And so it has begun: the children's songs. The kid is barely more than a week old and we've got children's songs going on YouTube. But it occurred to me that sometimes even something meant for children can raise deep philosophical questions. For example, what if you're happy, but you don't know it? You're not going to clap your hands, obviously, but I actually think there are a lot of people who are happy and don't know it. Case in point: George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life - he thought there should be more to life, but he was wrong. This movie is a great cautionary tale about a man who didn't get his heart's desire, and was better off for it. He didn't get to get out of Bedford Falls and see the world, but what he found was better - family, stability, etc. But it took divine intervention for him to snap out of his midlife crisis and see how happy he was.
So I would say to people, if you're happy and you know it then you are doubly fortunate. But if you don't think you're happy, it could be that it's only because you are longing for things that won't make you happy if you get them. As Dorothy discovered, sometimes what's really best for you is what you already have. Or another way to put it, sometimes learning to be content with what you have is a far better pursuit than the striving after things you don't have. Anyway, St. Augustine would agree. For him, it's all about the object of your desire. And to make anything other than God the object of your desire will always lead to fear and frustration. You'll either want what you don't have, or worry about protecting what you do have. So it comes down to God and family. That's where true happiness is. And with that, I've progressed from children's songs to country songs, so I guess I better quit while I'm ahead.
Dear friends - Please take 10 minutes to watch this personal update from me:
I mentioned in The Journey that I wrote a song based on Isaiah 2, which is one of my favorite OT passages:
In days to come, the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest mountain, and raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it. Many peoples shall come and say:
“Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, That he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.” For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations, and set terms for many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. House of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!
I hope you like the song!
Hi folks - well, this is it, as you know, I'm shutting down this platform tomorrow. In the meantime, just two more quick reminders. Make sure to sign up for my email newsletter for updates on new books, pilgrimages, etc. And speaking of that, let me know if you're interested in a Rome & Assisi pilgrimage one year from now with me and Mike Aquilina. To sign up for the newsletter, go to my home page.
Finally, don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel, if you're not already. Here's that link:
https://www.youtube.com/@TheOriginalChurch
Thanks for a great 3 years! - Jim
As you all know, I'm shutting down this platform on Saturday.
So just a reminder, I hope you all will keep in touch. If you don't' already have an email for me, keep this one:
Thanks,
Jim
Hi folks,
When I was putting together my list of how to read the rest of the NT chronologically, I now realize that I left out the Letter to the Hebrews!
As you know, in the early and medieval Church there was a debate over whether St. Paul wrote this, and whether it should be included among his letters. Since most scholars do not include Hebrews among the letters of Paul, I had left it off my chronology of Paul's life. If he did write it, we don't know when - but I suspect that if he wrote it, it would have his name on it. In any case, it has to have been written before 70 AD because it speaks of the temple sacrifices as ongoing, and Clement of Rome quotes it in 1 Clement a couple decades later. So I would put Hebrews either with James (after the prison epistles of Paul) or with Peter's letters (after the pastoral epistles of Paul). I'm not saying that I think James or Peter wrote it, but they would be interesting candidates for authorship.
And if you want a couple short, but ...
