Man in black

Priest: An Outward Sign of Holiness
by Fr. James Fryar, F.S.S.P.

It is amazing how wearing the cassock in the street reminds everyone who sees the priest of the presence of God. In all the different places where I have personally worn the cassock, it is always interesting to see how people notice the cassock and somehow change their conversation to include God, or religion, or at least check their language.

This is a reflection of the level of expectation that we have for our priests. We expect them to be holy. We expect them to embody holiness.

The priest is who we go to when we want our sins forgiven. It is he who brings us Our Lord at the altar rail. He is the one who teaches us with sermons and instructs us in the faith. When our marriage is falling apart, we turn to him for help. When our children fall away we go to him for encouragement, support and prayer. We ask him what is good for our children's education, how to find our vocation, and how to increase in sanctity according to our state in life.

We would not turn to the priest in these things if we didn't look up to him as a model of holiness. And when he is not that model and when he falls short of our expectations, we are disappointed. We feel almost robbed and betrayed.

The priest's job is not an easy one. He is the proxy of Our Lord, who stands in the place of Christ as he offers the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. When he forgives our sins, it is not he, but Our Lord who forgives them, and when his hand is raised in absolution it is the hand of Christ who absolves.

When he blesses, he is only blessing in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. When he preaches, it is through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost.

This close union between the priest and his Divine Master again includes the obvious requirement that the priest be holy. Just as a lawyer would be a useless lawyer if he did not know the law, or a parent, not worthy of the title, if they did not care for their child..

And while the ideal we expect is that our priests be holy, in reality we find that all too often we are disappointed. Holy priests are as few and far in-between today as they were in the day of St. John Vianney.

The holiness of our pastors directly reflect on the holiness of their flock. A holy priest will have a devout parish. A devout priest will have a mediocre parish. A mediocre priest will have a sinful parish, and a sinful priest will have a desolate parish. This coming year our Holy Father has dedicated to the priesthood, and there are several indulgences vailable for those who pray for priests throughout the year.

This is a year of opportunity, and it is also a year of reminder of the obligation that we have to pray for our priests. The priest is always prompt to assure us of his prayers for us. How many hours does he spend behind the locked doors of the church, interceding for us before Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament! In all our needs we turn to him and he is always ready to spend time in prayer for us and to intercede for our needs before his Divine Master.

A few years ago the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter formed an auxilliary branch united to the Fraternity called the Confraternity of St. Peter. Members may join from any walk in life, from religious and priests to laity in any trade or vocation. And the members dedicate a little of their time each day to pray for the success of the work of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, for the sanctification of priests, and for many holy vocations to the priesthood. Now with over 2000 members worldwide the Confraternity has become a powerhouse of prayer united to pray for the support of the Fraternity.

The prayers requested of the members of the Confraternity are minimal, so that as many members as possible may be able to join. Besides these prayers, opportunities are given for members to advance on the path of virtue and holiness by enriching themselves in the spirituality of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, a spirituality centered on the Mass and sanctifying ourselves by uniting our daily lives to the spiritual riches found in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

To this end recollections are given and some apostolates of the FSSP offer evenings of recollection once a month. Also each year a pilgrimage is planned, and in the future retreats are envisioned.

Last year the Confraternity went to Rome to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter, while at the same time the pilgrimage encompassed Benedictine shrines on honor of Pope Benedict, who has so gracioulsy extended the Latin Mass throughout the world by the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum.

This year a pilgrimage within the United States has been envisioned, and we will be taking the path of the Mission Churches in California. As we go from church to church and admire the seeds of faith that pioneer missionaries spread in our country, it will not only be a pilgrimage but also a retreat, and conferences will be given on the importance of sacrifice in order to live and increase in our faith. Differing from the conventional closed-wall retreat we are used to, this will be more of a "mission of Missions" where we will combine the spiritual benefits of a pilgrimage with the spiritual enrichment of a retreat. We will see what trials and difficulties these missionaries suffered to bring the Faith to us, as we also meditate on the fact that sacrifices are necessary to grow that seed of faith in our own souls.

Finally it should be mentioned here that just as any event of the Confraternity, this is not for members only, but everyone is invited to join the members of the Confraternity on this pilgrimage. It will certainly be an opportunity to increase our spiritual lives, both for members of the CSP as also for everyone else who would like to join us.

With the year of the priesthood that we are now entering, we should examine ourselves and ask ourselves if indeed we pray for our pastors as we should. Or do we forget to pray for them? Or worse - do we overlook the fact that they need prayers, and oftentimes are more busy praying for our needs than for their own? We need to pray for our priests. We need to spend a little of our time each day praying for these men who spend their every moment of every day for the good of our souls.

May God grant us many holy priests. If every priest in this world was as holy as the Cure of Ars, we would no longer recognize the world we live in. It would be a different place.

CONSIDER...
If clothes are not important, and we should not be concerned about how our priests dress, then surely we should not be concerned about how anyone dresses. After all, the priest is our intermediary with God, offering sacrifice for our sins at Mass and absolving our sins at the sacrament of Penance.

If clothes don't "make the man" and are not important, why do attorneys wear suits? If you had a court date, would you want your attorney to show up wearing sneakers and a polo shirt, just to let you know that he was "one of the guys"?

Maybe we should make all police officers plainclothesmen with concealed weapons. That way, when there are crowded events like fairs and football games, no one will know who they are, including potential criminals, so they will be less likely to curb their dangerous behavior.

If the clothes we wear aren't important...well you get the idea.

Via Robert Kumpel




Up front there ought to be a man in black:

Father Renckens & Father Tom O'Neill called home to the Lord

Father Albert Renckens, age 79, passed away peacefully this morning, 31st July at 1.40 am at SGH

Father Tom O'Neill, S.J. passed away peacefully on 30 July 2009

Fr O'Neill was born on 30 January 1924, entered the Society of Jesus on 6 September 1941 and was ordained on 29 July 1955. He took his final vows on 2 February 1959.







O God, Thou didst raise Thy servants to the sacred priesthood of Jesus Christ, according to the Order of Melchisedech, giving them the sublime power to offer the Eternal Sacrifice, to bring the Body and Blood of Thy Son Jesus Christ down upon the altar, and to absolve the sins of men in Thine own Holy Name. We beseech Thee to reward their faithfulness and to forget their faults, admitting them speedily into Thy Holy Presence, there to enjoy forever the recompense of their labors. This we ask through Jesus Christ Thy Son, our Lord. Amen.

Pope Benedict and angels

By Catholic News Service

LES COMBES, Italy (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI said the Vatican and Italian police who watched over him while he was on vacation in the Italian Alps were like "guardian angels, discreet and efficient."

But he was not quite so sure what his own guardian angel was up to.

"Unfortunately, my guardian angel -- certainly following orders from above -- did not prevent my accident," he said, referring to the fact that he tripped in the dark July 17 and broke his wrist.

Before leaving Les Combes to fly to the papal summer villa in Castel Gandolfo south of Rome July 29, the pope met with the police, firefighters and other officials who were involved in maintaining public order and security while he vacationed in northern Italy.

Still referring to his broken right wrist, the right-handed pope told them, "Perhaps the Lord wanted to teach me greater patience and humility, and give me more time for prayer and meditation."

The pope said he had spent the past 16 days immersed in a "heavenly peace," with the silence interrupted only by the songs of birds, rain falling on the grass and the wind blowing through the trees.

He told the dozens of security officers, "Angels are invisible, but efficient at the same time. And you were the same -- invisible, but efficient."

"I enjoyed a heavenly peace here. No disturbance could enter. But many good things -- both material and immaterial -- got in. Many cakes, cheeses, wines," he said.

Pope Benedict posed for a separate group photograph with each of the public security agencies responsible for patrolling the Salesian-owned chalet where he was staying and with the journalists who followed him to the Alps.

H/T: Curt Jester

Matriculation

I matriculated today for my masters degree. I remember four years ago, I was new to Singapore, and my dad and I head to MPSH for matriculation. It was rainy. My mom and sis were helping me get my new room ready I think. Don't remember what matriculation was like, and I managed to miss the entire matriculation fair.

I almost managed to exit the wrong way today too...

Paul was alone at the Legion booth so I joined him. We got some contacts interested in the Legion, gave out some Miraculous Medals. :)

When Ferdi, Carina and Geri arrived for their shift, Paul and I head to Munchie Monkey's to have lunch with Clarabelle, who would be matriculating later in the afternoon. It was nice and relaxing (not that I needed to relax...haha...I've spent most of the week in bed so far, down with the flu :P)
Paul treated us :)
I had quite a good Ravioli. Check it out if you're at Munchie's next :p

I'm a freshie again! :p

Sub Tuum Praesidium

An ancient prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the oldest known version of which is found on an Egyptian papyrus from the 3rd century. This prayer is used in Litanies to the Blessed Mother and as a concluding prayer to Compline. A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who recite it.

SUB tuum praesidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genetrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

WE fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen.

Still Gregorian chant:


The earliest text of this hymn was found in a Coptic Orthodox Christmas liturgy of the third century. It is written in Greek and dates to approximately 250. It is used in the Coptic liturgy to this day, as well as in the Byzantine, Ambrosian, and Roman liturgies.

Two more versions:



(Mozart)


Bl. Herman Joseph (boy holding apples), St. Stephen of Hungary (King),
St. Charles Borromeo (Kneeling Cardinal), St. Dominic (holding lily),
St. Anselm (Standing Bishop), St. Nothburga (Sickle over her head).

Picture from Holy Cards

Magnificat

A Funeral Sanctus

Jeffrey Tucker at NLM points out something interesting:

He is of course speaking of what was once called the Missa pro Defunctis, but which was later to emerge in 1967 as the Sanctus in the "Missa Primativa" and later came to be the main Mass setting published for every parish in Pope Paul VI's Jubilate Deo of 1974 (which was published into the public domain as an effort to spread it widely). It was a sort of last ditch effort to save the liturgical music from a complete plunge into pop culture, but it was both too little and too late.

Meanwhile, today, many parishes just starting out to recapture history and sing chant as Vatican II suggests are beginning with this setting, without an awareness of its historic use in the Requiem Mass. To me, the confusion of the correspondent illustrates the problem of beginning here and getting stuck here. It is a gorgeous setting in some contexts but a bad fit for Sunday Masses in Ordinary Time much less at a wedding. This gentlemen had an association that is reinforced by the stark and simplified sound of the setting.

I'm trying to place where I've heard this Sanctus and Agnus Dei. Latin Mass here? Mass at the Vatican on TV?

I didn't realise it was from a Mass for the dead. But listening to the recording above, I can imagine it to be so: praising God in the midst of sorrow.

"We have lost our faith in politics, but not in the church."

CMR has an interesting story. Watch out for usual CMR humour at the end.

"We have lost our faith in politics, but not in the church."

That is the battle cry of four German dairy farmers. Dairy farmers in Germany and Europe in general have been going through a very rough time as the price of milk has plummeted. They have appealed to a bevy politicians for aid in their time of need, but none has been forthcoming. So now four dairy farmers in Germany have decided to take their appeal for aid in their plight to a higher power. The Pope.

So now these four farmers, only two of whom are Catholic, are making a pilgrimage to Rome - via tractor.

The quartet heading for Rome belong to the German Federal Association of Dairy Farmers (BDM) and they all went to Brussels in May to take part in protests organized by European dairy farmers calling for the European Union milk quotas to be lowered.

The convoy of two tractors and a VW bus is traveling under the motto: "We have lost our faith in politics, but not in the church." Although two of the group are not even Catholic that hasn't deterred them from hoping the pope will grant them a brief audience. "The pope is there for everyone," De Vries, who came with the idea of the pilgrimage, told the Neumarkter Nachrichten on Sunday. De Vries said he didn't want to give up his protests without trying everything to ensure the agrarian future for his three sons, who work on the farm with him. A Lutheran pastor from the town of Bützow, Karl-Martin Schabow, has even provided the men with a letter of petition to hand over to the pontiff.

Another of the pilgrims, the 38-year-old Kobow, may be a Catholic but, as he told Bild newspaper on Tuesday, "I only go to church for christenings, weddings and funerals." Nevertheless, he has faith in the 1,800 kilometer trip to Rome. "We wanted to do something new, a change from the usual demonstrations. We hope that society and politicians will finally wake up."

So far the men have made good progress, traveling around 250 kilometers a day, and they aim to reach the Vatican by Friday morning. Before he left his 500 dairy cows back home in the village of Dadow bei Ludwigslust, De Vries told local newspaper theSchweriner Volkszeitung that he may have lost his faith in politics but not in the "up high above." He said he was sure that the pope would give them at least three minutes of his time, "because we are travelling by tractor from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean."

I could make a point about how this story speaks volumes on how that in even a secular Europe, the Church and the Papacy have the power to unit in a crisis, but I won't. Rather I think I will point out that this story has a dateline of July 21. So the farmers should have reached Rome by now. I wonder who got the unenviable task of telling the farmers that the Pope isn't there?

Overpopulation a myth?

Via AmP

I know Paul wonders about this topic. As a Catholic he finds it hard to believe that God's creation could not support His command to go forth and multiply.

Benedict meets Innocent.

Via AmP



Benedict meets Innocent.

Hilarious caption too

Relic of Servant of God John Paul II

Got a mail this afternoon postmarked "Città del Vaticano".
Exciting!

I had forgotten that some weeks ago I followed the advice of Jimmy Akin and emailed the Rome diocesan office in charge of promoting the cause of Pope John Paul II requesting a relic of the dear pontiff.

And that's what was inside the envelope.

A prayer card, in Italian, with a prayer asking for favours through the intercession of Servant of God John Paul II, with a tiny piece of his white cassock attached to it. They also included an English prayer card with the same prayer. The envelope also contained a short note from Mons. Slawomir Oder (Postulatore or Postulant) and a form to use if I wish to make a donation or subscribe to the magazine Totus Tuus.

Here's the prayer:

O Blessed Trinity
We thank you for having given
Pope John Paul II to the Church
and for allowing the tenderness
of your fatherly care,
the glory of the cross of Christ,
and the splendor of the Holy Spirit,
to shine through him.
Trusting fully in your infinite mercy
and in the maternal intercession of Mary,
he has given us a living image
of Jesus the Good Shepherd,
and has shown us that holiness is the
necessary measure of ordinary Christian life
and is the way of achieving
eternal communion with you.
Grant us, by his intercession,
and according to your will,
the graces we implore,
hoping that he will soon be numbered
among your saints.
Amen.


Check out the website for the cause

Praying the Rosary during Mass

"During my day people used to pray the Rosary during Mass!" is one criticism I hear regarding the Mass and the Catholic Church. Here's an interesting response from Fr Z:

From a reader:

Is it okay to say the rosary at Low Mass? My Latin is proficient enough to the point where I've moved beyond having to rely on a missal. What would be the harm of saying a rosary as a meditation on Jesus through Mary? At Dialogue Mass I always stop my rosary when I say the server's responses. I don't understand why some people are very much against people praying rosaries at Masses. Some even say that bringing a rosary to Mass scandalizes others! I think that private devotions can also bring a person closer to the sacrifice.

I don't think saying the Holy Rosary during Mass is a bad thing.

I think there are more perfect ways of participating. I generally think that remaining in the texts of Mass is better during Mass.

But, that said, there is not simply one acceptable manner of active participation at Mass. People can choose now this, now that method. You can following the texts closely. You can follow commentaries on the parts of Mass, sometimes in hand missals. You can say the Rosary. You can pray according to the four classic points of prayer: glorification of God, prayers of sorrow for sins, petitions, expressions of thanksgiving. You can focus on a sacred image.

Perhaps on this day you will need this method, and on that day some other.

What I would try to avoid is distraction. Your fruitful participation can be aided by having a regular routine, or even perhaps a bit of a plan before you go to church for Mass. Knowing what you are going to do today can help.

People have different spiritual needs when they enter the sacred precincts of the church. Different methods of participation can help them in the exigencies they are facing.

The Saint Gregory Society

Also from NLM:

The Saint Gregory Society

Listen to their beautiful recording of Kyrie - Missa O Magnum Mysterium (Palestrina).

Sublime :)

Architecture and the Faith

Here's an excerpt from an article, written by Ethan Anthony featured on NLM

Architecture has the capability to define through formal language that we come to identify the activities that occur within by the form of the architecture. The activities and the forms become interdependent. To the extent that the architecture incorporates these forms and linguistic elements we feel at home and comfortable. Conversely, to the extent that these elements are missing we may feel less at home, less comfortable. Our sense of well-being is affected by the architecture. The result of a sense of negative affect—or lack of well-being—may be a tendency not to return to the space, i.e. a loss of interest.

The airline terminal, the casino, and the stadium each express their function through their architecture, and we find that correct and understandable. However, when the modern church descends to the level of a college lecture hall it can no longer project any meaning beyond mere assembly. The stadium wears its symbols proudly in the logos and emblems of soft drink and football team. It is public architecture because it makes a public statement about a private reality, and it is intended to do so. To the extent that the members are proud of their faith, the church building should proudly wear its faith and in so doing make a statement to the larger community about the activities that are ongoing inside the building.

In our modern society we must unlearn the toning down of the message that our churches have communicated to us through the language of architecture. In Germany in 1541 John of Muenster and his followers seized the Cathedral of Muenster, beheaded the statues of the saints, threw the illuminated manuscripts into the street and burned them. This has developed into the “modern” church of today, stripped of meaning, devoid of decoration, and mute about faith. We hear all about the eloquence of the play of light over large blank walls, or we must be content to see trees and be “connected” to nature. We see abstraction everywhere and hear how it allows our minds to expand and wander freely to connect with our own innermost thoughts.

The Foundation for Sacred Arts

The secularization of the art world in the last century has discouraged expression of the Christian faith in contemporary artistic works and has devalued beauty as a central goal of art. At the Foundation for Sacred Arts, we recognize the need to revitalize Christian art and reestablish it as a dynamic and viable expression within the art world. ... The Foundation for Sacred Arts seeks to stimulate a movement in the fine arts by inspiring those with artistic talent to create works of truth, beauty, and goodness. Through the promotion of these works of art, we hope to renew the cultural fabric of the modern world and to bring people to encounter the risen Christ.

Looks interesting: check it out!

Via NLM.

On divine and human mercy

~ A sermon of St Caesarius of Arles

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. ‘Mercy’ is a beautiful word: more beautiful still is the thing itself. All men wish to receive it, but the worst thing is that not all of them behave in a way that deserves it. Although everyone wishes to be shown mercy only a few wish to show it.

O man, how can you have the effrontery to ask for what you refuse to give to others? You must show mercy in this world if you want to receive mercy in heaven. So, my dearest brethren, since we all desire mercy, let us make ourselves mercy’s slaves in this world so that she can give us our freedom in the world to come. For there is mercy in heaven and we come to it through earthly mercies. As Scripture says: Lord, your mercy is in heaven.

So there is earthly and heavenly mercy: that is, human and divine. What is human mercy? Exactly this: to have care for the sufferings of the poor. What is divine mercy? Without doubt, to grant forgiveness of sins. Whatever human mercy gives away on the journey, divine mercy pays back when we arrive at last in our native land. For it is God who feels cold and hunger, in the person of the poor. As he himself has said: As much as you have done for the least of these, you have done it for me. What God deigns to give on heaven, he yearns to receive on earth.

What sort of people are we if we want to receive, when God offers, but when God asks, we refuse to give? For when a poor man hungers, it is Christ who suffers want, as he himself has said: I was hungry and you gave me no food. Do not despise the misery of the poor if you want a sure hope of forgiveness for your sins. Christ is hungry now, brethren, in all the poor. He consents to suffer hunger and thirst – and whatever he receives on earth he will give back in heaven.

I ask you, brethren: when you come to church, what do you want? what are you looking for? Is it anything other than mercy? Then give earthly mercy and you will receive the heavenly kind. The poor man asks of you, and you ask of God: the poor man for food, you for eternal life. Give to the beggar what you want to deserve from Christ. Hear Christ saying Give and it will be given to you. I do not know how you can have the effrontery to want to receive what you do not want to give. And so, when you come to church, give, whatever you can afford as alms for the poor.

From today's (Monday's) Office of Readings, St. Caesarius of Arles
Via Amy Welborn

The Eucharist and witness

The first and fundamental mission that we receive from the sacred mysteries we celebrate is that of bearing witness by our lives. The wonder we experience at the gift God has made to us in Christ gives new impulse to our lives and commits us to becoming witnesses of his love. We become witnesses when, through our actions, words and way of being, Another makes himself present. Witness could be described as the means by which the truth of God's love comes to men and women in history, inviting them to accept freely this radical newness.

- Pope Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Caritatis

Papal Mount Rushmore

A really cool sand sculpture via AmP:

Have some respect for the truth

Hypocrisy

Life News reports

A Fargo, North Dakota abortion business has filed a lawsuit to stop women from having the ability to see an ultrasound of their unborn children before the have an abortion. Gov. John Hoeven signed the measure into law in May after the state House easily approved the ultrasound measure.

The House backed House Bill 1371, on a strongly bipartisan 77-9 vote in February and the Senate signed off on the bill in April. The measure is designed to help women learn the humanity of their unborn child and to consider abortion alternatives.

CMR highlights the insanity of the whole affair:

Can you imagine fighting against women knowing what's going on in their bodies? Seriously, what other issue except abortion would cause this kind of madness?

Let's accept their premises for a moment that pregnancy is a women's health care issue like any other. Could you imagine if a woman went to a doctor complaining of headaches and "women's advocates" fought to have the results of CT Scans hidden from women. They wouldn't be seen as pro-woman, would they? They'd be seen as insane. But because it's not about appendectomies or headaches and it's only about killing babies then they're viewed as perfectly sane and champions of women's rights.

I also love how these "women's advocates" say that's it's "too confusing" for the woman. What's confusing? Do they think women are idiots and so easily confused? And when I'm confused I often seek more evidence. Wouldn't a nice picture clear things up quite nicely?

Happy 60th, Fr. Mitch Pacwa, S.J.!

A nice tribute by Carl Olson

This Monday, July 27th, is Fr. Mitch Pacwa's 60th birthday (see his Facebook page), and I want to be sure to send him birthday greetings while I am thinking of it as the next few days are going to be fairly hectic here.

I've been fortunate, in my twelve years as a Catholic, of meeting and knowing some truly remarkable priests, and Fr. Mitch is one of the most remarkable. I think the highest praise I can give him, having known him for a dozen years or so, is that he is so obviously Christ-centered in all that he does and says. His love for the Lord is palpable, infectious, and real, and from this flows his tremendous love for the Church, for everyone he meets, for Scripture,
for life. His humor, humility, and holiness are deep and authentic, just as his academic chops (Ph.D. in Hebrew; speaks/reads a dozen or more languages, etc.) are authentic, but never paraded about or used as a stick.

While working on my MTS (1997-2000), Fr. Mitch was my spiritual director for about two years. I was a new Catholic, and his advice, exhortation, and wisdom were invaluable. He was instrumental in the publication of my first book, Will Catholics Be "Left Behind"?, having encouraged me to write it in the first place and then, when I got bogged down in the middle of it, simply telling me, with just the right amount of sternness: "Finish it!"

Those familiar with Fr. Mitch know very well of his many endeavors, written and otherwise, in the area of apologetics. One thing I saw many times over, as I've had opportunity to be in public with him many times, is that he has an uncanny—actually, supernatural, I'm convinced—ability to recognize what needs to be said and not be said, a beautiful sensitivity to the person he is talking to or listening to. He often had strong words for me, and he was right to be so forward; he knew what I needed and he knew I could handle it. I also saw him handle delicate situations with a profound gentleness, as a true shepherd of souls.

And there is always the sly and knowing sense of humor, as evidenced in one of the stories I like to tell of Fr. Mitch. One Saturday evening, after he had taught class for six hours (as part of the University of Dallas IRPS program), Fr. Mitch and a group of five or six of us students went out for dinner. The young waitress, seeing his Roman collar (which he always wears in public), half-asked, "So, you're a Catholic priest?"

"Yes, I am," he said with a big smile. "Are you Catholic?"

She was immediately a bit nervous, but also somewhat defiant. "Well, I used to be," she said, "but I'm not anymore. I got over that whole guilt thing."

Seeing that she was wearing a wedding ring, Fr. Mitch said, "May I ask you a question?" He knew she was uncomfortable and likely felt, in a sense, outnumbered. "Sure," she said, not sure what to expect.

"Do you have any children?" he asked.

"No, not yet," she said, mystified by the question.

"Well," he said with a warm smile, "when you do, you'll understand the whole guilt thing. I'm sure of it."

And that was it. He didn't press further. Thinking about it later, I realized how easy it would have been to try to launch into reasons why she should come back to the Church and why Catholicism is true, and so forth. But such an approach was wrong for the situation; it would have most likely simply pushed her further away, reinforced whatever antagonism she had, for whatever reason, against her Catholic upbringing. But my bet is that Fr. Mitch's remark planted a seed—not based on sophisticated apologetic arguments or theological complexities (things he is plenty adept at handling, of course), but on basic human nature. And if I still remember that conversation ten years later, I suspect the young woman—perhaps now a mother—remembers it as well, and, by God's grace, it has caused her to rethink and reevaluate her position.

We are blessed to hear Fr. Mitch on EWTN television and radio, to read his books, to listen to his "PacwaCasts," to watch his various video productions. I've been truly blessed to know him as a friend and a spiritual director, and my prayer is that God will grant him many, many more happy years. Thank you and happy birthday, Fr. Mitch!

Sri Lanka; Small Miracle

Fr Barron at Chartres

At an interesting part of the book I'm reading on the Chartres Cathedral. Will post bits when I can.

Quote of the day

"Modern philosophy, the speculations and screeds of Rousseau, Nietzsche, Sartre, Marx, Russell, Wittgenstein, is rubbish, and a sophomore can detect the self-inconsistencies, inhumanity, and outright absurdity in their work. Christianity does all that these thinkers set out to do, plus you get Cathedrals and the St. John's Passion, Christmas and John Milton." -John C. Wright

A nice photo

Via AmP

Pray, pray!!

AmP brings to our attention the following interesting bit of news:

Pro-life warrior Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) has given us a chance to have Planned Parenthood cut off from receiving federal funds through the Health and Human Services Department.

Pence has said (and written):

"The time has come to deny any and all federal funding to Planned Parenthood of America. The largest abortion provider in America should not also be the largest recipient of federal funds under Title X."

He has offered a simple amendment which reads:

"None of the funds made available under this Act shall be available to Planned Parenthood for any purpose under Title X of the Public Health Services Act."

It's a miracle this amendment made it through the rules committee last night, making it eligible for a general floor vote today. This is a chance to defund Planned Parenthood and also a chance to see who is in their pocket.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!

Paulie's in the news! :)

When crabs perform their victory dance

Grace Chua, Straits Times 11 Jul 09;

WHEN they score a goal, football players whoop, turn somersaults or rip off their shirts and run around the field.

In the wild, animals have their own versions of the victory dance.

For instance, when male face-banded crabs win a fight against other crabs, they scrape one claw against the other to make low-pitched rasping sounds.

By doing this, they're actually trying to show off their size and prowess to warn off potential challengers, a National University of Singapore (NUS) undergraduate found.

Face-banded crabs or Perisesarma eumolpe, named for the bright blue-green band across their fronts, live in mangrove swamps in Mandai and Sungei Buloh.

Each male protects a half-square-metre plot of territory, jealously guarding the best hiding places, which protect him and his mates from predators like birds and monitor lizards.

In his thesis research, biology student Paul Chan observed the males locking claws to gain territory, and the winners of each battle performing their victory displays.

They would prop the tip of one claw on the ground and scrape up and down with the other, as though playing the cello vertically, he said.

Mr Chan found that crabs always used their bigger claw as the 'bow' - as though to show off their claw size and strength to the loser and other bystanders.

When both claws were the same size, they used the two interchangeably.

Previously, scientists thought the crabs' scraping also produced audible sounds that could be heard by other crabs out of sight.

But Mr Chan found that the crabs transmitted their message at a frequency nearly too low to be heard. He surmised that they sent their signals as vibrations through the ground, and that the larger their claws, the lower the frequency of the vibrations.

To test the theory, Mr Chan hopes to conduct lab experiments where he keeps an 'observer' crab out of sight of a winner-loser pair - and watches its reactions. The victory display, he added, could have other functions, such as attracting passing female crabs.

For the project, Mr Chan combined high-tech acoustic analysis of the crabs' sounds with 'old-fashioned field work, staring at crabs in the mud and chasing after them', said his adviser, NUS biology Professor Peter Ng.

'Paul is smart...to join the two and use them to better understand a phenomenon mooted decades ago but never proven. And the work has also challenged conventions on what the sounds do and how crabs register sound,' Prof Ng said.

Mr Chan, who graduated this week, will be doing his PhD at NUS, also likely on face-banded crabs. 'By looking at animal behaviour, we can learn about ourselves' in areas such as communication, he said.

It's a pity they got his surname wrong!!!
I visited his poster presentation on this project 3 months ago. Photos here

The Church as woman

Some interesting art via the Shrine

Buried

Here's a touching reflection by Amy Welborn. Her husband, author Michael Dubruiel died earlier this year:

The grass is there, but patchy.

The stone is there, too. His name, etched as if on the pages of an open book. It was not my first choice, but I did not notice that design at first. When I did, it became the only choice.

My name is there, too. I debated for a bit about that, internally, when Sister asked me. But then..why not. Whatever. It is a double plot, after all. Makes it easier on the kids, who will be left to make the decisions when my time comes.

It does not bother me one bit to see my name there, for that fear, swept away the moment I saw his body at the funeral home, has not returned. I am still unafraid. I am still ready when called

However, it did make a difference when I pondered whether or not to bring Joseph. The counselor had advised to let him make the decision and to trust my instincts. But then even before the moment had come for the offer to be made, I remembered my name, etched on the stone, and I thought - oh, how terrible it would be for him to see it there. What questions, what fears would it raise. So I decided I would not even bring it up.

He did, though. He said, "I know why we're going to St. Augustine - Daddy." And the way he says "Daddy" at those times expresses his awareness of not a living presence, but of memories of February. I said yes, that is one reason. I gave him the choice. He said no, he didn't want to go. Which is fine. He was there from viewing to graveside and if he did not want to go back now, I understand, I would not blame him and never in a million years would I force him.

So I went alone Tuesday morning, with the boys in the safe, sure care of their grandparents and aunts and cousins, playing at the beach, digging through sand, letting it drift with the tide, watching it build up, collapse and bury.

I left them at the hotel and drove straight there, across AIA, over to Highway 1, taking a right, then a left, into San Lorenzo Cemetery.

A small family group stood conferring over a tombstone - an older couple and a younger woman. They were there the entire time I was, and as I drove out, the older man was seated on a bench in front of that tombstone, head in hands.

Sister sat in a golf cart around the bend, talking to an older woman.

I noted things I had not noted before. As one of his sisters had mentioned, the supreme irony is that a gym lies directly across the street. Sonny's Barbecue - always one of his primary Florida destinations - is closer than I thought. The traffic on Highway 1 rushed by, without ceasing, and I thought about his life here, in this part of Florida, and how much he loved this place and how, to him, it was "paradise."

It was good to be in Florida, at the beach. But it did not seem right to be here without his living, earthly presence. In a way, it seemed entirely wrong. In another way, it simply seemed entirely bizarre for me to be sitting on the ground at his grave, the traffic whizzing by, Sonny's in sight, him silent on it all.

I cannot figure it out.

Well, do I believe in God or not?

Yes, I admit, I do. Certainly.

Well, then.

Everything else follows.

Sitting there, nothing was revealed to me that I did not already know. Not really. I did not feel closer, and in fact I might even have felt a little further away.

Further away than I do at home, for at home, there is a closet.

Most of his clothes I gave away a while ago. I gave it all away except for his sports t-shirts and sweatshirts - his Gator, Jaguar and Bucs gear that I am saving for his sons as they try to answer the question of who their father was. And his dress shirts.

He did his own laundry, and he only washed his dress shirts every 2 or 3 wearings. So there is a tight row of work shirts that still, even after almost six months, bear his scent, the mix of his body, his deodorant and his cologne. They hang there and still, whenever I want, if I am near, even knowing the folly, knowing that I should be thinking finer, more eternal thoughts, I can, nonetheless, pass by the closet, pause, and take in what is left.

For a moment, two stories above ground, in a place I never thought I would be.

As I gather them all in close. My face in his shirts.

Buried.

Help McKenzie Armstrong Become a Nun!

From her blog:

I have been discerning my vocation since before I was Catholic and, since converting in 2003, my desire to devote myself more closely to Jesus and to serve Him more fully has only grown and has become impossible to ignore... I had desired to enter the Carmelites immediately after high school, but was told that I was too young and that I had converted too recently. Instead, the Carmelites instructed me to attend college first and to continue to pray and grow closer to God during the intervening time. Therefore, I entered Belmont Abbey College in 2004 and pursued a Bachelor’s degree in English and Biology.

...My devotion to St. Francis quickly grew and I knew that if I was to enter religious life, it must be as a Franciscan. However, I could not find a Franciscan community that I felt any attraction to whatsoever during college, until I learned of the Franciscans of the Immaculate.

As the Franciscans do not accept money, do not have a steady source of income, and do not allow anyone to enter with any debt whatsoever, I must rely on the generosity of others if I hope to enter anytime within the next five or more years. I am confident that Our Lady will let me give Her the gift of entering on the Feast of Her Assumption, August 15.

Via Phillip Johnson. Keep him in prayer too!

Busy week

Been busy preparing the Legion booth for Matriculation Fair over the last week. It's more elaborate and costly that previous years I think.

Here's the Tessera that we're using. My sister and I did the border :)

More photos when everything's set up. The Fair starts tomorrow!

GE tries to be unethical ethically

General Electric has announced that it will use embryonic stem cells provided by Geron Corporation for the purpose of testing toxic effects of drug treatments.

GE issued a statement, attempting to preempt criticism over the decision, saying, "We acknowledge the considerable debate and take very seriously the ethical and societal issues associated with research using stem cells derived from embryonic or fetal tissue."

"We conduct our research in an ethically and scientifically responsible manner," the statement said. (LifeSiteNews)

So they've moved on from using lab rats to using unborn human beings. Very ethical!

:(

Via AmP

"I promise"

Fulton Sheen told a story of how he was opening the door of the church where he worked in London on a foggy November morning when a young lady fell in the door. "Who are you"?

"Where am I ?" was the reply.

"Drunk"?

"Yes".

"Men drink because they like the stuff, women drink because they don’t like something else, what are you running away from?"

"I am involved with 3 men and they are beginning to find out and so I decided to get drunk."

"Who are you"?

She pointed across the square at a name in big neon lights. She was the leading lady at the local musical.

He brought her in and gave her a cup of tea, to which she said, "thank you".

He said, "No, don’t thank me now, come back this afternoon before the matinee and then you can thank me."

She said "I will only come back if you promise you will not ask me to go to confession."

"OK, I promise I will not ask you to go to confession."

"Say it again, you will not ask me to go to confession".

"OK, I promise again, I will not ask you to go to confession".

She came back that afternoon and he met her at the church door. He told her that there were paintings by Rembrandt and Van Dyke in that chapel and would she like to see them? She said yes.

"And as we walked up the side aisle to see the paintings, I pushed her into a confession box." ("I did not ask her if she wanted to go to confession.") "I was present three months later when she took her veil as a member of the perpetual adoration sisters where she is to this day."

I've always liked this story. :)
Glad to see it in its full form on Fr Z's

The Bishop of the Moon

A nice little anecdote from the Curt Jester:

There's a story here in Baltimore about our beloved Archbishop-emeritus-emeritus, William D. Borders. He was ordained bishop in 1968 and made the first Bishop of Orlando, Florida. The new diocese encompassed central Florida and included Cape Canaveral, from where, the following year, Apollo 11 launched, bound for the moon. After that historic launch and lunar landing, with all the images of our astronauts walking, golfing, and planting the flag, Borders made an ad limina visit to Rome to meet with Paul VI. During their meeting, Borders rather nonchalantly observed, "You know, Holy Father, I am the bishop of the Moon." Pope Paul looked at him rather perplexed - probably wondering where along the line this American prelate lost his mind. Borders then continued by explaining that by the existing (1917) Code of Canon Law, he was the de facto ordinary of this "newly discovered" territory.

Archbishop Borders is 96 years old now, and he is still a beloved part of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. I hope he is as beloved in his former diocese - and on the moon.

Via Jesus Goes to Disney World

July 20th was the 40th anniversary of the first lunar landing by Neil Armstrong and "Buzz" Aldrin of the Apollo 11 mission


Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin





Archbishop William D. Borders, first "Bishop of the Moon"

Sister Mary Joseph of the Eternal Father, P.C.P.A

Sister Mary Joseph of the Eternal Father, P.C.P.A., one of the founding nuns of Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Irondale, Ala., passed away the afternoon of July 19, only four days after celebrating her 87th birthday.

Sister Mary Joseph traveled with Mother
Angelica from Canton, Ohio to Irondale, Ala. in 1962 to establish the world-renowned monastery, out of which EWTN Global Catholic Network would improbably grow.

Born Elizabeth Olson, Sister Mary Joseph “had a serenity and an easy smile that endeared her to the nuns when she crossed the threshold in 1950,” according to “Mother Angelica” Biographer Raymond Arroyo. She truly was “Mother Angelica’s first spiritual daughter.”

EWTN requests prayers for the repose of the
soul of Sister Mary Joseph, for the nuns in
her community, and for all who mourn the
passing of this beloved nun, who labored for
the Lord for 59 years.

From EWTN

Relishing the company, and the food :D

Had a really nice dinner with Ewen, Fel and Teresa at Relish, Cluny Court. Tasty food, wonderful company... :) :) :)

Because I'm lazy, let me just steal from Tere:

the planeteers summit was wicked fun. as usual, we talked about the past, laughed about how we got together under the most bizarre situations (we ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS never fail to talk about how i randomly exclaimed that sentence to ewen at that fateful philo tutorial ‘EH! MY FRIEND KNOWS YOU!’), did plenty of impersonations of plenty of people, teased and laughed at and with dom, and had fantastic food (YES SISTER, THE FOOD WAS GOOD! GOOD CHOICE!). i always come out of planeteer summits happy and smiling. and stoning too- cos laughing that hard for so many hours straight can be draining.

Oh and go check out Ewen's photos from Indonesia. They're excellent.

Here's one I liked:

Lead

It's really bad when we, having undertaken a commitment to serve and to lead refuse to take the initiative and appear to divest ourselves of responsibility. It gives a (probably false) sense that we're lukewarm and don't care about what has been entrusted to us and this both demoralizes those around us and sets a bad example for those who look up to us.

Let us all, who are servants in the Lord's vineyard, learn from Him, the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for His sheep.

Picture source: Holy Cards

From Hindu to Catholic

by Bobby Jindal
Catholic Citizens

Bobby Jindal, formerly a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, is the Governor of the State of Louisiana.

Mystical, meaningful sevens throng the Bible, from the seven days of Creation through the seven fat years and seven lean years foretold by Daniel to the seven angels of the Resurrection and Judgment. In Catholicism, seven is the number of sacraments, of cardinal virtues, of gifts of the Holy Spirit, and of deadly sins. In traditional catechetics, seven is the age of reason, the beginning of the capacity for knowledge; in folk wisdom, seven is the pivotal anniversary in marriage, the passing of the first hurdle toward mature intimacy. For me now it is seven years since I was baptized and confirmed as a Catholic. So I celebrate my seventh birthday in the Faith, my seventh spiritual anniversary, by reflecting gratefully on how it all came about.

My parents, who came from India, imparted to me a nominal Hinduism backed by a solid belief in God and His desire for man to engage in regular prayer, but I did not make progress toward a systematic religious faith until the awkward years of junior high school. In between gossiping about girls and complaining about algebra, my best friend Kent and I argued about the meaning of life. Kent's born-again Protestant view of the world contrasted with my worldly view of religion. His view of a world motivated by love and self-sacrifice was certainly more hopeful, though to me less relevant, than my own notion of selfish actors attempting to satisfy their own desires and showing little concern for others. Kent gave me few convincing answers, but he did raise questions that were to lead me to some very surprising places. He planted the seeds.

I was challenged more by the novelty of Kent's approach than by its substance, and I spent some effort trying to learn more about how my Hindu faith responded to his questions. It took my grandfather's death, at the end of my sophomore year of high school, to concentrate my efforts. Pitaji was my idol, a successful banker who had it all, and I almost could not believe that his wealth could not save him from his mortality. Kent's questions took on more than academic importance as I pondered, for the first time, the afterlife. My grandfather was, by all accounts, a good man, but I had no assurance that he, or I, deserved entrance into heaven, if such a place existed; not even my hero's life accomplishments seemed an adequate offering. I imagined Pitaji bargaining with God, trying to offer a part of his fortune for eternal life.

What began as a search partly motivated by fear of judgment and selfish desire for assurance soon led me to appreciate at least some part of Kent's worldview. I made the startling discovery that love, not money, makes the world go round. I finally began to understand that my grandfather meant so much to me because of his love and generosity, not the expensive gifts that he used to express those feelings, and that these same traits were his life's true accomplishments. I discovered this capacity for self-sacrifice, other-consciousness, and love at exactly the right time, for Kathy, the most wonderful girl in high school, was about to notice me.

Kent had introduced doubts and insecurities into my once orderly inner world. I pushed my parents to buy a copy of the Bhagavad Gita and began to search for answers, but was unprepared for Kent's Christmas gift, a paperback Bible with my name on the cover in gold lettering. It was to sit on my bookshelf, appreciated but unread. While Kent had brought me much of the distance toward meeting God, it was Kathy who brought me the rest of the way. My first date with her was a dance, but we ended up on the top floor of the hotel discussing what it means to love God and our fellow man. In between throwing quarters into the fountain 22 floors below, while I wished alternately for a relationship with God and a relationship with Kathy, we shared life stories. I learned that she wanted to be a lawyer so she could serve on the Supreme Court and stop the country from killing babies. Though she answered few of my standard objections to her decidedly Catholic and pro-life views, my reasoning was no match for her sincere faith. While she could not answer my questions about why God had revealed himself only to Christians, while neglecting over half of the world, or how a Catholic society could deal with issues such as overpopulation, Kathy's sense of peace and charity troubled me even more than Kent's sharp questions.

I was finally moved to open the Bible out of a mixture of curiosity and hostility; the latter was due to my irritation with the hypocrisy of certain Christian acquaintances and to a natural bias in favor of my own religion. While I wanted so much to find the peace which Kathy derived from Scripture, at the same time I was driven to find some profound inconsistency in the Bible.

I was amazingly ignorant of any context for what I was reading, and had even thought Christians worshiped fish (in the same way that many Westerners think Hindus worship cows). I found little inspiring or relevant in the Old Testament, but I committed myself to read the Bible from cover to cover.

Curiosity, not any spiritual calling, motivated me to attend a Sunday service with Kent. I was disappointed by a mildly interesting sermon delivered by a part-time preacher who reminded me of, and may have been, a used-car salesman; the cheap theatrics failed to entertain, much less inspire, me.

Then I went to my first Catholic Mass with Kathy. I was probably the first teenager who ever told his parents he was going to a party so that he could sneak off to church. Kathy abandoned me to go sing with the choir, and so I suffered through a confusing ceremony guided by a missalette which made little sense. The entire ritual was a blur of sitting, standing, and kneeling at random times, interspersed with apparently discontinuous readings and much mumbling.

Though Christian practice was less than appealing, Christian belief was getting the better of me. Whereas the Old Testament seemed to my ignorant eye nothing more than genealogies and occasionally interesting history, the New Testament spoke more directly to my soul and experience. Parables warning against the evils of enslaving oneself to material goods were poignant, and the idea of an omniscient God who could forgive my sins through His infinite sacrifice was appealing, if not credible. Hinduism's offer of nirvana as a reward for sanctification was comforting, but the Gospel's more severe notions of universal moral corruption and the possibility of eternal damnation were more consistent with my awareness of both my failings and the importance of my particularity.

I attended Kent's Protestant church for a second time, to see him perform in a religious musical. I expected to be entertained, but was on guard against any overt spirituality that might be hidden in the light musical fare. During intermission, the youth pastor showed a crude black-and-white film depicting the Crucifixion. Suddenly, God was tangible, in a manner clearer to me than any preacher or even Scripture itself had made Him. Seeing Christ's sacrifice convicted me of my sinfulness and my need for a savior. All at once my objections seemed petty and ungrateful as I asked seriously who was I that my Lord should suffer for my sake. I understood for the first time what I had read about and heard of. Todd, the youth pastor, then preached a sermon that crisply outlined how simple it was to submit oneself to Christ and removed any lingering doubts about what would need to be done.

It took a month of daily discussions with a very patient Todd and hours of prayerful Bible study, but I gradually prepared myself to make the big commitment. The Bible no longer consisted of mere stories, but of personal letters from God to me. The Bible's specific lists of sins documented my shortcomings; Christ's uplifting words of love and hope were the best medicine for my spiritual wounds, which were finally being exposed to the light of honest self-examination. Whereas years of pretending my sins away had only compounded their deadly effects and my own sense of guilt, hours of fervent prayer put me on the path to spiritual recovery. The actual moment of submission was anticlimactic as I knelt in prayer with Todd and asked for the Lord's dominion over my entire life and pledged my best efforts in return.

My initial euphoria lasted an entire year as I postponed the inevitable confrontation with my very unsympathetic Hindu parents. I justified my silence, with much help from my new spiritual mentors, by comparing my situation to that of the earliest Christians hiding from government persecution. As they took to caves and secret signs, so I found refuge in my closet, where I studied the Bible by flashlight. Todd, Kent, and many others were overjoyed at the outcome of my spiritual searching, and I needed little prompting from them to turn away from Kathy's Roman rituals in favor of the simplicity of fundamentalist Christianity. I had found God through Todd's straightforward preaching, not in a rosary or a confessional booth. Yet I was not ready for baptism or communion in a church that invested neither of those with deep meaning. I would wait to commit to the one, true church, just as I had committed to the one, true God. Which church had the right interpretation of Scripture?

I did not realize at the time that my search for scriptural cogency would eventually lead me to Catholicism. I approached Kathy with my questions, both out of a desire to share my newfound faith, and also to get her to explain her steadfast faith in her ridiculous religious system. Eventually I faced her mom, a convert, when Kathy ran out of answers and patience.

Kathy's mom spent a lot of time responding to me on controversies ranging from contraception to authority, and dispelling any silly notions I had concerning confessional scams, the rules of succession should the Pope slip into a coma, and similar nonsense. She made sense out of the oddest Catholic practices, and provided numerous references. Most importantly, she was a living example of a pious and informed Catholic. I devoured every theological source she lent me, reading entry by entry Catholic dictionaries and various catechisms. Yet my stubbornness and lack of visible progress would have tried the patience of a saint, and, indeed, I provided ample opportunities for sanctification for my Catholic tutor.

I found many Catholic practices offensive to my understanding of the unadulterated Word of God, but this was often because I did not understand the underlying beliefs. One belief that was both clear and confounding to me was the Church's unique claim to interpret Scripture with authority. Whereas I had eagerly sought discipleship from Todd, and thus accepted his guidance, I was not as ready to constrain myself according to the dictates of Rome. I was bound, as a Protestant, only nominally by the teachings of my pastor, and could easily demonstrate my opposition by finding a more suitable spiritual home through the Yellow Pages. Despite the best efforts of certain liberal Catholics to convince me otherwise, I sensed that Catholicism requires some form of submission. Though one could protest almost any doctrine and remain Protestant - for even the oddest belief has a home in some denomination or can serve as the core belief of a new one - I felt that it made little sense to be a Catholic without truly believing a basic set of doctrines obvious to even the casual observer.

I spent much time learning particular Catholic teachings from both Scripture and history, and eventually I distilled the wide array of issues down to the one central teaching on Church authority. I discovered that the Catholic Church has thoughtful and scriptural justifications for each of her beliefs, which are at least defensible if not always overwhelmingly convincing. The Church's teachings, considered one at a time, appeared to me to be credible but not especially inspiring, but, when considered together, quite substantial. So the most decisive and efficient way to discern whether Rome was an incredible fraud or Christ's Church was to examine the foundational principle upon which her other teachings depend. For if the Church is right in claiming a divine mandate to interpret Scripture and to articulate infallible doctrines, then even the most outrageous assertion becomes binding.

I surprised many of my Catholic friends with the weight and gravity I accorded to their Church's teachings, but, despite my suspicions, I respected the institution enough to take it seriously. I was not tempted by the expedient path of ignoring difficult teachings, and there was no reason to swallow Rome's demanding morality if her authority were less than divinely inspired. After all, if I wanted the aesthetics without the inconvenient morality I could become Episcopalian. I fully expected that my vigorous examination of the pivotal issue of authority would find Rome wanting.

Months of studying history, theology, and (surprisingly) Scripture led me to one simple and inescapable conclusion. The papacy was right, and I was wrong. The same submission to authority commanded by Christ and then Peter and Paul was, unbeknownst to me and many other American Christians, also accepted and continued by the earliest Christians and their successors, who now constitute the dreaded Catholic Church. Despite my best efforts, I could find no justification in the Bible or the early Church for any individual to establish his own church apart from the one established by Christ. A Protestant might find it ironic that I was driven to Rome by my love for Scripture and my desire to learn how Christ and His Church intended for me to understand Scripture.

Seven years of prayer and searching since my first conversion that day in Kent's youth service led me to Catholic baptism and confirmation. Now there have been seven years of Catholic faith and practice - a wonderful childhood of faith, an ever-deepening "romance of orthodoxy."

My Confirmation sponsor, a cradle Catholic, jokingly asks if my second conversion, to Catholicism, is to be my last. I assure him that there is no sign of a seven-year itch.

H/T. to Robert Kumpel

Marian art

Aren't they beautiful? :)

"The Blessed Virgin
never shall fail to protect me
when I call upon her.
When I am troubled,
I quickly turn to her.
And like the most tender of mothers
she looks after me."

~ St. Theresa of Lisieux

For those who are suffering

Watch, O Lord, with those who wake, or watch, or weep tonight, and give your angels charge over those who sleep.

Tend your sick ones, O Lord Christ.
Rest your weary ones.
Bless your dying ones.
Soothe your suffering ones.
Pity your afflicted ones.
Shield your joyous ones.
And for all your love's sake. Amen.

Saint Augustine


For All Who Suffer

That it may please thee to visit the lonely; to strengthen all who suffer in mind, body, and spirit; and to comfort with thy presence those who are failing and infirm, We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. That it may please thee to support, help, and comfort all who are in danger, necessity, and tribulation, We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

Please pray for Fr Renckens

Fr Anthony Hutjes at Blessed Sacrament mentioned that Fr Renckens, also from Blessed Sacrament, is seriously ill at hospital. He asked for prayers that towards the end of his life, Fr Renckens will remain the good priest he was all his life. Pray for strength, courage and generosity during this time of pain and suffering.

You can check on Fr Rencken's condition at the Blessed Sacrament website

And at Catholic News



“Please pray that I may have the courage to carry this cross and that my leg will get better.”

When he went for his February operation he told his fellow priest, “My Way of the Cross has begun”.

Almighty and Eternal God,
You are the everlasting health of those who believe in You.
Hear us for Your sick servant Fr Renkens
for whom we implore the aid of Your tender mercy,
that being restored to bodily health,
he may give thanks to You in Your Church.
Through Christ our Lord.

Eternal Father, I thank you for the grace you gave to your servant, Edel Quinn, of striving to live always in the joy of your presence, for the radiant charity infused into her heart by your Holy Spirit and for the strength she drew from the Bread of Life to labour until death for the glory of Your name in loving dependence on Mary, Mother of the Church. Confident, 0 Merciful Father, that her life was pleasing to you, I beg you to grant me, through her intercession, the special favour I now implore: for healing, courage and a strong faith for Fr Albert Renckens during this time of sickness, and to make known by miracles the glory she enjoys in Heaven, so that she may be glorified also by your Church on earth, through Christ Our Lord, Amen

Favours attributed to the intercession of The Venerable Edel Quinn should be reported to:

Legion of Mary De Montfort House
Morning Star Avenue, North Brunswick Street, Dublin 7,
Ireland

Learn Latin with Minimus

GO HERE :)

Pope Benedict XVI fractures wrist in a fall

AOSTA, Italy — A hospital spokesman says Pope Benedict XVI is undergoing surgery after breaking his right wrist in a fall during his vacation in the Italian Alps.

Tiziano Trevisan, a spokesman at the Umberto Parini hospital in Aosta, says surgeons were operating Friday on the wrist to reduce the fracture, a procedure to realign the broken bone fragments.

He said they were giving 82-year-old Benedict "light sedation," though heavier anesthesia may be given as the surgery progresses.

A Vatican statement says the pope fell in his room in a nearby chalet overnight and despite the accident, celebrated Mass and had breakfast before going to the hospital.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Pray for our dear Holy Father!

Update:

From Whispers in the Loggia:

Break one's wrist... go to the hospital... undergo surgery... get a cast... keep smiling for the cameras... and thank everyone....

...all while on vacation.

Moral of the story: in everything, give thanks.

Also:

Italian news footage shows pope walked inside hospital emergency room with his aides.

Pope insisted he get no special treatment at hospital. He waited his turn for X-ray, operating room.

So perfectly in line with his gentleness and humility.

Consistent

...Indians and all other people who may later be discovered by Christians, are by no means to be deprived of their liberty or the possession of their property, even though they be outside the faith of Jesus Christ; and that they may and should, freely and legitimately, enjoy their liberty and the possession of their property; nor should they be in any way enslaved; should the contrary happen, it shall be null and have no effect.
-Pope Paul III
Sublimus Dei
1537


To claim the right to abortion, infanticide and euthanasia, and to recognize that right in law, means to attribute to human freedom a perverse and evil significance: that of an absolute power over others and against others. This is the death of true freedom: "Truly, truly, I say to you, every one who commits sin is a slave to sin" (Jn 8:34).
-Pope John Paul II
Evangelium Vitae
1995

From Robert Kumpel