This is a website I found that offers a perpetual Rosary, that you can pray with other people over this website. It goes through the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious mysteries. You can also write your intentions.
Click here for the website.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
MAJOR NEWSPAPERS BLAST CATHOLICISM
Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments as follows:
Last Friday on the Washington Post blog, “On Faith,” English atheist Richard Dawkins said the Catholic Church was “surely up there among the leaders” as “the greatest force for evil in the world.” He labeled the Eucharist a “cannibal feast,” adding that “possession of testicles is an essential qualification to perform the rite.” He also blamed the Church for sending missionaries “out to tell deliberate lies to AIDS-weakened Africans” regarding condoms. The Church’s outreach to Anglicans, he said, makes it “a common pimp,” noting that those who convert “will be joining an institution where buggering altar boys pervades the culture.”
On Saturday, a Los Angeles Times editorial said that “church leaders, including popes, have changed their thinking over the years about everything from usury to the culpability of Jews for the Crucifixion….” It concluded, “You don’t have to be Catholic (or Anglican) to realize that society as a whole would be better off if the church’s views of women and gays underwent a similar evolution.”
"On Sunday, New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd recalled that when she was in grade school, “Nuns were second-class citizens then and–40 years after feminism utterly changed America—they still are.” She called Pope Benedict XVI the “uber-conservative pope,” a.k.a. “God’s Rottweiler,” who was once “a conscripted member of the Hitler Youth.” She also accused the Church of enabling “rampant pedophilia.”
On Monday, James Carroll in the Boston Globe called the outreach to Anglicans “a cruel assault,” “an insult to loyal Catholic liberals” and “a slap at women and homosexuals.” He characterized the outreach as a “preemptive exploitation of Anglican distress.”
These deranged comments—all voiced in America’s premier newspapers—demonstrate that anti-Catholicism is the most virulent expression of bigotry in the U.S. It also shows why these newspapers, quite unlike the Catholic Church, are dying. As for the writers, they need to go to church. Either that or check into an asylum."
end article
Allow me to make an observation or two. The first is that the mainstream media, in the past week, has come out with all of this, after the big announcement last week regarding the Anglican Ordinariates. Headlines such as "Catholics fishing for disgruntled Anglicans" were on the pages of the Washington Post, and newspapers "On Faith" sections featured the liberal side of the story, about how homosexuals and women continue to be repressed.
Listen people: the Church does not repress women or homosexuals. Homosexuals repress themselves by their immoral behavior, just as couples not married do when they engage in sexual intercourse. Women are not repressed by the Church. Women are called to beautiful vocations, just like men are called to beautiful vocations. But let's call a spade, a spade: there is a difference between men and women. I am not a woman, and I can never be a woman, nor do I want to be a woman. Women who want to be priests are missing out on the mystery of their femininity; they themselves think that their feminine behavior is inadequate, so that is why they reach out to try to masculinate themselves. In short, men and women are called to different things (even if I wanted to, I could never be a mother, nor could I every be a religious sister). People make these arguments because they are arguing according to the society in which we live (the Godless society is their starting point); I argue for something greater than the society (which will eventually change and pass away). I am arguing from the starting point of the Universal Truth called God, and His Church. This is the Church He instituted at the Crucifixion of Christ. Now, I can give you a whole argument against women priests, and against gay marriage, but that will have to come in another post. This post is already long enough.
Getting back to my main point: the newspapers are deliberately attempting to harm practicing, faithful Catholics and their devoutness. The article has a good point: this is why they are losing readership, because it is out of touch with the average person. Newspapers have instead resorted to pushing an agenda of hate, something they accuse us of. I pray that people will look above what they read in the paper and realize the real truth of things.
May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. God bless.
Last Friday on the Washington Post blog, “On Faith,” English atheist Richard Dawkins said the Catholic Church was “surely up there among the leaders” as “the greatest force for evil in the world.” He labeled the Eucharist a “cannibal feast,” adding that “possession of testicles is an essential qualification to perform the rite.” He also blamed the Church for sending missionaries “out to tell deliberate lies to AIDS-weakened Africans” regarding condoms. The Church’s outreach to Anglicans, he said, makes it “a common pimp,” noting that those who convert “will be joining an institution where buggering altar boys pervades the culture.”
On Saturday, a Los Angeles Times editorial said that “church leaders, including popes, have changed their thinking over the years about everything from usury to the culpability of Jews for the Crucifixion….” It concluded, “You don’t have to be Catholic (or Anglican) to realize that society as a whole would be better off if the church’s views of women and gays underwent a similar evolution.”
"On Sunday, New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd recalled that when she was in grade school, “Nuns were second-class citizens then and–40 years after feminism utterly changed America—they still are.” She called Pope Benedict XVI the “uber-conservative pope,” a.k.a. “God’s Rottweiler,” who was once “a conscripted member of the Hitler Youth.” She also accused the Church of enabling “rampant pedophilia.”
On Monday, James Carroll in the Boston Globe called the outreach to Anglicans “a cruel assault,” “an insult to loyal Catholic liberals” and “a slap at women and homosexuals.” He characterized the outreach as a “preemptive exploitation of Anglican distress.”
These deranged comments—all voiced in America’s premier newspapers—demonstrate that anti-Catholicism is the most virulent expression of bigotry in the U.S. It also shows why these newspapers, quite unlike the Catholic Church, are dying. As for the writers, they need to go to church. Either that or check into an asylum."
end article
Allow me to make an observation or two. The first is that the mainstream media, in the past week, has come out with all of this, after the big announcement last week regarding the Anglican Ordinariates. Headlines such as "Catholics fishing for disgruntled Anglicans" were on the pages of the Washington Post, and newspapers "On Faith" sections featured the liberal side of the story, about how homosexuals and women continue to be repressed.
Listen people: the Church does not repress women or homosexuals. Homosexuals repress themselves by their immoral behavior, just as couples not married do when they engage in sexual intercourse. Women are not repressed by the Church. Women are called to beautiful vocations, just like men are called to beautiful vocations. But let's call a spade, a spade: there is a difference between men and women. I am not a woman, and I can never be a woman, nor do I want to be a woman. Women who want to be priests are missing out on the mystery of their femininity; they themselves think that their feminine behavior is inadequate, so that is why they reach out to try to masculinate themselves. In short, men and women are called to different things (even if I wanted to, I could never be a mother, nor could I every be a religious sister). People make these arguments because they are arguing according to the society in which we live (the Godless society is their starting point); I argue for something greater than the society (which will eventually change and pass away). I am arguing from the starting point of the Universal Truth called God, and His Church. This is the Church He instituted at the Crucifixion of Christ. Now, I can give you a whole argument against women priests, and against gay marriage, but that will have to come in another post. This post is already long enough.
Getting back to my main point: the newspapers are deliberately attempting to harm practicing, faithful Catholics and their devoutness. The article has a good point: this is why they are losing readership, because it is out of touch with the average person. Newspapers have instead resorted to pushing an agenda of hate, something they accuse us of. I pray that people will look above what they read in the paper and realize the real truth of things.
May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. God bless.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Cardinal Rigali and Archbishop Dolan Make World Series Wager
From the Archdiocesan Press Office:
Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia, and Archbishop Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, have placed a friendly wager on the outcome of the 2009 World Series.
These two long-time friends spoke on Tuesday evening to settle the terms of the bet. If the Phillies win, Archbishop Dolan will ship a dozen bagels to the City of Brotherly Love; if the Yankees prevail, Cardinal Rigali will send a case of Tastykakes to the Big Apple.
Archbishop Dolan said, "Cardinal Rigali is one of my closest and dearest friends; for several years he even served as my Archbishop so I feel a particular loyalty to him. I know he has exquisite taste in most matters. I just wish he had better taste in baseball teams."
Cardinal Rigali said, "I have great esteem for Archbishop Dolan. He is a gifted spiritual leader who has been a true friend for many years. That is why I am so sorry he will be disappointed when the Phillies successfully defend their World Championship. We have the cream cheese ready for the bagels that I know will be arriving shortly after the Repeat in the City of Brotherly and Sisterly love."
end press release
The stakes are high; I am in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, but I have to go with Dolan on this one. Go Yankees!
Mission
Dear friends in Christ,
Consecration to Mary. Is this an outdated idea, belonging in the pre-Vatican II Church, where sodalities, nocturnal Adoration societies, and the Knights of Columbus thrived? Is there a role for consecration to Mary in 2009, 50 years after Vatican II?
Mary is the Mother of God; Mary is the mother of Jesus Christ, true God and true man. I have written in earlier posts (from 2008) about the role of Mary in our lives, as well as apologetics surrounding questions of her role in the life of the Church. I will continue to write posts about Mary, probably until I die.
But the question today: is there a place for consecration to Mary? In a Church where only 33% believe in the true presence of the Eucharist (I am humbly one of those 33%), in a Church where there are more non practicing Catholics than practicing Catholics? Is there a place for consecration to Mary, an act of totally giving yourself to Mary as a way to grow closer to Christ, walking with Mary as Jesus walks towards the Hill of Calvary? Is the society just too far gone for Consecration to have any affect on our lives, much less the society? Is our situation so desperate that Consecration to Mary won't fix it, or even help it?
We must remember that as Jesus walked towards the Hill of Calvary, carrying that heavy cross, that bittersweet instrument of death, the people around him, and the soldiers ridiculed Him. The soldiers beat Him, dragged Him, and finally nailed Him to a cross. They taunted Him. And Jesus did not throw out curses, or insults. With the dignity of God, He took it and offered His sacrifice for what they were doing to Him. I watched a video earlier of someone praying quietly in front of an abortion clinic, when a pro-choice woman came up, gave them the finger, and uttered a string of obscenities and curses. When we practice our own faith, we are often ridiculed, even by friends, family, and co-workers. The media ridicules us, even if it isn't a direct ridicule; most of Hollywood scoffs at anything holy; even supposed Catholic politicians vote according to pro-choice lobbies, but don't care what they faith informs them as the right thing to do. And where was Mary during the Passion of her son? Quietly following behind Jesus, even amidst the torment.
We do not walk through life without struggle. As we continue our life, slowly walking up the Hill to Calvary to our eventual death, we are faced with struggles, with challenges. We sometimes come face to face with people who absolutely hate us; and yet, we are called to love them. We are called to love abortionists, dictators, and people we don't like (while at the same time pointing out the follies and evil of their ways). They may hate us, and they definitely hate what we may stand for, but we are called to love them, and to pray for them.
So I pose the question again: is there a place for consecration to Mary? Consecration is that where we dedicate (or rededicate) our commitment to Jesus through Mary. Living a life of Christ involves sacrifice, suffering, and, if called, a white martyrdom (or red). We are called to walk with Mary, living our life in direct imitation and emulation of the life of Christ. Consecration helps us do that, by publicly proclaiming your love for the Holy Mother, and asking for her aid and intercession as we walk through life.
Yes, we need consecration; not because it is the popular thing to do, or even not because it is from a more traditional time. We need consecration to Mary because the world needs it, and we are called to be a light to the nations, as Christ, our High Priest, through His sacrifice on the cross, is a light to the nations. Be a witness, and consider being consecrated to Mary for the sake of following Christ.
For more information on Consecration to Mary under the rule of St. Maximilian Kolbe, click here. See the side bar, and former posts for more information about St. Maximilian Kolbe.
May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. May God bless you. St. Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us.
Consecration to Mary. Is this an outdated idea, belonging in the pre-Vatican II Church, where sodalities, nocturnal Adoration societies, and the Knights of Columbus thrived? Is there a role for consecration to Mary in 2009, 50 years after Vatican II?
Mary is the Mother of God; Mary is the mother of Jesus Christ, true God and true man. I have written in earlier posts (from 2008) about the role of Mary in our lives, as well as apologetics surrounding questions of her role in the life of the Church. I will continue to write posts about Mary, probably until I die.
But the question today: is there a place for consecration to Mary? In a Church where only 33% believe in the true presence of the Eucharist (I am humbly one of those 33%), in a Church where there are more non practicing Catholics than practicing Catholics? Is there a place for consecration to Mary, an act of totally giving yourself to Mary as a way to grow closer to Christ, walking with Mary as Jesus walks towards the Hill of Calvary? Is the society just too far gone for Consecration to have any affect on our lives, much less the society? Is our situation so desperate that Consecration to Mary won't fix it, or even help it?
We must remember that as Jesus walked towards the Hill of Calvary, carrying that heavy cross, that bittersweet instrument of death, the people around him, and the soldiers ridiculed Him. The soldiers beat Him, dragged Him, and finally nailed Him to a cross. They taunted Him. And Jesus did not throw out curses, or insults. With the dignity of God, He took it and offered His sacrifice for what they were doing to Him. I watched a video earlier of someone praying quietly in front of an abortion clinic, when a pro-choice woman came up, gave them the finger, and uttered a string of obscenities and curses. When we practice our own faith, we are often ridiculed, even by friends, family, and co-workers. The media ridicules us, even if it isn't a direct ridicule; most of Hollywood scoffs at anything holy; even supposed Catholic politicians vote according to pro-choice lobbies, but don't care what they faith informs them as the right thing to do. And where was Mary during the Passion of her son? Quietly following behind Jesus, even amidst the torment.
We do not walk through life without struggle. As we continue our life, slowly walking up the Hill to Calvary to our eventual death, we are faced with struggles, with challenges. We sometimes come face to face with people who absolutely hate us; and yet, we are called to love them. We are called to love abortionists, dictators, and people we don't like (while at the same time pointing out the follies and evil of their ways). They may hate us, and they definitely hate what we may stand for, but we are called to love them, and to pray for them.
So I pose the question again: is there a place for consecration to Mary? Consecration is that where we dedicate (or rededicate) our commitment to Jesus through Mary. Living a life of Christ involves sacrifice, suffering, and, if called, a white martyrdom (or red). We are called to walk with Mary, living our life in direct imitation and emulation of the life of Christ. Consecration helps us do that, by publicly proclaiming your love for the Holy Mother, and asking for her aid and intercession as we walk through life.
Yes, we need consecration; not because it is the popular thing to do, or even not because it is from a more traditional time. We need consecration to Mary because the world needs it, and we are called to be a light to the nations, as Christ, our High Priest, through His sacrifice on the cross, is a light to the nations. Be a witness, and consider being consecrated to Mary for the sake of following Christ.
For more information on Consecration to Mary under the rule of St. Maximilian Kolbe, click here. See the side bar, and former posts for more information about St. Maximilian Kolbe.
May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. May God bless you. St. Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Theology of the Body: Cornerstone of the New Evanglization
My wife Angela is quite the gifted writer (if I don't say so myself). Below, I present a reflection/ article that she wrote. It deals with her work with Theology of the Body. She works for Christopher West, and has a lot to say about him regarding the criticism that arose over the Summer. Here is the article:
"Recently, there has been a lot of criticism and discussion concerning Christopher West's presentation and interpretation of John Paul II's Theology of the Body. I currently work at the TOB Institute which organizes and promotes Christopher's talks and courses, as well as those of other speakers. Last month, I was privileged to attend a week long course on TOB, taught by Christopher West. Before the course began, I was skeptical about the "spiritual impact" of TOB, particularly since I considered myself familiar with it. I expected to learn more, but wasn't really expecting that God would touch my heart. God certainly had a surprise for me! I came to see that TOB is not just another theology course, nor is it just for people who have been wounded by sexual sins. Rather, TOB is an integral part of the new evangelization and I believe that all people, even Catholics with a strong faith life and years of really good Catholic education, need to read and understand the Pope's teachings in order to develop a deeper love of God and of others.
The goal of the Christian life is God, and since God is love, loving God, others, and ourselves forms the core of our calling as Christians. But how do we live this calling? As Catholics, blessed with the fullness of the Faith, the Sacraments are the foremost means of holiness, and then prayer, mortification, works of charity, etc. But are all those enough? St. Paul says that without love, they are nothing. The practice of virtue and avoidance of sin are doubtless essential to the Christian life, but they must be accompanied by a profound transformation of heart in which we begin to love as Christ loves. Grace, of course, is necessary for any good to be achieved in us, but what about knowing who God is and who we are? Why do we receive the sacraments, avoid sin and practice charity, anyway? Faith is not ignorance, it is knowing in a profound way who we are as creatures of God. This is where TOB is vital to our whole life: it explains who we are in relation to God and in relation to each other.
Before I go on about TOB, I'd just like to address a specific issue which I have heard raised as an objection to Christopher West's presentation of TOB. I have read several people who think that he downplays this dimension of pray, mortification, reception of the sacraments, perhaps even the need for grace. After spending a week with Christopher I would say this: rarely have I seen such a deep devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, the Blessed Mother, the saints, and a constant recourse to prayer. From his very example, as well as his words urging the need for the Sacrament of Penance, the reception of Communion, prayer to the Blessed Mother, etc., it is clear that these things are absolutely essential for anyone who wants to even begin understanding or living the Theology of the Body. Furthermore, Christopher encouraged us to practice self-denial and penance, both in reparation for sin and as a means to holiness.
So if prayer, sacraments, mortification is so important to a life of chastity and virtue, why does Christopher West move beyond those things to a deeper, more mature form of chastity? Because that is what the Pope calls us to do. For anyone who thinks that Christopher has made up the following theological and spiritual truths I'm going to talk about, I urge them the read the text of John Paul II's audiences, found at http://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/JP2TBIND.HTM. I have read them and I know this is from the Pope. They are dense and need to be broken down and explained, and I believe Christopher West does a good job of this. But if anyone thinks he makes up certain things, read the documents before judging the interpretation.
God created us male and female. Therefore, our bodies in their "male and femaleness" speak a "language"(JPII) which reveals to us fundamental truths about who we are and how we relate to God and others, and even more precisely, what the relationship is between Christ and the Church. JP II seeks to correct the "modern Manicheanism" which asserts that the body and sex are bad in themselves. Here is where the misunderstanding about West's comparison of Hugh Hefner and John Paul II enters. He never "favorably compared them". What West says is that each recognized that society was wrong in its rejection of the body and sex as inherently bad. But their reaction was totally different, and while Hefner's devalued the whole human person, John Paul has raised man, body and soul, to the very heights of heaven, for the Son of God Himself came to us in a human body, and was born of a woman.
Of course, JPII was not saying something "new" to Catholic teaching, but he was reminding a world and a Church that had lost a key part of its heritage that man is not Manichean body/soul duality, nor is he a Cartesian "pure-thought" being. In developing the truth about man as a body soul creature, the Pope drew of the riches of Biblical and Catholic tradition, especially the Song of Songs, St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians, and the writings of the mystics, especially St. John of the Cross. (Probably why Christopher West frequently quotes John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila.) It is in these very Biblical and mystical works that we encounter the rich and complex analogies of human and spiritual nuptial union, the very "sex" which Christopher West is accused of "harping on". But, I read on one blog, isn't this nuptial union of the soul with God, this state of holiness known as the unitive way, isn't it only reserved for and experienced by a few very holy saints? Isn't it too complicated for ordinary Catholics, too far from our everyday experience, too holy for our great sinfulness which has not been purified by intense trials like those of the few mystic saints?
To this, Pope John Paul II would answer no; holiness is not for a few special saints, holiness is for ordinary people. (Remember how much he loved St. Therese.) Through his writing on the Theology of the Body, JPII was giving ordinary people the means for understanding man's call to nuptial, even mystical, union with God. Furthermore, once man begins this journey of love for God his journey of loving others, especially in the particular context of his vocation, becomes filled with ever more depth and meaning too. The Theology of the Body is 144 (including 15 newly published talks on the Song of Songs) talks in which JPII offers men and women the insights they need to understand who they are and who God is. This is why people like Christopher West are necessary, just as Thomistic theologians are necessary: to unpack the depth of a saint's thoughts for others to better understand. I don't think that West is an "authority" on JPII. The more people the better who read and begin to teach and spread this message of the Pope. But Christopher West has begun the work. He's not perfect, and over the last 15 years his examples and presentation have been developed and will continue to develop.
The need for this mature purity is found directly in the Pope's words:“The task of purity,” as John Paul II observed, “is not only (and not so much) abstaining from ‘unchastity’ and from ... ‘lustful passions’.” In the illuminative and unitive stages of the journey, we discover “another function of the virtue of purity... another dimension – one could say – that is more positive than negative” (TOB 54:3). In this “positive” dimension, we come to experience “a singular ability to perceive, love, and realize those meanings of the ‘language of the body’ that remain completely unknown to concupiscence itself” (TOB 128:3). The reference to the illuminative and unitive stages may lead some to question the practicality of this for ordinary people. After all, aren't most of us going to be in the purgative stage all our lives? From the spiritual works I have read which guide the spiritual life according to these three categories, the writers state that most of us, while on the purgative a lot of the time, enter in to each of the stages at various points in our lives; there is not necessarily a linear progression, though virtue will be increasing. And if Pope John Paul emphasizes the need for such a radical dimension to be realized in our practice of the virtue of purity, is it strange that Christopher West would also emphasis this?
The truth is that as Catholic Christians we are being called to a deeper, much deeper relationship with Jesus, Mary, the saints, and others, than most people have ever heard of. If we are aware of the deeper levels of the spiritual life, we probably figure we're a long way off from that goal. So how can West repeatedly state that all people can develop this more "mature purity", which seems to be a far advanced state of holiness? Not just by observing the external norms of mortifying the senses and avoiding the topic of sex and the body because those things could lead to lust, but transforming our understanding so that we will see them at their true value as part of our divine birthright as human beings. Does this mean that will be able to dispense with prayer and mortification and look at naked images or engage in sexual behavior with no more danger of falling into lust? Of course not! Knowledge, certainly, is not necessarily action, and we can know all this and still feel a temptation to lust. But knowing a person's true value will help us to overcome the temptation.
Now this doesn't mean we should tempt ourselves or put ourselves in occasions of sin just to prove our knowledge. That would be presumption. But we should be better able to view individuals as persons and not objects. For the record, West does not advocate that men go around staring at naked or scantily women; in fact, he encourages them to take the opportunity to pray for the healing of their own sinfulness and to pray for the woman that she might discover her own worth. Also, I think the example, often quoted, of staying in the same house as one's fiance is not to encourage people to put themselves in occasions of sin, but to recognize that our sexual appetites can be governed to the point that an occasion of sin does not become a sin itself.
Also related to this is the idea that those who are not able to control their passions except through distance from any form or occasion of sin are not virtuous. I remember learning very clearly in moral theology that the continent man is not fully virtuous. There are degrees of virtue and Aquinas, JP II and West all mention this fact that there are degrees of virtue and holiness, and the continent man is not yet fully virtuous. Indeed, is it not ludicrous to assert that an unmarried man and woman who can never be alone together without engaging in sexual activity are actually virtuous if they just make sure they are always around other people? It's pretty clear they need a much better control of their passions and respect for themselves and each other (which they would learn from TOB) could encourage them to begin to change their hearts to start practicing virtue.
Ultimately, debates and criticism about Christopher West miss the point that it's not about Christopher West. It's about the truth that Pope John Paul II offered humanity, that man could better learn to know and love his Creator and his fellow human beings. If you don't like West's approach, than read the documents themselves or someone else's books on TOB. And if you think that Christopher West is misleading people, read the testimonies of those touched by his talks and classes. Those can be found on our website: Theology of the Body Institute. I invite you to take a look.
In the words of a recent TOB student: "I am CONVINCED that theology of the body will heal the world. This is because theology of the body reminds us that Christ, the Bridegroom, is the ultimate answer to all the brokenness we face in this world."~Sr. Miriam Heidland "
Life with Angela
Dear friends,
It has now been two months (a little over) since my marriage to Angela. It has gone from being the Summer, and getting married in late August in upstate New York, to a cold, damp city called Philadelphia, where I work full time, and she works full time. She has almost a 2 hour commute in the morning (she is on the train for most of it), and I work in an office, in a job that can be challenging, to say the least. She also has her challanges at work.
Despite our difficulties with everything, and there aren't a lot of challenges on the grand scheme of things, my favorite moment of the day is when I pick Angie up from the train station. I still remember my day, whether it was a good or bad day, but I usually stop caring once I see her every evening. I love eating dinner with her, and I love cleaning the dishes for her after dinner.
A vocation is a calling. Angela and I's vocations are each other in Holy Matrimony. It is through our love that we sanctify each other and call each other to a greater depth of holiness. It is in this Holy Sacrament between a man and woman that we are called, to be temples of the Holy Spirit, and together, to glorify God in our actions. Being heavily influenced by Theology of the Body by Pope John Paul II, we are called to be a communion of persons, with the love between us having the criteria of being both unitive and procreative. We are open to life, and at the same time, we are open to our actions sancitifying us. It is in the marital act that a married couple celebrates in an intimate way the Sacrament of Matrimony and experiences the love of Christ on the Cross at His Crucifixion. A spouse lays down his life for the other. If a couple is truly open to the grace of the sacrament, they are open to sacrifice, suffering, and kenosis, a self emptying for the sake of the other.
Like John the Baptist said in the Gospel: "He must increase, I must decrease", so a spouse says, "I must decrease, the other must increase". To add an even deeper theological concept, the spouse must say "I must decrease, my spouse and Christ must increase." We are called to exult our spouse, and we are called to exult Christ. We exult Christ, together with our spouse, in a profound way in the marital act. The Eucharist is the link between this world and the next; the marital act, for married couples, can also be considered a link between this world and the next. This isn't saying that every act of marital intercourse is supposed to be heavenly by the pleasure it gives, but by the act itself, married couples experience the consolation of heaven, even if they don't recognize it.
May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. May God bless you.
It has now been two months (a little over) since my marriage to Angela. It has gone from being the Summer, and getting married in late August in upstate New York, to a cold, damp city called Philadelphia, where I work full time, and she works full time. She has almost a 2 hour commute in the morning (she is on the train for most of it), and I work in an office, in a job that can be challenging, to say the least. She also has her challanges at work.
Despite our difficulties with everything, and there aren't a lot of challenges on the grand scheme of things, my favorite moment of the day is when I pick Angie up from the train station. I still remember my day, whether it was a good or bad day, but I usually stop caring once I see her every evening. I love eating dinner with her, and I love cleaning the dishes for her after dinner.
A vocation is a calling. Angela and I's vocations are each other in Holy Matrimony. It is through our love that we sanctify each other and call each other to a greater depth of holiness. It is in this Holy Sacrament between a man and woman that we are called, to be temples of the Holy Spirit, and together, to glorify God in our actions. Being heavily influenced by Theology of the Body by Pope John Paul II, we are called to be a communion of persons, with the love between us having the criteria of being both unitive and procreative. We are open to life, and at the same time, we are open to our actions sancitifying us. It is in the marital act that a married couple celebrates in an intimate way the Sacrament of Matrimony and experiences the love of Christ on the Cross at His Crucifixion. A spouse lays down his life for the other. If a couple is truly open to the grace of the sacrament, they are open to sacrifice, suffering, and kenosis, a self emptying for the sake of the other.
Like John the Baptist said in the Gospel: "He must increase, I must decrease", so a spouse says, "I must decrease, the other must increase". To add an even deeper theological concept, the spouse must say "I must decrease, my spouse and Christ must increase." We are called to exult our spouse, and we are called to exult Christ. We exult Christ, together with our spouse, in a profound way in the marital act. The Eucharist is the link between this world and the next; the marital act, for married couples, can also be considered a link between this world and the next. This isn't saying that every act of marital intercourse is supposed to be heavenly by the pleasure it gives, but by the act itself, married couples experience the consolation of heaven, even if they don't recognize it.
May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. May God bless you.
Stories from the 40 Days of Life
Dear friends in Christ,
During these 40 days of life, we turn our attention, in a special way, to pray for and assist to stop women who might have an abortion. People go outside of abortion clinics, praying for, and encouraging the women not to go through with the abortion. Life Site News shares four "success" stories. I put success in quotations because while they stopped abortions (411 times during the campaign, praise God!), but they saved 411 unborn children from being aborted. This, in my mind, can't be measured in success because we are talking about unborn children being saved. They can be called "saves", as there were 411 unborn babies saved from imminent death by abortion. This is so much more than a success.
We pray that those who are at the abortion mills praying may continue to be blessed with many saves, and may those who are contemplating abortion realize the precious gift they have inside of them, and that they will be blessed abundantly by turning to the Lord in prayer, and following the will of God, which is not abortion. Both the woman and the child deserve better.
May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. May God bless you and keep you. Defend the life of all.
Friday, October 23, 2009
The Persona of Alan Keyes
Dear friends in Christ,
A fellow blogger and creater of the blog Fallible Blogma has started a "Catholic Speaker" month, in which we support and learn about famous Catholic speakers, while at the same time supporting them by writing about them on their respective blogs. When I saw Alan Keyes on the list, I decided to apply to write on him. Click here for that specific list of speakers on Fallible Blogma. Of all the people on the list, I learned about him first, years ago when he ran for President of the United States in 2000. I was impressed by the fact that he was an African American, who was a Republican. At that point, being in high school, I was not aware of any other African American Republicans, so I took immediate interest in him. I even supported his campaign by putting, in my bedroom window, a sticker that said "Alan Keyes for president".
Now, nine years later, I continue to be impressed by the person of Alan Keyes. He made headlines several years ago when he ran against Barack Obama in the Illinois Senate Race. He stepped in at the last minute after Republican Senator Jack Ryan withdrew his name from the race because of a scandal. He made headlines this Spring when he was arrested on the campus of the University of Notre Dame for praying the Rosary for the unborn, as part of a demonstration against Barack Obama giving the commencement speech and being given an honorary degree.
In Keyes's early life, he was in a military family, with his father being in the army. During his childhood, he lived in six different states, including Maryland. He attended Cornell University, where he studied political philosophy under the auspices of Alan Bloom. Having gone to school during the Vietnam War era, he received death threats when he opposed a Vietnam Era protest against the war. These protesters had seized a campus building. He left the Cornell Campus, and he spent a year in Paris under a Cornell study abroad program. He then continued his studies at Harvard University. In 1972 he completed a BA in Government Affairs. In 1979, he complete his Ph.D in government affairs. His dissertation was on Alexander Hamilton.
After graduating from graduate school, Keyes entered the diplomatic corps, having posts in Africa. This is where he met his wife, Jocelyn Marcel (Keyes). They have three children. Keyes had in the 1980s a flourishing diplomatic career, where he was appointed a diplomat to the United Nations, and then appointed Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations. After his diplomatic career under President Reagan, he turned to run for US Senate in the state of Maryland. He ran against both Paul Sarbanes and Barbara Mikulski, losing both times. He then decided to run for president, doing so in 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008 (in 2008 as a member of the Constitution Party). He did so as a way to thrust the abortion issue into the spotlight. In the 2000 election, he did particularly well in the Iowa primary, receiving 14%. In Utah, he gained 20%, so he struck a chord with the American people. It should be noted that he is quite down to earth and a fun guy: he jumped into a mosh pit while on the campaign trail, at one of his stops (something I remember watching on TV when he did it).
In addition to his political career, Keyes is a prolific writer, as he writes on the blog "Loyal to Liberty", a blog that looks at politics with a critical eye, and one that explores the relationship between faith and politics. He also created the popular online newspaper "Renew America". Renew America is now a fully functioning online conservative website that includes a lot of commentary into modern day politics and matters of Faith. He has had several TV shows, including one on MSNBC called "Alan Keyes is Making Sense". He has come to defend several high profile court cases in the United States, including ones regarding the "Ten Commandments" being displayed in court rooms, and the Terri Schiavo case, in which a woman in a persistent vegetative state was denied food and water until she died (she starved for 13 days until she died).
In the Spring, he was arrested on the campus of the University of Notre Dame for praying the Rosary for the unborn and in prayerful protest to Notre Dame's decision to give President Barack Obama an honorary degree at the commencement, and allowing him to speak. See the video below. You can see his Rosary dangling from his hands while he is being led away by the police.
All in all, Alan Keyes is a very engaging and energetic speaker, challenging the American public to stand up and fight for what they believe in. He challenges us to have faith, and to fight for the moral fabric of our society. He believes what he says. He is a witness, And that is why I support Alan Keyes on this blog. May his message, rooted in Christ, be proclaimed to the nations.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
More on the Anglican Communion
Dear friends in Christ,
To all of you Anglicans out there, I want you to know I am praying for you. I pray that for those who wish to return to the Roman Catholic Church may do so with love and fidelity. How happy I am for you. Long live the Anglo-Catholics, and long live Pope Benedict XVI.
The British newspaper, "The Guardian", predicts that over half a million might take advantage of the new Anglican structure within the Catholic Church.
What a move by Pope Benedict, and think of the implications of this on the rest of us. What a great show of unity under the See of Rome. The Catholic world just got a little bigger.
To all of you Anglicans out there, I want you to know I am praying for you. I pray that for those who wish to return to the Roman Catholic Church may do so with love and fidelity. How happy I am for you. Long live the Anglo-Catholics, and long live Pope Benedict XVI.
The British newspaper, "The Guardian", predicts that over half a million might take advantage of the new Anglican structure within the Catholic Church.
What a move by Pope Benedict, and think of the implications of this on the rest of us. What a great show of unity under the See of Rome. The Catholic world just got a little bigger.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Anglicans return to fold in Apostolic Constitution by Benedict XVI
The Vatican today announced the setting up of Anglican Dioceses in communion with Rome. This means a potential mass return of hundreds of thousands of Anglicans into the Catholic fold, while at the same time, the Anglicans can keep their liturgical traditions. Anglican ministers will be ordained Catholic priests, even if they are married. This is really big news (this might even eclipse Summorum Pontificum). There will be separate dioceses for this group, and they will not fall under jurisdiction of Catholic bishops overseeing the same area (like Oriental Churches in the United States, where they are separate and not under jurisdiction of the Roman Diocese or bishop).
Here is the article in more depth.
This is quite astonishing. It is very exciting news, and I am really interested in seeing what happens these next few weeks as this continues to unfold.
Here is the article in more depth.
This is quite astonishing. It is very exciting news, and I am really interested in seeing what happens these next few weeks as this continues to unfold.
Study: H1N1 Vaccine Too Late, Won't Help Most - H1N1 - FOXNews.com
Are we being pressured to receive the Swine Flu, H1N1 Vaccine, either by the government and the likes of Kathleen Sibelius, or by our own medical provider. I personally know a nurse who is on a campaign to get as many people vaccinated as possible. But why? According to this article below, it may not even be effective.
Study: H1N1 Vaccine Too Late, Won't Help Most - H1N1 - FOXNews.com
Posted using ShareThis
People have lost faith in their own bodies to be able to fend off bugs and viruses. If you actually take care of yourself and get the nutrients that your body needs, you will find that you will be able to find off bugs and disease a lot better. Let's get out of the vaccination mentality, and start taking care of ourselves without pumping a lot of unnecessary chemicals into our body. Take the following article as another example:
Merck Researcher Admits: Gardasil Guards Against Almost Nothing
What is with all the unnecessary vaccinations (I'll give you a hint: $)? Think about it before you do it.
God bless.
Study: H1N1 Vaccine Too Late, Won't Help Most - H1N1 - FOXNews.com
Posted using ShareThis
People have lost faith in their own bodies to be able to fend off bugs and viruses. If you actually take care of yourself and get the nutrients that your body needs, you will find that you will be able to find off bugs and disease a lot better. Let's get out of the vaccination mentality, and start taking care of ourselves without pumping a lot of unnecessary chemicals into our body. Take the following article as another example:
Merck Researcher Admits: Gardasil Guards Against Almost Nothing
What is with all the unnecessary vaccinations (I'll give you a hint: $)? Think about it before you do it.
God bless.
Monday, October 19, 2009
St. Isaac Jogues and Companions
Dear friends in Christ,
Today we celebrate the Feast Day of the North American Martyrs. These are a group of eight Jesuit missionaries in upstate New York and Canada who were martyred by the Huron and Iroquois Indians in the mid-1600s. Here they are, pictured in glory:
There are two shrines in North America that are dedicated to the eight Jesuit martyrs, these great saints who gave their lives witnessing to Christ. One is in Auriesville, NY; it is about 45 minutes from where my wife grew up, and we had the chance to go up there over the summer. Several of the saints were martyred here, including St. Rene Goupil, a Jesuit brother, St. Isaac Jogues, a Jesuit priest, and St. John Lalonde, a lay missionary. Auriesville is also the birthplace of the Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, often called the Lily of the Mohawks. I believe that Blessed Kateri is the first beatified American Indian.
These martyrs, who were priests, brothers, and lay missionaries, all teach us an important lesson: "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for his friends." These saints laid down their life for the love of the Indians. Reading this article, I learned that they didn't have to return to the mission; they could have escaped with their lives. But it is their choice to return to the work to which they were called.
Let us pray to these saints, that through their prayers and examples, we may come to be more Christ like, and overcome all hatred and attacks against the Faith. May we always strive to proclaim the truth of Christ and His Church.
May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. God bless.
Today we celebrate the Feast Day of the North American Martyrs. These are a group of eight Jesuit missionaries in upstate New York and Canada who were martyred by the Huron and Iroquois Indians in the mid-1600s. Here they are, pictured in glory:
There are two shrines in North America that are dedicated to the eight Jesuit martyrs, these great saints who gave their lives witnessing to Christ. One is in Auriesville, NY; it is about 45 minutes from where my wife grew up, and we had the chance to go up there over the summer. Several of the saints were martyred here, including St. Rene Goupil, a Jesuit brother, St. Isaac Jogues, a Jesuit priest, and St. John Lalonde, a lay missionary. Auriesville is also the birthplace of the Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, often called the Lily of the Mohawks. I believe that Blessed Kateri is the first beatified American Indian.
These martyrs, who were priests, brothers, and lay missionaries, all teach us an important lesson: "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for his friends." These saints laid down their life for the love of the Indians. Reading this article, I learned that they didn't have to return to the mission; they could have escaped with their lives. But it is their choice to return to the work to which they were called.
Let us pray to these saints, that through their prayers and examples, we may come to be more Christ like, and overcome all hatred and attacks against the Faith. May we always strive to proclaim the truth of Christ and His Church.
May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. God bless.
Friday, October 16, 2009
The View and Obama's Nobel Peace Prize
This is a great You tube video I got from American Papist, and it is a short clip of a woman who is trying to get the point across of Obama's radical abortion policy on national TV. In addition, she is witnessing by being pregnant with her sixth child and being proud of it. Now, if only "The View" had two regular conservatives on, and actually balance the conversation out. Wouldn't that be novel?
May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. May we pray for President Barack Obama, that he will enact laws that will protect the right of the unborn, and may we pray for an end to abortion. God bless.
May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. May we pray for President Barack Obama, that he will enact laws that will protect the right of the unborn, and may we pray for an end to abortion. God bless.
Abortionist Reflects on Dismembering One Baby While Feeling Her Own Flutter in Her Womb
A regular reader of LifeSiteNews, I often find articles that make me sad, precisely because of the assault to the moral fabric of our society. This one article I found is a reflection of a woman abortionist, and how when one day when she was performing an abortion on a second trimester child, she felt her own child in her womb start kicking. Click here to read the article..
There is a reality to abortion that many people don't realize. Abortions are happening in your community, in your neighborhoods, and in your hospitals, most likely. In a local town for me, called Media, PA, there is a planned parenthood about a block away from a Catholic Church with a Perpetual Adoration Chapel. I have been in this chapel for Holy Hours at different times since moving here, and I try to pray for the unborn, and for an end to abortion, especially at the Planned Parenthood abortion mill in Media.
Some people look at abortion as an overwhelming thing to overcome, with the amount of abortions that happen in the United States and beyond. What people sometimes don't think about is the maxim: Think globally, act locally. If everybody acts locally against the local planned parenthood and other abortion mills, I pray that results will be seen in the closing of these establishments. Find your local abortion mill, and get active. Pray, and fast for the unborn and for those thinking of having an abortion. Pray, and fast.
May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. God bless.
There is a reality to abortion that many people don't realize. Abortions are happening in your community, in your neighborhoods, and in your hospitals, most likely. In a local town for me, called Media, PA, there is a planned parenthood about a block away from a Catholic Church with a Perpetual Adoration Chapel. I have been in this chapel for Holy Hours at different times since moving here, and I try to pray for the unborn, and for an end to abortion, especially at the Planned Parenthood abortion mill in Media.
Some people look at abortion as an overwhelming thing to overcome, with the amount of abortions that happen in the United States and beyond. What people sometimes don't think about is the maxim: Think globally, act locally. If everybody acts locally against the local planned parenthood and other abortion mills, I pray that results will be seen in the closing of these establishments. Find your local abortion mill, and get active. Pray, and fast for the unborn and for those thinking of having an abortion. Pray, and fast.
May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. God bless.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
A Youthful Marriage.
Dear friends in Christ,
It has now been almost two months since I have gotten married Angela, whom I love very much. These past two months, I have learned more about her than I think I have when we were dating and when we were engaged. I have learned also, a lot about myself these past two months.
One of the interesting things I noticed is that she has made me youthful, and I have made her youthful. We find that we are enjoying doing things that we did when we were younger. For example, just last week, I find quite the yearning to go to a pumpkin patch and pick a pumpkin, and go on a hay ride. I haven't gone on a hay ride in probably at least 15 years, so to go on a hay ride is not my norm. But we went, and we both had a great time. We find that now that we are married, we have someone else to do everything else with.
On this trip, we also went through a corn maze. This corn maze wasn't very big, but it was a good size for us. It was fun. We raced each other through, and she beat me by about 10 seconds. I also took a wrong turn, but I also made a trail of my own, cutting through a thin patch of corn to another trail.
All of this was free. I say that because then we went to another, more commercialized pumpkin patch, where they charged admission. We just asked if we could walk around, and they allowed us to go in without admission. It was a kids thing, and they saw we didn't have any kids, so it was alright I guess. They had hay rides, a corn maze, and a lot of other things. One of the things they had was a corn cannon, where they put ears of corn in a cannon and launched it into a field towards a giant target. Something I liked was the duck races. There were these rubber duckies, and old red water pumps, with a PVC pipe track. The purpose was to get your duck to go down the PVC pipe to the small pool before the other guy with his duck. See, I feel like a kid.
Marriage should make you youthful; for me, it has done that, and I can't be happier because of it.
Going home to my wife is quite a nice thing, and even if I could, I would never go back to being single because I have found my fulfillment, at least an earthly fulfillment, in my wife Angela. I feel more complete with her, and I love her.
Cherish always your husband or wife; never take them for granted, and always love them. And tell them that you love them.
May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. God bless.
It has now been almost two months since I have gotten married Angela, whom I love very much. These past two months, I have learned more about her than I think I have when we were dating and when we were engaged. I have learned also, a lot about myself these past two months.
One of the interesting things I noticed is that she has made me youthful, and I have made her youthful. We find that we are enjoying doing things that we did when we were younger. For example, just last week, I find quite the yearning to go to a pumpkin patch and pick a pumpkin, and go on a hay ride. I haven't gone on a hay ride in probably at least 15 years, so to go on a hay ride is not my norm. But we went, and we both had a great time. We find that now that we are married, we have someone else to do everything else with.
On this trip, we also went through a corn maze. This corn maze wasn't very big, but it was a good size for us. It was fun. We raced each other through, and she beat me by about 10 seconds. I also took a wrong turn, but I also made a trail of my own, cutting through a thin patch of corn to another trail.
All of this was free. I say that because then we went to another, more commercialized pumpkin patch, where they charged admission. We just asked if we could walk around, and they allowed us to go in without admission. It was a kids thing, and they saw we didn't have any kids, so it was alright I guess. They had hay rides, a corn maze, and a lot of other things. One of the things they had was a corn cannon, where they put ears of corn in a cannon and launched it into a field towards a giant target. Something I liked was the duck races. There were these rubber duckies, and old red water pumps, with a PVC pipe track. The purpose was to get your duck to go down the PVC pipe to the small pool before the other guy with his duck. See, I feel like a kid.
Marriage should make you youthful; for me, it has done that, and I can't be happier because of it.
Going home to my wife is quite a nice thing, and even if I could, I would never go back to being single because I have found my fulfillment, at least an earthly fulfillment, in my wife Angela. I feel more complete with her, and I love her.
Cherish always your husband or wife; never take them for granted, and always love them. And tell them that you love them.
May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. God bless.
At the Rockford Abortion Mill
For today's post, I simply put this You-Tube video from the Diocese of Rockford. It is very eye opening. Warning: there is graphic content.
May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. May we pray for, in this month of the Holy Rosary, for all the unborn, for an end to abortion and a greater respect to human life. We also lift up in prayer all the abortionists, that they may realize they evil in which they are involved, repent, and live a life of Christ.
May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. May we pray for, in this month of the Holy Rosary, for all the unborn, for an end to abortion and a greater respect to human life. We also lift up in prayer all the abortionists, that they may realize they evil in which they are involved, repent, and live a life of Christ.
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