I started blogging again this last May. I hadn't blogged since June of 2009 unfortunately. Life seems to get in the way of other things sometimes. Well, this year I started writing Saints and Scripture Sunday posts. I continued with a few more Saint Quizzes. I also contributed posts to LOL Saints and Catholic Dads. I added a page for my Adopt A Catholic Blog initiative that I started in 2008 but no one has adopted a blog since 2008. Although, one blogger has commented on there requesting that someone adopt him and his blog. I didn't really do much with 50 Days After this year. Next year I will try to post more regularly and write things that people will actually want to read.
1. I've really been getting into a show called Naked Archaeologist. The name is because the intent of the show is to break it down for dummies, to strip away all the complications to make it "naked". All of the shows are about various topics from the Holy Land. The only one I have seen that isn't Biblical was about Shimon Bar Kokhba.
2. One episode of the Naked Archaeologist was about the Temple Treasures. He asked at one point if the archaeologist he was interviewing thought that the Ark of the Covenant might be found buried on the Temple Mount. No, was the response, because 2 Maccabees 2:1-7 was very clear that Jeremiah buried it on Mt Nebo, where Moses looked over the Promised Land. So why did the writers of Indiana Jones did so little research that they had it in Egypt?
3.A great song from Matisyahu...
4. “A servant of the Lord is he who in body stands before men, but in mind knocks at Heaven with prayer.”-- St John Climacus
5. Keeping an Eastern theme, here is a quote from my parish's patron saint: “I am writing to all the Churches and I enjoin all, that I am dying willingly for God's sake, if only you do not prevent it. I beg you, do not do me an untimely kindness. Allow me to be eaten by the beasts, which are my way of reaching to God. I am God's wheat, and I am to be ground by the teeth of wild beasts, so that I may become the pure bread of Christ.”--St Ignatios of Antioch
6. So i just learned about St David the Dendrite. Dendrite means someone who lives in a tree. St David the Dendrite spent three years living in an almond tree in Thessalonika.
7. Did anyone else know that Christmas is an official holiday in Iraq? I remember the first year that it was declared a holiday; I was there.
Some videos from Seven Sorrows a Catholic heavy metal band. I'll admit it, I REALLY LIKE heavy metal. I can't get enough, the harder the better. Unfortunately, there seem to be few and far between bands in this genre with Christian or even morally acceptable lyrics.
Matt. 2:16 - Herod's decree of slaying innocent children was prophesied in Wis. 11:7 - slaying the holy innocents.
When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi. Matthew 2:16
...as a rebuke to the decree for the slaying of infants, You gave them abundant water in an unhoped-for way. Wisdom 11:7
Matt. 6:19-20 - Jesus' statement about laying up for yourselves treasure in heaven follows Sirach 29:11 - lay up your treasure.
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. Matthew 6:19-20
Dispose of your treasure as the Most High commands, for that will profit you more than the gold. Sirach 29:11
Matt. 7:16,20 - Jesus' statement "you will know them by their fruits" follows Sirach 27:6 - the fruit discloses the cultivation.
By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits you will know them. Matthew 7:16-20
In days to come Jacob shall take root, Israel shall sprout and blossom, covering all the world with fruit. Sirach 27:6
Matt. 12:42 - Jesus refers to the wisdom of Solomon which was recorded and made part of the deuterocanonical books.
At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here. Matthew 12:42
Matt. 16:18 - Jesus' reference to the "power of death" and "gates of Hades" references Wisdom 16:13.
And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18
For you have dominion over life and death; you lead down to the gates of the nether world, and lead back. Wisdom 16:13
Matt. 22:25; Mark 12:20; Luke 20:29 - Gospel writers refer to the canonicity of Tobit 3:8 and 7:11 regarding the seven brothers.
Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died and, having no descendants, left his wife to his brother. The same happened with the second and the third, through all seven. Finally the woman died. Now at the resurrection, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had been married to her." Matthew 22:25-28
For she had been married to seven husbands, but the wicked demon Asmodeus killed them off before they could have intercourse with her, as it is prescribed for wives. So the maid said to her: "You are the one who strangles your husbands! Look at you! You have already been married seven times, but you have had no joy with any one of your husbands. Tobit 3:8
I have given her in marriage to seven men, all of whom were kinsmen of ours, and all died on the very night they approached her. But now, son, eat and drink. I am sure the Lord will look after you both." Tobiah answered, "I will eat or drink nothing until you set aside what belongs to me." Raguel said to him: "I will do it. She is yours according to the decree of the Book of Moses. Your marriage to her has been decided in heaven! Take your kinswoman; from now on you are her love, and she is your beloved. She is yours today and ever after. And tonight, son, may the Lord of heaven prosper you both. May he grant you mercy and peace." Tobit 7:11
Matt. 24:15 - the "desolating sacrilege" Jesus refers to is also taken from 1 Macc. 1:54 and 2 Macc. 8:17.
"When you see the desolating abomination spoken of through Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains,…Matthew 24:15, 16
On the fifteenth day of the month Chislev, in the year one hundred and forty-five, the king erected the horrible abomination upon the altar of holocausts, and in the surrounding cities of Judah they built pagan altars. 1 Maccabees 1:54
...keeping before their eyes the lawless outrage perpetrated by the Gentiles against the holy Place and the affliction of the humiliated city, as well as the subversion of their ancestral way of life. 2 Maccabees 8:17
Matt. 24:16 - let those "flee to the mountains" is taken from 1 Macc. 2:28.
then those in Judea must flee to the mountains,…Matthew 24:16
Thereupon he fled to the mountains with his sons, leaving behind in the city all their possessions. 1 Maccabees 2:28
Matt. 27:43 - if He is God's Son, let God deliver him from His adversaries follows Wisdom 2:18.
He trusted in God; let him deliver him now if he wants him. For he said, 'I am the Son of God.'" Matthew 27:43
For if the just one be the son of God, he will defend him and deliver him from the hand of his foes. Wisdom 2:18
1. Does anyone have any suggestions for books about Louis Martin (St Therese de Lisieux's Dad)? I am curious to read what he did as a father to encourage his daughters in holiness. He obviously did something right. 2. I've moved around easily a dozen times in my twenty-odd years. I think I might stay where I am or at least try to. I found an AMAZING Melkite Catholic parish here. We are Latin Rite, but I am falling in love with the Divine Liturgy and seriously considering becoming Melkite. Maybe my daughter will get to grow up near her grandparents, like I never got to. 3. In the next few months, I am going to start putting things together to set up a small business. I don't expect to quit my day job, but owning my own business is something I've wanted to do for some time. 4. Right now Sitemeter has recorded about 24, 600 visits. While this blog has only ever been for my enjoyment, I still like the idea that some time this month or next I will have had 25,000 visitors. 5. Speaking of visitors, the most popular posts are Saint Quiz IV and my posts regarding St Expeditus. 6. Do any of the other parents out there find themselves watching their kids show even after they leave? It usually takes me 15 minutes or so for it to register that my daughter is in bed and I am still watching Nickelodeon. 7. "Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord." Psalm 118:26 or 117:26 in the Douay-Rheims translation
I had a Keep the Mass in Christmas post once before, but I slacked last year. I actually went for over a year without posting. I am back now though. Tomorrow is the Feast Day of St. Nicholas and knowing how St Nicholas went from tall, thin, pious archbishop to jolly, fat man with a red suit who flies around with reindeer and his sole purpose in life is to give out presents has inspired me to post again. Today St Ignatios had one of the deacons dress up as St Nicholas (complete with miter and beard) and give out chocolate coins to the children. My daughter wouldn't have anything to do with him, but she was quite pleased once I opened up the coins and showed her the chocolate inside. I saw on Google that there are 1, 2, 3 Facebook groups for this cause. I also saw that Tiber Jumper, The SciFi Catholic and Michael Dubriel have posted on this. I don't have anything really clever to say about this today. I did want to post something and throw some pics out there. H/T to Tiber Jumper and again for the initial pic that I modified.
I hear this part of the Psalms every Sunday during Orthros and it gets me every time. His forgiveness knows no bounds. At the same time, he chastises when we do wrong. This chastisement is by no means a condemnation nor does he necessarily remain angry. I can't explain it well, I just know how I feel as a father. So I will let one of the Church Fathers do the explaining. From St Augustine:
Let Him be as angry as He shall will, He is our Father. But He has scourged us, and afflicted us, and bruised us: He is our Father. Son, if you bewail, wail beneath your Father; do not so with indignation, do not so with the puffing up of pride. What you suffer, whence you mourn, it is medicine, not punishment; it is your chastening, not your condemnation. Do not refuse the scourge, if you dost not wish to be refused your heritage: do not think of what punishment you suffer in the scourge, but what place you have in the Testament.
This is the funniest LOLSaint Post that I have seen in quite a while.
I think this is the guy who showed up to the wedding not dressed up and so the king had him beaten and thrown out. I'd like to know what you guys think it is.
Freedom requires vigilance, because not everyone believes in reasonable debate and compromise.
"Freedom is not only a gift, but also a summons to personal responsibility. Americans know this from experience -- almost every town in this country has its monuments honoring those who sacrificed their lives in defense of freedom, both at home and abroad. The preservation of freedom calls for the cultivation of virtue, self-discipline, sacrifice for the common good, and a sense of responsibility towards the less fortunate. It also demands the courage to engage in civic life and to bring one's deepest beliefs and values to reasoned public debate.
In a word, freedom is ever new. It is a challenge held out to each generation, and it must constantly be won over for the cause of good."
Pope Benedict XVI April 16, 2008
May God bless all who read my ramblings,
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
To the alarm company that plays radio ads with that annoying siren: STOP IT. That is the exact same siren that the incoming alarm used to use.
Hebrews 11:31,32 mention great heroes of the faith such as Gideon, David, Samuel and Samson who worked mighty deeds and slew many enemies. Hebrews 1:36 mentions the often forgotten heroes of our faith: "And others had trial of mockeries and stripes, moreover also of bands and prisons"
Too often when we think of the persecution of the Church we think of Ancient times or other historical times. Christians are persecuted and killed TODAY. In Communist, Hindu, but mostly Muslim lands Christians are forbidden from practicing the True Faith and very often imprisoned or killed for it. The process for declaring sainthood takes some time, while there are a great many new martyr saints every year it takes a while for the Church to declare them so, so for a Saint in this week's Saints and Scripture I chose instead of a Saint, Servant of God Fr. Emil J. Kapaun. He was an Army chaplain in WWII and Korea. In the Korean War he was captured by Communist Chinese forces and in the POW camp he resisted attempts to brainwash UN troops, led Sunday celebrations (he had no bread or hosts to consecrate for a Mass), led secret prayer groups, stole food to help his fellow prisoners survive, and more. In the end he became ill and the Chinese left him in a shack by himself with no medical treatment. This was their solution to his resistance to Communism. Also, I once posted about saints from Eastern Europe, including one who was immured (they bricked him into the wall and left him there to die). For more info on the persecuted Church, I recommend Voice of the Martyrs or you can go here to write letters (in their own language) to currently imprisoned Christians around the world.
"Remember them that are in bands, as if you were bound with them; and them that labour, as being yourselves also in the body." Hebrews 13:3
The rules for this meme are simple: 1. Name yoiur three favorite unnamed characters from the Bible 2. Tag three friends 3. Link to this post.
My three favorite unnamed characters: 1. The good thief 2. The centurion who declared "Truly this man was the Son of God" 3. Samaritan woman at the well
Same deal as the other ten Saint Quizzes, place a comment in the combox when you figure out one or more of the saints. These three should be simple. The top one is from my parish, St Ignatios of Antioch in Augusta, GA.
"As the deer yearns for running streams, so I yearn for you my God." Ps 42:1
This is the beginning of my favorite Psalm. I know 22 is much better known and more popular, but ever since I saw the mosaic on the floor in front of the altar at Mt Angel, I cannot help but be struck with a burning desire for the Eucharist every time I hear or read this line. The mosaic has deer drinking from a stream which flows forth from a chalice and host. Just as the deer needs water for life, we do not live by bread alone and we as Christians are called to the Living Waters in the Eucharist. It also reminds of St Giles who lived in the woods as a hermit and his only companion was a deer who kept him company. One day a hunting party shot him with an arrow instead of the deer. He lived, but became the patron saint of crippled persons.
