31 Resolutions for the Summer Months
A Priest and friend of mine just sent me this. It works for kids and adults.
31 Resolutions per month for the summer months
Here are some suggestions for resolutions that can be lived, one each day, during the summer months.
Hint: you can switch the order! Another hint: you can do more than one each day!
Another hint: you can make some other special resolutions that you know will please God and others.
1. Be nice to everyone I meet today, beginning at home.
2. Remember to tell God I love him at least once an hour.
3. Tell my mother that I am willing to do any job she wants me to do today.
4. Tell my father that I am really thankful for all the nice things he does for our family.
5. Call or write my grandmother and ask her how she’s doing (and tell her what I am doing).
6. Read a good book for at least one hour.
7. Keep a smile on my face all through the day.
8. Do that favor I have been putting off.
9. Say at least one nice thing to each person in my family.
10. Try to take note of the images of Mary in my home and say something nice to her.
11. Put order in my room, in my drawers and in the closets.
12. Thank my Guardian Angel for accompanying me all through the day and the night.
13. Call or email a friend and be sure to say something complimentary to him/her.
14. Resolve to go to bed on time and to get up on time without giving in to laziness.
15. Pray to my patron saint so that we become friends.
16. Make a schedule for the day so that I do what I need to do and don’t waste time.
17. Try to be on time for everything.
18. Do what I can to make the people around me happy.
19. Pray my morning offering very well and tell God: all I do I do for you and all for love.
20. Don’t forget to say thank you for all the nice things others do for me.
21. Make sure I don’t let any bad thoughts linger in my mind or imagination.
22. Think often –at least once every hour- about the fact that God is always with me.
23. Read a good book for at least two hours today.
24. Spend time playing with my brothers and sisters and show them that I enjoy doing so.
25. Listen to my parents and do right away whatever they ask of me.
26. Put on a good face even when I have to do something I don’t particularly like.
27. Pay attention to God and our Blessed Mother when I pray the Rosary and other family prayers.
28. Think of what I could say or do to my different friends to make them happy.
29. Pray for each member of my family and for each of my friends and for their families.
30. Try to think of others first and of myself last.
31. Don’t complain!
Thanks, Father.
These are very cool. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteBut what were you thinking, posting that spiritually inferior Western religious art?????
(Sorry...this relates to a post at an Eastern Catholic blog [Caelum et Terra], to which I responded with what I thought was a perfectly innocuous comment, to the effect that both Eastern and Western religious art were equally cool and spiritual and all that...then, much to my surprise, I was told no they weren't, icons are Spiritually Superior blahblahblah. I-yi-yi. Ohhhhhhhhkay. Well, now that we've got that all settled...so much for Giotto, Cimabue, Fra Angelico, Raphael, Titian, Tintoretto, Caravaggio, et al., not to mention the Tilma of Juan Diego, the Miraculous Medal, Our Lady of Grace, the Divine Mercy image....all this time I thought I was experiencing Grace through these images. What was I thinking? Didn't I realize that Western Anything is inferior? How dare I have these silly notions that the Spirit blows where He wills; that the Catholic Church encompasses ALL cultures and aesthetics, not just the Eastern variety; and that Our Lord can work through just about anything, anywhere? Silly me!!!!)
Sorry for the rant. Such chauvinism gets my goat, obviously!!
Diane, I read it, too, but I very purposefully did not engage.
ReplyDeleteI'm sort of glad you brought it up though, and here's why. I’ve been meaning to do a post about my new strategy. I've been reading a lot of stuff from the Catholic left lately, as well as lot of tripe I consider to be nonsense written by Catholics. I have been very careful not to comment immediately on their site for several reasons.
First of all, and to the point of why not immediately, I want to get a really good grasp of the opponents’ flawed thinking before I try to tackle them. Most of the times they are repeating old, weak arguments which intelligent honest people acknowledge to be such. That is when they aren't simply mistaken, lying or repeating canards in a superior tone. So it's good to have proof at the ready when engaging. I readily admit that they may be more intelligent and well-read that I am, but since they are extraordinarily illogical and their reading material is very poor, I don’t fear to engage them.
Secondly—and more to the point of why not on their sites—I think it gives these folks an undeserved ratings boost to engage them on their turf. The truth is that most of these alternative narratives bashing conservative ideas and criticizing “mainstream" Catholic culture, so-called, are unpopular for good reasons. The reasons are many. One big one is that they are insulting in a terribly un-Christ-like way. Another rather large one is that their assertions don't square with the facts. Among the multitude of lesser ones: the inflation of the picayune, dragging of red herrings, propping up straw men, presenting their own pet opinions and tastes as essential dogmas and, of course, general tone-deafness. Their common comeback to pointing out the unpopularity of the viewpoints is to note how Jesus was killed for his unpopular teachings. QED—at least on the herrings and tone-deafness.
Anyway, my new strategy will be to try to write a reaction piece here, probably several weeks after I read the post. The idea will be to take a thoughtful, measured look at the arguments and conclusions, what their strengths and weaknesses are and why the author fails to convince me of their validity.
ReplyDeleteWell, I probably shouldn't have, but I did respond to the response. Hope it doesn't get me blacklisted over there, LOL.
ReplyDeleteBTW, don't tell anyone, but I actually prefer Renaissance polyphony to Byzantine chant. To me, Renaissance polyphony is the Music of the Spheres. Oh well, I'm just a spiritually inferior Westerner, I guess. ;)
ReplyDeleteAnd Pauli, I do look forward to your measured, reasoned article. :D
ReplyDeleteAs usual, Python has the final word on the subject of religion and art. Just posted it.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, that was hilarious. "OK, I'll lose the kangaroo...."
ReplyDelete