Reverence

This morning at mass something else donned on me. As I knelt after communion, for whatever reason, the immensity of what I had just done struck me in a special way. I had held JESUS in my hand! God took the form of bread and I held Him, if only for a moment.
Lots of people say stuff like, "I'll never wash this hand again" after some trivial event like shaking hands with someone famous or a pretty girl. But this was SO MUCH GREATER! And yet I know so many people think nothing of it. Its just another Sunday and they seem so blinded to the greatness of what happened.

Capitalizing on Divinity

So this hit me today at mass. Why do we no longer capitalize things referring to the divine. When referring to God and using a pro-noun why don't we capitalize that anymore?
Instead of "...He gave His only begotten Son..." why have we started downgrading to he, his, son?
I for one make a sconscious effort to capitalize that which refers to divine persons.
You would think that at least the Bible would give the proper defference, but you would be mistaken. He's lower-cased in the missals and song books too.

What happened?

The Catholic Caveman has a great post on military recruiting. Among the things he says is that the commercial almost seem to promise sf jobs and of course few of those qualified make it through the training. And loading groceries in your car doesn't make you an Air Force payload specialist.
But I think the worst of the recruiting tactics is the "Army of One" slogan. How can they actually use such an individualistic slogan for a job that is all about teamwork.
Just like there is no I in team, there is no I in the Army.

There seem to be two conflicting movementst here. There is the group claiming Josama bin Wilsey is a menace. The other group says "Look at that smile. He's too nice to be a terrorist." Then those liberals shout, "Free Wilsey".

Patron Saint for Handgunners?

There's a movement to get a patron saint for hangunners. The man they are rooting for is St Gabriel Possenti.
According to the St Gabriel Possenti Society, the saint left his monastery, stole two pistols from Garibaldi's troops and was able to chase them out of town, a pistol in each hand. Its like something from a Western.
I think its a great idea. Lots of people don't like it because they feel it doesn't respect human life.
For one thing, a lot of people use handguns for sport only. The other thing is that even when used in a lethal situation, if it is done for self-defense or defense of others (like policemen do), then it still respects human life.

Douay Rheims Bible

So for those of you who think the NASB is anathema and long for the days of decent translations such as Douay Rheims, you're in luck. The Douay Rheims translation is now online.

quote for the day

Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:13, Douay Rheims Translation

Fr. Emil Kapaun

Fr Emil Kapaun was a Catholic chaplain during WWII and the Korean War. He is also on a road to possible sainthood.
He was captured during the Korean War and led his soldiers to resist the propaganda efforts of the commies as well as keep up their spirits and help them live their faith. For his trouble, the Communist Chinese forces holding him captive took him to a "hospital" when he got sick. In reality they left him to die in a shack separated from the soldiers he loved so much.
You can read about him here or buy the biography, A Shepherd in Combat Boots.

Now something more lighthearted

Ya, that last post was heavy. I have some time and I want to put something lighter.
Upload a picture on this site and you can shoot it up in an online shooting range. Its pretty neat and you can do it as many times as you can afford internet time.
What can I say? I just like shooting stuff.

This bugs me and I feel that I should rant about it. Ok, so people are always telling me how the Cold War is over because we beat the Soviets, but is it really? Yes, the Soviet Evil Empire collapsed and Eastern Europe also threw Marxism out. However, well over a billion people still live under Marxist regimes around the world, including one right off our shores. Our government is doing their best in the diplomatic/propaganda realm, but I digress. Venezuela is a MAJOR supplier of oil to the US and their president has openly called himself a Maoist and allied himself with the likes of Cuba and Communist China. Even if they aren't ruled by commies there are millions more who suffer from Marxist insurgencies. Millions more in Taiwan constantly face the menace of an invasion by Communist forces. We are still officially at war with North Korea, who I don't need to tell you is threatening us with nukes.
Is it really over?

thought for the day

Regard not much who is with thee, nor who is against thee, but be this thy greatest study that God may be with thee.

The Imitation of Christ, Book 2, Number 2

Search the web for charity

So I found this search engine a while back that donates a penny to a non-profit org of your choice. Its called Goodsearch. $0.01 doesn't sound like much, but I imagine it adds up if several people pitch in for a group. Of course these sort of things always attract groups like Planned Parenthood, who use the money for their misguided sense of good. But you choose the org, so the money only goes to them if you really want to support that kind of low life. Right now I have it set to Catholic Answers.

Beer belly

Remember empathy bellies? They were supposed to help men understand what it was like to be pregnant.
Now there is the beer belly. Similar idea but the beer belly is full of beer and you wear it under your clothes so you can sneak drinks into sports games or movie theaters.
Who thinks this stuff up?
Thanks to CletusHuckleberry.com for pointing this out.

WWJD?

That's right, "What would Jesus drive?"
From the site:
One theory is that Jesus would tool around in an old Plymouth because the Bible says,
"God drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden in a Fury."...
Meanwhile, Moses rode an old British motorcycle, as evidenced by a Bible passage declaring that
"the roar of Moses' Triumph is heard in the hills."...
And, following the Master's lead, the Apostles car-pooled in a Honda
"The Apostles were all in one Accord."...
I think it must have been made by a Protestant because he forgot to mention Mary's Fiat.

Aid to the Church in Need

So sometime in my internet surfing I came across a group called Aid to the Church in Need. They have offices in 120 nations. I don't how many they actually work in.
They do stuff like help pay seminary cost in the third world, build Churches in India and Africa, give Bibles, etc.

Satan's letter

Spiritual Warfare posted an open letter from Satan to non-practicing Christians. It seems a kind of clever continuation of CS Lewis's idea in the Screwtape Letters. Anyways, its an interesting and inspiring read. I highly recommend it.
The Spiritual War is like any other war, it would be a lot for the soldiers fighting it to simply desert, go home and do their own thing. However, there are always those dedicated to the fight and all of us need to be reminded now and again of our duty as Christian to continue the struggle within our selves and with the forces of the world trying in vain to undue what Christ has wrought.

quote of the day

If you would remember the presence of your guardian angel and those of your neighbors, you would avoid many of the foolish things you let slip into your conversation.

Jose Maria Escriva, The Way, 564

NASA Roadkill program

NASA is starting a new program to remove roadkill from the Kennedy Space Center to hopefully prevent collisions involving the shuttle and vultures.
They even set up a hotline for people to report roadkill locations.

NASA Roadkill

Blog discovery

I discovered (well I am sure it has been discovered before, but its new to me) a blog called The Lair of the Catholic Caveman. I found the name instantly appealing, being a fellow knuckle-dragger, and the alliteration is neat too.
I don't agree with all of his expressions (ie Judas Iscariot Fan Club and Circle Jerk Repertory otherwise known as the USCCB). We may not agree with our bishops but for crying out loud they are still ordained men of God.
However, its like the blog says: "The car crash of blogs. You don't want to but you just can't help but look"
Aside the occasional crash comment it is a GREAT blog and I am going to put a link on the right and continue to enjoy my fellow knuckle-draggers' blog.

Planned (Klanned?) Parenthood

So in my hours cruising through the net I came across this "Death Roe" Site. It was about how thankful the people of my generation (now in our teens and twenties) should feel because our parents didn't decide to about us as part of the one-third of our generation that was aborted. That site was light and had lots of happy faces, in general somewhat uplifting despite the dark overtones of its message.
It had a link though to this site called Klanned Parenthood. The icon for it was a guy in klan hood and doctor's white overcoat with a chainsaw that dripped blood. The site is dark with bright red everywhere. Its very graphic. Anyways there main point is that abortion has had an especially bad effect on the African American community. As many black children are aborted as are born for instance. They could tone down the polemics, but it presented Planned Parenthood and the pro-abortion movement in a light that hadn't thought of before.
I didn't look at all the abortion pictures they have cause I am a wuss and it would just break my heart to see those poor children.

I saw this and just knew that I had to tell the world

Has anyone ever asked you that question: Why does Hawaii have interstates? I know that I like to ask it every now and again. Its ironic and seemingly a non sequitur right? After all the name interstate implies that it links two or more states.
Guess what? There is a website (I think it's setup by Hawaii DOT) that explains this quandry. Why or how I find these things, please don't ask.
Apparently the Hawaii interstate system springs from the need to move military personnel and materiel around the many installations on Oahu. They built a fourth one for the increased needs of the Vietnam War, but it wasn't finished until more than 20 years after. LOL

Has it struck anyone else as ironic how the more totalitarian a government is the democratic a name it has?
For instance:

• Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly known as Zaire)
• Democratic People's Republic of Korea
• People's Republic of China
• Lao People's Democratic Republic

The first is just another banana republic dictator all the other are Marxist regimes. It just strikes me as how they can openly repress the human rights and civil liberities of their people, but they have to have a name to show how "free" their nation is.
Some day though, He will return to establish justice everywhere forever. Marana tha!

Thought for today

So I was thinking about what to post next. A lot of sites have a quote of the day, so I busted out my handy dandy copy of The Imitation of Christ.

Here's today's spiritual quote: Try to bear patiently with the defects and infirmities of others, whatever they may be, because you also have many a fault that others must endure. Book 1 Number 16

Big bang

I'm sure someone has thought of this before, but I think science can only give some of the answers. For instance, science says that the universe was created in a big bang, but where did the material for this bang come from? Who or what causes the bang? Or what drew the matter together to explode?
I always just come back to that one point that someone made (I have no idea who): if you found a watch in the woods would you assume it just randomly grew there?
The world and the universe have to many moving parts that fit perfectly together for it all to be random chance.
Blessed be the Lord.

Wanted: One Seminarian Terrorist

Vatican Cardinal on Condoms: Error in Reporting, I Don't Have the Authority to Produce a Document

So despite the media frenzy and all the hype from liberal Catholics who wanted a Vatican seal of approval on their use of birth control, the new document they were waiting for was never going to happen. Everyone thought that since that cardinal made the statement calling condoms a lesser evil among married couples when one is infected with HIV, a lot of people seemed to think the Vatican would do a 180 on 2,000 years of teachings. Read the full story here.
The Catholic Church stands firm as the Church built on the Rock, the only Church (at least in the West) to stand firm and denounce birth control.
Also, I noticed that you won't find this information anywhere in the mainstream media. It seems like either they're too ashamed to admit it or they want people to think that the Church has abandonned its age old teaching

So here's another random thought. I know that I have shared this with a lot of people already, but I don't care... I'll say here too.
So Jesus was asleep when the boat was rocking in the storm as they went across the Sea of Galilee. They woke Him up to calm the storm. Did He go right back to sleep?

FREE WILSEY!!!!

Chinese underground bishop released

The Chinese government released a bishop from the underground Catholic Church which still remains faithful to Rome. Apparently, this is the eighth time he had been arrested. Thanks be to God.
from the Catholic News Agency, Cbr

Yellowcake! Josama Enters Arms Race

That's right Josama bin Wilsey has decided to stockpile yellow cake or something like it. Read all about it here.

Jewish and Christian Students Sue College Over Religious Freedom to Oppose Homosexuality

From Lifesite.net:
"Two students are suing their college over tolerance policies that forbid any criticism of homosexuality. The students say their religious freedom is being trampled by the administration."
Full story here.
This is in Atlanta, GA. The school apparently is Georgia Tech. They also got in trouble for protesting the Vagina Monologues according to the story.
Its finally happened: political correctedness has become so pervasive and overbearing that it oppresses everyone who doesn't go along with their agenda.
Besides when did it become the case that college students got in trouble for protesting? That's almost like reprimanding them for having a party with alcohol, it's part of the experience.

Just the first of my random thoughts here

I have a 3 page essay to write before tomorrow afternoon that I just started 10 minutes ago, but there's blogging to done so it will wait.
Jesus told us that to love God and to love our neighbor is the sum of the Law. I think loving your neighbor is definitely the harder one of the two. Loving God is easy: it comes up with all sorts of perks and He doesn't have annoying human habits like letting His dog poo on your lawn or taking the last donut cause He's perfect. Its easy to love perfection.
Loving your neighbor requires looking over all sorts of annoying habits and most of the time for no personal benefit. So why bother?
And then I remember its because we can find Our Lord in our fellow human beings. That's why.

But its just soooo much harder!

So Sahwy

From Catholic Ragemonkey:
"Dear China:
So dreadfully sorry that someone disagreeing with policy in your country was heard on air. It must have been upseting to come to a country where you don't have absolute control over public opinion, citizen's lives, and the economy. If you are willing to overlook this little misunderstanding, we would accept happily any and all products which you mass-produce so that we Americans may buy in bulk.
As a modest proposal for good will between your people and ours, we would like to participate in your society's tactics by arresting and silencing this person. While we want this good will, we'll pass on torture and coersion, unless that will get a better price on manufactured goods.

Yours Truly,
J. Swift.

(In case you didn't catch it, this was intended as satire. Make of it as you will.)"

We should apologoze for our freedom of speech the day they apologize for their human rights abuses, including the attempted suppression of the Church (in other words never!).

So when you think of Marian apparitions where do you think of?
Probably someplace in Europe like Italy, Fatima or Medjugorje (Medjugorje is not Church approved btw).
Ever heard of Vailankanni? The Blessed Virgin appeared there in southern India.

She also appeared in Akita, Japan and Zeitun, Egypt. I always find it so amazing how universal such things are. It just shows so much how Catholicism need not be Eurocentric.

It cracked me up to see Jay Leno make an advertisement for iPod with the Pope!
Thanks to the Curt Jester for pointing this out.

Today is April 25th. Do you know what that means?


That's right National Pro-life T-shirt Day has come again.

Outsourcing pregancy and childbirth

Indian women are agreeing to be pregnant with someone else's child:
Wombs for rent in India
Women are getting paid as surrogate mothers to help Western couples with infertility problems. Is such outsourcing a logical outgrowth of India's fast economic growth or an ethically troubling trend?
from the TheStar.com (full story here)

Its an ethically troubling trend of course. The human body and its organs are not some commodities to be bought, sold, or rented out. Its sick that people pay other people to be pregnant with their child. Why can't they adopt one of the many children already out there who need parents?

Pray a Rosary for an end to Marxism

In the news lately there's been a lot about the recent protests in Nepal, but in the background you have to wonder how much the Maoist rebels are behind it all. It is known that the major political parties have allied themselves with the Maoists. They have also decided to continue their blockade despite the fact that the protests are over. At least the media reports on the Maoists in Nepal and the danger they pose to the Nepalese people. The only other commie insurgency that the media seems to report on is the FARC and on occasion the ELN, both are Colombian groups.
At the same time, commie insurgents in India and the Phillipines go unreported by the Media. They continue to wreak havoc, but the world is blithely unaware.
Everyone tells me that the Cold War is over, but I would point out that well over one billion people still live under Marxist rule. China may have changed its economic system, but a commie government by any other system remains oppressive. Of course lets not forget Vietnam or Laos and nobody has forgotten the North Koreans.
The point of my ranting is that I think we should all pray a rosary for an end to Marxism, branch and root. An end to all political parties including the ones in the West (Italy has the largest outside of a Marxist nation), An end to Marxist rule, An end to Marxist insurgency, Healing from the ill effects they have wrought

Our Lady of Fatima Pray for an end to Marxism

Pope Blog

This blog is all about anything and everything to do with the Pope. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be updated often.

Curt Jester

If you like humor with your Catholicism, I reccomend the Curt Jester.

Catholic Extension

A priest making his way up some 6,000 feet of mountain to get to mass. He makes 80 mile round trips to visit parishioners. It sounds like some exotic foreign mission territory from Maryknoll. Actually, it is in Eastern Oregon. You can read the full story here.
Catholic Extension helps farflung missions in the US. Its really interesting some of the situations they get involved with. Of course, on the more mundane level, they do things like help St Augustine's in Moscow, ID get a new roof.

St Joan of Arc Center

This site is set up by the St Joan of Arc Center, which is dedicated exclusively to the study of all things Joan (one of my favorite saints since forever).

My buddy Joe's blog

My good buddy Joe Wilsey has a blog. Here it is.

FREE WILSEY!

Divine Mercy is no ‘secondary devotion’ but an integral dimension of Christian faith, prayer, says Pope

Divine Mercy isn't just a neat devotion it is an integral part of the Christian faith. The Christian faith is all about the mercy of God. Even the Pope said so yesterday .

Vatican is NOT changing Catholic teaching

Catholic News Agency published an article today that the Catholic Church is not actually changing 2,000 years of tradition despite a cardinal's unfortunate comments. I guess a lot of people actually thought it was going to change.

Welcome

So this is basically a trial posting. Welcome to my blog. I am learning this blogging thing as I go.

50 days after is a reference to Pentecost, where the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles, cause its 50 days after the joyous celebration of Our Lord's Resurrection, Easter.
I am Catholic and an ardent believer in the ancient Church founded by none other than Jesus Christ Himself on the Rock (Peter).