“the success-failure whiplash”
I came across the above phrase here : One of the dangers of forming a modern identity around achievement is what Rev. Tim Keller calls “the success-failure whiplash.” Succeeding in…
Category: reflection
Marking the feast day of St Vincent de Paul with Willie Doyle SJ
It is the feast of St Vincent de Paul. In Ireland St Vincent De Paul is best remembered by giving his name to the Society of St Vincent de Paul, which…
“The most prosaic man becomes a poem when you stand by his grave at his funeral and think of him.”
I came across the above quote from Thomas Hardy’s notebooks via the latest post on Stephen Pentz’s blog First Known When Lost Pentz highlights a poem by F T Prince…
Migrating birds and the September 11th “Tribute in Light” Memorial
In the summer of 1999 I visited the World Trade Center, going up the elevator to Windows on The World. I often wondered if the jovial elevator operator was on…
Heschyia – “where peace goes beyond peace” – from Paul Evdokimov’s The Art of the Icon
Continuing posts on heschyia (or heschuia) here is a passage from “The Art of the Icon: A Theology of Beauty” by Paul Evdokimov “It is very important to understand that…
Hesychia – “the rest which flows from unceasing prayer”
I previously posted an extract from Alasdair McIntyre’s After Virtue on “hesuchia” – the rest that follows striving. I came across this from Henri Nouwen’s The Way of the Heart…
“silence of the heart is much more important than silence of the mouth”
From Henri Nouwen’s The Way of The Heart: The Spirituality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers These examples of silence in preaching, counseling, and organizing are meant to illustrate how…
Happy St Cuthbert’s Day with Chris Watson
Today is St Cuthbert’s Day. I must admit he wasn’t a saint I’d heard of before coming across Chris Watson’s work. Watson has had an interesting and highly varied career. Formerly…
Séamus Sweeney 