Protoevangelium

Today's Reading - Acts 13

2010-04-29T18:56:00.000-07:00

In today's first reading, St. Paul walks into the synagague and gives the Isrealites and all of us a short birds eye view of salvation history. I thought I'd share this today because its not only an amazing journey, but a reminder of how Our Father keeps His promises. And for a great study and adventure through salvation history, there no other book I can recommend, than Scott Hahn's "A Father Who Keeps His Promises"

So Paul got up, motioned with his hand, and said,
“Fellow children of Israel and you others who are God-fearing, listen. The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors and exalted the people during their sojourn in the land of Egypt. With uplifted arm he led them out,
and for about forty years he put up with them in the desert. When he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance at the end of about four hundred and fifty years. After these things he provided judges up to Samuel the prophet. Then they asked for a king.
God gave them Saul, son of Kish,
a man from the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.
Then he removed him and raised up David as their king;
of him he testified, I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart;
he will carry out my every wish. From this man’s descendants God, according to his promise,
has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus. John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel; and as John was completing his course, he would say,
‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he.
Behold, one is coming after me; I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.’”
Acts 13:13-25

Welcome to the Catholic Church

2010-04-23T23:00:00.000-07:00

TOB Explained: Prologue

2010-03-13T23:00:00.001-08:00

Tackling the Theology of the Body is no small task. This is one heckuva dense text. Pope John Paul II was a world class philosopher and his writing style is not as linear as I would prefer. He spirals concepts throughout his Wednesday Audiences which makes this quite a difficult read. I don't know, maybe it's just me. So as a result, this time, I have enlisted the help of Christopher West's commentary: Theology of the Body Explained. West wrote this commentary with the intention for it to stand alone. I haven't finished the prologue and I'm already blown away. The fact that he takes such a difficult text and popularizes it may cause this theological time bomb to go off sooner than later.

Today's problem is not that people overvalue the body. They don't value it enough. The ancient heresy of Manichaeism has reared it head in the form of Cartesian Dualism which pits the body and spirit against each other. This belief has even found its way into the Church. This dualism causes people to abandon the belief that the spirit gives life to the body and the body receives it's life from the spirit. As a result, Man ceases to live as a person and subject but becomes an object. This has led to human sexuality being regarded as something to be exploited and manipulated rather than the same source of wonder that caused Adam to proclaim, "this is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh." (Gen 2:23)

When the body is objectified, a person is no longer a "he" or a "she" but an "it." When we begin to understand that the material makes visible the invisible we can see the body in a new light. We begin to understand that a human person doesn't have a body, but a human person is a body. If only we can truly come to grasp this mystery.

TOB: The Journey Continues

2010-02-14T14:09:00.001-08:00

"The body, in fact, and only the body, is capable of making visible what is invisible: the spiritual and the devine. It has been created to transfer into the visible reality of the world the mystery hidden from eternity in God, and thus to be a sign of it." (TOB 19:4)

A couple of years ago I was introduced to Pope John Paul II's important work entitled "Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body."(TOB) The concept behind this work amazed and yet baffles me. JP2 spent five years (9/5/79 to 11/28/84) to deliver a series of talks during his Wednesday audiences. The text is thick so, needless to say, I haven't made it through the entire thing. I'm picking it back up and, with the help of a commentary authored by Christopher West, I hope to finish this time.

With the start of Lent this week, this may be the best time to reflect upon the meaning of the body and the fact that, in the Incarnation, God took on a body and later gave it up in the single greatest act of love man has ever seen. It wasn't just a spiritual act; it was physical. And that physical act would not have been possible without a body.

I'll be using this blog as a place to log my reflections, ask questions and hopefully, come to a greater understanding of who I am and who God is.

If you'd like to join me, feel free to do so in the comments. A converstion is much better when others contribute.

John Paul The Great-- pray for us!

Give What You Have

2010-01-11T05:40:00.001-08:00

As it has been with all of our children, it's safe to say that my family is in a "transition period." It simply takes us time to adjust to having a new little one in the house.

My wife wasn't feeling very well so I ventured to take my four older boys to Mass. Now, my wife's parents were there so I wasn't left to manage the boys alone, however, it is usually a challenge nonetheless.

All in all, I'd say that the boys behaved pretty well. My two year old was a bit wiggly, but he made it through without my having to excuse the both of us. I did find it difficult to focus, though. At times when I would have wanted to offer my intentions, I found myself offering my son some sort of distraction so he'd stay quiet. The distraction would usually consist if a question like, "where's the cross?" or "can you point to the altar?" I try to draw his attention to the beauty of the church or the mass in genneral. Sometimes it works; sometimes, not so much.

Anyway, I often leave mass with the feeling that I didn't really participate because of all the attention I have to devote to my son. That's changing. I am reminded of the widow who gave a little, but gave from her want and it was counted to her as a great gift-- as opposed to those who give much, but give from their abundance.

I suppose my offering at Mass is just that. I give what I have: my distracted self. That's enough because anything I lack, He provides.

What Can't You Do With an iPhone?

2010-01-07T14:27:00.001-08:00

Last summer I broke down and bought an iPhone. No doubt, it is a fun tool to have, but it can be a real time sucker. When the ads claim, "there's an app for that," they're telling the truth. In fact, I'm writing this post from my phone. All the pictures in this post are from my phone.

Recently, I purchased two applications that I know I'll get plenty of use from. The first is the Catholic Missal ($4.99).

This app not only has the liturgical calendar built into it, but it has the daily mass readings with audio. The other day, my boys and I listened to the readings while I drove them to school.

The second app I really enjoy is the Divine Office ($9.99).

This app contains the entire liturgy of the hours with audio as well. When I would try to do morning prayer from book of Christian Prayer, I'd usually skip the hymns for obvious reasons. But I can now read along and pray the office antiphonally. Another cool feature is that you can see who else is praying along with you using the app:

A third app I have yet to really try out was just released by the Logos bible software company and I just loaded it today (Free). This app contains an incredible library of not only different bible translations, but different scripture study tools as well.

So, while being connected can be, and often is, a stumbling block, having these tools at your fingertips can also be a blessing. My challenge is to be sure to avail myself to Our Lord through prayer and scripture study each day with the same diligence that I check the conversations on Twitter and update my Facebook status.

In this age if information, we must be sure to take time to slow down and hear the "still small voice" even if we are using technology to do so. After all, in the 1600's, a book was considered a technological advance.

Pray for me!

For Unto Us...

2010-01-06T20:53:00.001-08:00

I've been off the blogging grid for a while due to just being plain ol' busy. In the meantime, we welcomed our newest son:
Bohdan Isaiah Cox. Bohdan was born 11/11/09 and weighed in at 6lb 12oz and 19.25".

Preparing for Christ's Birth

2009-11-28T20:02:00.000-08:00

It's a story familiar to all of us. The tale of a virgin giving birth, a child laid in a manger and shepherds greeted by angels. But what if we had never heard the story before? Lets place ourselves as first century Jews who are hearing this plot for the first time. Were the events prior to Christ's birth a fulfillment of what had been prophesized for centuries? Let's all try and go back into the first century Jewish world so as to discover many of the spiritual treasures by looking more deeply into the mystery of Christ's coming in Scripture.

Daniel 9: 20-23

20 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy hill of my God; 21 while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He came and he said to me, "O Daniel, I have now come out to give you wisdom and understanding. 23 At the beginning of your supplications a word went forth, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the word and understand the vision. "

24 "Seventy weeks of years are decreed concerning your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place."

Malachi 3:1

BEHOLD, I send my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts

Luke 1:8-23

8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, it fell to him by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth; 15 for he will be great before the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. 16 And he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared." 18 And Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years." 19 And the angel answered him, "I am Gabriel, who stand in the presence of God; and I was sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things come to pass, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time." 21 And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they wondered at his delay in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he could not speak to them, and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he made signs to them and remained dumb. 23 And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.

[1] Edward Sri. Dawn of the Messiah. Servant Books. Chapter 1.

49,551,703 and Counting

2009-10-05T21:23:00.000-07:00

A "holocaust?" Are you kidding me? The more I think about these comments by Rep. Grayson, the more frustrated I become. At first I wondered if he understood the irony in his comments. After all, there have been 49,551,703 abortions in the United States since 1973--an average of 1,376,436 per year and he happens to be a proponent of abortion rights. Rep. Grayson says that there have been 44,789 deaths every year due to lack of health care. Of course no one thinks that preventable deaths are acceptable. But there is a huge difference between a person dying because of omission and the willful taking of an innocent life. He makes it clear that he understands the connection between the abortion and health care debates when he says, "We should care about people even after they are born."

To say that the health care situation is even close to a holocaust is ridiculous. No one's life is being taken. However, I can think of over 49,000,000 examples of a true holocaust.

BloodMoney Trailer

2009-08-27T20:05:00.000-07:00

Providence

2009-07-31T21:10:00.000-07:00

Last summer I spent a lot of time reading blogs and entering into the discussions that took place. One of the blogs that I followed was that of a fellow Catholic convert, Steve Ray. It didn't take too long before he linked to a very interesting conversion story. The Woman at the Well fascinated me. Her story was nothing like mine, but somehow, I felt like I could relate. If you haven't read this story before, stop now and go read it.

Fast forward one year.

Jennie and I decided to take the boys to the coast for a couple of days. She worked her usual magic in finding the best possible place in the best possible location for the best possible price. She even managed to find a hotel that threw in breakfast--which is nothing to sneeze at when you have four growing boys. Anyway, once we checked in we went through our normal routine of Dad unload the Sienna while Mom keeps the boys under control (wouldn't want to get thrown out the first night, right?). Right about the time I finish unloading the van, Jennie reassures me that maybe we will be ok, because she just saw a family with children come in from the parking lot. Fantastic! we won't be the only ones making noise around here.

Now off to the beach. As we come down the steps, I notice a Sienna parked right next to ours. And what do you know, they have two bumper stickers I dig--catholicvote.com and Yes on 8! So I hit the remote to unlock my door just as the guy who owns the van next to ours hits his. He says to me, "Nice choice in van." I look over at him and his four--What, this guy has four boys too?--and say, "it looks like we are carrying the same load too." So we exchange pleasantries and introduce ourselves and it turns out that he's a convert too! Oh, man we gotta meet up at the pool tonight. Let the kids swim and let's exchange stories. So that is exactly what we do.

Jennie was feeling a bit tired by the end of the day, so we put Jabin to bed and let her put her feet up. The rest of the clan and I head down to the pool and shortly my friend and his boys join us. It turns out that the age range for his boys is 9 to 4 and mine is 10 to 4. Our kids hit it off immediately. Which is great because that allows my friend and I to talk without putting out a bunch of fires.

After a while, his wife joins us and I feel as if I already know this couple. They are great. We are so different, yet exactly the same.

He's a convert; I'm a convert.
He's a teacher; I'm a teacher.
4 boys; 4 boys.
He's a musician; I own a guitar.
He's an artist; I can color inside the lines.
And you can't foget the vans.
But most importantly, we are two families who are desperately depending on God's grace to live out our Catholic faith. That makes us identical.

It turns out that as my friend's wife shared more of her story, I felt like I had heard it before. She tells me that she has written about it on her MySpace page. You guessed it--she's the Woman at the Well!

This whole encounter just blows me away. I have visited MySpace two times. Once to hear some music written by a former student and the other to read The Woman at the Well's conversion story. What are the chances?

It's not chance; it's providence. I just got a first hand glimpse of what being conformed to the image of Christ really means. God can take four people who come from completely different backgrounds, give them a burning desire to follow Him, conform them into the same family, put them in their mini vans and send them to the same floor of the same hotel at the same time. And just to prepare me for this encounter, He had me read about them a year in advance.

I can't stop thining about this...

Catholics and Crucifixes

2009-07-30T19:54:00.000-07:00

Crucifixes are crosses which have the corpus (body) of Jesus on them to represent the historical crucifixion of Our Lord. The cross alone, with no body, has been a symbol of Christianity since antiquity. The very instrument of capital punishment and horrible torture by the pagan Roman Empire became a symbol of the loving and forgiving crucified Savior.

Catholics are not the only Christians to use the crucifix in church for public worship or in their homes. Eastern Orthodox, Anglican (Episcopalian) and Lutheran Christians also use the crucifix, while most Reformed Protestant Christians will only have a cross and never with a corpus.

The main goal of the crucifix is not to shock or frighten believers, but to remind them of the ultimate price paid for their salvation. Redemption was expensive. Jesus sacrificed His very life and He endured a painful and horrible death just so we could go to heaven. The crucifix brings home the reality that sin caused us to be lost and ony the death of the Savior could save us. Celebrating Christian worship on Sunday (rather than on the Sabbath, Saturday) and calling it the day of the Lord is how Christians honor the Resurrection.

Found: The Bones of St. Paul

2009-06-30T17:23:00.000-07:00

This Post was taken from Thomas Moore's Blog, American Papist-Not Your Average Catholic. Cool Finding . . .

__________________________________________

Again, a story that slipped through my fingers.
Happily, St. Paul did not manage to permanently slip through the fingers of the Church (it seems):

Pope Benedict XVI said last night that bone fragments found inside the tomb of St Paul in Rome had been carbon dated for the first time, "confirming the unanimous and uncontested tradition that they are the mortal remains of the Apostle Paul".He said that archaeologists had inserted a probe into the white marble sarcophagus under the Basilica of St Paul's Outside the Walls which has been revered for centuries as the tomb of St Paul.The pontiff said: "Small fragments of bone were carbon dated by experts who knew nothing about their provenance and results showed they were from someone who lived between the 1st and 2nd century.

This seems to confirm the unanimous and uncontested tradition that these are the mortal remains of Paul the Apostle."The Pope, who said the discovery "fills our souls with great emotion", made the unexpected announcement during Vespers at St Paul's Basilica last night, marking the end of the Pauline year held in honour of the apostle. He said that as well as bone fragments, archaeologists had found grains of red incense, a piece of purple linen with gold sequins and a blue fabric with linen filaments in the tomb. (UK Times)

St. Paul: always full of surprises!

Can we say "pilgrimage site"?Related: New Discoveries. Why St. Paul Was Given a Philosopher's Face by Sandro Magister:

"The oldest depiction of the apostle has been found just a short distance from his tomb, which is also the object of new investigations. The Church wanted to represent him as the Christian Plato. A daring decision. And still extremely relevant, even today"

The Gospel of John: Unity of Christendom

2009-06-21T17:42:00.000-07:00

John 17:20-23: v20 "I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 The glory which thou hast given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them even as thou hast loved me."

The Reformation principle of "each man with a Bible and his own interpretation" has brought about the tragic results we see today among numerous Christian denominations. There are over 30,000 divisions and denominations in Christendom that are ripping and tearing the Body of Christ.

In the Gospel of John, Chapter 17, notice that Jesus prays for the future generations of Christians, that they be "One" and "Perfected in Unity", not ripped apart by divisions and denominations. Those who continue to "protest' against the Catholic Church are like a nation that divides into tens of thousands of competing, disagreeing factions but that still claims to have an invisible unity. St. Paul also condemns factions and divisions in the Church in his first letter to the Corinthians. All of this has unfortunately lead to the new and radical theology of the "invisible Church", where one only needs his bible and love for Christ. No Church, no community, no gathering, "just me and Jesus, and my bible." Where will the results of Sola Scriptura lead to next?

About a year after his Ninety-Five Theses, Martin Luther wrote a letter to Pope Leo X about his concern of the schism brought about by his teachings. Luther in writing to Pope Leo X said, "I never approved of a schism, nor will I approve of it for all eternity. . That the Roman Church is more honored by God than all others is not to be doubted. . Though nowadays everything is in a wretched state, it is no ground for separating from the Church. On the Contrary, the worse things are going, the more should we hold close to her, for it is not by separating from the Church tha twe can make her better. . There is no sin, no amount of evil, which should be permitted to dissolve the bond of charity or break the bond of unity of the Body."

[1] Letter of Martin Luther to Pope Leo X. January 6, 1519. Patrick O'Hare. The Facts about Luther, pg 256.

[2] Crossing The Tiber. Stephen K. Ray. Ignatius.

New statistics show U.S. Catholics increase in numbers

2009-06-06T16:59:00.000-07:00

From the Catholic News Agency. Read full article here

The 2009 Official Catholic Directory has released new statistics on the Catholic population. The directory shows that there are 68.1 million Catholics in the United States, an increase of about one million from the previous year which maintains Catholics as 22 percent of the U.S. population.

The directory, also known as the Kenedy Directory, reports that there are 41,489 diocesan and religious order priests, 60,715 religious sisters, 4,905 religious brothers and 16,935 permanent deacons. In 2008 there were 887,145 infant baptisms, 42,629 adult baptisms, and 81,775 baptized Christians who entered full communion with the Church. The Kenedy Directory lists 18,674 parishes, including 91 new parishes, and 189 seminaries with 4,973 students.

Over 722,000 students are in high school religious education programs, while over three million are in elementary school religious ed.

There are 6,133 Catholic elementary schools and 1.6 million students. The country’s 1,341 Catholic high schools educate over 674,000 students, while 234 Catholic colleges and universities serve, over 795,000 students.

U.S. Catholic hospitals number 562 and serve almost 85.3 million patients, while 3009 Catholic social service centers assist 27.2 million people annually.

According to a press release from the U.S. bishops' conference, Catholic organizations in the United States provide an estimated $28.2 billion in services through institutions represented by the Catholic Health Association ($5.7 billion), Catholic Charities USA ($3.5 billion), and the National Catholic Education Association ($19.8 billion).

These figures do not include assistance provided through parishes and other organizations such as the Knights of Columbus.

"He Descended Into Hell (in Greek - Hades). . "

2009-05-17T13:11:00.000-07:00

We always begin the rosary with the sign of the cross. After making the sign of the cross we then say the Apostles Creed. It's at this time, during the Apostles Creed where I seem to make an involuntary pause around the 4th line of the prayer. After we announce that Christ was crucified, died and was buried we say, "He descended into hell (in Greek, Hades)." This part of the prayer has always caused me to stammer because I've never fully understood it. I even remember having trouble explaining this to Melissa during her conversion. As always, having a little background and looking towards scripture can help all of us come to understand more about our Catholic Faith.

The word "hell" (in Greek, Hades) refers to the place of the dead prior to Jesus' resurrection (Acts 2:27). Hades was the place where all souls, both the righteous and the unrighteous, were detained immediately after death. No soul could go to heaven until Jesus appeased God's wrath against sin by His propitiatory sacrifice, and was raised from the dead.

By virtue of His death and resurrection, God gave Jesus the "keys of death and hell (Rev 1:17-18)," which represents Jesus' power to release these souls from Hades. This is why, immediately after He died (He was crucified, died and was buried), Jesus "descended into hell" and preached the Gospel to the souls in Hades! The righteous souls were now released to heaven, while the unrighteous souls were condemned to eternal punishment. The gates of hell, which formerly kept souls from heaven, can no longer do so because Jesus has the Keys.

I hope this helps all of us understand the Apostles Creed a little more. And if for some reason, Matthew 16 came to mind after just hearing about; keys, hell (hades) and the idea of authority over souls, you're on the right track. We'll touch on that on a later post.

Thank You for Our Gift

2009-05-13T09:46:00.000-07:00

During the week I homeschool a fourteen year old girl and today, my homeschooler is doing her California State Testing for mathematics. She is a bright girl who can understand most of the concepts, but "big numbers" in word problems throw her off. So I am constantly telling her to re-create the problem using the same situation, but with smaller numbers. Instead of saying that Suzie ate 13,452 pieces of candy in 782 days, I would have her work out something like "If Suzie ate 120 pieces of candy in 20 day, about how many pieces of candy did she eat each day?"
Then she gets it! She now knows that all she has to do is divide, when before, her mind was paralyzed with confusion!

I guess those numbers were just so overwhelming, that she forgot how simple of a concept it really was. I think that a lot of times we do the same thing with our Blessed Mother. Many can not understand the love and the honor that we Catholics give to Our Lady. So to better understand our veneration, I propose that you simply "make the numbers smaller."

Our Mexican-Catholic brothers and sisters have a beautiful devotion to Our Lady of Guadelupe, as do many other cultures, and rightfully so. But because Our Lady appeared in their native land, their love for her is especially great. Here, then, is where I choose to set up my "word problem." If you do not know the complete story of Our Lady of Guadelupe...please look it up. For the sake of brevity, I will say only that Our Lady appeared to Juan Diego with a mission. The Church has approved this apparition (declared it valid and true) and as a result of her visit, 6 to 8 Million people were converted to Christianity!!

Now, lets pull out the essential information: We have a Gift, a giver, and a recipiant. Mary brought the saving love of Jesus to the Native people. Indeed, Mary's "yes" brought Jesus to the whole world! Remember, she didn't have to say "yes." But this is still too big to grasp, so let us simplify this problem so we can understand the concept.

Imagine Chrismas morning, Grandma comes to visit her twin 8 year old grandsons. She brings them each a gift. The first boy opens up a bright red sweater with a big yellow bird stitched right on the front. The second boy opens up the newest gaming station: wiiX3. Can you imagine their respective reactions? The first boy may manage to give his grandma a tight lipped smile and a quiet "thank you," while the second boy, on the other hand would barely be able to contain himself. He would be jumping all over the place, kissing his grandma on the cheek, repeatedly throwing out shouts of gratitude all the while keeping his eyes fixed on his new gift.

We can see here so clearly that their reactions were indicative of how much (or little) they valued their gifts. Can we not use this simple reasoning then, and apply it to the gift given to us by our Blessed Mother? I want to jump up and down and kiss my Mother Mary on the cheek and sing beautiful songs of gratitude to her! For truly, I have never been given such a Gift as this! Thank You Jesus for coming to us! And thank you Mary for letting it be!

Happy Feast Day of Our Lady of Fatima!

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T22:30:00.000-07:00

I have to say that Motherhood is Love. Watching my wife deal with our four boys is truly amazing. She goes from counselor to tutor to chef to cuddler all in a matter of seconds. These kids don't know how good they have it. Heck, I don't know how good I have it. But what truly amazes me is watching my wife deal with a pregnancy. She changes. I get to see first hand what it means to empty oneself out for another. I know she is uncomfortable. But she never complains. She may ask me to run an errand or two...but she never complains. There is a peace about her that I can't explain. Almost as if she knows something that the rest of us don't. She may not realize it but it is there. I love her for it.

Happy Mother's Day

Balance

2009-04-24T23:08:00.000-07:00

I remember in college there was a joke that was sent around that went something like this:

Steps to writing a term paper:

Step 1: Turn on computer.
Step 2: Check email.
Step 3: Open New Document.
Step 4: Begin rough draft.
Step 5: Check email.
Step 6: Spell check first paragraph.
Step 7: Make a snack.
Step 8: Check email.

I think you get the point. Why is it that we have such a difficult time putting first things first? Why do we fill our days with things that don't matter, then complain that we don't have enough time to do the things that do matter. I don't know that I have the answers. It seems like all I can provide is more questions.

One thing that I do know is that I cannot do it on my own. I have recently found that when I pray, "Lord, give me the strength to...", what I really mean is , "Lord, remind me of the things that I am supposed to do for you so that I can go out and do them."

I guess that means that I still have a ways to go with this whole humility thing. I want to rejoice in my weakness for it is in my weakness, that Christ makes up what I lack. It isn't me. It is Him. I have nothing to offer that will add to Christ. Yet he wants me nonetheless.

Our Young Adult Ministry Starts This Friday at 7pm!

2009-04-21T18:57:00.000-07:00

Our St. Annes Youth Ministries would like to welcome all Young Adults to be a part of an active community dedicated to strengthening our faith and devotion to God. Our young adult ministry will Kick Off on Friday, April 24th 2009 at the St. Annes Youth Plaza.
Our ministry understands that there are many good and sincere, though misguided, people out there who are spiritually hungry, thirsty for the truth, who feel like a stranger to the Church Christ Established, or for a variety of reasons, are not as active in our Church as they might want to be. This is where we can lend a hand. We're here to help all our friends and family discover (or rediscover) the saving truths of the Catholic Church.

-Do you have a thirst for learning and understanding more about the Catholic Faith?

-Are you having trouble living out your Catholic Faith among friends, peers, or co-workers?

-Would you like to know where our Catholic Faith is found in the Bible?

If you answered 'YES' to any of these questions, we encourage you to join us on Friday, April 24th, at 7 p.m, at the St. Annes Youth Plaza at St. Annes Church. These gatherings provide insights, understanding and perhaps a deeper awareness of the Catholic tradition. In some sessions, we present a brief overview of what it means to be Catholic as an adult, and open the floor for questions from participants.

Our Young Adult group desires to help others grow in their Faith and come to the fullness of the truth! We understand that at times we are weak, and we may stumble on our faith journey. None of us our perfect. Only God is perfect. Catholic Author Peter Kreeft is fond of saying, ". . that the Catholic Church is not a museum for Saints, but a hospital for Sinners." But we are Family! No other institution on Earth has its core more structured as a Family than the Catholic Church. We welcome all young adults, not as strangers, but as brothers and sisters in Christ.
If you are a “Curious Catholic” young adult yourself, please join us! There will be a number of people who have come on their own, looking to learn more about our Catholic faith. If you are a young adult who can invite a young adult friend, neighbor or co-worker to come as your guest, we would be sincerely grateful. Thank You, and God Bless!

-When? Friday, April 24th

-Where? St. Annes Youth Plaza

- Time? 7:00-8:30pm

Celebrate

2009-04-08T12:03:00.000-07:00

About two years ago I was invited to attend a women's retreat with a Methodist Church. There were over two hundred women who attended this reatreat, and as I accepted the invitation, I was numbered among them. On the second day of the retreat we were broken into "small groups" so as to provide a more intimate atmosphere for sharing and relfection. I don't even remember the prompt at this point, but my contribution involved (as it often does) a story about St. Therese and how she loved Jesus.

As I was talking, one woman especially stood out to me. I wish I could say it was because my keen sense of spiritual awareness told me there was something special about her. Truthfully though, it was because she was wearing a volleyball sweatshirt and I wanted to arrange a pick-up game after lunch. So I waited afterwards to talk with her.

To my dissapointment, she told me that the sweater belonged to her daughter and she was no volleyball player. But she did ask me if I was Catholic, and my disapointment disapeared! She asked me how long I had been Catholic, then finally added that she herself had been received into the Church that last Easter Vigil! She went on to explain that she is a teacher, and two years ago got a job at a Catholic School teaching the 2nd grade.

The parents of the second graders were upset, to say the least, that a non-Catholic would be preparing their children to receive their First Holy Communion. Their pastor however thought that perhaps she was placed with them for a reason. She told me she had assured them all that she had "no intention of becoming Catholic," but God had other plans. What changed her heart? A classroom full of 2nd graders celebrating their faith. Every day, she witnessed their joyful anticipation and their pure desire to receive Christ, their Savior; Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, in the Holy Eucharist.

So as we enter into this time of great celebration, It is my prayer that I will live out my gratitude to God and also to Art and David for inviting me to participate in this blog. May it be evident that our duty to defend our beliefs has become our joy to celebrate them. And I praise God for placing the only other Catholic at a Protestant retreat in my Bible study. I praise Him for her journey Home. And I praise Him for the testimony and example of that second grade class that taught me how true converts are won: through the celebration of our faith!
To the Glory of God the Father, Jesus Christ is Lord!

Easter Dawn

2009-04-07T19:25:00.000-07:00

Mark 16:1-7
And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 And they were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?" 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back; --it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed. 6 And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here; see the place where they laid him. 7* But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you."

The highlight of the Church's liturgical year is the celebration of Easter. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that, "The Resurrection of Jesus is the crowning truth of our faith in Christ." (CCC 638) This mystery is too awesome to be appreciated in a few days. That's why Easter is an eight-day feast. Liturgically, each of these days is treated as a Sunday. And why not? The Church does its best to absorb the profound mystery that is our Salvation! St. Athanasius on Easter, . . " Therefore, Easter is not simply one feast among others, but the "Feast of feasts," the "Solemnity of solemnities," just as the Eucharist is the "Sacrament of sacraments" (the Great Sacrament). . Easter is 'The Great Sunday."

Let's all remind ourselves this week of how important Easter is to ALL our lives and encourage one another to a deeper spiritual effort. "All who celebrate the Easter Feasts will by the Lord's grace experience their effort in their daily lives." (Given at Rome, at the Offices of the Congregation for Divine Worship, January 16, 1988.)

Humility

2009-04-06T20:34:00.000-07:00

"Humility lies in peaceful acceptance of one's own radical proverty, which leads people to place all their trust in God. Humble people, for whom God is everything, are happy to accept the fact that they are nothing. They don't carry on about their wretchedness: they consider it a stroke of luck, since it gives God the chance to show how merciful He is."

Jaques Phillippe, Time for God

My oldest son, Dawson, loves to serve on the altar. Absolutely loves it. A couple of Sundays ago, he didn't have a particular job. He just took his place behind the tabernacle and didn't even have one of the seats on the altar. He didn't hold a patent during communion or help during the Liturgy of the Eucharist. He just sat in the back and knelt during the times of prayer. I wondered to myself if he was upset because he had no "special" responsibility during mass. During our walk home, Dawson looks at me and says, "Dad, did you notice that I didn't have a job on the altar."
I said, "Yeah, I noticed. Why was that?"
He says, "Because I want to learn humility."

If that were me, I would have said, "Because I am so humble I can't even stand it! Look at how humble I am. Oh, man, I am humble."

Why don't I get it? Why is it that when I am prideful, I repent. And then when I repent, I feel prideful for how "spiritual" I am being? I guess it is time to read Screwtape again!

They're Watching

2009-03-28T21:47:00.000-07:00

This one really hits home.

The Annunciation of the Lord

2009-03-24T18:07:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow (March 25th) we celebrate the Annunciation of our Lord. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains to us that, The Annunciation to Mary inaugurates "the fullness oftime," the time of the fulfillment of God's promises and preparations. Mary was invited to conceive him in whom the "whole fullness of deity" would dwell "bodily." The divine response to her question, "How can this be, since I know not man?" was given by the power of the Spirit: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you." (CCC 484)

In the Annunciation, the Archangel Gabriel announced God's plan for Mary to become the Mother of God. Mary questioned the Archangel, "How can this be since I do not know Man?" Then the Archangel responded by saying that the conception of Jesus would be of divine origin; in other words, the Holy Spirit would overshadow her. Mary responded, "Yes, Thy will be done." (By pronouncing her "fiat" at the Annunciation and giving her consent to the Incarnation, Mary was already collaborating with the whole work her Son was to accomplish. She is mother wherever he is Savior and head of the Mystical Body. [CCC 973])

This simple response is a powerful testimony to the perfection of Mary's spiritual life. Indeed, God endowed Mary with many special privileges, graces, and attributes because she was to be the mother of God; however, it was her humility and obedience to the Father that is the hallmark testimony of her faith. Disobedience of Adam and Eve brought sin into this world, and it was the obedience of the new Eve (Mary) and the new Adam (Jesus) that brought about redemption and salvation. This perfection of Mary is an example for any faithful follower of her Son to practice, "Not my will, but Thy will be done."

[1] The New Rosary in Scripture. Edward Sri. Servant
[2] Catechism of the Catholic Church

{The mystery of Christ begins with the Annunciation to Mary on March 25th, and nine months from that date brings us to December 25th!}

Mary: Mother of God and Our Mother

2009-03-15T21:39:00.000-07:00

Catholics honor Mary because God has honored her. God has given Mary the highest honor that is possible for a human person. Are we speaking of the honor that God bestowed on her when he took human nature from her flesh and dwelt in her womb? Actually, no. There's another reason why Catholics honor Mary. Do you remember in the Gospel of Luke , when a woman cried out to Jesus, "Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that you sucked!" Jesus replied - "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it." (Luke 11:27-28)

We honor Mary above all because of her faith and total submission to God's will and plan. When the angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced that she was to be the mother of "the Son of the Most High," who would inherit the throne of King David and rule forever, Mary did not doubt, even though she was a virgin. She replied, "I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38). For this response of total faith, the Holy Spirit inspired her cousin Elizabeth to tell Mary, "Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord" (Luke 1:45). The Lord honors Mary because she, above all people, heard the Word of God and kept it.

After her cousin Elizabeth had praised her, Mary in turn directed all the praise and glory to God: "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, . . . for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name" (Luke 1:46-49). This great hymn of praise to God, Mary's Magnificat, expresses perfectly her heart and her attitude.

Catholics see Mary as one of God's greatest gifts to the Church. Mary is a model for all Christians. Mary lived her whole life in perfect obedience to God, by faith in God, wholeheartedly responding to God's grace and call. She is a model of discipleship (following Jesus), a model of faith and a model of the Church, expressing all that God calls the Church to be and to do.

[1] Catholic and Christian for Young Adults. Alan Schreck, PH.D. pg 137-138.

Catherine's Baptism

2009-02-20T22:36:00.000-08:00

And Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children...” (Acts 2:38-39)

Melissa and I would like all of you to join us for Mass on Sunday, February 22, 2009 and celebrate the Baptism of our daughter Catherine Siena Guillen. Her baptism is set for 10:00am at Holy Cross Church.

We're both excited for Catherine as she enters into the Sacrament of Baptism. "By baptism we are reborn spiritually." Those are the very words of the Council of Florence. By baptism we enter God's family. It gives us a new birth and makes us children of God. Only by baptism can we enjoy the fullness of life of God's household: the sharing of His table, His healing, His fatherly forgiveness and care (Hahn, Swear to God). Infant Baptism fits the nature of God's love: God loves us before we love him. Also, by baptism all sins and all personal sins are forgiven. As well as original sin inherited from our first parents Adam and Eve. Sin and its consequences disappear when God comes into the soul, just as darkness disappears when the light is turned on. Similarly, when we are baptized we enter into possession of our inheritance immediately. The point to be emphasized, and never to be forgotten, is that we are potentially in heaven the moment we are baptized (Trese, The Faith Explained).

Congratulations Monsignor Daugherty!

2009-02-15T20:40:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Father Scott for receiving the honorary title of Monsignor! It was a special day at St. Mary's Church in Visalia to witness Father Scott along with five other priests from around the valley receive the papal honor of Monsignor, Chaplain to His Holiness. The title of “Monsignor” is a title of distinction given by the Pope to certain priests in the Roman Catholic Church as part of a papal honor recognizing the priest’s service to the Church.

Father Scott was nominated by Bishop John, who then submitted his name to the Holy See. Our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI then conferred the honor onto Father Scott as well as the other wonderful priests in our valley. Congratulations Monsignor Daugherty, and Thank You for your faithful service, self-sacrifice, and devotion. God Bless You!

**Priests who are given papal honors and thus named monsignors are considered to be members of the papal household and thus are listed in the Annuario Pontificio (the papal yearbook).

Holiness

2009-02-11T19:55:00.000-08:00

"You shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy." - Leviticus 19:2

God expects all of us to strive for holiness, because He is perfect holiness. It is our prime objective in life. Scripture speaks clearly about duties and responsibilities. Throughout the Old and the New Testament we find practical instructions for living in ways that are pleasing to God. These commands may seem harsh and foreign to those who live in a culture preoccupied with rights, privileges, and pleasure, but they are necessary. We must remain obedient to them if we want to grow in holiness. It is in obedience to God's commands that one finds true joy.

Keep the joy of loving god in your heart and share this joy with all you meet, especially your family. Be holy.

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta (August 26, 1910 - September 5, 1997

St. John Chrysostom on Faith Alone - A.D. 391

2009-02-06T22:54:00.000-08:00

"He that believes in the Son has everlasting life" . . "Is it enough, then to believe in the Son," someone will say, "in order to have everlasting life?" By no means! Listen to Christ declare this Himself when He says, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord! Lord!' shall enter into the kingdom of heaven", and the blasphemy against the Spirit is alone sufficient to cast him into hell. But why should I speak of a part of our teaching? For if a man believe rightly in the Father and in the Son and in the Holy Spirit, but does not live rightly, his faith will avail him nothing toward salvation.

[1] St. John Chrysostom. Homilies on the Gospel of John {ca. A.D. 391}. The Faith of the Early Fathers. Volume II. Pg 108. William A. Jurgens

Burden to the Economy?

2009-01-27T13:05:00.000-08:00

Below is an exerpt from a conversation between George Stephanopoulos and Nancy Pelosi on ABC's This Week.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Hundreds of millions of dollars to expand family planning services. How is that stimulus?

PELOSI: Well, the family planning services reduce cost. They reduce cost. The states are in terrible fiscal budget crises now and part of what we do for children's health, education and some of those elements are to help the states meet their financial needs. One of those - one of the initiatives you mentioned, the contraception, will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So no apologies for that?

PELOSI: No apologies. No. we have to deal with the consequences of the downturn in our economy.

How long before we start emptying the mental health care facilities because they are a "burden to the economy?" How about the convalescent hospitals? In fact, why don't we just have the family with five children pick their favorite three becuase the other two are too expensive? Where do we draw the line?

Malachi's Prophecy of Christ's Perpetual Sacrifice - Mal 1:11

2009-01-25T16:02:00.000-08:00

"For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense is offered to my name, and a pure offering; for my name is great among the nations, says the Lord of Hosts." - MAL 1:11

In this prophecy, God reveals that He is going to discontinue the system of Old Covenant sacrifices and perfect it with a new sacrifice. Catholic author John Salza points out four important features about His new sacrifice:

-The sacrifice will be offered "from the rising to the setting of the sun.".
-The sacrifice will be offered " in every place."
-The sacrifice will be offered "among the nations."
-The sacrifice will be a single (minchah) sacrifice.

I think its important to note that Malachi 1:11 uses the Hebrew word minchah, for offering, which is singular. Thus, Malachi is referring to a single sacrifice! And, it will be offered "from the rising to the setting of the sun" and "in every place."

What is Malachi referring to? A single perfect sacrifice occurring on earth from the rising to the setting of the sun? Yes! Malachi is referring to the worldwide sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The early Church Fathers were unanimous in their recognition of this universal sacrifice. It is the pure sacrifice of Christ that is sacramentally offered among the nations, around the clock and in every place, in Catholic Churches throughout the world! Therefore, we can say that Malachi's prophecy has been fulfilled by the continual, sacramental re-presentation of Christ's pure offering in the Holy Mass, or Malachi is a false prophet.

[1] The Biblical Basis for the Eucharist. John Salza. Our Sunday Vistor.

Life - Imagine the Potential

2009-01-21T16:10:00.000-08:00

The ad was produced by CatholicVote.org, a site which launched last September to educate and inspire Catholic voters.

Pope congratulates Obama on Inauguration Day

2009-01-20T21:03:00.000-08:00

Vatican City - Catholic News Service. See Article Here

"Pope Benedict XVI, congratulating Barack Obama on his inauguration as U.S. president, prayed that he would remain steadfast in his dedication to promote understanding, cooperation and peace in the world. The pope, in a Jan. 20 telegram, told Obama that he prayed God would "grant you unfailing wisdom and strength in the exercise of your high responsibilities." Popes traditionally send a telegram of congratulations to new presidents of the United States on the day of their inauguration.

In his message to Obama, Pope Benedict said he prayed, under the new president's leadership, "may the American people continue to find in their impressive religious and political heritage the spiritual values and ethical principles needed to cooperate in the building of a truly just and free society.

"The pope said he hoped the future of the United States would be "marked by respect for the dignity, equality and rights of each of its members, especially the poor, the outcast and those who have no voice."

"At a time when so many of our brothers and sisters throughout the world yearn for liberation from the scourge of poverty, hunger and violence, I pray that you will be confirmed in your resolve to promote understanding, cooperation and peace among the nations, so that all may share in the banquet of life which God wills to set for the whole human family," the pope said.

Pope Benedict also asked God to bless the Obama family and all the people of the United States.

The pope had also sent a personal message of congratulations Nov. 5 on what he called the "historic occasion" of Obama's election, the first time a black man has been elected president of the United States."

January 18, 2009 - National Sanctity of Human Life Day

2009-01-16T15:38:00.000-08:00

Catholic News Agency:
In what may be his last declaration as U.S. president, George W. Bush has announced that he is establishing January 18, 2009 as "National Sanctity of Human Life Day."

President Bush writes that "All human life is a gift from our Creator that is sacred, unique, and worthy of protection.

"On National Sanctity of Human Life Day, our country recognizes that each person, including every person waiting to be born, has a special place and purpose in this world. We also underscore our dedication to heeding this message of conscience by speaking up for the weak and voiceless among us." . .

The president closed his declaration by saying that "the sanctity of life is written in the hearts of all men and women" and that National Sanctity of Life Day should be dedicated building "a society in which every child is welcome in life and protected in law."

Read the full article:

President declares Sanctity of Human Life Day, sums up pro-life victories

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

2009-01-11T14:03:00.001-08:00

"Let us do honor to Christ's baptism and celebrate this feast in holiness. Be cleansed entirely and continue to be cleansed. Nothing gives such pleasure to God as the conversion and salvation of men, for whom His every word and every revelation exists. He wants you to become a living force for all mankind, lights shining in the world. You are to be radiant lights as you stand beside Christ, the great light, bathed in the glory of Him who is the light of heaven. You are to enjoy more and more the pure and dazzling light of the Trinity, as now you have received-though not in its fullness-a ray of its splendor, proceeding from the one God, in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Saint Gregory Nazianzus, Bishop (330-389AD), Oratio 39, "Sancta Lumina," 14-16,20.

For Unto Us a Child is Born...

2009-01-08T20:19:00.001-08:00

On Friday, January 2nd at 6:23pm, Melissa and I welcomed Catherine Siena Guillen into our arms. She was 6lbs. and 2oz.

This experience has been unlike anything else. We are truely thankful for being blessed with our beautiful child. As Melissa and I experience the joys of parenthood, we've also noticed how our love has grown more deeply and profound for one another. God has poured out an abudance of grace upon us not only continue to serve eachother, but to love Catherine more than we ever imagined. We are thankful!

It has all been wonderful and amazing for us. Here are few pictures from the hospital. .

"In Remembrance"

2009-01-07T16:33:00.000-08:00

“In remembrance” (Luke: 22:17–19). These words in Jesus’ institution of the Eucharist harken back to the Old Testament concept of Anamnesis. The word, translated “memorial,” or “remembrance,” indicated a festival or practice or object intended as a link for future generations with a distinctive act of God. More importantly, as there were a handful of Greek words that can describe a "remembrance" of something, anamnesis is the only word that refers exclusively to a sacrifice.

Through the anamnesis, God’s people sensed their personal participation, along with the original generation, in the act God performed for them. Therefore, the institution of the Eucharist, in observing it we are drawn back into history and realize that we truly were there at the Cross.

What Jesus did then echoes throughout history, as real today as in the 1st century, for we appropriate by faith all that Jesus accomplished in giving His body and blood for our sakes.

14 When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. 15 He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I tell you, I will not eat itc until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18 for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989, S. Lk 22:14-19

Jesus Made Me Do It

2009-01-06T20:26:00.000-08:00

Why is it that if you were to mention the name of Buddah, Mohammed or Confucius you would be viewed as someone who has an open mind, is well read and informed, but, if you mention the name of Jesus, the conversation gets uncomfortable? I think it is Jesus' fault. After all, Buddah, Mohammed or Confucius were great moral teachers. They pointed their followers to something greater than themselves. They would say, "don't look to me, look to my teaching." Jesus on the other hand doesn't point to anything greater than himself. He doesn't say, "follow my teaching" he says, "follow me!" That is a pretty bold statement.

All other religious leaders have used a sort of third point of reference. The "meaning of life" can be spoken of in the third person. You can disregard the teaching without disregarding the teacher. That doesn't work with Jesus because he is his teaching. He isn't just the messenger, he is the message. The two are inseparable. Jesus doesn't tell us that he will show us the way, the truth and the life. He says, "I AM the way, the truth and the life." You can't reject Jesus' way without rejecting Jesus.

Jesus requires a response; He provokes a response. For some it is a response of adoration and worship; for others it is a response of anger and hate. Why would one respond in anger? Because when we look Jesus, he shows us ourselves. (Remember in high school when the really pretty girl would walk in the room and all the other girls would tear her down behind her back? Imagine how they would talk about her if she were the smartest as well.) When we look at Jesus, we see our true selves; and we don't like what we see.

The good news is that Jesus has come to make all things new. He has come to establish a new humanity where we are free to be as God intended. Jesus came not only to free us from the consequence of sin; he came to free us from our sin. This comes at an expense. We have to be willing to give our entire selves. We have to be willing to give up our pride, fear, lusts-- our sins. But many times, we don't want to. We want to hold on to these things that are so "precious" to us and God will allow us to do so. It will change us not unlike the transformation Smeagol experienced when he held onto the ring.

Lord, change me...make me new!!!

Merry Christmas From the Cox Family

2008-12-26T12:04:00.001-08:00

Last year I made a slide show for my wife using Windows MovieMaker. It turned out really well, but the problem was, I set the bar pretty high for myself; not to mention, it took a very long time to produce. I think now the annual slide show is going to become a tradition. Thank God for Animoto. Here is this year's installment. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T15:28:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Everyone! This is probably a tradition in most families, but starting this year our family will begin our evening reading chapter 2 of the Gospel of Luke. (I suggested that we cast lots to determine who gets to the read the Gospel. :) see, Acts 1:26) I'm excited and hope that our family will continue this as a tradition and devote oursevles to always keep 'Christ' in Christmas.
Merry Christmas!

LUKE 2 1-21
1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. 2 This was the first enrollment, when Quirin'i-us was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. 7 And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

8 And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10 And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; 11 for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!" 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." 16 And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child; 18 and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

WOW!

2008-12-21T12:58:00.000-08:00

Here is a shocking video outlining the blatant racist agenda of Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood. It is amazing that so many people will support this organization without clearly undersanding its goals.

What's the Most Important Thing?

2008-12-16T05:47:00.000-08:00

Our morning routine usually begins with my four sons and I eating breakfast together while we allow Mommy to get a few extra minutes of sleep. We then go on to do a few morning chores. The morning ends with loading the troops into the family mini van so the older two can get to school on time. The last thing I ask my boys is,"What's the most important thing?" to which they respond, "Knowing and loving God!" (Aidan, our 3 year old, will usually throw in a, "get your money and put it in your piggy bank," which is a reference to the fact that I am about to go to work.)

My boys understand that God is someone to be known and loved. That is because God knows and loves us. It is in the Incarnation that we truly see this. Jesus doesn't just represent God to us...Jesus presents God to us. Jesus shows us the "I AM", the One who is existence, and introduces Him as Father. Ultimately, Jesus shows us that God is "Abba" or "Daddy."

This is amazing. I can't even wrap my mind around God as an eternal being but Mary wrapped her arms around Jesus: God present to us in time and space. God is the uncreated creator but enters into creation in the person of Jesus.

Let us not forget the importance of this. This is why we bow our heads when we say, "...he came down from Heaven. By the power of the Holy Spirit, he was born of the Virgin Mary and became man." This is truly the moment in time when Heaven and Earth meet.

As Advent comes to a close, we must remember that this is the time when we await the coming of our Lord just as Jews awaited the Messiah who would gather all of Israel into one fold. Not only are we gathered into one fold, but we are gathered into one body, His Body. We commune with God!

Come, Lord Jesus!

The Philosophy of Jesus

2008-12-11T14:57:00.001-08:00

I have recently been introduced to Peter Kreeft. Dr. Kreeft is a philosophy professor at Boston College and a fantastic Catholic apologist. He has written a Catholic version of the C.S. Lewis classic, The Screwtape Letters (one of my all time favorites).

I just started reading The Philosophy of Jesus and was floored with the introduction. Kreeft begins by explaining the four basic questions of philosophy:

1. What is real? (metaphysics)
2. How can we know what is real? (epistemology)
3. Who are we? (philosophical anthropology)
4. What should we be? (ethics)

Kreeft then goes on the say that philosophers have argued about these four questions for most of the last two millennia. One philosopher spends his time arguing that the others are idiots...and he usually proves it. The Christian response to these four questions is what has my wheels turning. This is what Dr. Kreeft has to say:

"The Christian answer: because the only adequate and final answer to all four great philosophical questions is Christ. The most philosophical writer in the Bible, John, begins his Gospel by identifying Jesus with the Logos ("In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with God and the Logos was God...and the Logos became flesh and dwelt among us.") What is the Logos? It is an incredibly rich Greek word. Here are some of its meanings: the Logos means the Word of God, the Revelation of God, the Speech of God, the Wisdom of God, the Mind of God, the Truth of God, the Reason of God, the Philosophy of God.

"Jesus is God's philosophy. "

What does this mean for us? How is Jesus the philosophy of God? I am having quite a time trying to wrap my mind around this one. If anyone has any thoughts on this, please leave them in the comment box.

Whose Rights Are We Protecting?

2008-11-22T06:20:00.000-08:00

Fr. Peter Irving has this video posted on his blog. What a fantastic testimony.

Pray for our President!

2008-11-10T19:11:00.000-08:00

Taylor Marshall has a post suggesting that all Catholics pray for Barack Obama. Pray a rosary. Pray a novena. Fast. Or simply pray for the spiritual benefit of President-elect Obama. We now have the responsibility to lift up our future leader in prayer.

Taylor will be keeping track of the number of prayers that are being said for his spiritual benefit. Visit his post, here.

Catholics Appalled at Anti-Mormon Slur

2008-11-08T17:02:00.000-08:00

To View This Video on YouTube, Click Here

To View This Video on Michael Barber's Blog, Click Here.

For More on this Issue, Read Here.

Head Knight of Columbus warns Freedom of Choice Act threatens pro-life successes

2008-11-04T20:35:00.000-08:00

“All of these restrictions on abortion - all of the progress we've made over the past 35 years in trying to limit and reduce abortions in the United States - would be invalidated with the stroke of a pen if the next Congress passes, and the next president signs, the so-called ‘Freedom of Choice Act’.”
-Carl A. Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus

McCain Carries Catholic Medals

2008-10-27T19:09:00.000-07:00

I found this article on one of my few blogs that I try to read daily. Hat tip to the Catholic Knight.

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"It has been revealed that John McCain, though not himself Catholic, regularly carries around Catholic medals - particularly Our Lady's Miraculous Medal and one of the Blessed Mother Teresa. Even though the Senator from Arizona is a Southern Baptist, he was raised Episcopalian, and apparently the Catholic faith and value system have some appeal to him.Last summer, John McCain made a pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico. There he was blessed by Monsignor Monroy. Since then McCain has backed away from his previous support of embryonic stem-cell research and has promised a pro-life administration if elected President of the United States.

The following is an account of Senator McCain's Catholic medals from Eduardo Verastegui, producer and lead actor of the 2007 American film Bella....

“I said more than 45 million babies have been killed by abortion in America and more than 200,000 Latino babies are killed by abortion each year. I told everyone that we need to put an end to this and, when I finished, I went to John McCain and I said, ‘Senator, thank you for your commitment to life. I’d like to give you something.’ I gave him a Miraculous Medal blessed by Pope Benedict XVI and he was amazing. He said, ‘Thank you so much! Look what I have here in my pocket.’

Then Sen. McCain took a medal out of his pocket that he carries everywhere and it was a Blessed Mother Teresa medal. He said, ‘Eduardo, now I am going to keep both.’Verastegui also gave McCain’s wife, Cindy, a Miraculous Medal. He said, “I was touched when I found out that the McCains adopted one of their daughters from Mother Teresa’s orphanage in India. There is nothing more beautiful than to give children homes with families who will love them. I hope that one day that I can do the same.”

Read the full article here.

A vote for Obama is a vote for...

2008-10-20T18:35:00.000-07:00

Can a Catholic in good faith vote for a candidate who openly supports abortion? Many will say that abortion isn't the only issue at stake in this election. They are correct. Our next president will have to address some very important issues ranging from war to the economy to energy. However, the correct position on these issues can be debated. Under no circumstances can one argue for the morality of abortion. It is intrinsically evil.

The bishops of Fort Worth and Dallas have issued a joint statement. In this statement they say that "to vote for a candidate who supports the intrinsic evil of abortion or "abortion rights" when there is a morally acceptable alternative would be to cooperate in the evil – and, therefore, morally impermissible. " Read the full text here.

Archbishop Chaput of Denver has gone so far as to call out Barack Obama by name. He states that there hasn't been a "more committed" abortion rights candidate from a major party in the last 35 years and that Catholic organizations who support Obama are doing a "disservice to the church." Read the article here.

**Update**
Yesterday, the USCCB came out with an official statement regarding our obligation to protect the unborn as well as care for the needs of mothers. You can find the statement here.

Tertullian On the Sanctity of Human Life

2008-10-17T21:53:00.000-07:00

Here's a few quotes from Tertullian, an Early Church Father, written sometime between 160-240 A.D.

"For us [Christians] we may not destroy even the fetus in the womb, while as yet the human being derives blood from other parts of the body for its sustenance. To hinder a birth is merely a speedier man-killing; nor does it matter when you take away a life that is born, or destroy one that is coming to birth. That is a man which is going to be one: you have the fruit already in the seed." -Apology 9:6

"They [John and Jesus] were both alive while still in the womb. Elizabeth rejoiced as the infant leaped in her womb; Mary glorifies the Lord because Christ within inspired her. Each mother recognizes her child and is known by her child who is alive, being not merely souls but also spirits." -De A ninta 26:4

__________________________________________________________

"For those who would say that the early Church was silent on the question of abortion, even the few select quotations quoted above from the Church Fathers give witness to the contrary."

[1] Quotations from the early Church Fathers on the Sanctity of Human Life

YES On Proposition 8!

2008-10-11T21:32:00.000-07:00

Proposition 8 protects the people’s will and overturns activist judges.
In 2000 over 61% of Californians voted in favor of Proposition 22 to reaffirm that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California. However, because this language wasn’t put into the state Constitution when it was approved, four activist judges from San Francisco wrongly overturned the people’s vote. In November 2008, Proposition 8 gives California voters the opportunity to reverse the court’s decision and restore the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman in the state Constitution.

Proposition 8 is simple and straightforward.
Proposition 8 contains the same 14 words that were previously approved in 2000 by over 61% of California voters: “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” By putting these words directly into the state Constitution, the court cannot strike them down as unconstitutional.

Proposition 8 is about preserving marriage; it’s not an attack on the gay lifestyle.
Proposition 8 doesn’t take away any rights or benefits from gay or lesbian domestic partners. Under California law, “domestic partners shall have the same rights, protections and benefits” as married spouses. (Family Code §297.5.) There are no exceptions to this. Proposition 8 will not change this.

Proposition 8 protects our children.
Proposition 8 protects our children from being taught in public schools that same-sex marriage is the same as traditional marriage. In health education classes, state law requires teachers to instruct children as young as kindergarteners about marriage. (Education Code §51890.) If the same-sex marriage ruling is not overturned, teachers will be required to teach young children that there is no difference between gay marriage and traditional marriage.

Proposition 8 protects marriage as an essential institution of society.
Proposition 8 protects marriage and the important role of a traditional family. While death, divorce or other circumstances may prevent the ideal, the best situation for a child is to be raised by a married mother and father.

YES on Proposition 8 does three simple things.

􀂃 It restores the definition of marriage to what the vast majority of California voters already approved and human history has understood marriage to be.

􀂃 It overturns the outrageous decision of four activist Supreme Court judges who ignored the will of the people.

􀂃 It protects our children from being taught in public schools that “same-sex marriage” is the same as traditional marriage.

Vote Yes on Proposition 8!
www.ProtectMarriage.com

Legalizing same sex marriage has real consequences. Clink on the link below to view full article:

First Graders Taken To San Francisco City Hall For Gay Wedding

Protestant and Catholic Bibles

2008-09-29T21:04:00.000-07:00

What's the difference between Protestant and Catholic Bibles? Here is the historical answer to the question that lead to many interesting conversations in my life. It also denies the false notion that Catholics added seven books to the Bible.

After you have read this article, (Which I found on twopaths.com), please visit the amazon link and provide yourself with the Original King James Version released in 1611 for further clarification.

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The First Christian Bible

At the time the Christian Bible was being formed, a Greek translation of Jewish Scripture, the Septuagint, was in common use and Christians adopted it as the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. However, around 100 A.D., Jewish rabbis revised their Scripture and established an official canon of Judaism which excluded some portions of the Greek Septuagint. The material excluded was a group of 15 late Jewish books, written during the period 170 B.C. to 70 A.D., that were not found in Hebrew versions of the Jewish Scripture. Christians did not follow the revisions of Judaism and continued to use the text of the Septuagint as the Old Testament.

Protestant Bibles

In the 1500s, Protestant leaders decided to organize the Old Testament material according to the official canon of Judaism rather than the Septuagint. They moved the Old Testament material which was not in the Jewish canon into a separate section of the Bible called the Apocrypha. So, Protestant Bibles then included all the same material as the earlier Bible, but it was divided into two sections: the Old Testament and the Apocrypha. Protestant Bibles included the Apocrypha until the mid 1800s, and the King James Version was originally published with the Apocrypha. However, the books of the Apocrypha were considered less important, and the Apocrypha was eventually dropped from most Protestant editions.

Catholic and Orthodox Bibles

The Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches did not follow the Protestant revisions, and they continue to base their Old Testament on the Septuagint. The result is that these versions of the the Bible have more Old Testament books than most Protestant versions. Catholic Old Testaments include 1st and 2nd Maccabees, Baruch, Tobit, Judith, The Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), additions to Esther, and the stories of Susanna and Bel and the Dragon which are included in Daniel. Orthodox Old Testaments include these plus 1st and 2nd Esdras, Prayer of Manasseh, Psalm 151 and 3rd Maccabees.

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[1] Twopaths.com

[2] Amazon.com - Original King James Version of the Bible. 1611 Edition

Saint Augustine On Sins Against Nature

2008-09-14T18:13:00.000-07:00

"Sins against nature, such as those of Sodom, are always and everywhere to be abominated and punished. Even if all nations committed them, the law of God would hold them all alike guilty of the same crime; for that law did not make them so that they could use themselves thus; inasmuch as the bond of fellowship which ought to exist between us and God is violated when that nature of which he is the Maker is defiled by lust and perversion. . "

[1] The Confessions. Augustine. Everyman's Library. Book III. 3.8.15

The Church on Abortion (Hint: it has been a little longer than 50 yrs. Ms. Pelosi)

2008-08-29T05:56:00.000-07:00

The Didache
"The second commandment of the teaching: You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not seduce boys. You shall not commit fornication. You shall not steal. You shall not practice magic. You shall not use potions. You shall not procure [an] abortion, nor destroy a newborn child" (Didache 2:1–2 [A.D. 70]).

The Letter of Barnabas
"The way of light, then, is as follows. If anyone desires to travel to the appointed place, he must be zealous in his works. The knowledge, therefore, which is given to us for the purpose of walking in this way, is the following. . . . Thou shalt not slay the child by procuring abortion; nor, again, shalt thou destroy it after it is born" (Letter of Barnabas 19 [A.D. 74]).

The Apocalypse of Peter
"And near that place I saw another strait place . . . and there sat women. . . . And over against them many children who were born to them out of due time sat crying. And there came forth from them rays of fire and smote the women in the eyes. And these were the accursed who conceived and caused abortion" (The Apocalypse of Peter 25 [A.D. 137]).

Athenagoras
"What man of sound mind, therefore, will affirm, while such is our character, that we are murderers?. . . [W]hen we say that those women who use drugs to bring on abortion commit murder, and will have to give an account to God for the abortion, on what principle should we commit murder? For it does not belong to the same person to regard the very fetus in the womb as a created being, and therefore an object of God’s care, and when it has passed into life, to kill it; and not to expose an infant, because those who expose them are chargeable with child-murder, and on the other hand, when it has been reared to destroy it" (A Plea for the Christians 35 [A.D. 177]).

Tertullian
"In our case, a murder being once for all forbidden, we may not destroy even the fetus in the womb, while as yet the human being derives blood from the other parts of the body for its sustenance. To hinder a birth is merely a speedier man-killing; nor does it matter whether you take away a life that is born, or destroy one that is coming to birth. That is a man which is going to be one; you have the fruit already in its seed" (Apology 9:8 [A.D. 197])."Among surgeons’ tools there is a certain instrument, which is formed with a nicely-adjusted flexible frame for opening the uterus first of all and keeping it open; it is further furnished with an annular blade, by means of which the limbs [of the child] within the womb are dissected with anxious but unfaltering care; its last appendage being a blunted or covered hook, wherewith the entire fetus is extracted by a violent delivery."There is also [another instrument in the shape of] a copper needle or spike, by which the actual death is managed in this furtive robbery of life: They give it, from its infanticide function, the name of embruosphaktes, [meaning] "the slayer of the infant," which of course was alive. . . ."[The doctors who performed abortions] all knew well enough that a living being had been conceived, and [they] pitied this most luckless infant state, which had first to be put to death, to escape being tortured alive" (The Soul 25 [A.D. 210])."Now we allow that life begins with conception because we contend that the soul also begins from conception; life taking its commencement at the same moment and place that the soul does" (ibid., 27)."The law of Moses, indeed, punishes with due penalties the man who shall cause abortion [Ex. 21:22–24]" (ibid., 37).

Minucius Felix
"There are some [pagan] women who, by drinking medical preparations, extinguish the source of the future man in their very bowels and thus commit a parricide before they bring forth. And these things assuredly come down from the teaching of your [false] gods. . . . To us [Christians] it is not lawful either to see or hear of homicide" (Octavius 30 [A.D. 226]).

Hippolytus
"Women who were reputed to be believers began to take drugs to render themselves sterile, and to bind themselves tightly so as to expel what was being conceived, since they would not, on account of relatives and excess wealth, want to have a child by a slave or by any insignificant person. See, then, into what great impiety that lawless one has proceeded, by teaching adultery and murder at the same time!" (Refutation of All Heresies [A.D. 228]).

Council of Ancyra in AD 341
"Concerning women who commit fornication, and destroy that which they have conceived, or who are employed in making drugs for abortion, a former decree excluded them until the hour of death, and to this some have assented. Nevertheless, being desirous to use somewhat greater lenity, we have ordained that they fulfill ten years [of penance], according to the prescribed degrees" (canon 21 [A.D. 314]).

Basil the Great
"Let her that procures abortion undergo ten years’ penance, whether the embryo were perfectly formed, or not" (First Canonical Letter, canon 2 [A.D. 374])."He that kills another with a sword, or hurls an axe at his own wife and kills her, is guilty of willful murder; not he who throws a stone at a dog, and unintentionally kills a man, or who corrects one with a rod, or scourge, in order to reform him, or who kills a man in his own defense, when he only designed to hurt him. But the man, or woman, is a murderer that gives a philtrum, if the man that takes it dies upon it; so are they who take medicines to procure abortion; and so are they who kill on the highway, and rapparees" (ibid., canon 8).

John Chrysostom
"Wherefore I beseech you, flee fornication. . . . Why sow where the ground makes it its care to destroy the fruit?—where there are many efforts at abortion?—where there is murder before the birth? For even the harlot you do not let continue a mere harlot, but make her a murderess also. You see how drunkenness leads to prostitution, prostitution to adultery, adultery to murder; or rather to a something even worse than murder. For I have no name to give it, since it does not take off the thing born, but prevents its being born. Why then do thou abuse the gift of God, and fight with his laws, and follow after what is a curse as if a blessing, and make the chamber of procreation a chamber for murder, and arm the woman that was given for childbearing unto slaughter? For with a view to drawing more money by being agreeable and an object of longing to her lovers, even this she is not backward to do, so heaping upon thy head a great pile of fire. For even if the daring deed be hers, yet the causing of it is thine" (Homilies on Romans 24 [A.D. 391]).

Jerome
"I cannot bring myself to speak of the many virgins who daily fall and are lost to the bosom of the Church, their mother. . . . Some go so far as to take potions, that they may insure barrenness, and thus murder human beings almost before their conception. Some, when they find themselves with child through their sin, use drugs to procure abortion, and when, as often happens, they die with their offspring, they enter the lower world laden with the guilt not only of adultery against Christ but also of suicide and child murder" (Letters 22:13 [A.D. 396]).

The Apostolic Constitutions
"Thou shalt not use magic. Thou shalt not use witchcraft; for he says, ‘You shall not suffer a witch to live’ [Ex. 22:18]. Thou shall not slay thy child by causing abortion, nor kill that which is begotten. . . . [I]f it be slain, [it] shall be avenged, as being unjustly destroyed" (Apostolic Constitutions 7:3 [A.D. 400]).

Thanks to Taylor Marshall for compiling this list from Catholic Answers.

Defending Marriage

2008-08-13T17:51:00.000-07:00

I want to share this recent article from the Catholic News Agency (CNA) regarding the fight to protect marriage. Please read and support.

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Sacramento, Aug 13, 2008 / 01:10 am (CNA).- ProtectMarriage.com, the campaign favoring Proposition 8, the California initiative that would ban same-sex marriage, on Tuesday announced the launch of the official grassroots effort dedicated to supporting the campaign. The organization Catholics for ProtectMarriage.com is led by the Knights of Columbus, the California Catholic Conference and Catholics for the Common Good.

Catholics for ProtectMarriage.com is chaired by Bill May, who is also chairman of Catholics for the Common Good.

“Our strong Catholic faith teaches us the importance of treating all of God's children with love and respect, it also teaches us that marriage between a man and a woman is the foundation of the family - the first school of love, peace and justice," May said in a statement. "The ruling by the California Supreme Court nullifying the legal definition of marriage in state law was a shock to Catholics and other citizens who are concerned about how this will affect their own children's understanding of marriage.”

California Catholics reportedly played a large role in the passage of Proposition 22 in 2000, which defined marriage as being between one man and one woman. The proposition was approved by more than 60 percent of California voters.

Proposition 22 was overturned on May 15, 2008 by the California Supreme Court. The court’s majority found that domestic partnerships are not an adequate substitute for marriage.
Ron Prentice, chairman of ProtectMarriage.com, welcomed Catholics to the effort aimed at amending California’s Constitution. “The fight to protect marriage is an all-encompassing effort that affects everyone in California," he said. "We're honored to have Catholics for ProtectMarriage.com offer us their assistance and to add them to our diverse list of supporters. We expect they will help us motivate a groundswell of support for Proposition and we're confident that with that support we will restore the definition of marriage in California, come November.”

Catholics for ProtectMarriage.com reportedly supports volunteer activities such as literature distribution and phoning in parishes and surrounding communities. Its website is located at http://catholicsforprotectmarriage.com/.

[1] Full Article

[2] Protect Marriage.com

By Whose Authority? (Part II)

2008-08-07T14:18:00.000-07:00

In order to deal with the issue of authority, we must make sure that we are clear on something. Often times our Protestant brethren make the argument regarding authority out to be Church vs. Scripture. This is a false dichotomy. It isn't an either/or argument...it is a both/and argument.

Catholics do believe that scripture is materially sufficient in matters of faith and morals, we just don’t believe that it is formally sufficient. What is the difference? The difference between formal and material sufficiency is the difference between having a brick house and having a big enough pile of bricks to build a house. Drawing on this analogy, Christ is the builder and he uses the mortar of Tradition and the trowel of the Magisterium to build His brick house of revelation from a mere pile of bricks (Mt. 16:18, Eph. 2:19-22; 1 Tim. 3:15). It is these three elements together -- written Tradition (that is, Scripture), unwritten Tradition, and the Magisterium -- that hand down the fullness of revelation, who is Jesus Christ. [1]

Many protestants will say that sola scriptura has its safeguards to prevent them from falling into doctrinal error; they believe in having good hermeneutical (how to apply the text) principles by which one must base his understanding of scripture (ie. using clear texts to interpret unclear, interpreting the New Testament in light of the Old, etc.) We can agree to this as well. However, how do we determine the difference between a “clear text” and an “unclear text?” Is a text clear because one understands it, or is it because one thinks he understands it? If we take the sentence: “I never said you stole money”, we can emphasize different words in the sentence and arrive at vastly different meanings. The sentence is pretty simple, yet we can misinterpret it very easily. It is much easier to hold a face to face converstion with someone than it is to write letters. Why? Because we could hear inflection and read body language. As it is, we are merely reading the written word.

We also must recognize that biblical interpretation is more than just good exegesis (interpreting a text on the basis of the text itself). Biblical scholarship can very easily be reduced to merely dissecting a corpse. We must look at the genre of the book as well as the four senses of scripture: literal, anagogical, allegorical and moral. We should then put ourselves in the historical context of the audience for which it was written. In the case of the NT, that would be first century Jews. First century Jews had a covenantal world view that we don’t really understand. Now if SS is to be adhered to, how does the average person do this? Some of us have the advantage of being well educated. Many of us have the resources available to do in depth personal study? How can one interpret the bible if they have no Bible and even if they did, they couldn’t read it? The only access to scripture that may people have had in previous generations is what they heard in church. If you look at the patristic sources, they were trying to determine the canon so that they would have a list of books that were suitable for being read in church. The context of scripture is the liturgy. In the account of the disciples on the way to Emmaus, the Scriptures came alive for the disciples after Jesus took, blessed, broke and gave bread with them. Is that a coincidence that these are the same words used at the last supper? These are the same words we hear every time we attend Mass. We read the Word of God, then we commune (literally) with the Word of God. As Scott Hahn has said many times, "a protestant studies the menu while the Catholic or Orthodox enjoys the meal."

I recently read the question: “Why is there a need for scripture and the Church…why not one or the other?” Well, why do we have textbooks and teachers? Why do we have the constitution as well as the Court? Why do companies have business plans and boards? Why does baseball have umpires? Why do we have the phrase, “that isn’t what I meant?” There will always be a need to clear up confusion.

[1]http://cuf.org/faithfacts/details_view.asp?ffID=133)

By Whose Authority? (Part I)

2008-07-28T09:47:00.001-07:00

Why do we believe what we believe? Do we accept the authority of scripture? Is scripture inerrant? If so, how do we know? Do we accept the authority of the Church? What about tradition? Can we know for sure that our beliefs are correct (orthodox)? Many of these questions are being asked by the authors of the blog "By Whose Authority?" These are all questions that we should be able to wrestle with and ultimately answer. I hope to complete a two part series that will look at the Protestant position of authority (part I) and then look at the Catholic position (part II).

Can we know for sure the we have correct doctrine? For a Catholic, the answer to this is, YES! But for the Protestant, the answer is ...probably, in as much as I am being led by the Spirit and using my well informed reason. The Catholic Church believes that scripture, tradition and the magisterium (teaching office) of the Church work together in order to guarantee right doctrine.

Protestants, however, are unanimous in saying that scripture alone (sola scriptura or SS for short) is the rule of faith. "We believe that the only rule and standard by which all dogms and all doctors are to be weighed and judged, is nothing else but the prophetic and apostolic writings of the Old and New Testaments" (Form. Concordiae, 1577). The problem with this is that scripture doesn't interpret itself. The early reformers had already acknowledged this as well. In 1571 Convocation had put forward what was, perhaps unwittingly, a double rule of faith: "preachers", they say, "shall see that they never teach anything . . . except what is agreeable to the doctrine of the Old and New Testament, and what the Catholic Fathers and ancient Bishops have collected out of that very doctrine" (Wilkins, "Concilia", IV, 267). They acknowledged the necessity of the Church for right doctrine. The irony here is that the reformers themselves were exercising "church authority." [1]

Not too long after, we see attempts to remove any Church authority and the individual, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, is now to be considered the rule of faith. "[I]n the Westminster Confession of Faith (1643-7), which declared that the "Books of the Old and New Testaments are . . . given by inspiration of God, to be the rule of faith and life" (art. ii), but that the "authority of the Holy Scripture . . . dependeth not upon the testimony of any man or church" (art. iv). They add: "We may be moved by the testimony of the Church to an high and reverent esteem of the Holy Scripture . . . yet our full persuasion of the infallible truth and divine authority thereof is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit, bearing witness by and with the word in our hearts" (art. v). " [2]

First of all, does the Spirit tell us that we are reading the inspired word of God when we open the Bible? If so, how do we know? Is it as simple as the Holy Spirit bearing witness with our hearts? This makes things very subjective. The Mormon Church claims the Book of Mormon to be inspired. They can also claim that the Spirit bears witness with their hearts. Using this logic, we must elevate the Book of Mormon, Koran, or any other religious literature that one can claim to be inspired to be on the same level of scripture. This assertion is obviously false.

Second of all, assuming that we are reading the inspired word of God, how can we know for sure that we are correct in our interpretation? For centuries, there have been disagreements on what the Bible actually says. Is infant baptism appropriate? Is baptism necessary for salvation? Is Christ really present in the Eucharist? Disagreements on these issues have created division after division throughout Christendom. So who is right? If we agree with the assertion that the Spirit led individual is the rule of faith, then we have a major problem.

Basically, I see their logic going like this:

Q: "How does one know if he has right doctrine?"
A: "He must be led by the Spirit."
Q: "How do we know if one is led by the Spirit?"
A: "He must have sound doctrine."

This is what philosophers could call "petitio principii" or begging the question. We could also call it circular argument. You can't prove something if your premise is that which you are trying to prove.

It is difficult for the individual to interpret scripture apart from another authority in one form or another. One may use a commentary to help interpret difficult passages. Or one may look to the Church Fathers. Maybe one will even look to the early Church Councils. "In practice, however, the Reformed Churches have never acted up to the principle of private judgment, but have, in one form or another, urged the authority of the Church in deciding the contents of the Bible, its inspiration, and its meaning."[3]

The irony here is that the problem that a protestant has with church authority, they seem to apply to themselves. So if they believe that the Spirit can guide the individual, why can't He guide the magisterium?

[1]http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05766b.htm
[2] Ibid
[3] Ibid

What is at stake?

2008-07-16T22:19:00.000-07:00

"I stand by my votes against confirming Justices Roberts and Alito," he stated to a cheering crowd. "I made it equally clear that I will never back down from making sure that women have their reproductive rights here in this country -- that's what's at stake in this election."

--Barak Obama

Read the entire article here.

How can a Catholic or any Christian for that matter vote for this man?

"If you look at a woman to desire her..." TOB 40

2008-07-12T14:39:00.000-07:00

In chapter 2 of TOB John Paul the Great shifts from the creation account to Jesus' sermon on the mount. The passage that he analyzes is Matt 5:27-28:27

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.RSV

The word that is used for "lustfully" is better translated as "desire." Two other places where the word desire is used would be : Genesis 3:16 and Genesis 4:7. Take a look at the texts:

Gen 3:16 To the woman he said,"I will greatly multiply your pain in childbearing;in pain you shall bring forth children,yet your desire shall be for your husband,and he shall rule over you." RSV

Gen 4:17 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is couching at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it." RSV

In both of the cases in Genesis, the word desire is used to describe a taking. JPTG gives a great definition of concupiscent desire in 40:1:

Concupiscent "desire," I would say, is the deception of the human heart with regard to the perennial call of man and woman to communion through ta reciprocal gift--a call that has been revealed in the very mystery of creation. Thus, when in the Sermon on the Mount Christ refers to "the heart" or to the inner man, his words do not cease to be charged with that truth about the "beginning," to which he had referred the whole problem of man, woman, and marriage in the answer to the Pharisees (see Mt. 19:8).

Notice that JPTG is not saying that concupiscent desire is completely opposite from that which God intended in the "beginning." We are supposed to desire our spouses. But we are to desire them in the way that we desire communion with God. We must first be willing to give ourselves before we can receive. When we "desire" to take something, we destroy the gift. One of the consequences of original sin is that we take something that is good and treat it as an end in and of itself, thereby foregoing the very thing that God has for us. We reduce the marital act to a physical exchange rather than a communion of persons.

JPTG is trying to tell us that our intentions are as great as our actions.

Work, Love, Romance, Joy - Opus Dei

2008-07-11T22:16:00.000-07:00

Finding time to read has not been easy as for me lately as it has been in the past. I still find time here and there to pick up a book, however, new books are not coming in as much as they used to. With our new house, and our first child on the way :), when it comes to buying books I now have a budget, a very small budget. This actually works out for me because it allows me to go back and reread some of my favorite titles that I haven’t read in over a year or two. One of which is, “Ordinary Work, Extraordinary Grace: My Spiritual Journey in Opus Dei” by Dr. Scott Hahn. (I know this is one of David’s favorites as well). Throughout his book Hahn underlines how much joy should enlighten our hearts when we are working for the love of God. Here, Hahn gives us a biblical illustration of that type of love we should all strive for among our daily lives.

". . . Consider the story of Jacob, in the Book of Genesis (Genesis 29). One day while traveling, the young man met a woman “beautiful and lovely” named Rachel. He was so smitten that he wept aloud. Soon he approached Rachel’s father, Laban, and asked for the privilege of marrying her. So much did he love her that he promised to work in Laban’s lands for seven years in order to merit such a wife. “So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her”. Jacob would, in fact, labor another seven years that way, because of the trickery of Laban.
Notice, however, that Jacob did not toil in bitterness. Nor did he grimly ponder all the places he’d rather be than pushing sheep through the pastures of an untrustworthy man. He worked with joy because his heart was set on the goal: the love of Rachel. He kept a spirit of service because he was serving the only man who could lead him to that goal. In fact, when all was said and done and Jacob had married Rachel, he served Laban for another seven years, out of gratitude!"

We can learn a lot from Jacob, especially when it comes to reaching our ultimate goal, Heaven. As Dr. Hahn asks, “for that goal, how much should we be willing to work? Seven years? Fourteen? Twenty one? Seventy? The longest lifetime would not be enough.” Lets all strive to work with love and joy at every moment in our everyday lives, and especially in our homes.

[1] Ordinary Work, Extraordinary Grace: My Spiritual Journey in Opus Dei” by Dr. Scott Hahn. Pg. 121-122.

Death Wish by Fr. Corapi

2008-07-10T21:31:00.000-07:00

DEATH WISH!
THE IMPENDING SUICIDE OF A ONCE GREAT NATION
©2008 REV. JOHN A. CORAPI, SOLT, STD
www.fathercorapi.com
A large number of endangered, unwanted, and unborn children held a town hall meeting on the 4th of July--alarmed at the brutal and untimely killing of millions of their brothers and sisters in recent years. That the murderous war waged on them had the full force and respectability of the law made their plight all the more terrifying. Their complaint was humble and it was simple. They were not distressed by rising gas prices, or the deteriorating economy in general. They were not even frightened by the exponential increase of natural disasters. The threat of global warming or global terrorism did not greatly disturb them.

They had become an endangered species, and little had been done to answer their terrified and silent screams from the womb. They decided that the barbaric treatment that they and their fellow unwanted unborn human beings have had to endure for perilous decades sunconscionable and unbearable. They cried out to their Creator for inspiration and protection, and then unanimously they put forth a declaration. It began as follows:

“When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF-EVIDENT, THAT ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL, THAT THEY ARE ENDOWED BY THEIR CREATOR WITH CERTAIN UNALIENABLE RIGHTS, THAT AMONG THESE ARE LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS….”
THAT AMONG THESE IS LIFE; THAT AMONG THESE IS LIFE; THAT AMONG
THESE IS LIFE!

The first and pre-eminent right is the right to life. This truth the Founding Fathers were sure of, and anyone with any common sense at all is equally sure of it. 232 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed the amount of common sense that seems to be operative in many spheres of influence—most notably the courts and the political arena-- can easily be poured into a very small thimble.

The United States of America seems to have a death wish, and we have traveled far down
the road to having that wish realized. When law divorces itself from common sense and spawns the illegitimate offspring of distortions of law, resulting in illegal laws—based neither on the natural law nor divine law--this undermines law itself, generating disdain for the law. Erosion of trust in the courts, or the system in general, is inevitable.

The genesis of the death wish is rooted in the fall of man that we see in the Book of Genesis. The substance of the fall is wrapped up in Lucifer’s pride, transferred to Adam and Eve—“You can be like gods, knowing good and evil.” The unholy, yet inevitable, consequence of that pride is disobedience—eating the forbidden fruit. The ultimate end is death, as God said it would be. That’s the way it was in the beginning. That’s the way it is now. That’s the way it will be until time breathes forth it’s last moment.

The prototypical sin is pride, the pride that seeks to exalt the creature above the Creator:
“I can be like God.” Then, subjectively and arbitrarily, man tries to assert himself, imagining that he knows what’s good and evil for himself without reference to God and God’s law. This was the fall of the angels and the fall of man. The attempt by creatures to usurp what is only the province of God. Only God knows what is good for His creation.

In recent years it took the form of a self-inflicted heart wound when some dissident Catholics rejected the teaching of the Church, a teaching that clearly held that artificial contraception is intrinsically evil. Then, as Pope Paul VI had warned, it metastasized into abortion. From abortion it degenerated even further into partial-birth abortion. It was then a short and easy step to infanticide.

The exclamation point at the end of the death wish is that now there is yet another candidate for the office of president of the United States who has in an extraordinary way done everything possible to breathe life into all of the barbaric elements of the death wish. He and his party make no apologies for their support of abortion, partial-birth abortion, and even infanticide. It’s hard to believe that we have degenerated to the point that we’ll murder a helpless baby should it escape the violence of an abortion and be born alive. Can a Catholic vote for such persons? We are told, “yes” for a “proportionate reason.” What, I might ask, is the proportionate reason so weighty as to excuse supporting those responsible for what is tantamount to genocide? The judges and politicians that support such barbaric practices are truly guilty of genocide: genocide—the deliberate and systematic destruction of an ethnic, racial, religious, national, or social group. “What is the group so targeted?” you might ask. The group is unwanted, unborn children--tens of millions of them.

The Supreme Court justices that gave us Roe v. Wade will have to plead temporary insanity in the court of history. There will be no defense in the highest Court that is the judgment seat of almighty God if they do not repent of the incalculable evil they have wrought. Yet, despite the life and death importance of this travesty of authentic law, there will be no serious discussion among political candidates, or anyone else. It is as if society has been bewitched, blind to the splendor of truth, deaf to the cries of the most innocent, most vulnerable, and most utterly helpless.

From artificial contraception to abortion to partial-birth abortion, then on to infanticide we march toward the abyss of oblivion, a society marked for death. Is it any wonder we can rationalize the killing of the elderly or the sick through euthanasia? The tragic murder of Terri Schiavo is a logical extension of a morally numb society’s mad march toward its own suicidal death. She wasn’t sick. She wasn’t dying. They murdered her, starved her to death--one of the cruelest forms of death. She was innocent, yet subjected to a most cruel and unusual punishment. Why? Because she was helpless? Because she was too much trouble, too hard to look at?

As Abraham Lincoln asserted, “If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.” We are dying by suicide, moral and spiritual suicide, and the moral demise of a nation almost always precedes the ultimate demise of a nation. Many of our leaders, political and legal, are reminiscent of the horrid witches in Act 1 Scene 1 of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” chanting shrilly to a morally sick public all too eager to be confirmed in their sins, “Fair is foul, and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air.”

Good is evil, and evil is good. The truth is a lie and lies are the truth, hover through the fog of moral relativism and the filthy air of a world gone mad with the madness of sin. The words of the prophet thunder through the ages, “ Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness” (Isaiah 5:20).

We have inverted the poles of the moral power grid. We have begun to call the negative pole the positive, and the positive the negative. This inversion of reality begets disaster: The power fails, the lights go out, darkness falls—and indeed, if your light is darkness, how deep, how very deep will the darkness be! (cf. Mt 6:23).

This death wish has marched toward its logical and inexorable conclusion with little opposition from leaders--political, legal, or religious. The world knows the Catholic Church and any self-respecting and faithful Christian roundly reject abortion and all of the other nails in the coffin of contemporary society, but the defense of life has been weak. Weak leadership, whether in society in general, or in the Church in particular, is punishment for sin. The Old Covenant has examples enough of the Chosen People being turned over to exile and their enemies because of infidelity. They lamented, “We have no priest, prophet, or king.” These were taken away because of infidelity. In recent times large numbers of Catholics and other Christians rejected Pope Paul VI’s landmark and prophetic encyclical Humanae Vitae, on Human Life. A majority of the bishops of Canada did so publicly, formally, and in writing with their infamous Winnipeg Statement.

The great Archbishop Fulton Sheen lamented bitterly in the 1970s that the prophetic spirit of Christ had all but been extinguished in the contemporary Church. Today there are many CEOs, all too few Apostles. Are we afraid of a fight? Do we fear rejection, misunderstanding, or derision? Are we cowed and intimidated by fallacious notions of the separation of Church and state? Could we be afraid of persecution? Could we be afraid of losing our tax-exempt status? Have we declared détente with evil?

The clock is ticking. Midnight is approaching. Time is running out for our nation, a nation that once was great, and could be great again if enough of us wake up and renounce this curse of a death wish. Will God turn his friends over to His enemies as He has done multiple times in the past? Will radical Islam overrun us? Will the planet cook? Will one too many natural disasters grind us into dust? Will we collapse economically? All of the above? Perhaps these are all merely effects of the underlying cause—a death wish that chokes the life out of us.

In the end it is likely that President Abraham Lincoln had it right: “Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.” Thus forgetting that we are one nation under God, we become a nation gone under (President Ronald Reagan). And, indeed, “If destruction be our lot we ourselves will be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time, or die by suicide.”

May God grant us the grace to awake from this deadly moral slumber, renounce the death wish, and live like truly free men and women—in the glorious freedom of the children of God.

Should We Be Surprised? (Updated)

2008-07-07T22:34:00.000-07:00

Art suggested that we submit "Should We Be Surprised?" as a letter to the editor in our local paper. After much deliberation, I have decided to do so. My good friend AJ Fredette looked it over and offered some suggestions, which I will gladly take. I would also like any readers of our blog to offer comments and/or suggestions before I send it off to the paper. So...the semi final draft is as follows:

As we all know, the California Supreme Court recently decided to make same sex marriage a fundamental right. Needless to say, this has created quite a stir. Chief Justice, Ronald M. George wrote the majority opinion and was quoted as saying, "I think there are times when doing the right thing means not playing it safe." I completely agree. Doing the right thing does mean not playing it safe; especially when one is defending the rights of others, which is what the Court believes it has done. Others, however, disagree that this is what was accomplished.The central problem in the debate over same sex marriage revolves around the definition of marriage. There are those who argue, as the California Supreme Court does, that marriage is simply an agreement between parties to share certain assets as a result of the experience of a certain degree of affection. Dissenters, however, recognize that marriage has a deeper meaning, basis, and function.

Marriage, in this view, has two components: contractual and covenantal. The Court has the legal right to do what they please with the contractual part of marriage, as contracts are strictly legal instruments. However, they have no say over the covenantal, or sacramental, aspect of marriage, as this part is subsumed in spiritual considerations. While a contract is an exchange of goods and services, a covenant is a union of persons.

The sacrament of matrimony is more than just two people who love each other agreeing on terms and conditions under which they will share a life. It is more than being able to file a joint tax return or reap legal benefits granted by the government. These are the contractual aspects of marriage that should be the Court’s purview. But the covenantal, spiritual dimension of matrimony transcends and supersedes the contractual and is beyond the scope of the Court’s authority.

Matrimony, in its fullest sense, is about the communion of persons as God intended from the beginning. Look no further than Matthew 19 to see Jesus' teaching on marriage:

"And the Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?" He answered, "Have you not read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, `For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder."

Notice that Jesus refers to the "beginning,” harkening to the Creation. Genesis 1:27 states, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Together, male and female make up "man." And "man" is created in the image of God. The way we reflect the image of God is in the one flesh union of the marital act. This is not possible in a same sex union as the marital act requires a male and a female. Why?If God is a communion of persons, then we, as images of God, are to be a communion of persons. But God is the communion of Three Persons in the Blessed Trinity and a married couple is just a communion of two persons. Where is the third person of the human trinity? Well, my wife and I have four of them. The love between a husband and wife is so real that in nine months you give it a name. That is how we image God. This is what makes marriage a covenant rather than merely a contract. Covenants create families.

Covenants, then, result in procreative, self-perpetuating unions. Contracts specify terms, conditions, limits, and duration of agreement. In contracts, the parties remain separate. In covenants, the parties become one. Further, now that the courts have officially taken marriage out of the context of a covenant and made it purely a contract between consenting adults, what is to keep them from allowing multiple marriage partners? After all, contracts often involve more than two parties. This and a variety of other marital contractual arrangements become permissible by denying or ignoring the covenantal aspect of matrimony.

A difficulty, perhaps by now insuperable, is that many of the folks who are so upset about this decision, claiming that it isn’t the way God intended or it isn’t “natural,” have become part of the problem without realizing it. Marriage was actually taken out of its covenantal context long ago. The 1970’s saw the legalization of “no fault” divorce as well as abortion. And the door to all of this was opened in the first part of the 20th century with the legalization of artificial contraceptives. With the extensive use of contraceptives, most married couples have negated the third person of the family and reduced the marital act to a pleasurable, strictly physical experience. Husbands and wives are simply using each other for pleasure. How is that different from that which a same sex couple can accomplish? The thing that sets the covenant of marriage apart is life-giving love. If the possibility of life is taken out of the marriage by way of contraception, then it is no different than any other act between two people who "love" each other, thereby reducing the marriage to a contract. The irony is striking. While proponents of contraception, “no fault” divorce, and abortion claim to work for happy, healthy families, what they have accomplished is a diminution of the importance of the covenantal, procreative, life-giving aspect of the institution, thus degrading it. Many of these people are the loudest voices protesting the statutory recognition of same-sex marriages.

If we truly want to protect the sanctity of marriage, then we need to reclaim the covenant of marriage. If we want to reclaim the covenant of marriage, we had better take a hard look at how we can protect the sanctity of life. When it comes to life and marriage, God has brought them together, let no man put them asunder. So really, we shouldn’t be surprised by the court’s decision-- our society has been working to destroy the underpinnings of marriage for years.

I would appreciate any feedback I can get...thanks.

US Bishops on Stem Cell Research

2008-07-01T21:46:00.000-07:00

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) recently made a statement regarding stem cell research. It is worth reading at length. Stem cell research has caused quite a bit of controversy, and rightfully so. It seems that the stem cells from adults as well as umbilical cord blood has proven beneficial while the stem cells from embroys haven't been proven to be effective. Why would the scientific community insist on "harvesting" stem cells by destroying the lives of human embryos when umbilical cord blood is easy to come by?

Church Authority

2008-06-30T07:16:00.000-07:00

Michael Barber had a post containing a video of Scott Hahn discussing church authority. Very appropriate given the readings for yesterday's mass.

Holy Innocents Church

2008-06-29T21:37:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to travel with Fr. Scott to Long Beach last week. He meets with a group of priests for an Opus Dei circle. The parish we visited was Holy Innocents and Fr. Peter is a fantastic man to talk to. His blog is very interesting and I will be adding it to our blog roll. Take a look when you get a chance. Fr. Peter is doing a great job of spreading the Pro Life message.

To go to Fr. Peters blog, click here.

40 years of Humanae Vitae

2008-06-28T07:29:00.000-07:00

To [Christian married couples] the Lord entrusts the task of making visible to men the holiness and sweetness of the law which unites the mutual love of husband and wife with their cooperation with the love of God the author of human life. (Pope Paul VI, Humanae vitae)

July marks the 40 year anniversary of Humanae Vitae, the encyclical letter written by Pope Paul VI outlining the Church's teaching on the sanctity of life. Specifically it reaffirms the Church's teaching on abortion and contraception. Humanae Vitae is a beautiful letter that outlines God's plan for protecting the sanctity of life beginning with the marital act itself. It has also been a very controversial letter as many Catholics have rejected this teaching.

Fr. Tom Euteneuer, the president of Human Life International, is collecting pledges of assent to the teachings outlined in Humanae Vitae.

Please read the text of Humanae Vitae and then go to the HLI website to sign the pledge.

Congratulations to the Fresno State Bulldogs!

2008-06-26T18:24:00.000-07:00

The Bulldogs Win! One of the best college championship series I've ever seen. The Bulldogs captured their first national championship in a men's sport with a 6-1 victory over Georgia last night. This is something that everyone in the central valley should be proud about. Great job Bulldogs, and well deserved!

Sola Scriptura?

2008-06-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

I have been engaged in a nice discussion with some protestant brothers on a different blog regarding the doctrine of scripture alone (sola scriptura). Time and time again Catholics are pressed by non Catholics to answer the question, "Where is that in the Bible?" They are usually referring to some doctrine that they believe was "invented" by the Church. Basically, they are usually looking for a proof text. The irony is that there is not a single proof text in scripture to defend the doctrine of sola scriptura. When pressed about this contradiction, a non Catholic will refer to "development of doctrine" or "authority" other than scripture. Both are arguments that sound awfully Catholic.

The fact is that Christianity isn't a religion of the book. It is a religion of the Word of God. God revealed Himself to us through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus taught the apostles many things and guaranteed that the Holy Spirit would "guide them into all truth." All of Jesus' teachings were either recorded as scripture or handed down orally (cf. 2 Thess 2:15). The oral teaching is what the Catholic would call "Tradition."

Don't be offended if a non Catholic asks you questions about your faith. "Be prepared to give an answer" as St. Peter tells us. But don't be afraid to ask the same question of your brother who believes that scripture is the final authority: "Where is that in the Bible?"

Reflections on Fatherhood

2008-06-14T22:27:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Father's Day and it is amazing to think that I have been a father for nearly 10 years. Oh, how quickly it has gone. Fatherhood isn't easy, especially when you have four boys. However, it isn't difficult for the reasons that many may suspect. I don't mind the noise, being ambushed anytime I am lying on the floor or the smells (man, can they create some smells!). The difficulty lies in realizing that I am responsible for shaping the character of four future men. So as I ponder the responsibility that I have taken on, I look at the readings for Father's Day.

The first reading comes to us from Exodus 19:2-6. In this reading God tells Israel that they will be to him a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. God calls fathers to be priests just as he calls priests to be fathers. How is a father a priest?

The priesthood of a father can be traced all the way back to Adam, the father of humanity. In the beginning, God tells Adam to "till and keep" the garden. The words that are used here are abod and shamar. Basically, these are priestly words that mean to "serve and protect." A father has the priestly duty of serving his family. Not only does a father have to serve by providing for the material needs of a family, but he must provide for the spiritual needs as well. Providing for the spiritual needs means that a father must ensure that his family is being brought up in the faith by attending Mass and frequenting the sacraments. By making sure that his family's spiritual needs are being met, the father is also protecting his family from spiritual enemies. We all know that a father must protect his family from outside intruders, but we often neglect to protect our families from spiritual intruders. Remember, Jesus told us not to fear those who can kill the body, but to fear him who can kill the body and the soul in Hell. We need to know our faith. We need to practice our faith. Our children need to have this faith taught to them. And who better to teach the faith than the priest of the family?

The second reading comes from Romans 5: 6-11. In this passage, we read that "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Jesus sets the perfect example of a servant leader. He puts the needs of his bride, the Church, ahead of his own. Jesus is the perfect example of a husband. The best gift that a father can give to his children is to love their mother. Jesus shows us how to do that. He empties himself and becomes a man. He then gives himself up in sacrifice for people who are sinning against him. Fathers must love their wives.

As fathers, we must remember to keep our priorities in order. God, Family, Work. In that order. Most of us inherently know that family should come before work. After all, no one carries around pictures of their office. However, you will find many "proud daddys" toting pictures of their families. Our job requires vacation, but our family is our vocation. No matter where we go, or what we do, we will always be fathers.

May God grant us the grace to love our families as he loves us.

President Bush To Cross the Tiber?

2008-06-13T14:52:00.001-07:00

I found this article in a post on the Theology of the Body blog and thought it was interesting. At this point, it is speculation, but if President Bush became Catholic, that would be a pretty high profile conversion. Tony Blair, former British Prime Minister, recently converted as has the President's brother, Jeb Bush. Maybe the Pope's visit to the U.S. will have a lasting effect.

Should We Be Surprised?

2008-06-06T22:49:00.000-07:00

As we all know, the California Supreme Court recently decided to make same sex marriage a fundamental right. Needless to say, this has created quite a stir. Michael Uhlmann states in his article A New Sexual Constitution?:

On May 15, a 4-3 majority of the California Supreme Court rewrote the state constitution and decreed that same-sex marriage was now a “fundamental” right. In a stunning display of disingenuous humility, the court had the brass to assert that it was not stating a policy preference, but only interpreting the people’s will as expressed in the state’s highest law. But California’s constitution says nothing about same-sex marriage, and the people of California made their will abundantly clear as recently as 2000, when they overwhelmingly passed a legislative initiative defining marriage as a union between man and woman.

The thing that strikes me about this is that four people made this decision for the entire state. Four People! I have no idea how they find same sex marriage addressed in the constitution. But, then again, I am not a lawyer. Chief Justice, Ronald M. George wrote the majority opinion and was quoted as saying, "I think there are times when doing the right thing means not playing it safe." I agree with that quote. Doing the right thing does mean not playing it safe; especially when one is defending the rights of others, which is what the Court believes it has done.

The problem is that they are dealing with marriage. The sacrament of matrimony is more than just two people who love each other getting together to share a life. It is more than being able to file a joint tax return or reap legal benefits granted by the government. Matrimony is about the communion of persons as God intended from the beginning. Look no further than Matthew 19 to see Jesus' teaching on marriage:

And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?" [4] He answered, "Have you not read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female, [5] and said, `For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? [6] So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder."

Notice that Jesus is referring to the "beginning." Genesis 1:27 states: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Male and female make up "man." And "man" is created in the image of God. Male and Female image God in the one flesh union of the marriage act. That can't take place in a same sex union. It requires a male and a female. Why?

If God is a communion of persons, then we are to be a communion of persons. But wait, God is the communion of Three Persons in the Blessed Trinity and Man is just a communion of two persons. Where is the third person of the human communion of persons? Well my wife and I have four of them. They are named Dawson, Nevan, Aidan and Jabin. The love between a husband and wife is so real that a third person is created. That is how we image God.

The problem is that many of the folks who are screaming about the sanctity of marriage don't see it that way. With rampant use of contraceptives most married couples have negated the third person of the family by reducing the marital act to a pleasurable experience. Husbands and wives are simply using each other for pleasure. How is that different from that which a same sex couple can accomplish? The thing that sets a marriage apart is life giving love. If the life is taken out of the equation by way of contraception, then it is no different than any other act between two people who "love" each other.

If we want to protect the sanctity of marriage, then we better take a hard look at how we can protect the sanctity of life. When it comes to life and marriage, God has brought them together, let no man put them asunder. So really, should we be surprised?

New Catholic Website

2008-06-06T22:36:00.000-07:00

There is a great new website that I just found called The Catholic Thing. The first column was published on June 2. Check it out and tell me what you think.

Conquer the Summit

2008-05-16T12:42:00.000-07:00

The summit? For a soul which has surrendered itself, everything becomes a summit to conquer. Every day it discovers new goals, because it does not know how, or want, to limit the love of God.
- St. Josemaria Escriva, The Furrow #17

By the time in entered my junior year of college, I had developed a love for learning. At that time the love was focused on mathematics which was my major. Now that love for learning has spread to different areas. But I have especially learned to love the study of theology and scripture. One thing has become quite clear to me as I continue to study: I don't know much. What I mean is, the more I learn, the more I realize I have to learn.

I believe that it true with our relationship with God. The more I come to know God, I am confronted by the fact that I am still so far away from Him. The good news is that He makes up for what we lack. Every time God burns away an imperfection, five more seem to become exposed. Such is the spiritual life. Our salvation is a journey that lasts a lifetime. God is continually molding and shaping us. Sometimes the summits are tougher to conquer than others. Many times it seems like there are multiple summits to overcome at one time. Regardless of the situation, God promises to complete the good work in us that He has started.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this...

Culture of Life vs. Culture of Death

2008-05-11T20:57:00.000-07:00

Turn on the TV and it is a matter of minutes before one is inundated with gratuitous sex and violence. Why is that? What is it with our infatuation with death and sex? And what do they have to do with each other? All around us we see death. However, true discussion on death is often avoided due to the fact that there are not many things that are more frightening or misunderstood. So the conversation gets suppressed. Sex is another topic that isn't usually discussed appropriately. Most conversations regarding sex are very uncomfortable and awkward unless it is the punchline of a joke or put in your face (literally) in the media. The problem is that when things are suppressed, they tend to resurface in ways that are not very healthy. In the beginning, man and his wife were both naked and they were not ashamed.(cf.Gen. 3:25) In the beginning, there was no death. Naked without shame and no death. What happened after "The Fall?" Death and shame both entered the world. The Theology of the Body addresses the connection with death and sex. It is worth quoting at length:

Thus, each man bears within him the mystery of his "beginning" closely bound up with awareness of the generative meaning of the body. Genesis 4:1-2 seems to be silent on the subject of the relationship between the generative and the nuptial meaning of the body. It will be necessary, then, to raise again the questions connected with the appearance of shame in man, shame of his masculinity and femininity, not experienced before. At this moment, however, this is in the background. In the foreground there remains, however, the fact that "Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore . . . " This is precisely the threshold of man's history. It is his "beginning" on the earth. On this threshold man, as male and female, stands with the awareness of the generative meaning of his own body: masculinity conceals within it the meaning of fatherhood, and femininity that of motherhood. In the name of this meaning, Christ will one day give the categorical answer to the question that the Pharisees had asked him (Mt 19; Mk 10). We, on the other hand, penetrating the simple content of this answer, are trying at the same time to shed light on the context of that "beginning," to which Christ referred. The theology of the body has its roots in it.
7. Awareness of the meaning of the body and awareness of its generative meaning come into contact, in man, with awareness of death, the inevitable horizon of which they bear within them, so to speak. Yet there always returns in the history of man the "knowledge-generation" cycle, in which life struggles, ever anew, with the inexorable perspective of death, and always overcomes it. It is as if the reason for this refusal of life to surrender, which is manifested in "generation," were always the same "knowledge," with which man goes beyond the solitude of his own being, and, in fact, decides again to affirm this being in an "other." Both of them, man and woman, affirm it in the new man generated. In this affirmation, biblical "knowledge' seems to acquire an even greater dimension. It seems to take its place in that "vision" of God himself, with which there ends the first narrative of the creation of man about the "male" and the "female" made 'in the image of God": God saw everything that he had made and . . . it was very good (Gen 1:31). Man, in spite of all the experiences of his life, in spite of suffering, disappointment with himself, his sinfulness, and, finally, in spite of the inevitable prospect of death, always continues, however, to put "knowledge" at the "beginning" of "generation." In this way, he seems to participate in that first vision" of God himself: God the Creator "saw . . . , and behold, it was very good". And, ever anew, he confirms the truth of these words. (TOB 22:6,7)

Pope John Paul II is absolutely correct; life will always win. However in our culture, the value of a life is based on what it can produce or what it can provide. Individuals are looked upon as objects to be used and then discarded when they are no longer useful. We were not created to be objects to be used. We were created to commune with God and one another. This desire to "know" one another is stamped in our very being. The world calls it a "sex drive"; the Church Fathers called it "paternal desire."

A Wedding to Remember

2008-05-06T03:37:00.000-07:00

I was glad to see Art posted in regard to his wedding. I know how much thought and effort went in to everything that took place. I was honored to be in attendance, but Jennie and I were more honored to be a part of such a beautiful ceremony. I have been to many weddings, but I can honestly say that none of them compared to Art and Melissa's. It was obvious to all in attendance that there was something special happening. Now granted, there is something special taking place at all weddings. However, often times the wedding becomes about the event. It is the part that takes place before the party. All of the time and energy goes into creating the reflection of something beautiful. This wedding was different. It was beautiful. It was beautiful because we witnessed two young people who understood the fact that they were about to become one. Not one in the sense of one household or one checking account or one bathroom- but they were going to become one in the communion of persons. Art and Melissa were about the embark on the journey of becoming the image and likeness of God...and they knew it. Pope John Paul II explains:

If, vice versa, we wish to draw also from the narrative of the Yahwist text the concept of "image of God", we can then deduce that man became the "image and likeness" of God not only through his own humanity, but also through the communion of persons, which man and woman form right from the beginning. The function of the image is to reflect the one who is the model, to reproduce its own prototype. Man becomes the image of God not so much in the moment of solitude as in the moment of communion. He is, in fact, right "from the beginning" not only an image in which there is reflected the solitude of a Person who rules the world, but also, and essentially, an image of an inscrutable divine communion of Persons.(Theology of the Body 9:3)

Nowhere was this more apparent than at the reception. Usually the reception is where the "holy stuff" ends and the party begins. Just like Sunday is where we put on our nice suit or dress and play church and Monday through Saturday we get to live as we wish. But not at this reception. Sure the reception was a great party. However, the fact that Art and Melissa had just entered in to a covenant with eachother was not lost at the reception. In fact it was confirmed during one of the most typical reception events...the tossing of the garter. Now the tossing of the garter is usually where all the single guys get up with beer in hand and try to act cool while staying as far away from the garter as possible. Don't catch it because then you're the next one to go...the next single guy to get shackled to the "old ball and chain." After the tossing of the garter, Art had a bowl of water and a couple of towels brought to him. He then proceeded to wash Melissa's feet. It was beautiful. Right in middle of the party, the groom kneels down and humbly washes his bride's feet. Art showed at that moment that he would have been the one to climb over his buddies to snatch the garter. Because he understands something that most people miss. He understands that he just entered into something very special. Art has found himself in the gift of himself:

Indeed, the Lord Jesus, when He prayed to the Father, "that all may be one. . . as we are one" (John 17:21-22) opened up vistas closed to human reason, for He implied a certain likeness between the union of the divine Persons, and the unity of God's sons in truth and charity. This likeness reveals that man, who is the only creature on earth which God willed for itself, cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of himself. (Gaudium et Spes 24:3)

Art and Melissa, may God bless your marriage and may you continue to be a blessing to all of us in the way you live out your vocation.

Are You Finished Yet?

2008-05-05T12:48:00.000-07:00

So here is the scenario: My wife and I go to a local store with our four boys ages 9, 6, 3 and 9 mos. Our 3 year old is a "big boy" and wants to walk with his older siblings. So now we have the Cox Family convoy walking through the store: Mom leading the way pushing the cart, 3 brothers holding hands and Dad bringing up the rear with the stroller. It is quite a sight. Eventually, after we have stopped the flow of traffic in the store a few times with our regular duck crossings, someone stops and makes a comment on how cute the baby is--he really is cute, looks just like mommy. A short conversation ensues and inevitably the question arises, "Are you done?" No more needs to be said; we understand the question. "Are you done?" is the universal question for any family who has more than 3 children. "Are you done?" is the "polite" way of saying, "you need to stop having children." I have been told by a friend with 5 children that the questions eventually change. They become: "Are these all yours, or did you adopt?"

The reactions that large families receive from folks in public really fascinates me. Why are people so comfortable questioning the fertility of others? When did having more than 2.3 children become "irresponsible?" Our culture has not only embraced the idea of having dominion over creation, but we are now trying to control it to the point of deciding whether or not to allow life at all. When did children become a commodity; a box to check on the to do list of life?

Genesis 1:27 says, "And God created man in his own image: in the image of God he created him: male and female he created them. " What does this mean, "...in the image of God he created him: male and female he created them?" It means that together man and woman image God. That is why God creates a "helper suitable" for him. With what did Adam need help? He needed help living out the fact that he is created in the image of God; a communion of persons. Eve fulfills this communion of persons in the sacrament of matrimony. God is a communion of persons..."man" is to be a communion of persons. This becomes obvious to Adam when he recognizes that the animals are not suitable to help him. The human body is intended to be a reciprocal gift. Man gives himself to his wife and the wife to her husband. And this gift is to be free, total, faithful and fruitful. The fruit of the love is the life that it produces. The love between the Father and the Son is so real, that it is the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. The love between a husband and wife is so real that from it comes the third person of our family.

We ought not look at the responsibility of parenthood as a duty that we tolerate until the kids are old enough to do things for themesleves. We ought to celebrate the fact that God gives us the ability to become "co" creators by being procreators. And by the grace of God, we will have the perseverence to live out our vocation and through this vocation share in the love of the Holy Trinity.

The Wedding At Cana

2008-05-03T21:42:00.000-07:00

We all have an idea on how busy and sometimes even a little stressful wedding planning can get. For myself, I left a lot of details and planning to Melissa. She had a good idea of what she wanted for our wedding, and I loved every part of it. However, the one thing that I wanted to be a part of more than any other was deciding the scripture readings for the Ceremony.

This was one of the better things we enjoyed about our wedding, but also the most difficult. The toughest part was narrowing it down to four passages from Scripture. The Old and the New Testament, the Psalms and the Gospels all have so many great passages, and we did our best to decide which ones we wanted for our special celebration.

Here I want to focus on the Gospel of John Chapter 2, and more specifically, The Wedding at Cana. I’ve taken the time to study this chapter over the last few months looking at it light of two key points, the Eucharist and The Blessed Mother. It’s been both illuminating and enlightening for me. And I want to take the time right now to share with you what I initially hoped to hand out to everyone who attended our wedding but unfortunately never found the time to do so until now. Most important though, I would like to thank Father Scott for his homily at our service. Revealing to us to the connection between Mary (who Jesus refers to as ‘woman’) and Eve (who God refer to as ‘woman’ in the Book of Genesis). Father Scott explained to us as Eve was called to be the mother of all living in the Old Testament, Here in the New Testament we have Mary being called as a new Eve, the mother of all living. And again, its not coincidence that Christ refers to her as ‘woman.’

Here we are at The Wedding at Cana. I sometimes wondered why Jesus chose a wedding celebration for the scene of His first public miracle? Then I remembered somebody in the Book of Exodus who preformed a smiliar miracle, Moses. Moses changed the waters of the Nile into blood (Exodus 7:14-22) in the Old Covenant. Jesus now changes water into wine, ushering in His New Covenant. He offers the New Wine, purchased by the shedding of His blood on the cross for our redemption.

Moreover, the wedding at Cana prefigures the marriage feast of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7). We should all understand how weddings play an important role in our lives as they do in Sacred Scripture. I like to ask, whose idea was marriage anyway? Does the sacrament of matrimony make any difference from just living together? Or is it just a matter of a piece of paper as some might suggest? Since Jesus and His Mother, Mary, chose to attend this wedding and then played instrumental roles in it, it might help to look at the sacrament of marriage a little more closely.

Marriage was at the hear t of God’s plan from the beginning. God said, “it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him” (Genesis 2:18). Therefore, in the very act of creation, God creates woman and brings her to the man, that they may become one flesh. God has been in the matchmaking business from the very beginning. And just as the couple at Cana invited Jesus to their wedding, Melissa and I have invited Jesus into our marriage relationship. We invite God to be the third person who holds our marriage together.

We all know how marriage has come under attack in contemporary society. The permanence today of one man and one woman faithful until death has come down to partners deciding to walk away from marriage whenever they wish. So, how can marriage withstand the storms and tribulations that occur in life if the Lord is not invited? Without the presence of God and the grace of the sacrament, marriages begin to turn and fall, especially when they remain in the same direction that society has come to accept. The couple at Cana invited Jesus to their wedding. In hard times, one spouse may lift up the other and when both are down, Jesus can hold them together in the midst’s of the storm. God’s grace is always available in the sacrament, for those who call upon Him and seek His help.

I’d like to leave with a quote from Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes, 48.1

Marriage is God’s Plan. Sacred Scripture begins with creation of man and woman in the image and likeness of God and concludes with a vision of the “Wedding Feast of the Lamb.” The intimate community of life and love which constitutes the married state has been established by the Creator. . God Himself is the author of marriage.

Pope Benedict XVI Arrives in Washington

2008-04-15T20:59:00.001-07:00

His visit is "a blessing for all of America"

Newsweek: How Pope Benedict XVI Will Make History

2008-04-13T21:48:00.000-07:00

Newsweek has released an article on Pope Benedict's upcoming visit to the United States. Here's a selection from the article that reminds us when it comes to understanding Christian Doctrine, Pope Benedict XVI is the master teacher. You can read the full article here.

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The Master Teacher

Modern popes matter in spiritual microcosm as well as historical macrocosm. John Paul II touched, and changed, millions of lives. Go to an American seminary today and ask the seminarians who their priestly role model is. Or visit a parish marriage-preparation course and see how John Paul's "Theology of the Body" is reshaping the Catholic understanding of marriage, sexuality and family life. Graduate schools of theology are filled with students writing dissertations on the thought of John Paul II, whose intellectual impact on Catholicism will reverberate for centuries.

Benedict's personal influence on Catholics is perhaps less dramatic, but it is no less real to those who have seen or heard him personally. Joseph Ratzinger is one of the most learned men in the world; he is also a master teacher who can unpack complex Christian doctrines in an accessible way. That helps explain why he continues to draw enormous crowds to his Wednesday general audiences, some larger than those drawn by his predecessor. The tag line in some Roman circles is that "People came to see John Paul II; they come to hear Benedict XVI." That contrast is too sharply drawn, but Benedict's skills as a teacher have certainly touched a significant 21st-century yearning for solid religious food. His first two encyclicals, on love and hope, were consciously framed to speak to the fears of a deeply conflicted world by reminding the world of Christianities basic message.

Benedict's catechetical skills with children are also striking. Six months after his election, he met thousands of Italian 8- and 9-year-olds who had just made their first communion. One of them asked how Jesus could be present in the consecrated bread and wine of the Eucharist when "I can't see him!"

To which the pope replied, "No, we cannot see him; there are many things we do not see, but they exist and are essential … We do not see an electric current; yet we see that it exists. We can see that this microphone is working, and we see lights. We do not see the very deepest things, those that really sustain life and the world, but we can see and feel their effects … So it is with the Risen Lord: we do not see him with our eyes, but we see that wherever Jesus is, people change, they improve, there is a greater capacity for peace, for reconciliation …"

Another youngster asked why the church urged frequent confession. Benedict answered: "It's very helpful to confess with a certain regularity. It is true: our sins are always the same, but we clean our homes, our rooms, at least once a week, even if the dirt is always the same …

Otherwise the dirt might not be seen, but it builds up. Something similar can be said about the soul, about me: if I never go to confession, my soul is neglected and in the end I'm always pleased with myself and no longer understand that I must work hard to improve …"

What the pope can say so winsomely to children, he will likely say to adults during his American pilgrimage: "Look again at the basics of Catholic faith and practice. They exist for a reason. They just may satisfy the hungers of the human heart. Give them a chance."

The Way

2008-04-07T12:43:00.000-07:00

"The body must be given a little less than it needs. Otherwise it will turn traitor. "

-St. Josemaria Escriva, The Way # 196

About two years ago I was given this book by Father Scott. I have been reading it a little at a time during my lunch break and each day I am confronted in one way or another. St. Josemaria tells us to give our flesh less than it needs. Why? Because we either control our appetites, or they control us. St. Josemaria gently reminds us as St. Paul does in Philippians 2:5-11:

For let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and in habit found as a man. Emptied himself, made himself as of no account. 8 He humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross. 9 For which cause, God also hath exalted him and hath given him a name which is above all names: 10 That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth: 11 And that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father.

Jesus emptied himself completely. That is real love. Every day we have opportunites to empty ourselves. We have the opportunity to love. But often we miss those opportunities because we have allowed our wants to get in the way. We allow our bodies to turn traitor.

Lord, let us run the race set before us without hindrance. Give us the grace to empty ourselves in love as Jesus did.

Theology of the Body

2008-04-05T12:49:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Art has been so gracious to invite me to join his blog. I look forward to posting as regularly as I can. Feel free to leave comments as I hope this blog will generate wonderful discussions.

We are going to be going through Michael Waldstein's translation of Pope JP2's very important work: "The Theology of the Body." If you would like to join our discussion group, let us know and we will get you added. You can pick up a copy at Amazon.com by clicking here.

God Bless you all and thanks again to Art for letting me join this blog.

The Film Bella is Available for Pre-order

2008-04-05T12:48:00.001-07:00

The film Bella is now available for pre-order at amazon.com

You can pre-order here: Bella the Film

Also, click here and view Taylor Marshalls thoughts on the film Bella.

Thoughts on the Film

St. Annes Young Adult Group

2008-03-25T17:11:00.000-07:00

Thanks again for the suprise birthday party! And a special thanks to my fiance Melissa for all the work she put into it. You guys are great! And with that in mind, here something from John Paul 'The Great'

Young people, the church asks you to go, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to those who are near and to those who are very far away. Share with them the freedom that you have found in Christ. People thirst for genuine inner freedom. They yearn for the life which Christ came to give in abundance.

– John Paul II

The Blessed Sacrament

2008-03-11T11:02:00.000-07:00

I've recently created a video entitled, 'The Blessed Sacrament,' and I just learned that I'm able to upload video's to my blogsite. Another cool feature on Blogger! Here's the video in case you don't feel like browsing through youtube or Godtube.com

Christ and His Mother

2008-02-29T15:53:00.000-08:00

To know a little more about the relationship between Christ and his mother we have to fully understand who Christ is. It’s very important that we do not see Christ as something changeable or inferior. As Christians, we believe that Christ was not created because if he had been created, something (which created him) was superior, thus the Church has always taught us that Christ was uncreated –‘begotten, not made.’ We should all recognize that The Creator became a creature. As St. Augustine says, “He whom the world could not contain was contained in a mother’s womb.”

With all this said I would like to ask, ‘What would you do if you were able to choose your own mother, and how would you create her?’ Catholic Author F.J. Sheed couldn’t have explained it any better:
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“. . . In seeing what the difference is, a good starting point is the simple fact that this son existed before his mother. So that he is the only Son who was in a position to choose who his mother should be; he could choose therefore what every son would choose if he could, the mother who would suit him best. Further, it goes with the very heart of sonship that a son wants to give his mother gifts; and Christ, being God, could give her all that she would want. To his giving power there was no limit. And what above all she wanted was union with God, the completest union possible to a human being of her will with God’s will, grace therefore in her soul.

He was her Son, and he gave it lavishly. She responded totally, so that she was sinless. It was her response to the grace of God that made her supreme in holiness – higher even that the highest angel, the Church tells us. We may pause for a moment to look at this truth. . .”

[1] Theology for Beginners. F. J. Sheed. Servant Books. Chapter 15, pg. 128.

St. Augustine on Sin

2008-02-21T13:11:00.000-08:00

There was very little that the mind of St. Augustine did not touch upon during his career as bishop of Hippo. Indeed Augustine had an intimate knowledge not only of the actions and results of sin, but of the motivations that were behind a sin. His approach of always being more patient and forgiving toward the sinner is all that much more remarkable.

Fr. John Vidmar shares with us some of St. Augustine’s thoughts on sin:

“No one, perhaps, understood the psychology of sin better than St. Augustine. He knew intimately the forces that played on people and the need to have compassion on the sinner. Hence, he instinctively hesitated to condemn those who did not measure up. He wrote: “Many sins are committed through pride, but not all happen proudly . . . They happen so often by ignorance, by human weakness; many are committed by men weeping and groaning in their distress.”

This sympathy for the sinner presented the church with a legacy of Christian forgiveness and a greater awareness of its mission in distinguishing hatred for sin from love for the sinner. Had St. Augustine done nothing else, this alone would have earned him the gratitude of future generations.”

[1] Father John Vidmar, OP. The Catholic Church Through the Ages. History. P. 72

40 Days of Lent

2008-02-17T17:04:00.000-08:00

There is no question that ‘40’ is a very significant number in the Bible. As Catholics, we have the liturgical season of Lent for forty days which begins with Ash Wednesday and ends with Easter. Lent is the primary penitential season in the Church’s liturgical year, reflecting and uniting ourselves each year to the mystery of Jesus in the Desert. (CCC 540)

The period of forty days or years is an important one in Scripture and in Jewish tradition. As the church fathers observed, it is most often associated with hardship, affliction, suffering, purification, fasting and punishment. Catholic author Steve Ray has recognized the following significant uses of the number 40 in Scripture below.

*The flood judgment in Noah’s day lasts 40 days (Gen 7:4).
*The fasting of Moses for 40 days on Mount Sinai (Ex 24:18; Deut 9:9).
*Elijah 40 days of fasting while running to Mount Sinai (1 Kings 19:8).
*The Israelites wandered for 40 years in the wilderness (Ex 16:35; Ps 95:10).
*Israel is in the hand of the Philistines for 40 years (Judg 13:1).
*40 days Ezekiel lies on his side to symbolize the punishment of Judah (Ezek 4:6).
*Jonah prophesies that Nineveh will be destroyed in 40 days—unless they fast and repent (Jonah 3:4).
*Punishment limited to 40 stripes —lashes (Deut 25:3; cf. 2 Cor 11:24).
*There were 40 days before purification in the Temple
*40 days for Mary’s purification (Lk 2:22-24; Lev. 12:1-8, CCC 583).
*Jesus’ temptation for 40 days and nights in the Wilderness (Mt 4:1-2).
*Jesus on earth 40 days between resurrection and ascension (Acts 1:3).
*We have 40 years between Christ's death and resurrection and the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. (Tip to Mr. Cox)
*We have 40 days of Lent to prepare for Easter week.

Though 40 is often associated with suffering, we can also see it is as blessing for those who persevere to the end. Look at each of the examples above and think of the blessing that arrived at the end of the event. With Noah, after the flood there was new life and a rainbow as the sign of the Covenant. After Elijah's 40 days of fasting while running to Mount Sinai he met God, after the wandering in the wilderness for 40 years the Israelites entered the Promise Land, and after 40 days and 40 nights in the desert, Jesus gave us a 3 fold victory over sin. What will be at the end of your 40 days of Lent?

I hope you are all having a great Lent, and try to remember that you are not alone or the first to suffer through the number "40".

Please Visit: St. Annes Youth Ministries. Lent 2008

The Donatist Controversy

2008-02-03T22:49:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, while browsing through our local library (specifically in the theology section), an elder man happened to approach me to discuss a little about my religious background. As soon as I advised him that I was Catholic, you could easily tell that our discussion began to, ‘pick up.’ Of course, The Pope was brought up, then questions about Mary arose, however, these were nothing new to me. It wasn't until he brought up a concern about the Sacraments, specifically the Eucharist, that I felt unprepared. His concern about the Eucharist wasn’t about transfiguration and the Real Presence, but about those who administer the Sacrament and whether or not a notorious sinner could validly administer the sacraments. This man informed me that, according to scripture, only those that are pure and free from sin are eligible to administer the sacraments, and that all the other sacraments that are being administered by everybody else, are tainted.

Now I have to be honest, I didn’t have an answer for him that day. In fact, I didn’t have an answer at all until last week. But I did find someone who did have an answer for him. And he happens to be one of my favorite early church fathers, St. Augustine. One of the greatest theologians who ever lived had an answer for him sixteen hundred years ago! This issue was known early in the 3rd Century as Donatism, and Augustine had just a few words to say about it. .

“Augustine saw the danger of elitism in this (Donatism), . . Augustine taught that the church is holy, not because its members are holy but because its founder and its purposes are holy. Sacraments are valid because of their inner purity and sanctity, not because of the sanctity of the Minster. Thus baptism, if administered according to the proper form and intention (however minimal that intention might be), is valid whether the minister is “worthy” or not. Its is not Peter who baptizes, it is Christ. Sacraments, as a result, are available to all, and not merely to an elect group.”

[1] The Catholic Church Through the Ages. John Vidmar, OP. Paulist Press. pg. 69-70

Walk For Life 2008

2008-01-21T21:11:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, I'm Melissa and I just thought I'de use Art's blog to share a little bit about my wonderful experience this past weekend. I attended my first Walk For Life in San Francisco! This years Walk For Life was a great out come with over 25,000 people showing up to show their support for life. The day also included prayers for those who have been killed through abortion and also to pray for the women who have been hurt through abortion. This is a spiritual battle that we are fighting against everyday, along with abortion genocide. Please continue to pray for the rights of the unborn and for the healing of all women who have suffered from their abortion.

For more information about this year's Walk for Life event, please visit their website by clicking on the link below.

Walk for Life

Rapture: David B. Currie

2008-01-04T18:38:00.000-08:00

Lately, my family has found it pretty easy to shop for me when it comes to birthday’s and holidays. Its come down to books or amazon gift cards to buy more ‘books’. Either way I’m content because everything results in me getting a new book(s). So this Christmas, with much thanks to my aunt Pearl for my amazon gift card, I was able to pick up three new books! However, one of them had a little more excitement to it than the others because it was sitting on my amazon-shopping list for about 4 months. The book is titled, “Rapture: The End-Times Error That Leaves the Bible Behind” written by David B. Currie."

I remember hearing about this book when I was listening to Dr. Brant Pitre’s talk on ‘The End Times.’ Dr. Pitre highly recommended this book for anybody doing any type of study on the ‘Last Things.’ And of course, little did I know, that not only had one of my favorite Catholic Theologians highly recoommend this book, but another favorite Catholic Scholar of mine, Dr. Scott Hahn, provided the foreword for it! . . I KNOW!!

I’ve provided a small text from the foreward to give you an idea of some of Dr. Hahn’s thoughts on Currie’s remarkable work.

“Rapture is much more than its title suggests. It’s more than a topical treatment of a Fundamentalist fad. It’s more than a book of apologetics. Its more thana refuation of an interpretive error.
I’m tempted to describe it as a virtual summa of apocalyptic texts and prophetic positions. In Rapture, Currie gives us a comprehensive collection of the biblical texts that Fundamentalist Protestants have commonly interpreted as end time predictions. He subjects each passage to sane and sober analysis, correcting errors along the way, and establishing a range of reasonable intrepretations, all in harmony with the Catholic Church’s living Tradition.”

[1] “Rapture: The End-Times Error That Leaves the Bible Behind” written by David B. Currie.

Protecting Life

2007-12-19T18:18:00.000-08:00

Government mandated population control has a long, terrible history associated with racism, sexism, and genocide. In Communist China, couples are allowed only one child and there is forced abortion. The state that attempts to dictate birth control places itself in direct opposition to God’s command to multiply and fill the earth.

The killing of an innocent child is the most heinous form of homicide. The murder of an adult is the wrongful end of life partially lived, but the murder of a child prevents a life that could and would have been. The Jewish Talmund states: “One how saves a life saves the universe.” The Koran quotes that verse with approval. So, Jews, Christians, and Muslims should all be affirming and protecting life.

Now lets turn to Sacred Scripture. . .

The Book of Exodus 1:22
Then Pharaoh commanded all the people, “Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.”

The Gospel of Matthew 2:16
He sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time had ascertained from the wise men.

The devil wanted to prevent Moses, and later, Jesus from appearing on the face of the earth. So, the devil influenced governments to subject an entire population to infanticide in the vain attempt to thwart God’s plan. A similar disregard for innocent human life that was present in the mind of Pharaoh, though many centuries ago, continues in the minds of some people today, who hold certain lives to be inconvenient and expendable.

Pope John Paul II On Protecting Life. . .

“. . Careful consideration should be given to the danger of this power (of population control) passing into the hands of those public authorities who care little for the precepts of moral law.”
Humanae Vitae (1968), 17.

“No human lawgiver can assert: it is permissible for you to kill, you have the right to kill, or you should kill. Tragically, in the history of our century this has occurred when political forces have come to power, even by democratic means, and have passed laws contrary to the right to life of every human being.”
Letter to Families ( 1994), 21.

[1] Come and See. Moses and the Torah. Catholic Bible Study. Fr. Joseph Ponessa. Laurie Watson Manhardt. Chapter 1, Pgs 22-23. Emmaus Road Publishing

Noah as a New Adam

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Michael Barber has provided an interesting post on Noah as a New Adam

Read it here, Noah as a New Adam

December 25 - "The Feast of Lights"

2007-12-15T20:39:00.000-08:00

With Advent season at hand, I picked up a book recently released by Pope Benedict XVI entitled, “The Blessing of Christmas.” Throughout the book Pope Benedict helps us understand Christmas as the most profoundly human feast of faith, because it allows us to feel most deeply the humanity of God. I’ve provided the text below that may help some of us fully understand what Jesus accomplished in his birth.

Pope Benedict XVI on December 25th. . .

“From the very beginning, this was made clear by the date of this feast. In the Jewish calendar, December 25 was and remains the feast of Hanukkah, the feast of lights, which recalls how on this day in 165 B.C., Judas Maccabeus removed the altar of Zeus-which tradition called the ‘abomination of desolation in the holy place’ – from the Temple in Jerusalem. It was on the same date that the Syrian King Antiochus, who was worshipped as ‘Zeus’, had set up the pagan idol in the temple, designating December 25 as his own feast day. Now it became the date of the cleansing of the Temple, and day on which the glory of God, which had been trampled underfoot, was reestablished and God began to be honored anew in the proper manner. It was from this day on that Israel dated its own rebirth: as soon as it was once again able to serve God in the appropriate way, Israel itself was restored.

Since the week from December 25 to 31 was also the week before the New Year, this restoration took on an even deper significance. It portrayed the new beginning of creation, the new time of freedom from which men hoped. This is why, as early as around 100 B.C., the birth of the messianic child was expected on this date. During Jesus’ own lifetime, this feast was already celebrated as the feast of lights, in keeping with the prophet Isaiah’s words: “the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light” (Is 9:2)

In his infancy narrative, Luke unfolds a chronology with a profound symbolic meaning, dating it in such a way that the birth of Jesus occurs during the feast of Hanukkah, “on the night of lights”, which thus became the Christian feast of Christmas. We should also note that Bo Reicke, formerly professor of exegesis in Basel, has also pointed to the festal calendar that lies behind the chronological link made in the Gospel of Luke between the birth of John the Baptist and the birth of Jesus. This would mean that Luke himself assumes that Jesus was born on December 25, the day of which the feast of dedication of the Temple (introduced by Judas Maccabeus in 164 B.C.) was celebrated.

In his birth, Christ has truly done what Judas Maccabeus sought in vain to do. Christ has banished the pagan idols from the world. He has constructed the temple of his body. He has reestablished the glory of God.”

1) Pope Benedict XVI. The Blessing of Christmas. Ignatius. 2007

Temptation of Jesus: Part 2 of 4

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As we continue our study on, The Temptation of Jesus (Edward Sri's study on the Gospel of Matthew, Mystery of the Kingdom), we are now going to take a closer look at His first temptation in the desert.

Israel's first test. The first of Israel's trials involved hunger. In the Book of Exodus we can all recall when Moses parted the Red Sea and led all the Israelites away from bondage and into the desert. The Israelites celebrated their new found freedom as they were no longer slaves of Pharaoh. However, they soon faced their first problem: Where would they find food in the desert? How were they going to eat? Their rejoicing quickly turned into panic. We might of expected Israel to trust in God to provide, instead we see the people turned against Moses, saying "You have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger" (Ex 16:3). Israel's failure: Not trusting the Father.

Sri now looks at Jesus' first test. Similarly, we all know that Jesus also faced hunger in His first temptation with the devil. The devil wanted Jesus to use His power as the Son of God to break His forty days of fasting. You see, the Father sent the Spirit to lead Jesus into the desert to pray and fast for forty days, for Jesus to turn the stones into bread would be to exercise His messianic authority for His own self interest and thus depart from the Father's will. Now, remember Israel's failure of not trusting the Father, well Jesus does not waver from trusting the Father. In fact, He quotes Deuteronomy 8:3 (a passage that brings to mind the story of Israel's first test), saying "Man shall not live by bread alone" (Mt. 4:4). Jesus overcomes the first major fall of Israel in the desert.

[1] Exodus 16:3

[2] Deuteronomy 8:3

[3] Matthew 4:4

[4] Mystery of the Kingdom. Edward Sri

Coming to America: Pope Benedict, 2008

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As many of you already know, Pope Benedict is coming to the U.S. in Spring '08.' (The Week of Our Wedding!) FN contributor Father Jonathan Morris discusses some of the places that the pope will visit during his stay.
Click on the link below to view the clip. .

Coming to America: Pope Benedict, April of 2008

The Temptation of Jesus (Part 1 of 4)

2007-11-08T14:31:00.000-08:00

In the following post I will share a multi-part study on Jesus overcoming the three temptations of the devil (Mt 4:1-11). , taken from Edward Sri's study on the Gospel of Matthew entitled, Mystery of the Kingdom. By taking a closer look at how the three temptations of Jesus relate to the first three major trials of Israel in the Exodus, we’ll be able to identify that the failings of Israel are symbolically overcome by Jesus’ victory over the devil. Finally, we’ll recognize how Jesus’ victory over the devil sets the tone for the rest of His public ministry, and how the Church’s annual celebration of Lent helps us experience the victory of Jesus in our own lives today.

The Real Enemy
Jesus’ battle in the desert was not a fight that many of the people around Him expected. Instead of confronting the Romans, who were the evil oppressors of the Jews in Jesus’ day, Jesus marched into the desert to combat a much fiercer opponent; the devil. Jesus shows all of us that the real enemy was much bigger than the Roman Empire or any other pagan nation. The true enemy was the power of sin and Satan. To focus on driving out the Romans would be to miss the point. Thus, Jesus did not come to fight the Romans, but to treat the root of the problem; the sin of Israel and the sin of all humanity. If sin were conquered, Israel and all of us truly would be free.

‘In the Destert’
The fact that Jesus spent forty days in the desert shows how He symbolically relived the story of Israel’s forty years in the wilderness during the Exodus. We shall see in the following posts that Jesus faced the same trials Israel faced in the desert, but instead of failing like the ancient people of God did, He proved Himself to be a faithful Israelite. Jesus remained faithful precisely where Israel had been unfaithful.

Part 2 of this study to follow. .

[1] Mt 4:1-11. New American Bible
[2] Mystery of the Kingdom. Edward Sri. Publsiher, Immaus Road

Stephen K. Ray on 'Faith Alone'

2007-10-26T14:16:00.000-07:00

In his book, Crossing the Tiber, best selling Catholic author Stephen K. Ray addresses all the false dichotomies, that should have no place in our thinking, regarding being saved (e.g. Are we saved by faith or by baptism? Are we saved by believing or by the Spirit?). I’ve provided the text below to share some of Ray’s thoughts on the concept ‘faith alone.’

“Evangelicalism finds its roots in the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther (1483 – 1546) had developed two ‘sola’ doctrines that advanced new ideas. One of Luther’s new ideas was sola fide, which meant that salvation was attained by ‘faith alone’. In other words, Christ completed the work of atonement, and the Judge of the universe makes a legal declaration that those who simply believe and ‘accept Christ as their personal Lord and Savior’ will be eternally justified. All sins, past, present, and future, are automatically removed, and one has eternal security, no matter how he lives his life subsequent to the act of ‘believing.’

Martin Luther, in translating the Book of Romans into the German language, inserted the word “alone’ to explain the word ‘faith’ (e.g. Rom 3:28; 5:1) where the Greek original did not call for it. The pivotal text was Romans 3:28. The inclusion of the word ‘alone’ radically altered the meaning of the text and Paul’s thought. Calvin said the whole of the Reformation would stand or fall on that verse and the newly devised interpretation. Interestingly, the only time the phrase “faith alone” is used in the New Testament is in James 2:24: “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.”

So how does one receive salvation, justification, new birth, and eternal life? Stephen Ray has listed the following, . .
By believing in Christ (Jn 3:16; Acts 16:31)?
By repentance (Acts 2:38; 2 Pet 3:9)?
By baptism (Jn 3:5; 1 Pet 3:21; Titus 3:5)?
By the work of the Spirit (Jn 3:5; 2 Cor 3:6)?
By declaring with our mouths (Lk 12:8; Rom 10:9)?
By coming to a knowledge of the truth ( I tim 2:4; Heb 10:26)?
By works (Rom 2:6,7; James 2:24)?
By grace (Acts 15:11; Eph 2:8)?
By his blood (Rom 5:9; Heb 9:22)?
By his righteousness (Rom 4;17; 2 pet I:I)?
By his Cross (Eph 2:16; Col 2:14)?

Can we cut any one of these out of the list and proclaimit alone as the means of salvation? Can we be saved without faith? Without God’s grace? Without repentance? Without baptism? Without the Spirit? These are all involved and necessary; not one of them can be dismissed as a means of obtaining eternal life. Neither can one be emphasized to the exclusion of another. They are all involved in salvation and entry into the Church. The Catholic Church does not divide these various elements of salvation up, overemphasizing some while ignoring others; rather, she holds them all in their fullness.”

Hahn and Pitre Speaking in San Diego

2007-10-17T18:15:00.001-07:00

Dr. Scott Hahn and Dr. Brant Pitre are coming to San Diego! Two of my favorite Catholic Theologians will be speaking in San Diego on November 16, 2007. Melissa and I are looking forward to this one! Please visit Michael Barber's Blog for more information.

On the previous post I've provided a preview of Dr. Pitre's talk on 'The Origin of the Bible" (Part 2)

Take a look. .

The Origin of the Bible Preview, part 2, by Dr. Brant Pitre

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Enjoy!