Blogging Around: "Too Good Not to Share" Edition

Links to full stories are in the titles.

Dr. Boli's Complete History of the World - Chapter 1

At a certain point in time—in fact, at the very first certain point of time in the history of time—this primordial unity gave birth to multiplicity with a tremendous racket. There is some disagreement as to why this event occurred: theologians believe it happened because God willed it; scientists believe it happened for no reason at all; and Dr. Boli, whose opinion must be allowed to count for something in his own book, believes it was the result of deliberate sabotage. The matter thus set loose in the previously tidy universe busily set about forming itself into galaxies, stars, planets, and other detritus, so that today there is little hope of ever getting the place cleaned up. This should be a valuable lesson for us all on the tragic consequences of slovenly habits.

It was hard to choose what to use to lure you to reading the entire thing, but do go do so. Too, too wonderful.

Christians Raise Money to Help Atheist Have Eye Surgery

Patrick Greene says he has always been “treated like dirt” by Christians because of his atheistic beliefs.

That recently changed, leaving Greene “completely flabbergasted.”

It happened when some Henderson County Christians offered Greene financial assistance with a medical problem despite his opposition to a nativity scene on the courthouse square.

To which I thought, "Yes, this is just as it should be." Sadly, it is rare enough to flabbergast people and raise a lot of notice. This should be the norm not the oddity. However. We are all to blame for that. For inspiration in doing better, let's all go read the entire story. Via The Deacon's Bench.

It's Better to Light One Candle Than Curse the Darkness

A young adventurer risks his life to reunite trafficked children with their families; African-American maids in the South reclaim their dignity through sharing their stories; a priest travels around the world to explore the history of the Catholic Church. These stories and more are told in the 22 feature films, TV/Cable programs, and books for adults and young people being honored with Christopher Awards in New York on May 24th, 2012.

There is a wealth of good reading, watching, and inspirational lives to read about at The Christophers where their most recent award winners have been announced. I can vouch for Little Princes by Conor Grennan which is an engrossing memoir tracing the young man's growing maturity as he helps reunite trafficked Nepalese children with their families.

Father Dwight Longenecker Moves to Patheos
I've long been a fan of Father Longenecker, way back from the days when I nervously typed my first "fan" email (before he converted) to the author of Adventures in Orthodoxy (which I still recommend). Reading his blog was just more of a daily dose of goodness and now he's at Patheos. Drop by and tell him hello!

Illustrations for Vox Clara Pontifical
I've long been a fan of artist Daniel Mitsui, who blogs at The Lion and The Cardinal, and was so pleased to see he had been commissioned to do these illustrations, which are simply wonderful. Check his newletter for more of his creations, which you may have for your very own.

A Thread for Weaving Joy

Catholics need to wake up from the illusion that the America we now live in – not the America of our nostalgia or imagination or best ideals, but the real America we live in here and now – is somehow friendly to our faith. What we’re watching emerge in this country is a new kind of paganism, an atheism with air-conditioning and digital TV. And it is neither tolerant nor morally neutral.

[...]

My point is this: Evil talks about tolerance only when it’s weak. When it gains the upper hand, its vanity always requires the destruction of the good and the innocent, because the example of good and innocent lives is an ongoing witness against it. So it always has been. So it always will be. And America has no special immunity to becoming an enemy of its own founding beliefs about human freedom, human dignity, the limited power of the state, and the sovereignty of God.

A friend of mine has a son with Down syndrome, and she calls him a “sniffer of souls.” I know him, and it’s true. He is. He may have an IQ of 47, and he’ll never read The Brothers Karamazov, but he has a piercingly quick sense of the people he meets. He knows when he’s loved -- and he knows when he’s not. Ultimately, I think we’re all like her son. We hunger for people to confirm that we have meaning by showing us love. We need that love. And we suffer when that love is withheld.

These children with disabilities are not a burden; they’re a priceless gift to all of us. They’re a doorway to the real meaning of our humanity. Whatever suffering we endure to welcome, protect and ennoble these special children is worth it because they’re a pathway to real hope and real joy. Abortion kills a child; it wounds a precious part of a woman’s own dignity and identity; and it steals hope. That’s why it’s wrong. That’s why it needs to end. That’s why we march.

Charles J. Chaput addressed the Cardinal O’Connor Conference on Life and spoke from the heart. It needs to be read from beginning to end and taken to heart.