Thursday, September 29, 2005

Musings on Purity

It's 3 a.m., and I'm at school. Left my apartment at around 7:30 a.m. Long days are great. They really are. They're tiring, but they allow you to get more done. I'm about to go and continue working on homework that's due for my first class today at 8:00. But before I do, I decided to write a blog entry.

I've been thinking about the concept of purity recently. What it is exactly, and how to attain it. It seems that it's actually the absence of something, the absence of impurity. Ok, that's a little redundant. But that's only what it seems to be, since everything we know in this world that was affected by the fall has some degree of imperfection. So the less imperfection something has, or seems to have from our point of view, the more pure it is.

God is pure. We all know this. But God was pure before impurity existed. Pure might be analogous to good. Good ought not be defined as the absence of evil, since evil depends on good in order to exist, rather than the other way around. So if pure is analogous to good, then the same has to be true about purity with respects to impurity.

So then, how do we define good? Perhaps good can be defined as this. The way it is supposed to be. A car is good if it runs the way it was designed to. So if we're doing what we were designed to do, than we are good. So pure can, I think, be defined the same way. If something is pure, then it is doing what it is designed to do. And, since all people should strive for purity, we were all designed to be pure. If we are not pure, then there is something wrong, and we are functioning with limitations and faults.

This is just my thinking, spur of the moment type stuff. I may change my mind tomorrow, or I may think further in the same direction and come up with a more organized, more refined thought on purity. One thing is for certain, purity is an amazing thing that we should all strive for. Shortcomings in this area is about the same as having sand in your gas tank. Not good.

Sunday, September 18, 2005

Games vs. True Battle

Yesterday, we (The Fightin' Texas Aggie Football Team) played SMU. We beat them pretty bad 66-8. Aggie football is pretty intense, and it's great fun. I however am not a huge football fan. I'm actually not one to watch sports on TV very much at all, unless it's the Aggies. It sort of amazes me how much some people are into it though. Some people watch sports a lot. I'm not saying that's bad, i'm just saying it's a little hard for me to understand.

I get excited at the games, and I yell my head off. However, I do not yell individually at the players about how bad they're doing. I definitely don't cuss at them. One, what do I know about football? Two, they couldn't possibly hear me anyway. People cussing out members of our own team from the stands has always bothered me. Now, some people don't only do that at football games, but they do it at home while watching sports on TV. I'm not sure why. I guess people are looking for a battle to fight. Especially guys. I'm reminded of John Eldridge's writings. But the battle we should be fighting is not on the football field. As Pa Kent would say, "You're meant for much greater things than scoring touchdowns."

We were all meant for battle, a spiritual battle. A battle of Good and Evil. In that battle is where the real fight is. Sports are good for a great number of reasons. But they are games, and we all need to take note of that. It might not be sports for everyone. It could be anything: literature like books TV and movies, gambling, debating, partying and drinking. The list could go on. I think it could be anything someone is passionate about. Let's not give satan and his goons easy battles to win. Let's fight back, keep up our defenses, and fight for our souls and the souls of those around us. Over and out, have a good day.

Monday, September 12, 2005

Ok, I have returned

That's right, after over two months of inactivity on this blog of mine, I have decided to give it another shot. It was not a conscious decision on my part to take a leave of absence. I just got lazy. Well, that's not a good idea I think. I think it's best to continue to write on here, even when I don't really have much to say.

The Gospel reading at Mass this past Sunday was from Matthew 18. It was about the man who had the servant. The servant had a substantial debt and could not pay it back. The master, for whatever reason, decided to pardon him after hearing his pleas for mercy. The servant however, found himself in the exact same situation as the master had with him, only a much smaller debt was involved. The servant, however, acted with no mercy.

How often do we act like others owe us something? Like others should treat us a certain way because we deserve it? I often forget that God has granted me the very life in me. That's bad. To be ungrateful of the supreme gift He has given to us. And after we've been pardened for our sins, for our unprofitableness, we should give to others just as freely. It makes sense.

Anyway, I've got homework to do. Have a great day.