Mission to Mongolia

Its always encourageing to read about the Catholic Church in former Communist nations. In a way its like reading about the triumph of the Early Christian Church over the Roman Empire.
I found this on asianews.it:

Joseph’s long struggle to build a church in his home town
Zuunmod’s 20 Catholics travel 60 kilometres every Sunday to the capital to attend mass. Now Joseph the carpenter is trying to convince the authorities to grant him and his community a permit to build a church in his home town. In the meantime he talks about his faith.

Ulaanbaatar (AsiaNews/UCAN) – Joseph chose his Catholic name because he does the same work that Jesus' father did, carpentry, but the 35-year-old man from Zuunmod, capital of Töv Aimag or Central Province, 60 kilometres south of Ulaanbaatar, is trying to convince local citizens' councils that Catholics need a church. At the same time he tries to explain what Christianity is all about...
In Zuunmod there are 20 baptised Catholics, half of them between the ages of 16 and 25. Five more community members are preparing for baptism next Easter.

We “always go to mass on Sundays, and there are others who would also like to go,” Joseph told UCA News. But “we do not have permission . . . [to carry out any] religious activity in our town yet.”

Still local Catholics meet once a week to discuss the Bible and pray, but since “we still do not have the permit, we do not speak about it, at all,” Joseph said.

Joseph the carpenter is convinced that Mongolians can easily understand Catholicism because of its similarity with traditional Mongolian values.
For example, the Ten Commandments bring to mind the Ten White Merits and Ten Black Sins that every Mongolian knows.
“I have a friend, an 86-year-old Buddhist monk. He understands many things about Christianity and loves the pope and (the Blessed) Mother Teresa,” he explained.

The Catholic Church is not banned in Mongolia but Catholics must apply to local citizens’ (bag), county (sum) and provincial (aimag) councils for a permit.

“Although it is harder, it is also a good thing,” Joseph said, “because this way people in a village do not see a church as something imposed upon them from above by the government, but have a say in whether they want a church in their village or not.” What is more, “we Catholics can share our faith with them and tell them about ourselves, and eliminate misunderstandings.”

Joseph spoke before the councils in March as part of his permit application. “Last time we passed both lower-level councils, and came up only one vote short in the provincial council. This time we passed the bag citizens' council with 56 of 87 votes in favour of our church. We trust in God and eventually hope to pass all three councils and have a church.”
According to Joseph, councillors who voted against the church gave various arguments, but most were based on lack of knowledge or some bad experience...
As the self-appointed chronicler of the local Catholic community and father of two young children, he is taking notes about everything.
“I always take notes of what is happening, because later our children will read it and see that we worked very hard for our church,” he said.
“When they grow up, the church will be big and strong, all ready for them, but they will have to know how it all came about, how much their parents worked and fought for it.”

They have three other churches, all in Ulan Baatar, including a yurt inspired cathedral. I hope they get a new church. I will keep them in my prayers.

Gondola ride from Venice to Vatican

I found this on ANSA.it:

Man rows gondola to St. Peter's
Gondolier 'tired but happy' after charity voyage
(ANSA) - Rome, September 19 - A Venetian man has rowed his gondola down to Rome to raise money for African children and kids with rare diseases around the world.

"I'm pretty tired but it was worth it," said professional gondolier Vittorio Orlo after his craft was hoisted into pride of place in St.Peter's Square ahead of a Wednesday audience with the pope.

Orlo, 43, took 17 days to steer his craft along the Adriatic coast from Venice before crossing Italy on a network of canals and rivers to the source of the Tiber on the borders between Tuscany and Lazio.

"From then on it was increasingly plain sailing as the river grew to give me an easy passage," Orlo said.

"And of course, there are very few craft on the river these days".

But the veteran gondolier said he had had "a few dodgy moments" while negotiating the choppy waters of the Adriatic.

The gondola is a flat-bottomed boat well-suited to Venice's canals but completely out of its depth in the open sea.

"I don't know what I would have done if the coast guard hadn't been shepherding me along," said the intrepid boatman.

Vatican sources said Orlo's feat was "an extraordinary initiative, an example of rare courage in the best of causes".

Funds raised by the charity will go towards helping poor children in the African country of Togo, as well as funding research at a Venice hospital that specialises in rare pediatric diseases.

Children suffering from some of those ailments were on hand with their families to see Orlo's gondola arrive.

Gibraltar Cathedral

Today I had a visitor to the blog from Gibraltar, so in his or her honor I decided to post a picture of the Gibraltar Cathedral, Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned.

Carnival

Catholic Carnival 137 is up.

More than writings

I read a conversion story a couple of weeks ago. I wish I could find that blog post again, but I really can't remember where I found it. Anyways... in the story, a woman related how she was struck by something her pastor (he was converting and she was talking to him about it) said to her about his reason for becoming a Catholic.
He told her, more or less, that Jesus gave us Himself and not a collection of writings. I gathered that what he meant was that Jesus didn't leave us with the Bible, but rather His body and blood in the Eucharist.
God has put things into writing before (think 10 commandments), but Jesus chose not write anything for His children. The Gospels and the other writings of the New Testament were written by early Christians after the death of Christ. Don't get me wrong. The NT is a great thing and it has been very instrumental in the salvation of countless souls, but Jesus left us with something much more personal and intimate.
At the Last Supper Jesus left us with the gift of His body and blood. Almost everyone of us has heard the question, "Have you accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?". Accepting Him however is just a beginning. Jesus is waiting for us in the Eucharist. In the Eucharist we can accept Jesus with more that just words; we can take in His actual body into our own.
The hosts and wine consecrated at each Mass are part of the same Body that hung on the cross 2000 years ago. Jesus comes to us in a very real and physical way as well as the sanctifying grace. We are nourished body and soul by the Blessed Sacrament. Like a lover Christ waits for us to accept Him and His love.
God is Love and he left the gift of Love at the altar every day waiting, like always, for us to to love and accept Him who loved us first.

Tom Wolter the Chaplain Candidate

I found this story on CatholicMil.org:

Wolter: Marine to Study for priesthood in Diocese, Military

For the first time, the Diocese of Boise is entering into an agreement with the United States Military Archdiocese to educate a man for priesthood who will eventually serve some time as a military chaplain.
Tom Wolter, a Marine helicopter pilot who recently served in Iraq and assisted with humanitarian aid in Liberia, will enroll at Mt. Angel Seminary, St. Benedict, Ore., in January as an Idaho seminarian.
"What the Military Archdiocese does to encourage priests to help out in the military is to offer a co-sponsorship for seminarians," said Wolter, son of George and Margarite Wolter, Sacred Heart Parish, Boise. "The Military Archdiocese helps out with the costs of seminary. Then upon ordination, the individual serves three years in the home diocese and then owes three years back in the military. At the end of that service, the bishop for vocations for the Military Archdiocese and the diocese of origin dialogue to decided where the greatest need is at the time. They develop a working relationship."
Wolter, who attended St. Mary's School, Boise, and graduated from Bishop Kelly High School, Boise, in 1991, attended a year at Gonzaga University, Spokane, and then went on to the U.S. Navel Academy. He graduated in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps. He went on to flight school and has served in a Marine squadron in North Carolina the last five years. He was deployed overseas twice. He has now resigned his commission and is with the Marine Corp Reserves.
While in North Carolina, he made up his mind to pursue priesthood. He contacted the Military Archdiocese and learned about the agreement that could be made with either a diocese or an order. Then he contacted Father Jairo Restrepo, Diocese of Boise vocation director, and Bishop Michael Driscoll.
"They supported everything I've done and encouraged me," he said. "Idaho is where I was raised, so I definitely wanted to come back here to work for our diocese. I've been with the military since 1992 and they have done a great deal for me over the years. I enjoythe lifestyle. I like their structure. I enjoy working with those serving in the military. They are very short on chaplains. Personally, I feel that I would like to return to the military for a time because I understand what those Marines go through and the military structure, and that would be very helpful for a chaplain.
It will take six and a half years for Wolter to complete his seminary training. After ordination, when he returns to the military after three years serving in the Diocese of lloise, he will go in as a Navy chaplain serving the Navy and Marines.
Woiters sees chaplains as a "necessity" is the military.
"Chaplains are much more that just a priest," he said. "They are there as 'force multipliers.' Chaplains offer an ability to assist and aid a commanding officer to be sure his Marines are being taken care of. The chaplains' work enables a unit to be closer and more effective. A good chaplain with a good commanding officer is what we call a 'force multiplier.' Chaplains are able to talk to individuals on a different plane than anyone else in the military. The chaplain can help military personnel work through their personal issues, problems and concerns in a different manner. That is why they are so important."

Tom has actually been a seminarian for a few years. He finished Pre-Theology at Mt Angel and he's now studying Theology at Louvein. He is also a Navy Ensign now, since all Marine Chaplains are actually Navy Chaplains attached to the Marine Corps. I knew him from my time as an Idaho Seminarian. He's a great guy and I look forward to his ordination.

Islamicization

I know that there is a lot of traffic in the blogosphere and media about the Islamicization of Europe. Its not a thought that I relish, however there is a silver lining to the dark cloud.
1. Brings the mission field to us.
Self-explanatory
2. It separates the wheat from the chaff.
Being Christian would no longer be a cavalier matter that people claim out of habit, convention or convenience. It would something special and something dear to be Christian as it is in Communist nations and it was in the Ancient Roman Empire.
3. Great saints always arise to meet such challenges.
Just as the Reformation gave us great saint such as St. Francis de Sales and the Babylonian Captivity gave us St. Catherine of Siena, hard times for the Church always bring great saints to the front. The Church would rise to the challenge and charge forward renewed with the energy of holy men and women.

Poll

I added a poll to the sidebar. In a month I will publish the results, so please participate. If I left out an artist please leave acomment here with the name.

St John the Evangelist Cathedral

Of course it would be wrong to show off Iceland's Cathedral without posting pictures the Cathedral in my home diocese, Boise. I had a good picture of the sanctuary, but I didn't like the Basque liturgical dancing in the picture.
This is St John the Evangelist Cathedral in Boise:

I have been told that the design was based on Notre Dame de Paris.

If the picture went a little more to the left you could see the Treinen House. Its a house of formation for seminarians, mostly for men who need to study English.

Iceland's Cathedral

H/T to Coo-ees from the Cloister

I happened upon their site and saw pictures of Iceland's one and only Cathedral. They went on about the history of the Catholic Church in Iceland and about the history of the Cathedral, but I just wanted to show the pictures. It looks like a cross between Gothic and glacier:


Igot the nighttime picture from wikipedia

Catholic Carnival 136

Every fight is a food fight when you're a cannibal.

all at once

Father Corapi can say 10 rosaries... all at the same time.

The Gospel Advances

From Asia News:

Kathmandu (AsiaNews) – Nepal’s Catholics no longer consider the Monarchy’s impositions on the Jesuits valid, now that the country is a secular State and that the king has lost his power. The bishop of Nepal speaks with AsiaNews about the situation of the Church and its’ initiatives.

The accord dates back to 1951 when the then king, Tribhuwan, invited the Society of Jesus to found the Saint Francis Xavier in Kathmandu, after almost two centuries of anti Christian prohibition. But the king only allowed education, forbidding any form of missionary activity and evangelization. A ban that was always respected by the Jesuits, who in 1984 founded a further three schools in the country. But now Nepal is no longer a Hindu monarchy and royal decrees are no longer law, so Catholics are once again free to carry out any type of activity.

I have always found myself drawn for no apparent reason to Catholic missionary activity in the former Communist nations of Asia.

Colossians 3:17

And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

The Vandals take on WSU tomorrow. I believe in miracles. St Jude pray for us.

Pro-life Search RIP

As I was cruising the internet this morning, I finally found out what happened to Prolifesearch.com from a blog called Mama says...
The author there received an email from one of the founders of the site, from which I shall post excerpts here:

ProLifeSearch website is no more. Here's what happened:
... Sadly, the bottom line is that some of the
web developers we hired for this project left our employ and
changed all of the passwords to the site. This meant that for
months we could not access the site, change the site, or post any
new information on the site...
As we tried to force the new passwords from these developers, the
URL -- http://www.prolifesearch.com -- expired, and it seems some rock and
roll site was all too ready to snatch it up because of all the
traffic we created over the past 2 years.
Legally, the site now belongs to that organization. We have tried,
but we cannot get it back.

Capstone Missions blog

Capstone Missions, an organization based out of Idaho that donates money and labor to an orphanage in Tijuana, now has a blog up and running.
I first heard about them when St. Auggies organized an alternative spring break through these guys.

If I blog it...

As I was listening to the Air1 radio station the other day in my car, I heard the DJ mention a blog called If I blog It They Will Come. The name is taken from the famous catchphrase from the Kevin Costner movie, Field of Dreams: "If you build it they will come."
The raison d'etre for this blog was to get Kevin Costner to view the blog and send in a picture of himself viewing the blog. Well he did it and the first post on the blog has a picture of him by a computer with the blog very prominently seen. Well, what are they going to do now?

Idaho vs Cal Poly

13-20 I-D-A-H-O! IDAHO, IDAHO, GO, GO, GO!

Go Vandals!!!

Its football season again. And again I ask St Jude for his prayers for my beloved alma mater the University of Idaho.
I am a little late, our first game was last week against the USC Trojans. If you know anything about college football you can imagine how it ended and so I will spare everyone the details. And so I finish with the UI fight song:


Came a tribe from the North, brave and bold,
Bearing banners of Silver and Gold;
Tried and true to subdue all their foes!
Vandals! Vandals!

Go, Vandals, go,
Fight on with hearts true and bold.
Foes will fall before your Silver and your Gold
The victory cannot be withheld from thee;
So all bear down for Idaho,
Come on, old Vandals, go!

Nativity of Mary

Today is the Feast of the Nativity of Mary.

Fr Corapi Facts

I have posted on Chuck Norris facts here, but Faith and Country has Father Corapi facts:


Father Corapi does not know where you live, but he knows where you will die (in order to administer Viaticum...duh).

Every time Father Corapi says Mass, an angel gets its wings.

Father Corapi and God once shared a high-five. The wind that was created caused Hurricane Katrina.

Father Corapi, when he was in the military, once shot down an enemy plane by pointing his finger and shouting, "Bang!"

They say lightning never strikes the same place twice. Neither does Father Corapi. He doesn't have to.

"Abortion clinics, pornography stores...I would move my artillery into place and light 'em up! I would totally liquidate them...speaking metaphorically, of course"

The Soldier's Creed states, "surrender is not an option...except when Father Corapi is in town."

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. The only thing fear has to fear is Father Corapi.

Regardless of race, gender, location, or education level... at one point in your life you have underestimated Father Corapi. You will live just long enough to regret this.

"I am ready and willing to destroy my enemies in close and mortal combat."

Father Corapi's statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary wears combat boots.

Father Corapi's Rosary is made of spent .54 caliber bullet shells. No, really.

When Satan goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet to make sure Father Corapi isn't there.

An apple a day does not keep Father Corapi away. Only going to Mass and confession every day keeps Father Corapi away... sometimes.

Stay Alert and Sober

Paulcoholic had a great reflection on today's reading from 1 Thessalonians:

Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us stay alert and sober.

Those who sleep go to sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night.

But since we are of the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet that is hope for salvation.

For God did not destine us for wrath, but to gain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live together with him.

Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, as indeed you do.

Catholic Carnival 135

This week's Catholic Carnival is up here.

Caption Contest

The results are in for the latest Caption Contest over at Ironic Catholic. Its me and KaleJ. Btw, both of us are Idaho bloggers, at least I still consider myself an Idaho blogger even though I am stationed in Fairbanks.

Chuck Norris doesn't dodge bullets, bullets dodge Chuck Norris.

St John the Baptist

From today's Gospel reading:

Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him.

I was really struck as I read through today's Gospel by the last phrase. The inference seems to be that even the wicked and those gone astray are drawn to the Gospel message. Obviously, all of us having been created by God, have within us a desire to draw near to Him. Even Herod who slaughtered the innocent babies and took his brother's wife, even if he didn't quite understand, still was drawn to the Gospel message.

New York City’s school chancellor wants an Islamic public school

Ann Arbor, Aug 28, 2007 / 09:13 am (CNA).- The New York City Department of Education approved a proposal to open a publicly funded Muslim school. The decision, however, is not going by unchallenged.

The Thomas More Law Center announced yesterday that it will represent a group of citizens opposed to the Sept. 4 opening of Khalil Gibran International Academy (KGIA)...

The school will immerse its students in Islamic culture and has three fundamentalist Islamist imams on its Board of Advisors, as well as other promoters with connections to militant Islamic organizations, the Law Center pointed out.

Wow! A publicly funded madrassa! Now, isn't that special?
The New York Department of Education denies it will be a madrassa, but even still it obviously fails the Lemon Test not to mention that under the 14th Amendment if an Islamic school is supported with publich funds any religion should (in theory) be able to have a school supported by tax dollars.
One more excerpt from the article:

The Law Center also noted that New York City School Chancellor, Joel Klein, who is aggressively promoting this Islamic school, also refused to allow two Christian students to display a Nativity Christmas. This is “another example of how political correctness is leading to a malicious double standard when it comes to religious expression in public schools,” said Thompson.

I was going to comment on this paragraph, but I think it speaks for itself about the growing malice toward Christianity in our country.

H/T to Faith and Country, she is 74%

64%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Mingle² - Dating Site

The Catholic Carnival... IMHO

This week's Catholic Carnival is posted at The World... IMHO.

Che compared to Christ??!!

This is another instance of people should think before they comment. You have all the time in the world to think it over before you hit the submit button. Over at Being Frank there was a post by Filia Day about Che T-shirts, which I have posted about before. It was a thoughtful post and I really enjoyed it, however one of the comments left me shaking my head in disbelief.
Mr Sullivan, it seems has not caught on that Communism is bad. He went on to suggest:"Why not reclaim Che’s face by seeing it as a icon of Christ - the good things Che did by Christ working thru him ?"
Let me say at this point that I wish Mr Sullivan well. I pray for him and I am sure that he is a decent well meaning guy, but his comment has provoked within me a need to rant. With that said, we now return to the post/ranting.
As for the atrocities that Che committed in Africa and throughout Latin America he says simply: "But, hey, that’s nothing more than the Jews expected the Mesiah to do to his political enemies (and when he didn’t you can see why they thought he wasn’t really the Messiah). And king David lined up his enemies and systematically executed every third man.
Pot, kettle, black."
Let's not mention that while comparing Che to Christ, Mr Sullivan makes no mention that Christ in all His righteousness never laid a hand on any of His enemies while He walked the Earth. As for King David, I admit I don't have a clever comeback, but that's not to say that it justifies Che's murders in any way.
Che's mission in life was to establish a utopia where men and NOT God become the height of all existance. He and his ilk sought to eliminate the divine from every facet of humanity, though some regimes tried to replace religion with philosophies i.e. Il Juche (N. Korea) and the New Man Philosophy (Che Guevara). Marxism failed of course, not the least of the reasons because men and women pitted their weak, frail humanity against an omniscient, omnipotent God.
Even after Mary's warnings at Fatima, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the Cold War and the countless revelations of atrocities and sundry evils conducted by Communist governments around the world some people seem unable to believe Communist not only does not work, but it is just as evil, if not worse, than the Nazi regimes of Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito. The Black Book of Communism does a great job of revealing the brutality and evil of the world's Marxist governments. So do the recently opened archives in Berlin and Moscow among others.
Worse yet, some people such as Mr Sullivan seem to think Marxist Socialism is somehow similar, even compatible with Christianity (of course most claim that it is because of the theoretical endstate of Communist utopia). I personally don't understand how atheism is compatible with any religion, but the delusion persists to this day.
I understand and indeed I believe that the Communist system described in the Acts of the Apostles is ideal. However, with that said, the Communist system described in the Communist Manifesto is set against the Apostolic Communist system. The Manifesto is very clear (yes, I have read it, unlike many Communists) that 1) revolution is needed to establish Socialist states as a stepping stone to Communism (each according to his needs) and 2) God is a human invention and detrimental to human progress.
The Apostolic system that was Mr Sullivan mentioned and compared to the Marxist ideal system was not established by shedding anyone's blood. And certainly it recognizes that mankind is God's invention and essential to human progress. Not to mention that while Marxism sees Communism as the end state, the Apostolic system realizes that it is only the best possible system on Earth while we await the joy of Jesus' Heavenly Kingdom.
In short Communism is pretty much the Christian ideal perverted. While it may have similarities to Christianity, seeing more than just coincidental similarities can lead you down a dangerous slippery slope that may leave your soul in mortal peril.
As generation upon generation of Christians have discovered over the last 2,000 years Jesus is the only source of eternal joy and happiness, not some political/philosophical system.
St Joseph the Worker pray for us and for an end to Marxism in the few nations where it prevails and in free nations where people believe in its false promises.
Our Lady warned us about 90 years ago, but I guess not everyone got the memo.
I got the picture from Protest Warrior

One foot in the grave

Anita over at V for Victory! just wrote about the possible demise of our neighboorhood Communist, Castro. As she put it:

I frankly am still not convinced that that really is Old Busywhiskers parading around in front of the press, and that he didn't in fact assume room temperature, on the general principle that anytime a Communist regime says anything about anything, it's safest to believe the opposite.

I am also inclined to believe he is dead and that a body double (Saddam style) is standing in for him and making it appear that the Revolution lives.
She also called him Beardo the Weirdo. I wish I were that creative.
Is it bad of me to wish he is indeed deceased? The only bad news there would be if his brother wished to keep a Commie system. And of course there is the continuing reign of Comrade Chavez in Venezuela. He controls our 3rd largest source of oil. If it isn't disturbing to you that he's in our backyard AND he could potentially grind down our economy by denying us oil, then perhaps you need to check if YOU are alive.

Roses from Heaven

Check out the latest and greatest Catholic Carnival here.

Chuck Norris's tears cure cancer. Too bad he's never cried.
Chuck Norris was supposed to have a twin, but the other baby couldn't survive 9 months of roundhouse kicks.

Traditional Catholic Carnival

September 3 is scheduled to be the first edition of the Traditional Catholic Carnival. It will be held over at A Faithful Rebel. The homepage for this brand new Carnival is here.

Mass and Communal Celebration

I have heard the question asked many times. Its always something to the effect of: Why can't I worship God by myself/at home? Why do I have to go to Mass with a bunch of other people?
And I have heard, as well as given, many responses to this question. I read the best one yet, yesterday at Steve Ray's blog.
He linked on his blog to a pdf file where a woman told her revert story. In it she said that a priest told her that she shouldn't think of it so much as having to go to Mass, so much as it is getting to go Mass. That really hit home.
Mass is an obligation, yes. But it is a privilege much more than an obligation. Just like people gather together for concert to hear a good band play, we gather together to be in the presence of Our Lord. We come together because we want to be part of the Heavenly Liturgy of the Mass and able to see and to RECEIVE Jesus Christ truly present in the Eucharist.
Cake, Audioslave, and Newsboys are bands that people enjoy and gather together from all over to see in concert, but surely Jesus is a bigger attraction than any of them could ever hope to become. Sadly, such a big name is very often ignored or even scorned. It is a privilege and a pleasure to go to Mass and sit right in front of Jesus, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.
"Amen, amen I say unto you: Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day."
Gospel of St John 6:54, 55

Athanasius Contra Mundum

I discovered a quote over at Reasoning Repaired that really hit me. Its a quote by the doctor of the Church, St. Athanasius:
"If the world is against truth, then I am against the world."
Not only is it a great quote from any moral standpoint of simply standing up for what is right and just, but the word truth (at least for me) takes this to a much deeper and indeed a theological level.
By "Truth" I think he may have meant Jesus Christ. It seems like Martin Luther's quote: "I can do no other" (except minus the heresy, cause even heresiarchs have great quotable moments). It is the statement of a man who loves God so much that he must continue loving Him in the face of everything and everyone. It is the statement of a man who knows that fulfilment and joy come only from Christ and he is willing to suffer anything to attain it.
It also made me think of that famous Latin phrase: Athanasius Contra Mundo (Athanasius Against the World). He was the salmon swimming upstream; Athanasius stood against impossible odds for the truth that Jesus Christ is true man AND true God, that is of the same substance of God the Father (I used to know the Greek term in the sem, but I forgot.) Despite, exile, mocking and the impossible odds Athanasius won out. Christianity survived the Arian Heresy. Which further proves the validity of the Christian religion, since nothing (not even Arius and his many followers) could cause it to stray from the same truths taught since Jesus walked the Earth.
The truth that Athanasius stood for was affirmed at the Council of Nicea and the Nicene Creed has always been considered the basic definition of what Christians believe. I quoted an English translation of it below (emphasis mine of course):

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in being with the Father. Through Him all things were made. For us men and our salvation He came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit, He was born of the Virgin Mary , and became man. For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day He rose again in fulfillment of the scriptures: He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son, He is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

I really like Get Fuzzy and Bucky is really in fine form today.

Tobias's Prayer

And Tobias said: Lord God of our father, may the heavens and the earth, and the sea, and the fountains, and the rivers, and all thy creatures that are in them, bless thee. 8 Thou madest Adam of the slime of the earth, and gavest him Eve for a helper. 9 And now, Lord, thou knowest, that not for fleshly lust do I take my sister to wife, but only for the love of posterity, in which thy name may be blessed for ever and ever. 10 Sara also said: Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us, and let us grow old both together in health.

Tobias 8:7-10 (Douay Rheims Translation)

Chuck Norris

Before he goes to bed every night, the Bogeyman checks his closet for Chuck Norris.
Chuck Norris doesn't mow his lawn, he dares it to grow.

Assumption

Today is the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. As I looked over the readings before Mass I was struck by the first line of today's reading from Revelation:

"Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple."

The rest of the reading was about a woman standing on the moon, giving birth (Mary). What struck me was that the first line, though seemingly disconnected was also about Mary. She is the Ark of the New Covenant. The verse was talking about seeing her in heaven, very poignant for today.

Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

The latest Catholic Carnival is up at Snoring Scholar.

Sober Catholic and Being Frank

I discovered a new blog today. Its a blog about a subject dear to me, sobriety. The blog is about staying sober. I have never been to an AA meeting but I made the decision, a little over a year ago, to quit drinking. It has made my life easier and eliminated some problems.
The blog is called Sober Catholic. Check it out.
While I was cruising around I discovered a Kiwi Catholic blog. Being Frank is a blog run by twenty something Catholic and it is apparently connected with the national Catholic newspaper in New Zealand. Check it out here.

Pewsitter

I received an email the other day from the people at Pewsitter.com asking me to help put the word out. So here is an excerpt from the email:

Pewsitter.com is a unique Catholic news web site that was launched earlier this year. We are based in the U.S. and the preponderance of news on the site is from the U.S,
we do feature Catholic related news from around the world.
The news on the site comes from two sources. The main source is from the conventional secular and Catholic press. We scour the news every day and put on Pewsitter those stories about the Catholic Church, faith, religion and the important moral and spiritual struggles
of the day.
The second news source is the Catholic lay faithful. The concept behind the site is to enlist an army of "pewsitters" to be the eyes and ears for Pewsitter - hence the name. By submitting newsworthy items to Pewsitter, the laity can help shape and influence the Church and be a powerful force for positive change.
Pewsitter's initial focus will be on the national and international news on its home page. Its mid term objective is it to feature the Catholic news of the day within each of the 189 Catholic dioceses throughout the U.S.

I have seen their site. Right now they don't seem to have any diocesan news going, but they have a GREAT news aggregator.

Prayer to Saint Joseph for Workers

Prayer To Saint Joseph for Workers

Joseph, by the work of your hands
and the sweat of your brow,
you supported Jesus and Mary,
and had the Son of God as your fellow worker.

Teach me to work as you did,
with patience and perseverance, for God and
for those whom God has given me to support.
Teach me to see in my fellow workers
the Christ who desires to be in them,
that I may always be charitable and forbearing
towards all.

Grant me to look upon work
with the eyes of faith,
so that I shall recognize in it
my share in God's own creative activity
and in Christ's work of our redemption,
and so take pride in it.

When it is pleasant and productive,
remind me to give thanks to God for it.
And when it is burdensome,
teach me to offer it to God,
in reparation for my sins
and the sins of the world.

I found the prayer and others here.

Running of the Priest

Denver, Aug 10, 2007 / 10:47 am (CNA).- Almost two months ago, Fr. Robert Whipkey went for a pre-dawn jog at a high school track followed by a walk through downtown, when he was discovered by a police officer on patrol.
Ordinarily, this wouldn’t have been news, however, Fr. Whipkey was jogging in the nude and arrested by the officer for indecent exposure. In response, the Archdiocese of Denver has placed the pastor on administrative leave indefinitely...
The pastor said he runs in the nude because his large size makes him "sweat profusely" if he wears jogging clothes, according to a police report. Whipkey said he'd jogged around the high school track in the predawn darkness because he didn't think anyone would see him at that hour.

So I gotta ask... WTF?

Hat tip to Ironic Catholic

Your Biblical Name Is...

Kaniel Gersham

I have no idea who Kaniel Gersham is and I can't find him in the Bible, but I was curious after I saw it on Ironic Catholic. I wonder what the shark eating the guy is all about?

St Expeditus Prayers

I

Our dear martyr and protector, Saint Expeditus, you who know what is necessary and what is urgently needed.
I beg you to intercede before the Holy Trinity, that by your prayers my request will be granted.
(State your petition) May I receive your blessings and favors.
In the Name of our Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
(Place flowers next to statue of St Expeditus in gratitude when prayer is answered.)

II

I come before you, St Expeditus, to remedy economic problems in my work and in my home and to ask for your powerful support.
Saint Expeditus, protect my income, that I may obtain sufficient money for necessities, and tranquility and joy will reign in my house.
By your grace, blessed saint, I request and I pray that I will achieve my desire.
(State your petition)
And I will give thanks for your glorious intercession. Amen.

TGIF

Church opposes Marxist and totalitarian socialism in Venezuela, says cardinal

Well, I should hope so.
The very best line from the article and it sums it all up:
"He went on, the Church cannot support a system 'that ruined every nation that was a part of Marxist socialism.'"

Funny pages

Calvin and Hobbes used to be my favorite comic strip of all time. However, it lost out went I was in Augusta and I discovered Get Fuzzy through the local paper. I am not sure who is more funny Satchel Pooch or Bucky Katt. I also enjoy the side characters quite a bit, especially Shakespug and Chubby Hugs.
What's you favorite comic strip?

Thy lips are as a scarlet lace: and thy speech sweet. Thy cheeks are as a piece of a pomegranate, besides that which lieth hid within.
Song of Songs 4:3

Catholic Carnival goes to the Fair

The Catholic Carnival is up and titled "Fair Daze" at Snoring Scholar.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola

I was reading on Jimmy Akin's site and a post caught my attention.
Today (July 31) is the feast day of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. I only know just a few things about him. He was a soldier. Hoo-ah! He was wounded in battle against the enemies of Spain (the French I think). While laid up from this wound he experienced a profound conversion. He founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits).
Ignatian spirituality is solid, hardcore stuff, Catholicism at its best. Unfortunately, Jesuits more often than not have a reputation for being just the opposite. I'm sure that's not (entirely) deserved.
Even orders like the Benedictines, who have a good rep, have members with off the wall theology and ideas. For instance, I once prayed the Liturgy of the Hours with a community of Benedictine women. They started the Lord's Prayer: "Our Mother/Our Father who art in heaven..." NO FOOLIN'!
Back to Jimmy's Post...
The post was about today being Saint Ignatius's feast day and the Jesuits have a site where they are gonna have an Internet video series about Ignatian spirituality. The site is www.companionofjesus.com
I look forward to seeing the videos.
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

Captain Catholic, Episode 3

After a short hiatus Captain Catholic has returned for another episode. This time the subject is Catholic teaching on sweatshops. The full length video is here or you can watch the 3 youtube pieces one at a time.
This time Tony even threw in the destruction of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from the original Ghostbusters.
And apparently the Captain Catholic team is working on a feature length film for Captain Catholic before they make Episode 4.

Hodie

I almost didn't go to Church today. For some inexplicable reason I just didn't want to go and I almost stayed at home. At the last minute however, I remember the story of Saint Expeditus. I told myself that I needed Mass and I needed it today. I told myself there was no putting it off. I kept repeating "Hodie" to myself as I drove to Sacred Heart Cathedral. I was there for Mass, every glorious minute of it.
If the Hodie part doesn't make sense then, scroll down to or search for my post on Saint Expeditus.

Ranger Rosary

RangerRosary.com
Hat tip to Adoro Te Devote

Adoro left a comment yesterday on my post, "A Soldier's Best Weapon":

The other day I read an article about a particular rosary, made of knots and a particular type of material, specifically for soldiers.

How great is the need for these rosaries? Do you all need a lot of them? I think the type mentioned were specific for those in Iraq, but of course the need would not be limited to location.

Your thoughts?

And another one:

I actually found the link on my lunch break at work, so if I find it again, I'll send it.

At home, I save the links of interest. I HATE when I find the good stuff and don't email it to myself!

I wanna say it came from SpiritDaily, but I could be wrong.

The picture showed a green knotted rosarym made with parachute cord(?) or the like. It could be hidden, would make no noise, etc.

I will be sure to offer my rosaries for those of you in the service...and if you have any specific requests, please let me know. I have a devotion to OLPH and I write all intentions down and place them on her icons in my house, the better to entrust them to my (your) prayers.

If you don't know OLPH, get to know her quick...she does amazing things.

Little tangent, but not by much....

So I looked it up on google and the first page I came across was the Ranger Rosary project. These Rosaries are made especially for those in the military and made to meet the special needs of our Servicemen and women. From the Ranger Rosary mission statement:

For safety, the rosaries are made from parachute cord, dark beads, and black plastic crucifixes that do not rattle or reflect light. Included with the rosaries are "How to Pray the Rosary" pamphlets, scapulars with pamphlets, Divine Mercy Booklets, and St. Michael the Archangel medals with prayer cards. However, scapulars are only sent to the hospitals and the same with St Michaels medals and prayer cards. It is too expensive to send them with the rosaries. The Chaplains in the hospitals have requested them.

This is a great idea. I had never heard of this before, but I am glad that there are people out there who do this sort of thing. May God bless them.
Directions on how to make these Ranger Rosaries is here and where to get the materials.
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins. Save us from the fires of Hell and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Thine Mercy.

Behold thou art fair, O my love, behold thou art fair, thy eyes are as those of doves.
Song of Songs 1:14 (Douay Rheims)

Saint Expeditus

St Expeditus was a Roman Soldier in Armenia. The Devil came in the form of a crow to convince him to convert and be baptized tomorrow (in Latin tomorrow is "cras"). He stomped the crow and said today ("hodie" in Latin). He was martyred.
Because of the story he is naturally the patron saint against procrastination. I will seek his prayers. He was a soldier and I procrastinate, so he seems to fit perfectly.

Hippie Car Shredded

Check out Hippie Elimination Plan Delta 59 at Orthometer. Even if you like hippie flower cars and stuff its still fun to see a video of a car getting shredded.

Forced to Sell Abortion Pills

Washington is forcing all pharmacists regardless of their religious or moral convictions to sell the "Plan B" pill.

Seattle, Jul 27, 2007 / 08:47 am (CNA).- Pharmacists have sued Washington state over a new regulation that requires them to sell emergency contraception, also known as the "morning-after pill,” because it contains no exception for those who object on the basis of belief or conscience.
In a lawsuit filed in federal court Wednesday, pharmacists Rhonda Mesler and Margo Thelen, and Stormans Inc., said the rule that took effect Thursday violates their civil rights by forcing them into choosing between "their livelihoods and their deeply held religious and moral beliefs."
"The stakes really couldn't be much higher," plaintiffs' attorney Kristen Waggoner said.
Earlier this year, the state ruled that druggists who believe emergency contraceptives are tantamount to abortion cannot stand in the way of a patient's “right” to the drugs.

These patient's can go somewhere else to practice their "right" to kill off their own children. There's nothing to stop them from taking that "right" to another pharmacy.
It is ridiculous that the state of Washington would so blatantly infringe on the pharmacists' freedom of religion. That freedom of religion is explicitly guaranteed by the 1st Amendment and applied to the states through the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, as opposed to a supposed "right" given by an activist court writing its own de facto legislation. It is about time that someone finally challenged state laws forcing pharmacists to sell abortive medication.

Church in the Now

When I was in the seminary a friend of mine joked about Protestant congregations in general as the Church of the Here and Now. He was makeing a joke about the often elastic beliefs of many Protestant groups.
I was just remembering today that when I was in Georgia I saw a sign for a church called the "Church in the Now" and it made me chuckle. I don't know what separates them from other Protestant groups, but I would guess protest to someone's doctrine or that they are non-denominational (which is also a protest and ironically another denomination).
A wise man builds his house on a rock (Petros)...
The Catholic Church is the only church that is all the things that every Christian professes, in the Nicean Creed, that Christ's Church should be. It is ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC, and APOSTOLIC. I'm not saying that we're the only holy church out there, but we are in a very limited group of apostolic churches and we alone can lay claim to oneness. The word catholic (with a little "c") means universal and sadly not all churches meet even that criteria.
Just as Rome is the Eternal City, the Catholic Church is the Eternal Church. The doctrines of Holy Mother Church, just like her Holy Spouse Jesus, are the same yesterday, today, and forever. There is no need or even desire to be in the here and now.

Pope and Chinese Visit

Would or could the pope ever visit China? According to high authority in the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, not until the Vatican breaks ties with Taiwan. So don't count on a papal visit anytime soon.
From the Catholic News Agency:

Beijing, Jul 26, 2007 / 09:41 am (CNA).- The second in command of the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, Mr. Liu Bainian, has said that a visit by the Pope to China requires certain conditions be met first.
Mr. Bainian’s comments came in lieu of an interview that he gave to the Italian daily La Repubblica earlier this week. In that interview he said, “I hope with all my strength to be able to see the pope one day here in Beijing, celebrating Mass for us Chinese." However, he claims that this quote was taken out of context.
Mr. Bainian clarified his remarks by telling the China Daily that before a papal visit can occur, “The Vatican must sever diplomatic relations with Taiwan and stop interfering in China's internal affairs if it wants to normalize ties with Beijing.”
"What I meant was I hoped the Pope could visit China and celebrate Mass but only after normalization of diplomatic ties.”
"If the two issues can be resolved properly, the two sides will have favorable conditions to improve ties."

Congratulations Mr. Bainan, you are officially a tool of the atheistic government of Communist China. It seems that you have been compromised, to say the least, as a clergyman.
Personally, I would like to see the Pope visit Taiwan and South Korea. Maybe in some way his visits could expedite the fall of Communism in East Asia. Pope John Paul II the Great was instrumental in bringing down European Communism. Maybe, Pope Benedict the XVI will play a similar role in Asia.
In the words of Nikita Kruschev: "We will bury you!"

Our Lady of La Vang pray for an end to Communism.
St Andrew Kim pray for an end to Communism.
Fr. Emil Kapaun, Servant of God, pray for an end to Communism.

Fatima and Islam

Father Joe has a great post about Mary and Islam. He copied and pasted an essay from the late, great Bishop Fulton J Sheen.

Litany of the Vietnamese Martyrs

Dominican Idaho just posted a Litany of Vietnamese Martyrs along with a scanned copy of a letter from Bishop Michael Driscoll approving it for use in liturgy.
I thought it was neat that someone went to the trouble of putting together a litany for the growing Vietnamese population in Boise.
Holy Vietnamese Martyrs pray for the end of Communism in Vietnam and around the world.

Pardon me, Lord. Pardon me for my lack of delicacy towards You and for my exceedingly great pride, which manifests itself even in the most sacredt things.
Covered with shame and confusion, I undertake O my Jesus! to sin no more. At Your Feet in the Sacrament of Penance, I, a penitent sinner, will humbly implore your infinite mercy.
--Concepcion Cabrera De Armida, lovingly known as Conchita

King of Poland

Apparently there are Polish lawmakers trying to have Jesus declared King of Poland.

A group of Polish members of parliament have submitted a bill seeking to proclaim Jesus Christ king of their overwhelmingly Catholic country.

Forty-six deputies - 10% of the lower house - signed the bill, which was tabled earlier this week, reports say.

Some Polish clerics however have criticised the move as unnecessary.

If the bill becomes law, Jesus will follow the path of the Virgin Mary, who was declared honorary queen of Poland by King John Casimir 350 years ago.

It may be unnecessary since He is already King of Poland and all the rest of Creation but it would still be great if Poland publicly acknowledged Him as King.

Stolen Collection Receipts

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette has a story about someone breaking into Mt Lebanon Parish in Pittsburgh and making off with the collection money from Sunday.

Collection receipts stolen from Mt. Lebanon church

Thursday, July 12, 2007
By Laura Pace, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Sometime between 12:30 p.m. Sunday and 8:30 a.m. Monday, someone stole the weekend collection receipts from St. Bernard Roman Catholic Church in Mt. Lebanon.

Mt. Lebanon Police do not have an amount taken. Lt. Ken Truver said there was no sign of forced entry and police have no suspects. The investigation is continuing.

And from the Pittsburgh Tribune:

Collection bag pilfered from Mt. Lebanon church
By Craig Smith
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, July 13, 2007

Sometime between 12:30 p.m. Sunday and 8:30 a.m. Monday, someone stole the weekend collection receipts from St. Bernard Roman Catholic Church in Mt. Lebanon.

Mt. Lebanon Police do not have an amount taken. Lt. Ken Truver said there was no sign of forced entry and police have no suspects. The investigation is continuing.
These kinds of thefts are not common, church officials and police said.

"They are rare in the diocese," said the Rev. Ron Lengwin, spokesman for the Pittsburgh diocese.

Driesch, the church's pastor, could not be reached for comment. A man who would not give his name, but identified himself as the church office manager, said Driesch was out of town until today.

About 3,000 people attend the six Masses held each Sunday in the church that was founded in 1919, church officials said.

Truver would not say how much money was missing or if video surveillance cameras were in use.

In February, St. Mary's in Cecil was burglarized, Lengwin said.

Nothing was taken, and no one was apprehended, said Mary Ann Bills, parish secretary. Collection monies at St. Mary's are deposited immediately following the Mass.

St. Bernard Parish was founded to serve the communities of Dormont and Mt. Lebanon and includes 10,000 members, its Web site said.

Anyone with information about the theft can call Mt. Lebanon police investigators at 412-343-4095.

Vatican Site

H/T to American Papist
The Vatican now has a website for the government of Vatican City. From Catholic News Agency:

Vatican City, Jul 19, 2007 / 09:00 am (CNA).- The Vatican City State has ventured forth into the digital world today by launching a sharply designed Internet portal. The new site (www.vaticanstate.va) comes as a response to the ever increasing number of requests by pilgrims and tourists for information about the world’s smallest city state.

Now if we could just get the Pope to start a blog...

Book Reviews and a Catholic Carnival

The latest and greatest Catholic Carnival is posted at Book Reviews and More. I'll have to look through some and I'll post on the submissions that stand out to me.

Catholicandgop posted my 5 Reasons meme. I am just honored that someone reads my ramblings! Thanks catholicandgop!
btw I also really like the Die Hard movies.

The Good Samaritan

It was explained to me at one point that the story of the Good Samaritan is also a story about mankind and God. Jesus is the Samaritan and that symbolizes our self-imposed alienation from Him. He pours oil and wine on the wounds of the man laying in the road, just as oil and wine are used to heal our spiritual wounds in the sacraments. The inn is the Church where we rest and the innkeeper is Peter and his successors. I realized how well this part fits when I stopped and thought about how the Samaritan charged the innkeeper to care for the beaten man, just as Jesus charged Peter to care for His "lambs" at the end of St John's Gospel.

Five Reasons Meme

The Ironic Catholic tagged "the rest of God's frozen people" for the Five Reasons you love Jesus meme. Fairbanks definitely qualifies. I've got more than 5, but these are the top reasons.

1. He died for our sins. I'm sure this is cliche and everyone else's number 1, but it deserves to be no other place. It's HUGE that God should submit Himself to death as a common criminal, and all for the forgiveness of our sins when we don't deserve it at all.
2. God is love. Its hard NOT to love a person who is Love itself.
   
3. He gave us His body, blood, soul and divinity in the Holy Eucharist. He told us that He would be with us until the end of time and He has been true to His word. As the song "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" says, "He wil give to all the faithful His own Self for Heavenly Food".
   
4. He condescended to Human form. Its not enough that He understands Humanity because He created us, He became one of us and shared in everything Human except sin (although he shared in temptation).
5. He brings peace into my life. At different times I have tried to be at peace by different means, such as alcohol, food, people, ideas, or things. Nothing brings peace and joy into my life the way that Jesus does.

I peeked at some of the other responses. Mine is less emotional and more intellectual. If you know me that's no surprise. I would like to mention #5 from Vito at "Long Road to Priesthood": Because sometimes you have to yell and flip some tables to get your point across.

I tag anyone who reads this and feels moved to respond.
Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord!

Another Martyr Joins the Church Triumphant

An underground Christian in North Korea is set to be executed for his Christian belief. From the Catholic News Agency

For more than a year, Son Jong Nam, a former army officer turned underground evangelist, has been beaten, tortured and held in a bleak, North Korean death row basement jail in the capital city. He has been sentenced to public execution as an example to the North Korean people.

But executing him will hardly put an end to Christianity in North Korea, which actually had the larger Christian population of the Koreas before Communist forces took over. Now, despite the Communists's intentions Son Jong Nam will enter into Heaven and his eternal prayers before the Lord of Hosts will serve to hasten the end of Communism in North Korea and elsewhere around the world.
St Andrew Kim and all other Korean martyrs, pray for an end to communism.

A Soldier's Best Weapon

The Army has lots of weapons: rifles, howitzers, rockets, tanks, attack helicopters to name a few. The Soldier's best weapon though is the Holy Rosary. A few more thoughts from the saints and a pope:

"The Rosary is my weapon" --St Padre Pio
"The rosary is the most powerful weapon to touch the Heart of Jesus, Our Redeemer, who so loves His Mother." --St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort
"The Rosary is a powerful weapon to put the demons to flight and to keep oneself from sin…If you desire peace in your hearts, in your homes, and in your country, assemble each evening to recite the Rosary. Let not even one day pass without saying it, no matter how burdened you may be with many cares and labors." --Pope Pius XI
For those who use their intelligence and their study as a weapon, the Rosary is most effective. Because that apparently monotonous way of beseeching Our Lady as children do their Mother, can destroy every seed of vainglory and pride. -- St. Josemaria Escriva
"Today as in other times, the rosary must be a powerful weapon, to enable us to win in our interior struggle, and to help all souls." --St. Josemaria Escriva
"As it was in other times —such as Lepanto—, the Rosary must be today a powerful weapon, to conquer the enemies of the Holy Roman Church and of your Country." --St. Josemaria Escriva

Missionaries of the Holy Spirit Cross

Yesterday when I went on my rant about the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit I mentioned the cross they have behind their house and that Fr. Celso explained the meaning. I realized that I hadn't said what it meant and I couldn't remember much of it myself so I looked it up. Above is a picture I took from their website. I found the explanation and picture here.
An excerpt from the site quotes from Conchita's vision:

"I saw a great fire, like white rays of light which were very vivid and brilliant. It was stronger than electrical light. In the center of that light I saw a white dove with its wings spread out. I saw under the dove, in the depths of that great light, a huge cross with a heart in the center of it. This heart had very sharp thorns that surrounded it. It was painful to see the thorns so tightly wrapped around the heart that they were piercing it. This heart had a lance piercing its side, and out of this wound came blood that flowed on the cross. The heart had life. It was beating like a human heart, but it was a glorified heart. It was surrounded by a fire that seemed to glow and sparkle like the fire of a hearth. From the top of the heart came a different type of fire. It was of greater intensity. The flames came out with violence as if coming out of a volcano. As the fire flickered and the flames moved back and forth, a small cross--which seemed to come out of the heart--could be seen. "

Catholic blog meme

I have been hesistant to get into it, but I am gonna try my hand at a meme. I want to start my own though. I tag everyone on this list and anyone who reads this to name their favorite Catholic blogs.
In no particular order here are my favorite Catholic blogs:

• Faith and Country
• Alabama Improper
• Ironic Catholic
• Lair of the Catholic Caveman
• Gun Lovin' Alaska Catholic Club
• Big Blue Wave
• Steve Ray's Blog
• Jimmy Akin
• Curt Jester
• Living Catholicism
• Deo Omnis Gloria
• Catholic Ragemonkey
• Daughter of the King
• A Catholic Mom Climbing the Pillars
• American Papist
• Idaho Dominican
• Idaho Catholic Right
• Transitus Tiber
  

Do you ever feel drawn to something and you haven't a clue why? Do you ever feel irresistably drawn to something even though for one reason or another you can not get any closer to it than where you already are?

On my first day at the seminary (Gosh! That day was only about 2 years ago, but it feels like a lifetime has passed.) I saw guys running around with a black habit like the Benedictines, but the scapular had the design on the left stitched on.
From the first moment I saw men from the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit I have felt a strange pull towards them and everything about their order. I had considered joining at one point, but then I left the seminary and the next thing I knew I was dating, engaged and married. I am happily married, but still I feel the attraction. I bought just about every book on Conchita (the mystic who inspired Fr Rougier to found the order).
I remember during the orientation week when I convinced a friend to walk down the hill with me during a break to see their house. In the back they have a BIG cross, similar to the one on the right (no clouds and no dove). One of their priest explained it to us and invited us in to show us around and tell us that we were always welcome to visit. The image is hung in at least one place that I can remember in Anselm Hall.
I checked out Conchita's books from the MA library and devoured them. She has a way of speaking to my soul. But backing to the pull, I still haven't a clue why or what I should do about it. In the meanwhile I just felt like ranting on my blog.

eternal love

Every time I read Conchita's writing I am struck by a new pearl of wisdom or insight. Today it was this:

"On Earth friendships grow cold, human beings change, attachments become weakened, love itself vanishes and dies; but Your affection, Your tenderness and Your love do not change, do not pass away but remain forever!
That is why I place all my happiness in possessing You..."

As Christ loves the Church

St Paul wrote that men should love their wives as Jesus Christ loves the Church. Until, the last few months I knew about that passage, I had read it and I thought I knew and understood what he meant.
Then I got married...
And of course St Paul's teaching took on a much deeper, clearer and intense meaning. I had previously understood that yes, there needs to be an intense and unifying love between a husband and wife as there is between Christ and the Church. However, I had not really picked up on the sacrificial part.
I may never need to sacrifice my life for her as Christ did for the Church, but certainly I have had to sacrifice my selfishness and time among other things (money is actually the least of the sacrifices). I am having to die to myself in order to grow more united to her and to love her more Christ-like.
Like in any marriage we do things that annoy or offend the other. Often it is a struggle to continue actively showing my love, but Christ never fails in His love for the Church despite the failings of Her many members. It is indeed a struggle at times, but I know the only way is to continue in love.
All this sounds difficult, and any married person can tell you that it is hard, but surprisingly I have found that the advice of St Paul is not antiquated, irrelevant advice from "some dead white guy", it is precious time-tested wisdom. The more I sacrifice and die to myself, the closer the two of us become. And of course the closer we are the more wonderful it is. It is in this closeness that I discover more and more the beautiful, wonderful woman that she is.
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

I haven't posted for a while on Conchita. She's still my favorite mystic, its just slipped my mind to post about her.

"Yes, I hear my beloved one. Suffer and fear not. Open your wings and fly to the sacrifice of yourself, and love me as I love you, as I have always loved you. For you must love me with the same love."
--Conchita, Mexican mystic and foundress of the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit

Couer DAlene, II

I skipped last week, but I continue again this week.

Idaho is a large state with a quickly growing population. Both the size of land and the size of the population suggest its time for another diocese for the benefit of Idaho Catholics. Many places that are similar size or smaller have two or more dioceses, for instance Oregon has two and so does Montana. Montana is actually bigger but has fewer people.
If the Diocese of Baker, Oregon can be maintained, then it stands to reason that a Couer D'Alene Diocese can stand too. After all, it has very few people and surely with North Idaho's growth it will exceed the amount of Catholics in Baker.

The Seminarian

I found these two Youtube videos the other day. I am pretty sure that its the same video but Youtube broke it in two. Its a video about a new seminarian, Reynaldo, apparently played by a group of Saint Meinrad seminarians. Its called appropriately, "The Seminarian". Its a bit fuzzy but there are some great parts, such as the excorcism class in which the seminarians take turns role playing a demon in a possessed person. The second part isn't as funny, but its worth it to see the one seminarian show up to class wearing a jack o'lantern costume and no one thinks anything of it.
Enjoy:

New blog: Idaho Catholic

I discovered a brand new blog today called Idaho Catholic. Two of his total three posts so far are about the Diocese of Boise. I like his opinions and I highly recommend this budding new blog.

Coeur D'Alene Diocese

This is the first part of a series I am beginning. I will still post on other issues and my usual stuff but I will try to post once a week on different arguments for a second diocese in Idaho.


Idaho is a large state (larger than 37 others), but the faithful only have one bishop. He is in Boise, of course. Which means he must travel all over the state to try and meet the needs of his flock. This takes him to far away parts of the state in the east and north.
While Eastern Idaho has an interstate and other highways to facilitate his travel, Northern Idaho has only one highway connecting it to the rest of the state. There will never be another highway since on either side of the existing highway is federal wilderness land. The road is slow, often narrow and dangerous. It is a trip that can only be scheduled a few times a year, unless the diocese pays to constantly fly the bishop. Bishop Michael Driscoll is a good bishop but, to better meet the needs of the Catholic population in Idaho it would seem logical to have another diocese in Northern Idaho, based in Coeur D'Alene.
Couer D'Alene and the surrounding towns still inside Idaho comprise well over one hundred thousand people. Kootenai County's population density is only surpassed by Ada County (Boise), according to a population density map by the Census Bureau. Its a thriving city that is growing at an incredible rate (an estimated 14% since 2000) along with the surrounding towns.
Moreover, the counties of Northern Idaho (Idaho County and all counties north of it) have a very significant portion of Idaho's population. Idaho has 1.466 million people by the US Census's 2006 estimate and 307, 300 live in Northern Idaho according to that same estimate. That makes about 1 in 5 Idahoans.
A new bishropic will only become more probable and more needed as time goes on and the population of North Idaho swells.

Snoring Scholar Carnival

The Catholic Carnival is up this week at Snoring Scholar.

Mary Poem

I had been trying to think of something to post for a couple of days, when for no reason I thought of Edgar Allen Poe's poem, "Hymn":

At morn–at noon–at twilight dim-
Maria! thou hast heard my hymn!
In joy and woe–in good and ill-
Mother of God, be with me still!
When the hours flew brightly by,
And not a cloud obscured the sky,
My soul, lest it should truant be,
Thy grace did guide to thine and thee;
Now, when storms of Fate o'ercast
Darkly my Present and my Past,
Let my Future radiant shine
With sweet hopes of thee and thine!

It inspired me to write my own poem about Mary. Its a prayer. It came to me this morning after I first woke.

Mother of God, Mother of mine
Plead for us to thine Son divine
Your heart was pierced with Seven Sorrows
Joy now forever, with Sharon's Rose
You, Mother, are every Christian's aid
Mother of God, You the Lord's handmaid
Plead for us for mercy from Your Son
Now and when our lives here are done.


And to finish off the post here is a link to Marian poetry by Thomas Merton.

Baby

I don't post many personal things, so most readers of my on and off blog probably haven't heard about my recent marriage (Feb17) or my wife's pregnancy (due Dec28). That's right, I am gonna be a father!
We are both blessed and overjoyed at having a child come into our life together. As great as it is now I can only imagine how great it will be once our child is born.
Btw, I have already posted pics of my lovely wife.

The newest Catholic Carnival is up at Living Catholicism.

Father Fath

Congratulations to newly ordained Father Robert Fath!!
He is the first home grown priest for the Diocese of Fairbanks.

Shekels and Fish

I know that I haven't posted in a while and I left no explanation and I do that fairly often. I apologize. Life is busy and blogging has to take a backseat.
I have been reading through the Gospels lately and I came across a passage I found very interesting. The tax collectors were asking Peter if Jesus and His followers pay the temple tax:

And when they were come to Capharnaum, they that received the didrachmas, came to Peter and said to him: Doth not your master pay the didrachmas? He said: Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying: What is thy opinion, Simon? The kings of the earth, of whom do they receive tribute or custom? of their own children, or of strangers? And he said: Of strangers. Jesus said to him: Then the children are free. But that we may not scandalize them, go to the sea, and cast in a hook: and that fish which shall first come up, take: and when thou hast opened its mouth, thou shalt find a stater: take that, and give it to them for me and thee.

First of all I would like to note that our first pope was speaking in Jesus' name while He was still alive according to this passage. I just thought that I would throw that out there.
However, the part I find interesting is the shekel in the fishes mouth. I am sure there is some significance to Peter finding a shekel in a fishes mouth. Otherwise why wouldn't Jesus just hand him a shekel?
The Lord of Heaven and Earth, the God of all Creation could surely have just pulled a shekel out of thin air. Maybe it was supper time anyways.

Belated Pentecost Post

OK, so I know that I am six days late on this post, but here it goes.
I am sure that many have wondered about my blog's somewhat cryptic name: 50 Days After. It is named for Pentecost, the birthday of the Church. Hence, of course, the pentecost pic on the right hand side. Even though I started my blog on a different day, Pentecost is like another birthday since it is the namesake of the blog.
I would also just like to add an amusing story about the Pentecost mass that I attended. I was out of town for the weekend in Anchorage, so I went to Holy Family Cathedral. As part of the reading, Jesus said "Peace be with you". As soon as the priest read this part of the Gospel reading a woman two pews in front of me responded back, "And also with you". I chuckled because we've all been there.

120th Catholic Carnival

Catholic Carnival 120 is up here Check it out.

Action Packs for Sudan

War continues in Darfur and the war ended in Southern Sudan a couple of years ago. However, many of the returning refugees and even the people who have been there a while need help. And it goes without saying that people in Darfur still need help. Voice of the Martyrs, a non-denom Christian organization, is sending what they call "Action Packs" to Sudan. The action pack is a vacuum bag that you fill at home with things like towels, clothes, school supplies and they put in Christian literature in the native language. They send you the bag, you put stuff in and return it to VOM, they send it to Sudan and distribute. They only ask $5 for each action pack.
You can order the action packs here: http://etools.ncol.com/a/vomso/bg_vomso_wdbm_289.html

5 Best Things About the Eucharist

1. "Man does not live by bread alone, but..."
The Real Presence is a physical form of the nourishment that comes from the Mouth of God. We do not live by bread alone, but, according to both Leviticus and Christ in the desert, we by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
2. You are what you eat
By receiving the Eucharist we rejoin ourselves to the Body of Christ. We become one with Christ and in doing so we become one with all other Christians receiving His Precious Body and Blood.
3. "I will be with you until the end of the age."
Christ never left us and indeed he also remains with us physically in the Eucharist. He is with us now just as he was when He preached in Israel.
4. Living breathing tabernacles
By receiving Christ in the Eucharist we become living breathing tabernacles. We walk around with Christ inside of us and the fire of His Love burning within.
5. The enormity of it all
God humbles Himself to appear to us as bread and wine. It has struck me many times how amazing it is for my hand or tongue to hold our Savior and that He has willed it that we should receive Him in such a humble form.

Catholic Carnivals 119 and 120

Catholic Carnival 119 is up at Book Reviews and More. 119 had a great post from Thursday Night Gumbo about 10 issues facing the Church today.
Catholic Carnival 120 will be hosted at A Catholic Mom Climbing the Pillars.

gap

I know that I haven't posted since the Carnival, but I will be taking a break for another week or so.