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Every so often a book comes along that deeply moves and inspires me as a person, and as a Christian. I can never know when this will happen. Many books disappoint, and many surprise. I am right in the middle of one of those amazing books. It is Jesus of Nazareth by Joseph Ratzinger, otherwise known as Pope Benedict XVI. OK, I am an evangelical Protestant pastor. How can I speak such of a book by the Roman Catholic Pope of all people? I remember hearing Johnny Cash commenting on the Nine Inch Nails’ song “Hurt.” His words: “Well, a good song is a good song.” And a good book is a good book...Whatever your image may be of Joseph Ratzinger, this book will change it. In it you see deeply into his own heart, and what is there is a humble and gentle spirit, and a deep godliness...Pope Benedict is a very good writer. He is clear, and he is gentle. He also writes in a way that speaks to the heart. For me personally as a Christian, the manner in which he speaks and makes his points really speaks to me in a personal manner. He draws me into the kind of relationship with God that I desire to have. - from blog of North Carolina pastor Joel Gillespie
My attempts to be dependable have made me erractic. - blogger profile of "papa herman"
It is worth noting, by the way, that the most sentimental people, who are loudest against the right to wage a just war, to execute a criminal, are just the people who are most likely to be in favour of ‘putting incurables out of their pain,’ which the commandment against murder most emphatically forbids.--Hilaire Belloc, via "The Daily Eudemon"
Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.-- from film "The Third Man" via "Right as Usual" via "In Dwelling"
Get your motu running
Head down to your parish
Pick up thirty friends now
And you’ll have a happy day
Looks like it’s really gonna happen
Hear the Mass in a justice place
Say Kyries three times three, and
Explode into grace
Like God’s only begotten child,
We were born, born to be mild.
We eat of Him to live;
We’re never gonna die.
Born to be mild…
Born to be mild, yeah. --Maureen of "Aliens in this World" regarding the liturgical "motu proprio"
Having questions about Romney's faith become occasions for attacks on the Mormon Church which will then become wider attacks on the idea of people of faith being in the public square. The assault on people of faith being full participants in the politics of this country has been underway for decades, and the secular left celebrates every attack on Romney's faith as part of the effort to turn the weak flank of the coalition of people of faith that has operated on so many issues, including most recently and visibly, the defense of marriage...It isn't bigoted to note the vast gulf between what Mormons believe and what evangelicals and Catholics believe. It is bigoted to say that Mormon beliefs disqualify Mormons from politics or office. - Hugh Hewitt
The question is not whether, as president, Mr. Romney would take orders from Salt Lake City. I doubt whether many people think he would. The questions are: Would a Mormon as president of the United States give greater credibility and prestige to Mormonism? The answer is almost certainly yes. Would it therefore help advance the missionary goals of what many view as a false religion? The answer is almost certainly yes. Is it legitimate for those Americans to take these questions into account in voting for a presidential nominee or candidate? The answer is certainly yes.. I am sure Mr. Romney is aware of that, and I hope he finds a way of addressing it that does not suggest that his religion does not matter—or that those who think it does matter are guilty of unreasonable prejudice. --Fr. Richard Neuhaus of First Things
President Bush's humane and generous instincts combined with his moralistic and arrogant ones produced a political fiasco that could have been a policy fiasco as well. --the Corner's Ramesh Ponnuru on the defeat of the immigration bill
The radio talk-show hosts know more about the bill than most of the senators, if you want to know the truth. - Alabama senator Jeff Sessions on immigration bill
Your written voice is the unique way you put together words into coherent streams of thought. A strong written voice is as distinctive as DNA. A reader can glance at words you've thrown together on a page and have a good idea who wrote them without glancing at the byline. For a demonstration of written voice, cruise the blogs and note the different styles of writing. Mark Shea, Amy Welborn, Kathy Shaidle, Jeff Miller, and Tom Kreitzberg are all hugely successful Catholic bloggers with instantly recognizable "voices." I submit that one reason for their success is that they have developed powerful "voices" that set them apart from the rest of the congregation in St. Blog's Parish. When you visit their blogs, you're not just there for the links but for their "take" on the day's events. That's the power of "voice."...Blogging will [help] overcome the "stage fright" that can hinder your writing. The last is one of the steepest hurdles in voice development because if you are timid about how your thoughts sound to others then you are going to be timid about experimenting with your word choice and with how you construct sentences, paragraphs, articles, chapters, and so on. Regular public writing, even for a very small audience, is one means to overcome that. --Michelle Arnold on Jimmy Akin's blog
To knowingly and willingly put yourself in an excommunicant state is even worse when you realize what it is that you are rejecting. --Erik of "Erik's Rants", on a scandal involving a prominent blogger
This is to show the world that I can paint like Titian. Only technical details are missing. --Wolfgang Pauli, caption for a blank square, via Zippy Catholic
God does not ask much of you: a little remembrance from time to time, a little adoration. --Brother Lawrence in "The Word Among Us"
What can I say? I was a literalist. My mother said not to lay a hand on the pan... --Ellyn of Obhouse explaining why she licked a sizzling frying pan as a kid
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