In the first post of the series entitled “The Things I Wish They’d Say,” I said this: “I have been disappointed by all politics for a long time now. In their absolute quest for earthly power and dominance, both parties are wildly inconsistent. Neither captures the true tenor of how I view the world.” NothingContinue reading “The Vice Presidential Debate, Part I”
Category Archives: Tim’s Reflections
6: True and Perfect Joy
Please read the following passages multiple times: The Little Flowers of St. Francis, Chapter VIII, How St. Francis Set Forth to Friar Leo Where Perfect Joy Was to be Found The Writings of Francis of Assisi: The Undated Writings, True and Perfect Joy Then focus on the following: ………. if we bear all these injuries withContinue reading “6: True and Perfect Joy”
5: The Life of St. Francis by Thomas of Celano, the Second Book, Chapters 8 through 10
Read the chapters (pages 277 to 287) multiple times. Then focus on this passage from chapter nine: The whole city of Assisi rushed down as a group and the entire region hurried to see the wonderful works of God which the Lord of majesty gloriously displayed in his holy servant……………People considered it a great giftContinue reading “5: The Life of St. Francis by Thomas of Celano, the Second Book, Chapters 8 through 10”
4: The Life of St. Francis by Thomas of Celano, the Second Book, Chapters 4 through 7
Read the chapters (pages 266 to 277) multiple times with the passage below in mind. Pay close attention to how the suffering of Francis is a theme that runs through the narrative. “His right side was marked with an oblong scar, as if pierced with a lance, and this often-dripped blood, so that his tunicContinue reading “4: The Life of St. Francis by Thomas of Celano, the Second Book, Chapters 4 through 7”
3: The Life of St. Francis by Thomas of Celano, the Second Book, Chapters 1 through 3
Read all three chapters several times. (The Second Book starts on page 258 of the link.) Because the focus of this study is the Stigmata, it is tempting to concentrate on chapter three, which gives the details of Francis receiving the wounds of Christ. Chapter two, however, sets the scene and defines the conditions thatContinue reading “3: The Life of St. Francis by Thomas of Celano, the Second Book, Chapters 1 through 3”
2: “I am the Resurrection and the Life”
John 11:17-37 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meetContinue reading “2: “I am the Resurrection and the Life””
1: The Death of Lazarus
By way of introduction, this formation path contains six short reflections prepared for use during the Centenary Celebration of the Stigmata of St. Francis taking place in calendar year 2024, which is precisely 800 years after the actual event, which took place in 1224. The first two entries come from a series of reflections forContinue reading “1: The Death of Lazarus”
Journey thru John, the Conclusion: On Immersion in the Gospels
Our journey through the gospel of John has come to a conclusion. Since there is no scripture to immerse myself in, I went back to the Introduction and used it as the material I prayed over this month. I still, however, used a similar approach. I read the Introduction multiple times, allowing it to sinkContinue reading “Journey thru John, the Conclusion: On Immersion in the Gospels”
Journey thru John, Chapter 21: The Wisdom of Jumping In
For this last chapter of the gospel of John, I once again found myself in the in-between time as I entered the scene. By the end of chapter twenty, Jesus has appeared twice to the disciples. In the second appearance, he deals directly with Thomas and his doubts. What is missing, however, is any contactContinue reading “Journey thru John, Chapter 21: The Wisdom of Jumping In”
Journey thru John, Chapter 20: On Going Forth In Peace
We are down to the last two chapters. Jesus has completed His Passion. When I enter the scene in between chapters nineteen and twenty, I find myself locked in a room with the disciples for fear of the Jews. The room is heavy with anxiety and disappointment. Just the night before, I enjoyed a mealContinue reading “Journey thru John, Chapter 20: On Going Forth In Peace”
OFS Ongoing 