Thursday 20 December 2007

Quotes of the Week - 2007-12-20

Quotes of the Week:

This weeks quotes mostly come from one book:

Fit for Eternal Life: A Christian Approach to Working Out, Eating Right, and Building the Virtues of Fitness in Your Soul by Kevin Vost
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”I Corinthians 6:19

“You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”Matthew 5:48
“The Church, without any doubt whatever, approves of physical culture, if it be in proper proportion.”Pope Pius XII
"What exactly did Pope Pius XII (a most athletic pontiff who had a gymnasium installed in the Vatican) mean by proper proportion? He said that exercise remains in proper proportion when it:
  • does not lead to worship of the body;
  • strengthens and energizes the body rather than draining it;
  • provides refreshment for the spirit;
  • does not lead to spiritual sloth or crudeness;
  • provides “new excitements” for study and work; and
  • does not disturb the peace and sanctity of the home.
Physical culture, then, is a wonderful thing when it brings us closer to bodily perfection, to spiritual renewal, to vocational achievement, and to health and harmony within our homes."Kevin Vost

“But if a man uses exercise, food, and drink in moderation, he will become physically strong and his health will be improved and preserved. It is the same with the virtues of the soul — for instance, fortitude, temperance, and the other virtues.”
St. Thomas Aquinas

“There is a need to find free time in order to exercise strength and dexterity, endurance, and harmonious movement, so as to attain or guarantee that physical efficiency necessary to man’s overall equilibrium.”Pope John Paul II
“The highest merit should not be attributed to him who has the strongest and most agile muscles, but rather to him who shows the most ready ability in keeping them subject to the power of the spirit.”Pope Pius XII

“Virtue, inasmuch as it is a suitable disposition of the soul, is like health and beauty, which
are suitable dispositions of the body.”
St. Thomas Aquinas

“Every virtue or excellence puts into good condition that of which it is a virtue or excellence, and
enables it to perform its work well.”
Aristotle
“To achieve excellence, we first must sweat.”
Hesiod

“Virtue implies a perfection of power . . . Every evil is a weakness.”
St. Thomas Aquinas

“He has appointed a time for every matter and for every work.”
Ecclesiastes 3:17

“Now, there are short and simple exercises which tire the body rapidly, and so save time; and time is something of which we ought to keep strict account.”
Seneca
“I confess that we all have an inborn affection for our body; I confess that we are entrusted with its guardianship. I do not maintain that the body is not to be indulged at all; but I maintain that we must not be slaves to it.”
Seneca

“The workout, understand, doesn’t produce muscle growth, but merely serves to stimulate the body’s growth mechanism into motion. It is the body that produces the growth, but only if left undisturbed during a sufficient rest period.”
Mike Mentzer

“Now the principal act of fortitude is to endure.”
St. Thomas Aquinas

“We should take walks outside so that the mind can be strengthened and refreshed by being outdoors as we breathe the fresh air.”
Seneca
“Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we, an imperishable. Well, I do not run aimlessly, I do not box as one beating the air; but I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others, I myself should be disqualified.”
1 Corinthians 9:25-27

“Too much or too little gymnastic exercise is fatal to strength. Similarly, too much or too little meat and drink is fatal to health, whereas a suitable amount produces, increases, and sustains it.”
Aristotle
“Unless we first tame the enemy dwelling within us, namely, our gluttonous appetite, we have not even stood up to engage in the spiritual combat.”St. Gregory the Great

“He will have many masters who makes his body his master.”
Seneca

"There is nothing so constant as change. Meet it. Embrace it. Enjoy it. Learn from it.
The one thing you can be absolutely sure of in your life is change. It’s the only thing that never changes. The law of nature is that you either grow or you die; there’s no in-between. So, what have you chosen so far? Are you growing in every area of your life? Hey, it’s not enough to be growing and looking great just because you work out. That’s only a small part of your life. What about your emotions, spiritual life, family, friends, career, hobbies? Are they growing as your body does? Become a complete perso
n and not an in-shape and great-looking version of an incomplete person. There’s way more to life than just working out. Go with the flow and embrace changes in all areas of your life. The change will do you good." Robert Wolff, PH.D. Bodybuilding 101

"To strengthen the mind you must harden the muscles."
Montaigne
"Locked inside each of us is the person we want to be. Others might not recognize it yet, but I'm telling you, it's in there. The passion shouldn't die before we do. Even against rediculous odds, what propels you forward and seperates you from the rest? P.R.I.D.E., which stands for perseverance, Responsibility, integrity, determination, and excitement. If you have these five elements in your life, you can accomplish almost anything." Sylvester Stallone - Sly Moves p. 201

"Sly's Top Ten Tips for Life
10. Believe it! Truly, it can be done and it will.
9. Every day - every few hours - see your vision materializing.
8. Don't discuss your dreams. Pursue Them!
7. If other people can steal your ideal, most likely they will. (not so fond of this one)
6. Don't be afraid of embarrassment while pursuing your goal. It's all part of being committed.
5. Being naive is business and in understanding human nature is a recipe for disaster.
4. Study people's success stories hard. Study their failures even harder.
3. Enthusiasm is like a wonderful disease -keep spreading it until everyone's
infected.
2. Only choose a goal that - if you had to - you'd gladly pursue for free.
In order to achieve success, you've got to follow your passion.
1. Most Important: If it's not broken, break it. That's how new discoveries are made.
That's why everything that changes life is called a breakthrough."
Sylvester Stallone - Sly Moves p.186
"Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement. He is a rebel who must lay down his arms. Laying down your arms, surrendering, saying you are sorry, realizing that you have been on the wrong track and getting ready to start life over again from the ground floor - that is the only way out of a hole. This process of surrender - this movement full speed astern - is repentance" C.S. Lewis

"Discipleship means complete dedication. It demands everything - the whole heart, the whole mind, and the whole of life, including one's time, energy, and property - for the cause of love. Half-hearted Christianity is worse than no Christianity."
J. Heinrich Arnold

Wednesday 19 December 2007

Meme Booked by 3 - December

Meme Booked by 3 - December From Shelly's Bookshelf She adapted this month's questions from a reader.

1. Do you have any books you read every year/often?

Yes and no. I have books I read every year for a while, but eventually stop for the most part. The one's I reread often and most years are:
1b. Or, if you don't have the time, is there any you want to reread?
  • Too many to list. But a list of favorite books each year can be seen here.
2. Do you read holiday books? If yes, do you have any favorites?
3. Do you give books for gifts and/or like to receive them?
  • Yes, and Yes, I tend to give a number of copies of my current favorite book.
3a.If you like to receive them, do you keep a wishlist somewhere?
If you want to play join in the fun, I wont tag anyone specifically.

Tuesday 11 December 2007

Catholic Carnival 150

The Carnival is up at 'The Third Way' this week's is called 'Hope, Love, Joy and Peace!' It is packed full of great posts.

Check out the Catholic Carnival submission form complete with screenshots in this post: BlogCarnival.com Submission form.

Or join the Google group to be made aware of call for submissions and when new Carnivals are up and where they are up.

The Catholic Carnival FAQ.

Sunday 9 December 2007

In Conversation With God Volume #5: Ordinary Time: Weeks 24-34 by: Francis Fernandez Carvajal

In Conversation With God
Volume #5: Ordinary Time: Weeks 24-34
By: Francis Fernandez
ISBN 0906138248
Scepter Press
7 Volume Set
ISBN 0906138191

When I started writing the reviews of this series last year, I did not think it would be that hard to write separate reviews on each book in the series. I think the books are awesome and would benefit any Christian in their spiritual life. The volumes that deal with special feasts or Easter & Christmas were easy to write about. But the volumes covering ordinary time are much harder to write about, so see my write-up below about the series as a whole, or check out some of the specific reviews linked below. And God bless.

Scepter Press
in North America has just reprinted them again last fall.


About the Complete Series:

The complete series is worth the money, time and effort. This is an amazing Catholic meditation and daily reflection series. The seven volumes have daily readings for each day of the church year, as well as volumes 6 & 7 being special Feast Days. The readings draw heavily upon the writings of Josemaria Escriva the founder of Opus Dei, Pope John Paul II, and the daily readings from the common liturgy for that day. The Sundays have three sets of readings, depending on whether we are in year A, B, or C in the church readings. These devotions are all about 6 pages long and divided into 3 sections. They can all be read as a complete section, or part in the morning, midday and evening as they each have three sections. I find that with every day there is so much meat in these devotions that I am already planning on reading them again next year.


This series was originally published in Spanish and was completed in January 1991; the English translation was completed in 1993. It has been immensely popular since they first started coming out in1988. They are published around the world, and have helped thousands of readers in enriching their spiritual lives.

There is a complete subject, and biblical reference index in volume 7; unfortunately the earlier volumes' indexes only go as far as that volume #. The indexes are subject and reference quoted by church Fathers, Popes and Saints. These books will draw anyone deeper into a faith and a life of action based upon that faith.



Books edited by Francis Fernandez Carvajal:
Year of Faith Treasury: The Sacrament of Confession 
Year of Faith Treasury: The Virtue of Faith
Year of Faith Treasury: The Virtue of Fortitude 

In Conversation with God:

In Conversation with God eBooks:
Volume 1 Part 1 Advent 
Volume 1 Part 2 Christmas and Epiphany
Volume 2 Part 1 Lent and Holy Week
Volume 2 Part 2 Eastertide
Volume 3 Part 1 Ordinary Time Weeks 1-6
Volume 3 Part 2 Ordinary Time Weeks 7-12
Volume 4 Part 1 Ordinary Time Weeks 13-18
Volume 4 Part 2 Ordinary Time Weeks 19-23
Volume 5 Part 1 Ordinary Time Weeks 24-28
Volume 5 Part 2 Ordinary Time Weeks 29-34
Volume 6 Part 1 Special Feasts January-March
Volume 6 Part 2 Special Feasts April-June
Volume 7 Part 1 Special Feats July -September
Volume 7 Part 2 Special Feats October -December

Books by Francis Fernandez Carvajal:

Saturday 1 December 2007

Some New Stuff Some Old

It's been a while since I have posted. Life is crazy busy. I will get back to reviewing some books soon. Promise. I have not actually finished a book for pleasure since August, only school books. Between being in College, and being in University some volunteer work and all the other aspects of life, I just do not seem to have much time on my hands for reading and writing for leisure.

However with that said. I am part way into some books I would like to give plus to the books or authors before Christmas shopping , some new books not yet completed,
and some standby favorites. So in no particular order:
Dr. Kevin Vost
Memorize the Faith:
And Almost Everything Else
Sophia Institute Press
ISBN 9781933184173
http://www.drvost.com/


I wish I had finished this book before I began my certification courses this fall. I know from what I have learned already that it would prove invaluable. Dr. Vost teaches us a number of tried and true techniques and tricks for memorizing the Catholic faith, but these are tools we can apply to any area of our life.


Dr. Kevin Vost

Fit for Eternal Life
Sophia Institute Press

ISBN 9781933184319

http://www.drvost.com/

This one is not available until later in December. However since corresponding with Dr. Vost and starting his other book, this one has been on my wish list since I first heard of it. For years now one of my personal goal's had been a striving to find a balance between body, mind and spirit. To be working on developing all three. This book looks like it is a tool geared at that balance.
Kathy Shaidle
God Rides a Yamaha
Northstone

ISBN 1896836240

http://www.fivefeetoffury.com/


This is a truly an amazing little book, well worth every penny, many times over. I have read it a number of times, not, and lent it to numerous friends who have all loved it. I now keep two copies of this book, my personal reading copy and a lending
copy. Kathy's blog is worth checking out also.
Kathy Shaidle
Lobotomy Magnificant
Oberon Press

ISBN 0778010716

http://www.fivefeetoffury.com/

A great collection of poetry to make you think. This book was nominated for the Governor General's Literary Award for poetry. This book like all of Shaidle's is a great book. I wish she would publish some more books, either of poetry or prose.

Jim Manney (Editor)

The Best Catholic Writing 2007
Loyola Press

ISBN 9780829426113
http://peopleofthebook.us

This is the 4th installment in this series. It is a great way to discover some Catholic authors or read some stuff from some of the authors you already know. This year was no disappointment in that fashion. Ron Hansen's entry from A Stay Against Confusion is a little baffling since it was published in 2001. But it is still a great collection.
A.R. Horvath
Fidelis Suzeteo
ISBN 9780979127618

http://www.birthpangs.com/

I have just started this book but it looks like an excellent alternative to the Harry Potter books. It cam to me highly recommended and so I pass on the recommendation and will be reviewing it early in the new year. What I have read so far has left me wanting to read more. It looks like the beginning or a great series.

S. William Shaw

The Santa Mysteries
Lulu Press
ISBN
9781430322214
http://swilliamshaw.com

Shaw writes like a master even though he only has two books published. Both are great, and this one would be fun to read with the family over the holidays. I can not recommend Shaw;s books enough for you and your family, they are just great fun.
S. William Shaw
Sherman Oak and the Magic Potato
Lulu Press

ISBN 9781430322207

http://swilliamshaw.com

I absolutely loved this book, it was a fun packed adventure that I cannot wait to share with my children when they are older. This book will be a hit for any child on your Christmas shopping list.

Well those of some of my suggestions for books for Christmas shopping either for those on your list, or for yourself.