DaveTown

Thanks to Fr. Jim for posting this poem by St. Augustine, which I shamelessly reproduce here:

Late have I loved Thee, O Beauty so ancient and so new, late have I loved Thee!

And, behold, Thou wert within me and I myself on the outside, and it was there that I sought Thee.

And into those lovely things, which Thou madest, All unlovely did I rush.

Thou wert with me, but I was not with Thee.

Those things kept me far from Thee, things that would not exist, unless they were in Thee.

Thou didst call, and shout, and shatter my deafness:

Thou didst sparkle, and shine, and dispel my blindness:

Thou sentest forth Thy fragrance, and I breathed deeply, and now I sigh for Thee:

I tasted, and now do hunger and thirst:

Thou didst touch me, and I burned for Thy peace.

My beloved son, delight of my heart, hope of your posterity, I pray, I command, that at every time and in everything, strengthened by your devotion to me, you may show favor not only to relations and kin, or to the most eminent, be they leaders or rich men or neighbors or fellow-countrymen, but also to foreigners and to all who come to you. By fulfilling your duty in this way you will reach the highest state of happiness. Be merciful to all who are suffering violence, keeping always in your heart the example of the Lord who said, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice.” Be patient with everyone, not only with the powerful, but also with the weak.

Finally be strong lest prosperity lift you up too much or adversity cast you down. Be humble in this life, that God may raise you up in the next. Be truly moderate and do not punish or condemn anyone immoderately. Be gentle so that you may never oppose justice. Be honorable so that you may never voluntarily bring disgrace upon anyone. Be chaste so that you may avoid all the foulness of lust like the pangs of death.

All these virtues I have noted above make up the royal crown, and without them no one is fit to rule here on earth or attain to the heavenly kingdom.

– St. Stephen of Hungary

“Teach me,
O God,
not to torture myself,
not to make a martyr out of myself
through stifling reflection,
but rather teach me to breathe deeply in faith”

– Kierkegaard

Democratic Congressmen lecturing Republican Presidents on deficit spending.

Have I been in a coma? Has a temporal anomaly transported me to bizarro universe? Is it April 1st?

I don’t get this. What’s happening? I’m frightened . . . so . . . very . . . frightened . . .

I knew it!

Did you ever read something that validated something you’ve known intuitively for years?

I just did. Please read this, it will answer a lot of your questions in advance, should we ever happen to meet and discuss the sad state of public education in this country.