August 2011 Blog Posts (16)

OK, so if you've read the last entry, you know a little about my background (I left a lot out, so if you were bored, it could have been worse!) and if you are reading this, you decided that I might have something to say about this topic or at least you are curious enough to see what someone with this background could possibly have to say about it.  (I'll take it either way.)  Whatever the case, thanks for reading.

I guess the first thing we need to do is define the term.  What is…

Jeremiah was having a tough time in this Sunday's reading, August 28, 2011 - The 22nd Sunday In Ordinary Time.

Jeremiah says he was "duped" by God into following Him and spreading His Word because nothing but hard times have befallen Jeremiah. Jeremiah is suffering for the Lord and he realizes by the end of today's reading that his suffering for the…

First of all, who am I and why would my thoughts about this topic make any difference.  Fair enough.  Let me talk a little about myself (my favorite topic!) so you can decide whether or not to keep reading.

I was born into a nominally Catholic family in 1961 (that's right, I'm 50 this year!) and had six years of Catholic elementary school before the parish started charging tuition and my parents were forced to send me to public school.  I was an altar boy and loved our parish priest…

This week I went to the Philadelphia Art Museum and viewed the Rembrandt exhibit (many works were on loan from the Louvre pictured above) I was moved to tears by the artist's depiction of a very human Jesus.   And, I was struck by how obsessed he was about depicting Jesus in all his humanity and helping us see the…

My Dad forwarded this email to me this morning. 

Think about them one at a time before going on to the next one. It Does Make You Feel Good, especially the thought at the end of #44.

1. Falling in love.

2. Laughing so hard your face hurts.

3. A hot shower.

4. No lines…

Why do men and women think the combination of a divorce and a face lift / botox treatment / hair plugs / fake tan / breast augmentation make them qualified to be "Life Coaches," "Success Coaches" or whatever euphemism they use today?…

The Gospel reading at Mass today was Matthew 19:23-30. Jesus said "it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven." He continued, "For men this is impossible, but for God all things are possible."  This Word of God challenged me in two ways. First, is my primary goal as I conduct business each day for material wealth or is it to live my life so as to enter the Kingdom of heaven? The second point is that whatever wealth or richness I may have in my life, it is only made…

Two weeks ago I spoke at a marriage enrichment workshop conducted by my parish. There were 26 couples in attendance. Today, one of the attendees asked me for more information on how to increase his investing knowledge. Here is what I just told him:

"Back in 1991 I started reading Money Magazine. I haven't read it much lately but I'm a big fan of John Mauldin. He has a free weekly email you can receive here:…

Welcome to the end of the Great Keynesian Experiment. 

Government manipulation of the markets is never a good thing despite what John Maynard Keynes thought.

It took over 34 months for the Dow to collapse from its all-time high on 9/3/29 to its low on 7/8/32 and then it took 303 months (over 25…

I do not like this Uncle Sam, I do not like his health care scam.

I do not like these dirty crooks, or how they lie and crook the books.

I do not like when Congress steals, I do not like their secret deals.…

Back when I was a stock broker I remember some sage advice from a long time student and writer on the Dow Jones Industrial Average:

Do you know why most stock brokers aren't rich?…

You gotta love Peter. That dude was filled with passion for the Lord. He cut that soldier's ear off in Luke's telling of the Agony in the Garden. Peter wants to build three tents for Jesus in the Transfiguration. He dives into the water and swims ashore when he sees Jesus in John 21. And today we see him walking on…

Jesus is tranfigured today. Or was he?

Sure, His outer appearance changed but did anything change on the inside?

Jesus was always fully human and fully divine. 

With the help of His father He made an impression on His closest followers to reinforce what they…

For the first time ever the U.S. has had its credit rating downgraded. (In case you're not a fiscal policy wonk this is BAD NEWS!…

Today's Responsorial Psalm is

I remember the deeds of the Lord.

Do you?

It's ok if you don't.

I know I sometimes forget.…