One Catholic Life Blog

Bob Dylan in Toronto

General / Music

The Spirituality of Bob Dylan, Nobel Laureate

Today Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for “having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.” In honor of this recognition I’ve collected a few resources that explore the spirituality of his works. You’ll find articles from America Magazine, videos from Bishop Robert Barron of Word on Fire, and concert footage of Dylan himself singing one of his spiritual songs that always moves me. America Magazine Shortly after the announcement today, Fr. James Martin posted the following links from America Magazine on his...

Reading by the lake

Books and Reading

This Is Your Brain On Books

What happens to the brain one hour after opening a book? That’s what The University of Virginia Library set out to explain in the following infographic.  It describes reading’s effect on the brain after ten minutes, thirty minutes, sixty minutes, even hours and years later (click the image to make it larger): For a more thorough exploration of the effects of reading on the brain, check out these articles: What Reading Does To Your Brain Is Truly Fascinating Reading Fiction Improves Brain Connectivity and Function 10 Benefits of Reading:...

World Book Encyclopedia

Books and Reading

(Re)Discovering Book Blogs

Did you ever read the encyclopedia when you were younger? I don’t mean Wikipedia, I mean an honest-to-goodness set of World Books or Brittanicas. And I don’t mean for a school paper, I mean for the sheer pleasure of it, discovering wondrous things about the world and letting one article send you on to the next, until before you knew it, several hours had gone by? That’s what reading Dana Huff’s blogroll links have been like for me over the past few days. But I’m getting ahead of myself....

Beautiful Library

Books and Reading

In Praise of Libraries

Maria Popova has a wonderful new article at Brain Pickings titled “How Libraries Save Lives.” Libraries have always been important to me, and to be honest, if I would have grown up near a college that offered a Master of Library Science degree, then I may well have ended up a librarian instead of a teacher. In her article, Popova offers a fine collection of quotes and stories in praise of libraries, as well as links to reflections, essays, and art work. You’ll find tributes from Ursula LeGuin, Nikki...

Patrick O'Brian

Books and Reading

Patrick O’Brian Interview at The Mariner’s Museum

The following interview of author Patrick O’Brian showed up in my Facebook feed the other day and it’s a real gem. O’Brian was interviewed for almost an hour in 1995 at the Mariner’s Museum in Newport, VA. First he answers questions from the museum’s president and CEO, John Hightower, then he takes questions from the audience for about thirty minutes. The audio is a bit rough, but the content is worth it. And if you love the Aubrey/Maturin book series as much as I do, be sure to...

Reading in Autumn

Books and Reading

10 Catholic Book Recommendations for October

In a few days October will be upon us in all its splendor. October in the Pacific Northwest is a mystical month of auburn leaves, fog, and crisp morning air–the perfect atmosphere for reading. Imagine settling in to your favorite reading nook, sipping on a cup of pumpkin spice coffee, and getting lost in a book while the leaves fall around you. But what to read, you ask? Not to worry, I’ve got you covered. Here’s a roundup of what some Catholic book groups are reading next month, along...

Leftoverture by Kansas

Friends / Music

Carry On Wayward Son: K-Tel, Kansas, and a Story of Regret

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 40 years since “Carry On Wayward Son” first rocked the airwaves. But it’s true. Kansas released their breakthrough album Leftoverture in 1976, and “Carry On Wayward Son” hit number 11 on the charts in early 1977. That song was so important to me as a teenager that it was one of two song titles that I wrote in permanent marker on the front of the boom box I owned as a kid. But as much as I love that song, it...

Boy in Leaves

Writing

Jump Starting the Writing Habit Again

It’s about time to jump start my writing again. For the past several days I’ve been using the prompts from The Daily Post to help reestablish a daily habit of blogging, and it feels good to be writing regularly once more.   Today fall begins, and the days of autumn are begging to be written about. Soon there will be leaves to jump in and pumpkins to carve. And to my mind, we are entering one of the greatest stretches of feast days in the church year: St. Vincent de...

Sunset

Spirituality / Writing

Stylish Prayer

Some people are naturally stylish. Their clothes, their hair–their entire manner–exude style, a magical word that blends elegance, originality, and visual appeal. While I am most certainly not stylish, I appreciate my stylish family and friends. Whenever I try to be stylish, either in my appearance or in my writing, I come off artificial, stilted, and phony. The same thing happens when I try to be stylish in prayer. Oh, I don’t intentionally try to be stylish, but that’s what it is when I’m not myself in prayer, when...

sunset

Spirituality / Writing

Why Silence?

Silence is God’s invitation to communion. We enter into silence to be transformed, to be raised up, to be loved. In silence, God whispers to the heart and the heart whispers back. Why a whisper? Why silence? If the great God of the universe were to speak in full voice we would be overpowered. But God meets us gently, softly. In silence we discover that God does not yell, but speaks instead with tenderness and care. Silence with God is an island of peace, a refuge from the...

Redwood Forest

Spirituality / Writing

Hiking Through Life

I have been trying to hike through life lately, instead of walking. And this despite the fact that I much prefer a walk to a hike. A hike is a task-oriented foray into the world that says “I am in control; I make my own destiny.” It requires preparation and foresight–a rigid jaw and a firm step. A walk on the other hand, is all leisure. Walking says, “Holy Spirit, come and take my hand and lead me where Thou will.” One never knows where a walk will...

Oceans 11

Homily

Commending the Con Artist – Homily for the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C

Today’s gospel account of the dishonest steward reminds me of those con artist movies like Ocean’s Eleven or The Sting, you know, those movies featuring criminals who are trying to con people out of their money. They come up with these elaborate plans, like robbing three casinos at once, or tricking the rich man into betting all his money on a fake horse race. And despite the fact that they’re criminals, we find ourselves rooting for them, hoping that their plans succeed. And usually, somewhere in the middle...