Bah-Humbug or Merry Christmas.....

I know that I am going to get some flack over this rant, but it is something that I have been thinking hard over.

First off, this is my own thoughts and not that of my family members.

While I admit that I am the first to start buying stuff for myself that I normally wouldn't buy during the rest of the year, I feel more and more that the commercialization of Christmas especially by Christians is not going to fare well on our resume at the Pearly Gates.

There is a struggle in my heart between seeing the delight on my children's faces and the thought of how I am swimming downstream with the "black Friday culture".
Taking Christmas far from it's Christian roots.

We have taken one of the Holiest seasons of the year and made it all about materialism.

Granted, there is some good that comes with this time of the year:

The fore mentioned delight on children's faces on Christmas morning;
the joy of spending time with family and friends that we might not normally see; the fact that some unbelievers might investigate the "reason for the season" and be converted; and even the boost in the economy can be a good thing.
Even the charity that is brought out at Christmas time is admirable although people should be that charitable year around.

Now, I am known as a tightwad (at least in my household) and that figures into my dilemma also. Sometimes I may feel that we are spending way too much at Christmas. We are far from being wealthy but the Lord provides for our needs and even a little extra occasionally.

But, here are a couple of things that I feel are a good part of my argument in "toning down" the gift buying and doing other things instead;

1) Shopping on Sundays....enough said I believe.

2) Causing employees to work ridiculous hours. This year "black Friday" started at midnight in some stores and at 4am in others. It also takes parents from their homes at those crazy hours...who's home with the children?

3) Again this year, black Friday caused "surge" deaths...nothing says
Merry Christmas like mourning the loss of a loved one who is trying to save a buck or two.

4) And finally, the whole reason I started this rant;
I have family and friends whom are quick to call a store manager about
the retailers lack of Christ in the public eye. They say "why is the Creche in the back corner of the store?" or "why is Dan Browns new book displayed in the front of the store and there's no sign of the Popes new book even on the shelf?"
How about the ol' "Happy Holiday's instead of Merry Christmas" from the cashiers?

I'll tell you why, because we have Christians have let this Holy season slip through our fingers and into the secular world's hands for them to model it how they want it to be. We are at the mercy of the "we don't want to offend anyone" culture (except us Christans whom evidently don't mind being offended).

Should we still complain? YES!
But, if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.

Maybe if we stop shopping on Sundays. Maybe if we stop going to those ridiculously early Black Friday sales. Maybe if we give to those less fortunate than us. Maybe if we stop filling our homes so full of "stuff" that we have to buy larger homes to keep all our "stuff"in....just maybe we can
get the stores to sell those "must have" items at a more reasonable price all the time.

Then again, maybe Santa Clause will come down my chimney with a bag full of coal....

Have a Blessed Advent

Vacations 2010

Well, over the summer we made a whirlwind tour of Chicago and Washington DC within the same month which was quite exhilarating and exhausting.
Our first stop was "the land of many windmills"...
no, not Holland, but Illinois.
I don't know the whole story on these since we were just passing through, but I guess these are wind powered generators. They went on for miles and miles. It was quite the site.


While in Chicago, we did the many things most people do, but we also like to visit some Holy places to keep things in perspective. The first place we visited was the Saint Jude Shrine.
Other than the "electric candles" this house of worship was awesome. There were a few relics, most importantly a bone of Saint Jude.



Next, we went to the National Shrine of St. Therese. What a wonderful place, with many relics of The Little Flower.
It was also cool to see many pictures of her in her youth as well as her monastic days. The pictures helped bring the realism of the Saint to my mind. A lot of times I believe, many people (especially non-Catholics) think of saints as "folk heros" such as Paul Bunyan or someone not real.
The Saints are definitely real and this special place brings at least one Saint face to face with the unbelieving world.
Many relics of Saint Therese are housed here.


These are just a couple of examples.

....and what trip to Chicago would be complete without a "Chicago style pizza"?

A couple of weeks after Chicago, we visited Washington DC thanks to a generous offer of a free stay at TCU (Catholic University) from a friend of ours who is studying for the Priesthood. I had some reservations about going to DC while America had some of the worst politicians ever elected in power, we went anyway.

Other than one of the ladies in the red jackets at the state capitol, we did not have any issues with the people of the city.

This lady obviously had some issues with children, which as my wife mentioned, could possibly have been a sign that she either had an abortion or at least was pro-choice. (Oh yea, we had our pro-life attire on;)


We made a stay-over in Virginia to visit Seton Home School headquarters, and Christendom College. We had a wonderful time at Seton visiting and talking with the wonderful people there.

Chapel at Christendom College where we went to morning Mass.

............back to DC.......

Of course, we seen all the normal sights, which were magnificent. Some of the structures had large concrete columns and they all had strong foundations. I don't just mean stone foundations; I mean foundations in God. There were references to God everywhere. Our founding fathers were rooted in their faith in God and it is evident everywhere except in the current administration...but that's a rant for another day.

It is hard to believe that a town with this kind of beauty and history can sometimes be so corrupt and Godless.

Probably our favorite place we visited was The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception which was right across the road from where we stayed.

Here's a view from where we were

staying. AWESOME!

The upper church














There are many different and beautiful alters and murals throughout the shrine.

I believe they said there were over 100 different alters throughout the Basilica.

We also visited the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America.

Another awesome place to visit!

Definitely do the tour of the Church and Catacombs if you go.








On our way out of town we stopped by the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center .

There are many different exhibits and interesting photos to see.

It looked like there was a lot of hands on stuff that was either closed or still under construction.

I understand that The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist are set

to buy the Center for their growing community.





Our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI

giving Holy Communion to Pope John Paul II who was Pope at the time.

Wooden replica of Jerusalem

Remember while you are on vacation never forget about God. Sundays (or Saturday) are still Holy Days even when you are away from your parish. It is still a mortal sin to miss Mass if you are able; you can usually find a Mass somewhere even if you have to drive many miles to get to it.

And always take the time for pilgrimages to Catholic sights and places of worship that are on the way or in the area where you are going. It can be a such a Blessing.

Archbishop Nienstedt Denies Communion To Same-Sex ‘Marriage’ Advocates

I believe Pope Benedict's words "It is important to recognize dissent for what it is, and not to mistake it for a mature contribution to a balanced and wide-ranging debate" ring in the ears of the faithful when they read this kind of garbage. (Read story below)

I cannot understand why people that oppose Catholic teachings continue to stay in the Church. Not that I want anyone to leave the Church, but if you don't yet understand why the Church teaches what it does, then find out!

If you still don't understand, continue to pray and ask for the graces to understand....but DO NOT STAND PUBLICLY IN OPPOSITION TO CHURCH TEACHINGS and expect to have the sacraments available to you.

Would you go to a Dodgers game wearing a Yankee's hat and shirt and shout GO DODGERS!!!!??? Kinda silly I know, but I think you get the point.

The Catholic Church is under attack from inside, whether people purposely came into the Church to try and destroy Her or whether people are just losing the battle for their souls and giving into Satan's lies and
moral relativism.
The Church has had the same teachings for 2000 years and it isn't going to change now.

These people are dissenters and they need to step back and learn their faith and open their hearts and mind to the Lord....and stop receiving Communion unworthily.

Let us pray for them. Let us Pray for Archbishop Nienstedt. Let us pray for all our Bishops, Priests and of course our Holy Father Pope Benedict.


By KATHLEEN GILBERT
Sunday, October 10, 2010

ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Archbishop of St. Paul-Minneapolis has denied communion to members of a group that included three nuns and a priest, who wore symbols expressing their opposition to Catholic Church teaching on marriage and homosexuality.The group expressed frustration after Archbishop John C. Nienstedt withheld the sacrament from them because they wore rainbow buttons and sashes signaling their support for same-sex “marriage” and homosexuality. The archbishop, who was celebrating his first student Mass at St. John’s on September 26, instead gave a blessing to members of the group, which included students from St. John’s University and the College of St. Benedict, as well as three nuns and a priest. Rainbow Sash Movement leader Brian McNeil said the group acted independently of his organization.Elizabeth Gleich, a St. Benedict sophomore and board member of People Representing the Sexual Minority (PRiSM), said that her group had intended to “make a statement” against the archbishop’s support for traditional marriage. She criticized Abp Nienstedt for “mak[ing] these extreme statements” by denying the group communion. Ms. Gleich, who was wearing a sash, was given communion in another line at the same liturgy.Another PRiSM member, Ana Seivert, complained in a Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) report that the archbishop’s action was “political.” “We weren’t the ones who made it political,” she said. “Once the archbishop denied communion, he made it political.”
Archdiocese spokesman Dennis McGrath said the church has told the Rainbow Sash Movement “for years” that members “cannot receive communion if you wear the rainbow sash, because it’s a political statement, a sign of protest,” according to the Star Tribune. “Going to the communion rail is the most sacred part of our faith, the Eucharist. We don’t allow anybody to make political statements or any kind of protest.”“It’s a symbol of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) movement en masse, and it was intended as a protest,” Mr. McGrath told MPR. “It was pretty obvious.”Rev. Rene McGraw, a philosophy professor at St. John’s, said that he celebrated a small Mass later that evening and gave all the members of the group communion. “My understanding of church law is that one is not to deny communion to anyone unless he or she is a public sinner, and that has traditionally been interpreted very narrowly,” said Mr. McGraw, according to the AP. “My instinct was these are people who were in need, I’m supportive of them, therefore, I’m happy to say mass for them.”However, the Vatican has confirmed that Rainbow Sashers cannot receive communion while publicly standing in opposition to Church teaching on sexuality, as stated by Cardinal Francis Arinze, the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, in 2005.Cardinal Francis George, head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, wrote in 2004 that: “The policy of the U.S. Bishops’ conference, a policy I did not invent, was to refuse Communion to anyone who used its reception as an occasion to protest against the Church’s teaching.”St. Paul-Minneapolis Archbishop Emeritus Harry Flynn, prior to his retirement, had been singled out for praise from the Rainbow Sash Movement for welcoming members to communion in his diocese. Abp Nienstedt succeeded Abp Flynn upon the latter’s retirement on May 2, 2008.Rainbow Sash wearers have successfully approached the rail in other areas, most notably the dioceses of Rochester, N. Y., Los Angeles, Calif., and Detroit, Mich. The organization usually gears up every year on the Catholic holy day of Pentecost to launch a coordinated effort to receive communion while wearing the sashes, and have even been known to snatch the host and distribute it to members when ministers were reluctant.Patrick Reilly of the Cardinal Newman Society, a Catholic college watchdog group, criticized the schools for failing to stand in solidarity with the archbishop.“As long as the University sponsors a club that blatantly opposes Catholic teaching with events like ‘Freedom to Marry Day,’ I can only foresee more embarrassing and scandalous situations like this arising,” Reilly told LifeSiteNews.“This is an opportunity for University leaders to explain Catholic teaching, clarify the institution’s Catholic identity, and act in communion with the archbishop. To remain silent would seem to condone the students’ actions.Minnesota’s bishops revealed last month that they would be mailing hundreds of thousands of DVDs to Catholics in the state explaining the Church’s position against gay “marriage,” and urging them to support candidates who favor protecting traditional marriage.
LifeSiteNews

Even the blind, liberal media seen through this ONE

Nothing says, "Wipe out AIDS and poverty" like Band-Aids and a black-and-white cookie.

That's what Bono's $15 million nonprofit the ONE Campaign -- which gives only a pittance of proceeds to its hunger and health causes -- bombarded New York newsrooms with last week to get press for its push for billions in African AIDS funding from President Obama.
The items were part of a pricey pile of puzzling loot, which also included a $15 bag of Starbucks coffee, a $15 Moleskine leather notebook, a $20 water bottle and a plastic ruler.
The stash came in four, oversized shoe boxes, delivered one at a time via expensive messenger. The boxes were timed to arrive for the UN "Summit on the Millennium Development Goals," which kicks off in Manhattan today.
Caitlin Thorne Hersey ONE' BIG WASTE: Bono's ONE Campaign blew cash on cookies, water, rulers, leather notebooks, coffee, Band-Aids and pens for media mailings.
Kimberly Hunter, spokeswoman for DC-based ONE, declined to say how much money the organization shelled out for the publicity blitz.
"Sometimes it's pretty hard to get through to reporters with the information about the lives of the world's poorest people," Hunter said. "We think it's important enough to try and break through the clutter . . . That's why we sent the boxes."
The boxes included a small tin of Band-Aids and two syringe-style pens -- along with a pitch challenging Obama to fork over $6 billion to the UN's Swiss-based Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Africa.
Caitlin Thorne Hersey;
Another container held the oversized cookie and water bottle in an odd pitch for funds for clean water and "sustainable sources of food."
Poverty-stricken African kids live on less than $1.25 a day -- "about the cost of the cookie in this box," ONE contended.
The leather-bound journal and ruler urged education funding in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Starbucks brew -- made with Ethiopian beans -- came with a suggestion to drum up support for investing in African agriculture.
Charity watchdog Daniel Borochoff of the American Institute of Philanthropy in Chicago called the p.r. move a "risk."
"There could be recipients -- or donors -- who might think that the money they spent could have instead been donated to help their cause," he said.
Hunter countered that ONE "does advocacy work, not charity work." Caitlin Thorne Hersey
ONE gives only a pittance in direct charitable support to its causes -- something Borochoff said the average donor might not realize.
The Bono nonprofit took in $14,993,873 in public donations in 2008, the latest year for which tax records are available.
Of that, $184,732 was distributed to three charities, according to the IRS filing.
Meanwhile, more than $8 million was spent on executive and employee salaries.
jeane.macintosh@nypost.com

Not so mad scientist

British scientists believe they have found the answer to an ages-old question: Which came first, the chicken or the egg?Scientists cracked the puzzle after discovering that the formation of eggs is possible only thanks to a protein found in chicken's ovaries. That means eggs have to be formed in chickens first.

The protein -- called ovocledidin-17 (OC-17) -- speeds up the development of the shell. Researchers from Sheffield and Warwick universities in England laid out their findings in the paper "Structural Control of Crystal Nuclei by an Eggshell Protein."
They used a supercomputer to zoom in on the formation of an egg and realized the protein is vital in kick-starting the crystallization process. It works by converting calcium carbonate into the calcite crystals that make up the egg shell.
Dr Colin Freeman, from Sheffield University's Department of Engineering Materials, said "it had long been suspected that the egg came first -- but now we have the scientific proof that shows that in fact the chicken came first."
"The protein had been identified before and it was linked to egg formation, but by examining it closely we have been able to see how it controls the process," Freeman said.
"It's very interesting to find that different types of avian species seem to have a variation of the protein that does the same job." http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/07/14/chicken-egg-mystery-finally-cracked/


……So, as my wife and myself said to ourselves, who made the chicken??
Once again, science proves that there is a Creator, and that Creator is God, the Father, the Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.
God gave us intelligence to know Him, to see that all creation points towards Him so we may have a relationship with Him, communion with the Divine.

Superficial intelligence is from man; God alone gives us knowledge, wisdom and understanding.
Faith and reason, religion and science, they do go together when put in the proper order….God first.

The Screwtape Letters revisited (part II)

6) We want him to be in the maximum uncertainty, so that his mind will be filled with contradictory pictures of the future, every one of which arouses hope or fear. There is nothing like suspense and anxiety for barricading a humans mind against the Enemy.

This is so easy for the devil to accomplish these days. There are wars, economic uncertainties, health care issues, and the daily crosses of the attack on the family. All these culminate into a toxic ball of anxiety and worry. It makes it easy to fall into despair and focuses our attention on the "worldly things" instead of spiritual things. The anxieties of daily life can take our focus off of God.....OR we can use these daily "crosses" to increase our dependency on God, trusting in God alone and His will for our lives, for our future.

As Francis Bacon (and later FDR) said in modern times....WE HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR BUT FEAR ITSELF, which has some truth to it, but I like to stick with biblical teachings such as the ol' faithful "FEAR OF THE LORD LEADS TO WISDOM" (Proverbs 1:7).

7) I wonder you should ask me whether it is essential to keep the patient in ignorance of your own existence. (The belief in demons)

It seems to me that today, more than ever, there is a scoffing at the belief in demons and sin (or at least the acceptance of excuses for sin).
I have daily encounters with people that think that just "being a good person" or going to church makes up for all the "bad" partakings in their lives. Once Satan can get you into the mind-set that "I'm to so bad" or that you have "good" excuses for your sins, then he has you....
It seems funny to me that those who wear rock band shirts depicting demons or those whom have demon tattoo's are usually the one's whom think least about Heaven, Hell or salvation. Where does their belief in demons come from?


Once you have made the World an end, and faith a means, you have almost won your man, and it makes very little difference what kind of worldly end he is pursuing. Provided that meetings, pamphlets, policies, movements, causes, and crusades, matter more to him than prayers and sacraments and charity, he is ours—and the more "religious" (on those terms) the more securely ours.

Yes, even well meaning Christians can become so caught up in worldly things that we may neglect spiritual things. We might not have the desire for possessions, but we may have the desire for causes. We may get so caught up in doing good works that we forget the faith aspect of our beliefs. Sloth is the word that comes to mind. It is also one of the 7 capitol (deadly) sins....although Christians may fall to it in a different level than others. If we don't start our endeavors with prayer and continue to pray for guidance, then we can forget the ultimate goal of our charity.

8) So you "have great hopes that the patients religious phase is dying away", have you?

Undulation is the word that "Uncle Screwtape" uses throughout this section of his letter. It means a rising and falling, like a wave according to Websters dictionary, although in the Christian sense, it means peaks and troughs in our spiritual lives. Sometimes God allows us to hit rock bottom to help us climb to the top of the mountain.
A lot of "new" Christians (those whom were not brought up in Christian homes) find that their family and friends tend to think that their new found Christianity has just a "phase" they are going through; they think that once the phase is over with, their foolish Christian loved one will see the light of "reason" and come back to "reality"; but their mistake in thinking that is written upon the hearts of us all. We all have the desire to know THE TRUTH. We all have the capability to know THE TRUTH.
THE TRUTH is not a something, THE TRUTH is somebody...JESUS is THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE.
It is true of very many Christians, that we all have times when we are weak in our faith, when we are beaten down by the world, but as Saint Paul continually encouraged us to "run the race to the end"....only those who persevere will be victorious.

The Screwtape Letters revisited (Part I )

I am just now catching up on my classical Christian reading by delving into C.S Lewis's "The Screwtape Letters".

The Lord must be trying to tell me something, because it is just like Screwtape and Woodworm are my own personal demons, trying to make me stumble and fall by the demon handbook.

I was hoping to make this a small summary (in my own words), but has I only got through the first few letters, I realized that to do it justice, this will have to be an on-going thesis's of sorts.

Let's see what lessons we can learn to try and out maneuver the enemy;


1) "They find it all but impossible to believe in the unfamiliar while the familiar is before their eyes. Keep pressing home on him the ordinariness of things."


I call this "lost in life", ..we tend to get so caught up in "real life" that we forget there is a spiritual side of life...the most important thing in our life. If you are an unbeliever or agnostic and a Godly thought pops into your head, you better pursue it, your soul may depend on it.

2) "One of our great allies at present is the Church itself."

Satan opens up our eyes to the "sins" of our fellow man. He tries to get us to look around the pews and make judgements upon our fellow church-goers and then become despondent when we may see hypocrisy or know of others sinfulness. He blinds us to the point in which our own spiritual journey is detoured by the sins of those in the pews around us. We tend to forget that Jesus said " I did not come to call the righteous but sinners." (Mark 2;17)


3) The best thing, where it is possible, is to keep the patient from the serious intention of praying altogether.

Satan is terrified of devotional prayers, but any prayer is an opportunity for God to speak to us and give us strength against the tempter. We must be sure though, that we don't just ramble off prayer that has no substance. We must pray with all our heart, mind, body and soul, keeping in mind that God is our focal point of our prayer.


4) It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out.

I don't know about you but my memory doesn't work so well any more. Some of the problem is with my past; things I have seen, heard and done ....the unpleasantries of my life, will resurface in my mind at the oddest moments. I can listen to the greatest homily ever preached one moment, and then WHAM!, the spiritual ecstasy is gone, forgotten, taken by the evil one.

I take my eyes off the Lord, and gaze upon myself. Satan can and will put bad things in our minds and try to keep out the good things, and we will fully cooperate if we are not well formed in our faith, in our minds.

5) "..And how disastrous for us is the continual remembrance of death which war enforces. One of our best weapons, contented worldliness, is rendered useless."

I've heard a saying that goes "there are no atheist in foxholes", referring to the very real feeling of knowing you could be dead at any moment. The contemplation of death, or a near death experience or even being on your death bed at the end of a long life can open your eyes to the Truth.....what happens next?
We can get so caught up in living life, that we forget the other part of life...death. Death has a way of making you face God or at least think about if there actually is a God.
Never be content on knowing all about what life has to offer....learn about what death can teach you about life.

What an awesome tribute to mothers!!!!


Happy Mother's Day from Father Corapi

This Sunday we once again have the joy of celebrating Mother's Day. It is certainly fitting enough that this falls in the month of May, the month the Church dedicates to the Mother of Jesus and our Spiritual Mother. It's a beautiful month dedicated to what is perhaps the most beautiful reality I can imagine - mothers.

In the often misguided and morally confused society we live in, the vocation and blessing of being a mother isn't esteemed highly enough by many individuals that are so preoccupied with making a living and accumulating material things. Sometimes motherhood isn't respected enough by men. Even more baffling - sometimes women don't themselves value this calling and honor as they ought. As far as I'm concerned, it would be hard to imagine a more noble, more necessary, and more beautiful calling in life.

Moms, only in Heaven will you realize just how pleasing you are to God. you have collaborated with God our Father in bringing new life into the world. You have given our heavenly Father children, and these children He treasures more than you could ever imagine.

"Mother" - Perhaps the most beautiful word in all of language. It expresses life. It expresses love. It expresses cooperation with God. it speaks of something that will never end.

One day, Moms, you'll be honored by God himself for your many sacrifices. For now, accept our thanks, our love, and our tribute. We salute you, moms, this day and for all eternity.


God bless you for all you've done for us.

In Jesus' Love through Mary our Mother,

Fr. John Corapi

Disney on this blog???????

I usually stay away from Disney related stuff because of the issues and principles in which they have taken a stand for, but here are some thoughts on something I remember hearing from the
movie “The Lion King”.
The scene involved Timon and Pumbaa who were trying to philosophize to the young and disenchanted Simba. Timon said something like “when the world turns its back on you, you turn your back on the world!”

Being not a faithful Christian back then, I liked that line…but now I see how bad philosophies and principles are fed to the younger generations through music and movies.

Thank goodness God didn’t take that attitude with us, with our world, especially as our society tries to push Him out of the picture. Thank goodness that God hasn’t turned his back on us!!!
The only time God turned His back on us was when He offered it up to us to be whipped, beaten and bruised for our sins, for our salvation.

We must be diligent in our battle with Satan as he works through the media, through selfishness and pride; through music, movies and television. Through our world leaders and the idols of our children in the entertainment and sports industries.

The words of St Paul hold as true today as they were in his day;
“For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens.” -- Ephesians 6; 12

Paul goes on to tell how to put on the armor of God which consists of truth, righteousness, readiness, faith, prayer, perseverance and the sword of the Spirit to give us the courage to preach and live the gospel that is our calling as Christians.
And in verse 20 he says that he is “an ambassador in chains, so that I may have the courage to speak (the Gospel) as I must.”

“An ambassador in chains” should make us realize the importance of standing up for what is right and doing all we can to share the Truth with all people, especially those whom influence and make the laws in our country, in our world.

We may feel “chained” in this world. We may feel that God has turned His back on the world. We may feel that we should turn our back on God; but take heed, God does not turn his back on us, but He will allow us, in our free will, to turn our back on Him....for eternity....and He doesn't want that, neither should you.

Selfishness

From the book "With us today---on the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist" by Father John Hardon;

Of ourselves, we are naturally self-centered, self-occupied, self-interested and self-opinionated. We are all naturally self-concerned, self-indulgent, self-satisfying, self-admiring and self-attentive. In a word, we are all profoundly and deeply self-willed.
There is one idolatry to which every human being is constantly prone, and that is the worship of oneself.

These lines spoke to me personally. I have noticed this about myself, and after reading these words, I realized how serious of a problem I have.
Now not to wriggle off the hook myself, but, I do believe that this is one of the major problems with the world today. It goes hand in hand with relativism. A double whammy of sin and a large part of what is wrong with
today's society.

It seems we can all have a personal agenda.
It carries itself into the realms of our personal and family life. Into our business and work life; and has we have seen countless times, into political life for those to whom it applies.
We have just seen it by our country's current administration.
While some of them my truly care about getting health care for all Americans, I believe, especially concerning our President, that there is a hidden agenda there. A costly one for all Americans particularly
the unborn and their mothers and fathers.
The elderly, those whom use health care the most will also be tragically affected by this rash decision as well as our future generations.

Jesus had and still has an agenda. That is to rid us of our selfishness. That is what Lent is about, to focus on the Cross and not on ourselves.
Obama and his cronies have an agenda for Lent. That is why they voted on this, they made people work on the Sabbath, to promote their evil agenda.

I certainly will continue in my quest to rid myself of the selfishness in my life, I just pray that the leaders of our country will do the same.

Suffering

It seems like everyone around me, family, friends, coworkers, friends of friends...everyone, has been sick, suffering or in mourning some sort of way. It has been ongoing like never before.
I guess that happens as you get older and as you get to know more people.

We all wish we had the words to say to truly comfort our loved ones, but in most cases all we can do is cheer them up or pray them into good health....not that either of these are bad; these are good things in which we should try to do.

I have just read something from St John Vianney that takes suffering to a new level.
Maybe we can draw something out of this to bring our consolations to a higher power.

CHAPTER 18 : Catechism on Suffering
Whether we will or not, we must suffer. There are some who suffer like the good thief, and others like the bad thief. They both suffered equally. But one knew how to make his sufferings meritorious, he accepted them in the spirit of reparation, and turning towards Jesus crucified, he received from His mouth these beautiful words: "This day thou shalt be with Me in Paradise. " The other, on the contrary, cried out, uttered imprecations and blasphemies, and expired in the most frightful despair. There are two ways of suffering - to suffer with love, and to suffer without love. The saints suffered everything with joy, patience, and perseverance, because they loved. As for us, we suffer with anger, vexation, and weariness, because we do not love. If we loved God, we should love crosses, we should wish for them, we should take pleasure in them. . . . We should be happy to be able to suffer for the love of Him who lovingly suffered for us. Of what do we complain? Alas! the poor infidels, who have not the happiness of knowing God and His infinite loveliness, have the same crosses that we have; but they have not the same consolations. You say it is hard? No, it is easy, it is consoling, it is sweet; it is happiness. Only we must love while we suffer, and suffer while we love.

On the Way of the Cross, you see, my children, only the first step is painful. Our greatest cross is the fear of crosses. . . . We have not the courage to carry our cross, and we are very much mistaken; for, whatever we do, the cross holds us tight - we cannot escape from it. What, then, have we to lose? Why not love our crosses and make use of them to take us to Heaven? But, on the contrary, most men turn their backs upon crosses, and fly before them. The more they run, the more the cross pursues them, the more it strikes and crushes them with burdens. . . . If you were wise, you would go to meet it like St. Andrew, who said, when he saw the cross prepared for him and raised up into the air, "Hail O good cross! O admirable cross! O desirable cross! receive me into thine arms, withdraw me from among men, and restore me to my Master, who redeemed me through thee. "

Freebies!!

Everyone likes free stuff, so here's a couple I found.

I have not actually ordered the home study course, but I did get one of the 2nd Class Relic Cards (a piece of Archbishop Sheen’s vestments). The prayers on the card are wonderful also.

Free Catholic home study course --- http://www.amm.org/chss.htm

Free 2nd class holy card --- http://www.archbishopsheencause.org/the-cause/request-materials

Confession

Serious business.
What does that mean to us?
Some people consider their work serious business; and it should be.
Some consider their finances serious business; and it is.
Some people consider their religion serious business: and of course it is.
Some even consider their sports teams serious business; and…well, eeh—maybe not so much.

I’ll tell you what we should consider serious business. CONFESSION.

Confession of our sins to a priest so that we may gain absolution from them and that we may obtain the graces needed to persevere over temptation.

Jesus told us to confess our sins 1 John 1:8-10 and our sins would be forgiven by Him through the priest John 20:21–23.

Saint John Vianney gives one of the best reflections on confession;

We come to confession quite preoccupied with the shame that we shall feel. We accuse ourselves by steam. It is said that many confess, and few are converted. I believe it is so, my children, because few confess with tears of repentance. See, the misfortune is, that people do not reflect. If one said to those who work on Sundays, to a young person who had been dancing for two or three hours, to a man coming out of an alehouse drunk, "What have you been doing? You have been crucifying Our Lord!" they would be quite astonished, because they do not think of it. My children, if we thought of it, we should be seized with horror; it would be impossible for us to do evil. For what has the good God done to us that we should grieve Him thus, and put Him to death afresh - Him, who has redeemed us from Hell? It would be well if all sinners, when they are going to their guilty pleasures, could, like St. Peter, meet Our Lord on the way, who would say to them, "I am going to that place where thou art going thyself, to be there crucified afresh. " Perhaps that might make them reflect.
(From THE BLESSED CURÉ OF ARS IN HIS CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTIONS Saint John Vianney)

In order to prepare for a good confession, you should have a good examination of conscience.
To help us forgetful people to remember those things we may have forgotten or may not have thought of, here are a couple to check out.

http://www.catholicparents.org/oxcart/Examination%20of%20Conscience.pdf (from Father Altier)

And from the Fathers of Mercy http://www.fathersofmercy.com/about/home/exams

Father Neuhaus

Fr. Neuhaus' debate on religion and political life hosted by the Economist.

OnefireCatholic.com priest goes to Haiti

Priest heads to Haiti to give spiritual and physical aid
Marnie McAllister


Fr. James Bromwich will serve as a nurse and priest at a hospital aiding quake victims

Father James Bromwich, pastor of three churches in Central Kentucky, departed from Boston yesterday on a private jet operated by Caritas International flying doctors and nurses bound for Cap Haitien, Haiti.
The Archdiocese of Louisville priest is part of a team of volunteers who will help earthquake survivors evacuated from Port-au-Prince to Sacred Heart Hospital located in Milot, Haiti, about 60 or 70 miles north of the capital.
Father Bromwich, who is also a registered nurse, said during a telephone interview Jan. 19, “I saw what was happening, and like everyone else I saw the horror.
“I also heard about the church and the devastation (of church buildings) and the deaths” of Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot of Port-au-Prince, religious men and women and seminarians, he noted. Survivors “not only need basic care of their physical needs, but they have spiritual needs, too.”
Feeling a call to do more than pray and be in solidarity with the people who are suffering, the priest contacted a friend who is a nun and surgeon with the Little Workers of the Sacred Heart. She hooked him up with the CRUDEM Foundation, a non-profit that runs the 73-bed hospital in Milot.
Father Bromwich said he expected to fly yesterday, Jan. 20, to Cap Haitien, which is about 80 miles north of the capital. From there, he and other health-care workers were slated to travel to Milot, where they will minister to the needs of earthquake survivors at Sacred Heart Hospital, which was founded by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart of Montreal.
The priest said he didn’t know what to expect when he arrived. But he heard that the United States Navy woud be flying patients needing post-operative care from the U.S.N.S. Comfort — a hospital ship — to Sacred Heart Hospital.
While he’s prepared to help with survivors’ medical needs, he said he anticipates that much of his work will be spiritual.
“I would say that since there are quite a few nurses and doctors going in and I’ll be the only priest, my main ministry will probably be as a priest,” Father Bromwich said.
“It’s my understanding that after the earthquake, they have a one in 10,000 ratio of priests to Catholics” in Haiti, he noted. “The ratio is one in 2,500 here” in the United States.
He said he’s already received requests from volunteers and staff that he celebrate daily Mass and make Eucharistic adoration available. He expects also to administer sacraments and a measure of spiritual comfort to patients.
Father Bromwich said he told his parishioners about his trip to Haiti during Masses last weekend.
“I asked my parishioners to make the sacrifice and give up their pastor for a few weeks,” he noted. “The parishioners have been very generous with their prayers and donations.”
More than $4,400 was raised during collections for earthquake survivors during weekend liturgies at the three parishes where he is pastor — Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Campbellsville, Our Lady of the Hills in Finley and Our Lady of Fatima in Phillipsburg — said Karen Sanders, secretary for the parishes. She said parishioners were more than happy to share their pastor with people in Haiti.
“We are so proud of him and so glad he has the talent and ability to help,” said Sanders. At Mass on Sunday “we talked about our need to sacrifice, and then he told us of the sacrifice he would make and the need for his aid” in Haiti.
Father Bromwich, who expects to be gone about three weeks, said he has heard people lamenting, “I wish I could do more.” So he spoke to his parishioners about ways they can help the people suffering in Port-au-Prince, in addition to making donations.
“I think it’s part of human nature, people want to help,” Father Bromwich noted. “St. Paul said, ‘When one member of the body suffers, we all suffer.’ The average Catholic who can’t go to Haiti should ask the question, ‘How is it that will you be changed after this is over.’
“And the only way you can be changed is if you are in solidarity with the people in Haiti,” he said. “Think of a way to simplify your life and make a sacrifice.”
He suggested people try spending one night a week sleeping on the floor — as many people in Port-au-Prince are doing out of necessity — or fast from one meal a day.
“By making some sacrifice and offering this as a prayer, you help yourself be a better Christian,” he said.
For his part, Father Bromwich said he expects to receive as much as he gives through the “simple, joyful and generous” people in Haiti. He has visited the Caribbean nation once before, and he was struck by the people’s generosity, even as the faced the most dire poverty.
“I expect this to be a powerful spiritual experience,” he added. “Whenever we come into contact with people in such desperate need, we come into contact with Jesus himself.”

Podcast from the hills of KY

What happens when your Archdiocese sends 2 of your best, young, vibrant, energetic and Holy Priests off to the hills of Kentucky?
Well, they set the woods ablaze with the Holy Spirit of course.

I trust that our great Archbishop knew what he was doing when he sent a good priest friend of ours to the outskirts of the Archdiocese.

Please take time to listen to the podcasts on the website for great helps with
family life and the modern world.

http://www.onfirecatholic.com/

The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. ---Genesis 3;6

Just because something looks good, doesn’t mean that there isn’t the bad to go along with it.
Looks can be deceiving.

We can be lead astray by satan and his lies. We can be lead astray by smooth talkers, by people who play on our emotions; our feelings.

In our culture today, there is a lot of deception that takes place. There are a lot of situations that seem good on the surface, but below, there lies a deep, dark agenda.

Man has been blessed by his Creator with the ability to think, to gain knowledge of the world around us. The intricacies of how the human body functions; and the goodness of nature are just a couple of realms of progress we have discovered in modern times.
Yet, there is still the tendency for man to want to be like God, to be God….to make his own rules, thinking that it is good. That man knows best.
….but does he?

-We have the technology to see the baby in the womb, yet we still think it is alright to kill the unborn.
-We have had great success with adult stem cells, yet those in control continue to throw money at embryonic research which has been a failure in all aspects of scientific and medical research.
-We are told that the government can run businesses more efficiently, yet this country can’t seem to stay out of debt.
-We are told that we need “government run heathcare” despite the reasonable arguments against it.
- We are told that global warming is going to kill us all, despite all the proofs against it. They have even uncovered records showing the deception of those whom worship the global warming god. http://climatedepot.com/

Lie after lie, deception and deceit; all under the pretense “for the good” of human kind.

The sad part about it is that most people buy into the lies, or just “go with the flow” not realizing that they are about to be washed downstream.

If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is…there is probably a hidden agenda
slithering under the tree of knowledge.

The possession of truth confers knowledge and liberation from sin.
….and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.