Soul Food: Week of April 28, 2024

 

Sunday: Once a Republic’s governed populi let the governing genie out of the bottle:

 

Monday: Big government begets bigger government …

 

Tuesday: … the little people become smaller …

 

Wednesday: … the small people become bigger …

 

Thursday: … might makes right … 

 

Friday: … the people can’t see the forest from the trees …

 

Saturday: … and the genie (really) has no clothes …

 

Soul Food: Week of April 21, 2024

 

Sunday-Saturday: Love of God, country & spouse. 160 yrs ago, Major Sullivan Ballou of Rhode Island died of wounds sustained in the 1stBattle of Bull Run, Manassas, Va. Two weeks earlier he penned this transcendental love letter as featured in Ken Burns’ “The Civil War”: 

 

“My dear Sarah, the indications are very strong that we shall move in a few days … Lest I should not be able to write again, I feel impelled to write a few lines which will fall under your eye when I shall be no more … Not my will but thine O God be done. If it is necessary that I should fall on the battlefield for my country, I am ready. I have no misgivings about, or lack of confidence in the cause in which I am engaged … I know how strongly American Civilization now leans on the triumph of the Government & how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the blood & sufferings of the Revolution …

 

“Sarah, my love for you is deathless, it seems to bind me with mighty cables that nothing but Omnipotence could break. And ye my love of Country comes over me like a strong wind & bears me irresistibly on with all those chains, to the battlefield … But O Sarah! If the dead can come back to this earth & flit unseen around those they loved, I shall always be near you … & if there be a soft breeze upon your cheek, it shall be my breath, or if the cool air fans your throbbing temple, it shall be my spirit passing by. Sarah, do not mourn me dead … for we shall meet again.”

 

Soul Food: Week of April 14, 2024

 

Sunday: I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving. To reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind & sometimes against it, but we must sail, & not drift, nor lie at anchor. Oliver Wendel Holmes

 

Monday: … [Union soldiers believed their cause & ultimate victory was God’s will] … But we equally believed that those who stood against us held just as sacred conviction that were opposite of ours, & we respected them as every man with a heart must respect those who give all for their belief.

 

Tuesday: To the strongest … belongs the empire. Alexander the Great

 

Wednesday: The measure of a man is what he does with power. Plato

 

Thursday: Factions are a sign of illness in a party. Ernest Mandel

 

Friday: Justice is the end of government. It is the end of civil society. It ever has been & ever will be pursued until it be obtained, or until liberty be lost in the pursuit. Federalist 51

 

Saturday: It has always been the fate of republics to be destroyed by factions. Harper’s Weekly, 1864

 

Soul Food: Week of April 7, 2024

 

Sunday thru Saturday: In the wake of this year’s Holy Week & anniversary of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, resurrection & ascension, is it not a good time to reflect upon the inevitable ups & downs of our lives, living as we do in His name? And, as exemplified, not only by Himself, but His Mother Mary? Here for meditation are Mary’s own words upon meeting cousin Elizabeth & soon after both were blessed with the miraculous conceptions of John & Jesus, as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew:

 

“My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has looked with favor on the lowliness of His servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His Name. His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought own the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, according to the promise He made to our ancestors, to Abraham & to his descendants forever.”

 

Soul Food: Week of March 31, 2024

 

Sunday: The Angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, as He said he would … Matthew 28:5-6

 

Monday: For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

 

Tuesday: I am the way and the truth and the life … No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6

 

Wednesday: Since you know Me, you will also know My Father … In fact, you know Him now, & are looking [at] Him in His Face. Excerpts from Jim Bishop’s “The Day Christ Died, and John 14:7

 

Thursday: I will not leave you orphans; I am coming back to you. John 14:18

 

 

Friday: I will ask my Father that He will grant you another advocate to be with you for all time to come, the Spirit of Truth. John 14:16

 

Saturday: Go, then, to all peoples everywhere & make them my disciples … And I will be with you always, to the end of the age. Matthew 28:16-20

 

Soul Food: Week of March 24, 2024

 

Sunday: Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Jesus

 

Monday: Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles, it takes away today’s peace. Various

 

Tuesday: Physical comforts cannot subdue mental suffering and, if we look closely, we can see those who have many possessions are not necessarily happy. In fact, being wealthy often brings more anxiety. Dalai Lama

 

Wednesday: He had a sensation of anxiety & shame, a sensitivity acute beyond usefulness, as if the nervous system, flayed of its old hide of social usage, must record every touch of pain. John Updike

 

Thursday: If it’s out of your hands, it deserves freedom from your mind too. Ivan Nuru.

 

Friday: STOP WORRYING, for God’s sake if not your own!

 

Saturday: Can we count the ways & times a doubt, fear, or worry turned out to be a nothing burger?

 

Soul Food: Week of March 17, 2024

 

Sunday: May you have all the happiness & luck that life can hold – and at the end of your rainbows may you find a pot of gold. Old Irish Blessing

 

Monday: When I drinks whiskey, I drinks whiskey. And, when I drinks water, I drinks water. Michaleen Oge Flynn in Quiet Man

 

Tuesday: Never iron a four-leaf clover because you don’t want to press your luck. Parade

 

Wednesday: Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck. Dalai Lama XIV

 

Thursday: Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me … St. Patrick

 

Friday: Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral. James Joyce Shannon

 

Saturday: Erin go Bragh

 

Soul Food: Week of March 10, 2024

 

Sunday: As one ages past Social Security Stage, one realizes it’s no longer accurate to boast about still being able to act like a “spring chicken,” but more accurately like a “fall chicken.”

 

Monday: Scientists now suggest tomatoes are a good fruit for staving off certain cancers … maybe, then, it’s what’s “in the sauce” & not their wine that seems to keep so many Italians alive well into their 90s.

 

Tuesday: The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes. Frank Lloyd Wright

 

Wednesday: Aging is out of your control. How you handle it, is in your hands. Diane Von Furstenberg

 

Thursday: Know that you are the perfect age. Each year is special & precious, for you shall only live it once. Louise Hay

 

Friday: I believe the second half of one’s life is meant to be better than the first half. The first half is finding out how you do it. And the second half is enjoying it. Francis Lear

 

Saturday: Wrinkles will only go where the smiles have been. Jimmy Buffet

 

Soul Food: Week of March 3, 2024

 

Sunday: If you are lonely when you’re alone, you are in bad company. Jean-Paul Sartre

 

Monday: Only the guy who isn’t rowing has time to rock the boat.

 

Tuesday: Commitment is an act, not a word.

 

Wednesday: Freedom is what you do with what’s been done to you.

 

Thursday: Man is fully responsible for his nature & his choices.

 

Friday: Fascism is not defined by the number of its victims, but by the way it kills them.

 

Saturday: Hell is other people.

 

Soul Food: Week of February 25, 2024

 

Sunday: To be or not to be: THAT is the question. Hamlet, Act III, Scene I

 

Monday: All the world’s a stage & all the men & women merely players. As You Like It, Act II, Scene VII

 

Tuesday: We are such stuff as dreams are made on. The Tempest, Act IV, Scene I

 

Wednesday: This above all: to thine own self be true. And, it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man. Hamlet, Act I, Scene III

 

Thursday: Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once. Julius Caesar, Act II, Scene II

 

Friday: Men at some time are masters of their fates. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings. Julius Caesar, Act I, Scene II

 

Saturday: What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet. Romeo & Juliet, Act II, Scene II

 

Soul Food: Week of February 18, 2024

 

Sunday: May every new born’s birth be as divine to mom & dad as the one experienced by a humble & grateful Mary & Joseph …

 

Monday: A new universe is born whenever a new baby is born. Debasish Mridha

 

Tuesday: Sometimes the littlest things take up the most room in your heart. A.A. Milne

 

Wednesday: When we are born, we cry that we are come to this great stage of fools. William Shakespeare, King Lear

 

Thursday: There are words in the soul of a newborn baby, wanting & waiting to be written. Toba Beta

 

Friday: A baby is born with a need to be loved – and never outgrows it. Frank A. Clark

 

Saturday: Life is a process during which one initially gets less dependent, independent & then more dependent. Mokokoma Mokhonoana

 

Soul Food: Week of February 11, 2024

 

Sunday: The Forgetful Valentine’s lament: The wretch, concentered all in self, Living, shall forfeit fair renown, And, doubly dying, shall go down To the vile dust, from whence he sprung, Unwept, unhonored & unsung. Sir Walter Scott

 

Monday: Improbable, but true. The second I first heard your voice was the second I knew you were my Soulmate for life. Au destin ensemble.

 

Tuesday: How is pure love best expressed but by unconditional teamwork in our life’s journey together?

 

Wednesday: God’s love for us is without limit; so, we are to love one another. Four Gospels

 

Thursday: Simplicitate cordis quaerite illum quoniam. Invenitur ab his, qui non tentant illum. Book of Wisdom

 

Friday: I am here for all to see … I can say that I can change the world. But if you let me I can change the world for us. Come with me and make this vision all brand new. Excerpt from Renaissance (From “I Medici” lyrics

 

Saturday: You’re the closest to heaven that I’ll ever be while on this earth. Goo Goo Dolls

 

Soul Food: Week of February 4, 2024

 

Sunday: I love, therefore, I am loveable. Variation on Rene Descarte’s “cogito ergo sum”

 

Monday: As a perfect God surely loves us, so shall we love ourselves.

 

Tuesday: Becoming a loveable person begins by loving yourself.

 

Wednesday: Becoming a loveable person is more complete when seeing the good in others.

 

Thursday: Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option. Mark Twain

 

Friday: I never cared for the sound of being alone. Neil Diamond

 

Saturday: If you sacrifice too much there’s nothing else you can give. Karl Lagerfeld

 

Soul Food: Week of January 28, 2024

 

Sunday: While seeking revenge, dig two graves – one for yourself. Douglas Horton

 

Monday: They say living well is the best revenge but sometimes writing well is even better. James Franco 

 

Tuesday: If you prick us do we not bleed? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge? William Shakespeare

 

Wednesday: Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge … The foundation of such a method is love. MLK

 

Thursday: There is no revenge so complete as forgiveness. Josh Billings

 

Friday: Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord … Romans 12:19-21

 

Saturday: Jesus Christ is prophesied to one day “judge” the world yet note how non-judgmental the Messiah was in warning folks not to judge lest they be judged …

 

Soul Food: Week of January 21, 2024

 

Sunday: I can resist everything except temptation. Oscar Wilde

 

Monday: The best way to resist temptation is to avoid it. Prevention is far, far better than repentance. Spencer W. Kimball

 

Tuesday: Every moment of resistance to temptation is a victory. Frederick W. Faber

 

Wednesday: There hath no temptation taken hold of you but such as is common to man.  But God is faithful; He will not suffer you to be tempted beyond that which you are able to bear [and] … will also make a way to escape … 1 Corinthians

 

Thursday: Temptation to do good is always good.

 

Friday: Where there is no temptation, there is no glory.  Italian Proverb

 

Saturday: Even Jesus wept bloody tears in the Garden of Gethsemane at the thought of His impending Crucifixion, but the Christ remained true to His mission on earth.

 

Soul Food: Week of January 14, 2024

 

Sunday: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy

 

Monday: Four human attributes for anyone to cultivate to run Paul’s “Good Race”: Commitment. Patience. Discipline. Faith

 

Tuesday: Four Godly qualities to help anyone mirror their Maker: Strength. Courage. Wisdom. Love

 

Wednesday: Is the unfailingly committed, patient, disciplined & faithful Joseph the most underrated man in history?

 

Thursday: Speaking about “bridges” between mankind & God, is the gift of Free Will one of those things that makes us made in the image & likeness of God?

 

Friday: Are Guardian Angels “Messengers of Divine Grace”? Elizabeth Tomasek, McGrath Institute Blog

 

Saturday: Blessed is he [He] who comes in the name of the Lord. Psalm 118, Matt 23:39

 

Soul Food: Week of January 7, 2024

 

Sunday-Saturday: The Holy Family had been in Egypt a short while when Joseph had another visitation … The Angel said: “Rise! Take with you the child & his mother & set out for the Land of Israel. They who were plotting against the life of the child are dead.”

 

… The youthful carpenter would have blushed if anyone had called him noble, but he was noble beyond the calling of any man. No love of a man for a woman had been put to such spirit-breaking tests as this one & survived in unquestioning meekness. If he had felt so disposed, he could have passed the visitations of the angel off as wishful dreams. He could have banished his bide, had her stoned to death, or, at the least, had her sent off to a faraway place to have her baby in loneliness & sorrow.

 

[Joseph] sustained all the trials, and it dizzied his mind to think that, for all his remaining days, he would be on special trial before the eyes of God. Then too, although he had committed no crime, he was forced to flee hundreds of miles to Egypt, and now, in some trepidation, he was going back to his homeland, perhaps to face arrest & sudden death …

 

Excerpted from Jim Bishops “The Day Christ Was Born”

 

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