Could You Do Me a Favor?

Well friends, it's been over a year now with this here blogging initiative. Thanks for the feedback over the last 12 months, to those who've posted comments here at the actual blog, and to all those who have replied to the blog posts that have gone out through the Mission Moment e-mail. There are now over 360 different reflections posted and archived on the Heart of Things blog! From topics as varied as beauty, Beyoncé, and the Bible, to C.S. Lewis, family, and the Theology of the Body. I've talked about Tolkien, trust, truth, and TV... weakness, witness, and wonder (my favorite topic). Now I wanted to ask a favor. If ever in the course of this year, some random thought has touched you, made you go "hmmpph..... yeah, I concur!", or led you to pass the thought on to someone in your address book, then I'd ask you to consider nominating my blog at the prestigious "Blogger's Choice Awards" website (yes, I'm serious). Many Catholic bloggers out there have had their work chosen and it's a great witness to the yearning we all have for truth and faith and meaning in life. It's also a way to get the word out there to others about the kind of writing you find at this blog, The Heart of Things. So, the nominating is easy. Just visit http://www.bloggerschoiceawards.com/nominate ... and follow through the 3 easy steps for nominating a blog. It's much appreciated!! Thanks again for the e-mails and support from those of you reading The Heart of Things blog. Peace and Prayers, Bill Donaghy

Quick Thought on Quick Decisions

Friday's Gospel was from Matthew 9:9-13:

"As Jesus passed by, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed him."

I love it.

It takes me forever sometimes to make a decision. I mean the big ones. Breakfast at a diner, easy. I don't even look at the menu anymore.

But with those biggies.... I often peruse the poolside way too long, as if the water will get warmer the longer I wait. But sometimes I do get the grace to respond to the grace to just JUMP IN.

Sometimes we wait too long. We wait until all the reports are in. Then we wait even longer, because we need to verify those reports, and then get them copied for the "committee" to look over and then form a "follow up report"....

Aboulia is defined as the loss or impairment of the ability to make decisions or act independently.

Did you ever have a case of aboulia? Did you ever get stuck in your own head, doing mental gymnastics, spinning the wheels when it was high time that you just made that stinkin' decision?! I have, many times.

"Follow me." And he got up and followed him." Matthew was swift. He had skills. As the psalmist sings, "My heart is ready Oh God, my heart is ready."

That's trust. I used to stink at it. I still have my stinky days, but I'm living and learning. Because with every invitation of grace, I recall that He is trustworthy. I didn't die the last time (well, except in the proverbial death-to-self way). And even if I should die in this new adventure He calls me into, so be it. Look at the history we have of those who followed Him, died, and we're raised to New Life! A life beyond anything we could ever have cooked up, a life far better than the one that forever falters along the edge of the Poolside of Life, wondering what it's like to really swim.

In the immortal words of Carrie Newcomer (sweet folksinger and dang good lyricist) : "Sometimes you just close your eyes and jump, you don't think too long or maybe you just won't. Sometimes you just follow your heart, don't analyze too long or maybe it might just be gone."

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Wacky Wacky Stuff

A friend just sent me this CRAZY tune on the Lord of the Rings. Hilarious, and the clips from the films is well done too! Enjoy!

Tony Melendez Plays for the Pope

Maybe you've seen this classic footage of Tony, the beautiful soul, born without arms because of thalidomide taken during pregnancy, who played for Pope John Paul II in LA, 1987. Here are two songs of his, and halfway through you'll see the actual film of John Paul II coming down to embrace Tony after he played. Be sure to read the synopsis of Tony's amazing story in the sidebar of the video.

Catholic American or American Catholic? Church and State on Today's Radio Show

Gerald Russello was my guest on the Heart of Things Radio Show this evening. He is a Fellow of the Chesterton Institute at Seton Hall University and editor of University Bookman, as well as the editor of "Christianity and European Culture: Selections from the Work of Christopher Dawson." He lives in Brooklyn, New York. As promised, here are some links to his new book, an article and more! Gerald's new book "The Postmodern Imagination of Russell Kirk" - http://press.umsystem.edu/spring2007/russello.htm

His article on "Tearing Down the Wall" - http://ncregister.com/site/article/2843

More on Russell Kirk - http://www.kirkcenter.org/bookman/index.html

More on G. K. Chesterton - http://www.chesterton.org/discover/quotations.html More on the University Bookman - http://www.kirkcenter.org/bookman/index.html

"Can I Get a Witness?" - The Feast of St. Thomas

I heard a preacher once who made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. It was years ago; a Saturday as I remember. I was in my dorm room at Overbrook flipping through radio stations when I came upon the burly, gravelly voice of a man on fire.

He was preaching to a gathering in a church somewhere in the city, and suddenly, I was a part of the congregation. He started slow and steady, in a thick, southern rumble, black and smokey. My hand stopped spinning the dial.


"... Now the next Sunday," it broke in... "Thomas was at church....(uh huh, amen, gushed the crowd)... "Ya see, Jesus had appeared after the Resurrection... but Thomas was outside a church that Sunday (mm hmm, oh no).... Now y'all know the difference in ya life when you at church, and when you away from church?" (oh yes, amen!).... "Well the next Sunday, Thomas was at church... and the doors were locked. Can I get a witness? And Jesus.... well, He just showed up...." (This brought a surge of amens and alleluias). "Jesus didn't knock on the door. He didn't use a key. He didn't get a usher to lead Him down the aisle.... HE JUST SHOWED UP!" (amen!!)

"Now Jesus has a mind to show up at church when He gets ready. After all, the thang belong to Him! He can show up anytime He want to!!" (amen!! preach it!)

"And Jesus said "now peace be with y'all" and He looked at Thomas and said "Now come here Thomas...." (amen, oh yes He did!) "Now Thomas..... I heard all a dat BIG talk you been making..... now come on over here. Put ya hand in my side. Put ya fingers in the nail prints in my hands!" (glory be, amen!) "No longer doubt but BELIEVE!..... and Thomas just stood there.... shaking." (laughter) "And do you know what he said? He didn't say 'Lemme get my Biology 101 notes... he didn't say... let me talk to my.... psychiatrist!" (oh no) "You know what he said? ..... (a hush came over the congregation, and I listened wrapped to the radio)

"MY LORD..... AND MY GOD!"



It's funny that I remember all of this so well, I had thrown a tape in and recorded most of it, but I've since lost the tape, years ago. The preacher went on to witness to the power of faith, and his voice slowly rose to a bellowing cry, a lion's roar, and he ended by nearly chanting something like the Apostle's Creed. It was insanely moving. I couldn't help but get caught up in that fire and spirit.


Now Thomas is one of us. Heck, all the saints are. We often gild them over with shiny marble and peaceful plastic smiles, but all of them lived this very life. Many were distraught at times, upset, doubtful, anxious, troubled. But they persevered, didn't they? I admire Thomas for this very reason; because he questioned, and seemingly not out of disrespect or just to be "doubtful"... He wanted more. He wouldn't settle for a blind faith, or for words only. He went deeper, he probed into the purported miracle, quite literally, and pushed into the Mystery. He moved beyond the here say, the reports, the gossip. Some can and do believe without this digging in, and in all truth "blessed are they who have not seen and yet believe." Blessed are those who can receive the gift with open arms and open minds. But I think in our modern age, a Thomas makes it easier for many of us; he paves the way for the wondering to walk and the doubtful to dig a little further. Here's a saint for the modern age.

But are we willing to go as far as Thomas did? He didn't end as the Doubtful, but the Daring. He stepped up and proclaimed that Divinity was now dwelling in Humanity. He cried out in faith that God was in the flesh, right before him!

Can we do this, or will we stay mired in our doubt or worse, indifference? Can we approach Jesus, the Wounded Healer, and stretch out our trembling hands? If we put our finger into his wounds He will pull us further in. Give Him an inch and He will take our hearts.

Are we willing to let go of the past and see that now, all things are new? Let's walk behind Thomas today, and ask for the courage to say with him, "My Lord... and my God!"

St. Peter, St. Paul and.... the iPhone

Today we celebrate the great feast of Saints Peter and Paul, the dynamic duo of the Catholic Church, the veritable Batman and Robin of Christianity! It just so happens that today is also the debut of the infamous iPhone, a stunning piece of technology that's now available all over the known universe.

So.... two great saints and one incredible gadget. On the same day.... Coincidence? Nope. I think this is an opportunity for some serious imagining-ation.

So let's just imagine that these two pillars of the Church had the chance to spread the gospel with the help of the infamous iPhone....

I think St. Peter, bold, often impetuous and quick-tempered, might have picked it up with his callous fisherman fingers and.... dropped it into the sea. End of story.

St. Paul? Here's a different story. Passionate, highly educated, leader of the pack of the Pharisees in his day, slightly neurotic perhaps? He would have LOVED this device. He'd have bookmarked all of the best biblical websites, downloaded stunning maps of the Mediterranean region for his mission trips, and have pie charts on the religious make up of the population of those various pagan communities well before he ever got there! You know it's true!

Now... just when you think this blog is a little goofy, scandalous, anachronistic?... consider this sweet line from Pope Paul VI's letter on technology. That's right, written in 1963 to boot!

“Man’s genius has with God’s help produced marvelous technical inventions from creation, especially in our times. The Church, our mother, is particularly interested in those which directly touch man’s spirit and which have opened up new avenues of easy communication of all kinds of news, of ideas and orientations.”
- Pope Paul VI, Inter Mirifica

And try this one on for size, from Pope John Paul II:

The Internet causes billions of images to appear on millions of computer monitors around the planet. From this galaxy of sight and sound will the face of Christ emerge and the voice of Christ be heard? For it is only when his face is seen and his voice heard that the world will know the glad tidings of our redemption. This is the purpose of evangelization. And this is what will make the Internet a genuinely human space, for if there is no room for Christ, there is no room for man.
- Message for the 36th World Communications Day

The task of Catholics today is not to fear or run from the amazing developments in technology that surround us, but to see them as tools, gifts even, that we can use to spread the Gospel, our faith in Jesus, and the vision we have and hope for of a true civilization of love. Just take a cruise through the Internet, and do a search for Catholic blogs and you will find at least 2,330,000 of them!! Look up Catholic websites on Google and fall down mumbling this astounding digitary figure: 2,250,000!

Now, trust me. As sweet as the iPhone is (or the Blackberry ;), you can't beat the face to face encounter and the power of the quiet witness of faith, in the diner, the grocery store, on the train or the bus, at the movies or the Sunday Mass sign of peace. The rest are just tools, the person before you is the temple where God truly dwells.

"Today it takes no great stretch of the imagination to envisage the earth as an interconnected globe humming with electronic transmissions - a chattering planet nestled in the provident silence of space. The ethical question is whether this is contributing to authentic human development and helping individuals and peoples to be true to their transcendent destiny."

- Archbishop John Foley, former head of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications: