asymptotes

Christmas is commonly abbreviated as X-mas, X being a symbol of Christ. This X actually comes from the  Greek letter  chi , the first letter of  Χριστός   —    Christós  or “Christ”.  This abbreviation makes a lot of sense. Nowadays, however, I have a growing feeling that for many people, this representation has been somewhat lost. The symbol X  now means "to cross out" or "leave out" or, in recent jargon, "to cancel".    Amidst the whirlwind of Christmas activities  there is a tendency to leave out Christ in Christmas . Crazy as it may sound, it is even crazier that some people do not even know that it is actually happening.   We concern ourselves so much with Christmas preparations  —    decorations, reunions, gifts, and the  noche buena    —     that we forget about the real reasons why we are doing them.  Obviously, the solution is not to do away w...

This is Part 3 of a series of 4 talk outlines on the cardinal virtues 'I will take the Ring,' he said, 'though I do not know the way.'   Elrond raised his eyes and looked at him, and Frodo felt his heart pierced by the sudden keenness of the glance. 'If I understand alright all that I have heard,' he said, 'I think this task is appointed for you, Frodo; and that if you do not find a way, no one will.'   - J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring Introduction Society has always admired and exalted people who have overcome great difficulties to achieve an ideal or goal Roselle Ambubuyug, blind student who graduated BS Math  summa cum laude  in Ateneo de Manila University Filipina pilot without hands Manny Pacquiao Martyrs Frodo and the quest to destroy the One Ring These are examples of the virtue of fortitude. What is Fortitude? Fortitude is the capacity to pursue an ideal despite the difficulties Fortitude st...

We don't have to go through life without a map. Many people have already gone to where we ought to go; we just have to follow their lead. These people have left us maps for understanding the terrain, showing us where the true path lies and where to expect dangers. I am, of course, referring to books on how to live life to the full. In this article, I have provided a shortlist of books I recommend for understanding and living better life in general and the Christian Life in particular. Basic Catholic Doctrine Books for systematically studying the Catholic faith; good reference materials for consulting articles of faith The Faith Explained by Leo Trese Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church The Catechism of the Catholic Church Living the Faith Books that give insights and suggestions on how to live the demands of the faith according to one's circumstance. Also useful for spiritual reading. Jesus as Friend  by Francisco Fernandez-Carvajal Friends of Go...

In an age of proliferation of social networking sites, of accumulation of "friends", do you have The One Friend that matters? This short guide aims to help people develop friendship with God through prayer. God is online and is sending you a friend request. Accept, Deny, Ignore? [Download a PDF copy of A Beginner's Guide to Prayer] Man’s longing for fulfillment is a reflection of his thirst for God. In the depths of his heart, man seeks God. But even before man could seek God, God sought him first. God’s search for man meets man’s longing for God in prayer. Prayer is 'the raising of one’s mind and heart to God,' [1] 'being alone very often with someone whom we know loves us.' [2] Prayer, put simply, is talking with God, dealing with him in a manner similar to a child talking with his father. It is in prayer that we grow in love with God. Human relationships grow in proportion to the knowledge and dealings between two persons: the more one...

Tells the history of mankind from an anthrocentric and Christocentric point of view- it explains why man is not just another kind of animal and why Christianity is not just another kind of religion. Chesterton is a master of wit, juggling ideas and words with extreme mastery. The book is a bit difficult to read at first, but read it the second and third time and you'll begin to appreciate (and love!) the author's fine humor and witty arguments. Read an online copy of the book View articles and quotations on The Everlasting Man See my   list of suggested books .

The book tries to explain the development of the spiritual convictions of C.S. Lewis, the author of the well-loved fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia. It presents his journey from Puritanism, to atheism, to theism, to Christianity (Anglicanism), finally to   High-Anglicanism   and explores the question of why he never converted to Catholicism (to the frustration of many peoples’ hopes and expectations). I have first encountered C.S. Lewis through the Chronicles of Narnia series. Later on, I read his other works like The Space Trilogy (Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, That Hideous Strength), Till We Have Faces and portions of The Four Loves and Screwtape Letters. His writings strike me very much as Christian, and at times, as very Catholic. Even before I discovered J.R.R.Tolkien, I was already a fan of C.S. Lewis. One thing I discovered from some friends is that C.S. Lewis never converted to Catholicism, but what I never found out, until I read this book, was wh...

I've  set up a web notebook on faith, science and reason.   I also call it Asymptotes . I collected some articles (personal and otherwise), quotations and notes on the topics mentioned above.  It's a continuous project. I intend to continue adding items as I progress in my readings. I used TiddlyWiki , an amazing tool that allows one to keep notes, organize them through tags, and retrieve them by searching- and all of that done by editing just one file! It's pretty amazing.   I'm in the process of developing a TiddlyWiki flavor customized for basic note-taking. I hope to be able to share it soon. Here's the link to my web notebook . Here's the link to TiddlyWiki's homepage .