Jump to content
GoDuBois.com

Mr Classified

Members
  • Posts

    416
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Reputation Activity

  1. THANK YOU
    Mr Classified reacted to Pompeii in Article 4 - October 31st, 2022 by Fr. Ben Daghir   
    One Thing, Jesus Christ
    Fr. Ben Daghir Will Post Weekly Articles HERE Every Monday!
    Article 4 - October 31th, 2022 by Fr. Ben Daghir
    Life is fleeting. As a result, it is foolish to store up possessions, gain a false sense of security, and try to avoid the approaching horizon of death. Instead, we should learn to be rich in what matters to God. 
    Ecclesiastes states, “Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!” (Ecclesiastes 1:2) This passage could also be translated as “pointless, all things are pointless” or “mist, all things are mist” or “wind, all things are wind.” Regardless of the image one uses, the message remains - everything we see is fleeting. In other words, it will all vanish. 
    Psalm 90 is noteworthy, “the next morning they [humanity] are like the changing grass, which at dawn springs up anew, but by evening wilts and fades” (Psalm 90:6). Again, the message is clear - life is fleeting. Our time on earth will come to an end. 
    We also hear a parable from Jesus in the Gospel of Luke concerning a rich man who stores up an excessive amount of possessions even to the point of building larger barns to contain all his riches. The man then sits back in a false sense of security and says to himself, “You have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink be merry!” Jesus then states startling words, “You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you.” Jesus adds, “Thus it will be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God.”
    These scripture readings challenge us to step outside of our false sense of security and accept a basic truth: we will pass from this fleeting world. There will be a moment when we cease to live on this earth. Even more, there will be a moment when this earth also ceases to exist. 
    St. Augustine, in his magnificent work City of God, articulates the fleetingness of our lives. He writes that from the moment a person is born, a doctor should state “he will not recover.” Augustine’s thought is that death is always before us. We are going to die. 
    The great temptation, of course, is to be like the man in Jesus’ parable and to store up earthly treasures. In doing so, we can convince ourselves that our earthly possessions will provide a sense of security long into the future as it pushes the horizon of death further away from us. Of course, death is quickly approaching us and no earthly possession can prevent its arrival. We must, then, face death with a renewed perspective of reality and a detachment from all things that will pass from this world. Even better, we should hold firm to that which will remain forever. Later in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus says “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Luke 21:33). We must cling to Him and become rich in faith, hope, and charity - the things that really matter to God.
    ========================
    Fr. Ben Daghir is a priest for the Diocese of Erie. He is a graduate of Elk County Catholic High School in Saint Marys, Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, and St. Mary's Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland. He considers writing one of his favorite hobbies.

  2. LIKE
    Mr Classified reacted to Pompeii in Article 2 - October 17th, 2022 by Fr. Ben Daghir   
    The majority of popular sports deal with the same general principle: one must hit the target with a ball and, as a result, a score is recorded. 
    We see this principle in basketball with the ball through the hoop, hockey with the puck into the back of the net, golf with the ball in the hole, baseball with the ball crossing over home plate, soccer with the ball into the goal, bowling with the ball hitting the pins, tennis with the ball bouncing in a specific part of the court, etc. 
    Could it be mere coincidence that the majority of sports follow this same underlying principle? Or, could it speak of something more fundamental to our human nature?
    Human beings love excellence, consistency, and the bullseye. We have a deep admiration for accuracy, precision, and perfection. Interestingly, the Biblical narrative reflects this aspect of our humanity in how it presents sin. 
    The word “sin” in Hebrew [hhatah] means “off the mark.” The word “sin” is an archery term which implies a lack of accuracy, precision, and perfection. Sin, therefore, is a privation of excellence. It is being off target, off the mark. The target, of course, is to do good and to avoid evil. We sin when we miss the mark of doing good and, instead, are off the mark in doing evil. 
    Now, our popular sports reflect an appreciation of this principle. The star athletes and the championship teams display excellence in hitting their respective marks. On the contrary, players and teams who fail to hit the mark are not rewarded. In fact, we get rather frustrated when an excellent golfer hits a double bogey, a baseball player strikes out, and a basketball star misses an easy basket. Simply put, we instinctively are turned away from that which is “off the mark.” We desire to do good and to avoid evil because we are fundamentally made in the image and likeness of God. 
    St. Paul knew this when he wrote to the Corinthians, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:24). Paul then adds, “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever (1 Corinthians 9:25). Paul is indicating that the general principle which undergirds sports is a reflection of something deep within our human nature. Paul also writes, “Therefore, I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air” (1 Corinthians 9:26). In other words, Paul explains that the Christian demand is to cross the finish line as opposed to aimlessly running and to hit the target as opposed to aimlessly punching thin air. 
    So, what is this short reflection on sports trying to accomplish? Sports reflect something profoundly true concerning our human nature: we desire to do good and to avoid evil. We award, and rightfully so, those who hit the target with precision and accuracy. Likewise, we do not award those who are off the mark. Thus, sports are a reflection of a much greater, more important challenge – “run in such a way as to get the prize” as Paul says. Our goal is to hit the target - eternal life. 
     

    Fr. Ben Daghir is a priest for the Diocese of Erie. He is a graduate of Elk County Catholic High School in Saint Marys, Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, and St. Mary's Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland. He considers writing one of his favorite hobbies.
  3. THANK YOU
    Mr Classified reacted to Pompeii in Article 1 - October 10th, 2022 by Fr. Ben Daghir   
    It is very easy to see the brokenness of our world and say, “things are much worse now than ever before.” Our news headlines show that there are evils, pains, tragedies, wars, attacks, conflicts, natural disasters, depression, addiction, catastrophes, heartaches, and much more.
     It can often seem like every news headline brings awful news. It’s easy to ask: “What happened to the good in this world?” and “Where did the goodness go?”
    As a Roman Catholic priest, I hear many peoples’ concerns through various pastoral ministries. There are many people who feel like things are much worse now than ever before. The following approach is what I often share with people who find themselves questioning our present times.   
    Our nightly television news and daily newspapers may have headlines which describe horrific evils, but I would like to add that the Bible doesn’t shy away from humanity’s brokenness either. Genesis, the first book of the Bible, has no problem describing how out of whack, how disordered, and how evil our world has become as a result of sin. Adam and Eve grasped for the forbidden fruit. Since then, there has been division, decay, and death. This original sin gets passed on from generation to generation. Adam and Eve’s son, Cain, kills his brother Abel. God then asks Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” Like his fallen parents, Cain doesn’t speak to God honestly and transparently. Instead, the effects of original sin have overwhelmed him. Cain arrogantly responds to God, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Sadly, this question has been repeated again and again.   
    Are things far worse now than before? Let’s just briefly look at the last 100 years when individuals and regimes have arrogantly asked, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Adolf Hitler, Heinrich Himmler, Josef Mengele and the Nazi regime. The groups behind the genocides in Bosnia, Rwanda, Cambodia, Germany, Nanking, Russia, and Turkey. Mao Zedong. Joseph Stalin. Pol Pat. Terrorist attacks. World Wars in which 75 million people died as a result of World War II and another 35 million died during World War I. 
    I think we should be careful to say, “the world is far worse now than it used to be.”
    St. Augustine ran into this hopeless and pessimistic view over 1,600 years ago. He wrote, “You hear people complaining about the present day and age because, they claim, things were so much better in former times. I wonder what would happen if they could be taken back to the days of their ancestors. Would we still hear them complaining? You may think past ages were good, but it is only because you are not living in them.”
    St. Augustine is dead right. We need, therefore, to change our pessimistic view. We need to know that sin, evil, and death have been around for quite some time now. We also need to know that there is a light shining in the darkness. God is active and present in our fallen world. 
    There have been Catholic saints in every generation. In the midst of sin, destruction, war, hardship, concentration camps, slavery, unjust political systems, plagues and much more; saints have emerged from the rubble of a fallen and broken humanity. The saints model to us how to overcome the difficulties, the tragedies, the hardships, the sufferings, the evils, and the disasters of our fallen world. 
    When someone only sees the evils of our world, it means that they have lost sight of Christ who is active and pouring Himself out for others. I recommend for us to look to the saints in the midst of the brokenness of our world. It is in the saints that we see grace prevail. It is in the saints that we see a light shining in the darkness. It is in the saints that we see Christ alive and well. Maybe there is breaking news. Maybe Léon Bloy was right, “The only real sadness, the only real failure, the only great tragedy in life, is not to become a saint.”

    Fr. Ben Daghir is a priest for the Diocese of Erie. He is a graduate of Elk County Catholic High School in Saint Marys, Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, and St. Mary's Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland. He considers writing one of his favorite hobbies. 
     
  4. THANK YOU
    Mr Classified reacted to Zilch1 in Rusted rims   
    They make a RUSTOLEUM RUST REFORMER that is basically a primer that converts rust into a paintable surface. Works great on surface type rust and not so much on crusty hardcore rust. There is also a produce called RUST REFORMER that works great but I don't see it in stores locally. The Rustoleum is available at the BIG BOX STORE locally for around $8.
  5. HAHA
    Mr Classified reacted to Pompeii in The Dentist from The Carol Burnett Show (full sketch)   
    The Dentist from The Carol Burnett Show (full sketch)
    Tim Conway & Harvey Korman star
     
×
×
  • Create New...