Classic and contemporary excerpts.
When Words Destroy
Abigail Van Buren once wrote about a woman who listened to a mother verbally destroy her child. The woman told the mother, “I’ll give you a dollar for him.” Only then did the mother realize the value of her child.
—R. J. Thesman in The Christian Leader (Mar. 10, 1992)
Everyday Spirituality
Spiritual experiences are not a matter of finding God, nor are they a matter of waiting till God fairly screams, “Look, here I am!” Spiritual experiences surround us. We fall over them dozens of times a day. We can’t avoid them if we try. A spiritual experience is simply a matter of recognizing and acknowledging our relationship to God in whatever is going on in our lives at the moment. God is involved in all we do and does not pop in and out of our lives. We live surrounded by God. We live and breathe God just as we live and breathe air. To know that either air or God is present, we need only to pause and reflect for an instant to see that we are immersed in them.
—Fr. Gerald Weber in U.S. Catholic (March 1992)
Prayer That Works
The effective prayer of faith comes from a life given up to the will and the love of God. Not as a result of what I try to be when praying, but because of what I am when I’m not praying, is my prayer answered by God.
—Andrew Murray in With Christ in the School of Prayer
Political “Reform”
There is nothing quite like a presidential election year to reveal how empty and dissatisfying our political process has become.… Television has taken over the role in choosing candidates that party bosses once played, but that can hardly be called reform.
—Jim Wallis in an editorial in Sojourners (May 1992)
Classroom On Film
I’ve always tried to be aware of what I say in my films because all of us who make motion pictures are teachers, teachers with very loud voices.
—George Lucas, accepting a lifetime achievement award at Academy Award ceremonies, March 1992 (quoted by Edwin A.
Roberts, Jr., in the Tampa Tribune, April 5,1992)
Friend And Lover
“Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God” commands Paul. Now, only a dear friend can be grieved. Not a stranger: he might be annoyed. Not a chance acquaintance: he might be perplexed. Not a business partner: he might be offended. Only a loved one can be grieved.
—Milton S. Agnew in The Holy Spirit—Friend and Counsellor
