July 25, 2008

The sayings of the wise are like goads; like fixed spikes are the topics given by one collector. As to more than these, my son, beware. Of the making of many books there is no end, and in much study there is weariness for the flesh. The last word, when all is heard: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is man's all. (Ecclessiaties 12:11-13)
Posted by Fr. Mario Arroyo on Friday, July 25, 2008

2 comments:

Dawn Maureen said...

We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls. ~ Mother Teresa

August 3, 2008 9:28 AM
Jim McNerney said...

To goad - to push one along, to nudge (gently or not) in a particular direction or toward a particular goal. To kvetch - to pester one about what they are doing (action or inaction)

The fact is that what one who goads or kvetches does is to force us to think, to ponder, to evaluate what we are or are not doing or considering and to hold that up against the filter of life, our goals, or our self-expected behaviors.

As one who shares our pastor's chronological age and astrological sign, I at least can claim that my jesuitical background was pre-ordained when I happened onto this mortal coil on the Feast of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. However, it is quite obvious that from the first meeting that Father Mario was indeed the goad, the kvetching sibling who pushed me to be better than I thought I could be.

We need people like that in our lives, whether an acquaintance, a co-worker, a life partner, or a not so simple parish priest. When you find one, hold that person close to your heart because their actions make us a better person so that we can answer the Lord's question - Do you love Me?

August 11, 2008 9:12 PM

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