Idaho Catholic Blog

I started a new blog for Catholic bloggers from Idaho. Adrienne from Adrienne's Corner and Anita from V for Victory will also be contributing.

Tagged

Sunny tagged with a meme the other day. Btw, thanks Sunny, I know at least that you read my ramblings.

The rules are:

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
What I was doing 10 years ago: I was finishing freshman/starting sophomore year of high school.

Five things on my To Do List today: (not in any particular order)
1. Take care of Isabella (wife is at work)
2. Unload the dishwasher and reload it
3. Do a load of wash
4. Pay a bill or two
5. Make dinner
Snacks I enjoy:Reeses Pieces, gum, chips (Sunny said this, but I agree)
Things I would do if I were a billionaire:Give 10% to Church. Have a small bookstore. Kick back and relax.
Three of my bad habits:1. Procrastination
2. Lazy (at least I'm honest about it)
3. I'm incredibly messy.(Sunny also said these, but they apply to me too)
Five places I have lived:
1. Idaho
2. Illinois
3. New Mexico
4. Italy
5. Tampa (the list goes on, but there is only room for 5)
Five jobs I’ve had:
1. Laborer (shoveled frozen sawdust)
2. Telemarketer (Yes, I was that call at dinnertime for all of a month)
3. Laborer (this time I cleaned rooftop air conditioners)
4. Seminarian
5. Soldier

I tag whoever wants to be tagged.

Help him become a priest

Hat tip to Byzantine, TX

From his site:

Since my early childhood and at every major signpost of my life, the warm covering maternal presence of the Most Holy Virgin Mary has been constantly felt. Ultimately, I believe God has been calling me to live wholly for Himself, and I also believe this calling will culminate in my eventually becoming a priest. Specifically, a priest for the Basilian Salvatorian Fathers. The Salvatorians are located in Methuen, Massachusetts and are an order whose charisms include: Prayer, Ministering the Holy Sacraments, Parish Missions, Evangelization, Youth Ministry, giving Retreats. They also have a particular charism and role for fostering Christian unity and reconciliation between the two lungs of the universal Church: the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox...I am now set to embark upon the next phase of my vocation, which is to pursue the ministerial priesthood eventually within the confines of Saint Basil’s Seminary in Methuen, MA. I hope to first be able to begin my Novotiate with the Basilian Salvatorians this September. In order for me to accomplish this goal, I need first to alleviate my student loan debt of $72,000, coming from attending an expensive Catholic university for the past 4 years.The dynamic Catholic orthodoxy of Franciscan University of Steubenville was wonderful, but it was also very costly.
Throughout my attendance I was living mostly on student loans and working part time on the side. Now, in order for me to proceed toward the ministerial priesthood unhindered, I must make an all-out effort to become debt-free. I am presently working two jobs, and am trusting in Divine Providence to help fill in the financial gap via the graciousness of holy and generous would-be benefactors that are willing to support my vocation spiritually and even monetarily. I must not allow this temporary financial hurdle to hold me back from fulfilling God’s call on my life. Mother Teresa reportedly once said, “God has a lot of money; you just have to find out whose pocket it’s in.”And this is why I beseech you, my dear friend(s) and would-be benefactor(s) – to not only adopt me prayerfully and spiritually, thus becoming my spiritual sponsor(s), but if you feel God inspiring you to help me monetarily, then it would be a double-blessing for me and for you as well, who would be investing in a holy priest that will forever enfold you and all your needs in his heart, daily masses and prayers...
Please take note, I cannot begin my Novitiate until I am completely debt free by this September of 2008. All $72,000 must be paid off before I set foot into the Novitiate.

Christos Anesti!

Happy Easter everyone!

The Suffering Servant

I have been thinking about the Suffering Servant in Isaiah since today is Good Friday.
Isaiah 53 (emphasis obviously mine):

Who would believe what we have heard? To whom has the arm of the LORD been
revealed? He grew up like a sapling before him, like a shoot from the parched earth; There was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him, nor appearance that would attract us to him. He was spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity, One of those from whom men hide their faces, spurned, and we held him in no esteem. Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured, While we thought of him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins, Upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed. We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; But the LORD laid upon him the guilt of us all. Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth; Like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers, he was silent and opened not his mouth.
Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away, and who would have thought any more of his destiny? When he was cut off from the land of the living, and smitten for the sin of his people, A grave was assigned him among the wicked and a burial place with evildoers, Though he had done no wrong nor spoken any falsehood.
(But the LORD was pleased to crush him in infirmity.) If he gives his life as an offering for sin, he shall see his descendants in a long life, and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him.
Because of his affliction he shall see the light in fullness of days; Through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their
guilt he shall bear. Therefore I will give him his portion among the great, and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty, Because he surrendered himself to death and was counted among the wicked; And he shall take away the sins of many, and win pardon for their offenses.

I can only imagine the agony of the Crucifixion.

Something Not Said by Jesus

I was inspired by PaulCat at Alive and Young so I decided to make my own comic with something Jesus would never say.

Holy Week Catholic Carnival

Marys Aggies is hosting this week's Catholic Carnival.

Catholic Carnival 163

The latest Catholic Carnival is here.

Yes, Virginia there is a Satan

I came across this article at WND.com and this one at New Oxford Review. Both describe the exorcism of an unnamed woman. It was witnessed by multiple people, inlcuding board certified psychiatrist Robert Gallagher, MD.
Clearly this woman was more than disturbed. Disturbed people don't levitate, nor do they have unexplained knowledge of the deaths of other peoples relatives, along with knowledge of how they died. Thye don't speak in languages they have no knowledge of.
This woman did all of these and more. A passage from the WND report:

"The exorcism began on a warm day in June," Gallagher recollects. "Despite the
weather, the room where the rite was being conducted grew distinctly cold.
Later, however, as the entity in Julia began to spout vitriol and make strange
noises, members of the team felt themselves profusely sweating due to a stifling
emanation of heat. The participants all said they found the heat unbearable.

Also this from Dr. Gallagher:

"Sometimes objects around her would fly off the shelves, the rare
phenomenon of psychokinesis known to parapsychologists," reports
Gallagher

Clearly, there was someone else inside than just that woman. Many people insist that such things as demonic possesions don't really happen. The New American Bible I received for Confirmation even went so far as to explain in the footnotes that Jesus really wasn't driving demons out, he was actually curing X disease. How kind of the editors to correct the men who were there and got the info from the horse's mouth, from Truth Himself. Its not as though they are 2,000 years removed from the subject.
I also remember the one time that I watched the Exorcist and the doctors/psychologists told the mother that Catholics still practice the superstition of exorcism, but we keep it quiet because we are ashamed of it. What made The Exorcist so scary was that it was based on a real exorcism. They were able to make it so scary because they based it on the real exorcism of a boy in the US.
Satan is real. Demons are real. Satanic/demonic possessions are REAL. Its not as though the Gospels only mentioned possesions once; they were mentioned multiples times. Jesus even described what happens after a demon is driven out.
Something that is mentioned about the woman is that she was involved with Satanic practices. It seems that she may have opened Pandora's box. I am not going to blame her though, for as it is well known Satan is clever and he is deceiving. It is not her fault that he wishes such harm upon her.

Yes, Virginia there is a Satan. He is real and as St Peter put it, he is prowling like a lion seeking the ruin of your soul.

And may God grant that the unnamed woman be free from demonic possesion so long as she may live. May she be drawn away from the Satanic practices of her past and draw near instead to Him in whom we live, and move and have our being, that living in the light of Truth she may no longer be deceived by the Evil One. Amen.






Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -by the Divine Power of God -cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits, who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.

Companions of Christ

I saw online at Catholic News Agency that a community for diocesan priests has been established in the Archdiocese of Denver. It is called Companions of Christ.
I personally think it is a great idea. The diocesan priesthood, I am sure, is a great life, but I can see how it would easily become lonely. Unlike priests in an order very often these men are alone and, especially in the west, separated from other priests.
They already have a website:
http://www.denvercompanionsofchrist.org/

Isabella's first rosary

Anti Dinoscopus

This blog only has one post so far, but judging from that one post I hope that there are many more to come.

Books of the Bible Puzzle

Hat Tip to Daughter of the King
I googled it and found this site. From the site:

Can you find sixteen (16) books of the Bible in this paragraph?
I once made a remark about the hidden books of the Bible (merely by a fluke). It kept people looking so hard for the facts and for others it was a revelation. Some were in a jam, especially since the name of the books were not capitalized, but the truth finally struck home to numbers of readers. To others it was a real job. We want it to be a most fascinating few moments for you. Yes, there will be some really easy ones to spot. Others may require judges to help them. I will quickly admit it usually takes a minister to find one of them, and there will be loud lamentations when it is found. A little lady says she brews a cup of tea so she can concentrate better. See how well you can compete. Relax now. There really are sixteen names of books in this story.
Give up?
Here's the solution to this books of the Bible puzzle [ click here ]
Bigger challenge
Can you find thirty (30) books of the Bible in this paragraph? Actually, there are 31 if you can find the variant of one Old Testament prophet's name.
There are 30 books of the Bible in this paragraph. Can you find them? This is a most remarkable puzzle. It was found by a gentleman in an airplane seat pocket, on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu, keeping him occupied for hours. He enjoyed it so much, he passed it on to some friends. One friend from Illinois worked on this while fishing from his john boat. Another friend studied it while playing his banjo. Elaine Taylor, a columnist friend, was so intrigued by it she mentioned it in her weekly newspaper column. Another friend judges the job of solving this puzzle so involving, she brews a cup of tea to help her nerves. There will be some names that are really easy to spot. That's a fact. Some people, however, will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the book names are not necessarily capitalized. Truthfully, from answers we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a minister or a scholar to see some of them at the worst. Research has shown that something in our genes is responsible for the difficulty we have in seeing the books in this paragraph. During a recent fund raising event, which featured this puzzle, the Alpha Delta Phi lemonade booth set a new record. The local paper, The Chronicle, surveyed over 200 patrons who reported that this puzzle was one of the most difficult they had ever seen. As Daniel Humana humbly puts it, "The books are all right here in plain view hidden from sight." Those able to find all of them will hear great lamentations from those who have to be shown. One revelation that may help is that books like Timothy and Samuel may occur without their numbers. Also, keep in mind, that punctuation and spaces in the middle are normal. A chipper attitude will help you compete really well against those who claim to know the answers. Remember, there is no need for a mad exodus; there really are 30 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in this paragraph waiting to be found. God Bless.
Give up?
Here's the solution [ click here ]

Parable Meme

This Lent I have been reflecting a lot on the Gospels. I have also been thinking specifically about His parables. With that in mind, I am starting a meme about Jesus' parables.
Heres how it goes:

1. You name your five favorite parables
2. You tag one blogger per parable.
3. It would be nice if you linked back to this post.

My five favorite parables of Jesus:

1. The Prodigal Son
2. The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
3. The Good Samaritan
4. The Pearl of Great Price
5. Lazarus and the Rich Man

I tag Kim, Mark, I.C., Sonny, A Simple Sinner

Slavery is Alive and Well

This, sadly, is just one example of outright slavery in our modern age. It still exists; not only in Yemen, but in Sudan, the US, the EU, everywhere. In the US, the EU and other wealthy nations it is not as baltant. It exists mostly as human trafficking, such as. women smuggled in from poor countries and hidden away, forced to work as prostitutes