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.
Friday, October 16, 2009
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.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Gift and Mystery
Dear friends,
I must stop offering excuses for the lack of writing on this blog. Now that I have access to a computer outside of work, I might be able to do some more writing on this blog.
I publish this post "Gift and Mystery", because I want to take on the theme of vocations. Now, when one educated Catholic hears these two together, they immediately think of Pope John Paul II's book, which is a book about his priesthood, and the priesthood itself. For the priesthood is both a gift and mystery. Of the many things on my list to read, this is one of those.
But today, I wish to share my joy about another vocation: the vocation of marriage. Less than a month ago, on August 22nd, I entered, in a very profound way, into this vocation. I married Angela, a very thoughtful, loving, caring and compassionate girl; a girl with a great sense of humor, and one that can really make me laugh.
The Nuptial Mass was something out of a liturgical guide for good liturgy. It was very solemn; there was a Latin choir, three priests, two deacons, and a number of altar servers. The music was beautiful, and everything about the Mass made me realize that the Mass is something other worldly, and that we experience, on that day, a taste of heaven, in a very literal way in the Eucharistic Sacrifice of the Mass.
So far, married life is good, although it has only been about a month. We have our things to work out, but we work them out with patience, love, and encouragement, or at least we try to. I am a faithful Catholic, who adheres to the teachings of the Church. Something that is hard for me is to live out that Catholic faith at all moments of the day. Do I proclaim to others the joy of the Risen Lord, by thought, word, and action? Do I pray as I ought? Do I love others before myself?
The thing is, that I truly believe that in matrimony, the spouse takes on the responsibility of getting the other to marriage. I now have a soul to care for: Angie. Marriage isn't just about the here and now; it is about the thereafter: heaven and eternal happiness.
Many people miss the true aim of marriage. Many people get married because of the sex and to have a good time. While the marital act is an essential part of marriage, it goes much further than that: the marital act is sacramental! Through love making, a married couple enters deeper into the sacrament of matrimony. The marital act is a prayer to God. Some Catholic priests and theologians are coming out now, saying that couples should pray during sex. They aren't far off. It is through this intense prayer, that they offer themselves for the other person.
Sex isn't only a prayer: it is redemptive. Christ offered himself on the Cross for the remission of sins, and married couples are called to enter into that union in the marital act. Just like the priest who offers Mass for the sake of his flock, man and woman unite, and they offer themselves in the sacrament for the sake of the other.
They totally give themselves to the other. There are examples though, when they turn away from the sacramental notion of lovemaking, and couples distort this true sacrifice. One such example of this is the use of contraception. Contraception is the exact opposite of love. It inhibits love. True love doesn't involve sole pleasure, but the laying down of one's life for the other. The man has a great gift to give to the woman, a life giving gift, but through the use of contraception and artificial forms of life-prevention, this gift, this love, is interrupted.
I hope, that in subsequent posts, I will dive deeper into the mystery of the marital union. What a great gift it is, that God has given us.
May you remain close and reside in the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
I must stop offering excuses for the lack of writing on this blog. Now that I have access to a computer outside of work, I might be able to do some more writing on this blog.
I publish this post "Gift and Mystery", because I want to take on the theme of vocations. Now, when one educated Catholic hears these two together, they immediately think of Pope John Paul II's book, which is a book about his priesthood, and the priesthood itself. For the priesthood is both a gift and mystery. Of the many things on my list to read, this is one of those.
But today, I wish to share my joy about another vocation: the vocation of marriage. Less than a month ago, on August 22nd, I entered, in a very profound way, into this vocation. I married Angela, a very thoughtful, loving, caring and compassionate girl; a girl with a great sense of humor, and one that can really make me laugh.
The Nuptial Mass was something out of a liturgical guide for good liturgy. It was very solemn; there was a Latin choir, three priests, two deacons, and a number of altar servers. The music was beautiful, and everything about the Mass made me realize that the Mass is something other worldly, and that we experience, on that day, a taste of heaven, in a very literal way in the Eucharistic Sacrifice of the Mass.
So far, married life is good, although it has only been about a month. We have our things to work out, but we work them out with patience, love, and encouragement, or at least we try to. I am a faithful Catholic, who adheres to the teachings of the Church. Something that is hard for me is to live out that Catholic faith at all moments of the day. Do I proclaim to others the joy of the Risen Lord, by thought, word, and action? Do I pray as I ought? Do I love others before myself?
The thing is, that I truly believe that in matrimony, the spouse takes on the responsibility of getting the other to marriage. I now have a soul to care for: Angie. Marriage isn't just about the here and now; it is about the thereafter: heaven and eternal happiness.
Many people miss the true aim of marriage. Many people get married because of the sex and to have a good time. While the marital act is an essential part of marriage, it goes much further than that: the marital act is sacramental! Through love making, a married couple enters deeper into the sacrament of matrimony. The marital act is a prayer to God. Some Catholic priests and theologians are coming out now, saying that couples should pray during sex. They aren't far off. It is through this intense prayer, that they offer themselves for the other person.
Sex isn't only a prayer: it is redemptive. Christ offered himself on the Cross for the remission of sins, and married couples are called to enter into that union in the marital act. Just like the priest who offers Mass for the sake of his flock, man and woman unite, and they offer themselves in the sacrament for the sake of the other.
They totally give themselves to the other. There are examples though, when they turn away from the sacramental notion of lovemaking, and couples distort this true sacrifice. One such example of this is the use of contraception. Contraception is the exact opposite of love. It inhibits love. True love doesn't involve sole pleasure, but the laying down of one's life for the other. The man has a great gift to give to the woman, a life giving gift, but through the use of contraception and artificial forms of life-prevention, this gift, this love, is interrupted.
I hope, that in subsequent posts, I will dive deeper into the mystery of the marital union. What a great gift it is, that God has given us.
May you remain close and reside in the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Double Standard
It was an interesting day on Thursday, June 25, 2009. This is the day that the famous actor Farrah Fawcett passed away from cancer after a long, much publicized battle. The death was somewhat expected. We had been hearing some time about her health problems, and that the prognosis was not good. It is quite sad to hear she has passed.
But the news that really got my attention yesterday was the death of another famous person, a man who defined a generation of music, that being Michael Jackson.
Personally, I loved listening to his music. He had a really good sound, especially his stuff from the 1980s (I admit not knowing anything recent of his regarding music, if there way any).
But there is a problem. People tend to look at him as a king, or even a god here on earth. His music was good, but putting that aside for a moment, take a look at his life. The plastic surgery aside, who considers it acceptable to bring 13 year old boys into his Neverland ranch to have sleepovers? This is a grown man, but his psychological problems of not having a childhood should not allow him to exhibit many of the behaviors that he showed. Yet, despite this action, which is inexcusable, people are flocking to show support and sympathy for him. True, we should, but during his entire life, many people looked the other way regarding his actions, and nobody held him accountable.
Now we look at the current situation in the Catholic Church. There have been digressions of some of our clergy. A very small percentage of priests were accused, and charged with similar acts. There is a call (and rightly so) to shore up child protection policies within the Church to make sure that it doesn't happen again. So, why is it that it is so acceptable for Michael Jackson that throngs of supporters shower him with love and tears over the news of his death, yet a priest is spit on, mocked, and people, for Halloween dress up as priests with dolls doing unspeakable things? Shouldn't the same standard be held by Michael Jackson, and all the other entertainers out there?
If I were to go as Michael Jackson for Halloween and do things the people who go as priests do, how many comments will I get, saying it is inappropriate and wrong, and that I should change? How many will the dressed up "priest" get? I will be willing to bet that he won't get any comments. People like Michael Jackson should be treated with the same tenacity as others.
I can see a couple of reasons why many turn the blind eye. The first is that he is black, or at least, he was black. I am not a racist; one of my best friends is black. For many in the black community, he was one of them. Its great for people to look up to stars like Jackson and emulate them. But for Jackson, it came to the point that his avid listeners turned a blind eye and lacked discernment about the man off the stage. This is why even when he was formally charged with molesting a boy and he went to court five years ago for it, thousands of fans lined the streets in support of Jackson, and they attested to his innocence. If there was true discernment there, people would have seen there was something wrong with his actions. If I was an avid fan of Jackson, I would have expected better from him when he was offstage, setting a positive example for the community, not having sleepovers with young boys, something totally and absolutely inappropriate.
The second is that he was an entertainer. Somehow, entertainers seem to get the benefit of the doubt in most circumstances, whereas everybody else gets the guilty stare. If Michael Jackson were to molest a child, everybody would be supportive of him, but if a priest was accused of doing that, he would be cursed at, spit on, and assaulted as he made his way to the courtroom.
Now someone might say:"we expect more of priests." Well, we should, but just because we expect more of priests doesn't mean that everybody gets a free ticket, a free pass. If we start labeling certain groups as groups from which we expect more, isn't that a dangerous road of sectarian discrimination?
This brings me to another point. In the United States, Catholicism is the last acceptable prejudice. Every race, religion, sexual orientation etc., is accepted and society opens their arms to them for a big hug. But not for Catholics. This double standard plays into that. Because of the prejudice against the Church, and the way society puts celebrities on pedastools, there is, in essence, a different set of laws that pertain to each group. For the big names in Hollywood, there is a level of acceptance which is different, and higher, than members of the clergy regarding promiscuity. Now, I am not advocating that the tolerance level for priests should go up to what Hollywood is, but the opposite.
We need to hold Hollywood accountable for what they do. We need to hold the Michael Jacksons, the Lindsay Lohans, and all the other big name celebrities who give themselves a bad name, while being a role model to children, responsible and accountable for what they do.
God bless you, and may you have a blessed weekend.
But the news that really got my attention yesterday was the death of another famous person, a man who defined a generation of music, that being Michael Jackson.
Personally, I loved listening to his music. He had a really good sound, especially his stuff from the 1980s (I admit not knowing anything recent of his regarding music, if there way any).
But there is a problem. People tend to look at him as a king, or even a god here on earth. His music was good, but putting that aside for a moment, take a look at his life. The plastic surgery aside, who considers it acceptable to bring 13 year old boys into his Neverland ranch to have sleepovers? This is a grown man, but his psychological problems of not having a childhood should not allow him to exhibit many of the behaviors that he showed. Yet, despite this action, which is inexcusable, people are flocking to show support and sympathy for him. True, we should, but during his entire life, many people looked the other way regarding his actions, and nobody held him accountable.
Now we look at the current situation in the Catholic Church. There have been digressions of some of our clergy. A very small percentage of priests were accused, and charged with similar acts. There is a call (and rightly so) to shore up child protection policies within the Church to make sure that it doesn't happen again. So, why is it that it is so acceptable for Michael Jackson that throngs of supporters shower him with love and tears over the news of his death, yet a priest is spit on, mocked, and people, for Halloween dress up as priests with dolls doing unspeakable things? Shouldn't the same standard be held by Michael Jackson, and all the other entertainers out there?
If I were to go as Michael Jackson for Halloween and do things the people who go as priests do, how many comments will I get, saying it is inappropriate and wrong, and that I should change? How many will the dressed up "priest" get? I will be willing to bet that he won't get any comments. People like Michael Jackson should be treated with the same tenacity as others.
I can see a couple of reasons why many turn the blind eye. The first is that he is black, or at least, he was black. I am not a racist; one of my best friends is black. For many in the black community, he was one of them. Its great for people to look up to stars like Jackson and emulate them. But for Jackson, it came to the point that his avid listeners turned a blind eye and lacked discernment about the man off the stage. This is why even when he was formally charged with molesting a boy and he went to court five years ago for it, thousands of fans lined the streets in support of Jackson, and they attested to his innocence. If there was true discernment there, people would have seen there was something wrong with his actions. If I was an avid fan of Jackson, I would have expected better from him when he was offstage, setting a positive example for the community, not having sleepovers with young boys, something totally and absolutely inappropriate.
The second is that he was an entertainer. Somehow, entertainers seem to get the benefit of the doubt in most circumstances, whereas everybody else gets the guilty stare. If Michael Jackson were to molest a child, everybody would be supportive of him, but if a priest was accused of doing that, he would be cursed at, spit on, and assaulted as he made his way to the courtroom.
Now someone might say:"we expect more of priests." Well, we should, but just because we expect more of priests doesn't mean that everybody gets a free ticket, a free pass. If we start labeling certain groups as groups from which we expect more, isn't that a dangerous road of sectarian discrimination?
This brings me to another point. In the United States, Catholicism is the last acceptable prejudice. Every race, religion, sexual orientation etc., is accepted and society opens their arms to them for a big hug. But not for Catholics. This double standard plays into that. Because of the prejudice against the Church, and the way society puts celebrities on pedastools, there is, in essence, a different set of laws that pertain to each group. For the big names in Hollywood, there is a level of acceptance which is different, and higher, than members of the clergy regarding promiscuity. Now, I am not advocating that the tolerance level for priests should go up to what Hollywood is, but the opposite.
We need to hold Hollywood accountable for what they do. We need to hold the Michael Jacksons, the Lindsay Lohans, and all the other big name celebrities who give themselves a bad name, while being a role model to children, responsible and accountable for what they do.
God bless you, and may you have a blessed weekend.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Ave Maria- Biebl
Here is a beautiful rendition of the Ave Maria, but really more the Angelus, a traditional Catholic Prayer:
Chris Dodd: Stop Receiving Communion
To Chris Dodd:
For the sake of your soul and for the sake of the people of God, stop receiving communion.
For those unaware of Senator Chris Dodd (D) from Connecticut, he is one of a growing number of "Catholic" politicians who thinks it is ok to dissent from major teachings of the Catholic Church.
For more information on Senator Chris Dodd, read this article by LifeSite News that talks about his dissent.
According to this article, Chris Dodd has a 100% pro-abortion rating by NARAL, a political organization which is a big pro-abortion lobby.
If his abortion record wasn't bad enough, he has now switched his position, arguing for the legalization of same-sex "marriage".
We also read Dodd comparing same-sex marriage as archaic, like laws we had against inter-racial marriage. In this statement, Dodd seems to equate same-sex marriage with interracial marriage. The problem with this is that it isn't something to be equated. One is between a man and a woman, and the other between a man and a man, or between two women. The two aren't equal.
Pro-choice politicians, and those who actively campaign against the teachings of the Catholic Church, should not then be allowed to receive communion. Its a controversial subject, but the likes of Chris Dodd and other "Catholic" politicians are only committing sacrilege when they receive the Holy Eucharist at Mass.
This is the Body and Blood of Jesus, and somehow they should receive Him, even though they teach contrary to what the Church teaches. These senators are in formal cooperation regarding abortion and same-sex marriages.
This should cause faithful Catholics to be upset. There are many Catholics out there who are faithful to the Church and the Gospel, and they approach the Blessed Sacrament with awe and reverence. They should be upset when they see someone in sin receiving the Eucharist. I know I get upset when I see practicing Protestants receiving the Eucharist at special family Masses. It comes down to a lack of reverence when at Mass.
I can't judge the individuals of Chris Dodd or anybody else; I can judge their actions, and their actions are contrary to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I can also judge my actions, and despite my daily attempt to follow Christ, I know I sometimes fail to follow Him as well.
My point is that it is easy to do what is popular, but it is not always easy to do what is right. Chris Dodd, and all you other anti-life senators, take the higher road and protect the sanctity of human life and protect the sacrament of marriage.
For the sake of your soul and for the sake of the people of God, stop receiving communion.
For those unaware of Senator Chris Dodd (D) from Connecticut, he is one of a growing number of "Catholic" politicians who thinks it is ok to dissent from major teachings of the Catholic Church.
For more information on Senator Chris Dodd, read this article by LifeSite News that talks about his dissent.
According to this article, Chris Dodd has a 100% pro-abortion rating by NARAL, a political organization which is a big pro-abortion lobby.
If his abortion record wasn't bad enough, he has now switched his position, arguing for the legalization of same-sex "marriage".
We also read Dodd comparing same-sex marriage as archaic, like laws we had against inter-racial marriage. In this statement, Dodd seems to equate same-sex marriage with interracial marriage. The problem with this is that it isn't something to be equated. One is between a man and a woman, and the other between a man and a man, or between two women. The two aren't equal.
Pro-choice politicians, and those who actively campaign against the teachings of the Catholic Church, should not then be allowed to receive communion. Its a controversial subject, but the likes of Chris Dodd and other "Catholic" politicians are only committing sacrilege when they receive the Holy Eucharist at Mass.
This is the Body and Blood of Jesus, and somehow they should receive Him, even though they teach contrary to what the Church teaches. These senators are in formal cooperation regarding abortion and same-sex marriages.
This should cause faithful Catholics to be upset. There are many Catholics out there who are faithful to the Church and the Gospel, and they approach the Blessed Sacrament with awe and reverence. They should be upset when they see someone in sin receiving the Eucharist. I know I get upset when I see practicing Protestants receiving the Eucharist at special family Masses. It comes down to a lack of reverence when at Mass.
I can't judge the individuals of Chris Dodd or anybody else; I can judge their actions, and their actions are contrary to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I can also judge my actions, and despite my daily attempt to follow Christ, I know I sometimes fail to follow Him as well.
My point is that it is easy to do what is popular, but it is not always easy to do what is right. Chris Dodd, and all you other anti-life senators, take the higher road and protect the sanctity of human life and protect the sacrament of marriage.
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