Tag: humility
Spur us onward
Within the finite heart O Lord dwells the infinite, often hidden behind walls of fear and mistrust. As we stand, or kneel, or prostrate ourselves, trusting in your benevolence, our hearts expand, slowly becoming true to the image you have made us. We are backed Lord into many corners, trapped by our own cunning, the… Read More ›
Facebook feeds narcissism, survey says
A national study fresh out of SDSU is confirming that Generation Y really is Generation Me. The jaw-dropping conclusion? 57% of young people believe their generation uses social networking sites for self-promotion, narcissism and attention seeking. Jean Twenge, an SDSU Psychology Professor and co-author of The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement, collaborated… Read More ›
The Artist and Monk Are One
If, indeed, truth is beauty and beauty truth, then the monastic and the artist are one. Monasticism, in fact, cultivates the artistic spirit. Basic to monasticism are the very qualities art demands of the artist: silence, contemplation, discernment of spirits, community and humility. Basic to art are the very qualities demanded of the monastic: single-mindedness,… Read More ›
Absurdity
When I was young, I came upon the quote: “life is absurd”. I am pretty sure it was from Camus, for I spent some time in my middle twenties reading him extensively, for a year or so. I think I kind of got it, yet as I get older this quote has become more and… Read More ›
A humble man is not afraid of failure.
A humble man can do great things with an uncommon perfection because he is no longer concerned about incidentals, like his own interests and his own reputation, and therefore he no longer needs to waste his efforts in defending them. For a humble man is not afraid of failure. In fact, he is not afraid… Read More ›
Importance of loving others in community
Living with other people and learning to lose ourselves in the understanding of their weakness and deficiencies can help us to become true contemplatives. For there is no better means of getting rid of the rigidity and harshness and coarseness of our ingrained egoism, which is the one insuperable obstacle to the infused light and… Read More ›
The Value of Humility in Modern Society
Modern society is full of labels and stereotypes: poor, rich, enemy, ally, good, evil, conservative or liberal. Labels can inhibit humble openness to others. They point a finger at the “other” and in the process make it almost impossible for us to listen to each other and value each other as persons. Even worse, labels… Read More ›
Universal Church to honor life and witness of St. Thomas More
CNA STAFF, Jun 20, 2010 / 05:08 am (CNA).- (Today) marks the feast day of St. Thomas More – husband, father, lawyer, politician and the first layman to serve as Lord Chancellor of England. St. Thomas is best known for being a devout and faithful Catholic whose staunch defense of the rights of conscience and… Read More ›
Keeping Our Minds Open to Alternatives
The dread of being open to the ideas of others generally comes from our hidden insecurity about our own convictions. We fear that we may be “converted” – or perverted – by a pernicious doctrine. On the other hand, if we are mature and objective in our open-mindedness, we may find that viewing things from… Read More ›
How to Guard Humility
An old man said: Every time a thought of superiority or vanity moves you, examine your conscience to see if you have kept all the commandments, whether you love your enemies, whether you consider yourself to be an unprofitable servant and the greatest sinner of all. Even so, do not pretend to great ideas as… Read More ›