Eco Stations and Passion of the Earth

Fr. Z (and subsequently others) posted about the Ecological Stations of the Cross. Then I remebered something from the Benedictine Monastery near my hometown.
They have what they call the Passion of the Earth.
A quick excerpt before I continue: "And so God dreams and hopes as the cosmos stands poised at a point of decision. A new paroxysm of divine, human, and cosmic energy stands ready to explode and heal. We will decide: a re-creation or continue destruction; a dream of hope or the nightmare of our greed."
While the Ecological Stations of the Cross are at least nominally about the Passion of Christ, these are blatantly just some eco-spiritual... I'll let you decide.
Btw, these are also the same women who pray the Lord's prayer as "Our Mother, Our Father who art in heaven..."

Meme

I have been tagged by Bill
Here are the rules:
(1) Link to the person that tagged you.
(2) Post the rules on your blog.
(3) Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
(4) Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
(5) Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

1. I don't know why, but I love orange kittens.
2. I have around a dozen books that I have been meaning to finish, some of them for a few years.
3. I have owned the Lord of the Rings trilogy for over 10 years, but I have yet to read any of them.
4. I don't like being outside without a hat of some kind.
5. My toes are almost as long as my fingers.
6. I can tell you exactly which James Bond movie it is just by watching about 30 seconds of it.

I tag ASimple Sinner, Catholicandgop, Anita, Kim, Irenaeus, Mark

Communion on the Tongue

As I waited for Mass to start yesterday, I watched the little kids practicing for their First Communion. The teacher told to receive the Eucharist on their non-dominant hand and to cross themselves after receiving Jesus.
I couldn't help but wonder though, why was there no mention of bowing before you received the host? and why was there no mention of receiving the host on your tongue? After all receiving the Eucharist on the tongue is the most reverent way to receive the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ. I think the teacher was doing the children a disservice by not telling them about receiving the Eucharist on the tongue. Then again, she may not know either.

baptism

Yesterday, my daughter was baptized. My little girl joined the New Covenant and was born of water and the Holy Spirit.
I would have pictures, but I forgot the camera at home.

Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral

This is Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral in Spokane, Washington. I have always found it amusing that directly accross the street from the cathedral is a giant Masonic temple.

Duh

Study Finds that Catholics who Attend Mass are less likely to Divorce

More Catholic Protests in Hanoi

I was reading at Catholic News Agency that Catholics in Vietnam are again protesting against illegal government seizure of Church property. This is of course is after the successful protests to return the nunciature to the Church. Maybe this, like the Solidarity movement in Poland, is the beginning of the end for Communist opppresion in Vietnam.
Our Lady of La Vang, pray for the Church in Vietnam.

First Page

When you type 08 Olympics in google. My post about the Beijing Olympics in on the first page. Its toward the bottom of the page, but still I am impressed how my humble blog can make the first page.

By any chance

By any chance, does anyone out there know anything about the Apostleship of the Cross?

Spread the Love Award

I am little late on this one. Sorry about that.
Therese has tagged me with the spread the love award. Btw, thank you Therese.
I am passing this award onto
Faith and Country
Would you like Blog with that?
Byzantine Texas

prayer

I find that since the birth of my daughter I am praying more and more...
...
for patience.

Search Kindly.org

Search Kindly.org is a non-profit search engine that donates a lump sump at the end of the month to a charity chosen by the users. It generates revenue from the ads on the search results. 100% of ad revenue goes to the charity.

Well, the poll is up to decide for February which charity will get the money raised that month.
The choices are:

UN Refugee Agency
Tibet Aid
Ronald McDonald House Charities
Native American Rights Fund
Luke Society
Hats Off for Cancer

Of these Luke Society is the only Christian organization. It is a medical mission organization (St Luke, the Evangelist, was a doctor)You can vote for a charity by going here. Tibet Aid is winning currently. We should go the site and raise votes for the Luke Society. It would also help if you linked to the poll site on your blog and encouraged others to vote for Luke Society.
You can vote 2 or 3 times a day, but you have to wait about 8 hours. Your visit also generates ad revenue for charity.
Remember, vote early and vote often.

Politics in the Liturgy

I got the image from Alive and Young.

I pity the fool

Alive and Young had a great post on what Mr T would say about going to Mass. He says in part...
“Mass, it is the place where heaven and earth meet in heavenly worship fool! You can’t heavenly worship on your couch. The Spirit takes us up to Heaven to worship God in unity with the angels and saints. So, get off you butt, and ask the Spirit to prepare you and inspire you to go to mass. It is the Spirit that prepares us for the mystery of all time: it is unique, eternal, and both in and out of our world. It is a mystery fool! Stop trying to figure everything out, fool! Just get up and go! Jesus is waiting."

H/T to Would You Like Blog With That?

Catholic Jokes

From Fisheaters
A Jesuit, a Dominican, and a Trappist were marooned on a desert island. They found a magic lamp, and after some discussion decided to rub it. Lo and behold, a genie appeared and offered them three wishes. They decided it was only fair that they could each have one wish. The Jesuit said he wanted to teach at the world's most famous university, and poof, he was gone! The Dominican wished to preach in the world's largest church, and poof, he was gone! Then the Trappist said, "Gee, I already got my wish!"

****

A little boy became anxious in church during an especially long homily. After a time, he spotted the red candle by the tabernacle. He turned to his dad and asked, "When the light turns green can we go home."

Bats in the Church

There was once a beautiful church, but the trouble was that it was infested with bats and that was causing many problems.
To fix the problem, a Franciscan was recruited since St Francis was known to be good with animals. The Franciscan coaxed the bats into boxes and released them far from the church. However, they returned the next night.
Next a Jesuit was brought to help. However, his solution was to bring a shotgun and open fire, so he was sent away before he could wreak his havoc on this beautiful church.
Finally, a parish priest was brought in to help. He catechized the bats and then they were all baptized. The bats have not been seen since.

Speyer Cathedral

This is the Cathedral of Ste Mary and St Stephen. I was actually confirmed in this cathedral.

St Francis Xavier Cathedral, Adelaide

I was thinking that its about time I posted pics of an Australian cathedral. I was originally thinking about Darwin, but, in honor of Therese, I decided instead on St Francis Xavier Cathedral in Adelaide.

GI June

I discover GI June today. Its a site authored by wives of servicemen. I like the list of patron saint they have on the side:

Our Lady Queen of Peace

St Genevieve, who encouraged her countryment to
employ fasting and prayer in the face of a military invasion

St George
the Dragon Slayer, Patron Saint of the Cavalry

St Sebastian, Patron
Saint of the Grunt

St Barbara, Patron Saint of Artillery and
Artillerists, explosive handlers and sappers.

St Michael, Patron Saint
of Paratroopers and Commandos.

St Theresa, Patron Saint of Aviators

Saints Brendan and Brigid, Patron Saints of Navigators and Sailors

St Joan of Arc, Patron Saint of Servicewomen

St Leonard, Patron
Saint of Prisoners of War

St Martin of Tours, Patron Saint of Soldiers

St Columba, Patron Saint of Sailors and Warriors

I would also like to mention St Ignatius of Loyola, (who was once a Spanish Soldier) St Francis of Assisi (a Soldier also), Servant of God Father Emil Kapaun (a US Army chaplain martyred by Communist Chinese), and St Florian ( a Roman Soldier). Heck, the Pope was even a Soldier!

As a Soldier I like the idea behind their site, especially as my own wife knows well that I will leave soon.

Catholic Carnival 154

Catholic Carnival 154 is up at Living Catholicism.

Isabella

I have mentioned a few times that my wife was pregnant. This morning Isabella was born and we finally got to hold our baby daughter.

Beijing Olympics 08 Logo

I found this picture on Faithmouse:



That about captures the spirit of the 08 Beijing Olympics. They can build stadiums and new olympic facilities but that doesn't hide the fact that its one of the most oppressive regimes in the world. This image is also on UWants.com
Well, it turns out there are several sites in the blogosphere that heave this image and they all linking each other so here they are:
SFO Mom
Blogs4Brownback
kaj la hundro iris kun ili...
Lina Lamot Club
Olympics in Den Ketten
Beijing 2008: Olimpikoj en Cenoj
Conservababes
Causa Nostra Laetitiae
Free Republic Thread
The Good Life
Blogging from the Bog
Hell on Earth
Irish Blogs
Scarlet Crusader
Team-Swap
Berlin Wall Between Church and State
Boycott 2008 Communist
Faith and Country
Waving or Drowning?
Young Dead Elms

Saturday Morning Humor

Hat tip to Stained Glass Buffalo Not exactly sacred art

Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus

I saw over at Fish in a Barrel that today is the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus.
"Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name 7 that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, 8 of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, 9 to the glory of God the Father."--Phillipians 2:9-11
In honor of the feast I will post the Divine Praises:

Blessed be God.

Blessed be His Holy Name.

Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.

Blessed be the name of Jesus.

Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart.

Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.

Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the paraclete.

Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.

Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.

Blessed be her glorious Assumption.

Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.

Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse.

Blessed be God in His angels and in His Saints.
May the heart of Jesus, in the Most Blessed Sacrament, be praised, adored, and loved with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the tabernacles of the world, even to the end of time. Amen.

Vladivostok Missions

H/T to Per Christum
The Canons Regular of Jesus the Lord are working in Russia's Far East to support and build up the Catholic Church there. So far there are only three of them and they receive no support from the Office of the Propagation of the Faith since Russia is not considered mission territory, in deference to the Russian Orthodox Church.
One of their major goals is to restore the cathedral in Vladivostok. After 65 years under Soviet control as a state archives, it needs work restore it to the beautiful house of God that it once was and can be again.
They depend upon donations from the faithful since Russia is not considering mission territory.
Donations page is here.

CC153

Catholic Carnival 153 is up at Snoring Scholar.

New Headbar

I have been looking around for a while for a picture that would make a great headbar. I found one today. I like the beauty of the image and I think it probably demystifies the naming of the blog for some. I like how this portrayal of Pentecost has the BVM very prominent.

Latin Rite Cathedral in Kiev

St Nicholas Cathedral:

Maputo's Cathedral

In case you are wondering, Maputo is the capital of Mozambique. It is named for Our Lady of Fatima.

Noël en toi...

The title of this post translates as "Christmas in you". It was a post that I found on , a French St BlogChemins de lecture (in case you are wondering the blog's name means Paths of Lecture, maybe Learning). I know that December 25 have come and gone, but we are still well withing the 12 days of Christmas. After all, Epiphany is still a week away.
The post on the blog was just a quote:

"Le christ serait-il né mille fois à Bethléem, s'il ne naît pas en toi, c'est en vain qu'il est né" --Angelus Silésius

I have no idea who Angelus Silésius is, but the quote is very beautiful and profound. For those of you who do not read French:
"Christ could be born a thousand times in Bethlehem, if He is not born in you, it is in vain that He was born."

Psalm 42

As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God.
My being thirsts for God, the living God. When can I go and see the face of God?
My tears have been my food day and night, as they ask daily,"Where is your God?"
Those times I recall as I pour out my soul, When I went in procession with the crowd, I went with them to the house of God, Amid loud cries of thanksgiving, with the multitude keeping festival.
Why are you downcast, my soul; why do you groan within me? Wait for God, whom I shall praise again, my savior and my God.
My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you From the land of the Jordan and Hermon, from the land of Mount Mizar.
Here deep calls to deep in the roar of your torrents. All your waves and breakers sweep over me.
At dawn may the LORD bestow faithful love that I may sing praise through the night, praise to the God of my life.
I say to God, "My rock, why do you forget me? Why must I go about mourning with the enemy oppressing me?"
It shatters my bones, when my adversaries reproach me. They say to me daily: "Where is your God?"
Why are you downcast, my soul, why do you groan within me? Wait for God, whom I shall praise again, my savior and my God.

Eucharist as Calvary Continued

I can see in the consecrated Host or the Eucharist a mystical passion, the
continuation of the Lord's Passion at Calvary... It is the same Heart that
suffers, and the same sins It is sacrificed for... I can see Him in a constant
act of atonement, holding back divine justice, searching for souls, but holy,
pure and sacrificed souls that in their union cry out to Heaven for pardon
and mercy... He is tireless in this mystical crucifixion, abandoned in His
solitude, infinitely patient, receiving so much ingratitude in exchange for so
much love.

--Conchita

I don't have any commentary on this. I think its speaks very well for itself.

Conchita on the Tabernacles

Oh my God, my God! What would become of the world if there were no tabernacles?
They are the lighting conductors, the light, the warmth, the life... the
whiteness, the purity that covers the filthy mud of the Earth... Jesus is there,
and almost every time I draw near Him He asks me for purity, purity, crucified
and clean souls to console Him... The Lord is thirsty for purity and for
the Cross, and yet the world is deaf, wallowing in its dirt and sleeping on its
material comforts. A terrible awakening awaits it that makes me tremble, and
also makes that Heart that is all goodness to men tremble (incredible love!). He
wants His Cross to reign in our hearts- only the Cross can save the world;
spirits can only be sanctified through Him.

Conchita, mystical foundress of the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit
Other quotes and posts about Conchita here

St Stephen, the First Martyr

The 26th of December is the feast day of St Stephen. He was the first Christian martyr and his death by stoning is described in the Acts of the Apostles.

He is not, by any means, the last martyr. Many, many, many more would also wear the martyr's crown. As a matter of fact Christians die for their faith on a daily basis. In Communist nations such as China, Vietnam, Laos, Cuba, and especially North Korea. Christians also die at the hands of religous extremists, mostly Muslim but also Hindu and other religions. Only Christ's return will ever stop the killings.
However, martyrdom only helps to spread the Gospel. It is a powerful testimony to persecutors and Christians alike. It means another soul is in Heaven praying for the continued conversion of souls.
Today being the feast day of St Stephen, Pope Benedict XVI said of martyrdom that it is "exclusively an act of love towards God and all mankind including persecutors". I couldn't have said it better.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I want to wish everyone a merry Christmas! May the celebration of Christ's incarnation be a time of joy and peace for all of you.

St Joseph's Cathedral

Its Christmas Eve, but I decided to do something off the wall this morning.I have decided to post pictures of a Cathedral from the most random place I could think of. I thought of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. These are pictures from St Joseph's Cathedral in Tanzania. It was built by German missionaries while it was still a German colony. German lost Tanzania and all its other African holdings as a result of WWI.

I know that Easter is a long ways off, but I was so impressed that I threw it in just because.

GK Chesterton- Christmas Poem

I found this on Wittingshire

The Christ-child lay on Mary's lap,
His hair was like a light.
(O weary, weary were the world,
But here is all aright.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary's breast
His hair was like a star.
(O stern and cunning are the kings,
But here the true hearts are.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary's heart,
His hair was like a fire.
(O weary, weary is the world,
But here the world's desire.)

The Christ-child stood on Mary's knee,
His hair was like a crown,
And all the flowers looked up at Him,
And all the stars looked down.

--G.K. Chesterton

Carnival

I am late on linking to the Carnival at Aussie Coffee Shop, but here it is.
There is a great posting in there about Frosty the Snowman as a Christian allegory.

Tony Blair is now Catholic

Hat tip to Bloom Where You're Planted

Tony Blair has finally joined the Catholic Church. It has been expected for a while, but now its a done deal.

Top 10 Post Meme

The Ironic Catholic tagged anyone who wanted to be tagged so I consider myself tagged. These are my personal 10 favorite posts on 50 Days After for the year 2007.

1. Catholic Carnival: St Joseph the Worker
2. Catholic Carnival 141
3. Athanasius Contra Mundum
4. 5 Reasons Meme
5. Citizen Soldier by 3 Doors Down
6. TAC asks Rome for Union
7. Top 5 Reasons I am Catholic
8. Ranger Rosary
9. King of Poland
10. And last but actually my favorite: A Soldier's Best Weapon

I tag anyone who wants to be tagged, but I invite everyone to share their top posts of the year.

Book Meme

I have been Memed and I am overdue for a response to Anita. And btw, I think I have met this blogger. From her profile I glanced that she is a lawyer and she lived in Moscow, ID about the same time I went to school there. And I remember an Anita, who was a lawyer from St Augustine's in Moscow.
Temporary deviation from topic at hand: I want to try guest blogging so let me know if you'd be interested in posting on 50 Days After.
Back to the Meme...

1. One book that changed your life...
I know its cliche, and yes I know it is an anthology, but the Bible has changed my life drastically. I actually started reading it when I was in high school, because I was looking for cool quotes to use. I tried to use the author and He used me instead.

2. One book that you have read more than once...
I honestly have never read any book more than once.

3. One book you would want on a desert island...
War and Peace, cause it might be a looong time before help comes.

4. One book that made you laugh...
Father Joe

5. One book that made you cry...
I am not going to admit that any book made me cry, but The Jungle came close.

6. One book that you wish had been written...
Why My Opinion is Never Wrong :)

7. One book you wish had never been written...
Das Manifest

8. One book you are currently reading...
Utopia by St Thomas More

9. One book you've been meaning to read...
The Red Badge of Courage. I started to read it but I had to return it to the library and I have always wanted to finish it.

I tag anyone who wants to be tagged. And as another side note I woud like to share that it is -41 F here this morning.

Christmas Song Riddle

I this on Steve Ray's Blog. I had heard a similiar joke before.
Can you figure oiut which Christmas song this is?

ABCDEFGHIJKMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Second Week of Advent

I am feeling deliquent. I am proud to be a St Blogger but yet its already the second week of Advent and I have remained silent.
I am listening to O Come O Come Emmanuel as I write this. I was thinking about the meaning of the words. "Rejoice, Rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee O Israel" Just as Israel was and still is His chosen people, we also are a chosen people and indeed we can think of ourselves as the new Israel. Of course, as Christ promised (Matthew 28:20, among other places) He has never left us. We need look no further than the nearest Tabernacle to know that Christ still dwells among us body, blood, soul and divinity.
Nonetheless, we look forward (especially at this time of year) to Christ's return in all His glory and majesty. Every time Mass is celebrated we repeat the same words used by the Ancient Jews of Jerusalem to greet Jesus. "Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord." Ever time I hear those words I picture our Lord riding His donkey down the aisle toward the altar to be present for the Holy Sacrifice of the Eucharist. That's just me, but I also wonder from time to time about Him riding back to us, the new Israel, but this time He returns in glory to establish peace and justice. As a Soldier, I long for peace more than most. And we know that someday, He will return to do just that. Although, somehow I think He'll forgo the donkey the second time.
The point though, is that as Christians we look not so much backward to the Birth of Christ some 2000 years ago. We look forward to that unknown day when He shall return in all His glory and majesty. That day when the lion shall lay down with the lamb and the child shall play with the asp.
Marana Tha!

I Just Thought I'd Share

As a dog that returneth to his vomit, so is the fool that repeateth his folly.
Proverbs 26:11

Magnificat in Latin

Magníficat ánima mea Dóminum,et exsultávit spíritus meusin Deo salvatóre meo,quia respéxit humilitátemancíllæ suæ.
Ecce enim ex hoc beátamme dicent omnes generatiónes,quia fecit mihi magna,qui potens est,et sanctum nomen eius,et misericórdia eius in progénieset progénies timéntibus eum.Fecit poténtiam in bráchio suo,dispérsit supérbos mente cordis sui;depósuit poténtes de sedeet exaltávit húmiles.Esuriéntes implévit boniset dívites dimísit inánes.Suscépit Ísrael púerum suum,recordátus misericórdiæ,sicut locútus est ad patres nostros,Ábraham et sémini eius in sæcula.
Glória Patri et Fílioet Spirítui Sancto.Sicut erat in princípio,et nunc et semper,et in sæcula sæculórum.

Great Quote

This morning, I came across this gem from The Cave:
"Yeah, yeah... it's all fun and games 'till someone loses their immortal soul."
I chuckled when I read it. And just so everyone knows that I agree: ugh... heresy... bad. But seriously making movies that propagate heresy is dangerous not only to your own soul but to many, many others.

Adrienne's Meme

And now for an overdue meme response...
I have been tagged by Adrienne over at Adrienne's Catholic Corner for the latest and greatest Meme. I am supposed to say 8 random things about myself. Then I'll tag 8 bloggers. They in turn are supposed to say 8 random things about themselves and tag 8 other bloggers.

1. I have a scar in one eyebrow that I got in the process of stealing a construction sign once upon a time.



2. "Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam" is my favorite non-Biblical phrase.



3. I have been blogging for about a year and a half.



4. I am over six feet tall.



5. I am about a month out from becoming a father for the first time.



6. I am one of those crabby guys that always complains about Christmas specials that aren't about the birth of Christ.



7. I earned the rank of Eagle Scout.



8. I almost always sneeze twice.

I tag the following:

Kim at Transitus Tiber

Anita at V for Victory

Catholicgop at Faith and Country

The SciFi Catholic

Mark at Dominican Idaho

The Evantine Abbey

Suzanne at Big Blue Wave

Jeff at the Curt Jester

A Little Liturgical Humor This Sunday

GK Chesterton on Soldiers

"The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him."

A Song for Advent

Advent by Seven Sorrows

Soviet Martyrs

Hat Tip to Per Christum
I found a web page that has a long list of Catholic men and women martyred by the Soviets in the Ukraine. These martyrs are all declared Blessed. Its impossible to tell how many more were martyred and not declared Blessed, how many others were martyred and we'll just never know, how many Orthodox and other Christians (and this only those in the Ukraine).
Two stories in particular really struck me:

Blessed Sr. Tarsykia Matskiv was born on 23 March 1919 in the village of
Khodoriv, Lviv District, baptized as Ol'ha. On 3 May 1938 she entered the Sister
Servants of Mary Immaculate. After professing her first vows on 5 November 1940,
she worked in her convent. Even prior to the Bolshevik arrival in Lviv, Sr.
Tarsykia made a private oath to her spiritual director, Fr. Volodymyr Kovalyk
O.S.B.M., that she would sacrifice her life for the conversion of Russia and for
the good of the Catholic Church. The Bolsheviks were determined to destroy the
monastery. On the morning of 17 July 1944 at 8 a.m., a Russian soldier rang the
convent door. When Sr. Taryskia answered the door she was shot without warning
and died.

All she did was answer the door.

Blessed Fr. Roman Lysko was born on 14 August 1914 in Horodok, Lviv Region. He
graduated from the Lviv Theological Academy. He and his wife worked very gladly
with the youth. On 28 August 1941 he was ordained to the priesthood by
Metropolitan Andrei Sheptyts'kyi. On 9 September 1949, he was arrested by the
NKVD (KGB) and put into a prison on Lontskoho St in Lviv. The people of Liviv
reported to one another that after being tortured, the young Fr. Roman sang
psalms at the top of his voice. It was then reported that they had immured him
alive in the prison walls. His death is officially dated on 14 October 1949.

I didn't get it at first so I had to look up the word "immured". I found this at thefreedictionary.com:
im·mure:
tr.v. im·mured, im·mur·ing, im·mures
1. To confine within or as if within walls; imprison.
2. To build into a wall: immure a shrine.
3. To entomb in a wall
They built the wall around the priest. They were so afraid of him that they entombed him in their prison, where they felt he couldn't do them any more harm. How horrible would be to have the wall built all around you? Of course I also wonder, on a lighter note, why do we have a word dedicated to that specific purpose?

As an aside I recommend a book called Tortured for Christ. Its written by a Lutheran pastor about his experiences of persecution and imprisonment in Communist Eastern Europe. You can get a free copy here actually.

Mission Statement

How many of you think that a mission statement is pointless?
It really should go without saying that the purpose of any parish is the salvation of souls. In the words of Pope Benedict XVI, "This, and nothing else, is the purpose of the Church: the salvation of individual souls." (I got that from the bottom of Dominican Idaho)

Because I can

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus,
Dominus Deus Sabbaoth;
Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria Tua.
Hosanna in excelsis.

Caption Contest

Caption away in the combox.

Samson and the Destruction of the Temple

As I was reading Phatcatholic Apologetics this morning, I read through a post about suicide. One of the links toward the bottom of the post caught my eye: Did Samson Commit Suicide?
Clearly he intentionly meant to end his own life by destroying the temple and the Phillistines within. He even prayed to God that he may "die with the Phillistines" (Judges 16:20). The meat of the response was in two paragraphs:

For what it is worth, the Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Bible, edited by Louis Hartman, C.SS.R., had this to say: “Samson’s death in the Temple of Dagon at Gaza, which he brought down on himself and the assembled Philistines (16:23-30), was not an act of suicide, but rather a return to his mission, to which he had been unfaithful when he betrayed the secret of his strength to Delilah, but which he in conscious response to his call and with a prayer to God on his lips, now fulfilled, even at the cost of his own life.”...
The moralist Heribert Jone, O.F.M.Cap., calls this indirect suicide and says that, while in itself it is forbidden, it may be permitted for a proportionately grave reason. Jone writes: “One kills himself indirectly if, without the intention of committing suicide, he knowingly and willingly does something which not only has an intended good effect, but from which death also follows.”

They cite the example from Ancient Rome of Christians who leapt to their death rather than be sexually violated. I think a more poignant example would be St Maximillian Kolbe who took a man's place while in Auschwitz knowing the man had been condemned to die, even though St Maximilian might have possibly survived Auschwitz.

My Saint and Devotion for the Year

Thanks to Angela Messenger for doing this for the St Blogosphere.
My saint for 2008 is St Anthony of Padua and my devotion for this coming year is the Precious Blood.

Catholic Carnival 147

Living Catholicism has hosted the latest Catholic Carnival. This week is a good one. I am not sure yet if I'll post further on the entries.

More sarcastic humor at Scrappleface.

Psalm 51 in Latin! Because I can

1 MISERERE mei, Deus: secundum magnam misericordiam tuam.
Et secundum multitudinem miserationum tuarum: deleiniquitatem meam.
2 Amplius lava me ab iniquitate mea: et a peccato meo munda me.
3 Quoniam iniquitatem meam ego cognosco: et peceatum meum contra me est semper.
4 Tibi soli peceavi, et malum coram te feci: ut justificeris in sermonibus tuis, et vincas cum judicaris.
5 Ecce enim in iniquitatibus conceptus sum: et in peccatis concepit me mater mea.
6 Ecce enim veritatem dilexisti: incerta et occulta sapientiæ tuæ manifestasti mihi.
7 Asperges me, Domine, hyssopo, et mundabor: lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor.
8 Auditui meo dabis gaudium et lætitiam: et exsultabunt ossa humiliata.
9 Averte faciem tuam a peccatis meis: et omnes iniquitates meas dele.
10 Cor mundum crea in me, Deus: et spiritum reotum innoara in visceribas meis.
11 Ne projicias me a facie tua: et spiritum sanctum tuum ne auferas a me.
12 Redde mihi lætitiam salutaris tui: et spiritu principali confirma me.
13 Docebo iniquos vias tuas: et impii ad te convertentur.
14 Libera me de sanguinibus, Deus, Deus salutis meæ: et exsultabit lingua mea justitiam tuam.
15 Domine, labia mea aperies: et os meum annuntiabit laudem tuam.
16 Quoniam si voluisses sacrificium, dedissem: utique holocaustis non delectaberus.
17 Sacrificium Deo spiritus contribulatus: cor contritum et humiliatum, Deus, non despicies.
18 Benigne fac, Domine, in bona voluntate tua Sion: ut ædificentur muri Hierusalem.
19 Tunc aceeptabis sacrificium justitiæ, oblationes et holocausta: tunc imponent super altare tuum vitulos.

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone has a safe and blessed Thanksgiving!

AMS new Archbishop

Ever since July when Archbishop O'Brien became the Archbishop of Baltimore, the Archdiocese for the Military Services (USA) has been without an archbishop. No more.
Archbishop Broglio has been appointed as our new shepherd. Welcome Archbishop Broglio!

Catholic Carnival 146

This week's Carnival is at We Belong to the Lord

Pope Pius XI: Spaghetti Western Star

I saw an article quoted (the quote was translated) over at WDTPRS?. The article noted that Pope Pius XI packed heat:

We are not dealing with just any librarian, but with Achille Ratti, who became Pope with the name Pius XI.

And the gun?

Here’s the explanation of this oddity. When he was prefect of the Ambrosian Library in Milan, Ratti kept a a revolver close at had "as a deterent to keep off possible miscreants with gunshots in the air, or the like."

Once promoted to the Vatican Library, he brought his gun with him. And when in 1918 Benedict XV sent him to Poland as an apostolic visitor, he sent to Warsaw via the diplomatic pouch, "a small revolver and ammunition".

As Pope, we don’t know. But it occurs that he could have been a quick-draw, based on the motto he chose for his episcopal caot-of arms: "Raptim transit" , "it goes by swiftly", a citation of Job 6:15.

When I read it I thought immediately of Spaghetti Westerns. Instead of Clint Eastwood, maybe Pope Pius XI could have starred, or maybe co-starred with St Gabriel Possenti.
I thought up a few titles, but please by all means add more in the combox:
For a Few Prayers to St Thomas More
The Good, the Bad, and the Holy
Fistful of Rosaries
Once Upon a Time in the Roman Empire

and there's one title that would fit perfectly:
God's Gun

Why do we go to Mass?

Curious? Listen here.

HT to Catholic Audio

Condoms instead of Bibles

Hotels substituting “intimacy kits” for Bibles
I think this headline speaks volumes about where our society has gone.

CC 145

The latest Carnival is up here.

Blogging will be sparse this week because I am moving.

Established and preserved by blood and prayer
Thrown away with no concern nor care

Christendom, the shining jewel of the Earth
Now suffers from Europe's spiritual dearth

A great jewel formed of the hostile Empire
Its borders marked with many a spire

Much of it torn away by the atheist Marx
The Christian fire in Russia reduced to sparks

The plague of Communism in time spread
The lands Christian legacy officially dead

Complacency and tolerance have done the rest
Such have tarnished the jewel more than Lenin's best

A shame that a jewel made so precious by prayer and blood
Should vanish away like the Earth by the Great Flood

Happy Veteran's Day

Today is Veteran's Day and I would like to thank all the Veterans out there for their service, especially the St. Blog authors at Catholic Cavemen and Quaffs and Quibbles.

I would also like to remember Fr. Kapaun, an Army Chaplain and veteran of WWII and Korean War, who died at the hands of his Communist Chinese captors during the Korean War.

A Veteran's Memorial

Every year we celebrate Veteran's Day on November 11, but few of us realize that November 11 is also the memorial of Saint Martin of Tours, a Soldier in the Roman Army. He is almost always portrayed as a Soldier on horseback, cutting his cloak in half to share it with a freezing naked beggar. That's because he once cut his cloak in half to give one half to a beggar. Later in a dream, it was revealed to Saint Martin that the beggar was really Christ Jesus.
As a side note, the cloak was kept as a relic. French kings took it with them when they went into battle. The Latin word for cloak is capella (my spelling might be off). And of course priests accompanied the relic and they came to be called capellans, after the relic. The "c" in Latin apparently sound like "ch" in English. So that is where the word Chaplain came from. In a way, he could almost be considered the patron saint of Chaplains.
Also, I would point you to point by my good friend from my days in the sem, Matt Libra. He visited the Catacombs of Saint Sebastian, another Saint who was a Soldier in the Roman Army, and Matt has his own Veteran's Day reflections.

A prayer by Saint Martin of Tours:
Lord, if Your people still have need of my services,
I will not avoid the toil.
Your will be done.
I have fought the good fight long enough.
Yet if You bid me continue to hold the battle line
in defense of Your camp,
I will never beg to be excused from failing strength.
I will do the work You entrust to me.
While You command,
I will fight beneath Your banner.

Christ the Convict

H/T to Ironic Catholic posting at National Pray to God Month

Negotiator or Agitator

Venezuela's President, Hugo Chavez, is in the news for acting supposedly for the Colombian gov't for the release of civilian hostages held by the FARC in their guerrillas war against the Columbian people.
Now, obviously the FARC are Communist guerrillas, but many people don't realize Chavez is by his own admission a Maoist. That's right, the world's 5th largest exporter of oil is run by a Communist. 13% of the crude oil the US receives comes from Venezuela.
His politics and shady history (the first time he tried to be president it was an attempted coup d'etat) make you wonder whether this isn't the fox guarding the hen house. For all we know the 100,000 AK-47s he ordered in 2005 might be in the hands of the FARC or maybe he just gave them his old stock of weapons once he got new AKs.
Colombian law enforcement have found FARC leaders sheltered in Venezuela before. Seems like they were being sheltered by a government trying to Communist to the rest of Latin America. The Soviet Union fell apart and the Berlin Wall fell, but stubborn idealogues seem determined to try and make it work despite its inherent self-destructive nature.

David and Popes

Over at Crossed the Tiber I came across a very interesting post comparing bad and often sinful decisions made by Popes with David's fornication and having the husband, Uriah the Hittite, killed. The main gist of the post was this:

Catholics are often asked how we can believe in the validity of the Church in light of the bad popes, corrupt bishops, bad priests, (sinful bloggers) etc and the recent abuse scandal.

Would Uriah the Hittite have accepted what came to be the Word of God if he knew that the man destined to write a portion of it (Psalms) fornicated with his wife and sent him into battle to die? The Jewish people as well as early Christians accepted the Old Testament as God's Word despite the fact that adulterers, polygamists and murderers wrote fairly large portions of it, including Moses, David and King Solomon. We don't believe the sinful actions of these men affected the truth God inspired them to write.

That's right, just as Sacred Scripture is the inerrant Word of God despite the sinful and sometimes scandalous actions of the writers, just so is the Catholic Church still the one true Church despite the sins and scandals of some Popes. The Holy Spirit is, despite some protestations to the contrary, able to proclaim Truth and overcome the sinfulness of mankind.

Carnivals

144

143

5,000

Woohoo! My blog has made the 5,000 visitors mark!

H/T to Rosetta Stone

Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!
-Luke 18:38

Citizen Soldier by 3 Doors Down

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf"
--George Orwell
H/T to Faith and Country for this video
I am not gonna post the lyrics, but she did if you want to see them.
3 Doors Down always has good stuff




I am an American Soldier.
I am a Warrior and a member of a team. I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values.

I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.

I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills. I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.
I am an expert and I am a professional.
I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.
I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.
I am an American Soldier.

Haikus just for cause

Today we recall
the Resurrection's glory
our eternal hope

Heavenly Manna
Nourishes body and soul
Precious Body, Blood

Blessed Sacrament
Jesus' Holy Sacrifice
His Blood shed for all

Dangers of Bread

I found this on Snopes this morning. It cracked me up so I thought I would share.

1. More than 98 percent of convicted felons are bread eaters.
2. Fully HALF of all children who grow up in bread-consuming households score below average on standardized tests.
3. In the 18th century, when virtually all bread was baked in the home, the average life expectancy was less than 50 years; infant mortality rates were unacceptably high; many women died in childbirth; and diseases such as typhoid, yellow fever and influenza ravaged whole nations.
4. More than 90 percent of violent crimes are committed within 24 hours of eating bread.
5. Bread is made from a substance called "dough." It has been proven that as little as one pound of dough can be used to suffocate a mouse. The average American eats more bread than that in one month!
6. Primitive tribal societies that have no bread exhibit a low occurrence of cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease and osteoporosis.
7. Bread has been proven to be addictive. Subjects deprived of bread and given only water to eat begged for bread after only two days.
8. Bread is often a "gateway" food item, leading the user to "harder" items such as butter, jelly, peanut butter and even cold cuts.
9. Bread has been proven to absorb water. Since the human body is more than 90 percent water, it follows that eating bread could lead to your body being taken over by this absorptive food product, turning you into a soggy, gooey bread-pudding person.
10. Newborn babies can choke on bread.
11. Bread is baked at temperatures as high as 400 degrees Fahrenheit! That kind of heat can kill an adult in less than one minute.
12. Most American bread eaters are utterly unable to distinguish between significant scientific fact and meaningless statistical babbling.

In light of these frightening statistics, we propose the following bread restrictions:

1. No sale of bread to minors.
2. No advertising of bread within 1000 feet of a school.
3. A 300 percent federal tax on all bread to pay for all the societal ills we might associate with bread.
4. No animal or human images, nor any primary colors (which may appeal to children) may be used to promote bread usage.

Three Church of Ireland Parishes Seek Reunion

Three Church of Ireland parishes are seeking full (corporate) reunion with the Catholic Church. Maybe these will be granted something like the Anglican use in the US or maybe they will join with the Traditional Anglican Communion and maybe form a new rite in the Church. Who knows?
Read the story about the parishes here.

In case you were wondering

Pope Benedict XVI's email address is benedictxvi@vatican.va

Belated Carnival post

I am late with the post linking to the newest Catholic Carnival, but here it is.

IM Saints

Hat tip to Ironic Catholic and The Scriptorium

Let Say Thanks.com

Xerox has a site called letssaythanks.com where you pick one of several cards made by children and Xerox mails it for free to a Servicemember in Iraq or Afghanistan. No money on your part, only a few seconds to pick a card, give your name and hometown, then pick a message and submit your card to be sent.

Traditional Anglich Church asks Rome for Union

That's right! The Traditional Anglican Communion has formally petitioned the Vatican for full union.
I read in an article that I found at Pewsitter.
From the article:

The College of Bishops of the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) recently petitioned for “full, corporate, sacramental union” with the Roman Catholic Church recently.
The appeal for union was debated during a meeting of bishops in Portsmouth, England during the first week of October. It was delivered in a letter, which was signed by all the bishops present. The letter was delivered personally to the Holy See by the Most Rev. John Hepworth, Primate of TAC, and two other bishops selected by the college...
With approximately 100 congregations in the U.S., the Anglican Church in America (ACA) is among the largest of several “Continuing Churches” which emerged from the Affirmation of St. Louis and the 1977 gathering of former Episcopalians and other Anglicans.

If it happens, and I pray that it will, this will be the first post-Reformation Church to rejoin the Catholic Church. Maybe it will lead many other Protestants across the Tiber.

Bishop's Wife Converts

I was reading at catholicnewsagency.com that the wife of a Church of Ireland bishop has become Catholic.

Anita Henderson formally converted Sunday in the private chapel of Catholic Bishop John Fleming in Ballina, County Mayo in the west of Ireland. Her husband, Church of Ireland Bishop Richard Henderson, and their three children, were present for the ceremony.

Its always great news to hear that someone else has reconciled themselves to the Catholic Church and joined in the fullness of truth.
The Archbishop who is head of the Church of Ireland, Archbishop Alan Harper had an interesting quote in the article:

"She has made what was for her and her husband a particularly difficult decision and a particularly difficult move. We must now pray that they are sustained in their integrity and continuing ministry. ...There are some awkwardnesses," he said.

I added the emphasis, but I can't help but wonder: how much awkwarness?

Reasons to be a Dad

In Catholic Carnival 141 there was a post that had 40 Reasons to have kids. It was from the Mom's perspective.
I saw yesterday that on Un-Muted Mumblings he had posted 40 reasons from the Dad's perspective. I was eager to see what he had since I will be Dad in late Dec.
Among the reasons I like from his list:

5. Kids make you a better man.
6. The first taught me to value the weak.
7. The second taught me the value of prayer (remind me to post his miracle story)
8. The third teaches me the value of Guardian Angels (notice the present tense)
9. Number 4 finally brought me out of my selfishness.
10. The fifth, well lets say my fifth is a good reason for a good fifth. A spitting image of me, but how different they can be.
11. #6 is the beauty following the beast. As collicy and feisty as #5 was, #6 is sweet and mellow.
12. The seventh (on the way) brought home the value of trusting God. Put away the charts and enjoy the married life. (thank you St. Joseph)...
25. Like a knife tempered in the fire and sharpened on a steel, kids provide both for a man's character.
26. We learn discipline starts with ourselves...
30. Wrestling time. When can getting beat be so much fun. Some day they will be able to beat me for real. I will have to give it up a year before that.
31. Games on a winter afternoon.
32. Having more than 2 really irks the liberals.

I am sure there are more than 40 reasons, but I'll have to wait and find out what those are.

International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church

Persecution of the Church will only end with the Second Coming. Please keep our persecuted brothers and sisters in your prayers.

Congratulations to Sarah

Sarah over at Snoring Scholar has a new addition to her family.

Allergic to everything but 6 foods

I was reading on MSNBC a couple days ago about a 12 year old boy who is allergic to almost everything. By almost everything I mean that they have only found 6 (wow that's a small number) foods that he is NOT allergic to. That poor boy can only eat chicken, tuna, carrots, potatoes, grapes and apples. Even still he has to receive additional nutrients through a tube. He now gets this through a port in his stomach since these daily feedings were rubbing his nose raw.

Its stories like these that make remember that I really should be thankful for my many, many blessings.

Catholic Carnival 141

Feel the rhythm! Feel the rhyme! Get on down, its Carnival time!

October is the month of the Rosary and a couple of posts are about the Rosary.

Elena at My Domestic Church shares her favorite Rosary links and resources.
Melissa from A Third Way also shares various Rosary resources with us.

There are even more posts this week about family and children. These are especially dear to me since my wife and I are expecting our first child in the last part of December.

Sarah, the author of Snoring Scholar, gives us 40 Reasons to have children. At A Catholic Mom Climbing the Pillars, we have a post about the benefits of an evening spent without television. SFO Mom wrote a Pro-Life post in Just Because its Legal Doesn't Make it Right.

There were also some posts about readings from Mass this last week.

Heidi Saxton posts at Streams of Mercy that the greatest healing is spiritual not physical as Christ's healing was attributed to the Devil. Heart, Mind, and Strength had a great post last week on the importance of thanksgiving, a la Naaman and the Samaritan leper.

Then there were the posts about Catholic writings. St Teresa of Avila and Pope Benedict XVI are mentioned among others.

Catholic Fire has a great post about St Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church and important inspiration to at least two other Doctors of the Church (St Therese of Lisieux and St John of the Cross). Daughter of the King wrote a review of "The Apostles" by Pope Benedict XVI. Christine Schult posts about Pope Benedict XVI's teachings on families. Running Red Lettered considers writing a memoir about her Catholic life and experiences.

Richard has a post about which would be the lesser of two evils if both won their party's nomination, voting for Giuliani or Clinton.

I also want to include a post from Faith and Country about the Life Chain in Kenosha and a post from Dominican Idaho about suffering.

I can't seem to download pictures right now, so those will have to wait.
Good night and God bless all of you.

O Sacrament Most Holy,
O Sacrament Divine,
All praise and all thanksgiving,
Be every moment Thine.

Catholic College in Idaho?

I just found out today that Wyoming has a new Catholic College. I have wondered for some time why Idaho doesn't have a Catholic College and/or university. After all, if the least populated state in the union has enough support to have a Catholic College why don't we?
Montana has fewer people than Idaho, but they have TWO Catholic Colleges. A Catholic college near Moscow would be ideal since a college there could draw on the research and other academic infrastructure already in place at the University of Idaho and Washington State. Reciprocal agreements could allow Catholic students use of their libraries and there is the possiblity of taking some classes at UI or WSU.
Idaho has one of the top five fastest population growths in the US. With the recent explosion of people and business in the Treasure Valley it is more than possible to raise the appropriate support. Of course we only have one Catholic High School as well. I take that back, I know of two. Only one is approved by Bishop Driscoll. I understand that Summit Academy set itself up without his approval and I understand that that isn't cool. But with that said it still seems like Bishop Driscoll isn't very supportive of Catholic education in the diocese.
Boise is a missionary diocese and that's all the more reason to establish more Catholic education, to shine our light unto the rest of the state.

Book Reviews and Catholic Carnivals

Catholic Carnival 140

Hiatus

I haven't blogged much in the last week or so, and it will be few more day before I have time again to blog. Contra will continue, just later in the week.
I shall return.

I am hosting the Catholic Carnival on 16 October. Does anyone have any thoughts on a special theme or a particular Saint's day that week?

Heaven Meme

I was over at Faith and Country with the Heaven meme. It seems like most everyone in the Catholic Blogosphere has already done it except me.
There is only one question:
How do you envision Heaven?
Ok, when I first thought about this I saw the clouds and angels with harps like on the Bugs Bunny Cartoons, etc. Then I thought some more and I remembered Marge's vision of a divided Heaven as she worried ove Bart and Homer becoming Catholics. Although that version of Heaven seemed like a lot of fun, its not really how I envision it.
When I stop and think about it, I think Heaven will be the all-encompassing sense of God: His love, joy, glory and greatness. The Bible says that the angels are forever singing "Holy Holy Holy". So it sounds like they have been singing and praising God with ceasing since their creation. I think it will be an eternity of forever basking in all Jehovah's greatness so far above our own ways. This is just my vision, I long to see how what its actually like.

I tag:
Transitus Tiber
V for Victory!

Mathetes

Catholicgop has tapped me for the Mathetes Award. Its apparently an award spread from blog to blog for discipleship of Christ. She also tagged me with the Heaven Meme, but I'll have to get that one next since it takes more thought.
I am always honored that other people read my humble blog. I am now even more honored that I am awarded for my blog.
So according to the rules I name 5 other blogs and post the following:
As per the rules I'm including the original post, and 5 (6) blogs I would like to honor.

"Mathetes is the Greek word for disciple, and the role of the disciple (per the Great Commission) is to make more disciples. I'd like to take the opportunity to award five other bloggers with this award and badge for acting in the role of a disciple of Christ. These five all share the message in their own creative ways, and I admire them all for what they do.

In the spirit of this award, the rules are simple. Winners of this award must pick five other "disciples" to pass it on to. As you pass it on, I just ask that you mention and provide links for (1)this post as the originator of the award (Dan King of management by God), (2) the person that awarded it to you, and then (3) name and sites of the five that you believe are fulfilling the role of a disciple of Christ. If you know of other deserving recipients of this award, and would like to start a new string, then please post a link to where you've started in in the comments to this post. I would love for many deserving bloggers to be blessed with this recognition."

My five awardees, in no particular order, are:
The Ironic Catholic
The Lair of the Catholic Caveman
Dominican Idaho
V for Victory!
Steve Ray's Blog

Catholic Carnival 139

Catholic Carnival 139 is at Snoring Scholar this week.