The Day I Fed Jesus

A while back I penned a blog about how I had met God and failed to feed him. It is true that God gives us all second chances.


About a year or so ago, Selena and I were walking into the local Dollar Tree store.  A young man, a drifter maybe, asked us for a couple of dollars for some food.

I told him to go over to the restaurant across the parking lot and wait for us. We only had to grab a couple of things and we would be right over and buy him something to eat.


Now, we both figured he walked over there thinking he would never see us again, that we were just sending him away. But we remembered the times we had failed to see Jesus in front of us and feed him.


We made our purchase and headed to the restaurant.  There he was, at the door waiting.  As we went inside he asked me what he could get.  I told him to get himself a meal, not to worry about the price.  He ordered a regular meal and I followed to pay the bill.  


As he sat down and thanked us I asked him his name.  This young, Hispanic man responded..."Jesus". A shiver ran down my spine and tears welled in my eyes as we walked out the door.


God shows Himself to us in many ways.  He may be the person you flipped off in a fit of road rage, or the elderly lady you held a door open for.  Treat everyone as if they were God...for deep down, we all are.  After all, we are created in His image.

You Don't Agree With Me? BIGOT!!!

Today I saw a story about pro-gay students wanting the Catholic priest at George Washington University fired for his anti-gay and anti-abortion preaching.  Aside from the fact that it is his job to preach the teachings of the Church, it should be noted that the Catholic Church is NOT anti-gay.  Not in it's teachings, not in its positions.

Here is the Catholic Church's position on homosexuality, as found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity,¹⁴¹ tradition has always declared that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.”¹⁴² 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.

2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God’s will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord’s Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.

2359 Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.

No where, in that writing, does it say that we, as Catholics, should be anti-gay or that we discriminate against gay people. No, instead we are called to be respectful, compassionate, and sensitive.  So why then, am I a bigot because I don't think gays should be able to marry?  Why am I a bigot just because I don't think their lifestyle is proper?

I have been called a homophobe on many occasions.  According to Wikipedia, a phobia is, a type of anxiety disorder, usually defined as a persistent fear of an object or situation in which the sufferer commits to great lengths in avoiding, typically disproportional to the actual danger posed, often being recognized as irrational.  So by definition, if I have homophobia, I have a persistent fear of homosexual people.  Going back to Wikipedia to get a definition of homophobia, it is defined as  encompassing a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT).

It seems to me that a word's base meaning was changed to create a label for people who do not agree with something.  So to be clear, not agreeing with someone and believing something different than them should not label them.  Disagreeing with homosexual ideology does not make someone a homophobe.  I guess then, if I am a homophobe, then gays must be heterophobes.

Now let's look the other popular word being thrown at folks who don't agree with gay marriage or any other "gay rights" issues.  Bigot seems to be thrown at anyone who doesn't cave to the will of the liberal agenda, no matter what it is. 

The World English Dictionary defines a bigot as a person who is intolerant of any ideas other than his or her own, esp on religion, politics, or race.

That definition just described every person who has called me a bigot.  By that definition, I can say that most of my conservative friends, are not.  I have often stated my position on gay marriage, abortion, gun rights, etc and been called a bigot, homophobe, whatever have you.  I actually listen to the other side of the story, try to understand it, but still don't agree.  However, the other side of the story, is intolerant of my view and calls me names.  It seems a bit odd that the folks callign me a bigot seem to be the truest form of the word.

My Church is not perfect, we have had and still do have our issues.  One thing remains true, we are inclusive and love everyone.  What makes us seem intolerant and discriminatory is that we expect the members to follow the rules of the Church, not have the rules tailored to the members.  If you don't like the rules, stay out of the church and leave it alone.

That priest at George Washington University is not a bigot or a homophobe.  He is evangelizing the teachings of the Catholic Church.  This event is another example of the Catholic Church coming under attack from secular society.  We, as Catholics, must be ready to stand up for our beliefs and not turn our back on the church Jesus left us at his death.  The attack on our Church is under way and will only get worse.  It is only a matter of time before the government tries to force us to perform same-sex marriages.  Pray for the Church daily.

Viva il Papa! A Fresh New Look

To cheers of Viva il Papa!, Pope Francis became our next shepherd in the Catholic Church.  He has already come across as a very different Supreme Pontiff than what we have seen in the past.  A very simple, humble man, he has broken the mold on what the world expects to see when they watch the Pope.  The way he moves about the crowds must be driving his security detail crazy, but the people are loving it.

He seems to be bringing a new invigoration to the Church.  His smile and humility has people looking at him differently and talking about him.  I know that I have an excitement about him and of the Church that has been rekindled since his election.

I have also noticed a very pronounced difference in what I read in the comments section below stories about him or the Church.  In the past, there were always berating, one-sided comments about how badly the Catholic Church has acted, and everything turned to the sex-abuse scandal, regardless of the topic of the story.  Lies, hatred, and venom were the only thing spewed...some of it even by the authors of the stories.  Now, however, I am seeing many more comments that are more positive or at least tempered with a bit more civility.  The best part?  I see more and more Catholics speaking up and saying some very accurate, and very positive things in response to any attacks.  More Catholics, and even non-Catholics, are standing up for the Catholic Church and its teachings.

If all Pope Francis does is bring a new vigor to the Church, he will have done a wondrous thing.  May God Bless his Pontificate and aid him in bringing a rebirth and new growth to God's Kingdom on Earth!!

Tis the Season to be Materialistic



What are we teaching our children?

This blog was written just before Christmas 2012 but never published.  I just ran across it and thought...well, I'll publish it now anyway, maybe someone will get a kick out of it.  So, while reading, please keep in mind this was written about two weeks before Christmas of 2012.


 The other day, one of my children approached me and told me what he wanted for Christmas.  I told him that was great, but that I already had the Christmas shopping done.  We then entered a phase that, in and of itself, will boggle most people and cause them to question my ability to parent.

I was basically chastised for having completed my shopping before Black Friday and all the "sales" I missed.  He tried to use my desire to save money against me.  He refused to accept my explanation that I try to shop throughout the year so as to lessen the blow at Christmas time.

At issue was not when I shopped, or how I shopped.  His real issue was with "what" I had shopped for.  It was not what he wanted, as far as he knew.  He had been asked, on several occasions, what he would like for Christmas.  Just like when he is asked about his birthday, he gave a complete non-answer.  At that point, I shop for what I think is fitting, using my own judgement or analysis of what he "needs".  The problem is, my "what" and his "what" are very different, especially when it comes to brand or price.

Let's use an example of clothing.  For most boys, jeans are a staple of their wardrobe.  I am able to shop for jeans and pay no more than $30 for a comfortable pair, comfort being the most important requirement. He, on the other hand, feels that his jeans must look good but first and foremost, have the proper label on them.

I purchased some jeans for him once that were quite expensive, even on sale, and were those skinny jeans.  They looked very uncomfortable and left no room for growth, a point I was sure to make clear.  Now, as he attempts to get more "expensive" jeans, his argument is that the others don't fit, even though they are in perfect condition.   Acknowledging the fact that the jeans do not fit, I suggest I get him some new ones.  The argument starts first with the fact that he doesn't want the kind I want to get him.  He wants Brand A which costs twice what I pay for myself.  The issue here is that I am the one buying them, not him.  I remember my mother getting me the SEARS Toughskin jeans, the kind you could run over barbed wire fencing and not tear.  They weren't the most comfortable, but they lasted.  I wasn't buying them, so my vote was no good.

This argument about the value of stuff, of certain stuff, of stuff that is considered a right or owed to him is not new in his generation.  I read an article a short time ago about how my generation is called Generation X and the one he is in is called Generation Y.  As in, Why do I need to work? Why do I need to wear decent clothes? Why do I need religion? Why do I care what others think about me?  Their first reaction to everything is "Why?"  This generation, more than any in the past, think everything should be given to them and a lot of it.  They seem to have no idea that those things that they must have, all cost money...everything comes with a price.

It is no longer OK for the 16-year-old to get a driver's license, he expects a car.  And not just any old car, an awesome car, one that is better than what his friends have.  It is not enough to have a cell phone, it has to be the latest and greatest smart phone.  And when the Grapfruit4 phone comes out to replace the Grapefruit3, he has to have it, even though his current phone is working fine and the new one doesn't do anything new that he needs.  Of course, he is not willing or able to do anything to help him get the phone.

Materialism has taken over Generation Y.  The more they have, the better it is, the better they feel.  It is not just Generation Y.  Plenty of Generation Xers are guilty of the same.  I just know I am not one, well, at least not to a huge degree, so I think I see it more.  I like to have stuff, but I don't need the latest and greatest.

The season already seems to be lost in the desire to receive instead of give.  JFK's oft-quoted words, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country" fits during this Christmas season as well as in politics.  We have become a society of "What's in it for me?", instead of, "What can I do for you"? 

It is sad to think that one of my children has lost sight on gift giving and has become materialistic.  Lucky for me, I can't take all the blame.  After all, his peers are no different, and some are worse.  So for the rest of you Generation Xers out there, keep up the good fight and try to fight off our materialistic society with what our parents taught us. 

Prayer to End Abortions

Prayer to End Abortions



As we mark the anniversary of Roe v. Wade this past week, let us look at what the cost of that decision has been.  Just shy of 56,000,000 million babies have been killed within the protective walls of their mothers.  The safest place for a child should be in the womb, yet it has become the most dangerous.  We tell mothers not to eat poorly, or drink, or smoke while they are pregnant...yet we allow them to legally murder their child.  The President is always saying how he wants abortion to be readily available at any time, to any woman, and that he wants them to be rare.  56 million is not rare...it is disgusting...and terribly sad.

So I say this prayer....

Lord God, I thank you today for the gift of my life, and for the lives of all my brothers and sisters.  I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion, yet I rejoice that You have conquered death by the Resurrection of Your Son.  I am ready to do my part in ending abortion.  Today I commit myself NEVER to be silent, NEVER to be passive, NEVER to be forgetful of the unborn.  I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement, and never to stop defending life until all my brothers and sisters are protected, and our nation once again becomes a nation with liberty and justice not just for some, but for all, through Christ our Lord.  Amen!

I have been chastized before because I post too many pro-life comments on Facebook, that I say too much.  Well...I made a pledge to NEVER be silent...and I won't be.  Please join me and become a voice for the unborn children who have no voice.

The Catholic Vote was Heard!

Unfortunately, it was the wrong voice that was speaking.  If Catholics had voted in accordance with Church teachings, not Church orders, but by its teachings, our president would not have been re-elected.  First, let me go over Catholics today and then I will cover those issues that caused the President to win.
 
Today, we have a lot of "cafeteria Catholics".  Those are the Catholics who pick and choose those things about Catholicism that they like and can live with.  They are the people who like to say they are Catholic, but find that being a true Catholic is a lot of work.  These are the Catholics who voted for the President.  A true Catholic, following the Church's teachings should NOT have voted for President Obama.  Here are just a couple of reasons why:

Abortion:  Abortion is an intrinsic evil as taught by the Catholic Church.  No matter how you slice it, abortion is wrong.  To vote for someone or be involved with an abortion makes you an associate of that evil.  President Obama is the most Pro-Abortion president we have ever had.  Four times he voted against a law that would protect a baby born from a botched abortion.  He supports abortion on demand throughout the duration of a pregnancy as well as the procedure known as Partial Birth Abortion. You cannot be Catholic and pro-abortion.  To say you are is a lie...and a stance you will have to defend on judgement day.

Religious Freedom:  The HHS Mandate that the Obama administration is pushing onto religious organizations is NOT a Catholic issue, it is a Christian issue, a religious issue.  We constantly hear about the Separation of Church and State...when people want religion to stay out of abortion laws, etc.  But when Government wants to tell a religious organization that they MUST provide a service to someone that goes against their beliefs and conscience, we see no issue?  This is not about birth control and access to pills and abortion.  It is about the government telling religions what the will do...or else.  Honestly, I see it also as a thinly veiled attack on the Catholic Church specifically by the President, who is no fan of the Church.

Euthanasia/Assisted Suicide:  This has become a new thing in our country.  Massachusetts called it "Death with Dignity" on their ballot.  The culture of death that the Democratic Party tends to espouse is a moral affront to everything the Catholic Church teaches.  Pro-Life is not just about abortion.  The Church teaches that life is sacred from conception to NATURAL death.  So, take out Euthanasia, Assisted Suicide, and the death penalty in all but severe cases.  The point at which we start deciding who will live and who will die based on age, health, legal matters...is scary.  In Europe there has been a suggestion that people should be able to "post-birth abort" their child who may have gotten sick, have a health issue, or is just a financial burden; up to one year after it was born.  Is that a route we want our country to follow?  Have we become that morally sick?

Same-Sex Marriage:  This really should be a no-brainer, but we are seeing more and more Catholics treating this issue as if it is no big deal.  It completely goes against the natural order and God's law.  The Church does not hate homosexuals.  Quite the contrary.  We are told to be compassionate and not to judge.  We are also told that homosexual acts are wrong.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church is quite clear on the Church's position.

There are other issues that makes our current President a wrong vote for Catholics, but these are the big ones that were prominent in this election.  It is not easy being Catholic.  We have a lot of rules to follow and many of them are not easy.  A former priest at my home parish once answered a question about why the Church doesn't change and modernize to attract more people by saying, "It is not God who needs to change for us, but we who need to change for God".  I believe that is what Jesus told us during his time on Earth and yet, here we are 2012 years later trying to tell Him he is wrong.

So if you say you are a Catholic, BE a Catholic.  Let your actions, your words, and your vote show your Catholicity.  When we say we are Catholic and fail to act as our church teaches, we confuse those who aren't Catholic and present a false position for our Church.  Like I said, it is really hard being a Catholic, but I am proud to say I am one!

For Better...and For Worse

I recently had a discussion about marriage with a coworker and remembered my promise to cover that topic in my "evangelization" of the Catholic Church.  Unfortunately, divorce is part of the discussion as well.  If only divorces were not so common.

Our discussion had started over the topic of annulments and why they were important for Catholics and why we were the only church who really cared about them.  The start of the conversation thus began with us discussing marriage as a Sacrament, a bond entered into with the blessing of God.  It is not a simple civil contract like you get when the Justice of  the Peace marries you.  You are professing, in front of God and your witnesses that you will take your spouse forever.  No conditions, no escape clauses...forever!!  In the Catholic Church, a marriage is considered a covenant between the husband and wife, much like the covenants God made with His people. 

"But from the beginning of creation God made them male and female. For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. Therefore now they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder" (Mark 10:6-9). In other words, man has no right to break the covenant.  Marriage is the religious and legal bond uniting husband and wife for mutual help and assistance, for the begetting and rearing of children, and, after the fall of our first parents, for the regulation of the sexual instinct in accordance with the dictates of reason.

So even should a man and woman divorce, they are still considered married in the eyes of the Church and cannot, therefore, participate fully in the Sacraments if they were to remarry without an annulment.  If a couple simply divorces and does not remarry, there is no harm done as far as the Sacraments go.  Years ago, divorce was considered a great sin.  That belief has changed, however.

Marriage, in the eyes of the Church, is meant to bring a man and a woman together to become one and to bear children.  That does not mean that if the marriage produces no children it is not blessed, but the idea is to bear children.  This is one of the reasons the Church defends marriage between a man and a woman so vehemently.  Contraception and fertility treatments where an outside party is needed to become pregnant are not in line with the teachings of the Catholic Church.  Medicinal treatments or fertility drugs are acceptable as they are meant to assist the couple without there being an unnatural action necessary to conceive.  Contraception is covered in an earlier blog.

So what happens when a marriage ends in a divorce?  What if the couple did everything they could to make it work but just couldn't do it.  Why is it necessary to get an annulment and what is an annulment anyway?

Quite simply, an annulment is a process a couple must go through in order to be allowed to remarry in the Catholic Church and be able to participate fully in the Sacraments.  It involves showing that at the time of the wedding, a sacred bond was not made.  Therefore, the Church states the marriage annulled and wiped from the books.  An annulment does not mean that the Church makes null something that was valid. An annulment in the Catholic Church_more properly called a decree of nullity_is a declaration that there was not a true marriage from the beginning, even though it may have had all the outward appearances of being one.

Many people find this annulment business a bunch of foolishness and completely unnecessary.  However, when you look at it, you see the beauty and the genius behind an annulment.  The Church puts such a value on marriage that they do not recognize divorce as an easy way to get out of a marriage.  The Church expects a couple to do everything they can to make it work.  With these purposes in mind, the Church requires prenuptial instructions, investigation of freedom and intention, publication of bands, and marriage before a priest.

The annulment process can be a healing process as well.  It requires a couple to look back over the marriage and tell the story from beginning to end.  If done honestly, a couple will be able to identify shortcomings and faults, not only for their spouse, but for themselves.  Often times, revealing things about themselves that they did not realize.

If all marriages were treated with the level of importance and respect as the Church does, the divorce rate would be much lower.  Unfortunately, society treats marriages as a contract that is easily broken.  Add to this the now acceptable practice of having children out of wedlock, same sex marriages, and the killing of the unborn, you can see how the sanctity of marriage and the importance of the family is in danger.  When we allow our values to be attacked and derided by society and we do not stand by them, the domino affect on our lives is devastating.  The family is the linchpin that holds society together and marriage is the cotter pin.  If we continue to allow marriage and the family to be attacked and weakened, we dare not be surprised when our society has problems.

Those Idol Worshipping Catholics!

What do you say when a non-Catholic accuses you of worshipping idols and false gods?  Do you look at the person wondering where they get that strange idea?  The accusation may be that we, as Catholics, worship dead saints or Mary since we have statues all over our churches.  Yes, Catholic churches are adorned with some very beautiful statues and artwork, but are they there for worship?

The simple answer is...absolutely not.  In the early Church, most people couldn't read, at least not until the Church began educating the masses.  How do you tell the stories of the Church if the people cannot read?  One way is to use pictures and statues to fill the void of story tellers.

 If a grandmother is going into the church with her grandchild during Christmas, what is the easiest way to show that child the story of Jesus' birth?  Go over to the manger and show the people, who they are, how they got to Bethlehem and why.  Is this a form of idolatry or a method of teaching a child about the Son of God?  I bet you will find this form of "idol worship" in many Protestant homes too.



St Michael the Archangel,
Defend us in Battle



By placing this very famous statue in a church, are we encouraged to worship St. Michael, the Archangel?  We are shown how he is the angel who leads God's angelic army and that he will protect us.  We have a prayer to him, not to worship him, but to ask him for protection from the devil.

And what better way to decorate a church than with beautiful stained glass windows that bring the Saints to life and remind us of those who went before us in the Church and are models to live by?  Pictures of saints are no different than putting a poster of your favorite sports hero on the wall, except in the vast majority of cases, the saint is a much better role model.

These forms of art are nothing more than just that, art.  They allow us to remember stories or people from the Bible.  They may show the patron saint of a church.  My particular parish (St Joseph Catholic Church) has this statue out front of it. 



St. Joseph, Builder



It shows St. Joseph as a carpenter, showing Jesus a wooden boat.  We do not worship Joseph just because we have a statue of him.  We do honor him for the role he played in raising Jesus.  This statue makes it easy to tell a young child about Joseph and his role in Jesus' life and in our Church.

So next time you are accused of worshipping false gods because, as a Catholic, we have statues and pictures in our churches and homes, simply explain to the person the benefits of those items and how they offer us a method of teaching and being reminded of our rich faith.  The key is, educate, do not get defensive.



 

Contraception...the True Teaching

Lately, contraception has been forefront in the news.  Not only because of the Health and Human Services Mandate, backed by President Obama; but also because it has taken a front seat in the Republican Presidential Candidates' debates.

The Catholic Church has once again been under fire as being against women's health care, anti-choice, and stuck in the dark ages.  Feminist organizations have attacked it for its hard stance against contraception and abortion, and have questioned how a bunch of old men can sit there and make decisions for women.

The truth is, it isn't those "old men" making the decisions.  In order to understand that statement you need to be able to accept that the Church is following teachings from Jesus Christ since the time he created the Church.  The Church stands by it's teaching that nothing should stand in the way of the possibility of having a child every time the husband and wife have sexual relations.  The reason God made us male and female was so that the parts went together and life is created.  If you try to use the same parts, no baby can be had.  I heard a statistic once that said that if all the people alive today were homosexual, in three generations mankind would vanish from the face of the earth.

As time has gone by, I have heard an even better way to explain why contraception should not be used.  When a man and woman marry, they commit to each other 100%.  In sickness and in health, richer and poorer, etc., but 100% nonetheless.  If you now use contraception, you are no longer giving yourself to each other 100%.  You are now keeping a part of yourself away from your spouse.  What most of secular society fails to realize is that the Catholic Church places a very high honor on the sacrament of Marriage.  It is not just a contract, something we conveniently do so that we can share medical costs or get tax breaks.  That is what a civil union is for.  Marriage is two people becoming one...forever.  You cannot become one, share in each other in the richest of ways, if you have placed a barrier between you.

I will cover marriage and divorce in another blog...it deserves much more time than this.

So what about all the arguments for contraception?  You know, the rather weak excuses given to allow promiscuity between unmarried couples...and selfishness between married couples.  This statement is a bit judgemental, but often the truth hurts.  The pill and other devices have allowed unmarried people to have carefree sex with little fear of repercussions.  It has caused a huge drop in morality in our society.  We now see an increase in premarital sex, infidelity, and numerous other issues.  Married couples place their wants and desires ahead of what God intended marriage to be, the avenue for procreation.  Natural Family Planning can do the same for a married couple as the pill can, with almost the same effectiveness.

One last reason the Church has against the use of contraception is that most of the methods out there today, other than a condom, are abortifacient.  That is, when they do their job, a baby is aborted.  To accept this, you must first agree with the Church's teaching that life begins at conception.  By the way, science has, in the past couple of years, come to agreement with what the Church has taught all along.  That being said, as soon as the egg is fertilized, a new life begins.  The pill, keeps that fertilized egg from implanting in the woman and aborts it.  If it does implant, it starves for lack of nourishment caused by the pill and aborts.  The IUD, sponge, and other methods like those, have much the same effect.  They either stop and kill the sperm, or keep the fertilized egg from implanting.  Basically, every time these methods work as designed, a baby is aborted.  Don't believe me?  Do some research.

The usual defense against what I just wrote is that it is just a clump of cells, it isn't a baby until it implants in the woman.  And then, it is still able to be aborted because it is only a fetus...the term baby seems to make it harder to abort.  Personally, every time I have heard a woman say she is pregnant, she says she is having a baby, not a fetus.

Contraception is not a positive tool in a marriage.  It divides and separates what is supposed to be a union created by God in which his intent for a marriage can be carried out.

It's Not About the Easter Bunny!



Deny yourself and take on more

 Even though I had planned a series of blogs on misconceptions about the Catholic Church, today is special, so I had to write a little bit about Lent.

This is one of my favorite times in the Church calendar.  It is a season that helps us to focus on the upcoming celebration even more than Advent does for Christmas.

As a child, this was not such a favorite time.  Our family gave up popcorn, soda, and candy.  Inevitably, one of my friends at school would offer me some candy and I would either turn it down or take it home and save it until Easter.  We also went to Mass every day of the week.  This part I did not mind so much because I was able to be the Altar Server, which I loved.  I didn't care so much, however, for the Stations of the Cross because it was longer and I had to walk along the Stations with the priest while I held the cross.  I gained a new appreciation for my walk when we had a priest in my high school years who could not walk the Stations himself.  He told me that someone had to walk the Stations or we would not receive the Indulgences.  Now I had a purpose.

As I got older, Lent became a time that was not so much what I was giving up, but what I could do extra.  I tried to read the Bible more, or do a daily Rosary.  Although this was, in my opinion, a good way to follow the Lenten path, it didn't seem like enough.  I justified not giving up anything because I really didn't eat much of the things I was giving up.  This year, I decided to make a significant change.

Lent is meant to be a time of reflection and preparation for Easter.  I shared what Lent was and meant to my family with a reporter.  I learned a lot about the history of Lent.  It is not as much a Biblically based season as it is traditional.  The Church, in it's earliest years, used this time to prepare converts to the faith.  As the years went by, more and more of the Church's members took on the penitential aspect of the season for themselves.  I am thankful that we no longer follow the complete removal of meat from our diets during Lent.  That, to me, would be just too much!  "Fat Tuesday" was originally a way for people, along with neighbors, to get rid of all their meat, dairy, and other food stuffs that had to be refridgerated over the Lenten season.

As I was saying, this year I wanted a significant change.  Along with our family dropping the soda, popcorn, and candy, I also chose a few other things to deny myself.  They are not drastic, but I think they will cause me to think of the season I am in as I make a choice to follow my plan.  As always, I have also chosen to spend more time with God, whether it be in reading the Bible, other religious writings, or in prayer.  I am hoping that this year, Lent can be that nudge I need to make a life-change.  As one of my favorite writers, Matthew Kelley says, "Our lives change, when our habits change".

We Are Called, But Can We Follow?

As Catholic Christians we are called to evangelize, to spread the Good News.  Admittedly, Catholics are not as good at this as our Protestant brethren.  We tend to be uncomfortable about discussing our faith with others, we don't go door-to-door sharing our message of God's love.  You also don't see too many Catholic programs on mainstream television, they are usually broadcast on the Eternal World Television Network (EWTN) or The Catholic Channel on satellite radio.  Why do you think we have such a tough time sharing our Faith? 

I believe the answer is twofold.  First, we have become poorly catechized as a church.  We, as Catholics, know less about our Church and what/why it teaches what it does ,than most atheists.  This leads to and intertwines with, the second.  That is, we find ourselves often defending our Church and what it teaches and believes from an onslaught of secularist thinking and false understandings by other churches and peoples.  I would like to discuss some of the major issues in society today that seem to be the hardest for people to understand, and difficult for most Catholics to explain because they just don't know. 

Over the next couple of blogs, I will lay down an explanation for these, to the average Protestant, as I have had them explained to me and learned through my own continued education in the Faith.  The topics will offer my best understanding on them, and what I go by when I explain to others.  They are:  contraception, Mary's place in the church, Confession, marriage (maybe mixed with contraception)/divorce, statues (idolatry), and the three parts of where our beliefs come from; The Majesterium, the Bible, and tradition.

Mary

Many Protestants misunderstand the position of honor the Catholic Church gives to Mary, the Mother of God.  They falsely believe that Catholics worship Mary and place her on an equal footing with God.  This is absolutely not true.  Yes, there is a prayer called The Hail Mary which we say a lot, especially if you say the Rosary regularly.  There is an important line in this prayer which, by the way, is taken from the Bible (Luke 1:42).  It says, "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners...".  Note the request for prayers.  We are not praying to her as we would to God, we are asking her to intercede for us.  Now the arrow flies, that we don't need to have her pray for us, or the saints for that matter.  We can pray right to God!  Absolutely, you sure can.  But I pose this question then.  If there is no need to go to others, then why do people ask for "travel mercies", or please pray that my father gets better, or ask us to pray for them for any number of reasons?  If Jesus will listen to anyone, wouldn't he listen to his own mother?  We Catholics call on what we call, The Communion of Saints to help us in times of need.  That is why you will hear Catholics pray to saints for different reasons...asking for their help.

Here is a simple example that shows how our request for intercession from Mary works.  I had discontinued my son's allowance due to a lack of work performed.  After a while, he went to my wife to see if she would talk to me about getting his allowance back.  Why didn't he just go to me?  Why ask her?  He thought maybe she could sway me a little bit better than he could.  He needed her to intercede for him.

Mary is given the honor due her by her position in life.  As the Mother of God, she deserves to be revered and honored, not worshipped.  If a Catholic never said a Hail Mary his entire life...it would be OK.  It doesn't make him a bad Catholic.  Mary is given the honor we should all give to our mother's.

Next time I will take a look at statues and art and the misconceptions behind the Church's use of them.

Oil and Water Can Mix



God is a fixed point. As we grow closer to
God, we grow closer together.

 During our recent wedding in the Catholic Church, my wife and I had chosen a reading from the Book of Tobit...Tobit 8:4-8 to be exact.

This is where Tobiah told his wife, Sarah, to get up out of bed and pray with him.  We chose this reading for our wedding because we have always prayed together and we thought it fit us.  We had told our priest about our prayer life, so when he came to the sermon during the wedding, he focused on this reading.

He told us of how if you were to take a bottle and fill it half full of water and then fill the other half with oil, the two would remain separated.  If you shook the bottle, the oil and water would mix together temporarily, but if you let it rest, the two parts would once again separate.  But if you added a few drops of glycerin, the water and oil would join together and become the same liquid.  Three liquids become one.

God is the glycerin in a marriage.  Without him, a man and a woman are like oil and water.  They never truly come together in the most intimate way.  Add God into the marriage, and the man and the woman will form a bond together that truly cannot be broken by any man.  Three people become one.

It felt good to hear the priest say that he truly believed this marriage would be a strong one...because it was being held together by God.

If your marriage is in need of some glycerin...it is free and plentiful...you only need to ask for some.

I Saw God Today...and Ignored Him

We are constantly told that we should look for God in everyone, everywhere, and in everything.  Recently, God showed up in my life, and even though I had heard the sermon about serving others just a short time prior, I missed my chance.

When Selena and I had gone up to Philadelphia for a presentation, we ran across a guy in a wheelchair who asked us for a couple dollars.  I told him I would give him some money if he could tell me where to find the best cheese steak sandwich.  He told us where to go and as we got a few blocks down the road, it was like a lightning bolt hit me.  I asked Selena, "Why didn't we just ask him to show us where to get one and then buy him a meal"?  I completely blew my opportunity to treat that man like one of God's children.  I saw God...but not until he had already left me.

Again, more recently, while we were in a Barnes & Noble having some coffee, a man came through the Starbucks area and was asking people for change.  My first reaction...how inappropriate for someone to be panhandling in here and harassing customers.  Management should do something about it.  When he came to me, I gave him nothing.  Of course, I also had nothing in my pockets to give him, but that is not the point.  I probably would not have anyway, because after all, he had interrupted our coffee to beg for money.  It was not until after he had left the store and Selena and I were talking that we realized that we had once again had a visit from God in our lives...and we had told Him to go away.

This had happened the Sunday of the Gospel reading where Jesus told the people that "whatsoever you did for the least one of my people, you did it for Me".  The least of His people had visited us and instead of asking him if we could buy him some food or a coffee, we sent him on his way with nothing.  After that day, we decided to make a concerted effort to never allow that to happen again.

During this Advent Season, as we prepare for Christ's birth...look for God in the people you meet as you go about your business.  Yes, people can be mean and rude this time of year, but God may be the person you talk to after your run-in with the rude shopper.  Don't carry the rudeness over to Him...and maybe offer Him a cup of Pumpkin Spice!

Obama turns his back on Catholics

This story was published in the Washington Post:

By Michael Gerson, Published: November 14

In 2009, the University of Notre Dame set off months of intra-Catholic

controversy by inviting a champion of abortion rights to deliver the

school's commencement address. When the day arrived, President Obama

skillfully deflated the tension. He extended a "presumption of good faith" to his pro-life opponents. Then he promised Catholics that their pro-life convictions would be respected by his administration. "Let's honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion," he said, "and draft a sensible conscience clause, and make sure that all of our health-care policies are grounded not only in sound science but also in clear ethics, as well as respect for the equality of women."

Catholics, eager for reassurance from a leader whom 54 percent of them had supported, were duly reassured. But Obama's statement had the awkward subordinate clauses of a contentious speech-writing process. Qualifications and code words produced a pledge that pledged little.

Now the conscience protections of Catholics are under assault, particularly by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). And Obama's Catholic strategy is in shambles.

Shortly before Obama spoke at Notre Dame, the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts brought suit against the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), seeking to eliminate a grant to programs that aid victims of human trafficking. Because Catholic programs don't refer for abortions, the ACLU alleged that public support amounts to the establishment of religion.

The Obama Justice Department defended the grant in court. But last month, HHS abruptly ended the funding. It did not matter that an independent review board had rated the bishops' program more effective than those of its competitors - or that career HHS employees objected to the politicized handling of the grant. HHS announced it was giving preference to grantees that offer "the full range of legally permissible gynecological and obstetric care." This was described by one official as "standard procedure." So it is now standard procedure in the Obama administration to deny funding to some Catholic programs based solely on their pro-life beliefs.

The process that produced the HHS decision remains murky. The USCCB has

filed a Freedom of Information Act request for more details. But it is

difficult to imagine that HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was not involved in a matter of this much obvious controversy. Sebelius - an outspoken pro-choice Catholic - has a long history of conflict with Catholic authorities.

Broadly applied, the HHS policy would amount to systemic anti-Catholic bias in government programs. And the provocation is one in a series. HHS has drawn conscience protections so narrowly that Catholic colleges,

universities and hospitals - any Catholic institution that employs and

serves non-Catholics - will be required to offer health coverage that

includes contraception and drugs that cause abortion. In global health

grants, new language is appearing that requires the integration of family planning and "reproductive health" services, effectively barring the participation of Catholic institutions. Archbishop Timothy Dolan, president of the USCCB, calls these policies an "assault which now appears to grow at an ever-accelerating pace in ways that most of us could never have imagined."

The main victims of this assault are not bishops but the poor and

vulnerable. USCCB-sponsored human trafficking programs, for example, provide employment assistance, legal services, child care and medical screening. But because case managers won't refer for abortions, HHS would rather see these programs shut down in favor of less effective alternatives. This form of anti-religious extremism counts casualties.

It is also politically incomprehensible. Obama's Catholic outreach is being revealed as a transparent ploy a year before he faces reelection. A portion of the Democratic coalition - including civil libertarians and pro-choice activists - has decided to attack and marginalize Catholic leaders and institutions. And HHS is actively siding against Catholic organizations.

"We are in a war," Sebelius told a recent pro-choice meeting. Opponents of the administration, she said, are trying to "roll back the last 50 years in progress women have made in comprehensive health care in America." This is no longer the "presumption of good faith." It has all the hallmarks of a vendetta.

How will the White House respond? More specifically, how will the Catholic chief of staff and America's first Catholic vice president respond? They gave up their own adherence to Catholic teaching on abortion long ago. But are they really prepared to betray their co-religionists who still hold these beliefs?

Sebelius is becoming a political embarrassment at an inconvenient time. It will be significantly harder for Obama to repeat his appeal to Catholic voters while a part of his administration is at war with Catholic leaders and Catholic belief.

Questions Answered



Anna Grace

 Back in January of this year, my wife came to me with tears in her eyes and said, "I'm pregnant".  Now, why would a woman, who wanted to have a baby with me so badly, have tears in her eyes.  One reason...and one reason only...she knew I didn't really want more children.

I had told her that at my age I really didn't want any more children, that I really just wanted to raise the three boys we had at home and enjoy life.  We were able to do the things we wanted to without too much hassle.  She would tease me about having more children, how we could have a whole bunch and she wouldn't care.  But as I approach retirement from the military, I just didn't think that was a good idea.  My position was...I don't want us to try, but if God says we are going to, then so be it.  Well, God said we were going to have a baby.

So as she tearfully told me we were going to have a baby, there was no hesitation as I hugged her and said, "OK, we are going to have a baby".  Not one thought of getting rid of the child I really didn't want to have.  We were going to have a baby, and the excitement in her eyes was radiant.  Unfortunately, I just couldn't share that excitement.  Even as we found out we were having a girl and began shopping for girlie things, that excitement just didn't show.

As the months went on and we approached the delivery date, I still was not getting real excited.  Selena was getting jitters and had a 3-D ultrasound done so she could get an idea of what our baby girl was going to look like.  I did not want to know, I was getting interested in this baby, but wanted the look of our girl to be a surprise.

Well, delivery day came and as I held my wife's hand on the table as she had her C-section, I heard that little girl cry her first cry and the tears flowed.  I was so very proud of my wife and felt so blessed that God thought I still deserved to be a new daddy.  I leaned into my wife and tearfully told her how very much I loved her.  I was excited!!!

We are now just over two weeks from Anna's arrival.  She has blessed us with a unity that is unlike any other.  She is the most beautiful little girl and so special to me.  I may not have been excited we were having a baby, but I am thrilled we have one.

Today we are in Day 9 of the 40 Days for Life campaign against abortion.  My mind cannot fathom that anyone would kill such a wonderful gift.  God felt I was worthy enough to raise another child for Him.  With Selena as my wife, I can easily get by any questions I had about being too old, too impatient, or not good enough as a father. 

Was I excited nine months ago about a new baby...no.  Am I excited now...not really....I am ecstatic!!!!  I love my life right now.  Everything is going well and I have God to thank for all of it.  He decided that all of my past mistakes did not disqualify me from continuing to receive His blessings.  Selena already wants another one...and honestly, I can't say it would be so bad.

Rediscover Catholicism

Today I began to read the Matthew Kelly book, Rediscover Catholicism.  He offers this book at very reduced prices to churches who wish to give it out to every member.  You can even get 6 free copies yourself for only $18 S&H.  I will post late about what I learn.

This post isn't just about the book, though.  The first few pages do, however, speak to what I saw today in a news story.  A story that honestly made my heart hurt.

It was a story on CNN.com about the Pope's visit to World Youth Day in Spain.  Now, the substance of the story is irrelevant to my writing, for what pained my heart so badly were the comments after the story.  Every one of the comments spewed hatred and insults toward the Pope, the Church, and Christianity in general.

This writing is not a defense of the Catholic Church.  It is not even a defense of Christianity or religion as a whole.  It is an observation about how much people have lost their faith in any kind of religion.  Here is where what I read in Rediscover Catholicism today comes into play.

Matthew Kelly basically states that part of the disenchantment with Christianity today is because people see it as no different than any other establishment.  People want to see truth, integrity, goodness, and love.  People have left the Church or don't bother with religion at all because they don't see the "churchgoers" as being any different than them.  Why should I go to church when all I see is hypocrites?  Now, granted, churches are filled with sinners and hypocrites...that is why they exist.  To help us become better people.  But if we don't become better people, then what good are they? 

Kelly says "Our siblings, parents, and children are sending us this message, as are our friends, neighbors, and colleagues.  They are saying, whispering, crying out, 'Don't tell me--show me!'"  We need to stop talking about our faith and our belief in God and start living that belief.  We need to show people our Christianity by what we do on a daily basis, how we act and treat people.  Words are empty if not followed with actions...sincere actions.

I think that is why whenever there is a story that has anything to do with religion, and especially so the Catholic Church, the comments are simply evil.  I believe that society has heard the Christian churches talk a good talk, but their walk seems to follow a different path.  Ever wonder why Muslims speak of how the Muslim faith teaches peace but no one believes them?  We need to start really following our beliefs if we really believe them.

In the Catholic Church alone, we have politicians who are pro-choice when the Church obviously is not.  We have members of congregations who use birth control, promote homosexuality or other teachings that are not in line with the Church because they don't want to follow those teachings.  Cafeteria Catholics, those who pick and choose the teachings they will follow, set a bad example for society and especially their children.  The same goes for any denomination.  If your church teaches one thing, and you do another, then you are not a good example.

Society has come to view religion as useless because no one follows what they are supposedly "believing" anyway.  It is time to do some soul-searching and decide...what do I believe and then be an example of that belief.

Very Sad Times...

This evening while sitting in my hotel room, I saw a story on Facebook that had been on Huffington Post.  It was in their "Religion" section, a section title that could actually be called the "anti-Catholic" section, and was about Father John Corapi and how on his way out, he had blasted the Catholic Church.  I listened to his press release, and I did not hear him "blast" the Church.  While most of the article was a fairly accurate portrayal of the event, you could see how it was another attempt by the Huffington Post to smear the Catholic Church.

My main reason for posting is not because of the story itself, but because of the comments that were under this story and so many of the stories that have to do with the Catholic Church.  Here is one from this article, it mirrors those from other stories I have read:  "What's sorely needed for the entire Catholic church is a dose of REALITY!!! And the reality is...... the time has come for this despicable church to breather its last gasp!' 

It is so sad to see how the comments about the stories quickly turn into hateful, vicious attacks against the Church itself.  This story was no different.  Father Corapi was called many names and very few remarks were favorable.  Though I do not agree with how he handled the situation, it does not warrant him being attacked.  I am having a hard time understanding why these attacks on the Church happen, many from members of other Christian faiths!  I cannot remember the last time I heard a Catholic attack another denomination.  I understand there is the whole sex abuse scandal, but name one denomination out there that doesn't have a scandal of some sort of their own.   In those, the person is the subject of the abusive comments and it goes away.  For some reason, if the Catholic Church is involved; a priest, nun, deacon, lay person., the attacks go on for a long time, often by the mainstream media with little regard to facts.

As the Church stands against topics it has stood against for many years, abortion, genetic engineering, protection of the Sacrament of Marriage as being between a man and a woman, the names have been flung again.  The Church is only following what it believes to be natural and intended by God.  There is no hatred or bigotry being spewed by the Church, but those people who have waged war against the family would have you think so. 

We truly are at war within our own country.  The very moral fiber of our country is being torn apart by the senseless killing of our own children, interfering with the reproductive process (birth control), and the destruction of the natural family.  Our children are under attack by garbage being sold to them in the form of games and music and television that would have given our grandparents heart attacks.  We have, for some horrible reason, kicked God out of many aspects of our lives, and then have the nerve to wonder why life seems so tough and with so much suffering.  These truly are sad times.

There Is No Christmas without Christ!

Every year we seem to get further and further away from the real meaning of the Christmas Season.  When I was a young child, we used to joke about how quickly the Christmas decorations would come out after Thanksgiving.  This year, I saw Christmas decorations on the shelves of stores BEFORE Halloween!!! 

We seem to have lost sight, almost completely, of this season.  When people talk about Christmas it is Santa Claus and presents.  I read a story today that was talking about Christmas music and not one of the songs mentioned was religious.  They were all about Santa and snow.  Public decorations must now be non-religious, lest they offend someone.  My family will prominently display a manger scene in our front yard.

At my Knights of Columbus meeting last night, Father Bill spoke on keeping Christ in Christmas as much as we can.  He mentioned saying "Merry Christmas" vs. Happy Holidays.  I do that all the time, making it a point to wish the store clerk a Merry Christmas when she offers me a Happy Holidays, only to have her admit to me that she would rather say Merry Christmas but is not allowed to. 

One of my Brother Knights mentioned that on the back of every one of his Christmas cards he affixes a homemade sticker that reminds the receiver to keep Christ in Christmas.  I am going to start doing that this year.

So please, when you are out and about this year, don't let yourself get too wrapped up in the "Holiday Season" so that you forget it is the "Christmas Season" and we are waiting for the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas to you all and may you be blessed each and every day.

Gotta Say It....I Told You So!!!!

Excerpts of an article written by Sam Miller, a prominent Cleveland Jewish businessman - NOT a Catholic.

Why would newspapers carry on a vendetta on one of the most important institutions that we have today in the United States, namely the Catholic Church? Do you know - the Catholic Church educates 2.6 million students everyday at the cost to that Church of 10 billion dollars, and a savings on the other hand to the American taxpayer of 18 billion dollars. The graduates go on to graduate studies at the rate of 92%.
The Church has 230 colleges and universities in the U.S. with an enrollment of 700,000 students.

The Catholic Church has a non-profit hospital system of 637 hospitals, which account for hospital treatment of 1 out of every 5 people – not just Catholics - in the United States today

But the press is vindictive and trying to totally denigrate in every way the Catholic Church in this country. They have blamed the disease of pedophilia on the Catholic Church, which is as irresponsible as blaming adultery on the institution of marriage.

Let me give you some figures that Catholics should know and remember. For example, 12% of the 300 Protestant clergy surveyed admitted to sexual intercourse with a parishioner; 38% acknowledged other inappropriate sexual contact. In a study by the United Methodist Church, 41.8% of clergy women reported unwanted sexual behavior; 17% of laywomen have been sexually harassed. Meanwhile, 1.7% of the Catholic clergy has been found guilty of pedophilia. 10% of the Protestant ministers have been found guilty of pedophilia. This is not a Catholic Problem.

A study of American priests showed that most are happy in the priesthood and find it even better than they had expected, and that most, if given the choice, would choose to be priests again in face of all this obnoxious PR the church has been receiving.

The Catholic Church is bleeding from self-inflicted wounds. The agony that Catholics have felt and suffered is not necessarily the fault of the Church. You have been hurt by a small number of wayward priests that have probably been totally weeded out by now.

Walk with your shoulders high and you head higher. Be a proud member of the most important non-governmental agency in the United States. Then remember what Jeremiah said: ‘Stand by the roads, and look and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is and walk in it, and find rest for your souls’. Be proud to speak up for your faith with pride and reverence and learn what your Church does for all other religions. Be proud that you’re a Catholic.

Use Your Catholic Vote!

Tomorrow is election day.  As an American, you are blessed with the opportunity to choose freely, those who would lead our country.  As a Catholic, you are hopefully voting to protect life, from conception to natural death.  Please take advantage of that right which so many of our forefathers fought and died for.  Don't allow those politicians to remain in office who do not respect the rights of the unborn, the infirmed, the poor and downtrodden, or protect the sanctity of marriage.  Those who would keep religion as far out of the mind of people as possible should not be allowed to remain in office.  No matter your political affiliation, your leaning left or right, make your voice heard.    Get out and vote!!