Small Seed Lazarus

In John chapter 11 there is the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. We all know the story, and we can all agree that although Lazarus had only a brief part in the Bible, his story has played a huge role in the salvation of many through the years.
It is an example to point to when we contemplate or speak of the resurrection to come when Jesus returns. It is also an undeniable miracle for a dead and actually rotting man to come back from the dead. This miracle caused a great ripple through the years as the Jews who believed because of it testified of the truth to others who told others and so on.
St Augustine compares Lazarus to a non-repentant sinner (numbers 3 and 4) who seems beyond hope, but that Christ can heal and cause repentance when we have given up hope and he is seemingly dead in his/her sin.
Paul calls the Resurrection the cornerstone of our faith and indeed this is more proof of it that we may hold to our belief.


May God bless all who read my ramblings,

Football - Schedule / Results - University of Idaho Athletics Official Site — GoVandals.com

My alma mater, the University of Idaho's, football schedule.
Football - Schedule / Results - University of Idaho Athletics Official Site — GoVandals.com

Date	Opponent	Location	Time (PT)	Results	Media
Thu, Sep 02	North Dakota	Kibbie Dome	6 p.m.		Altitude
Sat, Sep 11	Nebraska	at Lincoln, Neb.	9:30 am PT/11:30 am CT		Nebraska PPV
Sat, Sep 18	UNLV -Vandal Athletics Hall of Fame Weekend - Dads' Weekend - Ag	Kibbie Dome	7:30 p.m.		ESPNU
Sat, Sep 25	Colorado State	at Fort Collins, Colo.	1 p.m. PT/2 p.m. MT
Sat, Oct 02	Western Michigan	at Kalamazoo, Mich.	11 am PT/2 pm ET		WAC Network
Sat, Oct 16	at Louisiana Tech *	at Ruston, La.	1 p.m. PT/3 p.m. CT		ESPN Regional
Sat, Oct 23	New Mexico State - Homecoming *	Kibbie Dome	2 p.m.		SWX, Spokane
Sat, Oct 30	Hawai`i *	at Honolulu, Hawai`i	8:30 pm PT/5:30 pm HT
Sat, Nov 06	Nevada - Military Appreciation Day *	Kibbie Dome	2 p.m.		WAC Network
Fri, Nov 12	Boise State - Governor's Cup *	Kibbie Dome	6 p.m.		ESPN2
Sat, Nov 20	Utah State *	at Logan, Utah	Noon PT/ 1 p.m. MT
Sat, Nov 27	Fresno State *	at Fresno, Calif.	7 p.m.		WAC Network
Sat, Dec 04	San Jose State - University of Idaho Faculty-Staff Appreciation *	Kibbie Dome	2 p.m.		SWX, Spokane

* Conference Games

May God bless all who read my ramblings,

So I was reading this post on American Catholic and I followed the link to Rambo Catholic pictures.
I found this:

I'm not sure what to say about it. Its quite a thing to behold though.

May God bless all who read my ramblings,

Saints and Scripture St Dismas

Sirach 8:5 Do not revile a repentant sinner, remember that we are all guilty.

St Dismas is the classic example of the repentant sinner. St Dismas was the repentant thief crucifying and dying next to Christ. We should not revile him or any other repentant sinners since as Romans has reminded us, "All have fallen short of the glory of God". We are all sinners and all of us have need of repentance. Just remember, but by grace of God go I.
May God bless all who read my ramblings,

Sunday Snippets: A Catholic Carnival

So this week I have decided to join in on the Sunday Snippets Carnival. Its held over at This That and the Other Thing
Sunday was a post on an OT prophecy regarding Mary's perpetual virginity and Dan has asked someone to adopt him/his blog
Monday was a quote from St Hilary on the Eucharist
Tuesday is an excerpt from Unam Sanctam about Luke 22:36-38
Wednesday was a posting of a Tiny Toons music video of Istanbul was Constantinople
Friday had a post on a St Thomas Aquinas quote a thought of the day from Fr. William Doyle, SJ and I joined in the 7 Quick Takes
Saturday was the beginning of my Small Seeds series


May God bless all who read my ramblings,

Small Seed Bartimaeus

Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was a blind man in the Bible who cried out "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!" (Mark 10:46-52, Matthew 20:29-34, Luke 18:35-43) He only appeared in this one incident and it is a brief story. However, despite this small appearance his great act of faith and desire for Jesus' healing has given countless souls inspiration to draw closer to Jesus.
He realizes that no one but Jesus could heal his blindness. Just as Jesus healed physical infirmities, He also heals the soul. We may not be blind in our sight, but more often than not we are blind to something spiritual. Almost all of us realize that there is something we are unable to see. As St Paul put it, "At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known." (1 COR 13:12) Not only that but all of us know our spiritual handicaps, the thorn in our flesh. Blind or not all of us could do to pray as Bartimaeus did for Jesus to heal our weakness and our infirmities, physical and spiritual.
Among those who have been inspired by Bartimaeus is St Josemaria Escriva:

But poor Bartimaeus would not listen to them. He cried out all the more: Son of David, have pity on me. Our Lord, who had heard him right from the beginning, let him persevere in his prayer. He does the same with you. Jesus hears our cries from the very first, but he waits. He wants us to be convinced that we need him. He wants us to beseech him, to persist, like the blind man waiting by the road from Jericho...
And now begins a dialogue with God, a marvelous dialogue that moves us and sets our hearts on fire, for you and I are now Bartimaeus. Christ, who is God, begins to speak and asks, Quid tibi vis faciam? What do you want me to do for you? The blind man answers, Lord, that I may see. (Mk 10:51). How utterly logical! How about yourself, can you really see? Haven’t you too experienced at times what happened to the blind man of Jericho? I can never forget how, when meditating on this passage many years back, and realizing that Jesus was expecting something of me, though I myself did not know what it was, I made up my own aspirations: Lord, what is it you want? What are you asking of me? I had a feeling that he wanted me to take on something new and the cry Rabboni, ut videam, Master, that I may see, moved me to beseech Christ again and again, Lord, whatever it is that you wish, let it be done.

source

May all of us persevere in faith and prayer.

May God bless all who read my ramblings,

7 Quick Takes 3

1. I found out about a female, Iranian, Muslim comedienne. Her name is Tissa Hami and she's actually pretty funny.

2. Thinking on the Transfiguration, I realized that both Moses and Elijah parted bodies of water. Moses of course parted the Red Sea and Elijah parted the Jordan River. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with anything, but I think its an interesting coincidence.
3. I found out this week that as of February 2010 there are 67 minor basilicas in the United States. # 67 is Sacred Heart Basilica in Atlanta. What are the other basilicas? I know of one in Asheville, NC, but where does one find a list of all 67 American minor basilicas?
4. As has happened to many other fathers before me, I have discovered that people remember my cute and adorable daughter's face and name but not mine. I discovered this after Divine Liturgy last weekend.
5. I've started going to the local Melkite Catholic parish in Augusta. I've noticed that in every picture of a Melkite church behind the altar is an icon painted on the wall with Mary offering her Son, Jesus. I really like the connection drawn there between Mary and the Eucharist.
6. Today is the feast day of St Bernard of Clairveaux, Doctor of the Church, but it is also the feast day for St Christopher. No not the one everyone thinks of who ferried people across the river and carried the Christ child across. This St Christopher was martyred in 852 AD in Cordova, Spain along with St Leovigild. Just as a side note, I can't stand it when people who are about 2,000 years removed try to tell me that the original St Christopher never existed.
7. You can check out all the other saints feast days here.

May God bless all who read my ramblings,

How many deceive themselves in thinking sanctity consists in the holy follies of the saints! How many look upon holiness as something beyond their reach or capability, and think that it is to be found only in the performance of extraordinary actions. Satisfied that they have not the strength for great austerities, the time for much prayer, or the courage for painful humiliations, they silence their conscience with the thought that great sanctity is not for them, that they have not been called to be saints. With their eyes fixed on the heroic deeds of the few, they miss the daily little sacrifices God asks them to make; and while waiting for something great to prove their love, they lose the countless little opportunities of sanctification each day bears with it in its bosom.
Fr William Doyle, SJ
source

May God bless all who read my ramblings,

When I think of St Thomas Aquinas, I always think of the dry philosophy/theology in the Summa Theologica and Summa Contra Gentiles. Today I was scanning thru Catholic Patristics and found this icon. After a quick Google search, I found out that the text on the scroll is apparently of his most famous quotes. I guess he's not all brain after all. Not only that, but it has definitely given me something to think over.

May God bless all who read my ramblings,

Finally

The last combat troops left Iraq yesterday.

May God bless all who read my ramblings,

Istanbul was Constantinople

Even old New York was once New Amsterdam




May God bless all who read my ramblings,

Church is growing in Malaysia

Its always encouraging to read articles like this:

Church Growing In Malaysia Despite Muslim Resistance

The Catholic faith is spreading in Malaysia in spite of social pressure from the country’s Muslim majority, the AsiaNews service reports.

Although Malaysia’s constitution guarantees freedom of religion, the Islamic majority exercises considerable control over the country’s society, and Christians are regularly treated as second-class citizens. Last year the nation’s Catholic newspaper was ordered to stop using the word “Allah,” although that is the word commonly used by Christians in reference to God. The newspaper challenged the government’s order, and won a court decision allowing the use of “Allah” in the Catholic publication.

Just over 60% of Malaysia’s 23 million people are Muslims. Christians—predominantly Catholics-- make up 9% of the population


May God bless all who read my ramblings,

Let him sell his coat and buy a sword

I have always pondered on what was going on in Luke 22:36-38 when Christ told them His disciples to get swords and told them it was enough when they showed Him two.

But they said: Nothing. Then said he unto them: But now he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise a scrip; and he that hath not, let him sell his coat, and buy a sword. For I say to you, that this that is written must yet be fulfilled in me: And with the wicked was he reckoned. For the things concerning me have an end. But they said: Lord, behold here are two swords. And he said to them, It is enough.

I read a commentary once that said that Christ really meant the sword of the Spirit, but that explanation never really satisfied me. This morning I happened to read Unam Sanctam. I don't remember the series of events that led me to read it, but a passage in there dealt with this exact passage from Luke:

We are informed by the texts of the gospels that in this Church and in its power are two swords; namely, the spiritual and the temporal. For when the Apostles say: "Behold, here are two swords" [Lk 22:38] that is to say, in the Church, since the Apostles were speaking, the Lord did not reply that there were too many, but sufficient. Certainly the one who denies that the temporal sword is in the power of Peter has not listened well to the word of the Lord commanding: "Put up thy sword into thy scabbard" [Mt 26:52]. Both, therefore, are in the power of the Church, that is to say, the spiritual and the material sword, but the former is to be administered for the Church but the latter by the Church; the former in the hands of the priest; the latter by the hands of kings and soldiers, but at the will and sufferance of the priest. However, one sword ought to be subordinated to the other and temporal authority, subjected to spiritual power. For since the Apostle said: "There is no power except from God and the things that are, are ordained of God" [Rom 13:1-2], but they would not be ordained if one sword were not subordinated to the other and if the inferior one, as it were, were not led upwards by the other.

This explanation makes a lot more sense. Whenever the disciples didn't get what Christ was saying or bungled it He always reproved them, but in this case He didn't tell them they were wrong just that it was enough. Boniface VIII's explanation makes more sense to me, but I could be wrong and they could both be right and fit together in a way I am not able to see.

May God bless all who read my ramblings,

Eucharist and the Incarnation

I have nothing original to post today, so here is some wisdom from one of the Church's great saints:
The manner of our indwelling in Him through the Sacrament of His Body and Blood is evident from the Lord’s own words: This world will see Me no longer but you shall see Me. Because I live you shall live also, for I am in My Father, you are in Me, and I am in you. If it had been a question of a mere unity of will, why should He have given us this explanation of the steps by which it is achieved? He is in the Father by reason of His divine nature, we are in Him by reason of His human birth, and He is in us through the mystery of the Sacraments. This, surely, is what He wished us to believe; this is how He wanted us to understand the perfect unity that is achieved through our Mediator, who lives in the Father while we live in Him, and Who, while living in the Father, lives also in us. This is how we attain to unity with the Father. Christ is in very truth in the Father by his eternal generation; we are in very truth in Christ, and He likewise is in us.

St Hilary, bishop of Poitiers

May God bless all who read my ramblings,

Dan the author of Living Water in an Empty Desert has asked for someone to adopt him and his blog in prayer.
Please, someone out there adopt his blog here. Just leave a comment accepting him as your adopted St blog/St blogger.

Saints and Scripture Assumption

Today is the Feast of the Assumption (or Feast of the Dormition for Eastern Catholics and Orthodox). As such today, I chose a verse that has to do with Mary, but one that I am sure no one has chosen. I read this on Islam and Christianity two years ago and it has stuck with me since:
Ezekiel 44:1 and 2:
Then he brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, facing the east; but it was closed.
He said to me: This gate is to remain closed; it is not to be opened for anyone to enter by it; since the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered by it, it shall remain closed.
While writing this post I see that many others also include 44:3 as part of the prophecy:
Only the prince may sit down in it to eat his meal in the presence of the LORD. He must enter by way of the vestibule of the gate, and leave by the same way.

Mary is the East Gate and no one else besides the Lord, Jesus Christ, has entered because Mary remained a virgin. I am not sure how to eloquently elaborate on this so I will allow Saints Ambrose and Augustine to do so (H/T to Canterbury Tales for the quotes):
"Who is this gate (Ezekiel 44:1-4), if not Mary? Is it not closed because she is a virgin? Mary is the gate through which Christ entered this world, when He was brought forth in the virginal birth and the manner of His birth did not break the seals of virginity." - Saint Ambrose of Milan (ca AD 390)

"It is written (Ezekiel 44, 2): ‘This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall pass through it. Because the Lord the God of Israel hath entered in by it...’ What means this closed gate in the house of the Lord, except that Mary is to be ever inviolate? What does it mean that ‘no man shall pass through it,’ save that Joseph shall not know her? And what is this - ‘The Lord alone enters in and goeth out by it,’ except that the Holy Ghost shall impregnate her, and that the Lord of Angels shall be born of her? And what means this - ‘It shall be shut for evermore,’ but that Mary is a Virgin before His birth, a Virgin in His birth, and a Virgin after His birth." - Saint Augustine (ca AD 430)

I'm not sure if Ezekiel 46:1-3 are also part of the prophecy but that passage seems an appropriate ending:

Thus says the Lord GOD: The gate toward the east of the inner court shall remain closed throughout the six working days, but on the sabbath and on the day of the new moon it shall be open. The prince shall enter from outside by way of the vestibule of the gate and remain standing at the doorpost of the gate; then while the priests offer his holocausts and peace offerings, he shall worship at the threshold of the gate and then leave; the gate shall not be closed until evening. The people of the land shall worship before the LORD at the door of this gate on the Sabbaths and new moons.

May God bless all who read my ramblings,

Small Seed Big Harvest

I saw a quote here:
The Magi set out because of a deep desire which prompted them to leave everything and begin a journey. It was as though they had always been waiting for that star.

Pope Benedict XVI

This quote caused something in me to think of the Magi's story as an metaphor for vocations. They left everything for a calling to follow the star and meet the new King. When Pope Benedict XVI said "It was as though they had always been waiting for that star.", the lightbulb went off and I realized that God calls all of us to do something like the Magi's journey to glorify Him and lead others to Him. How many people over the two millenia since have been inspired by the story or meditated upon it and developed a deeper relationship with Christ.
That got me to thinking about all the minor characters in the Bible and all the Saints who led quiet, unassuming lives, but have been an inspiration to many people and their example and/or writings have led many others into a deeper relationship with Christ. The Magi were minor if you consider how much they are mentioned in the Bible, but they are quite popular so I will use someone else as a better example.
In the Gospels for instance, is the story of Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52), the blind man who called out, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!" so that he might be healed of his blindness. Among the Saints is St Therese de Lisieux who led a quiet life in the cloister, but her writings have led millions around the world into a deeper life in Christ and she is now a Doctor of the Church.
Obviously, the list goes on and I'm sure that you could also name many, many more. This is going to be the beginning of a weekly segment on my blog (at least for as long as I can remember to keep doing it; I can be forgetful). I'm calling it Small Seed Saturday. I got the name from the Gospel of St John 12:24: "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit." There are many Saints and others who have been small seeds planted in the ground who have produced much fruit.
Next week, I'll expound more on Bartimaeus.

May God bless all who read my ramblings,

And now for something Byzantine

I am not sure what the actual name of the song is, but here are the lyrics:
It is truly right to bless you, O Theotokos, ever blessed and most pure, and the Mother of our God. More honorable than the Cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim, without stain you gave birth to God the Word. You are truly Theotokos we magnify you.

Theotokos= Mother of God

May God bless all who read my ramblings,

New Page

I was playing around with Blogger today and discovered the Pages feature. I know that I'm behind the power curve but oh well. I added a page for my "Adopt a Catholic Blog" post that I put up back in 2008. You can see the link for the page in the upper right. Eight people, including myself, adopted a Catholic blog in prayer back then. Please feel free to join in and adopt one now. Please also include a link or a post on your blog, its always good to get the word out to pray for one another.

If you don't see the link its also right here.


May God bless all who read my ramblings,

Saints and Scripture Sunday

Psalm 51:15
Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will speak out your praise.

This verse is said everyday all across the world as part of the liturgy of the hours. I'm not sure which translation is used for the liturgy of the hours, but in English we say "O Lord open my lips and my mouth shall declare your praise." And this is also split between the two choirs.

Through the liturgy of the hours, along with Mass (or Divine Liturgy for the Eastern Churches) the Church never stops praying. Of course there are myriad other forms of prayer such as rosary going on, but at any given moment somewhere in the world two things are happening liturgy of the hours and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The Church never stops praying, we pray continuously.

Formalized prayers of the Church are great way to glorify God and to continuously declare His praises. However, the Lord opens mouths and we often find other ways to speak His glories. The best ways I can think of is evangelization. All the Apostles went off to preach the love and the glory of God. Sts Paul and Peter most come to mind when we think of this, but lets not forget St Thomas who went to India nor Sts James, Matthew, and John whose writings are still used to spread the Gospel and continue the perpetual adoration and worship of God. I could name countless other saints, since of course by their nature saints declare the praises of God.

May God bless all who read my ramblings,

I'd pay to see this

source

May God bless all who read my ramblings,

St Thomas in India

From CNEWA's ONE magazine:

“St. Thomas definitely landed on this very spot,” says Philomena Pappachan, caretaker of a chapel that marks where the doubting apostle arrived in southern India in the year A.D. 52. Located a few feet from the cemented banks of the Periyar River, the chapel is dwarfed by a grove of palm trees and a 30-foot cutout of the saint, who is depicted with a staff and an open book on which “my Lord and my God” is printed in English.

No archaeological evidence exists to substantiate or refute her claim. Yet for nearly two millennia, countless numbers of Christians and Hindus have believed “the holy man” journeyed through Syria, Mesopotamia, Persia and finally India, where Thomas died a martyr’s death in the year 72...

Culled from the communities he founded, Thomas ordained priests and deacons to minister to their spiritual and temporal needs. Eventually, the heirs of St. Thomas became dependent on the Church of the East — an Eastern Syriac church founded by Thomas and centered in the Persian Empire. The catholicos-patriarch of the Church of the East regularly sent bishops to southern India to ordain priests and deacons and regulate ecclesial life.

For more than 1,500 years, India’s Thomas Christians were fully integrated into Indian society. Their liturgical practices reflected their Eastern Syriac ties. Other elements of this tradition — such as the architecture of their churches and their way of remembering the dead — revealed their Hindu cultural heritage.

The arrival of the Portuguese at the close of the 15th century, however, dramatically changed the lives of all Indians. When Vasco da Gama staked his claim for his Catholic king, he found not only tea and spices, but a Christian community that joyfully welcomed the Portuguese as companions in the faith. Sadly, the advent of the Europeans triggered the beginning of division among the sons and daughters of Thomas — who now number more than ten million. Their common Christian faith and their devotion to the doubting apostle bind them ever still.

Read the rest of the article...

May God bless all who read my ramblings,

St Thomas in Indian Churches

I found these pictures in a photo gallery about the influence of St Thomas on Christianity in India. Its quite significant since he was the first to preach the Gospel there in 52 AD. I especially like the picture with St Thomas at the foot of the Crucifix holding up his finger covered in Christ's Blood.





May God bless all who read my ramblings,

Transfiguration as icon of Christian Contemplation

Today is the Feast of the Transfiguration. I don't have anything clever or inspiring to say necessarily, but the late Pope John Paul II did. Here are two excerpts from his Apostolic Letter, Rosarium Virginus Mariae:

“And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun” (Mt 17:2). The Gospel scene of Christ's transfiguration, in which the three Apostles Peter, James and John appear entranced by the beauty of the Redeemer, can be seen as an icon of Christian contemplation. To look upon the face of Christ, to recognize its mystery amid the daily events and the sufferings of his human life, and then to grasp the divine splendor definitively revealed in the Risen Lord, seated in glory at the right hand of the Father: this is the task of every follower of Christ and therefore the task of each one of us. In contemplating Christ's face we become open to receiving the mystery of Trinitarian life, experiencing ever anew the love of the Father and delighting in the joy of the Holy Spirit. Saint Paul's words can then be applied to us: “Beholding the glory of the Lord, we are being changed into his likeness, from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2Cor 3:18).

The mystery of light par excellence is the Transfiguration, traditionally believed to have taken place on Mount Tabor. The glory of the Godhead shines forth from the face of Christ as the Father commands the astonished Apostles to “listen to him” (cf. Lk 9:35 and parallels) and to prepare to experience with him the agony of the Passion, so as to come with him to the joy of the Resurrection and a life transfigured by the Holy Spirit.

The best part I think is where he calls the Transfiguration "an icon of Christian contemplation". The chosen apostles truly had a great revelation of Christ's nature as they beheld him. Also, on His left and right were Moses, the law giver representing how the Law points to Christ, and Elijah, the prophet showing how all the prophecies pointed to Jesus.

May God bless all who read my ramblings,

Great FB quote

"Lord, give us back Kurt Cobain and we'll trade you Justin Bieber"

--Fr Victor from Diocese of Boise



May God bless all who read my ramblings,

Now for something serious/disturbing

This video is hard to watch and not something I would let children watch. Its about human trafficking for purposes of pornography and God's love for Constance (and everyone else) in spite of horrible situations. Its called "Constance" by Mr. J Medeiros.


How many of us could be the young man watching on his laptop? Afraid our wife could find, but just can't seem to help ourselves anyways; cause we're addicted and we don't want to let it go.

May God bless all who read my ramblings,