Aggie Catholics

Cardinal-Designate Dolan says "Stay Tuned, as we May Need Your Help Again"

2012-02-10T16:20:00.001-06:00

I don't think he, or the other Bishops, have high hopes that the Administration will back down. Here is a letter he released today:

February 10, 2012

Dear friends in the Lord:

Over the last three weeks, Americans of all religious creeds, and none at all, have united in remarkable concern over the restrictive and immoral mandates ordered by the federal government. This concern is warranted as the proposed rules would require a violation of conscience for so many, and a threat to religious freedom for all.

I thank so many of you, who have enthusiastically been part of this expression of concern, united with your bishops.

Friday’s announcement that the federal government seems to have softened the mandates, and is open to working with us in further progress, is a welcome first step. We must study it carefully.

However, we cannot let up in our concern for the protection of religious freedom and the reverence for conscience which are at the heart of American values.

Stay tuned, as we may need your help again.

Renewed gratitude and prayerful best wishes, I am,

Fraternally yours in Christ,
Cardinal-designate Timothy M. Dolan
Archbishop of New York

Here Bishop Slattery of Tulsa Responds:

Bishops Respond to Obama's "Compromise"

2012-02-10T14:04:00.000-06:00

The statement:

Bishops Studying Initial White House Movement On Religious Liberty

February 10, 2012

New opportunity to dialogue with executive branch
Too soon to tell whether and how much improvement on core concerns
Commitment to religious liberty for all means legislation still necessary

WASHINGTON— The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) sees initial opportunities in preserving the principle of religious freedom after President Obama’s announcement today. But the Conference continues to express concerns. “While there may be an openness to respond to some of our concerns, we reserve judgment on the details until we have them,” said Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan, president of USCCB.

“The past three weeks have witnessed a remarkable unity of Americans from all religions or none at all worried about the erosion of religious freedom and governmental intrusion into issues of faith and morals,” he said.

“Today’s decision to revise how individuals obtain services that are morally objectionable to religious entities and people of faith is a first step in the right direction,” Cardinal-designate Dolan said. “We hope to work with the Administration to guarantee that Americans’ consciences and our religious freedom are not harmed by these regulations.”

The Voice of Millennial Generation Catholics

2012-02-10T13:52:00.002-06:00

If there is a voice for Millennial Generation Catholics, it has to be Bad Catholic. He is a college student, at Franciscan, and is one of the best young authors I have ever read.

He makes me look like a chump. In fact, he makes most Catholic bloggers look like amateurs.

Go check out his latest post and see if you don't agree:

That’s right folks. I woke up this morning and the Church was the shizz. This is first and foremost because we have been rudely placed in the position of rebellion, and of the advocation of civil disobedience. To those who understand the teachings of the Church, this rebellion is nothing new, it has just been suddenly and fantastically stuck in the public eye. (Thank you, Department of Health and Human Services.) The Church already rebels against the twin monsters Socialism and Capitalism in her teachings, and strives instead after the principles of subsidiarity, in which the human person is neither an economic tool nor a cog in the machine. The Church already calls us to rebel against the culture of death, against abortion — of course — but with equal fervor against euthanasia, unjust war, the unjust use of the death penalty, suicide, terrorism, and any attacks on life.
Continue Reading.

Why are you still here???

Why the HHS Mandate Is The Biggest Issue Since Roe V Wade

2012-02-10T13:05:00.000-06:00

The Bill of Rights, from the Constitution of the United States of America starts with this first amendment:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Facts we should point out about rights and the Constitution:

Rights come from God - not the government. The government does not grant rights nor does it rule over them. The charge of the government should be to protect our rights. If a right is granted by the state, it can be taken away by the state...
The power of our government was purposefully limited by the Constitution, to prevent tyranny - ESPECIALLY religious tyranny. The USA was established because of the failure of other nations to grant the freedom of religion.
The government is charged by the founding documents of our government to protect the people from the government - NOT to protect the government from the people.
The Church does not seek to control the government and cannot do so if true religious freedom is to flourish.

Roe V Wade was based on the faulty premise that there is a "right" to privacy and that the government cannot impede a woman's choice to abort her child. There is no right to privacy in our Consitution and this was an invented reasoning to allow abortion. Nothing more. Nothing less. This is bad constitutional reasoning, as many others have pointed out - even abortion supporters. (see examples here and here).

Roe V Wade violated the most basic human right - the right to life. The first right mentioned in the Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

In relation to the right to life (as all human rights are) is the right to religious freedom. Note: this is NOT the right to "worship". Some modern-day pundits have tried to strictly define the right to religious freedom as the right to worship, but "worship" is a narrow definition that is not found in the Constitution.

If any basic human right is violated by the government, including the right of religious freedom, then we have the beginning of tyranny. This is not an understatement. John Paul II put it this way:

“…religious freedom…is the basis of all other freedoms and is inseparably tied to them all by reason of that very dignity which is the human person” (Letter to Kurt Waldheim, December 2, 1978)

Pope Benedict echoes this idea:

“The right to religious freedom is rooted in the very dignity of the human person whose transcendent nature must not be ignored or overlooked…Without the acknowledgement of his spiritual being, without openness to the transcendent, the human person withdraws within himself, fails to find answers to the heart’s deepest questions on the meaning of life, fails to appropriate lasting ethical values and principles, and even fails to experience authentic freedom and to build a just society” (Benedict XVI, Message for the World Day of Peace, no. 2, December 8, 2010)

This is not a time for Catholics, or any person who values human rights, to hunker down and be silent. We MUST proclaim the truth - "BE NOT AFRAID!"

We must be bold in our proclamation that we will not give up our rights to any government. We must fight to protect our liberties.

I ask you to contact your elected leaders and the HHS.
I also ask you to pray.

THIS IS NOT ABOUT CONTRACEPTION - This is about basic human rights:

The Right to believe as we wish.
The Right to follow our consciences.
The Right of religious freedom.

But, I also ask you to witness to the faith that God has given you. This is a time to stand up and declare:

I am a Catholic.

I am American.

I demand our government protect my human rights.

As a sidenote - if you want to know why the Catholic Church has a problem with contraception, then read this.

"Compromise" On Human Rights Will NEVER Be Acceptable

2012-02-10T11:38:00.001-06:00

UPDATE: The "compromise" is apparently worse than the original plan!

The way it works is this: Insurers will create policy not including contraceptive coverage in the contract for religious organizations that object. Second, the same insurance company must simultaneously offer contraceptive coverage to all employees, and can not charge an additional premium. This provides free contraceptive coverage to women. The reason this works for insurance companies is because offering contraception is cost-neutral; companies realize the tremendous cost benefits of spacing pregnancies, and limiting unintended pregnancies, planned pregnancies and health benefits of contraception.

Continue Reading.

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Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington talks about a possible "compromise" the Obama Administration is offering. Which isn't a "compromise" at all. The administration isn't giving any ground, in reality, but wants to win the public relations war by being able to say - "we tried to work with them, but they won't budge." Don't buy into the rhetoric or the idea they are "giving" us anything. They want to deprive us of a basic right which comes from God - NOT from the federal government.

Compromising on basic human freedoms is off the table.

Here is more on the story:

WASHINGTON, February 10, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The White House announced today that, instead of forcing religious employers to pay for birth control, it will force insurance companies to offer the drugs free of charge to all women, no matter where they work.

The plan, touted as a concession to freedom of religion and conscience, was immediately denounced by pro-life Rep. Chris Smith. “The so-called new policy is the discredited old policy, dressed up to look like something else,” said Smith. “It remains a serious violation of religious freedom. Only the most naïve or gullible would accept this as a change in policy.”

“The White House Fact Sheet is riddled with doublespeak and contradiction,” Smith continued. “It states, for example, that religious employers ‘will not’ have to pay for abortion pills, sterilization and contraception, but their ‘insurance companies’ will. Who pays for the insurance policy? The religious employer.”

In a statement released today, the White House said, “Under the new policy announced today, women will have free preventive care that includes contraceptive services no matter where she works.”

“If a woman works for religious employers with objections to providing contraceptive services as part of its health plan, the religious employer will not be required to provide contraception coverage but her insurance company will be required to offer contraceptive care free of charge.”

The birth control rule announced last summer was intended to force virtually all employers to cover sterilizations and contraception, including abortifacient drugs such as ella, a sister drug to RU-486. The religious employer exemption essentially applied only to houses of worship, creating an uproar in the Catholic community as hospitals, schools, and charities would have been forced to pay for the drugs. The furor only grew stronger when the administration announced last month that the concerned religious organizations would be given an extra year to comply.

President Obama reiterated the statement in a press conference this afternoon, saying that “the insurance company, not the hospital, not the charity, will be required to reach out” to women employed by such institutions to offer birth control “without copays, without hassles.”

The new rule is reportedly similar to coverage laws in Hawaii that allow employers with religious objections not to directly pay for contraception, but instead to direct employees on how to conveniently access all such drugs and procedures.

In an email to the Weekly Standard, Richard Doerflinger of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said this week that such an “adjustment” would be not only inadequate, but even worse than the current mandate.

“It would be no improvement to say: ‘Sure, you don’t have to include the coverage, you just have to send all your lay employees and women religious to the local Planned Parenthood clinic,’ he wrote.

Eric Scheidler of the Pro-Life Action League also told LifeSiteNews.com that the new rule amounted to a “shell game.” “At the end of the day, religious employers are still required to provide insurance plans that offer free contraceptives, sterilizations and abortifacients in violation of their moral tenets,” he said.
Continue Reading.

This Battle is Not About Contraception...

2012-02-09T12:06:00.001-06:00

A Southern Baptist Leader Would Choose Jail Over HHS Mandate

2012-02-09T11:21:00.000-06:00

UPDATE: Evangelical pastor Rick Warren also says he would go to jail
Also, Priests for Life has filed a lawsuit. Finally, the Michigan Attorney General is joining the fight on behalf of his state.
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I would too. Here is the story.

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, February 8, 2012, (LifeSiteNews.com) – One of the most influential evangelical leaders in the United States says Christians should go to jail rather than comply with the Obama administration’s mandate to provide all contraception, including abortion-inducing drugs, in their health care plans.

Dr. Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), told LifeSiteNews.com “we will not comply” with the Dept. of Health and Human Services’ mandate requiring religious institutions to cover abortifacient products such as Plan B, Ella, and the IUD.

“We want the law changed, or else we’re going to write our letters from the Nashville jail, just like Dr. King wrote his from the Birmingham jail,” Dr. Land said.
CONTINUE READING.

Time For Some Fun

2012-02-09T11:00:00.002-06:00

Sometimes you have to step back from the serious topics and just watch a video of a bear cub and a wolf cub playing. Almost like a Disney movie.

Archbishop Dolan Urges Obama to Back Down From HHS Mandate on CBS This Morning

2012-02-09T10:06:00.002-06:00

Dolan does an amazing job with this one. Some quotes:

"When I left the Oval Office...I left with high hopes...I don't have those sentiments of hope now."

"We can't compromise on principle."

"This is a terribly misguided judgment. So, lets not compromise on that, that is almost rewarding bad behavior."

"We can't have a government bureaucracy invading the privacy, independence, and autonomy and the integrity that our Constitution gives to religion."

EWTN Files Suit Against Obama Administration

2012-02-09T09:49:00.001-06:00

Now it gets really interesting.

IRONDALE, Ala. — Eternal Word Television Network filed a lawsuit today in U.S. District Court in Birmingham, Ala., seeking to halt the federal government’s imposition of its contraception mandate and to have the court declare the federal rule unconstitutional.

The lawsuit names Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and other federal agencies, as defendants.

The network released a statement today regarding the action.

The network is the first lay Catholic organization to challenge the constitutionality of the HHS final rule, approved by the Obama administration on Jan. 20. North Carolina’s Belmont Abbey College and Colorado Christian University, based in Denver, have both filed suit. All three are represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, the public-interest law firm that recently won a unanimous Supreme Court ruling in Hosanna Tabor v. EEOC, a closely watched First Amendment case. Becket is representing EWTN pro bono.

The Register is a service of EWTN.

Michael Warsaw, EWTN’s president and CEO, expressed regret at the necessity of taking legal action to defend the network’s constitutional right to the free exercise of religion.

“We had no other option but to take this to the courts,” said Warsaw. “Under the HHS mandate, EWTN is being forced by the government to make a choice: Either we provide employees coverage for contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs and violate our conscience or offer our employees and their families no health-insurance coverage at all. Neither of those choices is acceptable.”

Continue Reading.

The Prayer Life of Pope Benedict XVI

2012-02-08T13:34:00.003-06:00

The prayer life of Pope Benedict XVI and what he wants us each to know about prayer:

Fr. Barron on Evangelizing Effectively

2012-02-08T09:57:00.001-06:00

More Religious Liberties Attacked - Air Force Removes Reference to God

2012-02-08T09:53:00.001-06:00

Another case of religious liberties being attacked.

A group of Republican lawmakers is protesting the removal a reference to God in the patch logo for the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO).

The 35 lawmakers, led by Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.), wrote a letter to Air Force Secretary Michael Donley and Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz urging them to restore the logo with a reference to God.

Forbes warned that the action taken by the RCO could set a “dangerous precedent” when it comes to religion and the military.

"The action taken by the RCO suggests that all references to God, regardless of their context, must be removed from the military,” Forbes wrote. “As we are confident that your legal advisors would not suggest that censorship is required for compliance with the First Amendment, we ask that you reverse this perplexing decision.”

The patch logo was changed after a military atheist group, the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, protested the reference to God on the patch. The patch has a saying on it in Latin, which is common for military patches, that tranlates to: “Doing God’s Work with Other People’s Money.”

The saying was then changed last month to say: “Doing Miracles with Other People’s Money.”
Continue Reading.

It doesn't even make sense to talk about miracles without referencing God.

Bishops Fight For Conscience Protection

2012-02-07T14:47:00.002-06:00

The Texas Bishops have issued a letter to every member of the Texas Congressional delegation. In it they urge opposition to the Health and Human Services Mandate for free insurance coverage for sterilization, contraception, abortion drugs, etc. Here is a snip:

Institutions that sponsor, purchase, or issue health plans should not be forced to contravene their religious principles just to provide insurance to their employees; nor should families be forced to violate their religious convictions to care for their children. Forcing such unacceptable decisions is as much a threat to universal access to health care as to freedom of conscience.
The full letter can be found here (.pdf)

Another good, and concise, take on the HHS mandate and what it means for all Catholics can be found on the USCCB Media Blog. A snip:

Six Things Everyone Should Know About the HHS Mandate

1. The mandate does not exempt Catholic charities, schools, universities, or hospitals. These institutions are vital to the mission of the Church, but HHS does not deem them "religious employers" worthy of conscience protection, because they do not "serve primarily persons who share the[ir] religious tenets." HHS denies these organizations religious freedom precisely because their purpose is to serve the common good of society—a purpose that government should encourage, not punish.

Continue Reading.

Pray for our Church and our country.

Pennsylvania University Sells Morning After Pill In Vending Machine

2012-02-07T11:18:00.002-06:00

Talk about a sign of the times. Shippensburg University, in Pennsylvania is now dispensing the morning after pill from a vending machine. The school official says it is for "privacy" and that they dispense between 350 - 400 doses a year.

From another news station:

Vending machines at one Pennsylvania University doesn't just dispense soda and snacks -- it sells the morning-after pill.

At Shippensburg University, getting access to Plan B, the emergency contraception pill is as easy as getting a soda. Students can now buy the pill at a vending machine on campus.

"We had some conversations with them and did a survey of the student body and we got an 85 percent response rate that the students supported Plan B in the House Center," said Dr. Roger Serr, Vice president of Student Affairs at Shippensburg.

The university does not profit from the sales. It pays $25 for one dose and that's exactly what the student has to pay.

What is wrong with doing this?Well, consider this - sperm can reach a women's egg within 30 minutes. This means the drug does not work as a contraceptive, but as an abortion drug. It kills a life after conception takes place in the vast majority of cases.

We are now dispensing death from university vending machines.

Further Reading:
**What is wrong with Contraception?
**Contraception Makes Women Less Happy

How Can You Not Love OK Go?

2012-02-06T12:25:00.000-06:00

The newest video, which was featured in a Chevy ad for the Super Bowl.
Took four days to film and all the sounds are real.

Two of my other favorites:

Top 20 Ways To Mess Up A Marriage

2012-02-06T11:40:00.002-06:00

Top 20 Ways To Mess Up A Marriage:

Have Premarital Sex - This can be with your future spouse or not. Regardless, the statistics show that it means a much higher chance of a failed marriage.
Cohabitate - This doubles your chance of divorcing your spouse! Go with this one if you almost certainly want to mess up a marriage.
Cheat on your spouse - Nothing rings the death knell of marriage like this one.
Use porn - only the fastest growing reasons couples divorce today. Duh!
Drink too much or use drugs - This one is a great way to love a thing more than your spouse.
Marry for the wrong reasons - Marrying someone merely because you have strong emotions about them (which will eventually go away) or because they are good looking (which won't last) is a great way to eventually ruin a marriage. Attraction is all that matters.
Never Work on Communication - talking is over-rated. You should just learn to tolerate one another, not really communicate.
Be a Workaholic - being rich and successful is the most important thing on earth. Right?
Be selfish - expect your spouse to serve your every need and never expect to return the favor.
Have Different expectations about money or debt - Spend too much, live beyond your means, and then pay the price. Money is the #1 reason that couples argue.
Don't tithe - The money is your own, do what you want with it.
Use contraception - kids are a burden that make life miserable. Why take the risk? Of course couples that use NFP are happier, have better sex-lives, and stay married more than 95% of the time.
Talk negatively about your spouse - who needs to be built up anyway?
Make big purchases without talking about it first - want that new car? Go get it!
Spend more time with your friends than your spouse - they are probably more fun anyway.
Never let love mature - let your love remain all about the emotions and sex (neither are bad in-and-of-themselves) so that love never matures.
Never go to church or pray together - marriage doesn't need God. Does it?
Once you have kids focus all your attention on them - you shouldn't still work on the marriage, because the kids are most important.
Marry a non-Christian - There are certainly marriages that succeed between believers and non-believers, but the least you are doing is putting a strain on a relationship.
Never grow or change - no need to say you are sorry, no need to humble yourself, no need to make changes. Just stay who you are.

This list is not exhaustive. You could be inventive and come up with another way to mess up a marriage. If you have one, let me know. We did this previously and got some additional ideas I posted here.

Military Chaplains Told to Read Archbishop's Letter From Pulpit Were Asked Not to By an Administration Official

2012-02-03T16:25:00.000-06:00

This is another major blow to religious liberty. I really am astonished at this.

On Thursday, January 26, Archbishop Broglio emailed a pastoral letter to Catholic military chaplains with instructions that it be read from the pulpit at Sunday Masses the following weekend in all military chapels. The letter calls on Catholics to resist the policy initiative, recently affirmed by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, for federally mandated health insurance covering sterilization, abortifacients and contraception, because it represents a violation of the freedom of religion recognized by the U.S. Constitution.

The Army’s Office of the Chief of Chaplains subsequently sent an email to senior chaplains advising them that the Archbishop’s letter was not coordinated with that office and asked that it not be read from the pulpit. The Chief’s office directed that the letter was to be mentioned in the Mass announcements and distributed in printed form in the back of the chapel.

Archbishop Broglio and the Archdiocese stand firm in the belief, based on legal precedent, that such a directive from the Army constituted a violation of his Constitutionally-protected right of free speech and the free exercise of religion, as well as those same rights of all military chaplains and their congregants.

Following a discussion between Archbishop Broglio and the Secretary of the Army, The Honorable John McHugh, it was agreed that it was a mistake to stop the reading of the Archbishop’s letter. Additionally, the line: “We cannot — we will not — comply with this unjust law” was removed by Archbishop Broglio at the suggestion of Secretary McHugh over the concern that it could potentially be misunderstood as a call to civil disobedience.

The AMS did not receive any objections to the reading of Archbishop Broglio’s statement from the other branches of service. Continue Reading.

Archbishop Broglio has visited us twice. He is a good man. Please pray for him and for our nation.

Komen Reverses Decision to Stop Grants to Planned Parenthood

2012-02-03T11:41:00.000-06:00

UPDATE: Some pro-lifers, including Jill Stanek, are claiming it is spin to get the Planned Parenthood supporters off of the backs of Komen. We will see. Here is what Stanek says:

This statement represents nothing new. Komen and CEO Nancy Brinker had already stated they would continue to fund Planned Parenthood’s existing grants through 2012 (one through 2013). Brinker told Andrew Mitchell that number was three. Other reports and my source say the number is five.

If Planned Parenthood is found guilty of criminal investigations, several of which are ongoing around the states (Medicaid fraud in Texas and California; fraudulent reporting and illegal abortions in Kansas, and yes, the federal Congressional investigation, etc.), Komen’s criteria will still disqualify Planned Parenthood from receiving grants, as it should.

This is Komen’s attempt to get the abortion mafia off their backs. Planned Parenthood and its thugs have engaged in typical shakedown: Give us money or we will destroy you.

Be savvy. Nothing has changed. Komen is merely trying to to get some breathing room.

This is very sad. We need to make sure we let them know about it too.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure announced Friday it was reversing its decision to end grants to Planned Parenthood, after facing mounting pressure from pro-choice lawmakers and accusations that the breast cancer awareness organization had bowed to political influences.

"We want to apologize to the American public for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women's lives," the group said in a statement.

The statement from Komen founder Nancy Brinker and the Board of Directors defended the organization's intentions. The group has claimed all along that its decision was not a political one, and that it was merely setting responsible standards for grant money.

"The events of this week have been deeply unsettling for our supporters, partners and friends and all of us at Susan G. Komen. We have been distressed at the presumption that the changes made to our funding criteria were done for political reasons or to specifically penalize Planned Parenthood. They were not," the group said.

Komen announced that it would change that criteria. Originally, Planned Parenthood was disqualified because of criteria that barred funding to groups that are under investigation -- Planned Parenthood is being probed by a Republican Florida congressman. Going forward, Komen will not count "political" investigations.

"Our original desire was to fulfill our fiduciary duty to our donors by not funding grant applications made by organizations under investigation. We will amend the criteria to make clear that disqualifying investigations must be criminal and conclusive in nature and not political. That is what is right and fair," the group's leadership said, adding that it would continue to fund Planned Parenthood grants and preserve the group's eligibility for future grants.

The move is sure to draw heated complaints from anti-abortion groups which applauded Komen for its original decision earlier this week.

But Planned Parenthood and its supporters declared victory Friday.

Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, credited the "outpouring of support" over the past week.

PP did win this one. Talk about bowing to political pressure...

How Much Should I Give?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I hope this helps.

Poverty in The USA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SMILE:

CRY:

The One Thing Contraception Can Guarantee 100%

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Best Part of the Super Bowl...

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

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

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

Petition All Catholics Should Sign

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

Click here to sign.

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

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

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

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

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

Things Catholic Girls Say

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

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

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

Susan G Komen Foundation Halts Grants to Planned Parenthood

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Violation of Consciences and The Bill of Rights

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

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

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

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

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

January 26, 2012

Dear brother priests,

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

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Not "Catholic Christian" - Just "Catholic"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Catholic Motivational Poster - 3:00 AM

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

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

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

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

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

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

Friends,

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

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

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

Fr. David

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

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

A Pro-Life Commercial That Says It All

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

What is Mortal Sin?

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

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

A - Thanks for the question.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Catechism says this about grave matter:

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

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

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

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

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

The Nature of God

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

God’s existence is absolute

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

God is infinite

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

God is one

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

God is spiritual (simple)

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

God is eternal

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

God is transcendent and immanent

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

He is Transcendent

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

God is intelligent

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

God is omniscient and omnipotent

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

God is personal

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

God is free

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

God is good

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

An Aggie Chooses Life!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks to Barbara for the beautiful testimony for life!

The Acceptance Of Injustice

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Is It Sustainable?

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

Source.

Archbishop Dolan Responds to Administration's Mandate on Contraception

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

Tip o' the hat to Rocco for the video.

Here is a full statement from the US Bishops.

January 20, 2012

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gig 'em and God Bless.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Abortion-rights groups immediately applauded the decision.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

God bless our dysfunctional Catholic family!

Mother. Wife. Catholic. Attracted to Women.

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

A compelling and moving article.
A snip:

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

Yes, it is.

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

7 Lies About Homeschoolers

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

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

Why I Love Religion and Love Jesus - Spoken Word

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

Best. Response. Yet.

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

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

Star Wars Nerds Unite!

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

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

Tip o' the hat to Deacon Greg.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hello - Is It Me You're Looking For?

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

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

This of course reminded me of this:

Child Denied Transplant Because of "Mental Retardation"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yes.”

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

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

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

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

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

A Warning About Making Heroes Out of Celebrities

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

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

Think of Mel Gibson.

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

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

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

Is it a sin to fear death?

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

Q - Is it a sin to fear death?

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

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

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

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

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

May the hope of Christ bring us beyond our fears!

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

Archbishop Dolan's Homily on Sex Creates a Buzz

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

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

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

“Now I’ve got your attention.”

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

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

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

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

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

MLK

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

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

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

Are Ouija Boards Satanic?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The danger is very real.

Thus, the Catechism states:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More commentaries here from Catholics and non-Catholics:

Some Friday Fun

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

Smile :-)

Overcoming Roadblocks to the Catholic Faith

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

Does Jesus Hate Religion? Should You?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fr. Barron on A Persecuted Church and Heroes

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

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

Google Honors Blessed Nicolas Steno

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Joy Of Books

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

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

Studying the Stars For Guidance Leads to Evil

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

Something we can learn from the Magi and Scripture.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pretty, pretty is dying.

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

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

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

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

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

Why Can't I...

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

Why can't I get a flight like this?

Subscribe to Aggie Catholics

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

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

Thanks to everyone who follows us in these different ways:

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

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

Courageous - A Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Catholics + Bible + Personal Interpretation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Top 20 Catholic Bloggers of 2011

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

Top 20 Catholic Bloggers of 2011

(in no particular order)

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

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

Make A New Year's Solution, Not Resolution

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If I Could Only Recommend One Book From 2011

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

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

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

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

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

As I said in my review of the book:

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

So, how could I not pick it?

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

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

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

What Is Man?

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

Can You Refuse To Pay Taxes Because of Abortion?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fr. Barron Loved to Listen to Christopher Hitchens

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

A Martyrs' Love Letter

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

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

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

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

Provincial prison of Jaen, Oct. 1, 1936

My dearest Maruja:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Love Is Never Wasted

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

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

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

But, the bigger issue is with the following:

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

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

Just a thought.

Anchormen are not Supposed to Cry

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

So, why would this one?

Fr. Barron on How King David Represents the Priesthood

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

Merry Christmas!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Security Blankets and Christmas

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

Fr James Martin wrote this on facebook:

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

See for yourself:

Fr. Barron on Christmas

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

10 Problems With Jesus

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

10 Problems With Jesus

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Hobbit Movie

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

WOO HOO! I can't wait!

If Shakespeare Wrote The Three Little Pigs

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

"The Innocence of a Child is Worth Fighting For"

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

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

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

Christmas Flash Mob

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

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

Once In Royal David's City

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

10 Last-Minute Catholic Christmas Gifts

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

10 Last-Minute Catholic Christmas Gifts

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1 - Catholicism DVD Set and/or Catholicism book

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

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2 - Board Games

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

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3 - Ignatius Catholic Study Bible

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

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

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

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5 - The Human Experience Movie DVD

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

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6 - A Subscription to a Good Catholic Periodical

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

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

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7 - A Prayer Bouquet

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

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8 - Mystic Monk Coffee

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

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9 - Fair-Trade Crafts

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

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

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

Merry Christmas

The Morning-After Pill Gets a Movie...

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

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

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

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

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

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

Christmas and the Drumbeat of War

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

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

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

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

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

Now it is our turn.

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

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

Science Proves Babies Start Learning In the Womb

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

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

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

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

Catholic Book Recommendations

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

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

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

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

Source books & Must-have Magisterial documents

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Cutest Christmas Video Ever...

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

This is absolutely precious.

Amazing Priestly Drum Solo

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

This is one rocking priest. Truly amazing drum skills.

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

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

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

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

Fr. Barron to Appear on the NBC Today Show Thursday

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

From an email just sent out:

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

Gendercide: Killing Girls Because They are Girls

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

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

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

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

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

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

What a unique way to think about Advent:

A Christmas Break Rule of Life

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

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

A CHRISTMAS BREAK RULE OF LIFE

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

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

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

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

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