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Archive for the ‘07 Observations’ Category

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Problems and Difficulties

In 07 Observations on 2011/05/11 at 11:38 AM

“In our own lives, perhaps there will be no shortage of tempests and threatening skies, of interior darkness, of misunderstandings – and, with more or less regular frequency, situations in which we should correct our course because we have gone astray.  Then we should strive to see Our Lord, who always comes in the storm of suffering.  Let us learn to accept the setbacks with faith, as blessing from heaven to purify us and draw us closer to God.  He said: ‘It is I; do not be afraid.”

Fernandez, Francis IN CONVERSATION WITH GOD, Vol.II: 60.3


Interior Life

In 07 Observations on 2011/05/05 at 4:20 PM

“The interior life is nothing but continual and direct conversation with Christ, so as to become one with him.”

F. Fernandez IN CONVERSATION WITH GOD, Vol VI, 26.3.

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Artist’s Purpose

In 07 Observations on 2011/04/29 at 9:00 PM

“A hand, an eye, or any part of a statue lying apart from the rest, would look beautiful to no one.  But if each part is restored to its own place, the beauty of proportion, until now almost unperceived, would strike even the most uneducated.  The artist, before uniting the parts of his work, distinguishes and recognized the beauty of each of them, thinking of the purpose that he has in view.

This is how Scripture depicts to us the Supreme Artist creating His works.  Thus earth, air, sky, water, day, night, all visible things remind us of our Benefactor.”  (St. Basil, Hexameron, 3:10)

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O, Divine Redeemer

In 07 Observations on 2011/04/27 at 12:25 PM

Not only has He ransomed us from sin and death, but He has taught us to put the will of God above all personal plans, to live detached from everything, to know how to pardon, even when the offender has not repented, to know how to forgive others, to be apostles until the very moment of death.  (F. Fernandez IN CONVERSATION WITH GOD. II, 46.1)

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Repentance

In 07 Observations on 2011/04/22 at 3:39 PM

One cannot merely scrape away at the surface of evil; one has to get down to its roots, its causes, the inner truth of conscience….Lord, let me know how to live and walk in the truth.  K. Wojtyla

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Eucharistic Church

In 07 Observations on 2011/04/22 at 3:38 PM

In JESUS OF NAZARETH, Part II, Benedict XVI says that the Protestant theologian, Ferdinand Kattenbusch, was correct when he tried to demonstrate that Jesus’ words at the Last Supper actually founded the Church.  The Pope concurs that through the body of Christ, the Church became one for herself and for the entire world through the ages.  It is from the Eucharist that the Church receives her mission.

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Three Crosses

In 07 Observations on 2011/04/22 at 3:38 PM

In his Vol. 2 of IN CONVERSATION WITH GOD, Francis Fernandez present the picture of a recently arrived spectator on the first Good Friday.  The visitor see three men, each heading for death on the cross he carries.  Each carried his cross in a different way just as we today can carry ours in one of their three ways:

One can carry his cross complaining, filled with anger, and even cursing God.  That cross has no meaning and is as useless as it was to the “bad” thief.

Another way to carry our cross is with resignation or acceptance (because there is no alternative).  Here there is the possibility of change by conversion as in the case of the “good” thief.

The third way is embracing our cross with love for the love of God, and discovering that sorrow, suffering and contradictions cease to be merely negative as soon as the cross is seen to be not just one’s own but that of Jesus.  Jesus is an image of hope; he is beside the sufferer and actually will carry our cross.

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Reading the Gospels

In 07 Observations on 2011/04/12 at 5:10 PM

“It is in the Gospel we must learn the supreme knowledge of Jesus Christ: how to imitate Him and follow in His footsteps. And, to learn from Him, we must try to know His life…mediating on the scenes….reading an re-reading the Scriptures…in order to understand the divine meaning of His life on earth.”

“The Gospels were not intent on giving some kind of biography of Jesus Christ, as a historian might write it, but on giving witness to those things that are essential for us.”

“We cannot get to know the real God by trimming Him to fit our normal standards.”

“Christianity is not an idea, a way of thinking, a plan of action. The essence of Christianity is a person: Jesus Christ Himself.”

These quotations were written by Pope Benedict XVI in his days as Cardinal Ratzinger.

He also recommends a very simple 4 step plan:

As you read, ask yourself:

1. What does this passage say?

2. How does it refer to Christ?

3. How does it refer to me?

4. What does Christ expect of me?

Your aim is not to study the Scriptures like a scholar, but to learn to love the Person of Jesus Christ.

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Retain What You Read

In 07 Observations on 2011/04/12 at 5:01 PM

One of the best ways to retain what you read in any book is to adopt the following system:

1. Read a section or chapter a day in order to get the full impact of the content.

2. As you read, underline what strikes you as important or unusual.*

3. Write personal comments along the margins.  Use the front and back pages for lengthier comments.

4. Place a question marks next to items you need to check on.

5.  When you finish reading the whole book, review all your notations.

*Many say they cannot underline straight. Use a mechanical pencil: GRAPHGEAR 500 from 0.9 Pentel (available at most office & art supplies stores).  Hold it towards the top and you will get an almost ruler straight line.  Yellow highlighters fade.

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Inductive/Deductive Thinking

In 07 Observations on 2011/04/11 at 5:49 PM

There are two basic forms of valid reasoning: Inductive and Deductive.  INDUCTIVE reasoning argues from the PARTICULAR to the general. DEDUCTIVE reasoning argues from the GENERAL to a specific instance.

Writers and professors with an INDUCTIVE orientation start with details and gradually build to an understanding of the larger picture.

In a history course you can start with the details of historical events and build up to an analysis of the underlying motivations for those events.  This style is referred as a facts-to-idea style.

Writers and professors with a DEDUCTIVE orientation start with intuitive ideas or a concept and illustrate or prove them with supportive information or facts. This style starts with a big idea, but many persons get lost in the process and bogged down by too many details.

I use both methods in teaching history depending on the situation. I find it is best to use both methods in teaching because each mind functions differently:  some minds lean towards INDUCTIVE reasoning while other minds employ DEDUCTIVE reasoning more naturally.

It is a case of what in Spanish is termed: “Cada loco con su tema” which translates roughly as “Each nut has its theme.”