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Pax et Bonum!

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About Me

When humans made their debut in the Garden, the first job God gave them was to be the caretakers of this world. That is STILL our job. There are more people and organizations out there today trying to make a difference than we have ever had in the history of man. With God's help, let us search for ways to bring long lasting solutions to such problems as war, global warming, poverty, racism, homelessness and the spread of AIDs. It may seem an overwhelming task and you may wonder what a single person can do. Just keep in mind Blessed Mother Teresa's words; it's not that we do great things but that we do small things with GREAT LOVE! Every act of LOVE is a work of PEACE! Pax, RickIf you ever wonder what it really means to love ones neighbor as yourself, it would be tough to come up with a better example than Dorothy Day. Here is a trailer for a new documentary about her life. It is well worth seeing. Be warned though: it has the tendency to kick people out of their complacency!Here's another trailer, this one from a feature film on Dorothy Day's life called Entertaining Angels. It was put out by Warner Brothers just a few years ago, so you can probably find it at your local Blockbusters.Entertaining Angel... | Entertaining Angel..."At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by 'I was hungry and you gave me to eat, I was naked and you clothed me, I was homeless and you took me in.' Hungry not only for bread - but hungry for love. Naked not only for clothing - but naked for human dignity and respect. Homeless not only for want of a room of bricks - but homeless because of rejection." - Mother Teresa"The risen Jesus gave peace as his first gift to his followers. As disciples of Christ, we seek to make the peace which Jesus gives us visible in our lives and in our world. In doing so, we become peacemakers and may deserve to be called 'children of God." - Bishop Wilton T. GregoryDon't just keep walking...do something.

You'll Change The World As A Leader!

A go-getter like you knows the world’s problems aren’t about to fix themselves. And if no one takes the lead, how can any real change happen?

Courageous and hard-working, you have a talent few others share. No doubt, when you enter anything from a party to a classroom to a boardroom, the spotlight turns your way. And with your ability to motivate and inspire, why shouldn’t it?

Could the history books potentially read Gandhi, Mandela and you? It’s possible. When it comes to combating world hunger and poverty, you’re just the sort who can affect change. Whether you enlist your friends to help build housing for the poor, or organize an anti-hunger rally on a college campus, a leader like you has the special knack to make things happen.

Find out how you will change the world.

Join the HungerMovement.org community.

Make the Shift! The future of this world doesn't hinge on what the political leaders do. It will all depend on what YOU do. Get involved. Make a difference. Build the future!one.org commercial

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Add to My Profile | More VideosSan Damiano Foundation www.sandamianofoundation.org
Fight Global Warming www.fightglobalwarming.comFood For The Poor www.foodforthepoor.orgY.A.P. Promo Video 1

Add to My Profile | More VideosShifting Baselines in the Surf

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You Should Be A Poet
You craft words well, in creative and unexpected ways.
And you have a great talent for evoking beautiful imagery...
Or describing the most intense heartbreak ever.
You're already naturally a poet, even if you've never written a poem. What Type of Writer Should You Be?
You Should Be a Painter
You have the vision, patience, and skill to bring your unique visions to canvas.
And you're even tempered enough not to cut your ear off in the process! What Sort of Artist Should You Be?
Your Scholastic Strength Is Deep Thinking
You aren't afraid to delve head first into a difficult subject, with mastery as your goal.
You are talented at adapting, motivating others, managing resources, and analyzing risk.
You should major in:
Philosophy
Music
Theology
Art
History
Foreign language What Should You Major In?
You Are An INFP
The Idealist
You are creative with a great imagination, living in your own inner world.
Open minded and accepting, you strive for harmony in your important relationships.
It takes a long time for people to get to know you. You are hesitant to let people get close.
But once you care for someone, you do everything you can to help them grow and develop.
In love, you tend to have high (and often unrealistic) standards.
You are very sensitive. You tend to have intense feelings.
At work, you need to do something that expresses your personal values.
You would make an excellent writer, psychologist, or artist.
How you see yourself: Unselfish, empathetic, and spiritual
When other people don't get you, they see you as: Unrealistic, naive, and weak What's Your Personality Type?

My Interests

Take a moment and look into the face of poverty. The face of millions of our brothers and sisters around the world. I'm often asked how God could let this sort of thing happen to these innocent children. He doesn't. WE do....MAKE A DIFFERENCE!Another wonderful video from the good people at the San Damiano Foundation. May it make us thankful for what we have and give us the grace to share with those who have nothing.Mother TeresaMany of us see the problem of homelessness as something that is beyond the scope of our ability to change. Walk down the streets of most cities in America and sooner or later you'll see the ones I'm talking about. Granted, the numbers are large. Too large. Thankfully, there are many more people who are not homeless than there are people who are. This means that, potentially, the number of problem solvers is much larger than the problem. Imagine that. So, why not be a problem solver? Check out your communities food banks, homeless shelters or soup kitchens. Anywhere you may be able to volunteer a few hours each month so that you can be a part of the solution. If your city doesn't have any current programs then maybe you've just found a way to serve by starting one, hmmm? Remember, in this life it is not what we get, but what we give that counts. God bless you all.Let's also not forget the deaths of innocents that continues to happen right here in the United States every day. I'm speaking about abortion. 50,000,000 children in the U.S. have lost their lives so far since Rowe vs. Wade. Even though it is legal that doesn't make it right. Just remember; everything that Hitler did was legal too.In the Womb
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Add to My Profile | More Videos"But I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child - a direct killing of the innocent child - murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we must persuade her with love, and we remind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts. Jesus gave even his life to love us. So the mother who is thinking of abortion, should be helped to love - that is, to give until it hurts her plans, or her free time, to respect the life of her child. The father of that child, whoever he is, must also give until it hurts. By abortion, the mother does not learn to love, but kills even her own child to solve her problems. And by abortion, the father is told that he does not have to take any responsibility at all for the child he has brought into the world. That father is likely to put other women into the same trouble. So abortion just leads to more abortion. Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching the people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want. That is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion. " - Mother TeresaBelow you will find links to many fine organizations which are doing wonderful work in an effort to make this world a better place for everyone. Take a few minutes and click on some of the banners. Read about them. Become informed. Pray. If you feel that you would like to help support one or more of these causes; by all means do so. You CAN make a difference. You don't have to do some great, amazing work. As Mother Teresa said: it is enough to do "small things with great love". God bless you!
Get the code for this banner!


Take action at www.ufw.org/chavezholiday

Why not take a second and hug somebody. I'm sure that they could probably use it and it will make you BOTH feel better, too!

I'd like to meet:

Anyone who is looking to make a difference. "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:17-18

Music:

We Shall Be Free (video)

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Movies:

Here is a portion of a wonderful video that you can get though the San Damiano Foundation at their website www.sandamianofoundation.orgHere is a description of the film in their own words: " Room at the Inn tells the inspirational story of the St. Francis Inn, a soup kitchen located in the Kensington area of Philadelphia, a dark, brooding, depressed area where poverty, pain and drugs thrive. The Inn is operated by a community of Franciscan friars, sisters and lay people dedicated to living a life of service among the poor. Guests entering the Inn are served much more than a meal: they are shown the love and mercy of God. As a way of acknowledging their dignity as human beings and children of God, the poor are seated at tables and served a hot meal.Because it was filmed in December of 2005 as the community, the guests and the filmmakers prepared to celebrate the birth of Christ who became poor for us, the film, besides telling the heart-warming story of the Inn, subtly takes on the form of an Advent retreat whose message resounds throughout: the poor, broken and rejected are portals through which we can enter fully into the life of Christ.After making eight films on poverty, Gerry Straub returns to where his journey with the poor began in order to see what else the St. Francis Inn can teach him about poverty and prayer. In this very personal film, Gerry offers a meditation that encapsulates the rich spiritual insights gathered while filming in some of the poorest places on earth. Room at the Inn is more than a loving appreciation of the St. Francis Inn; it is a penetrating look at the richness of God revealed in the poverty of Christ and how God lives in our poverty and weakness."You cannot look at it and be the same.The following is a trailer for a new movie which helps to bring to light the genocide which is currently occurring in Darfur. I urge you to see it when it comes to a theater near you, but most importantly I hope that you will lend your voice to help end the atrocities. Please visit http://profile.myspace.com/darfurnowFind out what YOU can do to help end the genocide.Darfur Now
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Add to My Profile | More VideosThe following are trailers from a few movies whose message I believe is important for everyone to see. It's heartening to see that such high quality films are making their way into theaters these days. Both of these are out on DVD. Do yourself a favor and rent one or both. I think you will enjoy them and maybe get inspired in the process. Pax always!PAY IT FORWARD THE ULTIMATE GIFTMOTHER TERESABELLABella the Movie: Official Trailer
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Add to My Profile | More VideosTHE NARROW PATHThe Narrow Path
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Add to My Profile | More VideosGrassroots Films makes some of the most amazing short features. Be sure to check them out. Here is the trailer for one that I am waiting anxiously for: THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE

Heroes:

Jesus Christ, St. Francis, Mother Teresa, John Paul II the Great, Gandhi, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King Jr., Cesar Chavez, Oscar Romero and anyone who works for peace, justice and non-violence for all people everywhere. Pax!Let us also continue to pray for more vocations to the priesthood and the religious life. Pray that more young people will be brave enough to take up Christ's challenge to follow him. Could Christ be calling you?God in the Streets of New York City
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Add to My Profile | More VideosHere is a beautiful video dedicated to St. Francis. May God give us all the means and courage to follow the path that He has set before us.

My Blog

The Election - Many issues at stake.

This blog got its inspiration from a friend's question to me a few months back in regards to  abortion and the coming election. That question began a long look for me into the mindset that many p...
Posted by Pax et Bonum! on Mon, 16 Jun 2008 05:28:00 PST

Truth aint always pretty.

Truth is not always pretty. It does not always give us a "warm, fuzzy feeling". In fact, it is sometimes very hard to hear.Why?Because it challenges us. It requires us to look honestly and deeply at o...
Posted by Pax et Bonum! on Mon, 09 Jun 2008 03:32:00 PST

Live a Miracle Life!

Miracles. Water turning to wine. Walking on water. Rising from the dead. These are the sort of things most people think about when you mention the word. But do they still happen? If asked, I would v...
Posted by Pax et Bonum! on Thu, 29 May 2008 02:02:00 PST

Why I like Why (and God does too)

Each of us at some time or another have heard something that we couldn't understand or accept (or didn't want to) and have asked that age old question: Why? If you're like me, the question was proba...
Posted by Pax et Bonum! on Tue, 06 May 2008 11:59:00 PST

Peter Maurin, the oft forgotten Catholic Worker

Many know the name of Dorothy Day, and anyone who has even briefly perused my site here or read my blogs knows that she is a near and dear hero of mine. Her life is that steady, often nagging, presenc...
Posted by Pax et Bonum! on Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:48:00 PST

Key themes of Catholic Social Teaching

Many people, even those whose work involves advocacy on behalf of the poor and the environment are often unaware as to what the Catholic church officially teaches in regards to these issues. So, I hav...
Posted by Pax et Bonum! on Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:24:00 PST

Vigils - A Cry of Dependency on God

A small red candle is the only illumination. The stained glass windows that line each side of the abbey are dark. Their beautiful images invisible in the absence of light at 3:00am. A lone monk, his o...
Posted by Pax et Bonum! on Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:00:00 PST

My Great-grandfather’s table.

I love old wood. There’s little doubt that I got that passion from my mother. As a kid I remember her always commenting on how much she would love an old wooden house that we might pass while t...
Posted by Pax et Bonum! on Fri, 28 Mar 2008 04:47:00 PST

Got mercy?

All of us have done it at one time or another. If you’re like me you can multiply that number several times over. We’ve hurt someone that we deeply care about. We haven’t been there ...
Posted by Pax et Bonum! on Wed, 26 Mar 2008 08:20:00 PST

A tip from Thomas Merton

I'm one of those people who read two or three (or more) books at a time. Well one that I am reading is a journal by the late Trappist monk Thomas Merton, called Entering the Silence. As I was reading ...
Posted by Pax et Bonum! on Mon, 10 Mar 2008 10:53:00 PST