Aggie Catholics

How Much Should I Give?

2012-02-02T15:47:00.000-06:00

Q - I feel a call to give more money to the Church, but I don't know where to start? How much do I give? To whom? Help me out here!

A - Thanks for the questions. Stewardship of our resources is something that many struggle with. Let me start with some principles that may help:

We are owners of nothing except our own free will. All other gifts, talents, things, relationships, etc. are gifts from God that we are given for a short time to take care of.
We will be held accountable for our stewardship by God.
Tithing and stewardship are about faith not money.
Your perceived needs may not match the reality of your needs.
We are either tippers or tithers. Tippers believe God exists to serve us. Tithers believe we exist to serve God.

These principles can help us to rightly order our giving. There is no mandate by the Church that you have to give a certain percentage. The Biblical model is 10% of gross income as demonstrated by the following passage (as well as others):

"Speak to the Levites and say to them: 'When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give you as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the LORD's offering." -Numbers 18:26

The Church isn't caught up in the percent as much as what is happening in the heart. Paul tells us:

"On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made." -1 Cor 16:2

"Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." - 2 Cor 9:7

My own recommendation is that you start with a certain percent (say 5%) of whatever gross income you receive (include any money you receive in support of your expenses). Then set up a different account as a tithing account. Do nothing with this money but give it away. Give half of the % you are putting away to the parish you attend and the other half to other reputable charities and missions.

Continue to up the percent as long as you can do so until you reach the Biblical model of 10%.

Remember that faith is certainly required and that prayer should always accompany all of these acts of charity and that all these recommendations are merely guidelines. Some give away much more than 10%, some less.

God is always pleased with a good steward of his creation. The Catechism even defines a Christian based on the principle of stewardship.

“A Christian is a steward of the Lord's goods.” (CCC, 952)

I hope this helps.

Poverty in The USA

2012-02-02T12:42:00.000-06:00

Some thoughts by our Director of Social Ministries, Clotilde Pichon:

A Place For All At The Table
By Clotilde Pichon, St Mary’s Director of Social Ministries

It is sometimes hard to believe that in the USA, one of the richest countries in the world, millions of persons live in poverty and up to 2.5 million are homeless. Many of us may relegate poverty and hunger as problems of developing countries. Not so. And even worse, with the current economic crisis poverty in the USA is steadily growing. Being poor does not mean necessarily being jobless, more and more working families are living at or below the poverty line.

As disciples of Jesus, we cannot ignore our social responsibilities towards our neighbors in need. All people have basic human needs that have to be met in order for us to reach our potential. Ending poverty means ensuring that all have the opportunity and ability to meet those needs for themselves and their families. When we respond to our neighbors in need, we are feeding, clothing, and sheltering Jesus, “Amen I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25: 40) Continue Reading.

Do You Need to Smile :-) Maybe You Need to Cry :-(

2012-02-02T12:16:00.001-06:00

SMILE:

CRY:

The One Thing Contraception Can Guarantee 100%

2012-02-01T16:10:00.000-06:00

What do birth control pills, condoms, etc. promise? That you can have all the pleasure of sex without the consequences. But, do they deliver?

I don't think they do. The two main reasons those who push contraception/condoms give for doing so is they prevent disease and prevent pregnancy. But, is this promise false? Look at the evidence:

preventing disease - recently 1.35 million condoms were recalled for breaking. Many AIDS patients were worried they spread the disease to their partners.
preventing pregnancy - today 1 million birth control packets were recalled because they may not prevent pregnancy.

We haven't even touched on the broken hearts, failed relationships, emotional baggage, wounded souls, deadened consciences, increase in divorce, failure to truly care about someone else, failure to love, etc.

The only 100 % guarantee you get with using contraception is that it isn't worth it.

Related links:
**Is Using Contraception a Sin
**NFP and Contraception
**Social Science Proves Humanae Vitae
**Birth Control and College Students

Planned Parenthood is Urging Calls to Administration. Catholics Need to Call Too

2012-02-01T12:34:00.000-06:00

This is a new ad by Planned Parenthood which trumpets the HHS mandate to require full insurance coverage of sterilization, abortion drugs, and contraception.

We need to call our representatives and let them know what we think too.
Use the number at the end of this ad to contact HHS and the Obama administration. Use Planned Parenthood's ad for good!

The Best Part of the Super Bowl...

2012-02-01T11:56:00.001-06:00

...has to be the commercials. Especially in a year where the Giants and the Patriots are playing (I don't like either team - at all).

Looks like the car companies are really doing a good job in the advertising division...

Petition All Catholics Should Sign

2012-02-01T09:51:00.001-06:00

Click here to sign.

Rescind the HHS Dept. Mandate Requiring Catholic Employers to Provide Contraceptives/Abortifacients to Their Employees

The present Administration, through the Health and Human Services Department, is mandating that all employer healthcare insurance plans provide coverage for procedures which violate the beliefs of the Catholic Church, and Catholic institutions.

Basically, the new rules require the Catholic Church, and the institutions operating faithfully under the aegis of the Church, to provide coverage for contraceptive drugs and procedures. This requirement violates the beliefs of the Church.

Never before has the United States Government deigned to represent "transcendental truth" on matters of conscience for any religion within these United States. That in itself is unprecedented, which is also why it is unconstitutional.

Sign to Let the present Administration know that this mandate cannot stand.

Things Catholic Girls Say

2012-01-31T19:52:00.001-06:00

These are very much in style. This one is greatness.

Tip o' the hat to Jonathan for sending it to me.

Susan G Komen Foundation Halts Grants to Planned Parenthood

2012-01-31T16:41:00.003-06:00

This is great news. The pressure on them has been mounting for years.

The nation's leading breast-cancer charity, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, is halting its partnerships with Planned Parenthood affiliates — creating a bitter rift, linked to the abortion debate, between two iconic organizations that have assisted millions of women.

The change will mean a cutoff of hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants, mainly for breast exams.

Planned Parenthood says the move results from Komen bowing to pressure from anti-abortion activists. Komen says the key reason is that Planned Parenthood is under investigation in Congress — a probe launched by a conservative Republican who was urged to act by anti-abortion groups.

The rupture, which has not been publicly announced as it unfolded, is wrenching for some of those who've learned about it and admire both organizations.

"We're kind of reeling," said Patrick Hurd, who is CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Virginia — recipient of a 2010 grant from Komen — and whose wife, Betsi, is a veteran of several Komen fundraising races and is currently battling breast cancer.

"It sounds almost trite, going through this with Betsi, but cancer doesn't care if you're pro-choice, anti-choice, progressive, conservative," Hurd said. "Victims of cancer could care less about people's politics."

Planned Parenthood said the Komen grants totaled roughly $680,000 last year and $580,000 the year before, going to at least 19 of its affiliates for breast-cancer screening and other breast-health services.

Komen spokeswoman Leslie Aun said the cutoff results from the charity's newly adopted criteria barring grants to organizations that are under investigation by local, state or federal authorities. According to Komen, this applies to Planned Parenthood because it's the focus of an inquiry launched by Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., seeking to determine whether public money was improperly spent on abortions.

Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, has depicted Stearns' probe as politically motivated and said she was dismayed that it had contributed to Komen's decision to halt the grants to PPFA affiliates.

"It's hard to understand how an organization with whom we share a mission of saving women's lives could have bowed to this kind of bullying," Richards told The Associated Press. "It's really hurtful."

Planned Parenthood has been a perennial target of protests, boycotts and funding cutoffs because of its role as the largest provider of abortions in the United States. Its nearly 800 health centers nationwide provide an array of other services, including birth control, testing for sexually transmitted diseases, and cancer screening.

According to Planned Parenthood, its centers performed more than 4 million breast exams over the past five years, including nearly 170,000 as a result of Komen grants.

Komen, founded in 1982, has invested more than $1.9 billion since then in breast-cancer research, health services and advocacy. Its Race for the Cure fundraising events have become a global phenomenon.

For all its mainstream popularity, however, Komen has been a target of anti-abortion groups since it began its partnerships with Planned Parenthood in 2005.

Life Decisions International includes Komen on its "boycott list" of companies and organizations that support or collaborate with Planned Parenthood. In December, Lifeway Christian Resources, the publishing division of the Southern Baptist Convention announced a recall of pink Bibles it had sold because some of the money generated for Komen was being routed to Planned Parenthood.

Aun, the Komen spokeswoman, said such pressure tactics were not the reason for the funding cutoff and cited Stearns' House investigation as a key factor.Continue Reading.

Fr. Barron on The Obama Administration's Mandate and the Violation of Religious Liberty

2012-01-31T11:28:00.001-06:00

The Violation of Consciences and The Bill of Rights

2012-01-30T11:02:00.003-06:00

The Federal government, more specifically the Department of Health and Human Services and the Obama Administration, have mandated that every employer carry mandatory contraception, sterilization, and abortion-inducing drugs in health care insurance plans - without a cost to the employee. The only exemption is for churches, synagogues, mosques, etc. This means Catholic hospitals, schools, universities, etc. will be forced to carry these items or drop insurance coverage and pay fines.

This is a clear violation of the consciences of believers, who will not have the option to opt-out. It will cause many to pay for things they oppose and find evil. Furthermore, it is a violation of the Bill of Rights, which lists the free exercise of religion as the FIRST right:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof

Catholics should not let this happen. This is why our bishops are strongly calling on all Catholics to pray and act. The following is from the Bishop of Austin and was read in all Masses this weekend:

January 26, 2012

Dear brother priests,

I ask that this letter be read aloud at all Saturday Vigiland Sunday Masses on this weekend, Jan. 28-29, 2012.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

I write to you concerning an alarming and serious matterthat negatively impacts the Church in the United States directly, and thatstrikes at the fundamental right to religious liberty for all citizens of anyfaith. The federal government, whichclaims to be “of, by, and for the people,” has just dealt a heavy blow toalmost a quarter of those people—the Catholic population—and to the millionsmore who are served by the Catholic faithful.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announcedlast week that almost all employers, including Catholic employers, will beforced to offer their employees’ health coverage that includes sterilization,abortion-inducing drugs, and contraception. Almost all health insurers will be forced to include those “services” inthe health policies they write. And almostall individuals will be forced to buy that coverage as a part of theirpolicies.

In so ruling, the Administration has cast aside the FirstAmendment to the Constitution of the United States, denying to Catholics ourNation’s first and most fundamental freedom, that of religious liberty. And as a result, unless the rule isoverturned, we Catholics will be compelled either to violate our consciences,or to drop health coverage for our employees (and suffer the penalties fordoing so). The Administration’s soleconcession was to give our institutions one year to comply.

We cannot—we will not—comply with this unjust law. People of faith cannot be made second-classcitizens. We are already joined by ourbrothers and sisters of all faiths and many others of good will in thisimportant effort to regain our religious freedom. Our parents and grandparents did not come tothese shores to help build America’scities and towns, its infrastructure and institutions, its enterprise andculture, only to have their posterity stripped of their God given rights. In generations past, the Church has alwaysbeen able to count on the faithful to stand up and protect her sacred rightsand duties. I hope and trust she cancount on this generation of Catholics to do the same. Our children and grandchildren deservenothing less.

And therefore, I would ask of you two things. First, as a community of faith we must commitourselves to prayer and fasting that wisdom and justice may prevail, andreligious liberty may be restored. Without God, we can do nothing; with God, nothing is impossible. Second, I would also recommend visiting thewebsite, www.usccb.org/conscience, in order to learn more about this severeassault on religious liberty, and how to contact Congress in support of legislationthat would reverse the Administration’s decision. You can also find a link to it from thewebsite of the Diocese of Austin.

Thank you for your attention to this timely issue. May the Lord guide our efforts to defendreligious liberty in this country.

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Joe S. Vásquez
Bishop of Austin

Bishop Vann of Fort Worth and Bishop Farrell of Dallas had a good guest Op-Ed in the Star Telegram last week.

Not "Catholic Christian" - Just "Catholic"

2012-01-25T15:30:00.002-06:00

When we here the word "Catholic" a lot of us (even lifelong Catholics) think of the things that make us uniqe - the Sacraments, Mass, Mary, purgatory, the Pope, etc. There is certainly nothing wrong with thinking about those things and our unique status and identity as a Church. But, this thinking is also very limited and if it stops there, it shows an improper understanding of the nature of the Church.

The biggest problem is in the way "Catholic Christian" is used, it insinuates Catholics are merely a subset of all Christians and therefore the larger group (represented by the word "Christian") has as a mere subset of it Catholics. We are merely a portion of this one "Christian" Church. Yet, this isn't what the Catholic Church teaches about itself.

Before I go any further, let me be clear. I am not saying that non-Catholic Christians are not united to the Church of Christ. Nor am I saying anything about their salvation (for more on these topics see the links at the bottom). Rather, I am making a positive affirmation of what the Catholic Church truly is and critiquing the use of the term "Catholic Christian", because it is not only insufficient as a descriptor of who we are as The Church of Christ, but it is also inaccurate and redundant.

If we are to understand the Catholic Church properly, we must understand her nature. This is what Vatican II says about the Church (emphasis added):

"This is the one Church of Christ which in the Creed is professed as one, holy, catholic and apostolic, which our Saviour, after His Resurrection, commissioned Peter to shepherd, and him and the other apostles to extend and direct with authority, which He erected for all ages as "the pillar and mainstay of the truth". This Church constituted and organized in the world as a society, subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him, although many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside of its visible structure. These elements, as gifts belonging to the Church of Christ, are forces impelling toward catholic unity." - LG 8

The Church of Christ subsists in the Catholic Church, not the other way around. If the Catholic Church subsisted in the Church of Christ, then the term "Catholic Christian" would make more sense. But, as it is we should not use the term if we mean to reflect a true doctrine an orthodox understanding of our identity as Catholics.

To put it another way - there is one Church which Christ founded. That Church is the Catholic Church.

Another thought - "Catholic Christian" is redundant. Catholics are by definition Christians. As another document in Vatican II stated:

"it is only through Christ's Catholic Church, which is "the all-embracing means of salvation," that they can benefit fully from the means of salvation. We believe that Our Lord entrusted all the blessings of the New Covenant to the apostolic college alone, of which Peter is the head, in order to establish the one Body of Christ on earth to which all should be fully incorporated who belong in any way to the people of God." -UR 3

Being Catholic is the very definition of being a Christian.
Just "Catholic" please.

Related Posts:
**"Outside the Church There Is No Salvation"
**Is Receiving the Eucharist a Requirement for Salvation?
**Can Non-Catholics Be Saved?
**How Do We Know The Church Teaches Truth?

Catholic Motivational Poster - 3:00 AM

2012-01-25T13:23:00.001-06:00

Something I came up with last night, when some storms woke me up.

Feel free to share, but please credit us with a link.
Thanks.

Ann Konderla (Fr. David's Mother) Requiescat in Pace

2012-01-25T12:19:00.000-06:00

Fr. David's mother, Ann Konderla, died this morning.
The following is a note from Fr. David:

Friends,

Your prayers and support have been so helpful. My mother died peacefully at about 5 a.m. this morning surrounded by her husband and children. We are planning visitation from 4 to 6 p.m. with a rosary and vigil service starting at 6 p.m. on Friday, January 27th at Christ the Good Shepherd Chapel on Coulter in Bryan.

The funeral mass will be at 10. a.m. on Saturday, January 28th at St. Joseph Church in Bryan with burial to follow immediately at Mt. Calvary Cemetery in Bryan.

My family feels so blessed that her time of trial is over and appreciates your prayers as we prepare to celebrate her life.

Fr. David

Fr. David has 11 brothers and sisters and most still live in the area. Please keep them all in your prayers.

Eternal Rest, Grant Unto Her, O Lord.
And let perpetual Light shine upon her.
May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen.

A Pro-Life Commercial That Says It All

2012-01-24T19:50:00.002-06:00

What is Mortal Sin?

2012-01-24T14:40:00.000-06:00

Q - What exactly qualifies as a mortal sin? According to a website I read, breaking any of the 10 Commandments along with a slew of other things is a grave sin? In this light, what if we've taken the Eucharist in mortal sin before without the prior knowledge that we weren't supposed to?

A - Thanks for the question.

For a sin to be mortal, it must meet the following criteria:

The act must be grave (serious)
Must be committed with full knowledge
The sin must be committed with deliberate consent

If these three conditions are met, then the sin is mortal - the life of grace is "killed" in our souls. This is a choice, on our part, to turn our backs on God.

If these conditions are not met, then the sin is venial - it "wounds" us.

While all sins are bad - mortal sins are deadly to us. Thus, the apostle John says:

"If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly."
- 1 John 5:16-17

Notice the distinction between those sins that kill us spiritually and those that do not.

St. Paul has several lists of sins that will keep us from heaven and are considered grave sins.

"Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."
- Galatians 5: 19-21

"Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor boy prostitutes nor sodomites nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God."
- 1 Cor 6: 9-10

So, we can see that there are quite a few acts that are gravely immoral and are thus mortally sinful.
Thus, breaking any of the Ten Commandments may be a mortal sin. But, we must understand that each of the three conditions must be met.

The Catechism says this about grave matter:

1858 "Grave matter is specified by the Ten Commandments, corresponding to the answer of Jesus to the rich young man: "Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and your mother."132 The gravity of sins is more or less great: murder is graver than theft. One must also take into account who is wronged: violence against parents is in itself graver than violence against a stranger."

Now, if you were to receive Communion in the state of mortal sin, then it is very serious thing. But, if you did so out of ignorance, your culpability is lessened. The Catechism comments on this as well.

1860 "Unintentional ignorance can diminish or even remove the imputability of a grave offense. But no one is deemed to be ignorant of the principles of the moral law, which are written in the conscience of every man. The promptings of feelings and passions can also diminish the voluntary and free character of the offense, as can external pressures or pathological disorders. Sin committed through malice, by deliberate choice of evil, is the gravest."

When in doubt about mortal sin - go to confession.
Also, when in doubt - do not receive the Eucharist.
I hope this helps.

Related Post:
**Is Confession To a Catholic Priest Necessary or Can You Go Straight To God?

The Nature of God

2012-01-24T12:32:00.000-06:00

God’s existence is absolute

God is the source of being for all things
God is the fullness of being, so in other words, he “is” and must always be…his existence and being are not separate.

God is infinite

There is no cause of God’s existence…he is
God has no limitations

God is one

Because there is no limit to God, there can only be one, because if there were more than one, then God the other God must possess something that the other doesn’t and vice-versa, therefore limiting them.

God is spiritual (simple)

Bodies are limited and subject to change, therefore God has no body. Thus, God is spiritual being. He is not limited by space and he has no parts.

God is eternal

Just as God isn’t limited by space, neither is He limited by time and thus is eternal therefore he has no beginning of end.

God is transcendent and immanent

God’s creation, the universe, must be something that is not God, otherwise He would be limited by it. Therefore He is above all created things and is unchanging this is why

He is Transcendent

At the same time, God must exist in all things, because God gives all things their being. This is his immanence.

God is intelligent

Because creation has an intelligibility and we can understand it, we can infer that the creator is intelligent.

God is omniscient and omnipotent

God knows all and can do all.Otherwise he would be limited.Things such as sin because of free will were given to humans by God and are a sign of his power, not limitations of it.

God is personal

A who, not an it.
Persons are capable of loving and knowing.

God is free

He has no needs, but is complete in and of Himself.

God is good

First thing we have to understand is that evil is a lack of good and since God is the source of all that we know as good, even being itself, and there can be no lack of anything in God, God must be all-good, in fact goodness itself. God is, evil is not.

An Aggie Chooses Life!

2012-01-23T12:57:00.003-06:00

What a testimony for choosing life!
This morning I put the following quote on our Facebook page:

"Society as a whole must defend the conceived child's right to life and the true good of the woman who can never, in any circumstances, find fulfilment in the decision to abort." -Pope Benedict XVI

In the comments under the quote, the following testimony was given. I have been given permission to share here on the blog:

In 1975, at age 17, I went to PP for a pregnancy test... it was +. They were very convincing that I should abort, gave me a form for my parents to sign (but said no one would check the signature *wink wink*). The day before abortion, I changed my mind. I called to cancel appt, & they harangued me. But I rebelled! I chose life without even being a Christian.

I clung to my baby's life even when my parents' insisted I have an abortion when they found out (I ran away & got married). My son is 36 and such a blessing to me! Years later, I went back to PP for a pregnancy test - this time I was married and excited about the + sign. PP (a different "clinic") still pushed the abortion option saying I was still a bit young to have a child (I was 26). My daughter is now 28 and a teacher! Eleven years later I converted to Catholicism - finding the perfect expression of my faith in the fullness of Truth.

Now I pray outside our local PP. And I grieve for babies lost and families destroyed. I know first hand... you see, PP did manage to murder one of my children... my first grandchild. The grief was so overwhelming for those involved. If people would only listen to the Truth, no one would willingly choose such mass destruction.

Choosing life is definitely not the easy choice. But it's the better choice. Which can lead to other choices. Like adoption (my niece & nephew are adopted - we love them so much!!!) I have made many bad choices in my life - but choosing life was not one of them.

For those who have had abortions, my heart aches for you! You are loved and precious and I hope you have experienced God's infinite mercy in healing - because He wants that for you.

Pro-lifers should always embrace with love and compassion those who chose abortion... we're supposed to be pro-ALL life. A "problem" pregnancy is an opportunity for everyone to pitch in to help, be the BEST version of ourselves God created us to be, and reach out to those in need of our help.

Thanks to Barbara for the beautiful testimony for life!

The Acceptance Of Injustice

2012-01-23T11:28:00.000-06:00

The great Lutheran theologian and martyr, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, once said:

"Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act."

We cannot allow injustice stand while we watch it happen and remain guiltless. Justice demands that we speak against it. But, all too often we hear the argument that we shouldn't "impose" our views on anyone. This is relativism and a cop-out.

Our life is not our own. We owe it to God and others to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. We must do so or else we will pay for our sin of cooperation in allowing the evil to persist. Social evils are owned by every individual in the society that allows them. They are our evils.

The worst of all modern evils is abortion. The killing of innocent and defenseless human beings who should be protected. We must not stand for such injustice. We must continue to speak for the voiceless children who are killed because they are inconvenient and powerless. We must speak up for parents who feel trapped and alone. We must reach out to them and truly love them, not in a way that condemns them, but in a compassionate and caring way.

My mother found out about the Roe v Wade decision while she was pregnant with me - Jan 22, 1973. I was born six months later. A few years ago, she told me the story of how she wept for our country that day, because she now had the legal right to kill me if she so chose. My mother knew there really was no "choice" to make, because the decision of my life wasn't her own to make, it was for God alone.

My mother's tears have caused me to love life from that moment in her womb.

One way to speak up is to participate in the different pro-life marches that will take place around the country. If you are in DC or went to the West Coast Walk for Life, our prayers are with you. The Texas Rally for Life will be this coming weekend. If you are not going to any, please pray for our country and act locally.

"A great prayer for life is urgently needed, a prayer which will rise up throughout the world. Through special initiatives and in daily prayer, may an impassioned plea rise to God, the Creator and lover of life, from every Christian community, from every group and association, from every family and from the heart of every believer." - Blessed Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae

Is It Sustainable?

2012-01-23T11:05:00.000-06:00

Source.

Archbishop Dolan Responds to Administration's Mandate on Contraception

2012-01-20T15:25:00.000-06:00

Tip o' the hat to Rocco for the video.

Here is a full statement from the US Bishops.

January 20, 2012

Unconscionable to force citizens to buy contraceptives against their will
No change in limited exemption, only delay in enforcement
Matter of freedom of conscience, freedom of religion

WASHINGTON—The Catholic bishops of the United States called “literally unconscionable” a decision by the Obama Administration to continue to demand that sterilization, abortifacients and contraception be included in virtually all health plans. Today's announcement means that this mandate and its very narrow exemption will not change at all; instead there will only be a delay in enforcement against some employers.

“In effect, the president is saying we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences,” said Cardinal-designate Timothy M. Dolan, archbishop of New York and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The cardinal-designate continued, “To force American citizens to choose between violating their consciences and forgoing their healthcare is literally unconscionable.It is as much an attack on access to health care as on religious freedom. Historically this represents a challenge and a compromise of our religious liberty."

The HHS rule requires that sterilization and contraception – including controversial abortifacients – be included among “preventive services” coverage in almost every healthcare plan available to Americans. “The government should not force Americans to act as if pregnancy is a disease to be prevented at all costs,” added Cardinal-designate Dolan.

At issue, the U.S. bishops and other religious leaders insist, is the survival of a cornerstone constitutionally protected freedom that ensures respect for the conscience of Catholics and all other Americans.

“This is nothing less than a direct attack on religion and First Amendment rights,” said Franciscan Sister Jane Marie Klein, chairperson of the board at Franciscan Alliance, Inc., a system of 13 Catholic hospitals. “I have hundreds of employees who will be upset and confused by this edict. I cannot understand it at all.”

Daughter of Charity Sister Carol Keehan, president and chief executive officer of the Catholic Health Association of the United States, voiced disappointment with the decision. Catholic hospitals serve one out of six people who seek hospital care annually.

“This was a missed opportunity to be clear on appropriate conscience protection,” Sister Keehan said.

Cardinal-designate Dolan urged that the HHS mandate be overturned.

“The Obama administration has now drawn an unprecedented line in the sand,” he said. “The Catholic bishops are committed to working with our fellow Americans to reform the law and change this unjust regulation. We will continue to study all the implications of this troubling decision.”

"Some People Can Come Into Your Life and Without Even Knowing it, Change it Forever"

2012-01-20T15:02:00.003-06:00

Sent to me by a friend and former student.
I asked him if I could share it with others and he agreed.

Gig 'em and God Bless.

Religious Institutions Ordered By Federal Government to Cover Contraception in Health Insurance

2012-01-20T14:36:00.001-06:00

This is a huge blow to religious liberty and I hope the Supreme Court gets a good look at it soon.

The final regulation retains the approach federal health officials proposed last summer, despite the deluge of complaints from religious groups and congressional Republicans that has poured in since then. Churches, synagogues and other houses of worship are exempt from the requirement, but religious-affiliated hospitals and universities only get a one-year delay and must comply by Aug. 1, 2013.

“This decision was made after very careful consideration, including the important concerns some have raised about religious liberty,” Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement. “I believe this proposal strikes the appropriate balance between respecting religious freedom and increasing access to important preventive services."Congressional Republicans slammed the decision as an assault on religious freedom.

"This ruling forces religious organizations to violate the fundamental tenets of their faith, or stop offering health insurance coverage to their employees," said the Republican Policy Committee. "Time will tell whether those institutions choose the former or the latter course — but neither option should be necessary, if the administration had not taken such an unbending approach to appease its liberal base."

Access to birth control is the most controversial aspect of the healthcare reform law's preventive care provisions, which require plans to cover such care without co-pays and deductibles. The assumption is that such coverage will prevent people from getting sick and keep healthcare costs down.

The provision has attracted more than 200,000 comments, HHS said — most of them in favor of access to birth control, which the vast majority of healthcare plans already cover. Some religious institutions, however, said they would sooner close their doors than cover birth control, which they liken to abortion in some cases.

"What war and disease could not do to the congregation, the government of the United States will do," Nashville's Dominican congregation said. "It will shut them down."
Continue Reading.

But, here is the part of the article that will bring it all home:

Abortion-rights groups immediately applauded the decision.

"Birth control is not just basic health care for women, it is an economic concern," Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement. "This common sense decision means that millions of women, who would otherwise pay $15 to $50 a month, will have access to affordable birth control, helping them save hundreds of dollars each year."

And Nancy Keegan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, praised the administration for standing "firm against intensive lobbying efforts from anti-birth-control organizations trying to expand the refusal option even further to allow organizations and corporations to deny their employees contraceptive coverage.

"As a result, millions will get access to contraception — and they will not have to ask their bosses for permission," she said.

The regulation comes after Sebelius rejected her agency's recommendation to allow over-the-counter sales of the Plan B morning-after pill to minors, a political decision that had infuriated Democrats' natural allies in the abortion-rights community.

How To Respond To Catholics Who Don't Act Catholic?

2012-01-20T11:32:00.000-06:00

There are many approaches and opinions on how to handle Catholics who don't act Catholic. But I, for one, and very happy this is up to the Bishops not me. I understand how the Church works and couldn't imagine having to make such difficult decisions. With that being said, an important part of how the Church understands herself is the teaching of John Paul II (echoed in the Catechism) that "the Marian dimension of the Church precedes the Petrine". This means the Church is contemplative and receptive to God's grace and guidance before she exercises her authority and apostleship.

Now, there are some Catholics who clearly reject what the Church teaches. Politicians, pundits, lay and clergy alike - there are many examples of Catholics who reject the Church's teachings and do as they like in every walk of life. One article I read a few years ago, by a national Catholic columnist, rejected the hierarchy, the teachings of the Church, the authority of the Pope, and wanted to "impeach" the Pope because he is upholding centuries of apostolic teaching.

Amazingly bad. So many of the people who reject the Church's teachings don't understand them in the first place. When we form a dogmatic understanding of our own opinion, which is based on ignorance of the "opposition", we do ourselves a disservice.

Again, I ask, what should the Church do about Catholics who don't act Catholic?

Some say kick them out. I think this is the worst response. It serves no good. While the Church must try and make sure that doctrine is taught properly, we can't kick out all the Catholics that have a teaching incorrect. What we need to do is pray and catechize. We need to love them into understanding what the truth really is about the issues they rejecut. They have never truly heard the "good news" if they believe the Catholic Church is hateful to women, just wants power, is repressive, etc. What a shame! What a call to be merciful! Do we really see those in the Church that we disagree with as our true brothers and sisters? Truly? Because we can't just kick someone out of a family.

I am not suggesting we merely overlook every fault, error, or problem. But, coming out first with the hammer over the head is probably not the best option. The Church's law always "tends toward mercy". This means we act in a just manner when necessary, but always seeking mercy first.

I repent of ever wanting to kick out a brother or sister who just doesn't understand or believe in what the Church teaches - or better yet, what they believe her to teach.

Some others want to excommunicate Catholics who disagree with the Church in public. One of my former profs argues that it is a possibility the Bishops should look into. Maybe. Maybe not. I think it should be a last resort in the instance he is writing about. There are other ways of addressing it before getting into canonical penalties. If those don't work, then excommunication could be a possibility.
(NOTE: excommunication is a medicinal penalty that bars one from active participation in the sacramental life of the Church. It is meant to serve as a way to call back into the fold, the wandering sheep. It is NOT getting kicked out of the Church or being damned to hell.)

Pray for our bishops and those Catholics that do not understand the Church and reject what they believe she teaches. Evangelize them, if possible. Lastly, thank God that you and I are not bishops who have to make these decisions.

God bless our dysfunctional Catholic family!

Mother. Wife. Catholic. Attracted to Women.

2012-01-19T15:01:00.002-06:00

A compelling and moving article.
A snip:

One of the most controversial teachings of Catholicism is its teaching on homosexuality. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.” They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved. (2357)
For most of us, this teaching is challenging, especially if someone we love is gay or lesbian. But what if you are the Catholic struggling with these desires? Is it possible to be faithful to the Church’s teachings and still be happy?

Yes, it is.

I am a 37-year-old Catholic woman who has been happily married for nearly 15 years. We have five children that I homeschool. I also struggle daily with same-sex attraction.
Continue Reading.

7 Lies About Homeschoolers

2012-01-19T11:49:00.001-06:00

I absolutely love this video.
"Didn't you take yourself to prom in your living room?"

Why I Love Religion and Love Jesus - Spoken Word

2012-01-19T10:42:00.002-06:00

Best. Response. Yet.

UPDATE - It seems the young man in the original video is admitting he made some errors and went too far with his criticism. Seems like a very humble young man. Good to hear. A snip:

If I can be brutally honest I didn’t think this video would get much over a couple thousand views maybe, and because of that, my points/theology wasn’t as air-tight as I would’ve liked. If I redid the video tomorrow, I’d keep the overall message, but would articulate, elaborate, and expand on the parts where my words and delivery were chosen poorly… My prayer is my generation would represent Christ faithfully and not swing to the other spectrum….thankful for your words and more importantly thankful for your tone and fatherly like grace on me as my elder. Humbled. Blessed. Thankful for painful growth. Blessings.Continue reading.

Star Wars Nerds Unite!

2012-01-19T10:27:00.004-06:00

I still won't buy a VW, but it is greatness.

Tip o' the hat to Deacon Greg.

Fr. Barron on "Why I Hate Religion But Love Jesus"

2012-01-18T13:41:00.002-06:00

Here is my own commentary and the compilation of other videos and articles I put up. As usual, Fr. Barron nails it.

The Don't Miss Video of the Year. Seriously.

2012-01-18T09:41:00.001-06:00

This video made me laugh out loud, bring me to tears, and it caused me to think. It was created by a class of Alabama middle school students and it is one of the best videos I have EVER seen. Please share with others.

We tend to forget that others are broken, in need of love, vulnerable, and searching. The pain, fear, and experiences that the people in this video share, is perfectly put together, in the midst of walking down a school hall and forgetting that all of us are human. We need one another and I for one take others for granted too often.

Hello - Is It Me You're Looking For?

2012-01-17T16:54:00.000-06:00

This is greatness - Lionel Richie's song Hello via a movie montage.

This of course reminded me of this:

Child Denied Transplant Because of "Mental Retardation"

2012-01-17T13:31:00.000-06:00

IF true - this is absolutely horrifying (we are getting only one side of the story). But, the story is about a special-needs girl who was denied a needed liver transplant, because she was "mentally retarded". A snip from the family's blog:

After the labs, Amelia falls asleep in her stroller and we are called back to a large room with a screen and about sixteen chairs. Joe and I get comfortable and leave a space between us to fit the stroller. After about five minutes, a doctor and a social worker enter the room. They sit across from us but also leave a space between the two of them.

The doctor begins to talk and I listen intently on what he is saying. He has a Peruvian accent and is small, with brown hair, a mustache and is about sixty five years old. He gets about four sentences out ( I think it is an introduction) and places two sheets of paper on the table. I can’t take my eyes off the paper. I am afraid to look over at Joe because I suddenly know where the conversation is headed. In the middle of both papers, he highlighted in pink two phrases. Paper number one has the words, “Mentally Retarded” in cotton candy pink right under Hepatitis C. Paper number two has the phrase, “Brain Damage” in the same pink right under HIV. I remind myself to focus and look back at the doctor. I am still smiling.

He says about three more sentences when something sparks in my brain. First it is hazy, foggy, like I am swimming under water. I actually shake my head a little to clear it. And then my brain focuses on what he just said.

I put my hand up. “Stop talking for a minute. Did you just say that Amelia shouldn’t have the transplant done because she is mentally retarded. I am confused. Did you really just say that?”

The tears. Oh, the damn tears. Where did they come from? Niagara Falls. All at once. There was no warning. I couldn’t stop them. There were no tissues in conference room so I use my sleeve and my hands and I keep wiping telling myself to stop it.

I point to the paper and he lets me rant a minute. I can’t stop pointing to the paper. “This phrase. This word. This is why she can’t have the transplant done.”

“Yes.”

I begin to shake. My whole body trembles and he begins to tell me how she will never be able to get on the waiting list because she is mentally retarded.

A bit of hope. I sit up and get excited.

“Oh, that’s ok! We plan on donating. If we aren’t a match, we come from a large family and someone will donate. We don’t want to be on the list. We will find our own donor.”

“Noooo. She—is—not—eligible –because—of—her—quality– of –life—Because—of—her—mental—delays” He says each word very slowly as if I am hard of hearing.
Continue Reading.

The story has hit the national news now and gotten all kinds of social media response.

A Warning About Making Heroes Out of Celebrities

2012-01-17T12:05:00.001-06:00

We need heroes. We long to look up to someone and say, "I want to follow in the footsteps of a great man or woman like that." To be able to see good examples of what it means to be fully alive and to live life for all it is worth, while still doing the right thing, helps to give us the courage and motivation to attempt it ourselves. This is why we are so quick to latch onto someone and make them into the next cultural hero. The problem is that every time we do this, we are latching onto a sinful person who could just as easily let us down in a single moment.

Think of Mel Gibson.

There is nothing wrong with looking up to others, but we have to be very cautious in who we look up to and we have to be careful of putting them on a pedestal that is too high for them to live up to.

We even do this with the Saints. A Saint is someone in whom the Church has found heroic virtue. This does not mean the didn't have personality flaws, moments of weakness, or that they didn't sin. Of course they did. But, we sanitize the lives of the Saints all too often, because it is easier to digest them without flaws. But, this isn't good for us to do. They are Saints because they overcame their flaws, through Christ's grace, not despite them.

So, with this very long disclaimer, I offer this video of a man who seems to be trying to live a life close to Christ, through his Catholic faith. Even though the public is watching his every move.

Is it a sin to fear death?

2012-01-16T16:32:00.000-06:00

Q - Is it a sin to fear death?

A - Thanks for the question. The simple answer is no. Fear is an emotional response to a situation. There is no sin in feeling a certain way. Even Jesus feared the suffering that he was to undergo and the death he was to have. We see this when he asks His Father to take the cup from him.

But, we should also follow Christ's example when he abandons himself to the Father's will. Fear can lead to sin, when we allow it to rule our lives. For example, if out of fear, we failed to act in a way that justice or love demanded of us, then we have sinned.

So, the feeling itself isn't sinful, but can lead to sin if we do what we ought not do or don't do what we ought. (For more - here is St. Thomas Aquinas take on fear and sin.)

On a slightly different note, while it is quite natural to have somewhat of a fear of the unknown, this is where we need to develop the virtue of hope. We should pray for God to increase hope in us and then do our best to hope in God's loving providence. He is in control and our hope must be anchored in the mystery of the Resurrection.

Through sin, death entered the world. Through Christ dying and rising again, He conquered death. We participate in this act of salvation through believing in Christ's grace for us and that we will one day be with Him forever in heaven.

May the hope of Christ bring us beyond our fears!

"'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord henceforth'. "Blessed indeed', says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labours, for their deeds follow them!'" (Rv 14:13).

Archbishop Dolan's Homily on Sex Creates a Buzz

2012-01-16T12:14:00.001-06:00

His Sunday homily was about sexuality. The New York Daily News did a decent job in covering it, although I don't think it was a "fire-and-brimstone homily".
A snip:

“I’m going to preach about sex,” he declared.

“Now I’ve got your attention.”

Dolan linked “sexual immorality” with society’s ills — violence, sex crimes, disease and broken families — and called on priests to do a better job of encouraging the sexually virtuous.

“The church has at times in the past, sadly, come across as as some naysaying, puritanical nag, always giving a big ‘No, no, no’ to one of life’s greatest joys,” he said.

But modern society often reduces sex to “animal rutting” or its “most popular contact sport,” he said.

He didn’t mention any one show or star by name, but Dolan clearly seemed to be targeting the bedhopping that’s become regular fare on TV and reality shows like “Jersey Shore.”

“Truth be told, it is chastity and purity that liberates us, while immorality enslaves us,” he said.
Continue Reading.

MLK

2012-01-16T10:49:00.000-06:00

U2's Pride (In the Name of Love).
Not only is U2 one of my favorite bands, they have depth to their much of their music.
This song is about those who have laid down their lives in the "name of love", including Jesus (betrayed with a kiss) and the last verse is about MLK.

Early morning, April 4
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride

Are Ouija Boards Satanic?

2012-01-14T11:33:00.000-06:00

Q - Is using a Ouija Board ok, if just for fun? Also, what do you think of the comments at the bottom of this website? I can't believe that Hasbro makes this and Toys 'R Us sells them!

A - Thanks for the questions. I think my answers might just surprise some of our readers.

The origin of these boards is not from a game. Rather, they come from a practice of "channeling" or "divination". Channeling is asking the dead to give us answers to questions or power and is an ancient - and dangerous - practice. Thus, the word "occult" = "hidden". The Bible speaks directly to this practice:

Let there not be found among you anyone who immolates his son or daughter in the fire, nor a fortune-teller, soothsayer, charmer, diviner, or caster of spells, nor one who consults ghosts and spirits or seeks oracles from the dead. Anyone who does such things is an abomination to the LORD, and because of such abominations the LORD, your God, is driving these nations out of your way. - Deuteronomy 18: 10-12

He practiced soothsaying and divination, and reintroduced the consulting of ghosts and spirits. He did much evil in the LORD'S sight and provoked him to anger. - 2 Kings 21:6

And when they say to you, "Inquire of mediums and fortune-tellers (who chirp and mutter!); should not a people inquire of their gods, apply to the dead on behalf of the living?" - Is 8:19

So, the history of divination and channeling is ancient, but it has some more modern forms, which have become popular again from various sources, including - New Age practices, the Occult, fortune-telling, Wicca, astrology, and "games" such as the Ouija Board. All of these have Pagan spiritual origins and should never be practiced by Christians.

Ultimately, this is a dangerous practice because it is an attempt to seek spiritual power from somewhere other than God. If this is the case, then demons or evil spirits are most likely the ones supplying it. We open ourselves up to demonic influence if we do so - to the point of having possession being possible down the line.

Some might think this is an overreaction and that it is just fun. I have heard some say - at most, it is a spooky time for kids to pretend they can talk to the dead. But, demons can work through this kind of attitude to quietly induce someone to their way of thinking and acting.

A personal disbelief in the power of Satan, does not make his power go away. Just ask an exorcist who has had to fight with such demons. They will not beat around the bush in regards to such practices.

The danger is very real.

Thus, the Catechism states:

2116 All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to "unveil" the future.48 Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.

2117 All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one's service and have a supernatural power over others - even if this were for the sake of restoring their health - are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion. These practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of harming someone, or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons. Wearing charms is also reprehensible. Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another's credulity.

So, in answer to your question - I believe the Ouija Board and other kinds of New Age practices to be very dangerous. I also think it is scandalous that they are marketing it as a "game" and so many people accept such things uncritically.

More Responses to "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus"

2012-01-14T08:56:00.003-06:00

If you somehow missed the debate about a viral YouTube video that has everyone talking, you can see it and read more about it here. My response has also gone viral, though to a much lesser extent.

UPDATED - I have added other videos and will continue to put responses in this post. Check back for more. Put any others in the combox. Thanks.

More commentaries here from Catholics and non-Catholics:

Some Friday Fun

2012-01-13T11:18:00.000-06:00

Smile :-)

Overcoming Roadblocks to the Catholic Faith

2012-01-13T11:00:00.001-06:00

Does Jesus Hate Religion? Should You?

2012-01-12T11:25:00.001-06:00

I have had several people ask me to comment on the following video, which has gone viral in many Christian communities. It is entitled, "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus: Spoken Word"

So, is there anything wrong with his message? Absolutely. In fact, there are a lot of things wrong with it. But, let us start with what is good about it.

Hypocrisy is wrong and brings a false witness to Christ. True.
The veneer of faith can be hidden by religious practices, while never touching the heart. True.
Outward actions does not make one a believer. True.
The focus of Christianity should be on the relationship with Christ, not on just following a bunch of rules. True.
By grace alone are we saved. True.
Jesus rebuked the religious leaders of His day, because the didn't practice what they preached. True.

What did he get wrong then?
Well, he starts with a false premise - that religion is the root of the problem and therefore Jesus hates it. This is false.

We must define our terms before we go any further.
Religion can be defined in many ways, here are a few:

a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects
the practice of religious beliefs; ritual observance of faith.

I can't see how Jesus would hate a set of beliefs, a moral code or ritual observances, when he came to teach us these things. The sermon on the Mount, the Last Supper, the parables, etc. all teach us these things. So, Jesus certainly doesn't hate them.

Furthermore, Jesus wouldn't want us to be taught these things and then not follow them or observe the practice of them.

So, the problem isn't with religion, but hypocricy - saying you are a Christian and living far from him. This is a different argument.

Jesus certainly didn't come to "abolish religion". You might say he came to complete it, purify it, raise it up, etc. He certainly didn't want to do away with it. You might remember Jesus saying "I have not come to abolish the law and the prophets, but to fulfill them." -Matt 5:17

What this young man has done in the video is set up a false dichotomy, which is rooted in modern Protestant evangelical thought (esp. in the emergent church movement). This thought tries to "re-package" the Gospel for modern man, which isn't a bad idea, but they have the wrong diagnosis - religion isn't the sickness that needs to be cured. The video's implication is that a person who has religion is someone who isn't a "real" Christian. Hence, the quote:

Religion might preach grace, but another thing they practice
Tend to ridicule God's people, they did it to John The Baptist
They can't fix their problems, and so they just mask it
Not realizing religions like spraying perfume on a casket

See the problem with religion, is it never gets to the core
It's just behavior modification, like a long list of chores
Like lets dress up the outside make look nice and neat
But it's funny that's what they use to do to mummies
While the corps rots underneath

He also makes the argument that "religion has started wars" and "Why does it build huge churches, but fails to feed the poor". This is another false dichotomy. People have certainly misused God's name to fight wars, but that doesn't mean the faith and practice of religion caused them. Also, Christians provide more for the poor than anybody else, so why make this argument? We can do both - build beautiful churches to worship God (and proclaim His glory) and feed the poor.

Religion gives form and structure to faith and there is nothing wrong with it as such. It is the whole "spiritual but not religious" argument, which is another false dichotomy.

It all has to do has to do with the perception that there is a rigidity and a formalism that doesn't translate into true transformation of hearts in religious practice. Certainly someone can go to church (any church) and not have a relationship with Christ. But, religion doesn't have to be the cause of such problems. Thus, this video (and other's who believe this line of reasoning) believe religion is an institutional and man-made construct that keeps us from a true relationship with God. False.

His premise and conclusion are therefore wrong. Thoughts are appreciated in the combox, but please remain charitable.

Fr. Barron on A Persecuted Church and Heroes

2012-01-11T12:19:00.002-06:00

We sometimes forget that there are still millions of Christians who face terrible persecution. 75% of people killed around the world for their religious belief are Christians...

Google Honors Blessed Nicolas Steno

2012-01-11T10:04:00.000-06:00

They don't mention that he was a Catholic priest, but he was. He was beatified by JPII in 1987. Some of his accomplishments below:

The Danish natural scientist — who was born “Niels Stensen” on Jan. 11, 1638 — is widely considered the father of geology.

Fittingly, today’s green-topped logo is rendered as rock strata with embedded fossils — reflecting twin ideas for which Steno is best known.

The strata illustrate Steno’s “principle of original horizonality,” which essentially says that rock layers form horizontally — and only appear differently if later disturbances cause the deviation. And the fossils in the lower stratified rock help illustrate Steno’s “law of superposition,” which — simply put — says that the oldest rock layers are sequentially deposited on the bottom unless otherwise disturbed.

For such research, Steno also became known as the father of stratigraphy.

The Joy Of Books

2012-01-10T11:42:00.002-06:00

I love books. I especially love books that make me think deeply or move me. But, I never knew there were books that felt the same way.

Studying the Stars For Guidance Leads to Evil

2012-01-09T12:14:00.001-06:00

Something we can learn from the Magi and Scripture.

It is not uncommon to hear we should follow the star to Christ. Yet, we should be careful to look to the stars for truth. The star of Bethlehem first led the Magi to the evil King Herod in Jerusalem, not to Jesus in Bethlehem.

"When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem,saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.”When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him." -Matt 2: 1-3

In other words, studying the stars didn't lead to truth initially, but evil. This is because astrology is a search for truth in the wrong place. Only when the Magi studied the Sacred Scriptures did they realize where they should go. Once this was ascertained, then the star continued to guide them and rested over the place where they found Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

"Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.
They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet:
‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;since from you shall come a ruler,who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”
Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage.”After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way." -Matthew 2: 4-12

The truth is found in the Sacred Scriptures and then another truth is directly revealed to the Magi through a dream. Do not look to the stars for truth. Look to God in His Holy Church, the Holy Scriptures, and your conscience.

Do Women Want to be "Pretty' or "Hot"?

2012-01-09T10:44:00.001-06:00

A very good read from our friend Pat Archbold.
A snip:

This post is intended as a lament of sorts, a lament for something in the culture that is dying and may never been seen again.

Pretty, pretty is dying.

People will define pretty differently. For the purposes of this piece, I define pretty as a mutually enriching balanced combination of beauty and projected innocence.

Once upon a time, women wanted to project an innocence. I am not idealizing another age and I have no illusions about the virtues of our grandparents, concupiscence being what it is. But some things were different in the back then. First and foremost, many beautiful women, whatever the state of their souls, still wished to project a public innocence and virtue. And that combination of beauty and innocence is what I define as pretty.

By nature, generally when men see this combination in women it brings out their better qualities, their best in fact. That special combination of beauty and innocence, the pretty inspires men to protect and defend it.

Young women today do not seem to aspire to pretty, they prefer to be regarded as hot. Hotness is something altogether different. When women want to be hot instead of pretty, they must view themselves in a certain way and consequently men view them differently as well.

As I said, pretty inspires men’s nobler instincts to protect and defend. Pretty is cherished. Hotness, on the other hand, is a commodity. Its value is temporary and must be used. It is a consumable.
Continue Reading.

Why Can't I...

2012-01-09T10:24:00.000-06:00

Why can't I get a flight like this?

Subscribe to Aggie Catholics

2012-01-06T16:44:00.001-06:00

A reader asked me to add a "subscribe by email" function to the blog. You can now find it in the right-hand column, under the Networked Blogs box.

Thanks to everyone who follows us in these different ways:

Google Friend Connect - 458
Networked Blogs - 287
Google Reader Subscribers - 797
Total = 1,542 people who subscribe to Aggie Catholics!

This doesn't even count the following:
Twitter - 383 followers
Facebook - 4,778 likes

Courageous - A Review

2012-01-06T15:44:00.002-06:00

Courageous is a movie about fatherhood. It is the latest project from Sherwood Pictures, which is a part of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. I know that many disagree with me on this, but I found Sherwood's movie Fireproof (the last movie from them I viewed) barely watchable, even though it had a great message. I believe a good movie is a work of art. As a form of art, I hold artistic merits of a movie to a high standard. The message is important, but so is the writing, directing, production value, etc. If other aspects of the movie are lacking, then the message is diluted or virtually lost.

A few months ago I had a disagreement about this issue with some good friends. They got upset at me because I was critical of the feelgood Christian movies that have little artistic merit (bad acting, writing, etc). They thought the message was most important. I understand their argument, especially in light of the trash that Hollywood makes, but disagree that Christians need to settle for a lower form or movie art.

To tell the truth, I had no plans on watching Courageous. But, then I was sent the DVD for free in order to review it. The good news was, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The bad news, it was still below average.

After a tragedy to one of the main characters' family, one man decides to challenge himself to stand up for God and his family by being a good husband and father. His friends follow his lead. While the message about fatherhood is desperately needed in our society, the movie becomes too preachy about it as well as being too sentimental. Yet, I applaud the movie-makers for taking on an issue that is all too forgotten in our culture - the vital role that good fathers play in their children's lives.

The acting, writing, editing, etc. in Courageous was much better than Fireproof, but that isn't saying much. I know that the actors (and many others) are volunteers, but I don't understand why. I can't help but wonder how much better could the movie have been if the whole thing were done in collaboration with movie professionals? What would it hurt to have someone take a look at the script, edit out 45 minutes (it was WAY too long), work on lighting, etc.

If the goal of this film is to help recapture good fathers and husbands in our culture, then we need to speak to the culture. A church-going Christian man may be challenged by this movie, but I don't see this movie appealing to the guy who isn't going to church regularly. In my book, that means the movie doesn't measure up to being a good Christian movie. To be a good Christian movie, it has to reach others where they are. But, this one is too preachy and too heavy-handed with the Jesus talk. A good Christian movie, in my opinion, should have both a good message and more than just a message, but should be for all.

All in all, the movie was better than I expected but still a big disappointment. Do I recommend it? It depends. If you are someone who cares more about the message than the artistic merit, then I recommend it to you. If you are like me, don't watch it.

Catholics + Bible + Personal Interpretation

2012-01-06T11:54:00.000-06:00

Q - What if an individual interprets something from the Bible, but the Church says it is something else? does that make you wrong or what kind of room is their for personal interpretation?

A - Thanks for the question. The issues you address center on how we define freedom in personal interpretation and authority of interpretation. I would like to commend you first of all. Apparently you are reading your Bible and thinking deeply about it. This is a good thing. The Bible is the written revelation of God to humanity. We are able to know about God, about ourselves, our destiny, our salvation, and how to live because of it.

I believe every word written in Scripture is true, but this does not give us the authority to interpret the Bible however we like in every situation. We must have a guide, otherwise we cannot be certain that we have the truth.

The Bible itself says that interpretation is not to come from within alone:

Know this first of all, that there is no prophecy of scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation for no prophecy ever came through human will; but rather human beings moved by the holy Spirit spoke under the influence of God. -2 Peter 1:20-21

It also says we need an authority to help us interpret the Bible correctly:

Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?" He replied, "How can I, unless someone instructs me?" So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him. - Acts 8:30-31

The Bible also says that some parts are hard to understand, as Peter says when writing about Paul's epistles:

And consider the patience of our Lord as salvation, as our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, also wrote to you, speaking of these things as he does in all his letters. In them there are some things hard to understand that the ignorant and unstable distort to their own destruction, just as they do the other scriptures. - 2 Peter 3:15-16

The Bible is a collection of ancient texts with different audiences, authors, messages, literary styles, objectives, and styles. We have to study it intently and have a proper hermeneutic, that is, a proper way of interpreting the Bible. If we don't have this, then we can easily find ourselves committing interpretive errors. While the bible might be inerrant, we are not. If we were inerrant in our interpretation of the Bible, then we wouldn't have any differences in doctrine within Christianity.

So, while we can be in error - we can also be assured of being able to find the truth, where the Church teaches authoritatively on a particular Scripture passage. The authority of the Church is not over Scripture, but rather is the protector of it. It protects us from error and gives us the assurance of knowing the truth. Without this protection, the Church would be in chaos.

We all have freedom in applying the text to our own lives, within certain limits. If we are in direct opposition with the Church in interpretation of a text from Scripture, then we have to humbly ask who has the authority to correctly interpret the Bible? But, the Catholic Church doesn't have an official interpretation of every Biblical passage. That is because Biblical studies is a field that continues to develop and Scripture can have several layers of meaning. Also, there is a freedom to debate interpretation for most of the Bible.

So, the Church puts up minimal guidelines and as long as we don't get outside of those, we are okay.

Here is a Vatican document on interpretation of the bible. It says:

The Spirit is, assuredly, also given to so that their hearts can "burn within them" (Lk. 24:32) as they pray and prayerfully study the Scripture within the context of their own personal lives. This is why the Second Vatican Council insisted that access to Scripture be facilitated in every possible way ( 22; 25). This kind of reading, it should be noted, is never completely private, for the believer always reads and interprets Scripture within the faith of the church and then brings back to the community the fruit of that reading for the enrichment of the common faith.

In other words, we cannot read the Bible as if it is just "our own". It does not belong to us, but God. Therefore, we must be obedient to the way God intends us to read it. It continues:

If, as noted above, the Scriptures belong to the entire church and are part of "the heritage of the faith," which all, pastors and faithful, "preserve, profess and put into practice in a communal effort," it nevertheless remains true that "responsibility for authentically interpreting the word of God, as transmitted by Scripture and tradition, has been entrusted solely to the living magisterium of the church, which exercises its authority in the name of Jesus Christ" ("Dei Verbum," 10).

I think we ought to see the Church as a guide to interpreting Scripture, not a hindrance. If you look at Acts 15-16 you will see Paul and Barnabas going to the Church to solve a difference over interpretation and this is the way it should be. Not in conflict, but in humble dialogue with the Church.

For more on this, I recommend this article by Jimmy Akin. A sample:

The liberty of the Scripture interpreter remains extensive. Taking due consideration of the factors that influence proper exegesis, the Catholic Bible interpreter has the liberty to adopt any interpretation of a passage that is not excluded with certainty by other passages of Scripture, by the judgment of the magisterium, by the Church Fathers, or by the analogy of faith. That is a great deal of liberty, as only a few interpretations will be excluded with certainty by any of the four factors circumscribing the interpreter’s liberty.

Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes

2012-01-05T14:25:00.000-06:00

Q - In the miracle of the loaves and fishes it states that Jesus broke the loaves and fishes and handed them to his disciples. If he broke it and handed it to his disciples, were the 5,000 given a small piece of bread and were satisfied or did it really multiply? If it multiplied then why were the disciples still doubtful as to whether Jesus was really the Messiah? I know if I saw bread multiply before my eyes I would not have any doubts.

A - Thanks for your question. I would like to define a miracle according to this definition:

"A sign or wonder...which can only be attributed to Divine power." (CCC Glossary)

Now, I know how you feel. Sometimes I read the Bible and think - what about of hard-headed fools! If only I had the opportunity to see Lazarus raised from the dead, a cripple walk, water turned into wine, demons cast out of people, or the loaves and fishes multiplied. It would have been so much easier to believe!

But, then I realize that it wasn't any easier for the persons who walked with Jesus than it is for us. Put yourself into this scene for a minute. You are in a crowd and this man (a human like us) teaches some hard sayings - including forgiving your enemies and lending without expecting repayment. You are challenged, but not quite convinced. You then see him ask for some food and he is handed some loaves and fishes. He then gives them to his followers who start to distribute them to others. Before you know it, he has given enough for everyone in the crowd to eat. Some are awe-struck. Others think it is some kind of trick. You aren't so sure. Neither am I. But, I want to believe. So do you, but your have questions.

Matthew 19:26 - "Jesus looked at them and said, "For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.""

It isn't that God can't do something miraculous, it is that our ideas about God are too small.

This story is a foreshadowing of the gift of the Eucharist that Christ gave the Church at the Last Supper. One miracle points to a greater one. Instead of being fed bread that can satisfy the body, we are given bread from heaven that will last forever! There is no greater miracle, so at the center of our faith is the Eucharist. Is it obvious? No. That is because God doesn't want to make it "easy", God wants us to believe, though we can't "see" Him.

There are six times in the Gospels that Christ feeds the crowds - Matthew14 and 15, Mark 6 and 8, Luke 9, and John 6. So, this was apparently a very important story. So, why would this story be told? To reveal to us, once again, the divinity of Christ, among other reasons. What would be extraordinary about everyone getting a tiny morsel? Nothing.

If it were not miraculous, then some would not have had this reaction:

Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone. - John 6:15

Based on this evidence we can get a "literal" meaning from the text. In Catholic exegesis of the Bible the literal understanding means "what meaning the original human author meant to convey and what his audience understood him to mean". Thus, the literal meaning of this passage is John (and the other gospel writers) thought they saw a miracle and their readers would think the same (as is reflected in early Church reflections on this event).

But, even with this, they don't fully understand the reason or implications. They think he is some powerful king come to rescue them from the Romans. Thus, he later says in John 6:

And when they found him across the sea they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" Jesus answered them and said, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.

After this Jesus uses the event to give the greatest teaching on the Eucharist - the bread of life discourse in John 6. When he is done teaching many leave because "This saying is hard; who can accept it?" - John 6:60.

We can learn something here. Christ words SHOULD challenge us. But, our response is what will determine everything.

Top 20 Catholic Bloggers of 2011

2012-01-04T13:05:00.000-06:00

Top 20 Catholic Bloggers of 2011

(in no particular order)

Jennifer Fulwiler - Conversion Diary and National Catholic Register.
One of the best bloggers on the scene today. Always thinking deeply.
Deacon Greg Kandra - The Deacon's Bench.
How he finds all the stuff he does, I will never know. I think he must have dozens of websites open at once 24 hours a day.
Ed Peters - In the Light of the Law.
Dr. Peters was my canon law prof and made canon law interesting. He does it on the blog as well.
Carl Olson - Ignatius Insight Scoop.
Books, music, culture, and more. I have no idea how Carl reads as much as he does or listens to as much music as he does. Must help to work where he does.
Patrick Madrid - PatrickMadrid.com
Patrick has been writing for a long time, but he only started blogging recently. He has found his blogging voice quickly. His dry wit is always entertaining.
Fr. Z - What Does the Prayer Really Say?
Doesn't put up with fluff, hype or messing with the liturgy. He has the most rabid followers.
Fr. Dwight Longenecker - Standing on My Head.
Fr. Dwight shines most brightly when he takes on difficult subjects head on. He isn't shy about them either.
Rocco Palmo - Whispers in the Loggia
The #1 Catholic insider blog.
Elizabeth Scalia - The Anchoress.
Politics, religion, faith, and how it applies to life - wrapped up in one place.
Mark Shea - Catholic and Enjoying It and National Catholic Register.
Mark is probably the most prolific Catholic blogger. He posts on just about every topic there is all over the place.
Patrick and Matthew Archbold - Creative Minority Report and National Catholic Register.
Funny, irreverent, interesting, and I think I am the lost Archbold brother.
Thomas Peters - American Papist / CatholicVote.org
A very influential blogger who is widely read.
Brandon Vogt - The Thin Veil.
New media, young Catholics and more.
Jimmy Akin - National Catholic Register and Jimmy Akin.org.
Jimmy likes details and being thorough and complete. I appreciate that.
Danielle Bean - DanielleBean.com and Faith and Family Live.
Danielle does it all. Mom. Wife. Editor. Writer. Blogger. All of that stuffed with wisdom and practical advice.
Taylor Marshall - Canterbury Tales.
Posts items you won't see anywhere else.
Jeff Miller - The Curt Jester.
Still making us laugh after many years. Yet, his best stuff is when he gets serious.
Matt Warner - Fallible Blogma and National Catholic Register.
Matt has great stuff, he justs needs to post more frequently. Your readers want more Matt!
Simcha Fisher - National Catholic Register and I Have to Sit Down.
One of the best all-around Catholic writers blogging today. I love her stuff.
The Ironic Catholic.
Just read her.

Yes, these are the blogs I read most.If I missed one you like, mention them in the combox. If you don't like one of them, be nice about it. If you think one is better than the others, be nice about that as well.

Make A New Year's Solution, Not Resolution

2012-01-03T12:36:00.002-06:00

When many people try to start off a new year well, they make new year's resolutions. The definition of a resolution is:

"the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc."

The problem is that once many determine the course of action they will choose for their new year, they soon fail to change their habits and therefore they don't follow through to the end to change what needed to change in the first place.

If most Americans were making honest new year's resolutions, then it would be to get bigger, lazier, let relationships slide, stop working on our prayers life, etc. Establishing bad habits is always easier.

I propose (full disclosure - the idea was planted during a homily this past weekend) that you make new year's solutions, not resolutions. The definition of a solution is:

"the act of solving a problem, question, etc."

This is what most Americans need. We need solutions to our problems, which certainly involve a resolution to change, but a solution is never complete unless the resolution is followed through completely.

Last year I had a problem that needed a solution. I was addicted to caffeine. Therefore, in all of 2011 I didn't have any caffeine. The solution solved my problem.

With this in mind, I propose some solutions to problems many face today:

Go to Daily Mass more frequently.
Go to Confession at least once a month.
Exercise 5 days a week.
No fast food.
Fast once-a-week.
Prioritize prayer in your schedule.
Wake up 30 minutes early to pray.
Share your faith more openly.
Spend one night a week as family game night.
Quit smoking.
Limit Facebook / video games / Internet / etc.
Spend an hour a week volunteering.
Get out of debt.
Stick to a budget.

Try one. Make it a solution. Let God give you the strength to stick to it for a year. Then see how your life is better for doing it.

If I Could Only Recommend One Book From 2011

2011-12-30T15:50:00.002-06:00

Jen Fulwiler, the amazing blogger of Conversion Diary and the National Catholic Register, sent me the following question:

If you could recommend just one book for people to read in 2012, what would it be?

This is a terribly difficult question for me to answer. So, I will try to do my best.

IF I had to choose one, it would be Fr. Robert Barron's new book, Catholicism.

As I said in my review of the book:

I believe this book is the best modern overview of the Catholic Church's truth, beauty, and goodness I have ever read. More than just another book about Catholicism, Fr. Barron takes us on a journey through space and time, to visit the great thinkers, artists, writers, and Saints of the Catholic Church. He doesn't just tell us about the Catholic Church, but helps us love her.

So, how could I not pick it?

Yet, it wasn't easy. Here is why. I read some other amazing books this year. Here is a short list of SOME of the books I really enjoyed.

Best book on Spirituality / Prayer - I Believe in Love by Jean d'Elbee
Best Apologetic book - If Protestantism Is True by Devin Rose
Best Autobiography - The Seven Story Mountain by Thomas Merton.
Best book that about modern culture - Between Two Worlds by Elizabeth Marquardt
Best magisterial book - YouCat

I could go on...but she did ask for just one.

What Is Man?

2011-12-30T12:23:00.000-06:00

Can You Refuse To Pay Taxes Because of Abortion?

2011-12-29T09:40:00.000-06:00

Q - Since abortion is against the church teaching, as well as supporting abortion, can we justly refuse to pay taxes that will be used to fund abortion?

A - Thanks for the question. We have competing principles here and I hope I can sort them out properly.

Principle #1 - We cannot directly support intrinsically evil actions. Abortion is one of these actions. Even if a legitimate authority, such as the government, tried to force a Christian to help with an abortion, one could not. Within this principle we must make a distinction, which will be very useful to us:

*Material vs. formal cooperation with evil. No matter how hard you might try, there are situations were good an evil are mixed up and sometimes we get caught being complicit in an evil act.

When we "cooperate" in an evil act our cooperation can be either "material" (meaning well-removed from it) or "formal" (close to the evil act). An example should help understand - If you went shopping at a store because they had the best prices in town on books and while you were checking out you noticed that they also sell pornography, you could still licitly still shop at the store, if you don't intend to support the selling of porn. But, you are still in material support of the evil. A good rule to follow is that while material cooperation may be licit, we want to be as far-removed from formal cooperation as possible. So, if there is another option of shopping somewhere with similar prices and selection, which doesn't sell porn, we might shop there instead. Remote cooperation is licit because we don't intend to cooperate in the evil act and if we did intend to coooperate with evil it is no longer a licit act.

There are times when we are not remote from the evil at all. A clinic employee who assists in an abortion is formally cooperating in evil, and the act is not remote at all.

The less remote the cooperation, the more we should seek to do something different. Once it is no longer remote from an evil, we ought never participate. There are more distinctions we can make within this principle, but we will allow this short answer to suffice.

Principle #2 - We must pay our taxes in support of the common good as an obligation to the legitimate authority of the state to take care of citizens. Because we must "render unto Caesar" we must pay taxes to the government. The Catechism says:

"Submission to authority and co-responsibility for the common good make it morally obligatory to pay taxes, to exercise the right to vote, and to defend one's country" - CCC, 2240

Conclusion - Based on both of these principles, paying taxes to a legitimate government (which the US qualifies for) is an obligation we must follow. If the government uses taxes to help pay for abortion, we would not support such a policy (and actively seek to change it), we would be material cooperating in the evil and such an act is licit. Thus, we should still pay our taxes. We can never intend to support abortion with our tax money for it to remain a licit act.

If this doesn't satisfy, then think of it this way - Jesus demanded that his followers pay taxes to Caesar and the Roman government was supporting evil acts during that time (e.g., torture, unjust war, worship of pagan gods, etc.). The situation is almost identical to what we face in the question above.

I hope this helps. Peace to you and good luck filling out your income tax forms next year.

Fr. Barron Loved to Listen to Christopher Hitchens

2011-12-28T16:12:00.001-06:00

A Martyrs' Love Letter

2011-12-28T13:39:00.000-06:00

A 21 year-old layman from Spain, Blessed Bartolome Blanco Marquez, was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007 as one of hundreds of martyrs during the persecution of the Catholic Church during the Spanish Civil War.
Here is part of his story:

On the day of his execution he left his cell barefoot, in order to be more conformed to Christ. He kissed his handcuffs, surprising the guards that cuffed him. He refused to be shot from behind. “Whoever dies for Christ should do so facing forward and standing straight. Long live Christ the King!” he shouted as he fell to ground under a shower of bullets.

The night before his execution, he wrote the following love letter to his girlfriend:

Provincial prison of Jaen, Oct. 1, 1936

My dearest Maruja:

Your memory will remain with me to the grave and, as long as the slightest throb stirs my heart, it will beat for love of you. God has deemed fit to sublimate these worldly affections, ennobling them when we love each other in him. Though in my final days, God is my light and what I long for, this does not mean that the recollection of the one dearest to me will not accompany me until the hour of my death.

I am assisted by many priests who -- what a sweet comfort -- pour out the treasures of grace into my soul, strengthening it. I look death in the eye and, believe my words, it does not daunt me or make me afraid.

My sentence before the court of mankind will be my soundest defense before God's court; in their effort to revile me, they have ennobled me; in trying to sentence me, they have absolved me, and by attempting to lose me, they have saved me. Do you see what I mean? Why, of course! Because in killing me, they grant me true life and in condemning me for always upholding the highest ideals of religion, country and family, they swing open before me the doors of heaven.

My body will be buried in a grave in this cemetery of Jaen; while I am left with only a few hours before that definitive repose, allow me to ask but one thing of you: that in memory of the love we shared, which at this moment is enhanced, that you would take on as your primary objective the salvation of your soul. In that way, we will procure our reuniting in heaven for all eternity, where nothing will separate us.

Goodbye, until that moment, then, dearest Maruja! Do not forget that I am looking at you from heaven, and try to be a model Christian woman, since, in the end, worldly goods and delights are of no avail if we do not manage to save our souls.

My thoughts of gratitude to all your family and, for you, all my love, sublimated in the hours of death. Do not forget me, my Maruja, and let my memory always remind you there is a better life, and that attaining it should constitute our highest aspiration.

Be strong and make a new life; you are young and kind, and you will have God's help, which I will implore upon you from his kingdom. Goodbye, until eternity, then, when we shall continue to love each other for life everlasting.

Love Is Never Wasted

2011-12-28T11:16:00.000-06:00

I am a fan of the band Coldplay. I think they are one of the best bands of the last 15 years or so. they have great music and lyrics which can cause one to reflect about life.

One of their best songs, in my opinion, is "Fix You" (video below). Even though I really like the song, I think it has a couple of lines a disagree with. One of them is "I will try to fix you". I don't want to get into the problems of trying to fix others, which I do all too often, but I will say it doesn't ever work.

But, the bigger issue is with the following:

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?

Love is never wasted. Love is a gift to another person and will be good for both the one who is loved and the one who loves. Loving another person fulfills what we are made for. Our love is always going to be put to good use by God, as long as we allow him to change our hearts in the process.

Just a thought.

Anchormen are not Supposed to Cry

2011-12-27T13:19:00.003-06:00

So, why would this one?

Fr. Barron on How King David Represents the Priesthood

2011-12-27T12:13:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-22T16:17:00.001-06:00

On behalf of St. Mary's Catholic Center, we want to wish you all a Merry Christmas. Thank you for reading and following our blog. It is our honor to serve you in this way.

For your final Christmas present from us, check out this amazing story of a man believed to be "brain dead" and was hours away from being taken off of life support, who suddenly recovered.

Sam Schmid, an Arizona college student believed to be brain dead and poised to be an organ donor, miraculously recovered just hours before doctors were considering taking him off life support.

Schmid, a junior and business major at the University of Arizona, was critically wounded in an Oct. 19 five-car accident in Tucson.

The 21-year-old's brain injuries were so severe that the local hospital could not treat him. He was airlifted to the Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Medical Center in Phoenix, where specialists performed surgery for a life-threatening aneurysm.

As hospital officials began palliative care and broached the subject of organ donation with his family, Schmid began to respond, holding up two fingers on command. Today he is walking with the aid of a walker, and his speech, although slow, has improved.Doctors say he will likely have a complete recovery. He even hopes to get a day pass from the hospital to celebrate the holidays with his large extended family.

"Nobody could ever give me a better Christmas present than this -- ever, ever, ever," said his mother, Susan Regan, who is vice-president of the insurance company Lovitt-Touche.

"I tell everyone, if they want to call it a modern-day miracle, this is a miracle," said Regan, 59, and a Catholic. "I have friends who are atheists who have called me and said, 'I am going back to church.'"
Continue reading.

Security Blankets and Christmas

2011-12-22T11:45:00.000-06:00

Fr James Martin wrote this on facebook:

Yesterday on The Washington Post chat a reader mentioned something beautiful that I had never noticed: When Linus recites the story of the Nativity in "A Charlie Brown Christmas," he unexpectedly drops his security blanket. With the Word of God he has no need for any other security.

See for yourself:

Fr. Barron on Christmas

2011-12-21T14:12:00.000-06:00

10 Problems With Jesus

2011-12-21T13:25:00.000-06:00

10 Problems With Jesus

10 - He isn't what you expect him to be.
Jesus shatters all expectations of what the Messiah is "supposed" to do. He doesn't come in all his power and majesty, but as a poor baby in a barn.

9 - He is the source of all that is good.
Not us. This means we owe him everything. He only asks for a small part of that back. A small part of our time, money, gifts, etc.

8 - Jesus won't ever force himself on us.
This means faith must be exercised in order to follow him. Prayer is the key.

7 - He speaks with authority.
His words are truth and can change you. If we let them.

6 - We can't have it all.
Jesus said to follow him and to leave the rest behind. There is freedom in being detached from worldly things, power, and glory.

5 - To follow Jesus means we must do as he commanded.
We can't just pick-and-choose whatever moral code we want.

4 - The cross is mandatory for a Christian.
We have to pick it up, daily, and follow him.

3 - We must share our faith with others, clothe the naked, feed the sick, etc.
These are not optional. They are where the Gospel is put into action.

2 - He claimed to be God.
The Incarnation, life of Jesus, death, Resurrection, etc. is either the biggest lie sold to humanity or the greatest thing to ever happen.

1 - Jesus life and words demand we choose.
He is either Lord and Savior of your life or not. There is no middle ground. But, the choice is always your own. Choose wisely, because we can't take the final test over again.

The Hobbit Movie

2011-12-21T11:00:00.002-06:00

WOO HOO! I can't wait!

If Shakespeare Wrote The Three Little Pigs

2011-12-20T14:55:00.001-06:00

"The Innocence of a Child is Worth Fighting For"

2011-12-20T13:35:00.000-06:00

It is worth sitting through the first few minutes or so of this video to get to the message at the end. If you can't wait, then just skip to 2:55.

The man who is talking is a sports broadcaster on WFAA/Channel 8 in DFW.

Christmas Flash Mob

2011-12-20T10:30:00.000-06:00

This is awesome. The guys on the escalator made my day. Doing it in a Mall makes perfect sense. Bringing Christ into the place he needs it most in our culture during this season:

Once In Royal David's City

2011-12-20T10:09:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite Christmas songs - "Once In Royal David's City".

Lyrics of "Once in Royal David's City" -

Once in royal David's city
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her baby
In a manger for His bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little child.

He came down to earth from heaven,
Who is God and Lord of all,
And His shelter was a stable,
And His cradle was a stall;
With the poor, and mean, and lowly,
Lived on earth our Savior Holy.

And through all His wondrous childhood
He would honor and obey,
Love and watch the lowly Maiden,
In whose gentle arms He lay:
Christian children all must be
Mild, obedient, good as He.

For He is our childhood's pattern;
Day by day, like us He grew;
He was little, weak and helpless,
Tears and smiles like us He knew;
And He feeleth for our sadness,
And He shareth in our gladness.

And our eyes at last shall see Him,
Through His own redeeming love;
For that Child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in heaven above,
And He leads His children on
To the place where He is gone.

Not in that poor lowly stable,
With the oxen standing by,
We shall see Him; but in heaven,
Set at God's right hand on high;
Where like stars His children crowned
All in white shall wait around.

10 Last-Minute Catholic Christmas Gifts

2011-12-19T15:42:00.000-06:00

10 Last-Minute Catholic Christmas Gifts

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1 - Catholicism DVD Set and/or Catholicism book

This gift is perfect for Catholics and non-Catholics who want to know the real story of the Catholic Church. A wonderful way to evangelize. Fr. Barron is the best modern communicator of the Church's message, in my opinion.

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2 - Board Games

A good old-fashioned game night is always in fashion and good for communication and relationships. Our family always love having a new game. Just remember to attach a gift receipt, so the person can return the game for another one if they already have it.

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3 - Ignatius Catholic Study Bible

The best Catholic study Bible on the market. Only the New Testament is available so far, but don't wait for the Old Testament to be finished (they have Genesis & Exodus out as well). This one is worth the price and much more.

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4 - Set Free to Love: Lives Changed By the Theology of the Body - Marcel LeJeune

Yes, this is a shameless plug for my book. But, I have people buying several copies to give away as presents to others, so there are others who agree it makes a good gift. You might also try another book I am a contributor to - The Church and New Media.

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5 - The Human Experience Movie DVD

One of the most powerful movies I have seen. I wrote the following in my review of the movie: "This movie moved me because it tells us what humanity is all about. It put on film what it means to be a human and that our identity is tied up in our great dignity."

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6 - A Subscription to a Good Catholic Periodical

There are some great periodicals out there. Here are just a few of them:

National Catholic Register.
Catholic Digest (with a brand-new editor, focus, and look)
Our Sunday Visitor
Magnificat
Catholic Answers Magazine
First Things

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7 - A Prayer Bouquet

Pray for a loved one and list the prayers in a bouquet that you offer them. It is free and worth more, in the long run, than anything else.

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8 - Mystic Monk Coffee

Caffeine + support for monks in the cold of Wyoming. What more could a coffee drinker want?

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9 - Fair-Trade Crafts

Another great two-for-one gift. Support the poor from around the world and get unique crafts / chocolate / coffee / etc.

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10 - Donation To Your Favorite Charity In Someone's Name

This is a great gift for someone who is hard to shop for or who "has everything". A charitable donation has a quadruple benefit - it is good for the other person, good for you, good for the charity, and it is a tax write-off! Don't forget St. Mary's Catholic Center, if you are thinking about this one.

Merry Christmas

The Morning-After Pill Gets a Movie...

2011-12-19T11:16:00.002-06:00

This is the sad state of affairs in our culture. The morning-after pill now has a movie which centers around a one-night stand and the resulting issues. The nonchalant attitude about the morning-after pill is a given in the trailer as is having a one-night stand. Sad.

Here is the description from the New York Times review of it:

Fred (Noah Bean) has unprotected sex with Mindy (Rachel Boston), an unstable young woman whom he has just met, and he spends the rest of the film trying to make sure she takes the morning-after pill (which in this case is two pills, taken 12 hours apart).

Lying, cheating, morning-after pill dilemma, a one-night stand - and they make a "romantic comedy" out of it?
Yep.

Further Reading:
**Contraception: What is the big deal?
**Birth Control Makes Women Less Happy.

Christmas and the Drumbeat of War

2011-12-16T13:16:00.002-06:00

When we view a nativity scene, we generally think of a baby born to a virgin in a manger. We think of peaceful animals, a humble St. Joseph, and of a bright star. But, something is missing.

It is the drumbeat of war. It is the spiritual battle that rages in places we cannot see with our eyes or hear with our ears. It rages in our hearts.

Even in the peaceful image of Jesus being born, we need to see God warning His people to prepare for war. The victorious king has entered the fray and he calls us to take up our weapon.

All of hell knows there is no hope of final victory, but out of spite, they fight to ruin whatever souls they can. Yet, all of the rest of creation cries out for salvation.
The star of Bethlehem is a warning flare that signals the victor is now on the battlefield. The animals in the manger are awaiting the redemption of the rest of the world. The angels are singing songs of a victorious king - "Glory to God in the highest".

Now it is our turn.

If we fail to pick a side in the war, it means we have already chosen - "he who is not with me is against me."

The drumbeat of war is pounding. Pick up your cross - it is your weapon against the enemy - and follow The King of All into battle. He is about to be born as a poor babe to a virgin.

Science Proves Babies Start Learning In the Womb

2011-12-16T10:27:00.001-06:00

From a TED speaker - Annie Murphy Paul - we learn that babies learn sounds, tastes, smells within the womb. They remember these senses and prefer them after they are born. They also learn harsh realities, including Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD). This is a scientific breakthrough. Here is the description of the presentation:

To what extent the conditions we encounter before birth influence our individual characteristics? It‘s the question at the center of fetal origins, a relatively new field of research that measures how the effects of influences outside the womb during pregnancy can shape the physical, mental and even emotional well-being of the developing baby for the rest of its life.

Science writer Annie Murphy Paul calls it a gray zone between nature and nurture in her book Origins, a history and study of this emerging field structured around a personal narrative -- Paul was pregnant with her second child at the time. What she finds suggests a far more dynamic nature between mother and fetus than typically acknowledged, and opens up the possibility that the time before birth is as crucial to human development as early childhood.

Catholic Book Recommendations

2011-12-15T16:39:00.000-06:00

Q - What are some books you recommend for college students who want to learn more about the Catholic Church?

A - Well, sometimes it depends on what in particular the person is looking for or needs. But, if I were to give a short (yes, it really is a short list) then it would be something like this.

NOTE: This list generally has popular books that are easy for most people to read. In other words, while you will get good theology, it should not be too hard for a college-aged young adult to understand any of these books.

Source books & Must-have Magisterial documents

The Holy Bible – If you don’t have one and use it daily then the other books will be of little value.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church - If you don’t have it then get it and use it.

Conversion stories:
Seven Story Mountain by Thomas Merton.
Surprised By Truth edited by Patrick Madrid.
Rome Sweet Home: Our Journey to Catholicism by Scott & Kimberly Hahn.
Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic by Dave Currie
Evangelical Is Not Enough: Worship of God in Liturgy and Sacrament by Thomas Howard.
Set Free to Love: Lives Changed by the Theology of the Body by Marcel LeJeune.

General Q&A books or ones that have a very broad scope:
Catholicism by Fr. Robert Barron.
Handbook of Christian Apologetics by Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli.
Handbook of Catholic Apologetics by Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli.
A Biblical Defense of Catholicism by Dave Armstrong.
Catholic Christianity by Peter Kreeft

Church History:
The Faith of the Early Fathers. Edited by W. A. Jurgens, 3 volumes,
Where We Got the Bible: Our Debt to the Catholic Church. By Henry Graham.
Triumph by H. W. Crocker III.
What Went Wrong With Vatican II by Ralph McInerny
How the Reformation Happened by Hilaire Belloc
Characters of the Reformation by Hilaire Belloc
How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization by Thomas Woods

Moral Issues:
Humanae Vitae Pope Paul VI
Good News About Sex and Marriage by Christopher West
Three Approaches to Abortion by Peter Kreeft
Theology of the Body for Beginners by Christopher West
Living The Good Life by Mark Lowery
An Introduction to Moral Theology William May

Spiritual Writings (this list could go on forever and leans toward my tastes):
The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis
The Lord by Romano Guardini
Holiness – A Guide For Beginners by Dom Hubert Von Zeller
Listening at Prayer by Benedict Groeschel
Introduction to the Devout Life by Francis de Sales
The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
Spiritual Direction and Meditation by Thomas Merton
Prayer: The Great Conversation by Peter Kreeft
I Believe in Love by Jean C.J. d'Elbee
The Fire Within by Thomas Dubay

Other works not necessarily in only one category or in no category:
Theology and Sanity By Frank Sheed
Theology for Beginners By Frank Sheed
Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis – Another masterpiece
The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis – Heaven is in our grasp.
The Godless Delusion: A Catholic Challenge to Modern Atheism by Patrick Madrid and Kenneth Hensley
The Journey: A Spiritual Roadmap for Modern Pilgrims Kreeft, Peter
How to Win the Culture War by Peter Kreeft
The Lamb’s Supper by Scott Hahn
Making Senses Out Of Scripture Mark Shea
Where Is That In the Bible? by Patrick Madrid
A Refutation of Moral Relativism by Peter Kreeft
How Not to Share Your Faith by Mark Brumley
Hail, Holy Queen by Scott Hahn
The Rhythm of Life by Matthew Kelly
The How-To Book of the Mass by Michael Dubruiel
Letters to a Young Catholic by George Weigel
Catholicism and Fundamentalism. Karl Keating
By What Authority? Mark Shea
Render Unto Caesar by Archbishop Charles Chaput
The Church and New Media Edited by Brandon Vogt
The Loser Letters by Mary Eberstadt

I hope this helps. You can check out all of these in St. Mary's library.

The Cutest Christmas Video Ever...

2011-12-15T12:05:00.000-06:00

This is absolutely precious.

Amazing Priestly Drum Solo

2011-12-15T10:53:00.000-06:00

This is one rocking priest. Truly amazing drum skills.

Thanks to Fr. Brian Soliven who sent it to me. Here is the description of the video:

An impromptu exhibition of drumming skills of Fr. Rich Mastrogiacomo from New York. Taken during the ordination reception of his friend and classmate, Fr. Brian Soliven, held at Good Shepherd's Church, Elk Grove, California.

Fr. Rich is the youngest ordained priest in the history of the church in the United States. Congratulations!

The next video is of Fr. Christ Downey, former Associate Pastor of St. Mary's (now a pastor at another parish). He was a former professional bass player in rock bands before becoming a priest.

Fr. Barron to Appear on the NBC Today Show Thursday

2011-12-14T15:19:00.000-06:00

From an email just sent out:

Father Barron will be on the NBC Today Show tomorrow morning in the 8:00 AM (IN ALL TIME ZONES) hour.Yes, you heard that right. Fr. Barron will be interviewed along with executive producer Mike Leonard on the Today Show to talk about the success of the CATHOLICISM series.

Gendercide: Killing Girls Because They are Girls

2011-12-14T12:06:00.002-06:00

India and China have an ongoing holocaust against girls. Where is the outrage?

India:
Even the secular media is picking up on the problem.

China:
37 Million girls lost because they are girls...

Fr. Barron - "Advent is a Preparation For a Revolution"

2011-12-14T09:43:00.001-06:00

What a unique way to think about Advent:

A Christmas Break Rule of Life

2011-12-13T15:23:00.000-06:00

The primary authors of this are the sisters we have here at St. Mary's - the Apostles of the Interior Life. They wrote this originally for students going on Summer break. I changed it a bit for the Christmas break.

A CHRISTMAS BREAK RULE OF LIFE

Christmas can hectic and then slow all rolled into one for college students. But, it can also be a very fruitful time for spiritual growth.

“In this oasis of quiet, before the wonderful spectacle of nature, one easily experiences how profitable silence is, a good that today is ever rarer. The many opportunities of relation and information that modern society offers sometimes run the risk of robbing time for recollection, to the point of rendering persons incapable of reflecting and praying. In reality, only in silence does man succeed in hearing in the depth of his conscience the voice of God, which really makes him free. And vacations can help us rediscover and cultivate this indispensable interior dimension of human life” --JPII ,Angelus, July 11, 2004.

It is important to enter Christmas break with a “plan” for your spiritual life. Otherwise it is so easy to drift away even from the prayer commitment that you had during the semester.

First of all be faithful to your daily prayer. Establish how much time you want to devote to it, how (rosary, meditation on the Word of God, adoration…) and where (home, the chapel, your parish…). It is better to start with a little commitment (for example 20 minutes every day), and then in case increase it, than to start big and then give up because you can’t keep up with it.
Continue to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation with frequency. Get information about the days and times for Confessions in your parish.
If it is possible, you ought to go to Mass during the week as much as you can, according with your academic/work commitments.
Christmas break is usually a period when you have free time on your hands. It is ideal to read some good spiritual books that can inspire you and nourish your faith. You will find a great treasure in the lives of Saints, their writings, and in books about specific topics in which you are interested (e.g., spiritual discernment, virtues, faith and reason, Church history, apologetics, morality, etc.). You can ask your spiritual director or a campus minister for some good titles or you can check out this list here.
Try to be in touch with some good friends, with whom you share the same values. You can either pray together sometimes, or take a commitment at the parish together (e.g., helping with teens, Bible study, working in a soup kitchen, etc.), and certainly keep each other accountable for your spiritual life. If you can’t be physically in the same place, at least you can call each other regularly.
If you are going to spend time at home, you might find difficulties because you don’t have the St. Mary’s community around. Families are not always supportive of faith, some parishes seem to be less alive than St. Mary's, and you don’t get to see so many young people around. Remember that God is at work also in your parish, in your family and in your home town. Try to see the positive aspects there, and to think of that as an opportunity to give something of what you have received here at St. Mary’s during the semester. With your family, try to be strong about your decisions, but also understanding of where they are at and not judgmental. You can be a witness to them, with your peace and gentleness.

Have a Merry Christmas and we are praying for all of you..

Top 10 Christmas Carols

2011-12-13T12:21:00.000-06:00

Let the debate begin! Below is my subjective list of favorites, with videos of good to great renditions of each. I have also included my favorite line(s) of each song:

THE TOP 10 CHRISTMAS CAROLS

10 - Coventry Carol

Favorite line(s):

O sisters, too, how may we do,
For to preserve this day;
This poor Youngling for whom we sing,
By, by, lully, lullay.

9 - Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming

Favorite line(s):
To show God's love aright,
she bore to us a Savior,
when half spent was the night.

8 - Joy To The World

Favorite line(s):
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessing flow
far as the curse is found,

7 - What Child is This?

Favorite line(s):
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and Angels sing;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

6 - Silent Night

Favorite line(s):
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar

5 - O Come O Come Emmanuel

Favorite line(s):
O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear

4 - Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Favorite line(s):
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin's womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity

3 - O Come All Ye Faithful

Favorite line(s):
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels;
O come, let us adore Him,

2 - Once In Royal David's City

Favorite line(s):
For He is our childhood's pattern;
Day by day, like us, He grew;
He was little, weak, and helpless,
Tears and smiles, like us He knew;
And He cares when we are sad,
And he shares when we are glad.

1 - O Holy Night

Favorite line(s):
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!

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Just Missed the Cut:

Away In A Manger
Angels We Have Heard on High
O Little Town of Bethlehem
The First Noel
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
I Wander as I Wonder
Go Tell It On The Mountain
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
Angels We Have Heard on High
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Do You Hear What I Hear?
I Saw Three Ships
Breath of Heaven
We Three Kings

9 Ways to Overcome Temptation

2011-12-12T14:10:00.000-06:00

We can overcome temptation by learning what Scripture tells us about it and following the advice laid out for us.

9 Ways to Overcome Temptation:

1. Avoid and/or flee from it. Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor.

“She caught him by his cloak and said, "Come to bed with me!" But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.” -Gen 39:12

2. Submit your thoughts to God. He knows better than we do what is good.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” -Phil 4:8

3. Overcome your selfishness. True Love doesn’t know selfishness. Because, if you love Jesus you don’t belong to yourself

“and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.” -1 Cor 3:23

4. Expect and be ready for temptation. We need to be prepared for Spiritual battle.

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” -Eph 6:13

5. Remind yourself of the consequences of sin.

“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” -Gal5:19-21

6. Memorize God’s Word. Filling our minds with the thoughts of God and having them readily available to us is very wise.

“He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” -Luke 11:28

7. Cultivate a sense of God’s presence But don’t just listen – obey.

“Go near and listen to all that the LORD our God says. Then tell us whatever the LORD our God tells you. We will listen and obey.” -Deut 5:27

8. Frequent confession heals us and we start over spiritually healthy.

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” -James 5:16

9. Accountability helps us avoid sin. When we are accountable to both man and God it helps us overcome temptation.

“Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" "I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?" The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground.” -Genesis 4:9-10

BIG Questions

2011-12-12T12:29:00.000-06:00

"The biggest human temptation is to settle for too little."
-Thomas Merton

Is there truth?
Can truth be known?
Is truth universal to all?
Does God exist?
Did Jesus Christ exist?
Was Jesus the Son of God the Father?
Is there a Trinity?
Is the Bible reliable?
Is the Bible inspired by God?
Is God active in the world?
Aren't all religions the same?
What is the origin of the world?
Who am I?
What was I created for?
What is the meaning of life?
What is my mission?
What is my purpose?
How am I to live?
What kind of life (vocation) and I called to?
Why is there death?
Why is there suffering?
Why do bad things happen to good people?
Why do good things happen?
Why is there something rather than nothing?
What is love?
How do you know that you know?
What happens after someone dies?
Is every human life equal in value and dignity?
How do we determine right from wrong?
Why is having sex outside of marriage considered wrong if you love the other person?
How can you change for the better?
Why is sin wrong when it can be fun or feel good?
How do I go to heaven?
Does God answer prayer?
Does thought have consequences?
Do actions have eternal consequences?

There are many more big questions, in addition to those above

The questions of life will never be completely answered until we die and enter into heaven. But, we shouldn't stop asking them, because we are built to find the answers.

Pope Benedict also encourages your questions - but you should look for and expect an answer from God:

"think about the real meaning of life and to ask yourselves: “Am I satisfied with my life? Is there something missing?”

Like the young man in the Gospel story, perhaps you too are experiencing situations of uncertainty, anxiety or suffering, and are yearning for something more than a life of mediocrity. It makes you ask yourselves: “What makes a life successful? What do I need to do? How should I plan my life? “What must I do for my life to have full value and full meaning?” (ibid., No. 3).

Do not be afraid to ask yourselves these questions! Far from troubling you, they are giving voice to the great aspirations that you hold in your hearts. That is why you should listen to them. The answers you give to them must not be superficial, but capable of satisfying the longing you truly feel for life and happiness.

In order to discover the life-project that will make you completely happy, listen to God. He has a loving plan for each one of you. You can confidently ask him: “Lord, what is your plan, as Creator and Father, for my life? What is your will? I want to carry it out”. You can be certain that he will answer you. Do not be afraid of his answer! “For God is greater than our hearts and knows everything” (1 Jn 3:20)."

The Little Things Really Do Matter

2011-12-09T15:12:00.001-06:00

What kind of "change" is he asking for?

Tip o' the hat to Deacon Greg.

Can Men and Women Just Be Friends?

2011-12-09T14:33:00.001-06:00

A question that two young filmmakers at Utah State set out to answer - Can men and women just be friends?

I certainly think the dynamic on college campuses might reflect this kind of attitude. Things are different later on in life.

10 Things God Will Never Ask You

2011-12-09T12:01:00.001-06:00

10 Things God Will Never Ask You

10 - What do you do? But, He might ask:
Who are you?
9 - How much money do you make? But, He might ask:
Who else did you help with the resources I gave you?
8 - How many friends do you have on Facebook? But, He might ask:
How many people did you help come to know me?
7 - Do you think you are attractive? But, He might ask:
Don't you realize the beauty I built within you outshines whatever you look like?
6 - What took you so long to seek me? But, He might ask:
Do you know how happy I am that you are here with me?
5 - How respected are you by others, and do others like you? But, He might ask:
Were you ever ashamed of me before others?
4 - Did you get your way? But, He might ask:
Did you live my way?
3 - Will you do something you are incapable of achieving? But, He might ask:
Will you live out the calling I give you no matter the cost?
2 - Will you take up my cross and carry the burden of your sins? But, He might ask:
Will you take up your cross and allow me to carry the burden of your sins?
1 - Will you please save your self? But, He might ask:
Will you say yes to my grace and allow me to save you?

What is The Immaculate Conception?

2011-12-08T10:52:00.000-06:00

Q - Can you tell me what exactly the dogma of the Immaculate Conception does and does not teach for us?

A - Thanks for the question! The dogma of the Immaculate Conception (IC) is a widely misunderstood teaching of the Catholic Church, so I am glad to try and clear up some of the misconceptions (pun intended) about it. Before I do so, I want to remind everyone that Dec 8 is a Holy Day of Obligation (Opportunity). Check Mass times for St. Marys here.

The IC is not a teaching about Christ being without sin or being conceived without a father. These are different teachings. The teaching of the IC is the following, from Pius IX - defined in 1854:

"We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful."

Here is what the Church teaches about the I.C. - Mary was conceived in the womb of her mother without original sin. This grace is the same supernatural grace we receive in baptism, but is given at the moment of her creation, thus freeing Mary from the affects of original sin - in her soul. Humans, after the fall, are not created in the state of grace, but in a fallen state and in need of grace. Mary is the one special exception, chosen not for her own sake to do this, but for the sake of being the Mother of God.

The I.C. does not teach that Mary is in any way God or non-human. She is in need of God's salvation, as we all are, but she was given this special grace because she was chosen by God to be the Mother of our Lord and be a pure vessel that could carry Christ.

Mary is sometimes called the New Ark of the Covenant by the fathers of the church. The original Ark of the Covenant was the holding place for the staff of Aaron - the high priest, a piece of manna from the desert, and the tablets of the Ten Commandments. In Jesus we have the fulfillment of all that these foreshadow. Jesus is THE High Priest, He is THE Bread from Heaven, and He is THE law. Thus, to be made ready to bear God Himself, Mary was created in purity and without sin. Just as the Ark of the Covenant was considered the place of the "holy of holies", so Mary is made pure and holy in order to have the holiest thing of all (God), inside her.

Come praise God this week with us as we praise Mary's Son, Jesus Christ and the wonderful things He has done for us, through Mary, Immaculately Conceived.

For more on this dogma, I recommend these articles:
*Deacon Greg Kandra's homily on the IC - magnificent.
*Catholic Answers article on the IC.
*Catholic Encyclopedia article on the IC.
*Fr. William Most on the IC.
*History of the IC.

Vatican University Hosts Tattoo Conference

2011-12-08T10:13:00.001-06:00

This is an interesting conference, hosted by the Pontifical Urbaniana University, which is just up the hill from St. Peter's Square. Details:

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Tattooed mummies in ancient Egypt, Crusaders who branded their foreheads with crosses, and New Zealand's inked Maori warriors were fodder for an unusual conference at a Vatican university Tuesday on the role of tattoos in shaping identity.

"Into the Skin: identity, symbols and history of permanent body marks" was the brainchild of a Christian arts association and Israel's ambassador to the Holy See, an unlikely expert in the field given Judaism's prohibition of tattooing and the painful role that tattooed serial numbers played in the Holocaust.

Ambassador Mordechay Lewy acknowledged the paradox, saying the living memory of Auschwitz's blue death stamps added another layer to Jewish aversion to tattooing, which many orthodox rabbis forbid because it alters the human body as a divine creation.

Yet Lewy is a respected expert within the field — and a fierce critic of what he calls today's "commercialization" of an important aspect of cultural history that stretches from Jerusalem to Japan.

Tattoos "can symbolize a social rank, identify ethnic affiliation, indicate experience of religious pilgrimage or of a rite of passage," he told the two-day conference that ended Tuesday. "They can also be a sign of rebellion or diversity."

The conference, held at the Vatican's Pontifical Urbaniana University, just up the hill from St. Peter's Square, marked the first of its kind and participants marveled that it came together at all given that the study of tattooing is a relatively new field of serious academic research.

"I was gobsmacked," said Oxford historian Jane Caplan, who wrote a seminal anthology on tattoos in U.S. and European history. "It seemed so unlikely," particularly Levy's guiding hand in helping organize a tattoo conference at the Vatican.
Continue Reading.

Related post:
**Is Getting A Tattoo Wrong?

Plan to Allow Morning-After Pill Over-The-Counter is REJECTED!

2011-12-07T16:34:00.001-06:00

This is really good news and quite surprising.

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a surprise move with election-year implications, the Obama administration's top health official overruled her own drug regulators and stopped the Plan B morning-after pill from moving onto drugstore shelves next to the condoms.

The decision by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius means the Plan B One-Step emergency contraceptive will remain behind pharmacy counters, as it is sold today — available without a prescription only to those 17 and older who can prove their age.

The Food and Drug Administration was preparing to lift the age limit on Wednesday and allow younger teens, who today must get a prescription, to buy it without restriction. That would have made Plan B the nation's first over-the-counter emergency contraceptive, a pill that can prevent pregnancy if taken soon enough after unprotected sex.

But Sebelius intervened at the eleventh hour and overruled FDA, deciding that young girls shouldn't be able to buy the pill on their own — especially since some girls as young as 11 are physically capable of bearing children.

"It is common knowledge that there are significant cognitive and behavioral differences between older adolescent girls and the youngest girls of reproductive age," Sebelius said. "I do not believe enough data were presented to support the application to make Plan B One-Step available over the counter for all girls of reproductive age."
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If you didn't read the original story, you can do so here.

Prayers for Students and Tests

2011-12-07T15:43:00.000-06:00

Here are some prayers for your finals starting on Friday. St. Thomas Aquinas is the patron of students, so it is a common practice to ask for his intercession and use prayers that he wrote.

PRAYER OF ST. THOMAS
Ineffable Creator, Who out of the treasures of Thy wisdom has appointed three hierarchies of Angels and set them in admirable order high above the heavens and hast disposed the divers portions of the universe in such marvellous array, Thou Who art called the True Source of Light and supereminent Principle of Wisdom, be pleased to cast a beam of Thy radiance upon the darkness of my mind and dispel from me the double darkness of sin and ignorance in which I have been born.

Thou Who makest eloquent the tongues of little children, fashion my words and pour upon my lips the grace of Thy benediction. Grant me penetration to understand, capacity to retain, method and facility in study, subtlety in interpretation and abundant grace of expression.
Order the beginning, direct the progress and perfect the achievement of my work, Thou Who art true God and true Man and livest and reignest for ever and ever. Amen.

**Another from St. Thomas Aquinas - patron of students. We used this one in Grad. school frequently.

Grant, O merciful God, that I may
ardently desire,
prudently examine,
truthfully acknowledge,
and perfectly accomplish
what is pleasing to You,
for the praise and glory of Your Name. Amen.

**A good prayer to use before studying.

A Prayer before studying for exams.“God of Wisdom, I thank you for the knowledge gained and the learning experiences of the semester. I come to you this day and ask you to illuminate my mind and heart. Let your Spirit be with me as I prepare for exams, guiding my studies, and giving me insight so that I can perform to the best of my ability. Please grant me the strength to handle the pressure during these final days of the semester, the confidence to feel secure in my knowledge, and the ability to keep an appropriate perspective through it all. Help me to keep in mind what is truly important, even as I focus my time and energy on these tests in the immediate future. Finally, may I sense your peace in knowing that I applied myself to the challenges of this day.”
-Amen-

**Here is a nine-day novena (in pdf format) for those who want to start today and end next Wed, the end of finals.

**Two Prayers to St. Joseph of Cupertino - another patron of students:

1 - O Great St. Joseph of Cupertino who while on earth did obtain from God the grace to be asked at your examination only the questions you knew, obtain for me a like favour in the examinations for which I am now preparing. In return I promise to make you known and cause you to be invoked.

Through Christ our Lord.
St. Joseph of Cupertino, Pray for us.
Amen.

2 - O St. Joseph of Cupertino who by your prayer obtained from God to be asked at your examination, the only preposition you knew. Grant that I may like you succeed in the (here mention the name of Examination) examination.

In return I promise to make you known and cause you to be invoked.

O St. Joseph of Cupertino pray for me
O Holy Ghost enlighten me
Our Lady of Good Studies pray for me
Sacred Head of Jesus, Seat of divine wisdom, enlighten me.
Amen.

**Finally, here are two prayers from Catholic.org:

Prayer for Students
Under thy patronage, dear Mother, and calling on the mystery of thine Immaculate Conception, I desire to pursue my studies and my literary labors: I hereby solemnly declare that I am giving myself to these studies chiefly to the following end: that I may the better contribute to the glory of God and to the promotion of thy veneration among men. I pray thee, therefore, most loving Mother, who art the Seat of Wisdom, to bless my labors in thy loving-kindness. Moreover I promise with true affection and a willing spirit, as it is right that I should do, to ascribe all the good that shall come to me therefrom, wholly to thine intercession for me in God's holy presence. Amen.

Prayer before Study or Instructions
Incomprehensible Creator, the true Fountain of light and only Author of all knowledge: deign, we beseech Thee, to enlighten our understanding, and to remove from us all darkness of sin and ignorance. Thou, who makest eloquent the tongues of those who lack utterance, direct our tongues, and pour on our lips the grace of thy blessing. Give us a diligent and obedient spirit, quickness of apprehension, capacity of retaining, and the powerful assistance of Thy holy grace; that what we hear or learn we may apply to Thy honor and the eternal salvation of our own souls. Amen.

St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Joseph of Cupertino pray for students.

Star Wars Geeks + Christmas + Christian Pop Music = Greatness

2011-12-07T09:43:00.001-06:00

This cracked me up. A parody of Mary Did You Know?

FDA Considers Allowing Plan B Over-The-Counter With No Age Restrictions

2011-12-06T13:02:00.001-06:00

Another sign our culture isn't sliding down the slippery slope, but has the sled out and has greased the slope for a faster descent.
From the Washington Post.

The federal government is grappling with the explosive question of whether to let anyone of any age buy the controversial morning-after pill Plan B directly off drugstore and supermarket shelves without a prescription.

The Food and Drug Administration has until Wednesday to respond to a request from the drug’s manufacturer to make the pill as easy to get as toilet paper and toothpaste, a move pushed by some doctors, health advocates, family-planning activists, members of Congress and others to help women prevent unwanted pregnancies.

Opponents, however, say such a decision would expose girls and women to potential risks from taking high doses of a potent hormone, interfere with parents’ ability to monitor their children and make it easier for men to prey on vulnerable minors.

The request follows a series of steps in recent years that have gradually made Plan B easier to obtain. If it is approved, the pill would move out from behind pharmacists’ counters, eliminating the requirement that women produce a prescription or prove that they are at least 17 years old to get it without a doctor’s order. Instead, Plan B would be available on store shelves, along with condoms, contraceptive sponges and spermicides.

“Hopefully, it will be right on the shelves between the condoms and the pregnancy tests,” said Kirsten Moore of the Reproductive Health Technologies Project, a Washington-based advocacy group. “We think it’s good news for women’s health and long overdue.”

Plan B consists of a synthetic form of progesterone; this hormone is found in many standard birth-control pills, but Plan B contains it at higher doses. Taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, the pill has been shown to be 89 percent effective at safely preventing pregnancy.

The drug has long been controversial and was the focus of one of the biggest health disputes during the administration of President George W. Bush. Plan B works primarily by preventing an egg from being fertilized. Critics, however, focus on the chance that it may prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the womb, an action they consider equivalent to an abortion. As a result, it has been the subject of intense debate and conflict. Some doctors refuse to write prescriptions for it, some pharmacists refuse to fill requests, and some hospitals refuse to provide it to patients.
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Give it 6 months and this will be a reality.

Just a thought.At 17 years old you can NOT:

Drink alcohol
Vote
Sign for a loan
Buy cigarettes
Join the military without parental consent

At 17 you CAN:

Drive
Drop out of high school
Buy the "morning after" pill without a prescription.

Jolly Old St. Nick Punches Heretics In The Face. Seriously.

2011-12-06T12:36:00.000-06:00

Happy St. Nicklaus Day!

Most of us think of St. Nicklaus as a plump happy old man who comes down a chimney. The reality is he punches heretics in the face. Taylor Marshall has more:

When President Teddy Roosevelt was a college student, he taught a Sunday School class for elementary school children. During this time, Roosevelt awarded a dollar to a boy in his Sunday School class for beating the snot out of a bully who tormented little girls. "You did exactly right," said Roosevelt with pride. However, the congregation disagreed. They immediately dismissed Roosevelt for teaching the "un-Christian" principle of laying the smack down on those who have it coming to them.

Well, if tradition is true, that little boy was also richly rewarded by Jolly Old Saint Nicholas since the good Saint Nick allegedly "h-slapped" ("heretic slapped") the heresiarch Arius. You see, Arius wrongly taught that Christ was not fully divine but rather a mere creature. Rather, Arius taught that Christ had been created by God the Father.

During the First Ecumenical Council of Nicea (AD 325), Arius was called upon to defend his position on the inferiority of Christ. Saint Nicholas just couldn't listen to all of Arius' nonsense and so he stood up and laid in to Arius with his fist.

The Emperor Constantine and the bishops present at the Council were alarmed by Nicholas' act of violence against Arius. They immediately stripped Nicholas of his office as a bishop by confiscating the two items that marked out a man as a Christian bishop: Nicholas' personal copy of the Gospels and his pallium (the vestment worn by all bishops in the East).

Now if that were the end of the story, we probably wouldn't know about Saint Nicholas, and our children wouldn't be asking him for presents.
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Fr. Barron on David and the Priesthood

2011-12-05T13:14:00.001-06:00

Watching Fr. Barron's videos is the equivalent of hearing a great homily + sitting in on a great theology class.

Part I:

Part II:

Is Telling a Child About Santa Claus Lying?

2011-12-02T12:47:00.000-06:00

Q -Can we ethically teach our children to believe in Santa Claus? This seems like a lie and I don't know how you could justify it. I was curious what you thought and how you're raising your children if you don't mind me asking.

A - Thanks for the question. I don't mind you asking. In this case I will tell you (later) how we are raising our kids.

As for the answer to your question, there are some very passionate answers on the internet for both sides. I will give you both answers and then what I think at the end.
NOTE - I will try my best to give both sides of the argument.

SIDE 1 - TELLING KIDS ABOUT SANTA IS A LIE AND ALWAYS WRONG.
Some will say that it is always a lie to tell kids about Santa and therefore it is always wrong. There can be no justification. To tell a child that there is a jolly old man who lives with elves at the North Pole is completely false and since lying is condemned by Scripture and the Church, you should not perpetuate such lies, especially when it means that the lie could shatter their hearts when they learn the truth.

Those that argue that Santa is a lie might say the focus should be on the real St. Nick and the celebration of his feast day - Dec 6.
Read more on this side of the argument here.

SIDE 2 - TELLING A KID ABOUT SANTA IS STORYTELLING, NOT LYING.
Others will say that telling a kid about Santa Claus is the same as a work of fiction read to the child, but without telling them it isn't real. Truths can be conveyed in different ways and telling a myth, a legend, or a story isn't lying, but is trying to convey a deeper reality about some truth. We see this in the stories of Tolkien and CS Lewis. So, telling a kid about Santa is equivalent to reading the Narnia series. We can even see such legends in the stories that have grown up around the life of St. Nicholas, upon whom the stories of Santa are based.
Read more on this side of the argument here.

MY SIDE:
If your conscience says it is lying, then don't tell your kids their is a Santa Claus. But, please don't ruin another child's Christmas by taking it upon yourself to tell them the truth about Santa. There is no hard and fast rule here. The Catholic Church has many myths and legends in the tales of Saints and others. We even have Saints that probably didn't exist. So, you could say that "praying" to a Saint such as St. Christopher is the same kind of legend as Santa.

With that being said, my family does not do Santa Claus. Our kids have big imaginations and we want them to have the beauty of wonder and awe. We want them to see the world and other things with eyes that can find meaning in stories. So, while we have never taught them about Santa, never had them write letters to him, and have never given them presents from him, we also haven't told them outright that he doesn't exist. If they ask, "is Santa real?", we respond with "what do you think?". We celebrate St. Nicholas day on Dec 6 by exchanging gifts we put in stockings, but the kids know they are from us.

So, my simple answer is - do what you feel called to do and don't throw those that do something different under the bus. There are good arguments on both sides and a "good" Catholic doesn't have to be put into a box on such issues. There is freedom in Christ on such things.

Gay, Catholic, and Doing Fine

2011-12-01T15:38:00.001-06:00

The following article is a true winner. You want to read it all.
Here is a snip:

Where are all these bigoted Catholics I keep hearing about? When I told my family a year ago, not one of them responded with anything but love and understanding. Nobody acted like I had a disease. Nobody started treating me differently or looking at me funny. The same is true of every one of the Catholic friends that I've told. They love me for who I am.

Actually, the only time I get shock or disgust or disbelief, the only time I've noticed people treating me differently after I tell them, is when I tell someone who supports the gay lifestyle. Celibacy?? You must be some kind of freak.

Hooray for tolerance of different viewpoints. I'm grateful to gay activists for some things -- making people people more aware of the prevalence of homosexuality, making homophobia less socially acceptable -- but they also make it more difficult for me to be understood, to be accepted for who I am and what I believe. If I want open-mindedness, acceptance, and understanding, I look to Catholics.

Is it hard to be gay and Catholic? Yes, because like everybody, I sometimes want things that are not good for me. The Church doesn't let me have those things, not because she's mean, but because she's a good mother. If my son or daughter wanted to eat sand I'd tell them: that's not what eating is for; it won't nourish you; it will hurt you. Maybe my daughter has some kind of condition that makes her like sand better than food, but I still wouldn't let her eat it. Actually, if she was young or stubborn enough, I might not be able to reason with her -- I might just have to make a rule against eating sand. Even if she thought I was mean.

So the Church doesn't oppose gay marriage because it's wrong; she opposes it because it's impossible, just as impossible as living on sand. The Church believes, and I believe, in a universe that means something, and in a God who made the universe -- made men and women, designed sex and marriage from the ground up. In that universe, gay marriage doesn't make sense. It doesn't fit with the rest of the picture, and we're not about to throw out the rest of the picture.

If you don't believe in these things, if you believe that men and women and sex and marriage are pretty much whatever we say they are, then okay: we don't have much left to talk about. That's not the world I live in.

So, yes, it's hard to be gay and Catholic -- it's hard to be anything and Catholic -- because I don't always get to do what I want. Show me a religion where you always get to do what you want and I'll show you a pretty shabby, lazy religion. Something not worth living or dying for, or even getting up in the morning for.
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I don't usually use the word "gay". I use the term "same-sex attraction" instead. The reason is a sexual orientation doesn't define who a person is. But, this article isn't about semantics and it is a great one.

Little League Dad Puts The Shoe on the Other Foot

2011-12-01T14:23:00.001-06:00

My kids play sports. I am super competitive. But, I leave my personal competitiveness at home, because it doesn't help my kids. Too many parents take little league and their kid's athletic events too seriously.

Now they might no what it feels like:

Can The Saints Hear Us?

2011-12-01T10:01:00.000-06:00

Q - I understand that Catholics pray to the saints and to Mary for intercession, quite like we ask our brothers and sisters on earth to pray for us, but here is the question: If only God is omnipresent and all-knowing, how can all of them hear millions of different prayers from millions of different people at the exact same time?

A – Thanks for the great question! There are several reasons that Catholics believe that the Saints in heaven can hear our requests for their intercession. First, let us start with the Biblical evidence.

“And concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, `I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” --Matthew 22:31-32

----Note that Jesus is telling us that those in heaven are alive. But, they now have a new and higher way of living. They have been glorified in Christ once they enter into heaven. In fact, it could be said that they are much more alive than those of us still on earth.

“And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” --Matthew 17:3-5

----Here, during the Transfiguration, Jesus talks to Moses and Elijah, who are very aware of what has been happening on earth. So, from this we can come to the conclusion that death does not separate those in heaven from those on earth.

Remember Paul teaches that we are all members of Christ’s body, the Church.

The Book of Hebrews echoes this when it teaches that those who have gone before us into heaven still witness what happens on earth.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us” --Hebrews 12:1

What I believe is the most amazing evidence from the Bible of the Saints in heaven hearing our prayers is from the book of Revelation.

“When he took it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones.” --Revelations 5:8

----We see that the elders and four living creatures (who represent the Saints and Angels in heaven) are offering the prayers of those on earth before Jesus. I don’t think it could get much clearer. In Revelation 8 there is another incident of heavenly intercession.

“Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a gold censer. He was given a great quantity of incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the holy ones, on the gold altar that was before the throne. The smoke of the incense along with the prayers of the holy ones went up before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with burning coals from the altar, and hurled it down to the earth. There were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.” --Revelations 8:3-5

Lastly, we have evidence from Christ himself.

“I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance. "Or what woman having ten coins and losing one would not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching carefully until she finds it? And when she does find it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says to them, `Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.' In just the same way, I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” --Luke 15:7-10

----Those in heaven could not rejoice over a sinner repenting on earth unless they knew about it.

One more reference of Christ talking about this subject is found in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16. Those who have suffered bodily death, still are asking for help for those on earth (intercession) with knowledge of what is happening.

Getting to the question outside the Biblical evidence, we can support the fact that those in heaven can hear our prayers because it fits with what we know about God and humans. Just as no person can achieve heaven on their own power, so a Saint in heaven cannot hear prayers of those on earth from their own power. But, being glorified in Christ they now are partakers of the divine nature. This means they participate in the grace of God to a greater degree than we can even imagine. While God is the only one who by nature is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent – the Saints in heaven can in some way share in these traits. The number of prayers offered is finite, so to be able to “hear” all prayers wouldn’t take the gift of omniscience, but rather just raising our nature to a higher level.

We must also remember that the heavenly existence is no longer bound by time. There is no time but eternity in heaven. Therefore, we must not try and answer a question of this nature by using our own limited understanding of how things work in this life.

Based on the overwhelming evidence from Scripture, the constant Tradition of the Church as well as the fact that it is theologically acceptable, we can be assured that the Saints in heaven can hear our prayers and are praying for us.

I hope this answers your question.

The Assault on Religious Liberty Continues

2011-11-30T09:45:00.001-06:00

How bad is the assault on religious liberty? Read the interview below about Belmont Abbey's new lawsuit. Belmont Abbey College is a small, Catholic college (run by monks) which is now required by the government to purchase contraception, morning-after pills, and ella (week-after abortion pills) for their students and employees. This is in violation of the religious convictions and consciences or the monks. But, the government doesn't care:

KATHRYN JEAN LOPEZ: Why is Belmont Abbey suing? The monks don’t need contraception, and why deny someone who wants/needs this new apparent right under Obamacare?

MARK L. RIENZI: The monks of Belmont Abbey College sued because the government left them no choice. The government is forcing these devout monks to purchase certain drugs for their students and employees, in violation of their religious convictions. For example, the government now requires the college to purchase Plan B (the “morning-after pill”) and ella (the “week-after pill”) for their students. These drugs likely cause abortions, which is a grave sin to the monks. It is one thing for the government to decide it should distribute these drugs itself, which of course is not part of this new law. But it is quite another for the government to mandate that religious Americans with conscientious objection purchase these drugs and participate in their distribution.

The law also forces the college to pay for “related education and counseling” about these drugs. The monks may preach to their students against abortion and contraception on Sunday morning, but on Monday the feds will make the college pay for a counselor to send the exact opposite message to its students. The First Amendment forbids this type of forced speech and burden on religious exercise.

As for denying anyone else the right to buy or use these drugs, the lawsuit seeks nothing of the kind. This lawsuit is not about forcing others to believe and act as the monks do, but rather about preventing the government from forcing these monks to act as the government imposes. Nothing at all prevents employees of the college from purchasing contraception — the monks just shouldn’t be coerced by the government to be the ones to provide them. And if students or employees need or want insurance plans that pay for these items, they are free to go to any of the vast majority of other employers and schools that have no religious objection to them. But everyone at Belmont Abbey willingly came there knowing that their diplomas and paychecks would be signed by Catholic monks.
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