As Archie Bunker might say, "Mister we could use a man like Saint Ambrose again!"
In AD 380 the Roman Emperor Theodosius made belief in Christianity mandatory by decree. Theodosius took for granted the close relationship between his own will and God's. The emperor was thought of as a "demigod" who represented God on earth.
St Ambrose wrote to Emperor Theodosius in the year AD 390: “I cannot deny that you have a zeal for the faith, and that you fear God, but you have a naturally passionate spirit which becomes un-governable when you are excited. I call on you to repent. You can only atone for your sin by tears, by penitence, by humbling your soul before God. You are a man, and as you have sinned as a man so you must repent. No angel, no archangel can forgive you. God alone can forgive you, and He forgives only those who repent.
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27 August 2017
24 August 2017
Deplorables
The Complaint of Peace (Querela Pacis)
Desiderius Erasmus 1521
"We can be angry with the wicked but we can only pity the irrational. I do but weep over them and I weep over them more bitterly because they weep not for themselves. No part of their misfortune is more 'deplorable' than their insensitivity to it. It is one great step to return to health to know the extent and stubbornness of the disease. I overlook their ignorance because the powers of mind necessary to perceive any reasoning has been denied to them."
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Desiderius Erasmus 1521
"We can be angry with the wicked but we can only pity the irrational. I do but weep over them and I weep over them more bitterly because they weep not for themselves. No part of their misfortune is more 'deplorable' than their insensitivity to it. It is one great step to return to health to know the extent and stubbornness of the disease. I overlook their ignorance because the powers of mind necessary to perceive any reasoning has been denied to them."
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13 August 2017
Watch out for that tail!
My mother Armella was born in 1913 and when she was a little girl there were still more horses than motorcars. When she was about ten or eleven a song appeared called "Horsey Pick Your Tailup,"
and the words went something like this:
"Horsey pick your tail up,
Pick your tail up,
Pick your tail up.
Horsey pick your tail up,
Keep the sun out of my eyes."
The gist of the song was that about the only time a horse raises its tail is when it's about to do something disgusting. And if the sun were high in the sky, you'd have to be standing awfully close to the horse to be shaded by its tail...way too close for comfort. Whenever someone started bragging about their accomplishments my mother would start laughing and sing this song to the tune of "Ach du lieber Augustine" or "The More We Get Together". Wenenever I hear our current president start bragging I can hear my mother laughing and singing that song.
and the words went something like this:
"Horsey pick your tail up,
Pick your tail up,
Pick your tail up.
Horsey pick your tail up,
Keep the sun out of my eyes."
The gist of the song was that about the only time a horse raises its tail is when it's about to do something disgusting. And if the sun were high in the sky, you'd have to be standing awfully close to the horse to be shaded by its tail...way too close for comfort. Whenever someone started bragging about their accomplishments my mother would start laughing and sing this song to the tune of "Ach du lieber Augustine" or "The More We Get Together". Wenenever I hear our current president start bragging I can hear my mother laughing and singing that song.
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About Me
- Bob Mrotek
- I was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. I have been living in Mexico since January 6th, 1999. I am continually studying to improve my knowledge of the Spanish language and Mexican history and culture. I am also a student of Mandarin Chinese.
