Thoughts on Lent

Ash Wednesday will be on February 21st this year.It is approaching very fast.....almost taking me by surprise.I realise,now,that I like Lent more than Advent.Some see Lent as a time of sacrifice because we must "give up" some little something during that time. I see it more as a renewal.I like the time of added prayers and meditation;perhaps increasing the time spend doing the Rosary and going to Mass more often.I enjoy the Christmas season,of course, but it has become too commercialised and often the "enjoyment" around us is forced.No one has figured out a way to make the Easter season as commercial as Christmas.The "Easter Bunny" doesn't have the same commercial success as "Santa".I guess,too, this due to the fact that the time preceding Easter is spent "sacrificing". The days immediately before Easter Sunday are concentrated on the Crucifixion.....not exactly the thing money makers want to think about.Lent and Holy Week are times of silence and contemplation....two of my favorite ways to pass the time.

A few thoughts on The Bhagavad Gita

Of all the books I've read,the Bhagavad Gita has had the greatest influence on my life.I've read the book countless times.I currently have three translations.....2 others are lost.The only other book that comes close to accurately describing the indescribable is "Cloud of the Unknowing".
To some,this may seem like a strange idea coming from a Catholic.Above all, I believe the Nicene Creed.I also believe that the "Person"we refer to as The Holy Spirit reveals itself to prophets and mystics of all religious traditions,although it is understood differently in each tradition.
The human mind cannot comprehend the Holy Spirit as it truly is .Each of us interprets it within our own cultural context.
As a mystic and contemplative,I can "feel"a connection between the Christian Trinity-Father, Son and Holy Spirit-and the Gita's Trinity of the three gunas-namely, sattva,rajas and tamas.
Is it a coincidence that the symbol for the word "Om" so much resembles the numeric symbol for three?
We should keep in mind that through meditation we do not "become" God as believed by some.We are simply allowing ourselves to drop the barriers and listen to God speaking to us.

Meditation and the Chaos Theory

Earlier this week, after a pleasant series of events, I wrote a positive and upbeat piece on immigration for another of my blogs. Later, a rather bitter comment was left, along with a link to the commenter’s web page. This particular web page told about some unfortunate events in this person’s life and he could not hide his resentment. It’s not my point to tell his story but to tell of my mental reaction.
After my meditation, my mind kept going back to the idea of something called “The Chaos Theory” or “The Butterfly Effect”. The theory comes from observations made by a meteorologist who concluded that it was impossible to accurately predict the weather because the smallest degree of difference in the beginning can mean a significant difference in the final results. It’s often illustrated with the idea of a butterfly moving his wings in Brazil can ultimately cause a typhoon in Indonesia (or prevent one, for that matter).
Very little is mentioned on the effect of this theory on religious or philosophical thought. Along with the idea of  Synchronicity,  the Chaos Theory shows the inter-connectedness of everything. Everything in our life situation is the result of actions or non-action taken in the past. The good things you enjoy today could not have turned out as they have had your life been any different previously. This includes the “bad” events as well as the “good”. Had anything happened differently I would not be married to my present wife nor would our child be here. (Even if we had met and married, things had to be the way there were for the child that was conceived to be conceived).
We can never know the end result of our actions. Only God can know that. That is another reason why we should have faith and trust in God and know that His way is best for us.