Journal of a Latin Mass Newbie

Go You Are Dismissed (The Mass Is Ended, Go In Peace)

2010-08-20T01:16:00.000-07:00

I was thinking of what I'd do with this blog when I'm no longer a newbie to the Latin Mass. Like what I rename it? Would I keep the name the same? Or what I just start another blog with a different name? Or would I say I'm a newbie forever-just not as new as I used to be?

Yesterday I thought of a possible new name for this blog or for the new blog. Ite Missa Est. As I said the Mass is a sending forth and we continue to live our lives as Catholics and Christians outside of the church walls. I'm living that life now whether I'm a newbie or not. I think I still am-I have been going to the Latin Mass for not even a year and a half-I'm sure there's still something for me to learn-whether it's from Father-or even one of the lay people who joins us for breakfast after Mass.

I definitely have my place among the hearing Church-I feel that I'm a part of that division-not just because I'm a layperson instead of a priest or bishop-but just because I possess such limited knowledge about the Faith-and have so much more to learn. But I have my place in the Church too. Maybe it may not be as prominent as that of that of the priest. But the we're all called by the Lord to do something-even if it's not to celebrate Mass or give the sacraments. All baptized Catholics are part of the Priesthood of Believers-even babies!

I feel that I can learn from other lay people even though they are also considered the "hearing Church." I hope I can help someone else learn the faith and about the Latin Mass. I may even have a calling to do this through this blog and through other means.

Also, I need to be an example to others. That's the hard part-but probably the most important part of the preaching. St. Francis of Assisi used to say, "Preach the Gospel always-when necessary use words."

We need to live our faith by example. Actions speak louder than words. This is something that I've done a terrible job of in the past-and definitely need more improvement in that area.

Obedience School

2010-08-20T01:15:00.000-07:00

Obedience is a very part of our walk with the Lord. I always was an arguer who tried to get out of doing what I was told to do so I could get out of doing it. And I didn't want to disobey those in authority-such as my parents or supervisors at work.

I sat in on a Confirmation class that Father taught last year. He talked about a priest he had to work for who was difficult to live with. Father didn't "talk" back to the older priest but was very loving toward him. Father was very obedient to him until he was transferred back to the parish he was at before.

O, I wish I were more like that with my parents and everyone else. I even got in trouble at the place I live at during on Holy Wednesday ("long story"-rather not get into at this time) with this arguing and disobedience and didn't make it to Mass for Holy Thursday or Good Friday. I did get to go to Mass Easter Sunday.

I was trying to "strongarm" someone into changing her mind-not obeying her. Even if this person changed her mind and told me to do whatever I wanted her to do to get me out of her face-I still am being disobedient. And if I did do exactly what I was told and grumbled about it-I'm still being disobedient.

Obedience

"The mind [must be] ever on the alert to discover the indications of Providence, and the will prepared to carry them out."

St. Vincent de Paul

For Reflection:
To what extent do I go through my day "alert to discover the indications of Providence?" In other words, do I actively seek for the will of God in and through the events of my daily life? Can I think of one strategy that would help me to do so?

Feast Day of Corpus Christi-the Body of Christ

2010-06-06T16:29:00.000-07:00

Today Father gave First Communion to six children at our Latin Mass. What a perfect day for a First Communion. The words corpus Christi actually mean "the body of Christ." When we receive Communion-we actually receive Jesus-not a piece of bread or a sip of wine. So this is a very important-in fact the most important day-of a Catholic's life since this is when the person actually eats the body (and drinks the blood of-if applicable) of Christ.

And these kids actually help the rest of us in our spriritual journey-this is an opportunity for a plenary indulgence for the rest of us. But we need to make a good Confession within 8 days of the First Communion to get this indulgence. This Confession can be either the week before or the week after the First Communion.

Father told us in his homily today that for the benefit of the "doubting Thomases" among us that a consecrated host has actually been changed to human tissue and the blood of Christ took on the property of real blood-including coagulation.

The "Fourth Day"-A Sending Forth to Serve the Lord

2010-05-24T06:21:00.000-07:00

According to the book I quoted yesterday, the day after the first Pentecost, the Apostles began their work of preaching to the world. This concept of going out into the world reminds me of what we called the "Fourth Day" at the end of the Cursillo I made. This was a three day "weekend" starting Thursday evening and ending sometime on Sunday.

But there was a "Fourth Day"-which lasts the rest of our lives-not just the closest Monday. This is after you come home and have to go back into the world you were a part of before your Cursillo. You hear a lot of talks during the weekend, you pray and fellowship, there's an opportunity for Confession-and you're sent back afterwards.

The Mass is also a sending forth-the very word "Mass" comes from the Latin word missa, meaning "sent." This word is part of part of the phrase ite missa est said by the priest at the end of the Mass. This phrase is translated as "Go, you are dismissed." At the vernacular (English) Masses I used to attend, the priest would say, "The Mass is ended, go in peace" and then he'd have us sing a recessional hymn after that. At the Latin Mass we also sang a hymn after that, but Father also leads us in prayer-in English-at the end of Mass. He kneels at the altar and we say the Hail Mary, the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel, and maybe a couple of other prayers in English.

Yesterday was Pentecost. Today is Monday, and I just got a whiff of freshly brewed coffee; back to the "Old Grind!" But this is the world we're sent back into. We're Christians and Catholics 24 hours a day 7 days a week-not just on Sundays. If that's not true-then the 7-Eleven closes at 6 pm and stayed closed until 10 am. And you know that store is opened 24 hours a day-7 days a week.

Happy Birthday, Church

2010-05-23T21:53:00.000-07:00

Today, which is almost over with-is Pentecost-the birthday of the Church. And Jesus only started one church-not many churches. So we didn't have a church of Ephesis or a church of Corinth back then or a St. Patrick's or St. Joseph's church now. These groups were or are communities that worship together-so they may be parishes-not individual churches. And that place I call "St. Patrick's Church" is really a building that's used for worship; the people in it and all other baptized Catholics under the Pope-the Church.

And this includes a couple little people that joined the Church last Sunday. These were babies Father baptized after Mass. This is the point at which one enters the Church is at Baptism. This morning after I had come home from Mass-I read a chapter of an old book called My Catholic Faith, which I highly recommend. I read something in this chapter called "Foundation of the Church."

According to this book, all Catholics belong to one of two divisons-either the "teaching Church" or the "hearing Church." The teaching Church consists of our priests, bishops, and the Pope. It is also called the hierarchy. The Bishops and the Pope are the teaching magisterium. I recall this word coming from a Latin word for "teacher" but thought I better look up the word. The word that it came from is magister, which means "master, canon / master of a school, professor." And we lay people do need to keep learning about God and the Church-the children, the new converts, and the seminarians aren't the only ones. And we forget, and need a "refresher course."

I feel that a lot of our religious formation-especially when I was growing up-has been "glossed over." I've been Confirmed over 30 years ago, but Father allowed me to sit in on the Confirmation class he taught last year. He taught the kids a bunch of stuff I never knew as well as showed a lot of enthusiasm for the Sacrament that I had never heard before. Now this man is definitely doing his job as a member of the "teaching church." Now I need to keep my ears open and pay attention to what he, the Pope, and other priests have to say. They're here to teach us-not just administer the Sacraments and lead us in prayer.

So I definitely have a role as a learner in the "hearing Church." And it's not just because I have had little formal religious training. All lay people are part of this division.

Something this book mentioned that I found interesting was that "Christ completed the founding of His Church just before His Ascension when he said to His Apostles, 'Go into the world and preach the Gospel to every creature' (Mark 16:15)"

He had the Apostles go to all nations to promise salvation to believers and "threatening condemnation to those refusing to believe."

And on that first Pentecost St. Peter preached a sermon and afterwards three thousand people converted and were baptized. These were our first members since the Ascension of our Lord. And the following day, the Apostles, our first Bishops, went out and started preaching.

This has to be the most important birthday on anyone's calendar. And I'm one who loves cards, presents, and cakes for my birthday and a lot of people know it too.Maybe someone ought to bake a cake and have put on it "Happy Birthday Church."

I'm sorry, this is coming to you late-I tried to get on the computer a couple times during Pentecost, but both times it was occupied. And my own computers aren't working-so I need to "share."

1. A Manual of Religion, Morrow STD, Most Reverend Louis LaRavoire, Bishop of Krishnagar, MY MISSION HOUSE, Kenosha, Wisconsin, 1958, p. 102

2. Ibid

Prayer for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

2010-05-21T06:25:00.000-07:00

Prayer for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit, divine Consoler, I adore You as my true God, with God the Father and God the Son. I adore You and unite myself to the adoration You receive from the angels and saints. I give You my heart and I offer my ardent thanksgiving for all the grace which You never cease to bestow on me.
O Giver of all supernatural gifts, who filled the soul of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with such immense favors, I beg You to visit me with Your grace and Your love and to grant me the gift of holy fear, so that it may act on me as a check to prevent me from falling back into my past sins, for which I beg pardon.
Grant me the gift of piety, so that I may serve You for the future with increased fervor, follow with more promptness Your holy inspirations, and observe your divine precepts with greater fidelity.
Grant me the gift of knowledge, so that I may know the things of God and, enlightened by Your holy teaching, may walk, without deviation, in the path of eternal salvation.
Grant me the gift of fortitude, so that I may overcome courageously all the assaults of the devil, and all the dangers of this world which threaten the salvation of my soul.
Grant me the gift of counsel, so that I may choose what is more conducive to my spiritual advancement and may discover the wiles and snares of the tempter.
Grant me the gift of understanding, so that I may apprehend the divine mysteries and by contemplation of heavenly things detach my thoughts and affections from the vain things of this miserable world.
Grant me the gift of wisdom, so that I may rightly direct all my actions, referring them to God as my last end; so that, having loved Him and served Him in this life, I may have the happiness of possessing Him eternally in the next.
Amen.

St. Alphonsus Liguori

Pentecost Sunday-coming soon at a church near you

2010-05-20T19:02:00.000-07:00

We're just 3 days away from Pentecost Sunday, which is the birthday of the Church. This is the day Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit-just 10 days after He ascended into Heaven-which is what we call the Feast Day of the Ascension. Until recently it was a holy day of obligation on Thursday. But in some areas of the United States, the obligation has been transferred to the nearest Sunday. In fact the diocese I live in is in one of the areas in which the Bishops voted to make the change.

But our Bishop didn't like the change; he was outvoted. I didn't like the change either. And I now know the Bishop we had then and I are far from being the only two people who dislike the switch to Sunday. Last year Father announced that we were going to have a Mass on Ascension-that is on Thursday itself-not Sunday! He doesn't like the change to Sunday either and said "we traditionalists" don't like the switch either.

He said if you don't like the move to the following Sunday, then either come to Thursday Mass or quit complaining. We're no longer obliged under pain of mortal sin to go on this particular Thursday but Father said we'll get extra graces for going to Ascension Mass.

I guess I kind of gotten off topic like I tend to do quite a bit.

Getting back to Pentecost, the Apostles were scared to be left alone without Jesus. They were afraid of persecution & spent the next nine days in prayer in an upper room. According to Father, it was our very first novena. Then the Holy Spirit came to the upper room and gave them all these gifts-including the gift of tongues. This allowed them to preach to people who spoke in other languages.

I can't think of a more important birthday to celebrate-the birthday of the Church-unless it's Christmas-the birthday of our Savior.

Father talked to the kids in the Confirmation class about Pentecost and the gifts of the Spirit. You receive the Holy Spirit in Baptism, but even more fully in Confirmation.

He talked about seven gifts of the Holy Spirit which every Confirmed Catholic has. These aren't the "charisms" or charismatic gifts such as the gift of tongues or prophecy. He talked about Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel (right judgment), Fortitude (courage), Knowledge, Piety (reverence), and Fear of the Lord (wonder and awe.)

According to St. Thomas Aquinas wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and counsel direct the intellect and fortititude, piety, and fear of the Lord direct the will toward God.

How to Pray the Rosary Everyday to find peace and serenity in your life...

2010-05-20T06:41:00.000-07:00

How To Pray The Rosary Everyday
To Find Peace In Your Life

"Praying the Holy Rosary is like a breath of fresh air"

How To Pray The Rosary Everyday was created to encourage you, the average person to pray the Rosary everyday, enabling you to find peace and serenity in your life.

**Simple table of Rosary mysteries and days they are prayed on**
Day	Rosary Mystery
Sunday	Glorious
Monday	Joyful
Tuesday	Sorrowful
Wednesday	Glorious
Thursday	Luminous
Friday	Sorrowful
Saturday	Joyful

Do you like so many of us, struggle with a busy schedules and hectic days, weeks, months? Do you rush from here to there constantly on the go? It seems there is little time for much else...
Even on the weekend and especially on Sunday morning you may experience this familiar rush.
Do you worry and feel anxiety some or most of the time?
You don't need to live life this way, and God doesn't want you to either.

Aborted Baby Cries Before Cremation

2010-05-20T06:36:00.000-07:00

Aborted Baby Cries Before Cremation

[This may be too hard for some to read]

AN aborted baby declared dead by doctors in south China's Guangdong Province cried before he was due to be cremated, but died hours later as doctors refused to treat him.

A mortuary worker at Nanhai Funeral Home in Foshan City said the baby cried and scared him as he was about to throw the coffin into a furnace, Information Times reported
today.

He opened the box and found the seven-month fetus moving, but apparently choking on some cotton wool in his mouth, the report said.

After the worker cleared his mouth, the baby yawned and breathed peacefully. Workers rushed him back to Guanyao Hospital which delivered the baby as medical waste earlier that day.

But doctors left him in the lobby, and confirmed after an hour that the baby died.

The vice head of the funeral house said Guanyao Hospital sent many aborted fetuses or still-born babies for cremation. This baby apparently survived an abortion at seven months, and he had videos to prove the
baby was still alive before the cremation.

Hospital official Liu Sanhong said its staff checked the baby for an hour and made sure it was dead.
Liu did not say whether the doctors tried to save the baby or not.

The body was later sent back to the funeral house. The report said all workers were ordered not to talk about the incident.

On March 31, at least 21 fetuses and dead babies were found dumped in a river in east China's Jining City.

Eight had tabs with clinic code numbers attached to their feet. The Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University responsible for the corpses said they were "medical
waste."

Two hospital staffers have been detained while the director and deputy director of the hospital's logistics department were sacked. A vice president of the hospital was suspended.

(That is the end of the article. We must pray for all mothers contemplating or
being pushed to abortion not just in this country but all over the world.)

Today's Great Silence

2010-04-03T08:58:00.000-07:00

(Intro: I really like the quote "My sleep will rouse you from your sleep" in the last paragraph. It really says what Jesus died on the cross and descended into Hell for. He died to give us sinners life. Being perfect and being God He could have chosen not to die and could have stayed out of Hell, but He did this to save us from eternal suffering.

This would have been an excellent reading for Good Friday, which was yesterday, as well as for Holy Saturday, which is today.

It reminds me of the Apostles' Creed, where it said that Jesus "descended into Hell, On the third day He rose again, ascended into Heaven.

Yesterday was the day He "was crucified, died, and was buried." And He descended into Hell. Tomorrow is Easter, and we will celebrate His Resurrection from the dead. This will be the time that He returned to Heaven and took his seat at the right hand of the Father. Easter is a favorite holiday of mine because of that-not because of the candy, baskets, bunnies, and warmer weather as much as I like them too.)

Something strange is happening -- there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep.

The earth trembled and is still, because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh, and hell trembles with fear.

He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, he who is both God and the son of Eve.

The Lord approached them bearing the cross, the weapon that had won him the victory. At the sight of him, Adam -- the first man he had created -- struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone, "My Lord be with you all."

Christ answered him: "And with your spirit." He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying, "Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light. I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and for your descendants, I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me, and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated.

"For your sake I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth. For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead. For the sake of you who left a garden, I was betrayed in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden.

"See on my face the spit I received in order to restore to you the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in my image. On my back see the marks of the scourging I endured to removed the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See my hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once stretched out your hand to a tree.

"I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you.

"Rise. Let us leave this place. The enemy led you out of the earthly paradise. I will not restore you to that paradise, but I will enthrone you in heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life, but see! I who am life itself am now one with you. I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God. The throne formed by cherubim awaits you, its bearers swift and eager. The bridal changer is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity."

ascribed to Saint Epiphanios of Cyprus

circa 4th century

Fr Robert Fromageot, FSSP to be on EWTN

2009-11-30T18:14:00.000-08:00

Fr. Robert Fromageot, FSSP to be on EWTN

By FSSP on October 29, 2009

Fr. Fromageot, FSSP of Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Denton, Nebraska will be appearing on EWTN’s Life on the Rock with Father Mark Mary and Doug Barry.

Father will be discussing Gregorian Chant and how it helps the liturgy fulfill its twofold end; namely, the worship of God and the sanctification of souls.

Channel: EWTN Global Catholic Network
Date: Thursday, November 12, 2009
Time: 8:00PM

About EWTN:
EWTN Global Catholic Network, in its 28th year, is available in over 150 million television households in more than 140 countries and territories. With its direct broadcast satellite television and radio services, AM & FM radio networks, worldwide short-wave radio station, Internet website www.ewtn.com and publishing arm, EWTN is the largest religious media network in the world.

For more information, go to:
http://www.ewtn.com/rock/index.asp

There is a DVD on how to say the Traditional Latin Mass (EF) available for priests and seminarians interested in learning how to say this Mass. Currently it is available in English and Spanish & will be available in additional languages.

http://www.fsspdvd.com/>

St. Elizabeth of Hungary

2009-11-17T04:02:00.000-08:00

St. Elizabeth of Hungary

(1207-1231)

In her short life Elizabeth manifested such great love for the poor and suffering that she has become the patroness of Catholic charities and of the Secular Franciscan Order. The daughter of the King of Hungary, Elizabeth chose a life of penance and asceticism when a life of leisure and luxury could easily have been hers. This choice endeared her in the hearts of the common people throughout Europe.

At the age of 14 Elizabeth was married to Louis of Thuringia (a German principality), whom she deeply loved; she bore three children. Under the spiritual direction of a Franciscan friar, she led a life of prayer, sacrifice and service to the poor and sick. Seeking to become one with the poor, she wore simple clothing. Daily she would take bread to hundreds of the poorest in the land, who came to her gate.

After six years of marriage, her husband died in the Crusades, and she was grief-stricken. Her husband’s family looked upon her as squandering the royal purse, and mistreated her, finally throwing her out of the palace. The return of her husband’s allies from the Crusades resulted in her being reinstated, since her son was legal heir to the throne.

In 1228 Elizabeth joined the Secular Franciscan Order, spending the remaining few years of her life caring for the poor in a hospital which she founded in honor of St. Francis. Elizabeth’s health declined, and she died before her 24th birthday in 1231. Her great popularity resulted in her canonization four years later.

Comment:

Elizabeth understood well the lesson Jesus taught when he washed his disciples' feet at the Last Supper: The Christian must be one who serves the humblest needs of others, even if one serves from an exalted position. Of royal blood, Elizabeth could have lorded it over her subjects. Yet she served them with such a loving heart that her brief life won for her a special place in the hearts of many. Elizabeth is also an example to us in her following the guidance of a spiritual director. Growth in the spiritual life is a difficult process. We can play games very easily if we don't have someone to challenge us or to share experiences so as to help us avoid pitfalls.

Quote:

"Today, there is an inescapable duty to make ourselves the neighbor of every individual, without exception, and to take positive steps to help a neighbor whom we encounter, whether that neighbor be an elderly person, abandoned by everyone, a foreign worker who suffers the injustice of being despised, a refugee, an illegitimate child wrongly suffering for a sin of which the child is innocent, or a starving human being who awakens our conscience by calling to mind the words of Christ: 'As long as you did it for one of these, the least of my brethren, you did it for me' (Matthew 25:40)" (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, 27, Austin Flannery translation).

(This entry appears in the print edition of Saint of the Day.)

Elizabeth of Hungary has been a favorite Saint of mine since I was in college. I was considering becoming a Sister and sending away for information on different communities. The one which interested me the most was the Franciscan Sisters of Saint Elizabeth-or FSSE.

And I was very curious which St. Elizabeth it was. I already knew about two Saints by that name-Mother Seton and the mother of John the Baptist. While dusting the bookshelves at the college library I found a book on a St. Elizabeth of Hungary.

I wrote to the vocation director of the FSSE's to ask them which St. Elizabeth it was. It was Elizabeth of Hungary.

Ever since I found out about her, I admired her for her life of voluntary poverty and caring for the poor and sick during her final years. The way she was treated by her husband's family reminded me of the way St. Francis was treated by his father for his generosity. I see a lot of St. Francis in her.

During Father's Confirmation class I've heard him mention both a St. Elizabeth of Hungary and a St. Elizabeth of Portugal. I told him about my interest in religious life-especially this particular community. Since Father has the initials FSSP after his name I mentioned that I could have had a similar set of initials after mine.

In fact, I've caught myself many times typing out "FSSE" instead of "FSSP" when referring to the priests of his community and having to hit the backspace bar to correct it.

What a small world!

No Altar Girls ?

2009-11-09T20:35:00.000-08:00

I found what was supposed to be a link to an article in ZENIT about why girls can't be "altar boys" at the Extraordinary Form of the Mass-or what I call the Tridentine or Traditional Latin Mass. But I couldn't find the article itself.

I noticed that there were always men and boys-no women or girls-at the altar-assisting Father at the Mass. Of course, it wasn't until the 80's or 90s that I've seen the girls serving-long after Vatican II.

But I have found another article on that site in favor of all male servers.

ZE04020323 - 2004-02-03
Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-9302?l=english

Female Altar Servers

ROME, FEB. 3, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Answered by Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical Athenaeum.

Q: What is the Church's position on the use of female altar servers? May all of the servers be female, or must at least one be male? Do you feel that the use of female altar servers detracts from the building of vocations among young males? -- M.C.S.N., Catonsville, Maryland

A: Female altar servers are permitted in all but two U.S. dioceses. They are also common in most English-speaking countries, and in Western Europe. The situation is patchier in the rest of the world, going from total absence to the occasional diocese that allows them.

From the point of view of liturgical law, an official interpretation of Canon 230, Paragraph 2, of the Code of Canon law on the possibility of delegating certain liturgical offices led to a 1994 letter from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments clarifying that girls may serve at the altar. But bishops are not bound to permit them to do so, nor could the episcopal conference limit the bishop's faculty to decide for himself.

A further clarifying letter published in 2001 said priests are not compelled to have girls serve at the altar, even when their bishops grant permission.

The 1994 letter states: "It will always be very appropriate to follow the noble tradition of having boys serve at the altar. As is well known, this has led to a reassuring development of priestly vocations. Thus the obligation to support such groups of altar boys will always continue."

The letter also recommends to bishops to consider "among other things the sensibilities of the faithful, the reasons which would motivate such permission and the different liturgical settings and congregations which gather for the Holy Mass."

Therefore the Holy See's recommendation is to retain as far as possible the custom of having only boys as servers. But it leaves to the bishop the choice of permitting women and girls for a good reason and to the pastor of each parish the decision as to whether to act on the bishop's permission.

It is important not to focus this debate using political categories such as rights, equality, discrimination, etc., which only serves to fog the issue. We are dealing with the privilege of serving in an act of worship to which nobody has any inherent rights.

The question should be framed as to what is best for the good of souls in each diocese and parish. It is thus an eminently pastoral and not an administrative decision, and this is why it should be determined at the local level.

Among the pastoral factors to be weighed is the obvious yet often forgotten fact that boys and girls are different and require different motivational and formative methods.

This difference means that both boys and girls usually go through a stage when they tend to avoid common activities.

Preteen boys in particular are very attracted to activities that cater especially for them, and they tend to reject sharing activities with girls.

They also tend to have a greater need for such structured activities than girls who are usually more mature and responsible at this stage of life.

As a result, some parishes have found that the introduction of girl servers has led to a sharp drop-off of boys offering to serve. Once the boys have left and enter the years of puberty, it is difficult to bring them back.

Some pastors say this phenomenon is less marked where serving at Mass forms part of a wider Catholic structure, such as a school, or when siblings serve together.

It is also true that groups of boy servers have fostered vocations to the priesthood. But to be fair, this usually happens within a broader culture of openness to a vocation in which other elements come into play, such as the example and spiritual guidance given by good priests, and family support.

If, for example, a long-established program of boy servers has proved successful in promoting vocations or has been useful in helping boys avoid bad company and maintain the state of grace, then the good of souls obliges pastors to weigh heavily the spiritual risks involved in abandoning it.

When girls do serve, it is probably best to aim for a mixture of boys and girls -- if only to avoid giving the impression to the congregation that Catholicism is above all a female activity. On some occasions, however, it might be best to separate boys and girls into different groups.

It is very difficult to lay down precise rules in a matter like this since the situation may vary widely between parishes. And it is not unknown to have sharp differences among the faithful who assist at different Masses at the same parish.

2009-11-09T04:49:00.000-08:00

+PAX

Lord, help us all as You know and will. God's will is best. All is mercy and
grace. God is never absent, praise Him! Thanks so much. JL

March 9, July 9, November 8
Chapter 31: What Kind of Man the Cellarer of the Monastery Should Be

Above all things let him have humility;
and if he has nothing else to give
let him give a good word in answer
for it is written,
"A good word is above the best gift" (Eccles. 18:17).

Let him have under his care
all that the Abbot has assigned to him,
but not presume to deal with what he has forbidden him.

Let him give the brethren their appointed allowance of food
without any arrogance or delay,
that they may not be scandalized,
mindful of the Word of God as to what he deserves
"who shall scandalize one of the little ones" (Matt 18:6).

If the community is a large one,
let helpers be given him,
that by their assistance
he may fulfill with a quiet mind the office committed to him.
The proper times should be observed
in giving the things that have to be given
and asking for the things that have to be asked for,
that no one may be troubled or vexed in the house of God.

REFLECTION

"A good word is above the best gift." This applies to us all and it
is so very true. I know we have bad days, I know that sometimes
emotions can all but overpower us, but for the most part, the self-
discipline to say something nice, or at least to refrain from saying
anything harsh, is available and ought to be employed.

One good word, one kind, caring phrase, can change a person's whole
day, whole outlook on a given matter, and sometimes even change another's
whole life. One word can be remembered for years, for decades, for a
lifetime. Unfortunately, this is equally true if the word was hurtful.

The power of the tongue, an awesome, wondrous power to foster growth
or stunt it, to expand or contract the heart of the hearer, this
power is not the cellarer's alone, it belongs to us all. The tongue
can figuratively kill, it can distance others from us, leaving us
finally alone with the predictable isolation of our crankiness.

It can ruin lives, others' and our own. Very often the harsh word is
the one never forgotten, the word whose hurt will surface years and
years after its speaker is off the scene. Think carefully of the harsh
words you recall being said to you, then think with double caution
about joining those "unforgettable" ranks by saying such hurtful
things to others.

Yet there is a further and even more treacherous trap of the hurtful
word: it is cyclical evil. It tempts the one hurt to rehearse all
kinds of comebacks, to hurt the one who hurt first. Never doubt that
when we provoke others to sin we share in their guilt.

Even if, by dint of grace, those hurtful replies are never uttered by the one
we have hurt, great harm is done to another's heart, another's peace,
another's life in the time wasted focusing on the hurt and plotting revenge.
It can also tempt another to throw in the towel, to quit altogether, to remove
oneself from whatever the situation of vulnerability to attack, whether that
be a job, a marriage or a monastery.

Those feelings of flee or fight are triggered by adrenalin, to be
sure, which makes them natural enough, but also very difficult to
combat. Our smart aleck mouths can place another in a painful morass
of flee/fight tortures that we may never know about at all. If they
triumph through grace, we never hear any more of what they suffered,
but their suffering is no less real and no less surely laid at our
own feet.

How many times are we surprised at what another remembers us having
said (even good stuff!) or the details about a shared day that stand
out in one mind and not in another? Be very, very careful of the
memories we give to others. Those memories will live in their minds,
continuing to potentially cause good or evil, long after we are gone.
Not for nothing did St. James assert that if we have religion and
bridle not our tongues, our "religion is in vain." Truly,
truly, "death and life are in the power of the tongue."

A last caution: if you are the recipient of harsh words, try hard to
make yourself a beneficiary, not a victim. Hurt can focus far too
much on our own imagined worth and importance. Learn the treasure
of a humility that can thrive on the correct management of such situations
and feelings. Don't obsess, don't focus on revenge or compose an
equally cruel comeback. We can waste hours rehearsing comeback
lines for situations that never arise. Time is too precious for that!

Face it, roles change. Some days we are the statue, others we are the
pigeons. Everything comes to us as a means for grace, but also as a
possible means for a fall. Choose grace. Minimize the situation rather than
magnify it. That can make a huge difference!

Love and prayers,

Jerome, OSB
http://www.stmarysmonastery. org
Petersham, MA

Should Monks Have Anything of Their Own?

2009-11-09T04:32:00.000-08:00

+ Please pray the Divine Mercy will shine upon all those who have taken their own lives. +

Chapter 33: Whether Monks Ought to Have Anything of Their Own
Mar. 11 - July 11 - Nov. 10
This vice especially is to be cut out of the monastery by the roots. Let no one presume to give or receive anything without the Abbot's leave, or to have anything as his own-- anything whatever, whether book or tablets or pen or whatever it may be-- since they are not permitted to have even their bodies or wills at their own disposal; but for all their necessities let them look to the Father of the monastery. And let it be unlawful to have anything which the Abbot has not given or allowed. Let all things be common to all, as it is written (Acts 4:32), and let no one say or assume that anything is his own. But if anyone is caught indulging in this most wicked vice, let him be admonished once and a second time. If he fails to amend, let him undergo punishment.

A FEW THOUGHTS

As I quoted the other day, "Wantin' ain't needin!" Monastics with a good Abbot/ess may not have much of a problem with excessive consumerism although pride of ownership could possibly still become a problem. But it is the "excess" implied in both this instruction and in the Black Letter that is a little troublesome for me. Exactly how much can a soul use or waste before she/he becomes "excessive"?

I know a very saintly monk who spent a long time gazing at his towel
and thinking, "I'd like to have a new one". It wasn't a rag of a towel. No indeed, it showed a little wear but was certainly serviceable. But he'd had that particular towel for such a very long time! It had certainly fulfilled it duty well but the fact was that he had just grown tired of looking at that same old towel.

As he gazed at the towel hanging there, he was undecided exactly what he should do....so, as was his habit, he prayed about it. He thought and he prayed.... he thought and he prayed... and as he prayed he looked at the towel. The more he prayed and the more he thought, the more guilty he began to feel about the "wanting" of a new towel. "After all", he reasoned, "Some people have no towel at all! How selfish of me!"

Much to his credit he never progressed to the point of actually asking for a new towel because he said he finally realized, "It really is still a perfectly good towel and probably has a lot of service left in it. How greedy and silly of me to want a new one when so many have so little."

Isn't that beautiful! And every word is true. Now that is what anti-consumerism is all about. I like to think I do my part to be a faithful steward of God's stuff but if I had one tenth of that good monk's attitude I'd be a contented soul. We must all beware of the pride of ownership.

Granted Oblates must have stewardship over the things necessary to
get to work, clothe our families, provide nutritious food and all the
stuff we need to live in the world. But we are called to be *in* the
world not *of* the world. Serve and worship God or mammon; we can't
do both! Jesus told us that, Beloveds!

See... I don't think it's just being a little more careful with the water or the gas (both kinds) or the electricity or all the hundred and one disposable goods we use every day.

It's not starting from 100 and reducing by one or two. It's the attitude of starting from zero and keeping the count as close to zero as possible that I'm speaking of.

Perhaps Oblates, "living away from home", can't be quite that minimalist but you get the idea. It's all in the attitude and the commitment. Personally I think the idea of two pair of trousers our good Brother Jerome mentioned is right on the money and I did it myself for a very long time. The I cut the the choice in half..... sort of. I still have two pair of trousers. I have a black pair of trousers and I have... another black pair of trousers. I have more shirts than I have trousers though! They run the color spectrum from black to.....well, black.

I wasn't always like that. I had the closet packed at one time but, thank God, He blessed me with an appreciation for the "less is more" attitude quite some time ago. As far as clothes go, anyway. I would never deprive my wife or family of anything they think is necessary but, for myself, I keep life as simple as I can.

Well, I'm going to Mass now....time to change clothes....this is the week for my black trousers and shirt.

Conservation in the Community-The Tools and Property of the Monastery

2009-11-08T16:29:00.000-08:00

Chapter 32: On the Tools and Property of the Monastery
Mar. 10 - July 10 - Nov. 9
For the care of the monastery's property in tools, clothing and other articles let the Abbess appoint sisters on whose manner of life and character she can rely; and let her, as she shall judge to be expedient, consign the various articles to them, to be looked after and to be collected again. The Abbess shall keep a list of these articles, so that as the sisters succeed one another in their assignments she may know what she gives and what she receives back.

If anyone treats the monastery's property in a slovenly or careless way, let her be corrected. If she fails to amend, let her undergo the discipline of the Rule.

A FEW THOUGHTS.... .

First, let's agree on the basic fact that all Creation belongs to His Majesty. He created it, keeps it in existence and, in the case of sentient beings, will be the Ultimate Judge of our use of it.

Second, that we are merely stewards of God's creation and not the owners of anything. Things in our sphere of influence we temporarily have the use of by God's Bounty.

Third, at the JUDGMENT (our own personal or the general) God will require an account of not only our every word, of how we treated others (practiced charity -- Matt 12: 36), but there will also be an accounting of how well we took care of His "stuff". See the similarity of returning things to the Abbot/less or Cellarer here? Except, of course, for the scope and the consequences of our judgment!

Two old sayings, the first by a tobacco chewing foreman on a dairy farm about 50 years: "Wantin' ain't needin' "; The other by an old Captain of ships in Maine, "Use it up or wear it out; make it do or do without." Both of these wise souls had the right idea about excessive, needless consumerism as far as I'm concerned. But that's a hard sell in a country where there is too much of everything. Where TV shopping channels build vast commercial empires by PUSHING consumerism.

A missionary once told me that a great many of the souls he served in India had never seen a bar of soap in their entire lives. Wouldn't know one if they saw one! There were many who were born, lived a long hard life and then died never having had a roof over their head for one moment.

Want to make a difference. It's pretty simple and you don't have to join the Peace Corp to accomplish it. Turn the water off in the sink while you brush your teeth. If you already do, let me congratulate you! Do you let clean water run from the tap while you are washing dishes instead of only when you are rinsing dishes? Millions of people waste thousands of gallons of potable water every day doing this out of habit. How about the "porcelain throne".... a very personal issue I know but do we really have to flush every single time if there is no solid waste .... okay 'nuf said on that subject.

Millions of souls go to sleep without food or water every night. Will the water you save help them? Probably not, directly. But you won't be guilty of wasting God's water, either. And, you will be contributing your effort to solving the problem. If we all contribute a little bit it will begin to add up. Who knows what affect we can make with something so simple. You know the oceans are composed of DROPS of water.

Most of us have way too much "stuff" already and a some of us spend
most of our time trying to get even more! Jesus asks,"Why build up treasure where thieves break in and steal. Rather build up treasure in your Father's kingdom." Being a faithful steward can build up heavenly treasure.

If you start in small ways and make it a habit, you will begin to discover more ways to conserve. How many sheets of paper do we throw away because of a single mistake at the top of the sheet? How much food do we waste or throw out without a thought? Do we plan trips to the stores where we shop so we don't waste more gas than necessary? It will save you time as well as gas! I worked around 18 wheelers for years and have always tried to persuade drivers to turn off their rigs rather than let them idle for HOURS. If we are truly God's people we must be aware of the unconscionable waste of resources we participate in every day.

Once while washing dishes I used the last drops of my bottle of Dawn,
closed the cap and set it aside to recycle after the dishes were finished. Since my hand were slippery I propped the bottle upside down in a corner of the counter and went about washing the dishes and cleaning the sink. Later when I went to recycle the empty bottle of Dawn I found that enough dish soap to wash two more loads had drained into the neck of what had looked like a totally empty bottle! And after that, you can run hot water into the empty bottle itself, shake it up and get enough soapy water to do few more cups or plates. If you haven't tried it, Beloveds, please do so. What a simple yet wonderfully effective way to conserve.

Please, don't waste HIS stuff! He will be asking for an accounting one of these days!

Our main function as Oblates is to pray for a world that has refused to pray for itself. (Fr. Denis Robinson, OSB, Rector, St. Meinrad School of Theology.)

To love is to labor, to detach and strip oneself for God's sake, of all that is not God. (SJC)

Much love and Many Prayers.....

The LORD gives food to the hungry

2009-11-08T15:54:00.000-08:00

"Do not be afraid.... For the LORD, the God of Israel, says,
'The jar of flour shall not go empty,
nor the jug of oil run dry ....'"

The LORD ... gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free....

The fatherless and the widow he sustains ....

Christ, offered once to take away the sins of many,
will appear a second time, not to take away sin
but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.

A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents.

1 Kings 17:13-14

Psalm 146:7, 9

Hebrews 9:28

The Gospel, Saint Mark 12:42

I think someone took these readings from the Novus Ordo, or post-Vatican II missal, but I really like them and feel that they're an expression of what my Christianity is-or at least should be-about.

I really love the Traditional Latin Mass and now Sunday's my favorite day of the week.

But I feel that I'm a sinner who needs salvation. I knew this for a long time, but I'm taking this fact more seriously now that that I've been attending the Latin Mass and listening to Father's homilies and guidance in the confessional.

I feel that I'm more trusting to the Lord now and the focus on whatever's been going on in my life now-that the important thing is that I'm in a state of Grace-and that the Lord is truly looking after me. And I'm sure He really appreciates the widow dropping her last two cents in the collection basket-while He wishes that many of the more fortunate-such as a millionare who drops only a 20-dollar bill in the basket each Sunday-would be more generous.

Of course, I must be honest that my faith wanes sometimes, like it has recently. I used to say quite a bit that I had "the faith of an atheist", but I have not been feeling that way during the 9 months I've been attending the Latin Mass until recently when I had a setback. I haven't been feeling well lately and been feeling like I need a little more "tender loving care" from the other human beings in my life-not just from the Lord. But they don't always choose to give it. Maybe my faith is being tested right now.

Health Care Bill Didn't Go Through Senate

2009-11-08T15:15:00.000-08:00

House health care bill has nowhere to go in Senate

Play Video ABC News – House Dems Pass Health Care Bill

AP – President Barack Obama speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House about health care reform and Iraq's …

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR, Associated Press Writer Ricardo Alonso-zaldivar, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 12 mins ago

WASHINGTON – The glow from a health care triumph faded quickly for President Barack Obama on Sunday as Democrats realized the bill they fought so hard to pass in the House has nowhere to go in the Senate.

Speaking from the Rose Garden about 14 hours after the late Saturday vote, Obama urged senators to be like runners on a relay team and "take the baton and bring this effort to the finish line on behalf of the American people."

The problem is that the Senate won't run with it. The government health insurance plan included in the House bill is unacceptable to a few Democratic moderates who hold the balance of power in the Senate.

If a government plan is part of the deal, "as a matter of conscience, I will not allow this bill to come to a final vote," said Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Connecticut independent whose vote Democrats need to overcome GOP filibusters.

"The House bill is dead on arrival in the Senate," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said dismissively.

Democrats did not line up to challenge him. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has yet to schedule floor debate and hinted last week that senators may not be able to finish health care this year.

Nonetheless, the House vote provided an important lesson in how to succeed with less-than-perfect party unity, and one that Senate Democrats may be able to adapt. House Democrats overcame their own divisions and broke an impasse that threatened the bill after liberals grudgingly accepted tougher restrictions on abortion funding, as abortion opponents demanded.

In Senate, the stumbling block is the idea of the government competing with private insurers. Liberals may have to swallow hard and accept a deal without a public plan in order to keep the legislation alive. As in the House, the compromise appears to be to the right of the political spectrum.

Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine, who voted for a version of the Senate bill in committee, has given the Democrats a possible way out. She's proposing to allow a government plan as a last resort, if after a few years premiums keep escalating and local health insurance markets remain in the grip of a few big companies. This is the "trigger" option.

That approach appeals to moderates such as Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La. "If the private market fails to reform, there would be a fallback position," Landrieu said last week. "It should be triggered by choice and affordability, not by political whim."

Lieberman said he opposes the public plan because it could become a huge and costly entitlement program. "I believe the debt can break America and send us into a recession that's worse than the one we're fighting our way out of today," he said.

For now, Reid is trying to find the votes for a different approach: a government plan that states could opt out of.

The Senate is not likely to jump ahead this week on health care. Reid will keep meeting with senators to see if he can work out a political formula that will give him not only the 60 votes needed to begin debate, but the 60 needed to shut off discussion and bring the bill to a final vote.

Toward the end of the week, the Congressional Budget Office may report back with a costs and coverage estimate on Reid's bill, which he assembled from legislation passed by the Finance Committee and the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. The Finance Committee version does not include a government plan.

Reid has pledged to Obama that he will get the bill done by the end of the year and remains committed to doing that, according to a Senate leadership aide.

Both the House and Senate bills gradually would extend coverage to nearly all Americans by providing government subsidies to help pay premiums. The measures would bar insurers' practices such as charging more to those in poor health or denying them coverage altogether.

All Americans would be required to carry health insurance, either through an employer, a government plan or by purchasing it on their own.

To keep down costs, the government subsidies and consumer protections don't take effect until 2013. During the three-year transition, both bills would provide $5 billion in federal dollars to help get coverage for people with medical problems who are turned down by private insurers.

Both House and Senate would expand significantly the federal-state Medicaid health program for low-income people.

The majority of people with employer-provided health insurance would not see changes. The main beneficiaries would be some 30 million people who have no coverage at work or have to buy it on their own. The legislation would create a federally regulated marketplace where they could shop for coverage.

The are several major differences between the bills.

_The House would require employers to provide coverage; the Senate does not.

_The House would pay for the coverage expansion by raising taxes on upper-income earners; the Senate uses a variety of taxes and fees, including a levy on high-cost insurance plans.

_The House plan costs about $1.2 trillion over 10 years; the Senate version is under $900 billion.

By defusing the abortion issue — at least for now — the House may have helped the long-term prospects for the bill. Catholic bishops also eager to expand society's safety net may yet endorse the final legislation.

Lieberman appeared on "Fox News Sunday," while Graham was CBS' "Face the Nation."

Upcoming Holy/Feast Days (and All Hallows' Eve)

2009-10-29T15:36:00.000-07:00

October 2009

28 St. Jude
31 All Hallows Eve (Halloween)

November 2009

1 All Saints
2 All Souls
3 St. Martin de Porres
3 Ven. Solanus Casey

Sorry, I "caught" this part of the liturgical calendar a little too late to be posting St. Jude's feast day (which was yesterday.) Here are 3 feast days in November (and a day in October to "feast" on candy-lol! OK, that may not be the purpose of a feast day-but some of us love to "stuff" ourselves with candy-or at least have a few chocolates to nibble on.)

Beginning of Monastic and Scholastic Theology

2009-10-28T15:14:00.000-07:00

Just 4 days to go in our critical Countdown appeal. Please help by October 31st!
Advertise in this spot on CatholicCulture.org. View all ads.
News
Pope, at audience, traces first flowering of monastic and scholastic theology October 28, 2009
At his regular weekly public audience on Wednesday, October 28, Pope Benedict XVI continued his series of talks on the development of Christian thought, moving into the 12th century with its enormous expansion of theological studies. The Gregorian reform had taken effect, the Pope said, bringing "a greater evangelical purity" to the Church, and among the results were the development on monastic and scholastic theology, which would produce the great works of Sts. Bonaventure and Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century.
Monastic theology, the Holy Father said, was characterized by a careful attention to the Word of God. He recommended that approach today, urging to faith "to reserve a certain time each day for meditation on the Bible." The scholastic approach, he continued, developed the style of argument known as the quaestion, which is "not easy for modern mentality to understand." But behind that unfamiliar form was the clear recognition that "faith and reason, in reciprocal dialogue, tremble with joy when they are both animated by the search for intimate union with God."
Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.
Latin Theology Flourished in the 12th Century (VIS)

It's Your Turn to Sound Off!
» Only Donors are allowed to Sound Off! Make a small contribution, and Sound Off!

Sound Off! Comments
There are no comments yet for this item. Be the first to Sound Off!

Do We Have to Close the Hospitals?

2009-10-28T15:06:00.000-07:00

Columbian High Court: Catholic Hospitals Must Provide Abortions!!!

Advertise in this spot on CatholicCulture.org. View all ads.
News
Colombian high court rules Catholic hospitals must provide abortions October 28, 2009
Claiming that mothers “enjoy a right to decide, free from any pressure, coercion, urging, manipulation and, in general, any sort of inadmissible intervention, to terminate a pregnancy” when abortion is permitted by law, the Colombian Constitutional Court has ruled that all hospitals, whether secular or religious, must retain doctors who are willing to perform abortions. The court also ruled that Catholic schools must educate students about their “abortion rights”-- a ruling that Catholic officials vowed to disobey.
Following a request from the nation’s pro-life inspector general, the Council of State has temporarily put the ruling on hold.
Since 2006, abortion has been legal in Colombia in the cases of rape, incest, certain birth defects, and threats to the mother’s life or health.
Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.
Center Praises Momentous Decision in Abortion Case in Colombia (Center for Reproductive Rights)
Catholic officials protest court ruling to teach about abortion rights (CNS)
Colombia's Council of State suspends regulations permitting abortion (CNA)
Abortion under attack (Colombia Reports)
State Council suspends abortion decree (Colombia Reports)

It's Your Turn to Sound Off!
» Only Donors are allowed to Sound Off! Make a small contribution, and Sound Off!

Sound Off! Comments
Posted by: hartwood - Today 1:19 PM ET USA
no recourse but to close all Catholic hospitals there,what a travesty!

White Ribbon Against Pornography

2009-10-27T19:57:00.000-07:00

NEWS RELEASE from MORALITY IN MEDIA, INC.
475 Riverside Drive, Suite 1264, New York, NY 10115
Contact: Robert Peters 1-212-870-3210
Purpose of this week’s White Ribbon Against Pornography Week (Oct. 25 – Nov. 1) is to raise public awareness about the hardcore pornography problem and to promote enforcement of obscenity and related laws NEW YORK (October 26, 2009)(Italics mine) —

This year, the annual White Ribbon Against Pornography (WRAP) Week runs Sunday, Oct. 25, through Sunday, Nov. 1. WRAP Week is intended to inform the public and public officials about the harms of pornography and the need to enforce obscenity and related laws. Resources for individuals and groups are available at www.moralityinmedia.org ("WRAP Campaign"). These include information about ordering white ribbons and a sheet describing what citizens can do during WRAP Week and throughout the year, sample letter to U.S. Attorney General Holder, sample letter to state prosecutors, sample Proclamation, and sample prayers and sermons. MIM President Robert Peters had the following comments: "Our nation is facing a moral crisis which is giving rise to, among other things, teen promiscuity, sexually transmitted diseases (including AIDS), abortions, children born to single mothers, divorces, sexual abuse of children, rape, trafficking in women and children, on-the-job sexual harassment and lost worker productivity. The costs associated with these problems are incalculable. "It is clear that the explosion of hardcore pornography on the Internet and elsewhere is fueling this moral crisis. It is also clear that ignoring the problem (the Clinton administration) and failing to take necessary steps to effectively curb the problem (the Bush administration) won’t solve the problem. "The government's ongoing failure to enforce federal obscenity laws should be a matter of great concern to President Obama and Attorney General Holder. "While enforcement of obscenity laws is not the whole answer to the pornography problem, vigorous enforcement will put many hardcore pornographers out of business and encourage others to get or stay out. It will also send the message that pornography is a moral and social evil. Youth especially need to hear this message. "The Supreme Court has held that obscenity laws can be enforced against ‘hardcore pornography,’ and these days most commercially distributed pornography is ‘hardcore.’ Among other things, hardcore pornography depicts teen promiscuity, group sex, gang bangs, marital infidelity, sex with prostitutes, siblings and animals, sex mixed with excrement, and the rape and torture of women. "The Court has also said there are ‘legitimate governmental interests’ at stake in stemming the tide of commercialized obscenity, which include protecting public safety, family life, and morality, and maintaining a decent society. "Clearly, children also need protection both from exposure to hardcore pornography and from sexual predators who use this material to groom their victims and arouse themselves." Support Morality in Media, Inc.'s Work to Fight Obscenity Forward this message to a friend Morality in Media, Inc.475 Riverside Drive, Suite 1264New York, NY 101151-212-870-3222 Phone1-212-870-2765 Faxmim@moralityinmedia.org http://www.moralityinmedia.org http://www.obscenitycrimes.org MORALITY IN MEDIA, INC is a national, [501(c)(3)], interfaith organization established in 1962 to combat obscenity and uphold decency standards in the media. It maintains the National Obscenity Law Center, a clearinghouse of legal materials on obscenity law. MIM operates the ObscenityCrimes.org Web site, where citizens can report possible violations of federal Internet obscenity laws to Federal prosecutors. Donations are tax-deductible.

Lefebvrists Want to Come Back

2009-10-26T21:20:00.000-07:00

Talks between the Vatican and Lefebvrists have begun

2009-10-26 13:20:34 Printer Friendly Send to a Friend

October 26, 2009. Traditional Lefebvrists want to return to the Catholic Church and the Vatican has agreed to start to discuss the conditions for their potential come back.

In the first meeting at the Vatican, the two delegations drafted a plan and work schedule.

The Lefebvrists don’t accept certain points of the teachings of recent popes nor some principles of the Second Vatican Council, like religious freedom, the possibility of dialogue with other religions and churches and collegiality among bishops.

In January, Benedict XVI lifted the excommunication of the bishops ordained irregularly by Marcel Lefebvre.
But since their status is still unclear they’re not considered part of the Catholic hierarchy.

According to their data, Lefebvrists have more than 400 priests, several hundred religious and seminarians and about 100,000 followers worldwide.

PVB/MC - JM

Pro-Life Student Isolated for Joining Abortion Awareness Day

2009-10-23T20:06:00.000-07:00

From:

"Steven Ertelt"

Pro-Life Canadian Student Placed in Isolation for Joining Abortion Awareness Day

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
October 21, 2009
http://www.lifenews .com/int1367. html

Petersborough, Canada (LifeNews.com) -- The story of a pro-life student in Canada is generating concerns for the pro-life group that sponsored the recent Pro-Life Silent Day of Solidarity. Jennifer Rankin arrived at Peninsula Shores ready to participate in the event but found herself placed in isolation.

Hundreds of thousands of pro-life advocates joined the silent day on Tuesday wearing red tape on their mouths or red armbands to protest the millions of abortions that take place in Canada and the United States.

Rankin joined them by wearing red tape and preparing to pass out a flier to anyone who asked her why she would remain silent throughout the school day.

Instead, a school principal alerted police and met Rankin and her mother at the entrance where she told them that the protest is not welcome at the school. Ultimately, school officials allowed Rankin into the building but kept her in isolation away from other students.

"I was taken directly into a small room that was opposite the vice-principal' s office and I was in there all day," Rankin told the Petersborough Examiner newspaper. "I wasn't allowed to speak with or see any other students and students were not allowed to come and see me and I was isolated in that room for the entire day."

She told the paper that she feels she was subject to unfair discrimination because of her pro-life views.

"I felt very discriminated by it. I don't think it was right at all what happened," Rankin said.

School principal Pat Cavan told the Examiner that the protest violated school policy.

"School property is not a public place," Cavan said. "So while absolutely we support the right to free speech in a public space, that's not school property."

Cavan said she told Rankin about how she could not participate in the protest days in advance and Rankin was the only student to show interest after school officials stopped her and her friends last year.

Bryan Kemper, the head of Stand True ministries, the national sponsor of the Silent Day campaign, told LifeNews.com he is disappointed by the incident.

"What happened to Jennifer is atrocious and the principal of the school should be charged with child abuse. The punishment he gave Jennifer is that of a criminal charged with a violent crime, not a young girl who was speaking out for life and against violence," he said.

"I am in shock that the principal would be standing there with police cruisers waiting to arrest a child for voicing an opinion. This honestly sounds like a plot to some futuristic movie, this can't be the times we live in now can it?" he added.

Kemper called Jennifer a "true hero who should be applauded for her courage and willingness to sacrifice."

"I would be so proud if my daughters turned out as amazing as Jennifer," he said.

Related web sites:
Silent Day - http://www.silentda y.org

Why Not Mary?

2009-10-23T18:33:00.000-07:00

Oct22

Beyond the Rhetoric: Why Not Mary?

By: Msgr. Charles Pope

Most of us who are Catholics eventually get asked, “Why do you Catholics worship Mary?” More often than not the question is not a real question it is a rhetorical question. For a few of you who might not know what is meant by the expression “rhetorical question,” it refers to a “question” whose purpose is not to seek an answer, but, rather, to make a (usually hostile) point. For example the expression “Who do you think you are!?” is in the form of a question but it does not seek an answer. Instead it is meant as a rebuke. And so it usually is when we Catholics get asked the “question” Why do you worship Mary?” we’re usually aware that it is not a sincere question seeking a sincere answer. However, for those cases where an answer really is sought I might propose the following approach:

“Well, of course we don’t worship Mary since that would be a terrible sin. Worship belongs to God alone. We DO honor her though. Afterall, she is Jesus’ mother. But let me ask you a question. Why in your church, do you NOT honor Mary at all? Doesn’t scripture say Every generation will call [Mary] blessed because God who is mighty has done great things for [her]? (Luke 1:48-49) It seems to me that we Catholics are fulfilling scripture but that in your denomination you are not fulfilling or following it. So why don’t you honor her at all? Why don’t you call her blessed as the Bible says?”

Now stop there and wait for an answer. Don’t keep going. Just stop and wait. Have them answer for a change. We Catholics are always on the defensive, always in answer mode. But we ought to ask a few questions too. And try to avoid a merely rhetorical or hostile tone. Try to allow this question to be genuine, respectful, one meant to provoke thought. It is possible that many Protestants have never been asked this question or pondered an answer. Now it is also possible that your interlocutor will try to change the subject or evade an answer by piling on about Catholics but just repeat the question respectfully and ask for an answer. Remember your point is not to argue, be hostile or win an argument. Your point is to provoke thought and get a real answer. And even if the conversation ends badly or with no answer, you’ve planted a seed, a question that they will ponder even if they don’t admit it. Jesus often asked questions to proke thought and conversion. I will be doing a post on this next week.

A final thought on Mary. Another way to explain out devotion and love for Mary is that we are imitating Jesus. We love, honor, respect and entrust ourselves to her care because Jesus did all these things and we want to be just like Jesus. Consider that the very Son of God, dwelled in Mary’s womb, nursed at her breasts, was held in her arms, sat on her lap and entrusted himself to her care. Our Lord could have chosen to enter our world in other ways. Perhaps He could simply have entered the world as a full grown man. The fact is that He freely chose Mary to be his mother and he was truly her Son. As her son he loved and honored her as any good son must and as her son he entrusted himself to her care. All of this serves to highlight Mary’s dignity and to show us how devotion to her is in perfect imitation of Jesus himself.

What more need we say: Jesus our Lord and God honors and loves Mary, and his very scriptures sing her praises; so too His Angel Gabriel and countless saints. When we honor Mary we imitate the very Son of God and fulfill Holy Scripture. Certainly our Lord is pleased that we love and honor his mother.

Here’s a little viseo I recently put together. The Music is from the Daughters of St Paul, “I Am Thine” from the Handmaiden of the Lord Album:

St. Therese Behind Anglican Ordinariate

2009-10-23T18:24:00.000-07:00

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Anglican Bishop Confirms St. Therese is Behind Anglican Ordinariate

Yesterday we conveyed the suspicion of former Episcopal and now Kansas City Catholic priest, Father Ernie Davis, that the intercession of St. Therese of Lisieux was behind the Vatican’s move to provide a structure to welcome Anglicans into full communion. Now, the Anglican Catholic Bishop of Canada strongly confirms that thought.

Father Davis, who leads St. Therese Little Flower parish in Kansas City which hosts an Anglican Use community, wrote of the news from the Vatican:

Anglicans and Catholics flocked to visit the relics of Saint Therese of Lisieux as they made a very recent pilgrimage to England. Her relics rested on her 2009 feast day at York Minster, the Cathedral of the Anglican Archbishop of York. When I read about that, I told the people here at St. Therese Little Flower that she was working on something big. In other words, preparations for this Apostolic Constitution have been in process for 170 years, and some of the preparations have been made at levels that are higher than popes.

The Traditional Anglican Communion Bishop of Canada saw the claim and sent an email today to Father Davis with remarkable details of St. Therese’ intercession. Here’s the email:

Dear Father Davis,

Your story about the Anglican Ordinariate and St Therese (which came to me via England this morning) is very interesting. And I can tell you another connexion with her.

I am the Anglican Catholic Bishop of Canada in the TAC. I was present at the Synod of TAC Bishops in Portsmouth England in October 2007 which voted unanimously to ask for full communion, and signed the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The first full day of the Synod was October 1st, the 'new' date of St Therese's feast, and the actual vote to ask for full communion was taken on October 3rd 'old' date of her feast.

I also accompanied the Primate and Bishop Robert Mercer CR to deliver the Letter to the CDF where we had been directed by the Holy Father. My friend Mother Teresa of the Carmel in Edmonton had given me some holy cards with a piece of cloth touched to her relics. Each of us carried one of these cards, and we asked St Therese's prayers on our venture. We also had similar cards from Poland of the Servant of God John Paul II.

I have continued 'to bother her' about a favourable response to our request, and now thanks to the generosity and love of the Holy Father who has taken a personal interest in us for many years, and the prayers of St Therese, something wonderful has come about.

God bless you,

+Peter Wilkinson, OSG
Bishop Ordinary
Anglican Catholic Church of Canada
TAC

Father Davis has posted the letter at his blog, which is also on our blog roll. He's been quiet for a while, working on a book, but I'll bet it'll be worth checking in there as things progress.

Vatican-Convert SSPX to Personal Prelature?

2009-10-23T18:17:00.000-07:00

Vatican could convert Lefebvrists into personal prelature, says Fellay

Comments: 25

Santiago, Chile, Oct 22, 2009 / 01:03 pm (CNA).- In an interview with the Chilean daily, “El Mercurio,” the Superior General of the Society of St. Pius X, Bernard Fellay, acknowledged that the Vatican is considering the possibility of converting the Lefebvrist group into a personal prelature as part of the discussions aimed at bringing about reconciliation.

Fellay, who visited members of the SSPX movement in Chile, is one of four bishops whose excommunication was lifted by Pope Benedict XVI last January. Asked about the speculation that the Society of Pius X could be made into a personal prelature similar to Opus Dei, Fellay responded, “There is a lot of truth to that. I think the Vatican is moving towards that kind of canonical solution.”

He also noted that the controversy unleashed by Bishop Richard Williamson’s statements on the Nazi holocaust “was a well-planned attack, not against the Society, but directly against the person of Pope Benedict XVI, in order to tarnish his gesture.”

Too Many Laws Send Grandma to Jail

2009-10-20T15:30:00.000-07:00

Too Many Laws Send Grandma to Jail
Chuck Colson
BreakPoint
October 19, 2009
Lisa Snyder is the kind of neighbor everybody likes to have. Every school day, the Michigan mom welcomed neighborhood children into her home—kids whose mothers have to leave for work an hour before the school bus picks up the kids. Snyder didn't charge anything—she just wanted to be a good neighbor.
But then someone reported Snyder to the authorities—and the state of Michigan told her to stop babysitting, or else. The Michigan Department of Human Services said if Snyder wanted to take care of unrelated kids in her home, she had to get a daycare license.
It's an example of laws gone wild—too many regulations, and too little common sense.
And that's not even the worst example. Last March an Indiana grandmother named Sally Harpold was arrested for buying two boxes of cold medicine in less than a week. That's illegal, if the combined boxes contain more than three grams of pseudoephedrine. They did—which put Harpold in violation of state laws regulating methamphetamine, which can be made from pseudoephedrine.
Harpold—who was handcuffed and booked—wasn't running a meth lab. She was buying medicine for her three sick grandchildren. But the local prosecutor was unapologetic. Harpold, she said, ought to have known the law.
That might be easier if there weren't so many local, state, and federal laws to keep track of. While Harpold is catching up on her legal reading, maybe the prosecutor can take care of her sick grandchildren.
Happily, in Michigan, common sense prevailed. Governor Jennifer Granholm ordered the Department of Human Services to work with lawmakers to change the daycare law to protect people who are simply trying to be good neighbors.
Sally Harpold was not so fortunate. She had to go into an alternative punishment program, and pay attorney fees and court costs.
With cases like these, it's no wonder Americans are growing increasingly distrustful of government—and of the growing numbers of laws and regulations that are making daily life, well, difficult!
Part of the problem is that we have lost the biblical view of the role of government, which is to preserve order, restrain evil, and promote justice. Government has no legitimate interest in slapping the helping hands of citizens like Lisa Snyder. Rather, government should promote neighborly charity! When it comes to helping a neighbor in trouble, government is not the answer. Good neighbors are.
The Reformers understood this, and called it "sphere sovereignty." Each institution—family, church, and the private associations—knew their job.
In Catholic social teaching, it was called the principle of "subsidiarity," recognizing that the interests of individuals are best served by the institution closest to them.
In both traditions, government should perform only those functions which can't be performed by these "intermediate structures."
But the other part of the "laws-gone-wild problem" is we ourselves. As the moral order of society breaks down, government—and its laws—step in to fill the void and to prevent chaos.
Indiana banned buying too much cold medicine because of the plague of methamphetamine. When we can no longer master our own cravings and inclinations to evil—in other words, when we can no longer govern ourselves—we invite government intervention. And grandmas like Sally Harpold get dragged off in handcuffs.
Time to wake up and apply biblical teachings to the role of government and the individual.
Chuck Colson's daily BreakPoint commentary airs each weekday on more than one thousand outlets with an estimated listening audience of one million people. BreakPoint provides a Christian perspective on today's news and trends via radio, interactive media, and print.
Related Links
Christian Charity: Good News in Hard Times -- Ken Connor
Carrots and Sticks: The Bailout's Unintended Consequences -- Ken Connor

Welcome, Anglicans!

2009-10-20T15:07:00.000-07:00

Welcome, Anglicans!

The big news today (predicted in Phil Lawler's blog yesterday) is the Vatican's announcement that it will accept into the Church Anglican congregations who wish to reunite with Rome. The relevant provisions will be set forth in a new Apostolic Constitution, responding to the many requests from Anglican congregations throughout the world.This will provide for Anglican congregations to retain many distinctively Anglican traditions, and to be governed by a new ordinariate consisting, for the most part, of former Anglican bishops and priests who have entered the Church.Phil Lawler explains everything in his In Depth Analysis, The Pope's bold invitation to Anglicans.The return to Rome of an extraordinarily large number of Anglicans will enrich the Church in many ways, not least by providing fine vernacular texts composed in a time of deeper religious sensibilities. Most important, of course, is the incorporation of all that is worthy in Anglicanism into the true worship offered to the Father by Christ, head and members.To understand what I mean, see my latest blog reflection, Putting the Liturgy in Perspective.In other good news, Phil Lawler believes he sees a trend toward militant orthodoxy in the very highest curial appointments. See Making people squirm in On the News.But there is some strange news as well, especially the standing ovation given to a Wisconsin priest when he told his congregation of his suspension from the priesthood. See Applauding a failed priest in On the Culture.Meanwhile, a significant initiative of our own grows stronger by the day. If you haven't yet looked in on Peter Mirus' On Business blog, you'll find practical food for thought in two recent items which should be useful to just about everybody: Personality Types and the "God Experience" and This one is for the sufferers.Many examples of solidarity today!Jeff MirusPresidentTrinity Communications
http://www.catholicculture.org/ - Email: http://us.mc839.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=contact@catholicculture.org
To learn more or make a tax-deductible contribution, visit https://www.CatholicCulture.org/users/donate.cfm today.
To unsubscribe from the CatholicCulture.org email lists, log in to CatholicCulture.org, go into your Account area, and use the "Control Email" link. We reserve the right to send occasional fundraising requests to your address, as this is essential to our mission, but there is no obligation to contribute. Therefore, to avoid fund-raising messages, you must email us requesting that your account be cancelled entirely, which means you will no longer have access to any of our resources.
Trinity Communications - 9200 Church Street, Suite 201, Manassas, VA 20110.
[Sent to dymphna.smiles@att.net]

A web service from Trinity Communications. © 2009Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Welcome, Anglicans!
Dear Paula,
The big news today (predicted in Phil Lawler's blog yesterday) is the Vatican's announcement that it will accept into the Church Anglican congregations who wish to reunite with Rome. The relevant provisions will be set forth in a new Apostolic Constitution, responding to the many requests from Anglican congregations throughout the world.This will provide for Anglican congregations to retain many distinctively Anglican traditions, and to be governed by a new ordinariate consisting, for the most part, of former Anglican bishops and priests who have entered the Church.Phil Lawler explains everything in his In Depth Analysis, The Pope's bold invitation to Anglicans.The return to Rome of an extraordinarily large number of Anglicans will enrich the Church in many ways, not least by providing fine vernacular texts composed in a time of deeper religious sensibilities. Most important, of course, is the incorporation of all that is worthy in Anglicanism into the true worship offered to the Father by Christ, head and members.To understand what I mean, see my latest blog reflection, Putting the Liturgy in Perspective.In other good news, Phil Lawler believes he sees a trend toward militant orthodoxy in the very highest curial appointments. See Making people squirm in On the News.But there is some strange news as well, especially the standing ovation given to a Wisconsin priest when he told his congregation of his suspension from the priesthood. See Applauding a failed priest in On the Culture.Meanwhile, a significant initiative of our own grows stronger by the day. If you haven't yet looked in on Peter Mirus' On Business blog, you'll find practical food for thought in two recent items which should be useful to just about everybody: Personality Types and the "God Experience" and This one is for the sufferers.Many examples of solidarity today!Jeff MirusPresidentTrinity Communications
http://www.catholicculture.org/ - Email: http://us.mc839.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=contact@catholicculture.org

Web service from Trinity Communications - 9200 Church Street, Suite 201, Manassas, VA 20110.

Whaaaaaat?????????

2009-10-16T16:22:00.000-07:00

Parents, Obey Your Children?

Albert Mohler

Author, Speaker, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Literary critic Lionel Trilling once referred to "the dark and bloody crossroads where literature and politics meet." In reality, almost all literature is political in some sense. Oddly enough, the most explicitly subversive literature is often presented to the very youngest among us -- our children. Far too many parents seem not to notice.

In "The Defiant Ones," a recent essay published in the New Yorker, Daniel Zalewski argues that picture books for children now reflect a world turned upside down in terms of the relationship between parent and child. As he explains, in the newest picture books for children, the kids are solidly in charge.

In this sense, the books we read to our children reflect the cultural values of our age. Inescapably, these narratives for children reveal far more than a storyline. Indeed, the books tell us more than we may want to know about the tenor of our times.

And Zalewski explains:

Like the novel or the sitcom, the picture book records shifts in domestic life: newspaper-burrowing fathers have been replaced by eager, if bumbling, diaper-changers. Similarly, the stern disciplinarians of the past—in Robert McCloskey books, parents instruct children not to cry—have largely vanished. The parents in today's stories suffer the same diminution in authority felt by the parents reading them aloud (an hour past bedtime). The typical adult in a contemporary picture book is harried and befuddled, scurrying to fulfill a child's wishes and then hesitantly drawing the line.

Zalewski's insight into the revelatory character of books for children is truly important. As he knows, today's parents have indeed experienced a "diminution in authority" that is unprecedented in human history. Increasingly, it is children who have the upper hand in the power equation. Parents, who have been drinking deeply from the wells of contemporary secular parenting advice, have largely become passive facilitators in the lives of their children.

As Zalewski argues, today's young parents "learn that there are many things they must never do to their willful young child: spank, scold, bestow frequent praise, criticize, plead, withhold affection, take away toys, 'model' angry emotions, intimidate, bargain, nag." In other words, "nearly all forms of discipline appear morally suspect."

Modern "experts" like Alfie Kohn now go so far as to argue that rewarding children for good behavior is virtually as injurious to the child as punishing children for negative behavior. Arguing against what he calls "conditional parenting," Kohn came out against everything from the "time out" to positive reinforcement. Writing recently in The New York Times, Kohn asserted:

The Gift of Knowledge

2009-09-28T17:50:00.000-07:00

Knowledge: A Gift of the Holy Spirit
By Scott P. Richert, About.com
See More About:
knowledge
the gifts of the holy spirit
sanctifying grace
faith
the theological virtues
The Fifth Gift of the Holy Spirit:
Knowledge is the fifth of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit enumerated in Isaiah 11:2-3. They are present in their fullness in Jesus Christ, Whom Isaiah foretold (Isaiah 11:1), but they are available to all Christians who are in a state of grace. We receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit when we are infused with sanctifying grace—when, for example, we receive a sacrament worthily. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church notes, "They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them." When we are infused with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit as if by instinct.
The Perfection of Faith:
Like wisdom, knowledge perfects the theological virtue of faith. The aims of knowledge and wisdom are different, however. Whereas wisdom helps us to penetrate divine truth and prepares us to judge all things according to that truth, knowledge gives us that ability to judge. As Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J., writes in his Modern Catholic Dictionary, "The object of this gift is the whole spectrum of created things insofar as they lead one to God."
The Application of Knowledge:
Knowledge allows us to see the circumstances of our life as God sees them, albeit in a more limited way, since we are limited by our human nature. Through the exercise of knowledge, we can ascertain God's purpose in our lives and His reason for placing us in our particular circumstances. As Father Hardon notes, knowledge is sometimes called "the science of the saints," because "it enables those who have the gift to discern easily and effectively between the impulses of temptation and the inspirations of grace." Judging all things in the light of divine truth, we can more easily distinguish between the promptings of God and the subtle wiles of the devil.

Pope's Poerful Challenge to Secularism in Czech Republic

2009-09-28T17:25:00.000-07:00

Catholic World News (CWN)Feature Stories
In Czech Republic, Pope Benedict's powerful challenge to secularism (Subscribe to RSS Feed)
Sep. 28, 2009 (CWNews.com) -
During a weekend visit to the Czech Republic, Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) surveyed the damage done to that nation by generations of Communist rule, and warned the Czech people against socialist materialism with secular materialism. "Man needs to be liberated from material oppressions", the Pontiff insisted.
In an unusual number of public speeches crowded into a 3-day schedule, the Pope repeatedly challenged the people of the Czech Republic to follow the example set by the great saints of their past history, revive a precious Christian heritage, and bring help to a society that is longing for true freedom but does not know how to find it.
The Pope began his trip-- the 13th foreign voyage of his pontificate-- on Saturday morning, and arrived in Prague shortly before noon. He was greeted at the airport by Czech President Vaclav Klaus.
During the welcoming ceremony the Pope outlined the theme that he would continue to develop, from different perspectives, throughout his stay. The Czech Republic, he said, has a deeply rooted Christian culture that can be traced back to the evangelization of Sts. Cyril and Methodius. Their country "has been a meeting point for different peoples, traditions and cultures," and consequently has played an important part in European history-- "sometimes as a battleground, more often as a bridge."
The recent history of the Czech people is clouded by the years of Communist rule, and "the cost of 40 years of political repression is not to be underestimated," the Pope continued. The atheistic regime strove to silence the voice of the Church, but brave Christians "kept the flame of faith alive." Now that religious freedom has been restored, the Church should be a powerful witness in a secular society.
The Pope's challenge was directed at a Czech population that has become thoroughly secularized, with religious influence dwindling in the past generation. But the huge throngs who greeted the Pope demonstrated that the flame of faith is still alive. On Saturday afternoon the Pope visited one of the centers of that enduring faith, the shrine of the Infant Jesus of Prague. As he venerated the famous statue the Pope prayed for the welfare of troubled families.
Later in the afternoon the Pontiff traveled to Prague Castle for a formal meeting with President Havel, followed by talks with other political leaders. In an address there the Pope remarked that 20 years have now passed since the "Velvet Revolution" that swept the Communist government from power, and "the process of healing and rebuilding continues." The Czech people still seek true freedom, he said, and that freedom can only be attained through a recognition of truth. The truth about European society, he continued, cannot be understood apart from a recognition of that society's Christian heritage.
Prague, the Pope reminded the Czech political leaders, is often called "the heart of Europe." He asked them to consider how they could understand this "heart," and suggested that "a clue is found in the architectural jewels that adorn this city." The architecture confirms the Christian heritage, he observed. "The creative encounter of the classical tradition and the Gospel gave birth to a vision of man and society attentive to God's presence among us."
On Saturday evening, at he led a Vespers service in the city's cathedral, the Pope delivered the same message in even stronger form. "Society continues to suffer from the wounds caused by atheist ideology, and it is often seduced by the modern mentality of hedonistic consumerism amid a dangerous crisis of human and religious values and a growing drift towards ethical and cultural relativism," he said. Catholics must take the lead in guiding society back toward a model of Christian humanism.
Pope Benedict flew from Prague to Brno on Sunday morning, and celebrated an outdoor Mass there for a congregation of about 120,000. Again he lamented the development of a secular materialism in which Christian faith and hope "have been relegated to the private and other-worldly sphere." An intense public focus on economic and scientific progress has produced very mixed results, he reminded the congregation. Christians must provide the necessary counterpoint, constantly reminding their neighbors that reality is not confined to the visible, material world.
In the afternoon the Pope met with the Czech bishops, and renewed his warning against the forces in society that seek "to marginalize the influence of Christianity upon public life" and the "artificial separation of the Gospel from intellectual and public life." The Church, Pope Benedict said, must show "a spirit of courage to share the timeless saving truths" that bring hope to the world.
Returning to Prague Castle on Sunday evening, the Pope gave an address to Czech university faculty and students, delivering a message that reminded many listeners of the Pontiff's famous lecture at the University of Regensburg. The scholarly world, he reminded his audience, "is directed to the pursuit of truth, and as such gives expression to a tenet of Christianity which in fact gave rise to the university." For decades, the aspirations that fuel university life were suppressed by an ideology that stunted the human spirit. But the quest for truth and for freedom "can never be eliminated, and as history has shown, it is denied at humanity's own peril."
There is still enough risk, the Pope said, that academic life will be stunted by "the temptation to detach reason from the pursuit of truth." A spirit of dogmatic relativism, he said, "provides a dense camouflage behind which new threats to the autonomy of academic institutions can lurk." Again the net result is deadly to the scholarly enterprise, the Pope said: "An understanding of reason that is deaf to the divine and which relegates religions into the realm of subcultures, is incapable of entering into the dialogue of cultures that our world so urgently needs."
September 28 is the feast of St. Wenceslas, and the Pope traveled to the church of St. Wenceslas in Stara Boleslav, outside Prague, to join in an annual pilgrimage to the site of the 10th-century martyr's death. There the Pontiff again celebrated an outdoor Mass, and in his homily exhorted the Czech faithful to imitate the virtue of St. Wenceslas, a generous king who gave first priority to the welfare of his people and to his own spiritual growth. "Do we not place more value today on worldly success and glory?" the Pope asked. "Yet how long does earthly success last, and what value does it have?"
Once more the Pope referred to the end of the Communist era, pointing out that with the fall of that regime, the members of the political elite were suddenly ousted from power. They had been affluent, comfortable, and confident, the Pope said. "Yet one need only scratch the surface to realize how sad and unfulfilled these people are." Christians must learn from St. Wenceslas, he said-- and pass the message along to others-- to have "the courage to prefer to kingdom of heaven to the enticement of worldly power."
After the Mass, the Pope offered a special word of advice to the young people in the congregation. "In every young person there is an aspiration toward happiness," he said. That aspiration is fundamentally healthy, but it can be manipulated and exploited by secularism and materialism "in false and alienating ways." The Pope encouraged young people to preserve their aspirations, take them seriously, and continue in the pursuit of true and lasting happiness until they discover, as St. Augustine discovered, "that Jesus Christ alone is the answer that can satisfy his and every person's desire for a life of happiness, filled with meaning and value."

Sister Cat, Brother Skunk

2009-09-26T15:12:00.000-07:00

Another lady and I have been feeding a cat that was wandering around the neighborhood-or at least we were hoping the cat was getting some of the food. But lately people have been seeing skunks-not cats-on the property.

In fact one lady here said she was "stalked" by a great big skunk and another one said she saw two of them together.

Thursday, the cat food dish disappeared. I found out today that the maintenance man had taken it because a skunk was caught eating the cat's food. A skunk was trapped and picked up by Critter Control. I saw a trap over by the dumpster today to catch another one.

One lady looked me in the eye and told me that skunks kill cats; she's seen them rip the cats apart. (What a thing to hear right before dinner-gross!) So the cat may have either quit coming around because the skunk scared her or because he ate her.

We had some objections to our feeding the cat ever since another lady and I were given some cat food and asked to feed her. The objections had to do with attracting wild animals-especially skunks-who would eat the cat food and harm the cat or the people here-or dig around in the trash.

The day I found out about the cat I had a bag of stuff from Salvation Army-one of my favorite stores-in my hand. I wanted a cat so bad that that I purchased a wood "cutout" the shape of a cat-probably part of a kid's toy. I was thinking of what to name it. I wanted to name it "Wishbone" because of my wish to have a kitty and then to hear I have one to feed near my building. Then I thought of "Caritas," the Latin word for "charity"-or "Charity," the English word for "charity."

Whenever I referred (or refurred) to the cat by any name, I called it "Caritas." In a way she was a "charity case" as well as something for us to love-beside the little kids in this building. And I do think the cat's a female, since I was told it was a calico. And the noun caritas is in the femine gender in Latin. Many words that would be "its" in English would be masculine or feminine in Latin but some would be neutral gender. (In Spanish-one of our modern "dialects" of Latin-every noun is masculine or feminine.)

I think I need to confess pride, stubborness, and disobedience involving the cat. And I've been like this most of my life over things other than stray cats. I swore up and down that if a rule was made that we could no longer put cat food outside that the only way you were going stop me was if you evict me and put a restraining order on me so I couldn't come on the property and feed the animal-whatever it is.

There was a concern that the skunk might spray someone. I said I hope if it sprays anyone it would be me. That's how badly I wanted to continue feeding Caritas-but I don't want anyone else to get sprayed because of my stubborness or generosity.

I prided myself on telling people that their names are Latin for something. My name is Latin for "little", Amanda is Latin for "loveable", and Rex is Latin for "King." But that doesn't make me better than anyone that I know a little Latin or got good grades in it in high school.

My heart finally softened up over feeding the cat and the wild animals in th neighborhood when the lady told me about seeing the skunks ripping apart domestic cats and something about their bloody guts. I didn't get sick to my stomach-at least not in the physical sense-but I don't want to harm or scare away innocent kitties like that. If Caritas is dead or scared to come around because of that "black cat" with the two stripes running down its back and tail then I'm doing more harm than good to the animals-not just the people here.

I won't put out any more food until further notice. In fact I'll ask first before putting any thing out for the birds. I'd love to at least keep putting out the water for them because I've seen them bathing in the cat's water.

I don't want to cause any trouble taking care of the birds like I did with the cat.

The Gift of Fortitude

2009-09-25T19:39:00.000-07:00

Fortitude: A Cardinal Virtue and a Gift of the Holy Spirit

By Scott P. Richert, About.com

One of the Four Cardinal Virtues:

Fortitude is one of the four cardinal virtues. As such, it can be practiced by anyone, since, unlike the theological virtues, the cardinal virtues are not, in themselves, the gifts of God through grace but the outgrowth of habit.

Fortitude is commonly called courage, but it is different from what much of what we think of as courage today. Fortitude is always reasoned and reasonable; the person exercising fortitude is willing to put himself in danger if necessary, but he does not seek danger for danger's sake.

The Third of the Cardinal Virtues:

St. Thomas Aquinas ranked fortitude as the third of the cardinal virtues, because it serves prudence and justice, the higher virtues. Fortitude is the virtue that allows us to overcome fear and to remain steady in our will in the face of obstacles. Prudence and justice are the virtues through which we decide what needs to be done; fortitude gives us the strength to do it.

What Fortitude Is Not:

Fortitude is not foolhardiness or rashness, "rushing in where angels fear to tread." Indeed, part of the virtue of fortitude, as Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J., notes in his Modern Catholic Dictionary, is the "curbing of recklessness." Putting our bodies or lives in danger when it is not necessary is not fortitude but foolishness.

A Gift of the Holy Spirit:

Sometimes, however, the ultimate sacrifice is necessary, in order to stand up for what is right and to save our souls. Fortitude is the virtue of the martyrs, who are willing to give their lives rather than to renounce their faith. That sacrifice may be passive—Christian martyrs do not actively seek martyrdom—but it is nonetheless determined and resolute.

It is in martyrdom that we see the best example of fortitude rising above a mere cardinal virtue (able to be practiced by anyone) into a supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit. But it also shows itself, as the Catholic Encyclopedia notes, "in moral courage against the evil spirit of the times, against improper fashions, against human respect, against the common tendency to seek at least the comfortable, if not the voluptuous."

Fortitude, as a gift of the Holy Spirit, also allows us to cope with poverty and loss, and to cultivate the Christian virtues that allow us to rise above the basic requirements of Christianity. The saints, in their love for God and their fellow man and their determination to do what is right, exhibit fortitude as a supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit, and not merely as a cardinal virtue.

Bearing Wrongs Patiently

2009-09-25T18:46:00.000-07:00

When I came home after a busy day I received a note saying that I had to finish cleaning my bathroom and doing something with the clutter in front of the desk. I was almost as mad as a hornet!!! My room had to reach a certain standard in order for me to be allowed to stay at my friend's for the night. That's what was really bothering me!

I really think it's wrong to punish someone for having a problem he/she can't control or is doing the best they can with. And I've been really trying but did take some time out to do something.

I almost wrote a grievance (a complaint) about this but thought I'd talk to my case manager-the one who wrote the note-since this was kind of a "first offense" and also I received another note about a necessary ANNUAL smoke alarm inspection in every room of the building which has one. So they said our rooms had to be neat for the inspection. My smoke alarm isn't far from the chairs or clutter in front of my desks-so they will need room to do their work without tripping over my stuff or breaking an ankle.

I felt like I needed to talk to Father right away even if it's not a dire emergency. If I discuss issues that are weighing on me like this I usually don't call them at home or on their cell phones; I usually would talk to them before of after Mass or in the confessional.

So I called him at the number I have for him on my cell phone-probably his cell phone. I told him that I'm terrible at bearing wrongs patiently-one of the Seven Spiritual Works of Mercy and had less than a saintly attitude toward this kind of treatment.

He did ask me if the rent is reasonable and I told him that they base it on income like a housing authority apartment. He even asked me if I thought of moving and I said yes, but I really don't like living alone and don't know who'd let me live with them. And I'd like to live close to St. Patrick's so I can keep going to the Latin Mass.

He did encourage me and helped me not to feel like such a bad person and we both agreed other people, even seminarians and Sisters, can be a challenge to live with. Probably why it would be hard to find a place to live with others unless I got married or committed to an institution.

He's been quite a comfort and a blessing to me and sounds very cheerful even over the phone and behind the screen in the confessional. I wish I could be that cheerful, but I still have "more issues than TV Guide" and complain too much. This includes being penalized for being a very disorganized and tired packrat who has very little space to keep her belongings.

Father asked me if I had an "altar" in my room or some special place to pray or at least a statue of a patron Saint. I said I don't have the space for the altar, but I do have a statue of the Blessed Virgin with a Miraculous Medal on each side of her.

Saint Anthony of Padua is a favorite Saint of mine because he's the finder of lost things, St. Francis of Assisi another one because I admire him for giving away his possessions to the poor and living a life of poverty (as well as his love of animals) and St. Dymphna for being the Saint for mental and nervous conditions-which is what seems to be getting me in trouble-with the clutter and a lot of behavioral and emotional issues-including the stress that this situation causes me. So I may have at least these four Saints on my personal altar whenever I find room for one.

Father said he had to get off the phone, but he and I prayed the Magnificat, three Hail Marys, and another prayer-part of it in English and part of it in Latin, before getting off the phone.

Since I'm feeling a need to spend as much time as possible on this room I may not have much time to post on this blog. So I may have to post every other day-including the lessons on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit-Whose guidance I can really use at this time.

The Gift of Counsel

2009-09-24T19:37:00.000-07:00

The Third Gift of the Holy Spirit:

Counsel is the third of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit enumerated in Isaiah 11:2-3. All seven gifts are present in their fullness in Jesus Christ, Whom Isaiah foretold (Isaiah 11:1), but they are available to all Christians who are in a state of grace. We receive the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit when we are infused with sanctifying grace, the life of God within us—as, for example, when we receive a sacrament worthily. As the current Catechism of the Catholic Church notes, "They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them."

The Perfection of Prudence:

Counsel is the perfection of the cardinal virtue of prudence. While prudence, like all the cardinal virtues, can be practiced by anyone, whether in a state of grace or not, it can take on a supernatural dimension through sanctifying grace. Counsel is the fruit of this supernatural prudence.

Like prudence, counsel allows us to judge rightly what we should do in a particular circumstance. It goes beyond prudence, though, in allowing such judgments to be made promptly, "as by a sort of supernatural intuition," as Fr. John A. Hardon writes in his Modern Catholic Dictionary.

Counsel in Practice:

Counsel builds on both wisdom, which allows us to judge the things of the world in light of our final end, and understanding, which helps us to penetrate to the very core of the mysteries of our faith.

"With the gift of counsel, the Holy Spirit speaks, as it were, to the heart and in an instant enlightens a person what to do," writes Father Hardon. It is the gift that allows us as Christians to be assured that we will act correctly in times of trouble and trial. Through counsel, we can speak without fear in defense of the Christian Faith. Thus, the Catholic Encyclopedia notes, counsel "enables us to see and choose correctly what will help most to the glory of God and our own salvation."

Is a Return to the Latin Mass in the Cards?

2009-09-24T19:17:00.000-07:00

A Return to the Latin Mass

Clashes with congregants may erupt as a growing number of young priests push for a revival of pre-Vatican II customs

By Eric Ferkenhoff

Posted 6/17/07

Nearly two generations of Catholics now have grown up in a post-Vatican II world, worshiping in a church that celebrates mass in their local languages and, at least to some extent, embraces modern customs as much as it once rejected them.

So it seemed anathema when the Vatican confirmed recently that Pope Benedict XVI would relax restrictions on celebrating the 16th-century Tridentine Mass, citing "a new and renewed" interest in the ancient Latin liturgy, especially among younger Catholics.

Given the fierce fight that preceded Vatican II—the liturgical and doctrinal reforms of the mid-1960s that sought to make the church more accessible—a similar war would seem needed to overturn them. But a movement is building at seminaries nationwide to do just that: In addition to restoring the Latin mass, young priests are calling for greater devotion to the Virgin Mary, more frequent praying of the rosary, and priests turning away from the congregation as they once did. Perhaps most controversially, they also advocate a diminished role for women, who since Vatican II have been allowed to participate in the mass as lay altar servers and readers.

Such changes would seem to aggravate the church's growing attendance problems(in 2003, 40 percent of Roman Catholics said they had attended church in the past week, down from 74 percent in 1958) as well as enhance its air of exclusivity—the notion of Catholicism as the only true faith. Yet proponents of the movement argue that just the opposite holds: More people will attend mass if the traditions are richer and the doctrine stricter. The Latin mass, they say, would restore a sense of community they believe was diluted when the church allowed local culture to override tradition. In Chicago alone, mass is now said in some 50 languages.

"The traditional Latin mass simply excels at conveying the majesty and mystery of God," says Michael Dunnigan, a canon lawyer and chairman of the pro-Latin mass group, Una Voce America. Rejecting comparisons to fundamentalism, he denies that proponents are simply seeking more structure and discipline. "At the heart of the movement is a longing for beauty and an attitude of profound reverence," he says. Andrew Vogel, a seminarian from Rochester, Minn., notes that before Vatican II, mass attendance was at its highest and seminaries were full. "People just think we must have been doing something right," he says.

In today's Catholic churches, priests are free to celebrate a contemporary Latin mass, but they cannot celebrate the Latin mass as it was structured before 1962 without permission of their bishop. It is this restriction that the pope is considering lifting.

The proponents of the old Latin mass are said to number no more than 2 percent of Catholics, and polls show that the majority of Catholics embrace the reforms of Vatican II. But the Latin movement may be strong enough to carve a divide. Thomas Reese, a fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University predicts "a clash of cultures between clergy and the more liberal congregations as more of these conservative priests graduate and make their presence known."

He predicts that other old practices will be restored as the Vatican tries to impose the conservative values of Benedict on a more liberal world. "This is so much more about politics than it is about Latin and liturgy," Reese says.

According to published reports, the pope was, among other things, trying to bridge a divide with the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X, even though that group has expressed concern about reversing the gains of Vatican II.

The Latin movement also has its detractors outside the faith. Jewish leaders take offense with older rites' references to Jews as faithless, and they worry that a revival of the old traditions could foster anti-Semitism.

But such arguments seemed far from the minds of the 20-odd worshipers who gathered last Friday for the Latin mass at Chicago's St. John Cantius Church. "You put the old rite and the new side by side, and there really is no comparison," says Simon Varnas, 35. "The old rite is far superior. It is more conducive to prayer, recollection, and personal dedication."

This story appears in the June 25, 2007 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.

1rst Bank of Tulsa-South Bend Branch

2009-09-23T21:13:00.000-07:00

I've been really tired the last few days, but I do plan on getting back to the gifts of the Spirit soon.

I had Father bless a scapular and a couple medals for me Sunday. I started to talk to him after getting my items blessed. But he had to interrupt me to talk to someone whom he saw give money to a panhandler.

He told the person not to be giving to panhandlers-especially in the inner city area like around St. Patrick's. Father said that if we do that the beggars will keep coming around and expecting more handouts. Not only can this be a real nuisance, but the people getting the money are very likely to use it for drugs and alcohol-not for food and gasoline like they may tell us.

Father said that these beggars would pester the women who come to the church for a nocturnal adoration and ask them for money. And they would then go to other churches and ask for money.

He also admitted to making the mistake of giving money to panhandlers at the parish he was assigned to in Tulsa, Oklahoma. But the other priest told him to stop it. And if we give money to panhandlers near St. Patrick's that that will make our church "the Bank of Tulsa."

He said we should offer food if that's what they're asking for-if we give them that they can eat instead of having the money to buy drugs. And some appear to be quite ungrateful and say, "I'd rather have the money!" And this can be an indicator that the money is being used for something other than food.

In fact I just ordered a value meal at Burger King when someone came up to me a few years ago to ask for money. I would not give it to him; instead I offered him half a bag of French fries. He didn't want the fries-he wanted the money! That made me even more suspicious he was looking for drug money not food!

I used to have a problem with neighbors going to my door or calling me to ask for cans of soda and money at all hours of the day and night (almost.) In fact the requests came so close together that I'd be kept busy with neighbors for 20 minutes straight before I could get any thing done in my apartment. I'm a very disorganized packrat with Attention
Deficit Disorder and need every minute I can get to organize my place-and the knocks and the phone ringing all the time caused me to lose my train of thought. And one of the smokers kept returning and asking for cigarette money after I said "no." I really wished that the landlord would do something to force these neighbors to leave me alone or offer me another place to live. But he wouldn't do it.

I've been advised to let the answering machine take all the calls-but I had so many hangups that I didn't think the telemarketers were the only people hanging up. I suspected that both people I wanted to hear from and the moochers in the building were hanging up on the machine as well. I finally ended up getting caller ID-even if it cost me an extra $10 a month.

I wish that I had known Father back in 2003 when the begging in my building started to get out of hand. It would have saved me a lot of headaches and I wouldn't have felt obliged to neighbors who were trying to satisfy cravings for cigarettes and other things that were bad for their health-and mine!

The Gift of Understanding

2009-09-17T18:00:00.000-07:00

One of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit:

Understanding is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit enumerated in Isaiah 11:2-3. They are present in their fullness in Jesus Christ, Whom Isaiah foretold (Isaiah 11:1), but they are available to all Christians who are in a state of grace. We receive the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit when we are infused with sanctifying grace, the life of God within us—as, for example, when we receive a sacrament worthily. As the current Catechism of the Catholic Church notes, "They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them."

The Second Gift of the Holy Spirit:

Understanding is the second gift of the Holy Spirit, behind only wisdom. It differs from wisdom in that wisdom is the desire to contemplate the things of God, while understanding allows us, as Fr. John A. Hardon writes in his Modern Catholic Dictionary, to "penetrate to the very core of revealed truths." This doesn't mean that we can come to understand, say, the Trinity the way that we might a mathematical equation, but that we become certain of the truth of the doctrine of the Trinity. Such certitude moves beyond faith, which "merely assents to what God has revealed."

The Gift of Wisdom

2009-09-16T20:17:00.000-07:00

Wisdom: A Gift of the Holy Spirit

By Scott P. Richert, About.com

See More About:

One of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit:

Wisdom is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit enumerated in Isaiah 11:2-3. They are present in their fullness in Jesus Christ, Whom Isaiah foretold (Isaiah 11:1), but they are available to all Christians who are in a state of grace. We receive the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit when we are infused with sanctifying grace, the life of God within us—as, for example, when we receive a sacrament worthily. As the current Catechism of the Catholic Church notes, "They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them."

The First and Highest Gift of the Holy Spirit:

Wisdom is the perfection of faith. As Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J., notes in his Modern Catholic Dictionary, "Where faith is a simple knowledge of the articles of Christian belief, wisdom goes on to a certain divine penetration of the truths themselves." The better we understand those truths, the more we value them properly. Thus wisdom, the Catholic Encyclopedia notes, "by detaching us from the world, makes us relish and love only the things of heaven." Through wisdom, we judge the things of the world in light of the highest end of man—the contemplation of God.

The Application of Wisdom:

Such detachment, however, is not the same as renunciation of the world—far from it. Rather, wisdom helps us to love the world properly, as the creation of God, rather than for its own sake. The material world, though fallen as a result of the sin of Adam and Eve, is still worthy of our love; we simply need to see it in the proper light, and wisdom allows us to do so.

Knowing the proper ordering of the material and spiritual worlds through wisdom, we can more easily bear the burdens of this life and respond to our fellow man with charity and patience.

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

2009-09-16T20:14:00.000-07:00

What Are the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit?

By Scott P. Richert, About.com

See More About:

Question: What Are the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit?

We receive the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit when we are infused with sanctifying grace, the life of God within us—as, for example, when we receive a sacrament worthily. These seven gifts help us to live a Christian life.

Answer: The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude (or courage), knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. You can find an in-depth discussion of each in The Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Stay up to date on the latest Catholicism news and learn more about the Catholic Faith. Sign up for our free newsletter today!

I Lost my Post.

2009-09-16T19:47:00.000-07:00

My post for tonight on the gift of understanding never showed up. After much struggle, I thought I had part of it posted. But I do not. And I tried to correct a problem with the post from yesterday and it disappeared after I did.

And I hate starting over from scratch. I can start my series on the Gifts of the Spirit some other time.

Maybe I can find something I can copy and paste so I don't have to take all this time copying it from a book.

Sabrina's Back

2009-09-13T18:43:00.000-07:00

I was getting ready to post a flier about the missing dog and trying to write an ad in my church bulletin. But my friend's daughter called me to tell me she got the dog back. I think someone heard my prayers-probably St. Francis or St. Anthony. I hope I can see her soon.

paula

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

2009-09-12T19:11:00.000-07:00

I looked through a prayer book I usually use for my office. They have other devotions or prayers in addition to the office. A couple of them were about the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. I'd like to post one each day this week. The gifts are: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord.

Father taught his Confirmation class about the gifts of the Spirit. You get these when you're Confirmed. The more you pray for them as you're getting ready to be Confirmed, the stronger they'll be for you. I felt badly that I didn't "open" up these gifts and start using them when I was confirmed. In fact, there were some of these I didn't know I had. Father said it wasn't too late; I still have these gifts. Now I need to use them-and pray that I can use them.

Ad Jesum per Mariam (Through Jesus through Mary)

paula

I Got to Go to Mass After All

2009-09-12T18:23:00.000-07:00

I was able to go to Mass after all. I was really worried about mortal sin and would have rather gone to Mass than to be tied to the building on Sunday morning-even if I'm excused.

I could stay home from church with a clear conscience if I had the flu. In fact I was wishing I had the flu, as miserable as that would be, since I could stay home without committing a sin. Be careful what you pray for-you might get it! Friday night I did feel nauseated and was kept up both by frequent trips to the bathroom and a fire alarm which kept going off. The fire alarm didn't quit going off until after midnight.

A very traditional Catholic from whom I've been buying from on eBay insisted I go ahead and go to Mass. But the lady at the front desk where I live "reminded" me that leaving during restriction without permission would result in eviction. She was worried about my having to live on the streets of South Bend.

But the priests at St. Patrick's said I'm excused "because of circumstances". That helped me clear my conscience about missing Mass because of the restriction. In fact the priest at the Latin Mass thought that would be the right thing out of obedience to the place I live at-to stay home instead of attending church while on restriction.

Since I had some kind of "bug" as well as the restriction I kept trying to call my ride to tell her I was sick and "grounded" and couldn't go to Mass for those two reasons. But every time I tried to call her her line was busy. I'e been trying to call her from 8:00 am to 11:30 pm and decided it was getting to be too late at night to call anyone. I thought maybe there was a chance that the Lord was keeping me from calling her since He wanted me in church and was going to pave a way. I started feeling better and felt like my room might be able to "pass" if I just pick things up or at least push them out of my way so they don't have to worry about me tripping over them.

I went and got the staff member who was authorized to check my room as she walked in at 7:00. She passed me but said I needed to sweep the floor before leaving. I swept the floor and got out just in time to meet my ride and tell her about her phone being busy. She said it was broken and didn't know it was until she tried to make a call and couldn't get a dial tone.

God works in mysterious ways!

And He and His Blessed Mother must have really wanted me in church Sunday-and could have done this as an answer to our prayers that I'd make it to Mass.

And I got off restriction just in time to go to the Tradtional Mass-even though there were two other Masses I could have gone to at St. Patrick's. The 10:30 and 5:30 Masses just don't hold a candle to the Latin Mass I go to at 7:45 am.

This was the happiest I've been while at Mass. When I saw Father standing on the steps in front of the church after Mass I told him I was really happy to make it to Mass that morning and told him what happened-including being unable to call my ride to tell her not to come.

God works in mysterious ways!

Prayer Requests

2009-08-31T18:22:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine, her daughter, and I can all use some prayers. Of course, we've always been in need of prayer-but we really need it now. About a week ago my friend and her daughter lost one of their dogs when both of them got out. And one of them, Sabrina, never came back, but they got Isabella back right away.

And I'm worried about getting to Mass Sunday. My usual ride will be back Sunday and able to take me; that's not the problem. The problem is I'm "grounded". Where I live I have a room of my own as well as a landline (same number that I had at my apartment), my own Internet service, and a full bath.

But I live where they have a lot of rules and they deal with different infractions by placing us on restriction which means I can't go any where except for some things-such as doctor appointments-as long as they're not with the Great Physician-God Himself. They use to allow us to go to church while on restriction, but that didn't work out too well. Some of the women who went to church brought home notes from their pastors on church letter heads but came home drunk any way.

The reason I'm on restriction is that one of the staff members went to my room to talk to me Saturday and saw what a mess it was. Today I'm on restriction-not as a disciplinary measure-but as a way to get me to stay home and clean it, which I try to anyway. When someone leaves while on restriction without permission or fails to produce any paperwork showing that they only did what they were given permission to do-they're automatically evicted. Some people die rather than to follow someone's orders not to do what the Lord wants them to do-they're called martyrs, and they do no time in Purgatory. Here I'm not facing the death penalty for walking out the door and going to church Sunday morning; the worst they could do is evict me which is a pretty messy situation as it is.

So anyway, I want my friend and her daughter to get Sabrina back and to be able to make it to the Latin Mass Sunday. That's why I need prayers. I don't want to have to lose my place to avoid committing a mortal sin-or even a venial one-this Sunday.

Gratitude

2009-08-30T22:39:00.000-07:00

We had a different priest say the Latin Mass yesterday morning. The one we usually have is on retreat.

The priest we had this time talked about being gratitude. He also said that there's a restaurant in Michigan he stops at on the way to "my native Canada." I've known for a long time that the Canadians' Thanksgiving is held in October-not November. Must be wonderful being a Canadian living in the United States-getting to celebrate Thanksgiving twice! I had that pleasure one year. I was going with a man who lived with a Canadian citizen. I was invited over to their house for Thanksgiving twice-both in October and in November. It was awesome! In fact the food the Canadian's wife fixed in October was the same as what we have in November in the US.

My friends in AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) refer to November as Gratitude Month and say that the Canadians' Gratitude Month is October.

What a wonderful thing to have 61 days dedicated to being grateful!

Many times I'm not grateful enough-and complain about things not going my way-instead of being grateful for the good things.

I'm grateful today that I have a room to retreat to with a full bath and a phone (same number I had in my apartment) without people constantly banging on my door all hours of the day and night-regardless of what I'm doing trying to get money out of me for cigarettes-or at least a can of pop-as if I were responsible for feeding their addictions.

I'm glad that I can spend some time here praying at different times without having to constantly being distracted by noise or being dragged out of my "prayer closet" to see what anyone wants. I think this really helps me spend time with the Lord-and His Mother-when things are quiet most of the time-or that the noise out in the hall is not there to get me to do anything for anyone-it's just there.

I'm grateful that there are plenty of dogs and cats I can visit and pet. We can't have a dog or cat at the place I live, but we can have pet fish in our rooms-and I have a couple of them. I have a friend who has dogs and cats at her house. I get to go over there and pet them. Actually, there's just ONE dog at her house-she called me to tell me the other one is missing and to tell me to have EVERYONE I know pray for the other one to come back.

I'm not exactly rich or the healthiest person around-but others have it worse than me. Of course this is not good that people are so sick and poor-they do need our help.

And I'm grateful today that Jesus and Mary love me and want me to be in Heaven with them. In fact the ONE thing that Father says matters the most-that no matter what else happens to him is that he is in a state of grace!

I guess I haven't been thinking about that very much before attending the Latin Mass as much as I've been admiring the Protestants for their love of Jesus. But thinking of what Father says sometimes helps me to keep my sanity about even things that seem catastrophic-such as my rent check bouncing on me in July.

I've been very grateful that someone did the Heimleich maneuver on me and saved me from choking to death on a tiny bran flake. The feeling of gratitude I have about being alive-in the physical sense-reminds me of how I need to be grateful to Jesus for saving my soul-so I can go to Heaven when I finally have to leave this earth. But the sanctifying grace given by Jesus is far more important than anything that can be done by any man, woman, or child to keep me breathing so I can still be with them on Earth.

Evil=The Absence of Good, Part II

2009-08-23T04:14:00.000-07:00

Hey, I just found the notes I had taken during Father's homily last Sunday! I'm really happy since there were some good things in the notes which I had forgotten. And I don't want to "put words in his mouth" as my dad used to say.

Father did say last Sunday that evil is the absence of good-NOT ANYTHING CREATED-and compared it to darkness being the absence of light.

Father talked about the problem that agnostics and atheists have in believing in God. They have a difficult time in understanding how all this evil is going on in the world if we have such a good God. I used to have difficulty understanding too-even if I did believe in God at the time.
These nonbelievers told me the same thing and at first I didn't know what to say. But Father did an excellent job of outlining the reasons evil exists.

God doesn't create evil; but He allows it for several reasons:
1) Moral evil is allowed so we can have free will; free will leads to true love of the Lord.
2) Physical evil can be an illness or disability-such as the absence of hearing-which can lead to God's greater good. For example God could either take someone who is deaf and give him the ability to hear-or maybe He may use the lack of hearing in some other way. (Reminds me of Jesus healing the man who was born blind, but the absence of sight or hearing could be a person's "cross" for them to bear.)
3) Evil can be a punishment for sin-such as the plagues the Egyptians were subjected to when Pharaoh hardened his heart against the Jews and used them as slaves.
4) Evil can be used to sanctify the good. Father gave the book of Job as an example of this. Job was a virtuous man whom God allowed Satan to tempt. God told Satan he could do whatever he wanted to do with Job-"except you cannot kill him." He lost his health, his wife and 10 children, his livestock, and everything else. But he was given twice as many animals and 10 more children.

Evil=The Absence of Good

2009-08-22T21:45:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday Father talked about good and evil in his homily. He said that evil is the absence of good and said it's like darkness being the absence of light. You flip the switch after walking into a dark room and you have light. And you flip the switch again and you remove the light-you have darkness again.

What a concept! Everything was good until Lucifer-a.k.a. Satan-decided he wanted to take charge and rebel instead of being faithful to God. And other angels decided to take his side instead of God's. So by being disobedient to God these fallen angels rejected good and chose evil. Of course, God wasn't-and still isn't-going to tolerate this lack of goodness in Heaven, so He had to throw them out of Heaven.

So He and St. Michael the Archangel went to work and got those devils out of Heaven and sent them off to Hell-a "place" that was made just for them.

Earth was perfect too, when Adam and Eve were created and they were perfectly happy. But they were tempted by Satan disguised as a serpent. The serpent asked Eve if God told her not to eat from any tree in the garden. She replied that she had been told she and Adam may eat from any tree in the garden-except for one. That was the one in the center of the garden-they were even told not to touch it. She said if she or Adam touched it they would die.

But the serpent told Eve that she wouldn't die if she ate the fruit of the tree; she would become like God and have knowledge of good and evil like Him. She tasted the fruit and it tasted good. And she gave some to Adam who ate it too. Then they found out they were naked and made clothes out of fig leaves. Then they were thrown out of the garden and had to suffer and die and everyone else had to suffer and die because of the sin they committed-what is known as Original Sin.

In fact the only two people who never had Original Sin on their souls were Jesus and His Mother Mary. Even John the Baptist had Original Sin in his soul while in the womb, but it was replaced by sanctifying grace when Mary arrived at the home of Elizabeth and Zechariah. Something was given to John while in the womb-sanctifying grace. Everyone else has to be baptized to be given sanctifying grace. And I've been thinking of baptism and the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) as ways of removing sin as well as giving grace.

I noticed that when I took Latin in high school that sine, the word for "without" was spelled almost like "sin" except there was an "e" at the end. And in college when I took Spanish, sin, their word for "without" was spelled exactly like our word "sin." I also heard that the word "sin" means to miss the mark. I feel that I've missed the mark in many ways and need to ask-and allow-God to give me grace and whatever help He'll give me to be on the "mark."

And I've been accustomed to thinking that evil things were being added, such as communicable diseases (via the addition of bacteria or viruses), neighbors who make too much noise or knock on the door too often or at the wrong time, automobile accidents, violence, you name it.

We (myself included) ought to accept the good that Jesus and Mary have to offer us instead of all these bad things that seem to be "added" to our lives. God didn't create evil, but He does use it to test and strengthen us.

Take It to Jesus...And to Mary

2009-08-17T10:41:00.000-07:00

Father said a Mass Saturday night which was the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He said we should "take it to Mary." I should try to remember this when something starts to trouble me.

When he said that it reminded me of when I was upset and crying over a job that caused me a lot of stress. A lady stopped by to check on me that night and I told her about the job. She said "Take it to Jesus." That immediately identified her as a Christian. I like a lot of Protestants for their enthusiasm about Jesus being our Lord and Savior.

But a few months after I got "saved" or "born again" or whatever they call it when I was 16 years old I had a sense that I was to stay Catholic and become even more involved with the church than I was before. My family and I then enrolled in the parish where I had been attending Mass for 3 years with my aunt and her family.

After this "born again" experience I wanted to become Protestant, but I knew my dad wouldn't let me. So I decided I'll continue to go to Mass until I was 18 and then visit different Protestant churches to decide which one I liked the best. But since I got this call from God to stay Catholic that's what I decided to do. I took a catechism with the assistant pastor from the parish, received my First Communion and Confirmation after I completed my instructions. I was very happy to do this and I was sad that I didn't get the Catholic education that this aunt gave her kids from grades 1-12. Even an education in a Catholic school from grades 1-8 would be a good education if I didn't go to Catholic high school like her kids.

After hearing Father say "Take it to Mary" now I think I'm better able to get the help I need with these upsets than my Protestant brothers and sisters. Mary is the Co-Redeemptrix or Mediatrix. Jesus is the Redeemer but we need to go to her too in order to go to Him.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

2009-08-06T19:26:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago
a lady showed me Psalm 139. It reminds me very much of the sacredness of life-and the baby's right to live.

For it was you (italics mine) who formed my inmost parts;
You knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works;
That I know very well.

My frame was not hidden from you,
When I was being made in secret,
Intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written all the days that were formed for me,
When none of them as yet existed.

How weighty are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
I try to count them-they are more than the sand;
I come to the end-I am still with you.

O that you would kill the wicked O God,
And that the bloodthirsty would depart from me,
Those who speak of you maliciously,
And lift themselves against you for evil!

Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
And do I loathe those who rise up against you?
I hate them with perfect hatred;
I count them my enemies.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Test me and know my thoughts.
See if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.

Taken from Psalms 139:13-24 New Revised Standard Version.
Note: I took the "liberty" of breaking some of the sentences into shorter lines and capitalizing them. A psalm is like a song or a poem. As long as the lines were I decided to do this to make it look like a poem rather than a bunch of long sentences like prose.

I used to write poetry in high school and have been doing this quite a bit.

My Apologies

2009-08-06T18:57:00.000-07:00

I keep falling behind on these novenas, so I decided to publish Days 4-9 together for the St. Clare one. I'm often tired, busy, very disorganized, or some combination of all 3. Today I was all 3.

I've been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder and was reading an email for a network I joined about it and was laughing at everyone else's posts on their experiences with ADD. I think this is the main source of my lack of organization-even though the large amount of stuff in my room and my being tired and busy are major factors.

I had to pull myself away from that site to get back to my blog.

I laughed at quite a few of the others' posts on that site and found I did a lot of things they did. I even posted that I found the milk on the dining room table-and my purse in the refrigerator. I could have had to dispose of spoiled milk-but the important thing is that I'm in a state of grace!

Sometimes an adult like me and a bunch of little kids running around after Mass can liven things up. And we have a friendly priest who always seems to be in a good mood and some very interesting theological and political discussions. (Let's hope we can have affordable healthcare without the abortions and fetal stem cells as part of the package.)

Novena to St Clare-Days 4-9

2009-08-06T18:40:00.000-07:00

Fourth Day:
O most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we praise Thy Holy Name and the wonders of grace Thou hast worked in Thy servant, Saint Clare. Through her powerful intercession grant us the favours we beg in this novena, above all the grace to live and die as she did in Thy most Holy Love. Amen.

Blessed Saint Clare, whose very name means light, illumine the darkness of our minds and hearts so that we might see what God wishes us to do and perform it with a willing and joyful heart. Before your birth, a Heavenly voice foretold that you would be a light illuminating the world. Be a light to us in the sorrows and anxieties of this earthly life, and lead us into the eternal light of our home in Heaven. Amen.

V. Pray for us, Saint Clare.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us Pray. We Pray Thee, Lord, Grant us Thy servants who celebrate the festival of blessed Clare Thy Virgin, by her intercession, to be partakers of the joys of heaven and coheirs with Thine only-begotten Son, Who being God, lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

Fifth Day:
O most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we praise Thy Holy Name and the wonders of grace Thou hast worked in Thy servant, Saint Clare. Through her powerful intercession grant us the favours we beg in this novena, above all the grace to live and die as she did in Thy most Holy Love. Amen.

O Seraphic Saint Clare, whose virginal heart was great enough to love the whole world, take our petitions into your pure hands and present them to God. Pray for us that we may one day enter joyously before the throne of God. Let the light of your perfect purity consume the shadows of sin and corruption that darkens the world. Intercede by your innocence for our youth. Safeguard the peace of our homes and the unity of our family. Plead with your chaste love for all in peril. Amen.

V. Pray for us, Saint Clare.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us Pray. We Pray Thee, Lord, Grant us Thy servants who celebrate the festival of blessed Clare Thy Virgin, by her intercession, to be partakers of the joys of heaven and coheirs with Thine only-begotten Son, Who being God, lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

Sixth Day:
O most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we praise Thy Holy Name and the wonders of grace Thou hast worked in Thy servant, Saint Clare. Through her powerful intercession grant us the favours we beg in this novena, above all the grace to live and die as she did in Thy most Holy Love. Amen.

Generous Saint Clare, who left wealth and pleasure and all earthly goods to become the first spiritual daughter of Saint Francis and to serve God in the cloister, help us to commit our lives to God without limit or measure so that He may live in us and shine forth from us to all whose lives touch ours. You who loved souls so much as to make your life a continual sacrifice for them, obtain for us the graces we now implore and win for us the strength to praise God in suffering as well as in joy. Amen.

V. Pray for us, Saint Clare.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us Pray. We Pray Thee, Lord, Grant us Thy servants who celebrate the festival of blessed Clare Thy Virgin, by her intercession, to be partakers of the joys of heaven and coheirs with Thine only-begotten Son, Who being God, lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

Seventh Day:
O most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we praise Thy Holy Name and the wonders of grace Thou hast worked in Thy servant, Saint Clare. Through her powerful intercession grant us the favours we beg in this novena, above all the grace to live and die as she did in Thy most Holy Love. Amen.

Faithful Saint Clare, loyal daughter of the Church, friend and confidante of popes, intercede for the holy Church and look graciously from Heaven on our holy Father Pope. Enlighten us to remove from our souls all that hinders the progress of the Church on earth. Grant that we may share your great love for the church of God and spread His kingdom on earth by a holy life. You, who worked miracles in the presence of the pope on earth, obtain for us the graces we need, now that you stand in the presence of the most high God in Heaven. Amen.

V. Pray for us, Saint Clare.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us Pray. We Pray Thee, Lord, Grant us Thy servants who celebrate the festival of blessed Clare Thy Virgin, by her intercession, to be partakers of the joys of heaven and coheirs with Thine only-begotten Son, Who being God, lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

Eighth Day:
O most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we praise Thy Holy Name and the wonders of grace Thou hast worked in Thy servant, Saint Clare. Through her powerful intercession grant us the favours we beg in this novena, above all the grace to live and die as she did in Thy most Holy Love. Amen.

Valiant Saint Clare, who fearlessly stood alone against the barbarous Saracens, trusting in the Blessed Sacrament as your only protection, enkindle in us a tender love for Jesus Christ; help us to live Eucharistic lives. You who saved your city of Assisi from plunder and ruin, protect our city and archdiocese, plead for our beloved country and the suffering world. A voice from the Sacred Host rewarded your trust with a promise: "I will always take care of you." Glorious Saint Clare, from your high place in Heaven, take care of us now in our earthly needs and guide us by your light to Heaven. Amen.

V. Pray for us, Saint Clare.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us Pray. We Pray Thee, Lord, Grant us Thy servants who celebrate the festival of blessed Clare Thy Virgin, by her intercession, to be partakers of the joys of heaven and coheirs with Thine only-begotten Son, Who being God, lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

Ninth Day:
O most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we praise Thy Holy Name and the wonders of grace Thou hast worked in Thy servant, Saint Clare. Through her powerful intercession grant us the favours we beg in this novena, above all the grace to live and die as she did in Thy most Holy Love. Amen.

Gracious Saint Clare, who fulfilled your womanhood by a life of love in prayer and penance, help us to fulfill our destiny that we may one day greet you in Heaven. You who were consoled at your death by a vision of Christ band His Mother, obtain for us the grace that we may die under the special protection of God and enter into the life and bliss you now enjoy. Have pity on us who struggle, on us who mourn, and win for us the favours of God so that after this life we may come home to Him who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

V. Pray for us, Saint Clare.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us Pray. We Pray Thee, Lord, Grant us Thy servants who celebrate the festival of blessed Clare Thy Virgin, by her intercession, to be partakers of the joys of heaven and coheirs with Thine only-begotten Son, Who being God, lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

This entry was posted on 8:26 AM and is filed under Novenas , Saints (by Matthew on the Devotional Catholicism .) You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Abortion Protest-August 16-22

2009-08-04T20:05:00.000-07:00

In one of the Google Ads on the right side of my blog there was one about a protest against abortion in New York. It is called "Oh Saratoga 09."

You may visit them at http://www.ohsaratoga.com/

I'd like to go if anyone from my area is going and can take me. Unfortunately, I don't have much money, but I'll at least try to pitch in for the gas.

Novena to St Clare-Day 3

2009-08-04T20:02:00.000-07:00

Third Day:
O most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we praise Thy Holy Name and the wonders of grace Thou hast worked in Thy servant, Saint Clare. Through her powerful intercession grant us the favours we beg in this novena, above all the grace to live and die as she did in Thy most Holy Love. Amen.

O Seraphic Saint Clare, light of your country, who hast delivered Italy from barbarous invaders; obtain from God for us the grace we implore (mention your intentions here), that of overcoming all attacks of the world against faith and morals thus preserving in our families true Christian peace with a holy fear of God and a devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. Amen.

V. Pray for us, Saint Clare.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us Pray. We Pray Thee, Lord, Grant us Thy servants who celebrate the festival of blessed Clare Thy Virgin, by her intercession, to be partakers of the joys of heaven and coheirs with Thine only-begotten Son, Who being God, lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

STOP the Abortion Mandate!

2009-08-04T19:24:00.000-07:00

I picked this up as I walked into the church before Mass and it has a very urgent message. And it doesn't have a copyright-only a message I feel I need to pass on to protect the unborn as well as our right and duty not to support such a violation of the baby's right to live.

URGENT:

STOP THE ABORTION MANDATE!

Prevent Washington, DC Bureaucrats And Abortion Industry Lobbyists from Forcing YOU to Pay for Abortions

What's at stake right now:

*The current health care reform proposals, if enacted, would result in the BIGGEST EXPANSION OF ABORTION since the Roe V. Wade Supreme Court decision imposed abortion in 1973.

*Washington, DC bureaucrats and abortion industry lobbyists are trying to force YOU to pay for abortions through your tax dollars as part of their proposed trillion-dollar healthcare takeover-even though recent polls show that 71% of Americans oppose taxpayer-funded abortion.

*This political power-grab is an effort to implement one of the cornerstones of the "Freedom of Choice Act" (FOCA), and could lead to a massive taxpayer-subsidized abortion industry bailout-something that American families do not support and cannot afford in these tough economic times.

*Under the proposed healthcare takeover, virtually every American would be forced into a health plan that mandates abortion coverage; if the healthcare reform law does not clearly state that abortion is excluded, abortion automatically becomes a minimum required benefit.

*Elected officials must include language to explicitly (italics mine) exclude abortion from any healthcare reform proposal or bill-keep abortion out of healthcare!

What YOU can do about it:

1. Pray

2. E-mail & write letters to your Representative and two Senators at:
http://www.StopTheAbortionMandate.com/email

3. Call the Washington office and the local office of your Representative and two Senators; instructions at: http://www.StopTheAbortionMandate.com/call

4. Spread the word! Distribute the flyer (which I copied this from) to everyone you know and use Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail samples at: http://www.StopTheAbortionMandate.com/share

5. Write a Letter to the Editor of your local newspaper using samples at: http://www.StopTheAbortionMandate.com/editor

http://www.StopTheAbortionMandate.com/

Novena to St Clare-Day 2

2009-08-03T20:20:00.000-07:00

Second Day: O most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we praise Thy Holy Name and the wonders of grace Thou hast worked in Thy servant, Saint Clare. Through her powerful intercession grant us the favours we beg in this novena, above all the grace to live and die as she did in Thy most Holy Love. Amen. O Seraphic Saint Clare who, notwithstanding living separated from the world hast not forgotten the poor and the afflicted, but hast become a mother to them, sacrificing for them your riches and working for them innumerable miracles; obtain from God for us the grace we implore (mention your intentions here), Christian charity towards our brethren in all their spiritual and temporal needs. Amen. V. Pray for us, Saint Clare. R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let us Pray. We Pray Thee, Lord, Grant us Thy servants who celebrate the festival of blessed Clare Thy Virgin, by her intercession, to be partakers of the joys of heaven and coheirs with Thine only-begotten Son, Who being God, lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

Novena to St. Clare-Day 1

2009-08-02T15:31:00.000-07:00

Novena to St. Clare of Assisi

Author: Matthew

•8:26 AM

Say once a day for nine days, especially beginning on 2 August and ending on 10 August, the eve of the Feast of St. Clare.

First Day:
O most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we praise Thy Holy Name and the wonders of grace Thou hast worked in Thy servant, Saint Clare. Through her powerful intercession grant us the favours we beg in this novena, above all the grace to live and die as she did in Thy most Holy Love. Amen.

O Seraphic Saint Clare, first disciple of the Poor Man of Assisi, who hast abandoned all riches and honours for a life of sacrifice and of highest poverty, obtain from God for us the grace we ask (mention your intentions here), that of always submitting to the Divine Will and of living confidently in the providence of our Heavenly Father. Amen.

V. Pray for us, Saint Clare.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us Pray. We Pray Thee, Lord, Grant us Thy servants who celebrate the festival of blessed Clare Thy Virgin, by her intercession, to be partakers of the joys of heaven and coheirs with Thine only-begotten Son, Who being God, lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

Be A Saint!

2009-08-01T16:05:00.000-07:00

I've been browsing around on eBay to find more missals and other books to sell to the people at the Latin Mass and and at our parish's next yard sale.

I love what one seller has on the page with the description of the item he/she's trying to sell. This person prays for anyone who buys at least one item from him/her and wants to be kept in our prayers.

The paragraph ends with "....the only tragedy in life is not to have become a saint."

How true. It reminds me of something Father says that the thing that matters most is that one is in a state of grace. This matters even more than if you have food in the house-or whether you're dead or alive.

In fact Father did tell us in one of his homilies that one mother said to her sons, "As much as I would hate to see you dead, I'd rather you die and be in a state of grace than to be alive and in mortal sin."

And some people have been murdered for going along with what the Lord wants of them rather than to commit some sin so that they could live (in the physical sense.) These people have been rewarded for losing their lives for their obedience to God-no time in Purgatory-straight to Heaven! These are the martyrs.

I've read about how and why some of them have been killed-many have even been killed for refusing to commit a mortal sin.

A friend of mine started a group on Facebook about St. Maria Goretti, who went to Heaven at age 11. Some young man wanted to make her give up her virginity and murdered her because she refused. The Lord miraculously kept her alive for 24 hours while she prayed for the man and witnessed to him about the Lord. Eventually he repented and talked about how the young Saint had helped him come closer to the Lord.

Sure other things matter. I was very unhappy about the check for my rent bouncing-but this is better than being in a state of mortal sin. Hearing Father's words about a state of grace being what really matters was a real comfort to me. When I saw him last Saturday night at the mostaccioli dinner, I told him about how I thought of his words about being in a state of grace. I told him that if I didn't hear him talking about a state of grace like that I probably would have had a "nervous breakdown" over the bad check. True, overdrafts like that also need to be taken seriously.

But like everything else on this earth even bad checks don't "hold a candle" to mortal sin.

Journal of a Blog Newbie?

2009-08-01T14:19:00.000-07:00

This is the first blog I've had that I've been posting to regularly, unless you count a journal I had on AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) for a while until AOL did something with that account.

Anyway, the point is is that I'm a little new to this blogging, nothing against AOL (I still use it), but I'm still learning how to use Blogspot.

I tried to cut corners a little bit by copying and pasting the opening prayer of the Novena to St Anthony to several posts and posting one each day after adding the prayer for each day.

But since these posts have the same date, they're posted one right after another, so all of them will appear before the article about the baby torn from its mother's womb.

So that's why that article stayed on top even though I've been adding days to the Novena, and maybe it might be easier to find it.

JMJ

paula

Rights of Baby Cut From Mother's Womb Uncertain

2009-07-30T19:20:00.000-07:00

Rights of Baby Cut From Mother's Womb Uncertain

CATHOLIC LEAGUE for Religious and Civil Rights July 30, 2009 RIGHTS OF BABY CUT FROM WOMB UNCERTAIN Catholic League president Bill Donohue addresses the uncertainties surrounding the eight-month old baby who was cut from her mother’s womb in Worcester, Massachusetts: When Barack Obama was in the Illinois state senate, he led the fight to deny health care to babies born as a result of a botched abortion. It is not certain what he would say if asked whether the baby who survived being cut from the womb of Darlene Haynes should be attended to by physicians. Nor is it certain what one of his science advisors would say. John P. Holdren, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, co-authored a book in the 1970s wherein he maintained that an unborn child “after birth, will ultimately develop into a human being.” (My italics.) This would seem to indicate that this baby, in particular, isn’t a human being. Holdren is also on record saying that he supports the right of trees to sue: In the 1970s, he wrote that “natural objects” like trees should be given standing in court. He maintained that by allowing trees to sue, it would have a “most salubrious” effect on the environment. In other words, it is questionable whether kids who survive an abortion or a murderer’s knife are entitled to health care, but it is about time we granted rights to weeping willows. And this was supposed to be the most ethical administration in American history. It just doesn’t get any sicker than this.

Susan A. Fani
Director of Communications
The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights
450 Seventh Avenue
New York, NY 10123
212-371-3191
212-371-3394 (fax)

Novena to St Anthony-Day 9

2009-07-27T18:06:00.002-07:00

O Holy St Anthony, gentlest of Saints, your love for God and charity for His creatures, made you worthy, when on earth, to possess miraculous powers.

Miracles waited on your word, which you were ever ready to speak for those in trouble or anxiety. Encouraged by this thought, I implore you to grant this for me (request). The answer to my prayer may require a miracle. Even so, you are the Saint of Miracles.

O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the Sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms; and the gratitude of my heart will ever be yours. Amen.

Day 9

St. Anthony, servant of Mary, glory of the Church, pray for our Holy Father, our bishops, our priests, our religious orders, that through their apostolic labors all may be united in faith and give greater glory to God.

Please intercede on my own behalf that I too may live my life as a true disciple of Christ.

Close with Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be to the Father, St Anthony Pray for Us

Novena to St Anthony-Day 8

2009-07-27T18:06:00.001-07:00

O Holy St Anthony, gentlest of Saints, your love for God and charity for His creatures, made you worthy, when on earth, to possess miraculous powers.

Miracles waited on your word, which you were ever ready to speak for those in trouble or anxiety. Encouraged by this thought, I implore you to grant this for me (request). The answer to my prayer may require a miracle. Even so, you are the Saint of Miracles.

O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the Sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms; and the gratitude of my heart will ever be yours. Amen.

Day 8

O holy St Anthony, you have shown yourself so compassionate toward those who invoke you in suffering and distress, I beseech you most humbly and earnestly to plead my cause before Our Father in Heaven, and through your miraculous intercession please help the lonely, the neglected, and the abused find comfort and strength.

Close with Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be to the Father, St. Anthony Pray for Us

Novena to St Anthony-Day 7

2009-07-27T18:05:00.001-07:00

O Holy St Anthony, gentlest of Saints, your love for God and charity for His creatures, made you worthy, when on earth, to possess miraculous powers.

Miracles waited on your word, which you were ever ready to speak for those in trouble or anxiety. Encouraged by this thought, I implore you to grant this for me (request). The answer to my prayer may require a miracle. Even so, you are the Saint of Miracles.

O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the Sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms; and the gratitude of my heart will ever be yours. Amen.

Day 7

O renowned champion of the faith of Christ, most holy St. Anthony, glorious for your many miracles, obtain for me the bounty of my Lord and God the grace which I ardently seek in this Novena, and intercede for the strength of families and protection of children.

Close with Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father, St Anthony Pray for Us.

Novena to St Anthony-Day 6

2009-07-27T18:04:00.000-07:00

O Holy St Anthony, gentlest of Saints, your love for God and charity for His creatures, made you worthy, when on earth, to possess miraculous powers.

Miracles waited on your word, which you were ever ready to speak for those in trouble or anxiety. Encouraged by this thought, I implore you to grant this for me (request). The answer to my prayer may require a miracle. Even so, you are the Saint of Miracles.

O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the Sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms; and the gratitude of my heart will ever be yours. Amen.

Day 6

O glorious St Anthony, chosen by God to preach His Word, you received from Him the power of working the most extraordinary miracles, I pray that you may help the world find peace from hatred and conflict, and that you may help me obtain the answers that I seek in this Novena in your honor.

Close with Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father, St Anthony Pray for us.

Novena to St Anthony-Day 5

2009-07-27T18:03:00.001-07:00

O Holy St Anthony, gentlest of Saints, your love for God and charity for His creatures, made you worthy, when on earth, to possess miraculous powers.

Miracles waited on your word, which you were ever ready to speak for those in trouble or anxiety. Encouraged by this thought, I implore you to grant this for me (request). The answer to my prayer may require a miracle. Even so, you are the Saint of Miracles.

O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the Sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms; and the gratitude of my heart will ever be yours. Amen.

Day 5

I salute you, St. Anthony, lily of purity, ornament and glory of Christianity, I ask you by the love you did feel toward the Infant Jesus as you held Him in your arms to tell Him now of the favor I seek through your intercession. I also beseech you to reach out to those who have lost their faith and guide them back to the Church

Close with Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be to the Father, St Anthony Pray for Us

Novena to St Anthony-Day 4

2009-07-27T18:02:00.001-07:00

O Holy St Anthony, gentlest of Saints, your love for God and charity for His creatures, made you worthy, when on earth, to possess miraculous powers.

Miracles waited on your word, which you were ever ready to speak for those in trouble or anxiety. Encouraged by this thought, I implore you to grant this for me (request). The answer to my prayer may require a miracle. Even so, you are the Saint of Miracles.

O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the Sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms; and the gratitude of my heart will ever be yours. Amen.

Day 4:

St. Anthony, the world confidently turns toward you and experiences your tender compassion and powerful assistance in so many necessities and sufferings. Obtain for me the grace I desire by obtaining a favorable answer to my request in this Novena, and provide guidance to those who question the sanctity of life. (Italics mine.)

Close with Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be to the Father, St Anthony Pray for Us.

Novena to St Anthony-Day 3

2009-07-27T17:37:00.000-07:00

O Holy St Anthony, gentlest of Saints, your love for God and charity for His creatures, made you worthy, when on earth, to possess miraculous powers.

Miracles waited on your word, which you were ever ready to speak for those in trouble or anxiety. Encouraged by this thought, I implore you to grant this for me (request). The answer to my prayer may require a miracle. Even so, you are the Saint of Miracles.

O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the Sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms; and the gratitude of my heart will ever be yours. Amen.

Day 3

Purest St. Anthony, chosen by God to preach His Word, you received from Him the power of working the most extraordinary miracles. I pray that you may help the world find peace form hatred and conflict, and that you may help me obtain the answers I seek in this Novena in your honor.

Then say one Our Father, One Hail Mary, One Glory Be to the Father, St. Anthony Pray for Us

Urgent Notice

2009-07-27T05:46:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, we have a so-called "pro-choice" President who wants health care reform.

We have received a note in our church bulletin about how we can take action and let our US Senators and Representatives know that's unacceptable. You may go to http://nchla.org/actiondisplay.asp?ID=276 and click "email to Congress."

Those who don't have Internet access may call the US Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and leave a brief message.

Father talked about both abortion and euthanasia in his homily. This euthanasia would include the killing of elderly people. Also if enough of us don't act, the government will also be able to dictate who gets medical care and who doesn't. Which means that someone may not be able to get it because of age, disability, or some other factor.

And I feel that we all have a right to live-from conception to natural death. This includes not just the right to be born but other things essential to life including proper nutrition and medical care.

Welcome

2009-07-27T05:43:00.000-07:00

I see my blog has a follower already. I'd like to welcome you to my blog and thanks for being a follower.

Novena to St Anthony-Day 2

2009-07-25T19:52:00.000-07:00

O Holy St Anthony, gentlest of Saints, your love for God and charity for His creatures, made you worthy, when on earth, to possess miraculous powers. Miracles waited on your word, which you were ever ready to speak for those in trouble or anxiety. Encouraged by this thought, I implore you to obtain for me (request). The answer to my prayer may require a miracle. Even so, you are the Saint of Miracles. O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the Sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms; and the gratitude of my heart will ever be yours. Amen.

Day 2:

O most favored friend of the Infant Jesus, bring my humble prayers before the throne of God, strengthen them by your intercession and obtain for me the favor I seek in this Novena.

O eloquent preacher of the divine mercy. I also seek in my prayers your intercession on behalf of the poor and the homeless, for whom you are the patron Saint.

Close with Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be to the Father, St. Anthony Pray for Us

Novena to St Anthony-Day 1

2009-07-25T19:31:00.000-07:00

O Holy St Anthony, gentlest of Saints, your love for God and charity for His creatures, made you worthy, when on earth, to possess miraculous powers. Miracles waited on your word, which you were ever ready to speak for those in trouble or anxiety. Encouraged by this thought, I implore you to obtain for me (request). The answer to my prayer may require a miracle. Even so, you are the Saint of Miracles. O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the Sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms; and the gratitude of my heart will ever be yours. Amen.

Day 1:

O wonderful St. Anthony, glorious on account of the fame of your miracles, regard not the unworthiness of those who pray to you, but the glory of God that it may be once again magnified by the granting of the request which I now ask with persevering earnestness, including intercession for my health and the health of my loved ones.

Close with Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be to the Father, St Anthony Pray For Us

The Rosaries in the Lounge

2009-07-25T19:05:00.000-07:00

A lady who works in the building I live in brought some rosaries and other Catholic items to the resident lounge on my floor. I took a couple rosaries and other stuff to my room. There were lots of prayers in that material that I'd like to share with you.

Tomorrow, I'm going to post the first day of a novena to St. Anthony. He's a favorite saint of mine since I'm always losing something.

At the mostaccioli dinner, I told one of my friends from the Latin Mass about the time I lost my wallet.

I don't know if someone picked my pocket or if it fell out when I was on the bus. I said a prayer to St. Anthony and got a call about 9 months after I had lost it. Someone found it in the dumpster of a facility for the disabled and gave it to the administrator. Fortunately I had some check stubs in the wallet. I was no longer working there so someone called the lady I rented a room from while working there. I was only working part-time and could no longer afford to rent from that lady. Fortunately the lady had the phone number of the friends I was staying with. She called me at my friends' apartment and told me my wallet was found, where it was, who was holding it for me, and the phone number. Fortunately, I knew where this place was and it wasn't that difficult to get there from the apartment. Everything was still in the wallet except the money-which is almost always removed from the wallet by the time one would get it back.

And usually if something like this is lost for such a long time you'll never get it back.

The Mostaccioli Dinner

2009-07-25T18:42:00.000-07:00

At the end of the Latin Mass Father announced that our parish will have a mostaccioli dinner to raise money for the sacristy. He encouraged us to volunteer or at least buy a ticket to the dinner. I went to the dinner and saw quite a few people I knew there from the Latin Mass and the English Masses there.

I saw both the priest who says the Latin Mass and the pastor at the dinner. In fact I saw them sitting next to each other. When a man I knew from the English Mass was ready to give me a ride home, he was standing next to a man whom I met through the Latin Mass, so I introduced the two. I was hoping to introduce at least one person from the Latin Mass and one from the English Mass to each other and had the pleasure of introducing them.

I was excited to see people from both the Latin Mass and the English Masses at the same event. This is the moment I've been waiting for. For the last 5-1/2 months I've been feeling as if I belong to two parishes. But the St. Mother Theodore Guerin Latin Mass is part of St Patrick's Parish.

St Elijah

2009-07-21T19:19:00.000-07:00

I found out from a lay Carmelite yesterday that yesterday was the feast day of St. Elijah, whom he said founded the Carmelite order. When I read the Carmelite missal the only Elijah I saw in there was the Old Testament prophet. I do believe there were saints in the Old Testament, not just in the time of Jesus or after.

I always looked upon Moses as being a saint for instance.

I know this is off the subject, but I got Father's permission to put the picture of him and myself on the blog-the one right after the scapular enrollment. But I can't find the cell phone I used to have the picture taken.

I will have to say a prayer to St. Anthony that I find the cell phone soon so I can post the photo.

The Enrollment

2009-07-19T21:06:00.000-07:00

Today was the day! (Actually it was yesterday since I'm posting this after midnight.)

Father enrolled me and a number of other people who came up to the first few pews after Mass. He read the blessing aloud in English so we knew what he was saying and in Latin every scapular after that. He blessed the scapulars, said something in Latin, and put the Scapulars in front of each persons lips so we can kiss them before he put them on us. We're also encouraged to kiss them when putting them on after taking a shower.

It was a beautiful ceremony.

Father talked about our becoming part of a scapular confraternity by enrolling. I googled the Brown Scapular and was reminded about the obligation to say the Little Office, but a priest can change this to the Rosary. I'll have to look and see if my Little Office books got shoved under the bed. (Dearest St Anthony please help me find them.)

I found out from Father that only the first scapular has to be blessed although we're encouraged to get the others blessed too.

According to what I read in the Google article, if you want to wear the Scapular medal, you must still have the enrollment done with the Scapular and then replace it with the medal after the enrollment. And you need to have every Scapular medal that you wear blessed by a priest or deacon after that.

I took an old cell phone with a camera to the church and had a lady take a couple pictures of me with the priest while he still had the special vestment he had on for enrolling the Scapular.

According to Father, the Scapular was given to St. Simon Stock, when she appeared to him at Mt. Carmel in 1251.

At first only Carmelite priests were allowed to do the enrollment; now any priest is allowed to do it.

More Experiences With the Brown Scapular

2009-07-15T19:35:00.000-07:00

When I was in college I used to date a young man from a Catholic family. I have met both of his parents and his younger sister. But I didn't get to meet his older sister at the time.

In fact, I thought my date told me the family disowned her because she got a divorce and remarried. I was concerned about her and her salvation and I think I even prayed that she'd repent from her sin and go to Heaven.

About 11 years ago I did finally get to meet her. She was standing next to her younger sister. I found out both sisters, their brother (the one I dated) and their mother were all alcoholics.

I saw her again-this time on a very regular basis-almost 2 years ago. She told me about what had happened. She got pregnant by her boyfriend and her father made her marry him. He was an alcoholic himself and never seemed to be able to get his life straightened around.

She was able to have that marriage annulled by the Church and then married another alcoholic who was also a loser. She divorced him too, got that marriage annulled, and married a sober alcoholic.

By that time she was sober herself. She and I were on the subject of the Brown Scapular and I found out she had enrolled in it at the time of her First Communion.

But she no longer had the Scapular. So I gave her one in mint condition which I had been keeping in a drawer. A few months later she passed away. And I hope that she wore the Scapular that I had given her at the time of her death. I believe that the Lord has answered my prayer and saved my friend's sister's soul.

Claims about the Brown Scapular

2009-07-15T19:20:00.000-07:00

When Father gave his homily Sunday morning he told us about a Protestant minister who threw a Brown Scapular into the sea during a hurricane. The hurricane calmed down and the minister and his family became Catholic.

Someone who knew 7 men who were about to die were asked by them for cigarettes. He told them that they would have promise to wear the Brown Scapular in order to get their cigarettes.

There's the promise that whoever dies wearing the Brown Scapular will not suffer the eternal fires of Hell.

Six of them became believers and the other one continued not to believe. When they died the 6 believers had their scapulars on. But the wind blew the scapular off the other one just before he died.

Journal of a Latin Mass Newbie

Go You Are Dismissed (The Mass Is Ended, Go In Peace)

Obedience School

Feast Day of Corpus Christi-the Body of Christ

The "Fourth Day"-A Sending Forth to Serve the Lord

Happy Birthday, Church

Prayer for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Prayer for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Pentecost Sunday-coming soon at a church near you

How to Pray the Rosary Everyday to find peace and serenity in your life...

How To Pray The Rosary EverydayTo Find Peace In Your Life

"Praying the Holy Rosary is like a breath of fresh air"

Aborted Baby Cries Before Cremation

Today's Great Silence

Fr Robert Fromageot, FSSP to be on EWTN

Fr. Robert Fromageot, FSSP to be on EWTN

St. Elizabeth of Hungary

No Altar Girls ?

Female Altar Servers

Should Monks Have Anything of Their Own?

Conservation in the Community-The Tools and Property of the Monastery

The LORD gives food to the hungry

Health Care Bill Didn't Go Through Senate

House health care bill has nowhere to go in Senate

Upcoming Holy/Feast Days (and All Hallows' Eve)

Beginning of Monastic and Scholastic Theology

Do We Have to Close the Hospitals?

White Ribbon Against Pornography

Lefebvrists Want to Come Back

Pro-Life Student Isolated for Joining Abortion Awareness Day

Why Not Mary?

Beyond the Rhetoric: Why Not Mary?

St. Therese Behind Anglican Ordinariate

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Anglican Bishop Confirms St. Therese is Behind Anglican Ordinariate

Vatican-Convert SSPX to Personal Prelature?

Too Many Laws Send Grandma to Jail

Welcome, Anglicans!

Whaaaaaat?????????

Parents, Obey Your Children?

Albert Mohler

Author, Speaker, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

The Gift of Knowledge

Pope's Poerful Challenge to Secularism in Czech Republic

Sister Cat, Brother Skunk

The Gift of Fortitude

Fortitude: A Cardinal Virtue and a Gift of the Holy Spirit

One of the Four Cardinal Virtues:

The Third of the Cardinal Virtues:

What Fortitude Is Not:

A Gift of the Holy Spirit:

Bearing Wrongs Patiently

The Gift of Counsel

The Third Gift of the Holy Spirit:

The Perfection of Prudence:

Counsel in Practice:

Is a Return to the Latin Mass in the Cards?

A Return to the Latin Mass

Clashes with congregants may erupt as a growing number of young priests push for a revival of pre-Vatican II customs

Related News

1rst Bank of Tulsa-South Bend Branch

The Gift of Understanding

One of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit:

The Second Gift of the Holy Spirit:

The Gift of Wisdom

Wisdom: A Gift of the Holy Spirit

See More About:

One of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit:

The First and Highest Gift of the Holy Spirit:

The Application of Wisdom:

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

What Are the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit?

See More About:

I Lost my Post.

Sabrina's Back

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

I Got to Go to Mass After All

Prayer Requests

Gratitude

Evil=The Absence of Good, Part II

How To Pray The Rosary Everyday
To Find Peace In Your Life