Faith is not an intellectual exercise

“At times we think we can resolve the fundamental questions about God, mankind and the world using only the power of reason. St. Bernard however, solidly rooted in the Bible and the Fathers of the Church, reminds us that without a deep faith in God, nourished by prayer and contemplation, an intimate relationship with the Lord, our reflections on the divine mysteries are in danger of becoming a futile intellectual exercise, and lose their credibility."

From Pope Benedict's homily on St. Bernard of Clairvaux.

Blessings,
Isaac

It's the smell

I regularly read the article by Fr. Ron Rolheiser that's posted in the Catholic Herald, the Milwaukee archdiocesan newspaper.  Usually they're pretty good, but this one is particularly awesome.  Read the entire article on private integrity.

A good quote:

We should never delude ourselves into thinking that the things we do in private, including very small actions of infidelity, of self-indulgence, of bigotry, of jealousy, or of slander, are of no consequence since no one knows about them. Inside the mystery of our interconnectedness as a human family and as a family of faith and trust, even our most private actions, good or bad, like invisible bacteria inside the blood stream, affect the whole. Everything is known, felt, in one way or another.

We're all in this together.  Let's all do our part and love each other.

Blessings,
Isaac