Steve and his friend Gerry rode along in the pickup truck, talking. Gerry, a somewhat lapsed Catholic, was listing his complaints against the Church while Steve listened. Occasionally Steve responded, but for the most part he kept silent.

"I just don't feel comfortable confessing my sins to a priest. It's so embarrassing. There are just some ( Read more... )

In Orthodoxy, we are taught that our passions drive us. "Passions" here means something different than how we use the word today.  In our culture, we put a positive spin on "being passionate" about something. In Orthodoxy, the passions are those things which control us, those underlying, often subconscious beliefs which shape not only our thought ( Read more... )

Over the past couple of weeks, Isaac has developed a tendency to immediately and loudly protest things he doesn't like.  I know this is a natural part of growing up, and one of the many things one can expect from the "terrible twos."  Nevertheless, I had hoped to avoid it.  After all, Isaac's 2 1/2 now, and he never threw such amazing temper ( Read more... )

From The Brothers K (emphasis mine):

"My brother asked the birds to forgive him; that sounds senseless, but it is right; for all is like an ocean, all is flowing and blending; a touch in one place sets up movement at the other end of the earth.  It may be senseless to beg forgiveness of the birds, but birds would be happier at your side -- a ( Read more... )

I just had it.  I fell asleep helping Isaac take his morning nap, and I ended up taking a nap myself.  The dream was utterly terrible, full of betrayl of the worst kind, and not worth detailing ( Read more... )