my little movie...
Monday, February 23, 2009
Those Catholics really know how to party!...
These are a few pics from St. Peter fundraiser, Trivia on Tap, Saturday night. We had a blast. What a great time and idea to raise money. We at table 12 the "Summas" pulled it off, much to our amazement and WON!! We'd been hanging pretty much around third place through the evening, but with our collective knowledge, and a dear priest. Fr. Stephens (who knew Fr. Flanagan, from Boys Town) and Fr. Brancich, we were able to win the coveted award of 8 tickets to Olive Garden from some more wining and dining! ~ CIAO!
This is Fr. Cook. Pastor St. Peter, Master of Ceremonies and all around cool Father. The shirt I'm wearing says, 'Jesus is our greatest hope. We wait for the blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior,Jesus Christ.'
This guy's shirt was too cool not to photograph. "The only body piercing with redeeming value."
Fr. Gutowski
Frs. Cook and Brancich, "Battle of the Berettas"
This is Fr. Cook. Pastor St. Peter, Master of Ceremonies and all around cool Father. The shirt I'm wearing says, 'Jesus is our greatest hope. We wait for the blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior,Jesus Christ.'
This guy's shirt was too cool not to photograph. "The only body piercing with redeeming value."
Fr. Gutowski
Frs. Cook and Brancich, "Battle of the Berettas"
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Jurist predicts ‘terrible conflict’ will endanger U.S. Catholics’ religious freedom...
Washington D.C., Jan 21, 2009 / 03:19 am (CNA).-
Former Supreme Court nominee Judge Robert Bork has predicted that upcoming legal battles will have significant ramifications for religious freedom. He names as issues of major concern the continued freedom of Catholic hospitals to refuse to perform abortions and the likely “terrible conflict” resulting from the advancement of homosexual rights.
Speaking in an interview published Tuesday by Cybercast News Service, Judge Bork discussed the contentious nature of modern politics.
“Everything is up for debate these days. I can’t think of anything that isn’t,” he said.
“You are going to get Catholic hospitals that are going to be required as a matter of law to perform abortions,” he claimed.
“We are going to see in the near future a terrible conflict between claimed rights of homosexuals and religious freedom… You are going to get Catholic or other groups’ relief services that are going to be required to allow adoption of a child by homosexual couples. We are going to have a real conflict that goes right to the heart of the society.”
Asked whether there was a freedom of conscience clause anywhere in the Constitution that might prohibit the U.S. government from compelling a religious hospital to perform abortions, he replied:
“Well, the free exercise of religion clause might fulfill that role.”
He agreed with the CNS interviewer, Editor in Chief Terry Jeffrey, that such coercion forces someone to act against their religion and could be construed as a violation of the right to free exercise of religion.
However, Judge Bork was unsure about whether the U.S. Supreme Court would uphold such a right. He predicted the decision would rest with Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, who in some cases sides with liberals and at other times with “originalists,” those who profess to hold a more tradition-minded interpretation of the U.S. Constitution.
“It depends upon Anthony Kennedy,” Judge Bork told CNS. “Now, it’s a funny situation in which the moral life of a nation is in effect decided by one judge, because you have four solid liberal votes, four solid originalist votes, and one vote you can’t predict too accurately in advance.”
Though Justice Kennedy is a Catholic, he sided with the majority who upheld the pro-abortion rights Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade in the 1992 case Planned Parenthood v. Casey.
Judge Bork said that a decision involving the freedom of Catholic hospitals to refuse to perform abortions would split by a 5-4 vote.
“But I don’t know which way,” he added.
The Cybercast News interview with the jurist also touched upon the place of religion in public life.
“I don’t think the disputants talk much about God anymore,” Judge Bork commented. “That’s one of the things that I think is regrettable--and I know liberals have said the same thing, it is not a conservative position particularly--but it is regrettable that religion has dropped out of our public discourse. I think it impoverishes it and makes it more violent.”
He explained that he believed this violence was not armed conflict, but rather “violent language and propaganda.”
Judge Bork said he also thought that America is “now going down a path towards kind of a happy-go-lucky nihilism.”
“A lot of people are nihilists,” he continued. “They don’t think about religion. They don’t think about ultimate questions. They go along. They worry about consumer goods, comfort, and so forth.
“As a matter of fact, the abortion question is largely a question about convenience. If you look at the polls about why people have abortions, 90 percent of it has nothing to do with medical conditions. It’s convenience. And that’s I think an example of the secularization of an issue that ought to have a religious dimension.”
When asked whether a nihilistic society can remain “happy-go-lucky” for long, Judge Bork replied:
“I don’t know. I guess we are going to find out.”
Former Supreme Court nominee Judge Robert Bork has predicted that upcoming legal battles will have significant ramifications for religious freedom. He names as issues of major concern the continued freedom of Catholic hospitals to refuse to perform abortions and the likely “terrible conflict” resulting from the advancement of homosexual rights.
Speaking in an interview published Tuesday by Cybercast News Service, Judge Bork discussed the contentious nature of modern politics.
“Everything is up for debate these days. I can’t think of anything that isn’t,” he said.
“You are going to get Catholic hospitals that are going to be required as a matter of law to perform abortions,” he claimed.
“We are going to see in the near future a terrible conflict between claimed rights of homosexuals and religious freedom… You are going to get Catholic or other groups’ relief services that are going to be required to allow adoption of a child by homosexual couples. We are going to have a real conflict that goes right to the heart of the society.”
Asked whether there was a freedom of conscience clause anywhere in the Constitution that might prohibit the U.S. government from compelling a religious hospital to perform abortions, he replied:
“Well, the free exercise of religion clause might fulfill that role.”
He agreed with the CNS interviewer, Editor in Chief Terry Jeffrey, that such coercion forces someone to act against their religion and could be construed as a violation of the right to free exercise of religion.
However, Judge Bork was unsure about whether the U.S. Supreme Court would uphold such a right. He predicted the decision would rest with Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, who in some cases sides with liberals and at other times with “originalists,” those who profess to hold a more tradition-minded interpretation of the U.S. Constitution.
“It depends upon Anthony Kennedy,” Judge Bork told CNS. “Now, it’s a funny situation in which the moral life of a nation is in effect decided by one judge, because you have four solid liberal votes, four solid originalist votes, and one vote you can’t predict too accurately in advance.”
Though Justice Kennedy is a Catholic, he sided with the majority who upheld the pro-abortion rights Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade in the 1992 case Planned Parenthood v. Casey.
Judge Bork said that a decision involving the freedom of Catholic hospitals to refuse to perform abortions would split by a 5-4 vote.
“But I don’t know which way,” he added.
The Cybercast News interview with the jurist also touched upon the place of religion in public life.
“I don’t think the disputants talk much about God anymore,” Judge Bork commented. “That’s one of the things that I think is regrettable--and I know liberals have said the same thing, it is not a conservative position particularly--but it is regrettable that religion has dropped out of our public discourse. I think it impoverishes it and makes it more violent.”
He explained that he believed this violence was not armed conflict, but rather “violent language and propaganda.”
Judge Bork said he also thought that America is “now going down a path towards kind of a happy-go-lucky nihilism.”
“A lot of people are nihilists,” he continued. “They don’t think about religion. They don’t think about ultimate questions. They go along. They worry about consumer goods, comfort, and so forth.
“As a matter of fact, the abortion question is largely a question about convenience. If you look at the polls about why people have abortions, 90 percent of it has nothing to do with medical conditions. It’s convenience. And that’s I think an example of the secularization of an issue that ought to have a religious dimension.”
When asked whether a nihilistic society can remain “happy-go-lucky” for long, Judge Bork replied:
“I don’t know. I guess we are going to find out.”
To my Lutheran brothers and sisters...
With all due respect to my brothers and sisters in Christ in the ELCA, THIS is why I'm Catholic. Why I'm gratefully and whole-heartedly a practicing, ardent Catholic and have been for over 4 years now. (No, not Pelosi-style "ardent")
Because ONE Voice of authority, the Chair of Peter, the Vicar of Christ and the Magisterium, will never change its "stripes" on matters of faith and morals!! No matter how much pressure comes from malevolent, destructive secular forces to change the Church to "fit the times," the Catholic Church will never succomb to the whims and trends of a decadent culture! NEVER! Praise be to Jesus Christ in His Church and in His Saints!
Because ONE Voice of authority, the Chair of Peter, the Vicar of Christ and the Magisterium, will never change its "stripes" on matters of faith and morals!! No matter how much pressure comes from malevolent, destructive secular forces to change the Church to "fit the times," the Catholic Church will never succomb to the whims and trends of a decadent culture! NEVER! Praise be to Jesus Christ in His Church and in His Saints!
Season of Lent...
Ash Wednesday is from a liturgical point of view one of the most important days of the year. In the first place, this day opens the liturgical season of Lent, which formerly began with the First Sunday and comprised only thirty-six days. The addition of Wednesday and the three following days brought the number to forty, which is that of our Lord's fast in the desert.
In the Old Law, ashes were generally a symbolic expression of grief, mourning, or repentance. In the Early Church, the use of ashes had a like signification and with sackcloth formed part of the public penances. The blessing of the ashes is one of the great liturgical rites of the year. It was originally institued for public penitents, but is now intended for all Christians, as Lent should be a time of penance for all. The ashes used this day are obtained by burning the palms of the previous year. Four ancient prayers are used in the blessing of them, and having been sprinkled with holy water and incensed, the Priest puts them on the forehead of the faithful with the words: "Remember, man, that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return." The ancient prayers of the blessing suggest suitable thoughts for the opening of Lent. They are summarized here:
"Almight and everlasting God, spare the penitent...bless these ashes, that they may be a remedy to all who invoke Thy Name...O God, who desirest not the death but that conversion of sinners, look in kindness upon our human frailty...and bless these ashes, so that we who know ourselves to be but ashes...and that we must return to dust, may deserve to obtain pardon and the rewards offered to the penitent."
The above is taken from the Marian Sunday Missal, copyright 1960. It is one of the many precious and dear books and publications I was able to bring home with me from Wisconsin last April (2008). I brought home 2 boxes of books that had belonged to a priest from the LaCrosse diocese,including hardback copies of the Documents of Vatican II. What a gift they've been! What a glorious treasure! I feel so blessed and honored to have them. Thank you, Father Heindl, and may God rest your kind, good and holy soul! I do believe it was by "Divine Design" that I ended up with them, as there are no coincidences in the Christian life. The artwork in these old books is just amazing, intricate and so inspirational. They don't make 'em like this anymore!
And how cool! Just now I was searching for an image to add to this post, and found the one above, which is the exact illustration in the missal! I love God's "winks" to me! ; )
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Time...
No time for recollection
No time for solitude
No time for contemplation
No time for listening
No time for pondering
No time for meditation
No time for waiting
No time for silence
No time for thinking
No time for praying
Time for work
Time for shopping
Time for shopping
Time for vacations
Time for television
Time for paying bills
Time for sports
Time for haircuts
Time for various appointments
Time for dining
Time for reading the paper or a magazine
We find and make time for what is most
Important to us
Where our treasure is
There will our heart be also
But where will we be when
Time is no more?
susie melkus
02-21-09
Friday, February 20, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Frightening Stuff!...
How much longer can "GOING GREEN" trump the murder of babies?
... JESUS IS MY HOPE and I will not fear, but I do fear for these sorry, miserable, duped LemmingS!
Another very cool website of Saints!...
above is Saint Conrad of Piacenza, today's Saint
what a story!
Carhart Abortion Mill...
Electrician Quits Repairs on Nebraska Abortion Facility in Response To Calls
BELLEVUE, NE, February 17, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - An electrician made the decision yesterday to cancel his contract for work on a fire-damaged abortion centre after pro-life advocates called and explained to the vendor that his work was enabling abortions.
At first, the electrician told callers that he was not working in the abortion facility, but was working only in the basement. However, once he learned that the basement was part of the abortion centre where records and supplies were kept, he halted work.
"He said he considered himself a good Catholic and didn't want to be an accessory to an abortion clinic," said Larry Donlan of Rescue the Heartland, and Truth Truck driver for Operation Rescue.
The facility, which was damanged in a fire last month, is one that belongs to the infamous partial-birth abortionist LeRoy Carhart.
"This just shows the effectiveness of Abortion Collaborator campaign," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman, who first coined the term "abortion collaborator" and pioneered the project. "Once people understand that their work is helping the abortion industry, they often want nothing more to do with it."
Abortion collaborator campaigns help vendors recognize that providing services for abortion facilities contributes to abortions and makes them culpable for the continued shedding of innocent blood.
"It's a legal principle as well as a bibilical one. Those who aid and abet share in the guilt," said Newman.
"We congratulate Rescue the Heartland and appreciate the willingness of this electrician to do the right thing and stop work on the abortion mill. We pray that Carhart's clinic will never reopen."
Please pray for this good man who did the right thing. I pray for his safety, as I'm sure the Enemy of our souls hates him even more now! I've prayed at this abortuary before, on Halloween last year, I prayed throughout the night there with 5 friends. It's a most hideous and gruesome "death camp." Just up the street, less than a block is A Woman's Touch, a beautiful place for women and girls to go for help and real care for their health. Good and evil are always side by side...pray for all who work there, and for that true "women's clinic" to draw in more of these frightened women and girls who now can't go to abort quite so easily. Maybe they'll go there and save their babies. I pray they will. Currently, the only place providing abortions is in Lincoln, about 45miles away.
Hail Mary...so full of grace, surround A Woman's Touch with your maternal grace, to draw these women, confused and scared, to save their babies and find true help and care. Amen.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Christian radio - target of 'Fairness Doctrine'?...
Be praying for our Catholic Radio Stations. I volunteer at ours, (www.kvss.com) and Kris has told me this same thing. She is host and producer of the Spirit Morning Show and said if this passes, she'd then have to have "liberal Catholics" or "cafeteria Catholics" on to balance the program. Lord have mercy! ~ susie
found here.
"I think when it gets down to the rubber meeting the road, it's not going to be Rush Limbaugh who's going to be the primary target. He's the poster boy for the issue," he contends. "It's going to be Christian broadcasters who are not afraid sexual orientation issues from a bibliocentric view, who aren't afraid to challenge the status quo on issues like abortion; or Christian broadcasters who aren't afraid to be able to compare the truth of the gospel with the false world religions around there. And all of this is very, very politically incorrect speech."
The bottom line, according to Parshall, is that Christian broadcasters are the ones who are going to have the target on their backs when all is said and done on the reinstatement of the fairness doctrine.
found here.
An official with the National Religious Broadcasters says if liberals are successful in bringing back the so-called "Fairness Doctrine," conservative commentators like Rush Limbaugh won't be the primary target of censorship.
Recently former President Bill Clinton joined the list of Democrats who are openly calling for the reinstatement of the so-called Fairness Doctrine or some kind of forced accountability. Senators Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) have both spoken favorably about the controversial policy in recent media reports.
"I think when it gets down to the rubber meeting the road, it's not going to be Rush Limbaugh who's going to be the primary target. He's the poster boy for the issue," he contends. "It's going to be Christian broadcasters who are not afraid sexual orientation issues from a bibliocentric view, who aren't afraid to challenge the status quo on issues like abortion; or Christian broadcasters who aren't afraid to be able to compare the truth of the gospel with the false world religions around there. And all of this is very, very politically incorrect speech."The bottom line, according to Parshall, is that Christian broadcasters are the ones who are going to have the target on their backs when all is said and done on the reinstatement of the fairness doctrine.
St. Obama candle lights Catholic protest...
A priest in California is outraged at a novelty store's large display window of "Saint Obama" candles displaying an image he says "depicts our beloved saints in a not so saintly way."
The candles feature President Obama's head atop the body of St. Martin de Porres, a Peruvian-born Dominican friar, who became one of the first black saints in the Americas upon his canonization in 1962.
Rev. Tony La Torre of St. Philip the Apostle Church in San Francisco says the candles, sold by the Just for Fun store for $15, "mock and ridicule the Catholic/Christian faith."
"I am appalled," La Torre wrote in a recent parish newsletter, "that in such a family-oriented neighborhood, any retailer would be so bigoted and so hateful (as) to carry such merchandise just to 'make a buck.'"
Just for Fun owners Robert Ramsey and David Eiland, however, say they've done more than "make a buck" – they've made thousands.
The store owners told the San Francisco Chronicle that they've sold more than 700 of the candles since the Christmas season and have placed an order for 72 more.
In addition to the candles, the Chronicle reports, Just for Fun carries a number of joke religious items, such as Jesus pencil erasers and "Beware of Nunzilla" wind-up toys.
"Believe me, there is a lot of nasty stuff you can sell – you can get it [in San Francisco]," Ramsey told the newspaper. "This is just fun stuff."
And while La Torre has called for a boycott of Just for Fun, the owners have used Torre's ire as a springboard for publicity, even posting a copy of the priest's newsletter in their display window, right next to a 2-foot-tall "Saint Obama" candle.
The candle's identification with St. Martin de Porres is evident by the broom in Obama's hand, the traditional image associated with the sainted friar, who began his devotion as a servant boy at the turn of the 17th century.
Like Obama, St. Martin de Porres was born to a white and a black parent, and the friar is considered to be the patron saint of people of mixed racial heritage.
| | |
Let us remember...
Father Kolbe's Life as a Saint and a Martyr
Maximilian Kolbe founded the Immaculata Movement devoted to Our Lady. After receiving a doctorate in theology, he spread the Movement through a magazine entitled "The Knight of the Immaculata." He also helped form a community of 800 men, which was the largest male community in the world at that time.
When World War II started, Father Kolbe's printing apostolate was a target of hatred from the Germans. After the Nazi invasion in 1939, Kolbe was imprisoned by the Gestapo and released for a time. But on February 17, 1941, he was arrested again and sent to the concentration camp at Auschwitz, with a group of 320 other prisoners.
During his time at Auschwitz, he shared his meager rations of food with those around him. He secretly heard confessions and held Mass for others in the camp. His work, even under these terrible conditions, continued. He would comfort the prisoners, saying, "Hate is not creative. Our sorrow is necessary so that those who live after us may be happy." Father Kolbe pleaded incessantly with the other prisoners to forgive their persecutors and overcome evil with good.
On July 31, 1941, in reprisal for one prisoner's escape, 10 men were chosen to die. Father Kolbe offered himself in place of a young husband and father. He was the last of the group to die, at 47 years of age, after enduring two weeks of starvation, thirst, and neglect. He was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1982, and declared a martyr of charity. He is the patron saint of drug addicts, political prisoners, families, journalists, prisoners and the pro-life movement. His feast day is August 14th.
St. Maximilian Kolbe,pray for us.
FROM A MOMENT WITH MARY
Monday, February 16, 2009
Fighting the GOOD FIGHT...
Let us not be dismayed, but let us fight the good fight with the best weapon, and most lethal weapon: Unity of the faithful in prayer (The rosary is the "BIG GUN"), penance and perseverance. Join our brothers and sisters at Religion & Morality.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Pro-Life Groups Continue Campaigns to Stop Pro-Abortion FOCA...
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The call at most of the pro-life events over the last two weeks was clear: pro-life advocates need to continue the campaign to oppose the so-called Freedom of Choice Act. At Catholic churches, pro-life advocates sent hundreds of thousands of postcards to Congress and pro-life groups are asking activists to do more.
Brad Mattes, executive director of Life Issues Institute, saysFOCA has yet to receive a vote in Congress, which he says gives pro-life people time to contact their elected officials now and urge opposition.
"Our efforts to fight FOCA are beginning to bear fruit. Collectively, pro-lifers are making enough noise that we've given the President and pro-abortion leaders in Congress second thoughts about moving forward with FOCA in its entirety," he said.
"We can't let up on continuing to make noise about FOCA," he added.
That opposition is based on the fact that FOCA would make unlimited abortions a national law but also overturn hundreds of pro-life laws across the country that ban partial-birth abortions, allow parental involvement or stop taxpayer funded abortions.
“FOCA, the Freedom of Choice Act, would kick to the curb every protective law that has been passed by Congress, state legislatures, or local communities," Mattes explained. "As a result, it’s being seen as too radical for too many Americans."
Pro-life leaders say the pro-life movement may have its best hope of stopping the bill from reaching President Barack Obama, who promised Planned Parenthood during the presidential campaign he would sign it, in the Senate. There, pro-life senators could use a filibuster to hold up the bill and require pro-abortion lawmakers to secure 60 votes to approve it.
Mattes is also concerned that abortion advocates may try to approve FOCA with a piecemeal strategy.
"The president and pro-abortion leaders of Congress are looking at plans to pass FOCA, piece-by-piece, attached to other bills. This could be devastating for the babies because it would make it easier for their abortion agenda to get lost in a larger bill," he tells LifeNews.com.
"Our job is to alert federal lawmakers, Americans and the media that FOCA is present every time that they propose legislation with parts of it embedded," he said.
Mattes says legislators who may not normally vote pro-life could be persuaded to oppose FOCA with a monumental grassroots campaign that equals or beats the campaigns to approve the partial-birth abortion ban.
Life Issues Institute, and other pro-life groups, are sponsoring petitions people can sign that are presented to legislators and pro-life advocates are also urged to contact their senators and representative directly.
"That's why this petition against FOCA is so critically important to fighting it because no matter what form it takes, we need to let Congress know that a majority of Americans oppose this radical pro-abortion agenda," he concludes. "We must continue making noise by letting our pro-life voices be heard."Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The call at most of the pro-life events over the last two weeks was clear: pro-life advocates need to continue the campaign to oppose the so-called Freedom of Choice Act. At Catholic churches, pro-life advocates sent hundreds of thousands of postcards to Congress and pro-life groups are asking activists to do more.
Brad Mattes, executive director of Life Issues Institute, saysFOCA has yet to receive a vote in Congress, which he says gives pro-life people time to contact their elected officials now and urge opposition.
"Our efforts to fight FOCA are beginning to bear fruit. Collectively, pro-lifers are making enough noise that we've given the President and pro-abortion leaders in Congress second thoughts about moving forward with FOCA in its entirety," he said.
"We can't let up on continuing to make noise about FOCA," he added.
That opposition is based on the fact that FOCA would make unlimited abortions a national law but also overturn hundreds of pro-life laws across the country that ban partial-birth abortions, allow parental involvement or stop taxpayer funded abortions.
“FOCA, the Freedom of Choice Act, would kick to the curb every protective law that has been passed by Congress, state legislatures, or local communities," Mattes explained. "As a result, it’s being seen as too radical for too many Americans."
Pro-life leaders say the pro-life movement may have its best hope of stopping the bill from reaching President Barack Obama, who promised Planned Parenthood during the presidential campaign he would sign it, in the Senate. There, pro-life senators could use a filibuster to hold up the bill and require pro-abortion lawmakers to secure 60 votes to approve it.
Mattes is also concerned that abortion advocates may try to approve FOCA with a piecemeal strategy.
"The president and pro-abortion leaders of Congress are looking at plans to pass FOCA, piece-by-piece, attached to other bills. This could be devastating for the babies because it would make it easier for their abortion agenda to get lost in a larger bill," he tells LifeNews.com.
"Our job is to alert federal lawmakers, Americans and the media that FOCA is present every time that they propose legislation with parts of it embedded," he said.
Mattes says legislators who may not normally vote pro-life could be persuaded to oppose FOCA with a monumental grassroots campaign that equals or beats the campaigns to approve the partial-birth abortion ban.
Life Issues Institute, and other pro-life groups, are sponsoring petitions people can sign that are presented to legislators and pro-life advocates are also urged to contact their senators and representative directly.
"That's why this petition against FOCA is so critically important to fighting it because no matter what form it takes, we need to let Congress know that a majority of Americans oppose this radical pro-abortion agenda," he concludes. "We must continue making noise by letting our pro-life voices be heard."
Saturday, February 14, 2009
What I'm currently reading...and what I've finished reading so far this year
Don Bosco, A Spiritual Portrait, by Edna B. Phelan (reading)
Fatima, In Lucia's Own Words (reading)
My Daily Psalm Boo, J.B. Frey (daily)
Praying in the Presence of Our Lord with St. Thomas Aquinas, by Mike Aquilina (finished)
Joseph the Silent, Michel Gasnier (finished and HIGHLY recommend!)
Sermon in a Sentence, A Treasury of Quotations on the Spiritual Life Vol. 5. St. Thomas Aquinas (read and constantly referring to with the mysteries of the rosary)
Hoping to get started in the next week or two on Saint Thomas Aquinas by G.K. Chesterton and Carmel Its Spirit History and Saints compiled from approved sources by The Discalced Carmelites of Boston and Santa Clara Copyright, 1927
I have almost completely stopped watching tv except for EWTN and only a few programs on there. I have a voracious appetite now for books, and to get to know my big brothers and sisters in that glorious cloud of witnesses. I so want to advance in my spiritual life, and truly to become a saint! We all are called to be saints and as we know, saints are the only ones who enter heaven, so I pray that my reading is guided by the Holy Spirit, and I do believe He's guided me thus far. I have wonderful friends who've shared their love of books, and many books with me, and a great library at Mt. Michael to visit. Plus our parish library, Saint Robert Bellarmine and also St. Leo's. These are great sources available and FREE so I encourage people to make use of them!
Fatima, In Lucia's Own Words (reading)
My Daily Psalm Boo, J.B. Frey (daily)
Praying in the Presence of Our Lord with St. Thomas Aquinas, by Mike Aquilina (finished)
Joseph the Silent, Michel Gasnier (finished and HIGHLY recommend!)
Sermon in a Sentence, A Treasury of Quotations on the Spiritual Life Vol. 5. St. Thomas Aquinas (read and constantly referring to with the mysteries of the rosary)
Hoping to get started in the next week or two on Saint Thomas Aquinas by G.K. Chesterton and Carmel Its Spirit History and Saints compiled from approved sources by The Discalced Carmelites of Boston and Santa Clara Copyright, 1927
I have almost completely stopped watching tv except for EWTN and only a few programs on there. I have a voracious appetite now for books, and to get to know my big brothers and sisters in that glorious cloud of witnesses. I so want to advance in my spiritual life, and truly to become a saint! We all are called to be saints and as we know, saints are the only ones who enter heaven, so I pray that my reading is guided by the Holy Spirit, and I do believe He's guided me thus far. I have wonderful friends who've shared their love of books, and many books with me, and a great library at Mt. Michael to visit. Plus our parish library, Saint Robert Bellarmine and also St. Leo's. These are great sources available and FREE so I encourage people to make use of them!
Go grab a good book, (you should hear Don Bosco's exhortation to his boys, and brother priests regarding books! Be mindful of what you read...and let it be of spiritual advantage, otherwise, you're really wasting precious time!) and a hot cup of tea and travel with a Saint into that glorious presence and let the Holy Spirit speak to your heart. He does so profoundly in a book, because I believe it's in the stillness and solitude of reading that that "still small voice" is heard.
Looking for a Sacred Destination?...
Pictured above is Rocamadour, France.
According to legend, Rocamadour was the home of an early Christian hermit named Zaccheus of Jericho. It is believed that he died in about 70 AD and had conversed with Jesus himself. According to some accounts, this Zaccheus was the husband of St. Veronica, who wiped the face of Jesus as he climbed to Calvary.
At some point after the hermit's death and burial in Rocamadour, the site became a place of pilgrimage. Some claim the town was named for the hermit, a "lover of rock" (roc amator).
Zaccheus is said to have brought with him to Rocamadour a statue of the Black Virgin, though the statue is generally dated to the 9th century. Due to the double attraction of the tomb of Zaccheus and the statue of the Virgin, pilgrims began to flock to Rocamadour. Many reported experiencing miraculous healings and conversions at the shrine.
At some point after the hermit's death and burial in Rocamadour, the site became a place of pilgrimage. Some claim the town was named for the hermit, a "lover of rock" (roc amator).
Zaccheus is said to have brought with him to Rocamadour a statue of the Black Virgin, though the statue is generally dated to the 9th century. Due to the double attraction of the tomb of Zaccheus and the statue of the Virgin, pilgrims began to flock to Rocamadour. Many reported experiencing miraculous healings and conversions at the shrine.
I've got the "pilgrimage bug" big time...
but not the "pilgrimage bucks."
So for now, I can go to these websites and be the virtual pilgrim, which is still rather nice.
We have plenty of little shrines and holy ground right in our own area, well, every Catholic Church is Holy Ground.
All mini pilgrimages are sacred destinations, even if only a mile away to the adoration chapel of our parish. That's the best pilgrimage of all, and costs about zero, but the gain is imcomparable to anything one can imagine. And the Tour Guide(s)? Well, who can do better than the Holy Spirit, Mary, St. Joseph, and best of all, Jesus, ever present in the tabernacle or exposed...body, blood, soul and divinity!!
I've got my walking shoes on, and I'm heading there now.
Pax Vobiscum, Pilgrim
The Flying Monk...
"The life of a Christian is nothing but a perpetual struggle against self; there is no flowering of the soul to the beauty of its perfection except at the price of pain" (saying of Padre Pio).
Saint Francis in Meditation
by Zurbaran, 1635-9
Each one should confidently make known his need to the other, so that he might find what he needs and minister to him. And each one should love and care for his brother in all those things in which God will give him grace, as a mother loves and cares for her son.
--St. Francis of Assisi
Medals...
One thing led to another,or should I say, one click led to another, and I wound up here and found it most interesting. Vintage Religious Medals.
Friday, February 13, 2009
The seven joys of Mary...
I'm pretty new, and though I could deduce some, I didn't know the "7 Joys" until now. I'm reading a book about Don Bosco (Don Bosco, A Spiritual Portrait) and they were mentioned so I did a search and found this stunning image of Our Lady and Baby Jesus. I'm experiencing a deep and profound joy in my soul of late, almost a heavenly elation, even amidst the horrible things going on in our world and our country at present. It was nice to come upon these this morning. I will be meditating on them today, eventhough it's Friday, the day of the Sorrowful Mysteries. For even in the midst of such heavy sorrows, it was the Joy of the Lord that gave Mary her strength to endure the sufferings and blows of the Passion of her Son. She had the childlike trust always, which she will grace us all with, as we carry our own crosses on our way to heaven in this vale of tears and exile. So for the other neophytes of the Catholic faith out there, here are the 7 Joys of Our Blessed Mother. - The Annunciation
- The Nativity of Jesus
- The Adoration of the Magi
- The Resurrection of Christ
- The Ascension of Christ to Heaven
- The Pentecost or Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and Mary
- The Coronation of the Virgin in Heaven
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Lucia's last vision...
Vision of our Times
Painting of the "last vision" of Sr. Lucia
IN what has become known as the "last vision" of Fatima seer Sr. Lucia, while praying before the Blessed Sacrament, she saw a scene which carries many symbols for the period which began with the Virgin’s apparitions up to our present time, and the times to come:
Suddenly, the whole chapel was illuminated by a supernatural light, and above the altar appeared a Cross of light, reaching to the ceiling. In a brighter light on the upper part of the Cross, could be seen the face of a man and his body as far as the waist; upon his breast was a dove of light; nailed to the Cross was the body of another man. A little below the waist, I could see a chalice and a large Host suspended in the air, onto which drops of blood were falling from the Face of Jesus Crucified and from the wound in His side. These drops ran down onto the Host and fell into the chalice. Beneath the right arm of the Cross was Our Lady and in her hand was her Immaculate Heart. (It was Our Lady of Fatima, with her Immaculate Heart in her left hand, without sword or roses, but with a crown of thorns and flames.) Under the left arm of the Cross, large letters, as if of crystal clear water which ran down upon the altar, formed these words: "Grace and Mercy." —June 13th. 1929
CROSS OF LIGHT
First, Sr. Lucia sees a "Cross of light reaching to the ceiling." This signifies that God’s love is poured out on the world through the sacrifice of the Son on the Cross. It also proclaims that every Mass is a re-enactment of the sacrifice on Calvary. In addition, it may be a symbol of the Illumination which is going to come upon the whole earth, when we see our souls as the Father in Heaven sees them (accompanied, say some Catholic mystics, by an illuminated Cross in the sky.) This will be a gift from the Heavenly Father—a final act of mercy before the world enters her most painful purification. Hence, Sr. Lucia sees the Father who is Love over top of the Cross.
MINI-PENTECOST
With the Illumination of consciences, there will also be an outpouring of the Holy Spirit to equip the Church for the "final confrontation" with the powers of darkness of this era and their minions who refuse the grace of the Illumination. This outpouring will increase until the culmination of this purification, when the Spirit will come like fire to renew the face of the earth. And thus, the Spirit is also pictured above the Cross.
PASSION OF THE CHURCH
But what of this Cross? I believe what Sr. Lucia saw was a prophetic image of the Church about to enter her own Passion, symbolized by the offering of the Sacrifice of the Mass in the chalice and Host. The Blood which fell came from "the Face of Christ." And we, the Church, are indeed the face of Christ to the world.
The Church will enter the glory of the kingdom only through this final Passover, when she will follow her Lord in his death and Resurrection. —Catechism of the Catholic Church, 677
OUR LADY
The Blessed Virgin stands beneath the right arm of the Cross. In traditional royalty, the King holds the Staff or Rod that represents his power in his right hand. It’s this staff that is used to execute judgment or mercy. But Mary has held back this judgment through the intercession of Her Immaculate Heart (see Times of the Trumpets — Part IV ).
She, who is also a symbol of the Church, holds out her heart which carries the crown of thorns to indicate that the Church must now wear the crown of her Lord. It is set aflame with the fire of the Holy Spirit, who is Love, to indicate at once both the Triumph of Our Lady, and the Triumph of the Church, which will be an action through the Third Person of the Trinity.
THE TWO TIMES
The words "Grace and Mercy" are to indicate the two distinct periods we are in, which began at different times, occur simultaneously, but end differently.
The "time of grace" began to flow like water with Our Lady’s apparitions at Rue de Bac to St. Catherine Labouré. Our Lady appeared standing on a globe to indicate the global significance of her visitations. She appeared with her hands covered in rings and jewels from which light shone toward the globe. She tells St. Catherine that "These rays symbolize the graces I shed upon those who ask for them. The jewels which give no rays symbolize the graces that are not given because they are not asked for." She asks St. Catherine to have a medal struck which illustrates her as the "mediatrix" of all graces. God in His mercy has given the Church two centuries to receive these graces to prepare, in particular, for the time of mercy.
The "time of mercy" began when an angel with a sword, who appeared in a vision to the children of Fatima, was about to strike the earth with a chastisement. Our Blessed Mother suddenly appeared again with light emanating from her. The angel’s punishment was postponed as he cried out to the earth, "Penance, penance, penance!" We know this began what Jesus called the "time of mercy" when He spoke to St. Faustina sometime later.
I am prolonging the time of mercy for the sake of [sinners]…. While there is still time, let them have recourse to the fount of My mercy… He who refuses to pass through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of My justice. —Diary of St Faustina, 1160, 848, 1146
What is the difference? This time of grace is a period in which, through our Mother’s intercession, she is drawing great graces upon the Church to prepare her for the final confrontation with the powers of darkness in this present era. The Woman-Mary is laboring to give birth to the "full number of Gentiles" who will form the heel which will crush Satan. This will prepare the way for the Woman-Church to give birth to the "whole Christ", both Jew and Gentile, in the Era of Peace. This present time of grace, which is drawing to a close, is the period in which the oil of faith is being poured into those hearts who are "open wide to Jesus Christ." But there will come a time when this period of grace will end, and those who have refused it will be left without enough oil for their lamps—just the false light of a delusion that God will permit to deceive those who are unrepentant (2 Thess 2:11).
The time of mercy will continue through the chastisements which will follow (even if few accept His mercy) until God purifies the earth of all wickedness, thus beginning a "period of peace."
Those who refuse His mercy must pass through the door of His justiceh/t
Mark Mallett
St Buonfiglio...
Today we honor this Saint, one of seven founders of the Sevants of Mary aka: Servites.
And the origin of the black scapular came to the Servites, which I never even knew about until now. Another treasure of our glorious Catholic faith!
h/t Sanctus Belle for these Four Favors:
Four Special Favors
The graces promised by Our Lord to those who venerate His Holy Mother's sorrows are very great. St. Alphonsus Liguouri states in the Glories of Mary that it was revealed to St. Elizabeth of Hungary that some years following the assumption of Mary,
St. John the Evangelist missed the mother Jesus had given to him upon the cross and was "seized with an ardent desire to see her again."
This grace was granted to St. John, and Lo - Mary appeared to him with Jesus. Mary then was heard to ask her Divine Son for special graces for those who meditated upon her sorrows. Our Lord promised these four favors:
- Those who invoke the Heavenly Mother though her sorrows will obtain true sorrow for their sins before death.
- Our Saviour will protect them in their tribulations, especially at the hour of death.
- He will impress upon them a memory of His Passion, and will reward them for it in Heaven.
- He will commit such devout servants to the hands of Mary, that she may dispose of them according to her pleasure, and obtain for them all the graces she desires
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Oh those silly Catholics and their graven images!...
A Catholic convert took his Presbyterian friend to Marytown in Chicago for a look-see. The Calvinist guy was weirded out by the Fatima statues they have out front, depicting the children kneeling in prayer before the Blessed Virgin. The Catholic (a convert from Calvinism himself) watched his friend eyeing the statues warily and then remarked, "That's the great thing about being Catholic! Not only do we get to worship statues, but our statues worship statues!"
H/T Mark Shea
Dust Up, Down Under...
Showdown in Brisbane: Archbishop removes pastor of rebel parish
CWN - February 09, 2009
"A struggle between the Archdiocese of Brisbane, Australia, and a rebellious parish community has come to a head. Father Peter Kennedy, the pastor of St. Mary's parish in South Brisbane, revealed on Sunday that Archbishop John Bathersby has terminated his assignment there, effective February 21. But Father Kennedy has announced that he will not leave without a fight.
(The Archbishop) detailed his grave concerns about liturgical practices and unorthodox teaching at St. Mary's. "In the matter of faith," Archbishop Bathersby wrote, "it is frightening to hear that seven to nine hundred people attend the three liturgies at South Brisbane, yet there seems to be little instruction about Trinitarian theology." He observed that preachers and other members of the parish had "attacked the Church and Pope from the pulpit and attacked me, perhaps more gently, as Archbishop. Such attacks hardly indicate communion with the Church."
Father Kennedy responded to the latest development by telling reporters that he was prepared to resist the archbishop's authority, perhaps even risking arrest in a struggle to retain control of the parish. He also showed his contempt for the teaching authority of the Church, asking: "Can you possibly think any individual can believe that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary?"
See the full article at: http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=1917
“The cult of Moloch lives on today”
Escondido priest warns “evil has acceded to power” in Obama Administration
(Fr. Richard Perozich, pastor of St. Mary's Church in Escondido, published the following commentary in the Sunday, Feb. 1, parish bulletin.)“100 DAYS OR END OF DAYS
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Holy Incorruptibles!...
Read about these precious Saints
I saw a program about St. Veronica Guiliani yesterday on EWTN. Fr. Arellano, One in their Hearts, was talking about this holy woman, who received the impression of the crown of thorns, and also, the cross impressed upon her heart which was found when her body was exhumed. I then came to this website and was amazed to read about others, like her, incorrupt and their personal stories of sanctity. How we need their prayers~ we've dark days ahead, and I ask all of their prayers for our country, headed toward an "anti-God" state rule. So many gave their lives under persecution during revolutions all through the Church's history. I pray for the gift of final perseverence and to be more and more cheerful, joy-filled and to love Jesus more, complain much less and offer up all my aches, pains, emtional, physical sufferings, no matter how great or small for the souls of sinners everywhere, in the world, in the Church, my own family of which I am the biggest sinner of all. What inspiration, and what hope these Saints offer to us. I'd never heard of St. Silvan before, and had never read much about some of these others, our big brothers and sisters in the Faith, pray for us!
Monday, February 09, 2009
A forum post...
Found here
OUR LADY'S RESPONSE TO LEGALIZED ABORTION IN MEXICO
We know that on April 24th, very sadly the Municipal Council of Mexico legalized abortion. Mexico was one of the few remaining countries where abortion was still illegal up to now. Something extraordinary then happened:
In the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico, the “Tilma” of Juan Diego is on display for all to see. It serves as a reminder of how the Blessed Mother miraculously converted thousands of Aztec Indians in the 16th Century through her image imprinted on the Tilma. Today, through the same Tilma, it seems that the Blessed Mother wants to speak to us again, quietly expressing her reaction to abortion.
The same day abortion was legalized in Mexico, after a mass offered for unborn children, a very intense light appeared suddenly on the Tilma. At the level of the womb, the light appeared like a shiny halo, in the shape of an embryo. Experts have testified that it is not a reflection or something added, rather it comes from the Tilma and is in the exact location of a woman’s womb. Witnesses were able to take photographs and even to film the phenomenon that went on for a full hour.
O good and tender Mother! Thou shalt ever be our Love and our Hope.
Sandy
(Maryschild)
Jesus, I Trust In You!.
I concur with St Cyril...
I am astonished that there are people that actually raise this question: "Should one call or not call the Blessed Virgin the Mother of God?" Because if Our Lord Jesus Christ is God, how could the Virgin who gave birth to him not be the Mother of God? This is the belief that has been passed down to us by the Holy Apostles, even if they did not use this specific term. This is the teaching that we have received from the Holy Fathers...
The Blessed Virgin is truly the Mother of God since she supernaturally gave birth to the Christ, the Savior, who has taken on our flesh and our blood, and who on the human level, comes from the same substance as his Mother and ourselves.
At the same time, he is on the divine level; consubstantial to God the Father, i.e. his substance is that of the Father and not like that of the Father.
St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444)
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Padre Pio: Pie Pellicane ...
Poem by Fr. William McNichols
(How St. Francis awakened in a Jesuit
a love for Padre Pio)
Once Padre Piorepulsed me.
In childhood his
photos were too vivid,
a gruesome media victim,
and I grew to avoid him.
Later it was not
so much he
as the macabre circus
which gathered around him.
His name (along with the
poor man himself) was
pushed or trampled upon
by angry seekers
of signs and wonders
who could not
believe his wounds
were enough.
2
It was on retreat
where I found
myself broken
by the ghastly suffering
and wounds
of persons with
AIDS, that I went
crawling into the library
to find father Francis,
knowing he was converted
by those with
skin diseases,
and knowing that just
one little word
of him
would bring "light
to the darkness
of my heart."
3
My heart went
through rows of
shelves of scriptures
and saints until
Padre Pio
fell into my reluctant
hands,
and though I
ached for the father,
he sent his son.
Three times
I opened to the
story of the stigmata.
Padre Pio
branded so young!
Better to have been
taken swiftly
at the altar
like Becket or Romero
than to have been racked
for fifty years
as the saint or freak
of a ravenous
public.
4
I did not receive
the scent of roses
or a visible visit...
but he was there.
He teaches me now,
amidst the violence,
chaos,
misunderstanding,
and accusations
from the left
and the right wing -
that it is still
the Way of Jesus
the Mother Pelican,
to feed her young
precious blood
from her own
wounds.
Hope to expect...
"It is said that on 17 April 1198 a monk went as usual to pray on top of the Mount of Pochaev. Suddenly a pillar of fire appeared. Some shepherds saw it as well and joined the monk in prayer. When the flame had died down they saw the Blessed Mother on the mount. When the apparition disappeared the imprint of her right foot had been left embedded in the rock. A spring welled up over this footprint
The Mount of Pochaev, which is part of the Carpathian Mountains, is a place of natural beauty and for many centuries had many visitors and pilgrims. A monastery was established there in the thirteenth century. It is thought that the word Pochaev comes from the old Slavic word, charity, which means to hope, to expect."
John Bird from the storyThe Miraculous Icon of Pochaev
Veritas Press
This icon was commissioned by the Arcbbishop of Anchorage, Alaska, to be given as a gift to the Russian Orthodox Monastery, St. Sergius of Radonezh Lavra, in Magadan, Far East, Russia.
More on our Lady of Pochaev
This is one of the most tender and sweet images of Mary, Mother of God that I have ever seen. Such large, deep, penetrating eyes our Lady has...that look right into our souls, imploring us to "come to Jesus" who extends his right arm and hand in blessing us. As an Infant, a Child and a Man, we can draw near to Him who beckons us. We can come to Him the same way He chooses to come to us, as that Holy Child or that Gentle Teacher, Shepherd, the God/Man. He's all things to all people in all of our needs, He's there, as is His Mother.
She's also ready to meet us, as our Mother, too, and to let us scramble upon her lap, or stand before her, sinful and sorrowful, a Memorare flowing from our lips, for our own intentions, or to simply sit next to her, leaning our head upon her heart as she wraps her mantle around us to shield us from all fear. We can only come in humility, truly as little children, with all trust, humbling ourselves in His Presence, and asking Our Mother to hold us, as she held her Son so maternally with such tender love.
Let this image bless you. All icons are prayers and reveal to us everything we need as we gaze upon them, for they are "birthed" in much prayer, and they can absorb us into the prayer of the artist, and in a special way we can become "one" in prayer ascending to the nostrils of our Lord as a sweet and precious perfume.
O, Mary, please do hold us in your arms, and grace us with all of your Motherly graces, keeping us focused on Jesus, now and forever. Amen.
The icon was discovered in 1579 in Kazan, central Russia, in the ashes of a destroyed house, wrapped in cloth after a young girl saw the Mother of God repeatedly in her dreams telling her where it was buried. The icon was with soldiers freeing Moscow in 1612 and with troops fighting Napoleon in 1812. One of the oldest originals is now kept in the Marian Shrine of Fatima, Portugal
Infant Jesus bless you...
May the Infant Jesus fill you with joy, hope, faith, and most of all,love, today and always.
Friday, February 06, 2009
Rest in peace...
I've been off line for a while, and didn't know about this sad news until today. Please pray for Amy and her children and for the repose of Michael Dubriel's soul. Amen.
Listen to Michael speaking about topics so important to him here at KVSS
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
John Michael Talbot's thoughts re: recent ice storm...
February 3, 2009
Peace and Good in Christ!
We are finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel after what will be called The Great Ice Storm of 09. The ice is melting, and spirits are rising. There is a chance that we might have power restored in the next few days. Even though our main generator died in the thick of the crisis, we are able to replace it through the most generous gifts of our benefactors. We are very grateful to God and to them!
These days have been an experience of working together in more primitive conditions. Working together is always a great community builder. We have worked to restore power for water, heat, and lights through generators and propane heaters. Some of our places have only gotten wood heat. Our few lights go out at sundown, and heaters are always kept on low. Water pumps are turned off at night. All is in conservation mode.
Internet and phones have been minimal, and only for a few. Personally, I have been able to create and follow up on our reports and fundraising efforts with our community e-mail network, websites, chat rooms, and e-mailing list through this crisis. This was most important.
We have learned some important lessons through this crisis.
The most important lesson is to be totally dependent on God. In our technological society it is so easy to become dependent on that technology in order to find our sense of security and well being. When those things fail, we sometimes realize that, despite our religious language, we are often far from real relationship with God interiorly.
The experiences of our secular and religious pioneers come to mind. In times past no electric power was available. Everyone heated with wood. Cold mornings and trips to the outhouse were just the way things were. It was not until the 20th century that we enjoyed indoor plumbing, and it was only after WWII that "electric households" became a reality, and then mainly in the city. But we seemed to do alright.
I recall my first visits to Franciscan and Carmelite houses in Ireland 20 years ago. The only heated rooms in the house were the kitchen and dining room (refectory), and the recreation room. The Benedictine monks of old appropriately called this the "warming room." The church was usually unheated, and one wore the ample tunics, cloaks and mantles of the religious habit of one's community to keep warm. To have a heated private room was unheard of. I remember the brothers getting a good chuckle when I (the "American") innocently asked for a heater in my room!
We are a spoiled generation. Our parents experienced the end of the Great Depression, and after coming back from WWII vowed that their kids would never have to experience such deprivation again. They gave us everything we wanted, and we got used to it. This only made us self centered and soft. So we end up upset a lot of the time, unless of course we get what we want! This has made us consumerists. Consumerism consumes the consumer.
Unfortunately some of us have passed this on to our kids. They say that fewer kids are willing to work their way through school now than ever before. They will not work at menial tasks because they only want the top jobs. And their parents support them in this! No wonder more and more people come in from outside to do the manual work that keeps the social and economic wheels of producing food, clothing, and shelter moving.
Ironically, it is our generation that now faces the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Perhaps our consumerism has run its course? Perhaps this is God's reminder to come back to Him, and Him alone. Then all these other things will take care of themselves through humble and honest work.
A Cardinal of the Church in Rome once told me that he believed that one of the great gifts of our integrated monastic community of celibates, singles, and families was restoring solid values and practices to the Catholic family. He commented that vocations to priesthood and religious life, as well as matrimony, from our generation are often tenuous at best because of the character flaws mentioned above. When we do not "get what we want" from family members we often carry baggage that makes relationships with spiritual fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters very difficult.
This is not to say that Jesus cannot call us and correct this through His grace. He did this with likes of St. Augustine. Sometimes it is precisely that life with spiritual fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters that can heal this illness, and bring us back to full health in Christ. But most religious communities of the past wanted candidates from solid Catholic homes who had been properly formed in good faith and morality through the theory and practice that builds good character. Without being self righteous about it, we have a chance to try to change some of this trend with The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion. But even then, without God's grace we will not succeed.
The Great Ice Storm of 2009 has put us back in touch with the basics, and has reminded us to be totally dependent on God, in loving communion with our brothers and sisters, and grateful for even the basics of life. It reminds us of our call to live simply after the example of Jesus and His disciples, and the monks, nuns, brothers and sisters of the entire consecrated community tradition of the Church.
Yes, we will continue to use technology. It is through the computer and internet that I am writing this now. Our fundraising over the last couple of days was only made possible through them. But I hope that we do not forget the truth that we can get by without them if we have to, and should not place our sense of security and well being upon them. That trust, that faith, hope, and love should be reserved for God alone.
So thank you for your thoughts and prayers. Please keep them coming! The power is not restored yet! Thank you as well for your most generous donations. We try to use them frugally and efficiently. Most especially thank God for our times of comfort, and our times of trial. They help to make us strong.
In Jesus,
John Michael Talbot
Founder, and Spiritual Father
The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage
We are still in need of donations for the generator. Please make your donation through our Online Store.
We are finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel after what will be called The Great Ice Storm of 09. The ice is melting, and spirits are rising. There is a chance that we might have power restored in the next few days. Even though our main generator died in the thick of the crisis, we are able to replace it through the most generous gifts of our benefactors. We are very grateful to God and to them!
These days have been an experience of working together in more primitive conditions. Working together is always a great community builder. We have worked to restore power for water, heat, and lights through generators and propane heaters. Some of our places have only gotten wood heat. Our few lights go out at sundown, and heaters are always kept on low. Water pumps are turned off at night. All is in conservation mode.
Internet and phones have been minimal, and only for a few. Personally, I have been able to create and follow up on our reports and fundraising efforts with our community e-mail network, websites, chat rooms, and e-mailing list through this crisis. This was most important.
We have learned some important lessons through this crisis.
The most important lesson is to be totally dependent on God. In our technological society it is so easy to become dependent on that technology in order to find our sense of security and well being. When those things fail, we sometimes realize that, despite our religious language, we are often far from real relationship with God interiorly.
The experiences of our secular and religious pioneers come to mind. In times past no electric power was available. Everyone heated with wood. Cold mornings and trips to the outhouse were just the way things were. It was not until the 20th century that we enjoyed indoor plumbing, and it was only after WWII that "electric households" became a reality, and then mainly in the city. But we seemed to do alright.
I recall my first visits to Franciscan and Carmelite houses in Ireland 20 years ago. The only heated rooms in the house were the kitchen and dining room (refectory), and the recreation room. The Benedictine monks of old appropriately called this the "warming room." The church was usually unheated, and one wore the ample tunics, cloaks and mantles of the religious habit of one's community to keep warm. To have a heated private room was unheard of. I remember the brothers getting a good chuckle when I (the "American") innocently asked for a heater in my room!
We are a spoiled generation. Our parents experienced the end of the Great Depression, and after coming back from WWII vowed that their kids would never have to experience such deprivation again. They gave us everything we wanted, and we got used to it. This only made us self centered and soft. So we end up upset a lot of the time, unless of course we get what we want! This has made us consumerists. Consumerism consumes the consumer.
Unfortunately some of us have passed this on to our kids. They say that fewer kids are willing to work their way through school now than ever before. They will not work at menial tasks because they only want the top jobs. And their parents support them in this! No wonder more and more people come in from outside to do the manual work that keeps the social and economic wheels of producing food, clothing, and shelter moving.
Ironically, it is our generation that now faces the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Perhaps our consumerism has run its course? Perhaps this is God's reminder to come back to Him, and Him alone. Then all these other things will take care of themselves through humble and honest work.
A Cardinal of the Church in Rome once told me that he believed that one of the great gifts of our integrated monastic community of celibates, singles, and families was restoring solid values and practices to the Catholic family. He commented that vocations to priesthood and religious life, as well as matrimony, from our generation are often tenuous at best because of the character flaws mentioned above. When we do not "get what we want" from family members we often carry baggage that makes relationships with spiritual fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters very difficult.
This is not to say that Jesus cannot call us and correct this through His grace. He did this with likes of St. Augustine. Sometimes it is precisely that life with spiritual fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters that can heal this illness, and bring us back to full health in Christ. But most religious communities of the past wanted candidates from solid Catholic homes who had been properly formed in good faith and morality through the theory and practice that builds good character. Without being self righteous about it, we have a chance to try to change some of this trend with The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion. But even then, without God's grace we will not succeed.
The Great Ice Storm of 2009 has put us back in touch with the basics, and has reminded us to be totally dependent on God, in loving communion with our brothers and sisters, and grateful for even the basics of life. It reminds us of our call to live simply after the example of Jesus and His disciples, and the monks, nuns, brothers and sisters of the entire consecrated community tradition of the Church.
Yes, we will continue to use technology. It is through the computer and internet that I am writing this now. Our fundraising over the last couple of days was only made possible through them. But I hope that we do not forget the truth that we can get by without them if we have to, and should not place our sense of security and well being upon them. That trust, that faith, hope, and love should be reserved for God alone.
So thank you for your thoughts and prayers. Please keep them coming! The power is not restored yet! Thank you as well for your most generous donations. We try to use them frugally and efficiently. Most especially thank God for our times of comfort, and our times of trial. They help to make us strong.
In Jesus,
John Michael Talbot
Founder, and Spiritual Father
The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage
We are still in need of donations for the generator. Please make your donation through our Online Store.
Monday, February 02, 2009
From our own, Fr. Buckley...
Pastor's Column
(from the St. Patrick's Catholic Church
Bulletin, January 25, 2009, Fr. James Buckley)
The Reign of Terror Begins
In the French Revolution forces rose up against the monarchy
and the Church. One who presided over this revolution was
Robespierre. During his "fraternal, equal and free" pursuit
thousands of religious nuns, brothers and priests died at the blade
of the guillotine. Most were innocent, but it did not fit into
Robespierre' s plan for the future life of France . They presented a
threat to his revolution and the state's pursuit of his own religion
of virtue. Robespierre sat on the "Committee for Public Safety"
which implemented the executions of 20,000 to 40,000 in less than a
year. This was called the "reign of terror". Many would gather in
the public square and cheer while the innocent were annihilated. In
the end, Robespierre himself was turned upon and died at the hands of
the newly governed he had helped to create.
There is now a "new" government in our country. This "new"
government of "virtue" has just okayed federal funding for agencies
promoting and providing abortions overseas. It now promises stem-
cell funding and the prospect of the Freedom of Choice Act which will
completely eliminate every law passed in all fifty states restricting
any kind of limit to abortion, including parental notification. This
means ANY law in ANY state. These all will result in the deaths of
untold innocent lives. All this is done in the name of "freedom"
and, of course, "public safety." The French never recovered. They
still conduct their government by the distorted philosophy of
Rousseau and others.
The "new" government now promises hundreds of millions of
dollars in the "economic" stimulus package for birth control (much in
schools). It also is promising to end freedom of speech by shutting
down those who wish to discuss publicly what the government does on
public radio waves. All for "public safety."
Will our government continue down this dangerous road? Will
the voices of atheistic inhumanity continue to rise? Will many
Catholics continue to sit in the public square either laughing or in
silence while the innocent, both unborn and living (but protesting),
are humiliated, killed and described to the rest of society as
a "danger to public safety?" This has all arrived on our doorstep.
The skies grow darker and darker. Only loud voices and widespread
commitment by Catholics to defy and to protest the current wickedness
in our "new and virtuous" government can even begin to turn the tide
around.
I challenge you, first to pray. Then to be active in
contacting your political officials to relay your "choice" to them.
We have good pro-life and freedom-loving senators and congressmen
from Nebraska . We must assure them of our assistance when they vote
against these things and also inform them of our displeasure when
they risk all of our future freedom as Catholics by any support of
the "new" government of "virtue."
I will keep you informed of the public record of voting by
our national and state officials so we know precisely what to pray
for and what Catholic Action to take.
If you are naïve as to how much freedom government can take,
just ask our Sudanese brothers and sisters and they will tell you. A
point is reached when there is no more ability to resist. Let us
pray we will not reach this point in our own country.
----------
Their own opinion has misled many, and false reasoning unbalanced their judgment (Sirach 3:23)
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Typical Liberal bias ...
There were 4500 Pro Lifers gathered yesterday for the Walk for Life in Lincoln. I watched 2 local news stations' coverage which was deplorable. What else is new?
They chose to focus rather on the 20 or so pro death "crowd."
The other station's coverage.
It's interesting that the number of Pro LIFE folks that attended is about the same number of babies aborted every single day in this country, isn't it? To look around that crowd and realize that that number wasn't able to be there since they were killed in the womb is staggering and incredibly sad to contemplate. Lord have mercy on us.
They chose to focus rather on the 20 or so pro death "crowd."
The other station's coverage.
It's interesting that the number of Pro LIFE folks that attended is about the same number of babies aborted every single day in this country, isn't it? To look around that crowd and realize that that number wasn't able to be there since they were killed in the womb is staggering and incredibly sad to contemplate. Lord have mercy on us.
American Idol to the nth degree...
Oh, no! Not what I care to see on my serene Sunday morning. Sorry, but if this isn't idol worship...um, what is? All decked out for the ball!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
