tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67832092011-09-17T07:20:35.179-07:00Reflections of the inner light within us all. A long time moving down the road of spiritual awareness. Slowly waking, looking around. Writing about what I see. Inspired by the writings of Thich Nhat Hahn and the Dalai Lama as well as the Apostles. These are simple reflections on a journey .. a sort of tossed salad of mixed spiritual metaphors, philosophy and theology. Peace and best wishes.jdwarricknoreply@blogger.comBlogger491100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-63232416391474290572011-01-25T11:11:00.000-08:002011-01-25T11:14:36.978-08:00

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is winding down and I come away from this experience with a renewed conviction that, as Catholics, we are called to journey along a path to unity by finding commonality and appreciation for the Christian differences between us and our brothers and sisters in Faith.By walking together for a bit, perhaps the Truth will become evident. And, if not, then we must

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-65254277353331209622010-12-20T15:21:00.000-08:002010-12-20T15:24:26.151-08:00

"... even better than the Digital Nativity."

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-71441701674095184012010-10-22T10:47:00.000-07:002010-10-22T10:50:38.280-07:00

This seems a remarkable story, but if you are familiar with the Gospels it is not really that unusual of a story - except that this happened in 2010 in Roseville, California.While at the Roseville Galleria Mall a youth minister approached some young women who agreed to speak with him. According to the news report, the discussion included faith as well as other topics. During the conversation a

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-17333124308593384452010-08-06T10:51:00.000-07:002010-08-06T10:59:03.263-07:00

I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God." About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor,

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-8546181446035259962009-12-20T22:25:00.001-08:002009-12-20T22:25:41.708-08:00

Merry Christmas!

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-92097437854524595252009-08-01T11:10:00.000-07:002009-08-01T19:53:03.744-07:00

Crazy LoveOverwhelmed by a Relentless Godby Francis Chan (with danae yankoski) I have just started reading "Crazy Love" and, so far (page 26), I am enjoying the book. I was a little peeved that, at 11:30pm last night as I lay in bed reading, I had to put the book down because I was too tired to go to my computer and watch a video called Awe Factor that is referenced and discussed on the rest of

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-55040243979945848592009-07-31T21:23:00.000-07:002009-08-01T19:52:38.463-07:00

Crazy LoveOverwhelmed by a Relentless Godby Francis Chan (with danae yankoski)I started reading "Crazy Love" tonight. I don't remember exactly how I found the book, it seemed like one of those sort of divine moments when what you needs just drops onto your lap. From the reviews and previews, it seems this book will be life changing. Ok, we have all heard that before. Hyperbole sells books.So my

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-17108483042563087532009-04-11T16:54:00.000-07:002009-04-11T17:00:16.932-07:00

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-66408404673219862152009-02-16T10:46:00.000-08:002009-02-18T11:01:52.430-08:00

Wallpaper: The Second Station (1024x768) Originally uploaded by jdwarrick.For Lent this year I am creating a series of wallpapers using photos of the Stations of the Cross from St. Francis of Assisi Church in Sacramento, CA. Most wallpapers include an excerpt of a reflection on the station written by the folks at Catholic.org.All wallpapers are offered free of charge on Flickr, although you are

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-70696443558588270462009-02-05T08:42:00.000-08:002011-05-09T22:35:35.412-07:00

"That's not to say that no bishop has a sense of humor. Cardinal O'Connor of New York City was once at a fundraiser, I need a prop for this - it is a true story ..." It seemed, with all the economic doom and gloom in the news these days, that a moment of humor might be called for. This very short, and very funny, story comes from a video podcast of a talk given by Father James Martin, S.J.,

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-73509221916692503942009-01-11T14:56:00.000-08:002011-05-09T22:41:15.629-07:00

Welcome and Happy New Year! At last 2008 has ended, and I pray and hope that with it goes much of the trials and tribulations we all experienced over those twelve months. During that year I often had the experience of being reminded that fighting the darkness was not the same as walking in the light. As such, I was absent much of the last quarter of 2008, despite the evidence of light through the

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-9793440772287075482008-10-15T21:46:00.000-07:002011-05-09T22:44:02.492-07:00

I had the extreme good fortune to be involved as Editor on this book with Father Anthony Garibaldi, O.F.M. For more than a year we worked to develop a spiritually rich concept, which included a focus on the people of God. I also had the remarkable opportunity to do some of the writing and photography. The book is stunning, and is now available for order. Peace and best wishes, JD A Century

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-25095422496685747132008-07-19T09:37:00.000-07:002008-07-19T12:21:59.027-07:00

Choden Rinpoche (FMPT bio) gave a public teaching on Friday evening at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Sacramento, whose facilities were rented by the sponsoring group (whose name was, quite oddly, not spotted anywhere). I have attended talks by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama as well as Thich Nhat Hahn, so I attended with some expectation. The evening met some of those expectations,

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-21796246627204368002008-06-23T22:32:00.000-07:002008-06-23T22:57:00.240-07:00

Jesus and his disciples went to Jerusalem on Monday morning after spending the night in Bethany. He was hungry and saw a fig tree on the side of the road. As he approached the tree, he noticed that though it had leaves, it had no fruit. Something about tree with no fruit reminded him about what he saw in the temple on Sunday and what he is going to do in the temple later that day. So he denounced

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-31713526051969230112008-06-03T22:07:00.001-07:002008-06-03T22:07:07.779-07:00

I am writing this blog post in Firefox, trying out the plug in ScribeFire. It's a word-processing like extension that let's you write and post to any blog from within Firefox, using their editor. I am not sure it has any advantage over the Blogger editor ... but I will let you know what I think as I get to know this software better.The Gospel of The CheeseburgerI slowed down, okay ... stopped ...

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-73272860663455546222008-03-12T07:49:00.000-07:002008-03-12T08:01:14.394-07:00

Click image to view larger version

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-84043146660730378552007-12-14T12:03:00.000-08:002007-12-17T09:32:34.345-08:00

Whatever your feelings are regarding the death penalty, the vote in New Jersey yesterday will likely set precedent for other States and open up further discussion across the country. That is, unless it goes unnoticed. That is not likely to happen. A Google search turned up 906 matches, and a Time article spotted this morning does a good job reporting on the historic vote."New Jersey stands to

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-34988758892064660172007-11-30T22:38:00.000-08:002007-11-30T23:01:42.304-08:00

Sometimes, in order to walk in the light, it seems we happen upon some darkness. There is more than enough cruelty and inhumane behavior in the world, we all are aware of this, getting our regular doses through RSS, morning or evening news, or in the newspaper. And the focus of the blog really is to notice and reflect upon moments of illumination, but I could not keep quiet about this ...- - - -

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-91847442258565414702007-10-11T09:12:00.000-07:002007-10-11T09:17:19.652-07:00

Found this on DIGG this morning. Made me smile, and cringe a bit, but mostly smile. Take a moment to relax and enjoy the chiming from the bowls, and then click the play button on the video.

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-23297664448547610872007-09-11T13:01:00.001-07:002007-09-21T15:04:25.779-07:00

Saturday, Sept. 09, 2007:Celebration for the arrival in America & gifting of the Holy Relics of Saints Joachim and Ana. Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Sacramento CAPictured: The relics of Saints Joachim & Ana, the parents of the Blessed Mother. Photo by Bethany Brown Photography.Pictured: veneration of the relics of Saints Joachim & Ana, the parents of the Blessed Mother. Photo by jdwarrick.

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-22693824570722319522007-07-11T14:03:00.000-07:002007-07-25T22:37:18.963-07:00

During a walking meditation this morning I found myself at the foot of an enormous wall which I could neither pass through nor go around. The wall was brick or perhaps rock, and was covered with vines and other growth, making it seem even more imposing than it was. I examined the wall and could determine no path which would allow me to pass to the other side. Yet I knew that I needed to get

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-49029957541224834362007-03-27T16:39:00.000-07:002007-03-27T16:48:25.840-07:00

On Sunday from India, His Holiness urged people to study and use the knowledge of religion to understand what is right and wrong.“To understand what is the right path, one needs to base knowledge upon extensive study. At the same time, one should not just be satisfied by attaining bookish knowledge, but understand and implement it in the course of life.”Praising India for its proverbial "Unity

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-52088063051545098512007-03-23T20:50:00.000-07:002007-03-27T16:37:37.487-07:00

I did not know Bishop Ken Untener from the Diocese of Saginaw, but the extension of his ministry through the Little Black/Blue/White Books has provided so many of us with an opportunity to reflect on the life of Jesus. This is my fifth year reading daily from these tiny gems during the Lent, Easter and Advent seasons. Bishop Untener died in 2004, but his work continues through the ladies of the

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-79029612353225602392007-03-17T08:25:00.001-07:002007-03-17T19:54:23.297-07:00

Seen in a parking lot: "For sale, $3500 obo. 69,000 miles" Note the broken window panel (duct tape window covering adds extra value?) and the, well, is that a bullet hole?, next to the driver door handle.Parking Lot Buddha - Noble Truth Number 2: The origin of suffering is attachment. It would seem that the owner of this car has some attachment to it (not to mention a possible misperception

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-33107726583854224362007-02-21T14:46:00.000-08:002007-02-21T15:11:29.934-08:00

I think the thing I enjoy about Lent is the fact that it gives me an opportunity to focus on my spiritual practice. It pushes the fact that I, we, are Catholic to the front of stack of concepts about who we are. On Ash Wednesday, despite the Gospel reading for today and the instruction from Jesus that "when you pray, go to your private room and, when you have shut your door, pray to your Father"

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-1158625020123244012006-09-18T17:05:00.000-07:002006-10-18T11:09:13.113-07:00

It has been six weeks in the studio and on the computer preparing for the release of four new pieces of music for Christmas this year. Release of the tracks is expected as early as this week, and I am gathering all of the tools in my possession to attract attention to this little work. Please listen and, if you enjoy, pass the URLs along to your friends and family to share with them, as

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-1153843294960103762006-07-25T08:32:00.000-07:002006-08-28T22:56:09.213-07:00

Last night I watched a show on one of the Discovery Learning Science History channels about Ramses. Yep, the Egyptian pharaoh. The show was done well, but don't ask me which Ramses it was about. I guess I was not watching all that fully. At any rate, I did catch the narrator talking about these majestic structures that Ramses had carved and constructed in his honor, and then the program went into

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-1148442499616719192006-05-20T20:47:00.000-07:002006-05-24T20:03:06.043-07:00

I guess awakenings can occur in many ways. I was startled awake this afternoon while working on a soundtrack for a project - I was looking for a style to use as a reference for some background music, and pulled out some CDs to listen to.I did not know Michael Hedges. But his music. My, oh my. I first saw Michael perform at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, sometime around the end of the 80's or

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-1141357997711341472006-03-02T19:30:00.000-08:002006-03-10T16:15:00.810-08:00

And thus is it, also, with our spiritual life: People walking up and down the beach might have noticed the large fish laying onshore just inches from the water line. From time to time a person would approach the fish and attempt to lift and place it into the water. With each such effort, the fish flipped and flopped and made such a racket that the person could not keep hold of it for more than a

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-1140906631427156552006-02-25T14:13:00.000-08:002006-03-06T19:13:57.140-08:00

When my son was very young, I would spend many late evenings boiling water in a big pot, into which I would place his bottles and their associated pieces. While boiling, I would begin the somewhat tedious project of mixing his formula for the next day. An alchemist's dream, this involved working in a humid, hot kitchen (remember the boiling pot on the stove), and the concocting of powder and

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-1138389388072873912006-01-27T11:09:00.000-08:002006-01-29T00:12:11.546-08:00

I sit on the steps behind the altar with a group of folks on many Wednesday evenings and sing music from Taize [w]. The steps up to the altar are always lit with the big "seven day" candles used for prayer, and a bowl of incense sitting atop the altar sends shadowy billows of smoke up into the highest parts of the building. Beyond that is darkness and, except for the faint echo of voices from the

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-1131177364916005212005-11-04T23:54:00.000-08:002006-01-26T09:00:46.696-08:00

• Watch the free webcast of the November 4th events, offered in Windows and Real media format by Stanford University.• Download the free podcasts of the November 4th events, offered by Stanford University and iTunes.• For more information about the events at Stanford with the Dalai Lama, visit the Stanford University web site.• Click here to read the Stanford Report online article about this

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-1124834603099170082005-08-08T14:58:00.000-07:002005-08-23T15:14:07.586-07:00

I always try to keep these short because I understand the impulse to run and hide when you see globs of text on a page written by someone whose name you don't recognize. But this post needed to take a little bit more space than usual and, as I considered my web log stats, I realized that only Ernie plus a moderate sized handful of others actually view these pages each month. So with seemingly

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-1121707468917220692005-07-17T14:02:00.000-07:002005-09-03T13:21:27.216-07:00

I was messing around this morning and totally lost track of the time. As a result, I missed both Masses at my parish. I considered skipping mass altogether (a thought quickly dismissed), and then decided it would be better to attend mass at a nearby parish. I am telling you this for a reason because, in hindsight, this seems to have ended up being the right thing for me to do for today.Once a

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-1121062943039346282005-07-10T22:57:00.000-07:002005-07-10T23:29:04.500-07:00

Scars on the soul? When I was growing up there was an imaginary "black mark" that the kids would assign to each other when one of them did something wrong. I don't really believe that there is a universal black book containing those marks. But .....I do see it possible that actions can result in a sort of scarring of the soul. Kick the dog? That might be a small scratch. Yell at the kids? A minor

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-1115759397073547702005-05-17T14:01:00.000-07:002005-06-13T00:56:50.550-07:00

What do you want to do with your life? A meeting with my spiritual director last week brought about a series of internal conversations which lead me to ask myself the simple question, "What do you want to do with your life?" This is, of course, in the family of questions that people have pondered over for thousands of years, and I was surprised when there was a ready, semi-articulate answer which

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-1116361284636407862005-05-17T13:06:00.000-07:002005-05-18T21:14:25.906-07:00

Every year at this time I have a little ritual surrounding the conclusion of my reading the last entry in my little white book when I offer a short prayer of thanks and place the book in a special place for safekeeping (yes, I actually have gone back to them to look up information or a quote!). With a blue book for Advent and Christmas, a black book for Lent and a white book for the Easter season

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-1116280448849999862005-05-16T14:53:00.000-07:002005-05-17T10:35:35.916-07:00

Zenit News Services today distributed a news release from the Vatican:VATICAN CITY, MAY 16, 2005 (Zenit.org).- The dramatic consequences of the tsunami, which hit Southeast Asia last December, are a further reason for cooperation between Buddhists and Christians, said a Vatican representative.On the occasion of Vesakh, the most important Buddhist feast, Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, president of

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-1114671664965705732005-04-25T11:36:00.000-07:002005-05-17T10:44:59.923-07:00

2005 Is The Year of The Panchen Lama On May14, 1995, six year old Gendun Choekyi Nyima was identified by His Holiness the Dalai Lama as the 11th Panchen Lama. For those of us not versed in Buddhist tradition, I looked it up:• ABOUT THE PANCHEN LAMAThe Panchen Lama is the second most important figure in Tibetan culture, religion and politics, after His Holiness The Dalai Lama. The title Panchen

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-1114148204785077822005-04-21T22:31:00.000-07:002005-05-11T11:49:22.400-07:00

Considering His Holiness Benedict XVI Being as I am so new to the Church that any real history is absent, in that way I have been allowed to come to Christ as a child (Matthew 18:3) and was jubilant and both applauded and cheered as the smoke poured out of the pipe and then, about 40 minutes later, as the new Pope stepped out onto the balcony. My admiration for John Paul II predates my

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-1113945797502839142005-04-19T11:39:00.000-07:002005-04-19T15:46:34.050-07:00

HABEMUS PAPAM - POPE BENEDICT XVI"We have a PopeJoseph RatzingerWho imposes the name ofBenedict the Sixteenth"translation of the headline in Latin from the L'Osservatore Romano(The Roman Observer, the official newspaper of the Vatican)• Photo courtesy of asfory, FlickR• Translation from oubliette_mira, FlickR• The Pope Blog is a great place to go for informed commentary on events at the Vatican.

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-1113779311462850232005-04-17T16:08:00.000-07:002005-04-21T21:58:32.356-07:00

Mystagogy: 1. one who initiates another into a mystery cult2. one who understands or teaches mystical doctrines.(from Merriam-Webster online)My RCIA journey continues as I enter into a year long period as a neophyte ... a period of mystagogy. Our first meeting was held late this morning and, some hours later, I was able to find a few moments of quiet time to reflect on how much has happened in

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-1112499916962822542005-04-02T19:34:00.000-08:002005-04-19T23:28:27.006-07:00

Across the back wall of our church is a beautiful, large mural depicting the crucifixion of Jesus. Shown with Him are a Roman soldier, our Blessed Mother, and several other witnesses to His execution.LIKE A WISP OF THE WIND Tonight, as I knelt in my pew following communion, my eyes kept glancing back and forth between this beautiful piece of art and a poster-sized photo of Pope John Paul which

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-1112424750753759902005-04-01T22:30:00.008-08:002005-04-11T12:35:32.216-07:00

While sitting on his front porch and noticing the day, my friend Ernie penned these thoughts in remembrence of his wife. With a beautiful simplicity and clarity he captured the essence of the passing of time and the echo that remains.SIGHTS AND SOUNDS OF AN ANNIVERSARY MORNA mockingbirdAnd flocking birdsBoth wonderful to hearAnd both gone in an instant.All is still againAnd all is still greenBut

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-1112217593528729482005-03-25T01:19:00.000-08:002005-04-03T14:18:23.970-07:00

WASHING FEET ON HOLY THURSDAY For Catholics all around the world, the annual washing of feet is something which may have been experienced many times. To those coming into the church this year (my hand is raised, see?), or to those who are not Catholic, this may seem like a peculiar ritual to undertake.But whatever bit of oddness one might feel as you remove your shoes and stockings in church, I

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-1106196328985369292005-01-19T20:47:00.000-08:002005-01-22T08:26:04.653-08:00

I hate having my eyes dilated. "Three drops in each eye" of a substance that seems to have the viscosity of Karo syrup. And I almost always get a headache afterwards. But there I was at the eye doctor having the dreaded drops applied. Ceremoniously walked into a waiting room to sit in my discomfort while the medication works on my pupils. The good news was that they remainder of the appointment

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-1086391141128350712004-06-04T19:38:00.000-07:002004-07-08T13:05:48.326-07:00

White book. Black book. Blue book. There is something to be said for any object that can incite an action. It is even more amazing when the action is to read scripture. White book. Black Book. Blue Book. Not a Dr. Seuss rhyme, but rather a part of the celebration of Advent, Lent and Easter. For the last two years I, and hundreds of others, have had the remarkable experience of sharing in the

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-1085169232225595662004-05-21T12:26:00.000-07:002004-06-04T19:54:51.220-07:00

Breathing in, I calm my body.Breathing out, I smile.Dwelling in the present moment,I know this is a wonderful moment!                        - Thich Nhat Hahn The other day while driving to an appointment I had this impression of life as a pinball. You know the shiny metal round ball inside the pinball machine? The impression was of life as the ball being bounced around off walls and flippers

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783209.post-1082064114240934072004-04-15T14:19:00.000-07:002009-08-01T16:49:20.327-07:00

Welcome! It has been just about a year since "Walking In The Light" first appeared on The Inner Light Foundation web site. I intended these to be a series of reflections which, hopefully, might include an occasional drop or drab of insight. An extrapolation (and interpretation) of the teachings of Betty Bethards, Thich Nhat Hahn, the Dalai Lama, Peter and the other Apostles, and many others. A

jdwarricknoreply@blogger.com