The Ball and the Cross

By: Chesterton

• According to the introduction, this book is an allegory to the author's long written discussion with an atheist about the existence of God.
• The two main characters are an English atheist and a Scottish stanch Catholic who want to have a duel after the later broke the shop's window of the first one because the atheist had published a blasphemous article against the Virgin Mary.
• Throughout the book they try to fight but are always stopped by the police and other people who consider them mad.
• They run away for so long and talking so much while trying to find a place to fight, that they end up loving each other.
• By then end of their trip they land in a madhouse, which seems to be being run by the devil who has somehow managed to convince the world that anybody who takes the existence of God seriously (i.e. The duel of these two men) must be mad. Thus, all the people who have come in contact in one way or the other with our two characters during their flight, are put into the madhouse as well.
• They manage to create a revolt, make the devil run (with his helpers whom he kills soon afterwards) and destroy the madhouse. The only thing is left after the burning of the house are the two swords with which they had been trying to kill each other which they found lying on a cross position.

BookNo.: r014

 

Rugby Club

http://www.josemariaescriva.info/article/san-josemaria-rugby-club

Funny article about a Rugby team with great devotion to St. Josemaria Escriva.

Book review: Don Camillo's Dilemma

By: Giovanni Guareschi

• Series of short stories written by the author periodically to be published in a magazine
• Don Camillo is the priest of the village
• Peppone is the Mayor as well as mechanic and blacksmith. Communist
• The stories are mainly about the funny encounters between the communists and the opposition (of which Don Camillo is part) in the village
• Very good humor about village life and village politics.

BookNo.: r011

Asunto: highlights

Fecha: 02/01/11

Friends of God, chapter 3

By: St. Josemaria

Ch. 3. Time is a treasure

• each year that ends is a step that takes us nearer to Heaven, our final home.
• Brief indeed is our time for loving, for giving, for making atonement
• We mustn’t squander this period of the world’s history which God has entrusted to each one of us.
• we are ready from this very moment to be generous and courageous, and take loving care of little things: we are ready to go and meet Our Lord, with our lamps burning brightly
• It is precisely those who are in love who pay attention to details, even when they’re doing apparently unimportant things
• How is it that sometimes we just can’t find those few minutes it would take to finish lovingly the work we have to do, which is the very means of our sanctification?
• How are we so lacking in calm and serenity when it comes to fulfilling the duties of our state, and yet so unhurried as we indulge in our own whims?
• these trifles are the oil
• He calls each one bearing in mind their personal circumstances,
• when you sense he’s beckoning you, even if it is at the last hour, how can you think of lingering in the marketplace,
• We should never have time on our hands, not even a second
• If you have time on your hands, ... It’s quite likely that you have become lukewarm; ... you are not doing all the good you should be doing to the people around you,
• What a shame it would be to have as one’s occupation in life that of killing time which is a God-given treasure
• God may have given us just one more year in which to serve him. Don’t think of five, or even two. Just concentrate on this one year, that has just started. Give it to God, don’t bury it! This is the resolution we ought to make.
• Allow me to insist. You think your time is for yourself? Your time is for God!
• He was hungry. The Maker of the universe, the Lord of all creation, experiences hunger! Thank you, Lord, for inspiring the sacred author to include this small touch here, a detail that makes me love you more and which encourages me to desire ardently to contemplate your sacred Humanity!
• There are no bad or inopportune days. All days are good, for serving God. Days become bad only when men spoil them with their lack of faith, their laziness and their indolence, which turns them away from working with God and for God.
• Our lives are so very short. Yesterday has gone and today is passing by. But what a great deal can be done for the love of God in this short space of time!
• Youth need not imply thoughtlessness, just as having grey hair does not necessarily mean that a person is prudent and wise.

BookNo.: r010

Asunto: highlights

Fecha: 31/12/10

Tags:

Friends of God, chapter 2

By: St. Josemaria

Ch. 2. Freedom, a gift from God

• Lord do not depart from me for w/o you I can do no good at all.
• In all creation only man can decide whether to give or deny glory to God.
• This is the light n shade of human freedom
• The fruit of the best freedom of all is deciding in favor of God
• Freedom is used properly when is directed towards the good; and misused when turned away from the Love of loves.
• It should lead to ask, what do you want from me Lord?
• Truth will make you free.
• If do not realize is a child of God, is unaware of the deepest truth about himself.
• Freedom is insufficient by itself, it needs a guide. Christ
• Choices that prefer error do not liberate
• Men's supreme dignity lies on this, that they are directed towards the good only by themselves and not by others
• God's love is jelous, not satisfied if we come with conditions.
• Serving Christ involves suffering
• Even when God's will seems painful, it coimcides perfectly with our freedom
• A person who does not choose freely to follow an upright code of conduct, ends up being manipulated by others.
• W/o love of God, individual and reponsible use of freedom becomes impossible
• Is false to oppose freedom and self surrender: the later is consequence of the first
• Freedom can only be given up for love
• Because we love freedom we tie ourselves down. Pride sees such bonds as heavy chains
• The only freedom that can assail faith is a missinterpreted freedom = license.
• Freedom of consciences means nobody can licitly prevent man from worshipping God
• No one is permitted to impose on somebody the practice of the faith he lacks
• Each soul is master of its own destiny
• When man sins he acts against reason, being led by the impulse of another, so anyone who comits sin is a slave to sin
• Wherever there is comitment (to something good or bad) and real passion, the person involved lives enslaved, joyfully devouting himself to fulfill his task
• We will be slaves either way. But if we recognize Love makes us slaves of God, we become then friends, sons. We will then do the same as others do but with peace in our hearts.
• I opt for God because I want to, freely.
• We are answerable to God, no room for anonimity
• We can be forced to many things, but we can only believe if we want to
• Religion is the greatest rebeloion of men, who refuse to live like animals
• Dilemma: children of God or slaves to pride, to sensuality, to selfishness
• Love of God marks out the way of truth, justice n goodness
• When we decide for God we loose nothing n gain everything

BookNo.: r010

Asunto: highlights

Fecha: 30/12/10

Tags:

Friends of God, chapter 1

By: St. Josemaria

Ch. 1. The richness of ordinary life

• Jesus is at our side guiding us like a shepherd
• He has chosen us to be part of his family to be saints
• His invitation obliges us to struggle to the point of heroism
• These world crisis are crisis of saints
• Concern for souls follows from the fact that God has chosen us.
• Success in attracting souls depends on how much interior life we have
• Ppl are not born holy. Holiness is formed by God's grace n man's correspondence.
• Holiness God asks of us is in daily duties, n these will almost always consist of small realities.
• You will not lack opportunities to show love of God in the small n ordinary things around you.
• We are few n worth little
• A disciple of Christ calls error error but the person in error he will correct with kindness
• Victory only comes to those who strive to behave as Christians. Thus there are so many who from a human point of view should be happy but aren't. They appear to be, but just scratch the surface and...
• Interior life consists of begining once n again... The struggle is never ending
• Child helping the fishermen...if we come to God like that, knowing our weakness, we shall more easily reach the goal
• You must let yourself be helped by a spiritual director
• Have you been pursuing God's or your own glory in everything you do?
• Ppl who fly to the heights w/o interior life are like that fellow flying on the wings of a plane...frightening
• In work n dealing w others we should maintain dialogue w God which is not audible but does manifest outwards in the care we put in doing things.
• Be of one piece
• The more we advance in interior life, the more we see our own failings
• Saints were ppl like us, with weaknesses who managed to master themselves for love of God.
• Your boat -your talents, achievements, etc- are worth nothing if not left in Christ's hands.
• If we let him take command, how safe the boat will be!
• We want him to do as he pleases with all we posses
• Only in his shelter will we find true happiness

BookNo.: r010

Asunto: highlights

Fecha: 29/12/10

Look up to Mary

By: Antonio Orozco

More lessons from Mary

• Maternal duty
• To say thst the sense of modesty just be strenghthened n informed is not to deny its natural character
• There can be no elegance without modesty
• If the body is everybody's property, then it becomes no one's posetion, leat of all its original owner's
• Without modesty the body looses its soul.
• If we are to elevate woman, we must dress her well: simply, tastefully, modestly. Then we men won't be such brutes.
• The Woman who sums up all enchantments of Creation: holy Mary.
• Fidelity
• While she was spared the inclination to sin, she was not confirmed in grace, she remained perfectly free and as perfectly responsible
• Heeding God's call
• That God calls us to holiness is clearly taught in sacred scripture: Eph 1:4-5
• Best vocation
• Doubtless it's the one I have
• Time for loyalty
• Love is so busy giving that it has no time to calculate or exact its "due"
• Only by being faithful to God can man attain all the good to which he is called
• Accepting hardships might make our hearts grow
• Is the time to look to Mary
• Only by being faithful to God can man attain all the good to which he is called
• All is good
• To say yes to God sometimes means saying no to his creatures
• At times normally good things could be bad
• In gral all pleasure is good, but not for everyone, not at every moment, not at any price
• Sexual pleasure is good, clean and holy in marriage for the right reasons and at the right time, place and mode.
• By dispensing with sexual pleasure (those called for that), we accede to other pleasures, less sensual but higher & deeper
• For them to crave pleasures reserved for marriage would be not just wrong but foolish as well
• No to no
• Every No to God is a Yes to Satan
• Yes to love
• Jesus was used to saying No
• Love asks for love
• One No to God if not mended, can undo a lifetime of Yeses
• We must shout No to No

Close to Heaven's gate

• No one can love the Virgin for you
• Isthere anything more beautiful than a child's love for its mother? Only one thing: a mother's love for her child
•  

BookNo.: r005

Fecha: 01/01/11