What's It Worth To You?

I recently read an article on secular humanism where one of the followers was quoted as saying, "If God were really so vain as to insist on being constantly worshipped, then he would not be worth it." and I couldn't help but literally shake my head and wonder, "Do the majority of non-believers really think that the topic of praise and faith are that simple?  Or worse, that the billions who call themselves believers are that simple?"

To think that Christians are called upon to glorify God for the obligation of satisfying His ego is to completely misinterpret the purpose of worship.  God doesn't request that we exalt Him because of some multitude of mythical insecurities on His part or some raging Divine "attitude."  It's quite the opposite.  Like any loving, benevolent figure, Our Father has asked us to remember Him in our hearts and thoughts as a way of keeping us in touch with not only the Divine, but also to bond us to a unified sense of humanity, to remind us that there is more relevance to our existence than our own wants and desires, and that our lives extend far beyond our immediate circle.  When we take time to praise our Creator, we consciously set aside the frenetic (and often frivolous) aspects of our daily routines to reflect on grace and brotherhood and fellowship.  The process of giving thanks to God allows us to dwell within the mystical and ponder feats that otherwise, we may not contemplate, but it also allows us to reach out to our fellow man in a very tangible manner.  It makes sense to me that as human animals, we feel limited by our biology.  When we make room for that which is larger than ourselves, we often feel those limitations subside.

So, for those of us who are believers, praise and reverence to our Creator is a choice.  It's not forced upon us, or demanded.  It's requested...in a whisper and responded to in a resounding joy from a place so deep and mysterious, many of us forget it exists.  We waste so much of our day on tasks that are meaningless (and forgotten almost before we complete them) that being beholden to praise and reflection of God not only seems worth it...but, at least for me - necessary.

Was It All About The Jobs?

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44802008/ns/today-books/t/jobs-biography-i-wanted-my-kids-know-me/

I find this article disturbing and heartbreaking.  Being consumed and driven by your work comes with the territory for any respectable CEO of a major conglomerate, especially Apple, and attempting to balance work and family life is a task that most of us struggle with to some degree.  But authorizing your biography for your children so they can know you?  This move seems a tad pathetic and disingenuous to say the least.  If you really wanted your children to know you Steve, how 'bout sitting in front of your Ipad while in your hotel room and spending an hour or so Skyping in the evening catching up?  Why not use any number of Apple film making tools to leave a private, live action diary for the family?  Why not pen a personal journal for them in your own words, in your own hand that remains unpublished?  C'mon...are we really suppose to buy this?  Damn straight we are...that's the whole point, isn't it?  Steve's forthcoming authorized biography is number one on both Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites.  It's a shame really, for someone who professed to be a practicing Buddhist, it seems Jobs clearly glossed over one of the central tenants of the faith -- releasing selfhood or ego.  I suppose being an icon has its price, indeed.

What Would Jesus Do? He Wouldn't High Five.

Osama bin Laden is dead, killed by Special Forces Navy SEALs at his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.  And many across the country are celebrating.  Rejoicing.

This is where the divine radioactive core of my Catholicism radiates and surprises even me.  As Catholics, we get a lot wrong.  A lot.  From pedophilia, to opulence, to archaic dogma.  But this is something we get right every time:  violence begets violence.  Murder begets murder.  No abortion.  No capital punishment.  Life is valued.  All life.  Period.

Yes, there should be consequences for terrorists who revel in slaughtering 'the infidels'.  When Osama and Company chose to target the United States that fateful morning in September, they made a conscious choice, a premeditated decision to kill thousands of people.  There should be repercussions.  But blatantly celebrating the demise of another human being, no matter how reprehensible and repugnant seems childish and petty, unenlightened and unevolved.

I know the logical question would be, "Well, Miss Mamby-Pamby-Gandhi-Granola-Girl, what would you do if someone was threatening your child or husband or close friend?"  I'd do whatever was necessary to protect my loved one, even if that meant wielding a fatal blow to another human being.  But I would never rejoice in taking a life. 

There is recompense and then there is relishing.  It's my hope that we don't continue to confuse the two.