paul knew that there was people in the society of his time that could not work, because they were sick, or handicapped. But he also knew that if you could work, than work was a good for man, and that if you could work, you should work.

We have to remember what pays for those services, and its our work. That is why I think Bill Clinton was so successful with Welfare reform, making work a condition of welfare. It is compassionate to live in reality, and we were made to use our creative gifts for work. We have to do the things that make our economy strong, so that we can pay for the necessary things in society. Going into debt only saddlebags a very healthy horse.

The 2 Dreams from "No Country for Old Men"

I can't say I would recommend either the book or the movie, because they are both very violent. But I have an affinity for Cormac McCarthey's book's because of the amazing talent this man has, he is an artist, and the spiritual depth is always very present. But it needs to be stated that his books are dark, and the movie's from the books are dark. But I don't think he uses violence for the sake of violence, he is using it as a tool to make a point.

I wanted to focus on the 2 dreams at the end of the book and the end of the movie, because I think there extremely powerful. The first dream is very small, but carries huge importance, "he met his father in town, and he gave me some money, but I lost it," His father passed onto him a tradition of goodness, but he lost it. We have to take authentic tradition, and build our life upon it, because much of the wisdom has been hard one, but if we don't, we will repeat all the same mistakes of the past. Within the Catholic Church there is literally a gold mine of saints, sinners, doctrine, art, liturgy, you name it, and we can learn from all of it.

The second dream is the most clear hint of the books intent, his father is riding his horse in the snow, the cold, and the dark, and he is going ahead of him to fix a fire. The world in this book is very dark, and clearly our own world is very dark, but what the sheriff finally learns is his fathers key message, that you can't spend your time worry about how dark the world is, you need to spend your time and energy "fix in a fire, in all that cold, and all that dark," That is really our mission, to reflect God's goodness and to be a part of God's goodness and beauty in the world.

Every time we do good for others, we are fix en that fire in the dark. That is why I love the "green card" of Alcoholics Anonymous so much, because they offer as one of the cures for alcoholism, to do 3 hidden acts of charity everyday. The clear implication is to get the focus off ourselves and onto other people, these small acts move the foundation of the world, and we are spending our energy in the right way, "fix en that fire in the dark".

The Powerful Message of Hoosiers

Every October 15th I have a tradition that I've passed on to my kids to watch the movie Hoosiers. October 15th is the official start of the college basketball season, and I've been doing this since my freshman year of high school. I used to just love the basketball element of the movie, which is terrific. The story of an incredible underdog that goes on to win the Indiana State championship. Recently, the other elements of the movie have really grabbed me, and there's two major theme's that run through the movie, which are huge!

1.) Forgiveness and a Second Chance- The movie chronicles a successful college basketball coach Norman Dale, who actually won a Division 1 national championship, but during a game was so angry with a player, that he hit him closed fist to the jaw. He was fired and banned from ever coaching college basketball again. He is given a second chance by a Christian head master in Indiana, at a small farm school. His conversion could have stopped there, but he continues the blessing by giving everyone that he comes into contact a second chance. The disrespectful players, the teachers and parents who can't stand him, and most dramatically, the second chance of Scooter, played unbelievably by Dennis Hopper (Everytime I watch it, I always say to my wife, this guy is an acting genius). I have said many times on this blog the quote from George Foreman, "Foregiveness is the thin line that holds the world together," There are so many blessings that God is ready to pour out if we foregive.

2.) Focus on the Bigger Picture- A couple weeks back I quoted the Orthodox monk from the Vanity Fair Article, "The smart man accepts, the idiot insists,", or said much better by Jesus, "Focus on the Kingdom of God, and all things will be added besides,". Norman Dale was given a second chance, and the rest of the time he simply focuses in on doing the next right thing. If we do the next right thing, God will take care of the big picture. Its difficult when we want to win in the short-term by sacrificing our morals, but this is where Faith and Trust come in, the times we want to push back, we have to give it over to God and Trust.

Fasting from Technology

I was given a great idea from First Things Magazine, to fast from all technology on Sunday's each week. So I tried it from 5:00 pm on Saturday to Monday morning, and I have to say that it was an incredible blessing. It let me focus on rest, when your checking your text's and your e-mails through out the day, your not completely resting.

Technology can be an incredible gift, I always think of the road system of the early Roman Empire, which allowed St Paul to travel freely and spread the gospel far and wide. When used as a tool, technology can be a huge blessing for spreading the gospel, and bringing people together. But it can also become an idol. Here is a quote from the Lord of the Rings on the Ring by Bilbo, see how much it resembles the way we view Smart Phones, and computers.

"Now that it comes to it, I don't like parting with it at all, I may say, and I don't really see why I should. Why do you want me to? he asked, "It would be a relief in a way not to be bothered with it, It has been growing on my mind recently, sometimes I've felt it like an eye looking at me, and I am always wanting to put it on and disappear, don't you know, or wondering if its safe, and pulling it out to be sure. I tried to lock it up, but I found I couldn't rest without it in my pocket. I don't know why, but I can't seem to make up my mind,"

That was a word for word quote from the Lord of the Rings. I didn't change anything. The words that jumped out at me, were, "I was always wanting to put it on and disappear". That is the main point, that technology has accomplished bringing worlds together, but in some ways it has made us grow apart from the people closest to us, because instead of engaging around a table, or becoming a better conversationalist, we can go to our nearest computer or smart phone, and disappear like Bilbo. The problem for Bilbo, Gollum and Frodo, if you use the ring too much, you lose your ability to be a hobbit. If a human disappears through technology too much, they lose their humanity.

My wife and I were laughing so hard the other night, when two high school kids were walking up the street, and they were both texting while they walked, not talking to each other, so I called out, "are you texting each other," It seems At&t stole my joke, in a recent commercial a couple over dinner texts each other instead of talking to each other.

The whole point is to make sure that technology never becomes an idol, that we use it as a tool, and one good way to secure against this, is just to turn it off from time to time, which for me, will continue to be on Sunday's.

The Beauty of Modesty

A Missionary priest that I'm friends with told me a story of riding a bus in the country of Nicaragua. When he boarded the bus in the country, the women were dressed so modestly that he was overcome by their beauty, to the point were he actually desired to give up his seat on the bus, he wanted to protect them. Then as they entered the city, a group of women poured onto the bus, and he felt an incredible desire to guard his eye's, because these women were dressed so immodestly. He was struck that these women all looked alike, they had almost the exact same features, but the first group led him to want to protect, they inspired manly virtues in him, while the second group inspired fear in him, and probably lust in many of the other men from the bus. Whether intentional or not, the dress brought out the worst desires of the men involved, while the first group brought out the best in all the men involved.

I thought about this while watching the Alfred Hitchcock movie, Rear Window with Grace Kelly, and then right after the movie, my wife and I finished the movie, we watched the end of the tv show "Dancing with the Stars,". During the movie, I watched one of the most physically beautiful women ever for two hours, and her dress was so modest and dignified that it led me to a good place, it gave me the desire to protect. I even commented on this to my wife during the film, that her dignity let me focus on her actual acting, her craft.

Then we watched the interviewer for Dancing with the Stars, and I had the exact opposite desire, it was fear, for her dignity and for my own. Grace Kelly was a lot more physically beautiful, but never for a moment was I afraid of her beauty. Modesty in culture is a good thing, but were afraid to speak about it, because we don't want to sound repressive or prudish. But its true, and its not only true for the men involved. Its true because the dignity of woman is important.

A lot has been made in our culture that men should grow up, and start seeing women properly, that if men lust after a women dressed immodestly, then he should have a change of heart, and see women's true beauty. This is all good, men should constantly strive to see women as God intended, but the more that women can do to lead men to the proper place, the better, for every one's dignity involved.

The Smart person accepts, the Idiot Insists

You really need to do yourself a favor and read online Michael Lewis article in Vanity Fair this month on the Orthodox monks from Greece that made over 1 billion dollars in real estate. The monk that pulled all of this off has a saying over the door of his office that reads, "THE SMART PERSON ACCEPTS, THE IDIOT INSISTS"......the monk explained to the writer the following: Take whatever is thrown at you and build upon it. "YES....and" rather than NO....but".

What incredible advice, and lessons to build a life upon. Take what is thrown at you, and build upon it. Say yes to your life, And I'm going to do the following. Instead of spending your life on the no of your life, but it could have been so much different.

Its so sad to watch people spend their life as a victim, if I had better parents my life would be different, if I had different friends, a different spouse, a different job, went to a different school, lived in a different area. There is so much in life to complain about, there really is, and its not getting you anywhere. The humble man accepts where he is in life, and builds, because its really the only place to start building. The prideful person just keeps on insisting on his own way.
The monk goes on to say, "The idiot is bound by his pride, it always has to be his way. This is also true of the person who is deceptive or doing things wrong. He always tries to justify himself.
A person who is bright in regard to his spiritual life is humble. He accepts what others tell him -- criticism -- ideas -- and works with them."

The humble person is always thinking about building, not looking back. The other thing that we forget, is that our weakness, sins, and sufferings could be where our greatest gift is found, but if we're not open to it we won't find it. The following quote is from Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses,
"...those who have endured some misfortune will always be set apart but that it is just that misfortune which is their gift and which is their strength and that they must make their way back into the common enterprise of man for without they do so it cannot go forward and they themselves will wither in bitterness"

"Yes to life, and" not, "no to life, but"

Windows and Doors

I am reading a small book that Pope Benedict wrote when he was a cardinal with the name "On Conscience", and he reflects on something that really struck me. When people only follow their personal conscience, they believe that they are living in a state of radical freedom, they are the masters of their own universe, but the truth is they are locked in their own small world, with their only context for reality being, their own thoughts and feelings. The person that allows his conscience to be purified by Jesus and by the Church, lives with the doors and windows of his soul completely open, because the Church is working with 2010 years of experience, and countless sinners and saints as teachers. Its the height of hubris to wake up in the year 2010 and think that you know it all.

That part of the book deals with a worldly deformed conscience, the other end of the spectrum is the deformed conscience of the sincere believer, this is known as scrupulosity, when the conscience convicts a person when there is in fact no sin or a very minor offense. It struck me that both have a similar problem, being closed in on oneself. Being closed. Both have a need to open the windows and doors of the soul.

Michael O'Brien in his book Sophia House has a central character who struggles with severe scrupulosity, and he is always writing in a diary, watching himself closely, when at the end of the book he realizes something powerful, life is only a real life, when its lived outward toward God and towards others. He writes in his diary,

"This is my final entry in these archives, no longer do I need these mirrors, for all around me are windows and doors," Peter Kreeft says it best, "Don't look at yourself so much, look at God and other people, there a lot more interesting,"

It was incredibly interesting to me that both Pope Benedict and Michael O'Brien used the image of Windows and Doors to describe the opposite end of a deformed conscience. One sure fire way to avoid struggles with conscience is to unite closely with the Bible and the Church, because there is hard won wisdom in both, and age old truth that sinners and saints have testified to.