When I talk with people about the Christian responsibility to the poor, I usually get two very opposing responses. One person will state that most of the poor around us are poor of their own fault. They are poor because they don’t work hard or manage their lives wisely. Another person will state that people are poor because of the injustices of society and that those in power are keeping others down. I have learned that neither of these accurately portray the state of the poor around us, and that our opposing, yet equally delusional, view of the poor keep us from actually helping them. The truth is the poor are truly poor, not because they don’t have money, but because they don’t have love.

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Technorati Tags: Charity, poor, poverty

Man wants to be free, but always looks for a king to rule him. A strange contraction in human nature. The truth is, when things are great and seem to be under our control, we just want to be left alone. We don’t want anyone to tell us what to do when we have what we want, and we gladly take credit for our own fortune. However, when things get bad, we cry for a savior and blame anyone but ourselves for the troubles we find ourselves in. (Hmm… I think I just defined both political ideologies) Everyone has varying degrees of each in their lives, but this article is about the latter: Our search for a messiah to save us from our troubles. The sad truth is, we had one, but we didn’t like what he had to offer.

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Technorati Tags: Christian Mysticism, fake messiahs, Jesus Christ, material messiahs, political saviors

Veteran readers of my blog know how much I respect and appreciate the efforts of Rev. Billy Talen and the Church of Stop Shopping.  After all, I believe that our currently culture of consumerism is probably on of our biggest hindrances to connecting with God.  Well, recently I posted a contribution to their newly budding forum that I was personally very happy with (*Shameless self-promotion alert!*) and got a lot of good feedback on.  Please take a trip over to the Church of Stop Shopping forum and check out my article on where consumerism came from, and how we get out.  Here is a sample:

I like, like many, who wake up to the disasters of consumerism at some point wonder, “How did we get here?”. I don’t think any would believe our ancestors fought to have us pack ourselves into Wal-Marts for the latest deals on DVD players and generic potato chips.  I don’t believe our forefathers envisioned the American Dream of prosperity as a life of extreme debt, constant stress, and abundant discontent.  I realize however, the problem is that no one envisioned this at all. The sad truth is… we got here on accident….

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF MY RANT ON CONSUMERISM ->

Technorati Tags: consumerism, Life Application, practical

In light of the upcoming holidays, (Halloween, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day), I thought it would be appropriate to talk about the nature of death and how it applies to Christian mysticism.  The dead and departed has been one of the areas in my thinking which has undergone the most change since entering the Catholic Church.   It has not changed much from a doctrinal or theological perspective, but rather from the perspective of awareness.  Where I once divided my world view into the world of the living and the afterlife, I now realize the present life and the afterlife are intertwined within the Body of Christ. Continue Reading »

Technorati Tags: All Hallow's Eve, All Saints Day, All Souls Day, Catholic Mysticism, Christian Mysticism, communion of saints, Halloween

“The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.” – Wilhelm Stekel

Social change almost always comes from the young.  Born into a world not of their own making, it is natural and healthy for the young generation to question the traditions and ways of the older generation.  This tendency of the young to question the world is a built-in method of protection and renewal in society.  If not for this mechanism, society would deteriorate like an unattended garden.  However, this mechanism is also to blame for many of the wars and social schisms throughout history.  I write this article to the young, and young at heart, who wish to see change in the world around them.  Reform may take years to grow, but revolution can draw blood in a day. Continue Reading »

Technorati Tags: reform, revolution, social change