Mikey The Kid

CAPTURED - Fr. Mike Sis, the vocation director for the Diocese of Austin, was captured by the TX Rangers at a "man weekend" with his pack of robbers and banditos at an undisclosed ranch in Texas.
Video of the criminal behavior is below.



Priestly vocations are expected to continue to rise in this area of TX because of the destruction. We are working hard to prevent such things from happening in the future.

Sat Stuff

*England has made two mother IVF families a part of their law.

*In another interesting story, an Anglican Bishop calls for what he calls "Gay Christianity".
He says:

The Anglican tradition is uniquely capable of holding two seemingly contradictory ideas together. Its position on abortion, for example is that all human life is sacred. And, that no one has the right to tell a woman what to do with her body. Both are true.

No they are not. They are not "seemingly contradictory" they are contradictory and cannot both be true. This is basic reasoning 101. He then goes on to say:

“Just as surely as Jesus called to his friend Lazarus to ‘Come out!’ of his tomb, Jesus called me to come out of my tomb of guilt and shame, to accept and love that part of me that he already accepted and loved.”

I ask him what he thinks love is? Is it wanting the best for another, regardless of the cost to myself (the definition I use)? Because if it is, then entering into a homosexual relationship can never be "want what is best for the other" and therefore isn't real love. It is inherently selfish.

*WOW! China's 1-child policy has "prevented 400 million births". God have mercy. I can't even comprehend it.

How To Help Burma - Condoms

Yep.
The UN decided that the people of Myanmar could use thousands of condoms and that would help in this disaster. Ug.

Not a good idea

Not at all.

Stay Away From These "Catholic" Sites

Apparently the head of several online Catholic websites (some very big ones) is involved in a scandal of possibly taking money from different Catholic organizations. If true, then Catholic.org and other major websites may not be around much longer. I have never used the website much, because of the annoying ads, but it is one of the biggest Catholic websites there is. It would be a pretty major scandal.

Say a prayer for all involved.

Prayer Requests

*This is from Mark. I agree with every word he writes.

As you may know, Ted Kennedy has brain cancer. This is a great time to let him know that we Catholics are praying for him. You can go here:

http://kennedy.senate.gov/

On the right hand side, you will find a place to leave him well-wishes and other comments. Please pass this on.

Mark

May he be healed if it be God's will.

*Today is the funeral for Mary Beth Farmer here at St. Mary's. Please keep her, her family, and her friends in your prayers during this time of mourning. Thanks. If you haven't heard already, she just graduated and died due to injuries sustained in a car accident a few days after her graduation.

Catholic Basics

Mike, our Director of Liturgy and Music, is putting together a worship aid for tomorrow. He was asked to put some short blurbs on why Catholics do what we do in the Mass for those who may not understand it fully. So, I gave him the following (extremely) brief explanations of some of the particulars we see in Catholic worship, which I thought might be useful to some of our readers. Enjoy!

Incense represents our prayers being offered to God in heaven. "From the angel’s hand the smoke of the incense went up before God, and with it the prayers of God’s people" (Rev. 8:3-5)

Holy Water is a reminder of our baptism and of our commitment to live a Christ-centered life. “And the priest shall take the holy water in an earthen vessel and take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it into the water.” (Num. 5:17)

The Sign of the Cross is also a reminder of our baptism, the Holy Trinity, and our identity in Christ. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 28:19).

We ask Mary and the Saints in heaven to pray for us, just as we would other Christian friends. The book of Revelation tells us of the Saints in heaven praying for us on earth. "the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints" (Rev. 5:8).

Catholics pray for those who have died bodily, not to achieve their salvation, but rather to speed the process of purification their souls undergo before entering heaven, if needed. Since “nothing unclean will enter” (Rev. 21:27) heaven and because of “sin that clings to us” (Heb 12:1), many souls will undergo this purification that Catholics call Purgatory.

All candles in the church are signs of Christ being the light of the world. "The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned" (Matt. 4:16)

Catholics kneel and genuflect as a sign of respect to the God whom we worship. “Eery knee shall bend before me, and every tongue shall give praise to God” (Rom 14:11)

We use Latin – a universal language of the church – as a sign of the universal nature of the Church. One language unites us all beyond our cultural boundaries.

The Eucharist is not just a symbol of Christ for Catholics. But, we believe it to be the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus. “For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” (John 6:55-56)

Amy is Moving

Just got the following email from Amy Welborn:

Greetings!

Please forgive the mass email, but it was the easiest way of getting the news out.

The short version is..we're moving!

Michael has accepted a job working for the Diocese of Birmingham, Alabama. He and Bishop Robert Baker are old friends and Bishop Baker wrote a couple of books for Our Sunday Visitor under Michael's editorship.

He'll have several jobs, but the primary title will be Director of the New Evangelization. He will also be overseeing communications and a few other areas. His basic function will be to assist Bishop Baker in bringing his vision for the diocese to reality.

He begins his job on June 1. We will follow at some point during the summer, certainly by early August when school starts. Because of uncertainties about selling our house up here, it will be, of necessity, a...fluid situation!

I will, however, be in Atlanta on June 22 for this "Catholic New Media Celebration," on the bloggers' panel. If you're in the area, stop by - it's going to be a great event.

http://celebration.sqpn.com/

I'll send out an address when we get one. Which, the way things are going..might be Christmas!

God bless,

Amy Welborn Dubruiel

Parenting

I highly recommend that you read Amy Welborn's most recent post about parenting, even if you aren't a parent. Beautiful.

Made me think of my kids. So, I responded to her post with these comments (read her post first before reading this):

I have five kids and like everyone, I am in awe and amazement at how God has made them so good. But, in my moments of frustration, anger, or just being moody, I forget that I am the reflection of THE Father and a poor one at that.

Thanks for such a beautiful reflection. It made me think that I have many selfish desires - including wanting to capture the moments of love and innocence that my children have and never let them leave the nest. To see them giggle, to see them cry and run to daddy’s arms. To have them great me at in the driveway all jumping up and down yelling “daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy!”

I don’t want to give up those moments but then, like you Amy, I realize that God didn’t make us to live for our own desires.

Sometimes that hurts.

Prayer Request Follow-Up II

Please continue to keep the Farmer family and friends in your prayers. The vigil and funeral details are below. I know many of our students and former students are hurting right now.

Visitation, Vigil & Rosary - Tuesday May 20, 2008
Vigil and Rosary at 6:30 pm
Visitation from 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Hiller Funeral Home
2301 E. 29th, Bryan, TX 77802
(979) 822-1571 Map

Mass of Christian Burial - Wednesday May 21, 1:00 pm
St. Mary's Catholic Church
603 Church Avenue
College Station, TX 77840
(979) 846-5717 Map

Monday Morning Mayhem

*Rocco has a great post up on Bishop Farrel and his first year in Big D.

*Scary, stupid, and bad reasoning all rolled into one.

*Cistercian Monks groomed to become stars.

*The Supreme Court upheld a child pornography law.

*Pope talks about the duty for all of us to seek converts.

Evangelism is a central mission of the Church, the pope told a Vatican body that encourages Catholic missionary activity.

The appeal for the conversion of "all nations," attributed to Jesus Christ in the Gospels, remains "an obligatory mandate for the entire Church and for every believer in Christ," the pontiff said.

"This apostolic commitment is both a duty and an inalienable right, the very expression of religious freedom with its moral, social and political dimensions," he said.

Like his predecessors, Pope Benedict is keen to promote missionary zeal among Catholics, most of whom live in a world of religious pluralism and other proselytising faiths such as Islam.

Reconciliation

Q - I have a question regarding the function of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Say I am on my way to confession having committed a mortal sin and I die on my way, am I going to be thrown into purgatory or perhaps hell? How often should we go to confession? If I go to confession and then 3 hours later commit a mortal sin should I go back or can I wait till next weekend? Thanks!

A - Thanks for the great questions! I love the Sacrament of Reconciliation, so I am glad that you have a great interest in it.

Let me first quote a bit from the Catechism of the Catholic Church on Reconciliation:

1422 "Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God's mercy for the offense committed against him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins and which by charity, by example, and by prayer labors for their conversion."

Notice that we seek both forgiveness and reconciliation with God. This leads to conversion and in the entire process we are given the grace of God.

1468 Reconciliation with God is thus the purpose and effect of this sacrament.

Our purpose in this Sacrament is to be brought closer to God, esp. when we have severed ourselves from His love by committing mortal sin.

So, would we be punished in hell for a mortal sin that was not confessed even though our intent was to confess it and be forgiven? No. God is merciful and cares about the heart, which was already seeking out His forgiveness.

Now, we do still have to pay the temporal price for our sins either in this life or by purgatory. So, there would be a cleansing in purgatory before we entered into heaven, but our salvation is assured if we die in a state of grace.

The question of how often to go to confession I will answer in both legal and practical ways:
The Church requires we go once a year during the Easter season, if we are in the state of mortal sin. But, as a general rule of thumb it is a good idea to go about once a month. I recommend that most people schedule it so they don't put it off too long.

I know that I have several tendencies that confession helps me with. I am too scrupulous and I am too prideful. Confession helps keep my head balanced better between the two.

If you commit a mortal sin, the best thing to do is to do the following:

• Don't beat yourself up too much, because the devil wants you to think you are no good.
• Don't trivialize the sin, because we all have a tendency to try and rationalize.
• Go to confession as soon as is feasible and remember that if you are not in a state of grace then you shouldn't receive Communion (this in and of itself would get me running to Confession).
• Ask the priest for tips on how to avoid the near occasion of sin so that you can continue to grow closer to Christ and resist temptations.

I hope this helps.

Prayer Request Follow-Up

One of our recent graduates, Mary Beth Farmer (graduated this past weekend), died late Wed. night from injuries she received in a severe auto accident in Austin on Monday. The funeral will most likely be here at St. Mary's next week. Please pray for Mary Beth, her family, her friends and St. Mary's.

Questions

It is a busy day today, so not much blogging will happen. But, I do want to point out to readers that you are more than welcome to ask questions.

Here are most of the questions that have been asked previously and the top 10.

Nicely Done.

tip o' the hat to Mark

Prayer Request

Please pray for a special request for the St. Mary's community.
I will provide details later in the day.

CNA videos

Here are some recent Catholic News Agency Videos:

Amen!

Preach it!

Tip O' the Hat to Happy Catholic.

Aliens in the Vatican

It isn't really news, but it is fun.

VATICAN CITY (AP) - The Vatican's chief astronomer says that believing in aliens does not contradict faith in God.

The Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, says that the vastness of the universe means it is possible there could be other forms of life outside Earth, even intelligent ones.

In an interview published Tuesday by Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Funes says that such a notion "doesn't contradict our faith" because aliens would still be God's creatures.

The interview was headlined "The extraterrestrial is my brother." Funes said that ruling out the existence of aliens would be like "putting limits" on God's creative freedom.

Nothing really new here and I agree. But, I can see the headlines now:
-Pope is from Mars, Laity from Venus
-Vatican re-writes Bible to include parable of the prodigal martian
-Ecumenical prayer service to now include extraterrestrials.

I know our readers can do better than that. What headlines would you like to see?

-Tuesday Tidbits-

*One of the few politicians that I still think has a good head on his shoulders is Senator Sam Brownback. A Catholic convert, he raises issues of justice that few Republicans would touch, such as slavery. Now, he is fighting the marriage penalty that the poor have built into our system. Good for him.

*Blaming poverty and other problems on the Catholic Church's doctrine is easy. But, assigning blame to corrupt governments, bad policy decisions, greed and the real root of the issue is harder, because then we have to look in the mirror, because we are the ones with the wealth.

*Designer babies? Yes, they are here.

*The Pope's visit was a success. But, will it last?

*Pray for the Chinese that are suffering from the earthquake and for other people around the globe from natural disasters.

*The Supreme Court has denied a request for asylum by the husband of a woman who was forced to abort her baby in China. Land of the free?

*ABC is showing the first gay "wedding" on TV and the call it progress.

The Church vs. The Culture - round 2,312,094,858

*I think that many people still expect the Pope to step out on to his balcony one day and tell the world that the Church's teaching on contraception was all a big mistake. Otherwise, why write a headline that sounds as if we are surprised that the Pope supports what the Church teaches?
"Pope Benedict Praises Vatican Teaching Against Birth Control".

*Archbiship Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, KS has told the governor not to receive communion and to apologize for her support of abortion. Strong words and he did it the right way. He didn't bring it to the public, until he tried the private pastoral approach first. But, since she refused his directive, he has no choice.

UPDATE - Here is the Archbishops column on the subject, which is masterful in my opinion. Also, read Ed Peters great commentary on the issue from a canon lawyer's perspective.

Friday Fun - Simpsons Go to Heaven

This is old but great. The Simpsons have Catholic vs. Mainline Protestant heaven.
But, what makes it better is that it is in German!

Thursday Thoughts

*Here is my latest column from The Catholic Spirit (in pdf format)

*Pray for peace in Lebanon. We don't need another war.

*Bishops have set a wide-ranging agenda for their next meetings. They include liturgical translations, stem-cell research, research on sex-abuse, and more.

*Catholic FaceBook? The Vatican is rolling it out soon. Here is a video of Cardinal Pell talking about text messaging and more at World Youth Day.


Tip O' The Hat to Pope 2008

Dom Hubert van Zeller

One of my favorite authors on prayer and spirituality is Dom Hubert van Zeller. He is a master of simple, yet very challenging and deep, wisdom. I highly recommend him, especially Holiness: A Guide for Beginners; Spirit of Penance, Path to God; and To Be In Christ. He has dozens of books and my guess is that all of them are terrific.

Let me quote from To Be in Christ. Here hes talks of having the mind of Christ:

The ability to think in Christ is not just a knack of the mind, a habit acquired by the belief that is is the most sensible way to go about things: it is a gift, a grace. Even in the human relationship between friends it would be impossible for both to think alike - on any subject, let alone on all subjects - unless the one had imparted his thought to the other. Jesus gives us his thinking provided we pray for it and are serious in trying to shape our lives according to his teaching. It is as a consequence of our prayer life that we hold up to his judgment the circumstances which face us, and it is on the findings of this submission that we come to judge as he judges, to think as he thinks.

He then talks about speaking in Christ:

In the light of the two sons, one of whom said he would work in his father's field and stayed where he was, while the other said he would not go yet eventually went, it is curious that Jesus should make words the deciding factor between acquittal and condemnation. There is no real contradiction, however, and what he surely meant us to understand was that while the main consideration must be the attitude of the mind and heart - the interior choosing - the exterior of expression is found in speech. Just as an air bubble under water forces itself to the surface in our character comes out in the form of what we say.

If this is so, then people who are habitually united with Jesus within will reflect him in their conversation. This does not mean that pieties will flow from their lips. There is all the difference between sanctity and sanctimoniousness. It means that what they say, coming as it does from a different level within themselves, will reach souls at a different level. Jesus in one soul will move out to Jesus in another. there will be a corresponding exchange. The man who is reliving the life of Jesus has no desire to edify, but those who talk to him come away the better for it.

The last section I will share is, in my opinion, the most profound. It is on living out God's will (with my emphasis added):

The terms of human existence are given us by God. We are born into a fallen world; we grow up with grand ideas of bettering this fallen world; we find in later life that our hopes have come to nothing, that our efforts have been wasted, that there is not a thing we can do about it. Either we make the act of faith or sulk. Our Lord could have avoided disappointment but he went ahead and accepted it. He could have avoided temptation but endured it. St. Paul, after experiencing disappointment and temptation, was able to say, "In whatever state I am I am content therewith." Contentment - so much easier to gauge than happiness - comes of surrender and not of achievement, not in the fulfilling of desires but in seeing God's hand in the dealing of the cards.

Lord give us the grace to have your mind, speak your words and live your life.
Please don't forget to pray for Sonia Drabek who is currently having heart surgery.

Wild Wed.

*I always appreciate a good discussion. It seems that some of the best discussion starters are had on Amy Welborn's blog. Once again she started a great one, this time about clericalism.

*Don't forget to pray for the people of Myanmar.

*Going to World Youth day? Like texting? Want to get text messages from the Pope? Then check it out.

*Some new appointments in the Vatican.

Clapping During Mass

Q - Clapping in church has always kind of bothered me because it seems to distract from the importance of the celebration of the Eucharist. That being said, is clapping right, wrong, or indifferent in the mass setting? Am I being difficult by not liking it?

A - Thanks for the question. If you don't mind, I will be somewhat blunt. I think that worrying too much about these things (not that you are, but I know some others that do) can be the real distraction. Now, with that being said, I don't like it either. Are you being difficult, not really. As long as you don't allow it to take away from entering into the liturgy fully, you are okay to be a little concerned. It is when this consumes you that it is too much.

Before Benedict XVI became pope he wrote the following warning about making the Mass into entertainment:

Wherever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement, it is a sure sign that the essence of liturgy has totally disappeared and been replaced by a kind of religious entertainment. Such attraction fades quickly - it cannot compete in the market of leisure pursuits, incorporating as it increasingly does various forms of religious titillation (Ratzinger, Spirit of the Liturgy).

He masterfully sums up the problem with clapping in Church. Mass isn't about our feelings, it is about worshiping God. Giving to the Trinity what is due from us. Clapping is usually done for a human achievement and is not for God. So, it is a misplaced act in most liturgies. There are some places where it is explicitly allowed though. For instance, in the Rite of Ordination for priests there is an exception for the USA where the congregation can show approval of the act of choosing the men to be ordained and one of the ways proscribed in doing so is applause.

Remember that the Church doesn't tell us exactly how to act in every motion during Mass. So, here is my PERSONAL OPINION on the matter. Don't get overanxious about clapping, especially if it isn't a weekly thing. Also, there is no reason you have to participate in it if you feel uncomfortable doing so.

I hope this helps. You might also look into my post on How To Get More Out of Mass and a related post on Holding Hands During the Our Father.

Kill 'em All.

A group of doctors has drawn up a list of who should be "allowed to die" during a pandemic. The list includes:

• People older than 85.
• Those with severe trauma, which could include critical injuries from car crashes and shootings.
• Severely burned patients older than 60.
• Those with severe mental impairment, which could include advanced Alzheimer's disease.
• Those with a severe chronic disease, such as advanced heart failure, lung disease or poorly controlled diabetes.

If they don't deserve to be treated then, do they deserve to be treated now? Why do doctors make this decision about another person's life? Well, at least some raise a concern, but not a loud enough one. One of the quotes - "there are some real ethical concerns here." You think so?

Well, the doctors at least wrestled with the issue, which is all that matters to a lot of people in today's society. One of them said that it, "was emotionally difficult for everyone." The rational is that as long as you struggle through the process there isn't a wrong decision to make. This is the same rational others use for abortion, euthanasia, etc.

There is objective truth. There is right and there is wrong. This is wrong, not just an "ethical issue" or an "emotional struggle". Now, we need some doctors and medical ethicists to raise the issue strongly. Any takers?

Church Rumors

*Some Church rumors are fun. This one should be fun to watch the sparks fly. I don't think it has much of a footing though, but you never know.

*On a much more serious note, please keep the people of Myanmar in your prayers. More than 22,000 dead currently.

*More new ageism - this time from CNN, disguised as "medicine".

*10 years old and already working on a sex change. Ug. A 10 year old doesn't need help worrying about these kind of issues and if they do, they need counseling, not someone to encourage them. When I was 10, I was much more concerned about what kind of ice cream I ate, not what sex to be.

Aggie Ring Blessing

Our ring blessing tradition made it to the Dallas Morning News.

Prayer Requests

Please pray for Sonia Drabek. An Aggie Catholic and a good friend (and classmate of '95) who is undergoing heart surgery on Thursday. Please pray for her healing, her husband Steve and her two kids. Please also pray for her recovery which will be long and hard.