Attachment is the mind stuck to an object. — Lama Zopa Rinpoche, The Door to Satisfaction The Lenten Season is the perfect time to lose attachments to objects, whether it be the object that is the subject of our fast or an attachment that inhibits our service to a neighbor. I would also suggest to the Lama…
Rabbi Who Sinned?
Rabbi who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, neither this man nor his parents sinned, he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. — John 9:3 Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we weren’t always trying to cast blame? In Sunday’s gospel, Jesus’s…
The Lenten Season and Spring Cleaning
I’m going to show my age. Spring around my grandmother’s house meant spring cleaning. All the windows were opened, rugs were taken outside to be cleaned and dried, shelves were cleared, and lots of accumulated stuff was either stored or thrown away. In some ways the Lenten season is like a spring cleaning. I think…
Abstinence Is Easier Than Moderation
Total abstinence is easier than perfect moderation — St. Augustine I love this quote because it is so vey true. The Lenten season brings this wisdom home for me every year. One oatmeal raisin cookie will send me off on a bender, where if I can totally abstain I might just make it forty days. (Notice…
Hope Fulfills Where Demands Fail
In these days of instant gratification and wanting everything now, hope has lost favor. Hope by definition is patient, non demanding, and fearless. In times of desperation and depression it is only hope that sees us through. We believe good will win out, and this too will pass. We lose hope when we demand that…