A Blog Worth Reading

No, it’s not this one.

This blog is about truths that have been given to me, which help to ease my anxieties, and with which I pray for inspiration --- that God might give me wisdom. Perhaps, on some very rare occasions, He does. And perhaps on some even rarer occasions, you also gain wisdom through what you read here, but none of that is my doing. For all wisdom comes from God, not me, and I can only help Him in some small way to bring it about.

I follow a few Catholic blogs which I find of value to me, however the blog worth reading that I refer to is one I have found which presents very well the truth of the Catholic Church, and reflects on it as it is shown in Scripture, and as seen in politics and in our culture. It is a relevant site, yet different from most. I have seen in it in the past a heavy dose of facts --- knowledge --- explained from a unique worldview, that of a convert to the faith, one who came to the Catholic Church from very, very far away. And the writer’s long journey is the unique knowledge she brings to the discussion, unlike many other teachers of the faith. In the past her blog has led to many comments, discussions from people around the world, Catholic and not, who want to discuss the truth as she presents it, and she responds to their questions and concerns from a viewpoint that can very truly say: “I understand where you are coming from; I’ve been there.” I’ve watched people follow her blog, and gain knowledge, and gradually find that the Holy Spirit is working with that knowledge, and giving them wisdom.

Aimee Cooper has been absent from the blogosphere for about a year for a variety of personal reasons, but now she is back again. Her new blog, A Catholic Worldview can be seen at www.aimeemcooper.com and is well worth your occasional glance. I believe there is knowledge to be gained there for most people, especially those weak in understanding the Catholic Faith, which includes most of us.

It has taken me many years to begin to grow in wisdom. I have read so many, many books in my life, and gained so much knowledge about so many things. Spouting that knowledge back has led some to believe I was wise, but I was not. It’s like I learned that this thing here is a “one”, and that thing there is a “two”, and I can identify that thing over there quickly as being a “three”. And I will never forget those pieces of knowledge I have learned over the years. However, once in a while, very often suddenly, a different kind of knowledge occurs, one that no one else has taught me and that I have not ever read about. Suddenly I may realize that “one” plus “two” plus “three” equal “six”. Six?? I never was told about or read about something called a “six”, and yet I suddenly realize that it exists, as concretely as the other knowledge I have obtained. It is a strange thing, this wisdom, which melds together facts, truths, into a new fact, a new truth: wisdom.

Psychologists note that wisdom comes as a natural thing with the passing of years. Fr. Benedict Groeshel notes that is why it is natural to see more older people in church; they have become wiser, and now understand the things of God and His Church. The older we get, the more experiences and knowledge we have gained, so there are certainly more possibilities for that knowledge to combine, to make a new sense to us. But we learned from Scripture, a source of knowledge, that Wisdom is a gift of the Holy Spirit, and it is He who brings it about. Jesus explained that “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life,” and we know about Him, the Truth: Wisdom, with the help of the Holy Spirit. But we can help make this possible through our continued accumulation of knowledge.

Oh, you may sometimes see some of the wisdom I have gained presented here (I have much gained knowledge from Scripture, the saints, theologians and philosophers and perhaps I would go insane if the Holy Spirit did not make sense of at least some of it); sometimes I even noted in my writings here how surprised I was at suddenly seeing something, like my Mother’s Day post. I’d like to think that the Holy Spirit is bestowing more wisdom on me as I grow older, helping me to better understand and be friends with all members of the Trinity, but if you, my friends, would like to get some good basics, some good knowledge explained in a way you can understand --- or question if you do not --- I strongly recommend Aimee’s blog, for at least occasional reading. (It’s probably a lot better than reading a lifetime of books, as I have done.)

I pray you are granted much Wisdom, peace, and growth in holiness --- and happiness. And if I can help in just some tiny way, I will continue to do so.