Virtus In Medio Stat

Discussions with an agnostic friend Since I want to maintain anonymity, I will call my friend Jack Beanstalk. Mr. Laurence I have a question for you. What brought you to your religion? What made you decide this was truth for you? I remember you in high school being quite skeptical of religion. It’s funny how the tables have turned. I am just curious to hear what brought you to Catholicism. I don’t want to debate or anything I just am curious. Anyhow, I hope you are well. Take care Mr. Beanstalk, you can call me Laurence or Mr. Laurence (it's an insider thing among my friends, we really aren’t that formal). You can get a long or short story, but I will try to give you the short story. Yes, I was quite skeptical of religion and Christianity in particular. I was raised a Catholic-Christian, but didn’t really know the basis of such beliefs. So, it was easy to let it go when science seemed to explain the things that religion claimed to. But it goes deeper than that ...

For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the prudence of the prudent I will reject. Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputant of this world? 1 Corinthians 1 I was never one to be referred to as a studious teenager. I had average grades. I failed a geography class. I didnt take school very seriously, and I was on the senior fail list. I almost didnt graduate on time. I did grow to love algebra, trig, pre calc, and physics, however. When I went to college, I fell in love with philosophy, and certain aspects of psychology. When, I became a Christian again, I fell in love with God, theology, apologetics, and debates. The depth of my knowledge of Church teachings really impressed a lot of people. So, I had sort of a following. This phenomena that happens on a larger scale with more impressive men and women, developed in me a sort of prideful boastfulness in my knowledge. Knowledge has the power to bring me to a fuller life, or to condemn me...

I had heard it said that one sign of intelligence is planning for the future, that is to say, looking beyond the immediate so as to make plans in how to achieve long term goals. Another sign of intelligence is delay of gratification, that is to say, the ability to hold off on what we want today, because perhaps there are more pressing matters at hand that ought to be taken care of first. This takes care of the all too often impulsiveness of human nature that acts on immediate wants, which are not in the best interest of the parties involved at the present moment. It seems as though I have always been a dreamer, always imagining a lofty ideal. There’s nothing wrong with that of course. After all, if lofty ideals were of no use at all, then God would not have given us the capacity for such things. Even if you do not believe in God, then I would say, there would be no evolutionary benefit for lofty unattainable ideals. Philosophers would not have wasted their time thinking up principles...

The best way of living charity lies in generously outstripping the demands made on us by justice. Such charity will generally go unnoticed, but it is very fruitful in heaven and indeed also on earth. It would be a mistake to think that when expressions such as 'the happy mean' or 'a just mean' are used regarding the moral virtues, they imply mediocrity, or somehow aiming at doing half of what we could do. The mean we are asked to aim at lies midway between excess and defect, and is in fact a summit, a peak: the best course of action, as indicated to us by prudence. Though when it comes to the theological virtues, there is no middle course. We cannot believe, or hope, or love too much. We are called to love God without limit, with a love that overflows to those around us in an abundance of generosity, understanding and charity.    ~ Josemaria Escriva, Friends of God, #83 Years ago when I was a catechist and fresh from my reversion back to the faith at the ripe ...

The other day I was sitting on a friend’s porch. I had left my watch there when we went running some weeks ago. I wanted to go pick it up before he pawned it for beer money. I had shared with him my recent sense that life seems so mundane as of late. I have a feeling I know what this is, but as of late it just seems like life is just boring or dull. I don’t know, maybe I have just fell into routine. My friend would respond with lofty theological truths. I thought it was amusing. Now I know what it feels like to hear it. I quickly joked, “Wow, you’re just full of life lessons and clichés, aren’t you?” I think he is right, however. We get bored sometimes with life, because it is a hint that there is more, beyond this life. He quoted Fulton Sheen on this. Of course this is true. But in further reflection, I would add to it, that there is more to life than what has already happened, and what is happening presently. I would say the danger of just accepting the hum drum norm, is that we ma...

I recall the night I made that hopeful commitment. I was in San Francisco , on a visit to attend my cousin’s wedding. I was at the Ghirardelli’s in the heart of San Francisco . All the cousins went out for some shakes and ice cream. In the middle of it, I received a call. She called to ask what I meant by a particular statement I texted her earlier that day. I’ll reveal this much about men, sometimes we say things we don’t mean. Women do it as well. But, I learned a long time ago that it never pays to say things I don’t mean. The reason is, at some point, the truth comes out. So, the thought must have crossed her mind to question what I texted her. I had said something to the effect of, “You make me want to change”. So she made it a point to say that she can’t change me; she won’t change me because we can’t change people. I quickly agreed. So, I had to clarify. It is not that we should set out to change people so that they can fit our ideal. I said, “I don’t want to change becaus...

I had been dragging my feet for about two years, as I considered whether or not I should continue and pursue a doctoral degree in psychology. I had been working at Cal State for about two years and substitute teaching for four. I noticed one day, while reading our program’s profiles that one of the professors in the nursing department I had worked with didn’t have a doctoral degree in nursing, but what was called “relational psychology”. She got her Ph.D. from a Catholic institution in Los Angeles called Trinity College . I looked into it. The school no longer existed. They were unable to secure enough funding to continue. So, I did a Google search and found that there was a practicing psychologist in Redlands that received her degree from that school. I wrote her an email on 05/26/10 asking her what relational psychology was. She emailed me back. Basically it is otherwise known as “contextual psychology”. My research into schools fizzled shortly thereafter. Due to certain meet...