Inspired by Scholastica

In Georges Bernanos' novel, Diary of a Country Priest , I learned a lot about humility and self-knowledge. The author tells of a newly ordained priest (who is nameless) who decides to keep a diary for a year. He is a pastor of a poor parish in northern France in the early 20th century. He has high ambitions to serve his parishioners, and plans to visit each family once every three months. His big drawback is that he is sickly and can only digest bread dipped in wine. On one occasion the priest visits a woman who has been grieving the death of her baby son for 11 years and is unable to love her daughter. He is concerned about the teenage daughter who hates her mother. In his quiet, simple manner, the priest is able to bring the mother to repent and be at peace. He has other encounters with people and shows great understanding of their human weaknesses. However, he is looked upon as an alcoholic by some and incompetent by others. The priest himself lacks self-confidence and feels...

I read recently in th e New York Times that Dr. Scott Warren, a teacher from Arizona, faced federal charges for the third time this year for providing humanitarian aid to migrants crossing the border. He  was  providing life-saving aid, not smuggliing people into the U.S.  This is just one example of the governments's ongoing prosecution of aid workers in the midst of a crisis of death and disappearance. Is it illegal to give food water and clean clothes to people in need? Dr. Warren, a member of No More Deaths, gave aid to two migrants and was arrested. This can intimidate people who offer care and compassion to victims of discrimination and persecution. These acts should not be criminalized in a country that used to welcome those seeking freedom and safety. Thankfully, Dr. Warren was acquitted.  Aid workers are carrying out the mandate of Jesus. In the story of the Good Samaritan a young man asked Jesus:"Who is my neighbor?" Jesus told of the actions of a...

. India has the highest rate of recycling plastic waste in the world. India recycles 60% of its plastic waste whereas developed countries like the U.S. recycle only about 10 %. According to data, 91% of plastic waste isn't recycled. By 2015, 6.3 billion metric tons of plastic waste had accumulated. Scientists are estimatinig that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. An entrepreneur in India wanted to do something about plastic waste several years ago and found that there were 2,000 informal recyclers on street corners in Hyderabad alone. He decided to form them into groups and train them to separate the pure plastic from the pollutants. He then set up a milk cooperative to make plastic milk bottles. India became the best recycler of milk in the world. If a poor country like India can recycle plastic waste into a money-making industry, how much more developed countries like the U.S. ought to be able to do this. We certainly have the scientists and busin...

A friend of mine would sometimes start to laugh at nothing in particular and everyone around her began to laugh too. She told us it was good for one's health. A good belly laugh was even better. Norman Cousins, a political journalist, author, and world  peace activist, developed a debilitating disease that rendered him immobile. He was taking 38 aspirins a day to aleviate his execruciating pain, but this caused internal bleeding. He began reading books about his illness and found that extremely high doses of Vitamin C could combat the bleeding in his adrenal glands. He drank orange juice to relieve the inflammation in his body. For his unbearable pain the doctor told him to read humorous books and E.B.White's  Subtreasury of American Humor. He discovered that a mere ten minutes of  hearty laughter would provide about two hours of painless sleep. Norman Cousins From other books he had read on the disease he learned that frustration and su...