PathToHoliness

You need to bookmark this and visit it often. It’s Instant Escriva. Every time you hit the refresh button you get a new quote from St. Josemaria Escriva!

Follow on Twitter and Like on Facebook.

I’ve been meaning to post this photo for a while. When I was in Guelph, Ontario I visited the Church of Our Lady Immaculate. This church sits high on a hill and it’s my understanding that no other building in town is allowed to be built higher.

The Church of Our Lady Immaculate has been a place of worship and reflection for over 120 years. The church is constructed of local limestone in the Gothic Revival style. It towers over the Guelph community as a constant reminder of God’s love and a community’s resilience. Designated a National Historic Site, it is the most visited tourist destination in the city of Guelph.

I did not get to attend Mass but stopped in for a visit while out on a walk one afternoon.

Last week I attended the annual meeting of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ). This meeting brings in people from all over the world for farm tours, presentations from government/agribusiness/farm group representatives and professional improvement sessions on topics like writing, photography, etc. I’ve been attending these for a number of years including in countries like Switzerland, Norway and Japan. It’s fascinating to get to know and communicate with people from different cultures.

It’s also an eye opener. Let’s take as an example a man from Denmark who approached me and after a brief exchange of greetings said, “The problem with your country is you don’t pay enough in taxes.” Really? I told him he was out of his mind. He got a little agitated and said “My son was able to go to college for the equivalent of about $800 this year. That’s why our system is so much better than yours.” He wouldn’t even consider a difference of opinion. Keep in mind that this guy is a journalist. He’s writing the “news.” Wonder from what viewpoint he writes about for things like government policy . . . I don’t know about you but I consider his policy views extremely liberal and polar opposite of mine. I tried explaining how high our taxes are but he refused to believe me. When I asked him if he’d like to pay more taxes back home he started to get even more indignant. So I found an excuse to move on away from him.

Let’s contrast that with another anecdote. We visited a dairy farm owned and run by a family of Amish descent. Our tour guide pointed out a school owned and run by the local Amish community as we approached the farm. He told us that the Amish school their own children and don’t accept any government funding for it. If they go to a doctor or hospital they pay the health care system back even though they pay their taxes. They don’t want and refuse to accept government assistance! I think these folks are proving we don’t have to have the government take care of us.

These stories made me think about how much our society in the good old USA has moved to a government dependent one. Although, I know many people who are fed up with this mentality. Every “crisis” (I hate that word) can be solved by just spending more money, at least according to every tv news story I see where they show talking heads calling for more and more spending. I wonder how we can keep allowing this to happen. Is it going to require a public revolt to change things? How about we just vote for a new batch of politicians and hold them to their word? Naw. That would never work.

Today a lot of you are remembering the horrors that happened in the United States ten years ago. You probably remember where you were. I was attending Husker Harvest Days, a farm show, in Nebraska. I learned about it along with a crowd gathered around a small tv in one of the tent exhibits. Today I pray for peace in our world. I got a Twitter reply from a friend who pointed out “the key is to pray for personal peace first then to move it further afield. So many people don’t know what personal peace is.” Good point.

Earlier today our Holy Father raised an appeal to world leaders to always reject violence as a solution to problems:

“Today, our thoughts also go to September 11 ten years ago. In entrusting the victims of the terrorist attacks on that day and their families to the Lord of Life, I invite the leaders of nations and men of good will to always refuse violence as the solution to problems, to resist the temptation toward hatred and to work in society, inspired by the principles of solidarity, justice and peace”.

I’m seeing lots of remembrances on Facebook and Twitter today. I am also making a concerted effort to stay away from the 24/7 news coverage. I’ve seen tv network ads encouraging you to “immerse yourself in 9/11.” Why would I want to do that? Unfortunately that’s network news today. Trying to capitalize on your emotions. Unfortunately that kind of immersion leads to depression, IMO. So I would encourage you to take the news in moderation and spend that other time in prayer and personal peace.

Hello from Canada. I’m participating in an agricultural communicators conference this week. We’re starting out in Guelph, Ontario and will be touring later in the week and winding up in Niagra Falls before heading home.

I was very blessed to attend Mass this weekend at St. John the Baptist Church in Guelph. Here’s a photo prior to Mass. We heard from a Comboni Missionaries priest. Very fascinating work that he’s involved in with people in Africa.