MSI Press Blog

  LIVE THE QUESTIONS “And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now.” --Rilke   “I want right answers-- the clearer, the better.” That was my mantra for half my life. I was born with a curious mind, often asking questions, some annoying. As a student, I studied hard to arrive at the right answers to the most complex questions. That pursuit was rewarded with good grades and career advancement. I climbed the academic ladder. When I aspired to become a priest and entered the seminary, the Catholic Church’s teaching of the one true faith attracted me. As an ordained priest, I relished any opportunity to teach. My parishioners asked me questions of faith, and I gave them the right answers. Teaching at the seminary, I became an adept defender of the Catholic faith. I believed that the Catholic Church expressed the fullness of Christ’s truth, while other religions reflected that Truth imperfectly. I felt a sense of pride and security in knowing and teaching...

  DEADLY SINS “Jesus now called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority to overcome all demons and to cure diseases.” --Luke 9: 1   “The unexamined life is not worth living,” proclaimed Socrates two and a half millennia ago. That timeless wisdom is an unfailing guide to happiness and fulfillment. The examination entails an honest assessment of both our strengths and weaknesses. Unfortunately, many of us tend to have an unbalanced view of our innate tendencies, exaggerating or diminishing one or the other. We also tend to take the moral inventory of others to avoid self-reflection. We have an astute awareness of others’ faults, while being blind to our own. From an early age, I learned to make a nightly examination of conscience. As a child, I used the Ten Commandments, the list of what is forbidden, as my guide. I focused on the “thou shalt nots.” I tried to avoid doing what was wrong, fearful of punishment. When I sinned, I went to confession and performed the p...

  Today's guest post from Dr. Dennis Ortman continues the theme he started last week on dying and living. Journey through Death “Unless the grain of wheat dies, it remains just a grain of wheat.” --Jesus of Nazareth   Pope Benedict XVI, the retired pope, recently died. One of his caregivers reported his last dying words: “Lord, I love you.” He was echoing the last words of Jesus on the cross: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Mahatma Gandhi, called the “Great Soul,” was assassinated. His last words were a cry to God: “Ram, Ram, Ram!” The last thought of these men before they died was not of all the loved ones they left behind, but of God, who was their constant companion throughout their lives. They faced death with a tranquil spirit. Socrates, the epitome of wisdom, faced his death with a similar calmness. He was condemned to die on a charge of corrupting the youth of Athens. His friends tried to convince him not to take that fatal drink. Socrates respo...