Is My Phylactery Showing?: November 2017

Proverbs 31 and the treasure of a good wife

Usually on Saturday mornings, while I'm saying morning prayer, I read both the daily readings as well as the readings for Sunday. This week's first reading comes from Proverbs 31:

When one finds a worthy wife,

her value is far beyond pearls.

Her husband, entrusting his heart to her,

has an unfailing prize.

She brings him good, and not evil,

all the days of her life. I have been musing lately how blessed I am in my wife, and this passage just struck me, and I posted it on Facebook. A friend of mine from Israel said that her husband sings this passage to her on Fridays (Shabbat), and she encouraged me to do the same for Gina. I think I'm going to take her up on that suggestion!

Gina loved the idea, too, and mentioned that it was to her a beautiful reflection on marriage.

Nov

Shattered

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork" (Psalm 19:1).

I posted a couple of verses from Proverbs 31 (today's first reading), and I tagged my wife. Here's the pericope:

When one finds a worthy wife,her value is far beyond pearls.Her husband, entrusting his heart to her,has an unfailing prize.She brings him good, and not evil,all the days of her life.

A friend of mine from Israel posted that her husband sings this passage to her every Friday.

Nov

Why I love the Catholic Faith: Historicity

I was chatting with someone recently who is currently between spiritual homes. Of course, I invited her to come check out our parish, and I mentioned that the Catholic faith is quite historic. She sort of chuckled and said something to the effect of, "Well, yeah." Of course, histories can be positive or negative. What stands out in the minds of many are the sins of the Church hierarchy. I won't deny that they are many.

Nov

Church Walking: St. Mary's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

I was in Portland, Oregon this last week for a conference. Sunday afternoon was my only free block of time to see anything, and so I did what I usually do when visiting another city: I went to check out the nearby churches. There were three in the vicinity, and the cathedral was one of them, so I headed there first. I was particular happy to visit St. Mary's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception just three days after serving as the attendant for Absp.

Nov

Wisdom Waits at the Gate—Thirty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A)

Wisdom 6:12–16; II Thessalonians 4:13–18; Matthew 25:1–13

Terry Pratchett, a popular science fiction writer, once wrote, "Wisdom comes from experience. Experience is often a result of lack of wisdom." And that, my friends, encapsulates my life as a young adult. Like many people in that age range, I made some poor choices, and they led me to search for the truth. That search eventually led me to where I'm standing today.

Nov

Why I love the Catholic Faith: Sacramentality

I love the earthiness of the Catholic faith. One of the early heresies that the Church condemned, even before the first counsel at Nicaea, was the Gnostic heresy. Heresies would be more correct, as they were a collection of heterodox beliefs that varied from sect to sect but all centered on the evil of material things.