-1-
Approaching
year end and already planning goals and scheduling appointments for the new
year. More importantly, I'm getting even
more serious about planning impending retirement. One thing I've decided to try is to get the
long delayed and fretted over mystery novel written. I have characters, and now have a story and
theme idea in place, all that's left to do is write the damn thing. That seems much easier said than done.
One
difficulty I know I'll face is my own lack of self discipline. I've never been very good at working in a
fairly unstructured environment, hey, I'm an accountant for gosh sakes, and I
tend to think that writing a novel is about as unstructured as it gets. I must develop the habit, dare I say the
virtue, of working two to three hours a day and setting goals to mark my
progress. As I said, easier said than
done. Also, I think there's some virtue
is working and not worrying too much about the end result, at least until it's
complete. I know this thing won't go
according to my timetable, there is much to learn about writing along the way,
and I need to learn to allow myself to let the project go as it goes. If I'm faithful to the project, it'll get
done in the right time.
-2-
This
story was reported in LifeSite News, on their web page:
WASHINGTON, D.C., December 6, 2012,
(LifeSiteNews.com) - Citing “unprecedented challenges” to life, marriage and religious liberty, the bishops of the
United States have called on all the faithful to fast, pray a daily Rosary,
have regular Holy Hours and Masses, and attend rallies, “for the sake of
renewing a culture of life, marriage, and religious liberty in our country.”
In explaining the reasons for the campaign,
the bishops specifically singled out the HHS mandate. That mandate coerces
employers, including heads of religious agencies, to pay for sterilizations,
abortion-inducing drugs, and contraceptives. The bishops also called on
Catholics to resist increased efforts to redefine marriage.
I'm
almost tempted to say, finally! There
are so many challenges to our faith, I think our only option is ever increasing
time spent in prayer. We can get active
in all sorts of political activities, and those are good, but nothing will
really change the course of things except to have a Church at prayer, I don't
know why it's taken so long for the bishops to make this call. Advent is a great time to start.
-3-
These are
supposed to be quick takes, aren't
they? See what I mean about
self-discipline?
-4-
Following
up on my post from last August, "A New Way to Post," I've given up on
the blogging apps, Blogsy and Blog Press.
I've started using the Pages app on the iPad almost exclusively for blog
posts. There's an extra step in
transferring the post from the app to Blogger, but the format on the blog is
pretty much exactly what it was in the app document. It's a great tool.
-5-
Speaking
of great apps, Magnificat has done a major update to the iPad version of their
app. The text is now larger and clearer,
no longer an iPhone size view of the daily pages. We use the Magnificat version of Morning and
Evening prayer, and now that the days are so much shorter, and with the rather
poor lighting set up in our living room, having the book on the iPad is a great
solution to being able to see the text.
I also purchased, for all of $ 0.99 the Magnificat Advent companion
which is also very nicely done. Great
job, Magnificat!
-6-
"I have a particular reason for
mentioning this matter in conclusion-a reason that is directly related to this
curious effect of scepticism in weakening the normal functions of the human
being. In one of the most brilliant and amusing of Mr. Sinclair Lewis's recent
books there is a passage which I quote from memory, but I think more or less
correctly. He said that the Catholic Faith differs from current Puritanism in
that it does not ask a man to give up his sense of beauty, or his sense of
humour, or his pleasant vices (by which he probably meant smoking and drinking,
which are not vices at all), but that it does ask a man to give up his life and
soul, his mind, body, reason, and all the rest. I ask the reader to consider,
as quietly and impartially as possible, the statement thus made; and put it
side by side with all those other facts about the gradual fossilizing of human
function by the fundamental doubts of our day."
G.K.
Chesterton, The Thing
-7-
Once
again, I owe a debt of thanks to Jennifer for providing the opportunity to do 7
Quick Takes every week, along with all the others who do the same. I've discovered some great blogs that I had
never heard of here and I hope you're able to do the same.
