On The Feast Of The Holy Family Pope John Paul II Defends The Sanctity of Marriage. "

"In his weekly Sunday comments in St. Peter's Square, John Paul said marriage -- which the Vatican defines as a sacred union between man and woman -- was a ``human and divine'' gift that should be defended by society."

Amen.

Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer

The latin version:

Rudolphus, naso rubro,
naso nitidissimo,
si umquam eum spectes,
dicas eum fulgere.
Reliqui tum renones
deridebant ludentes,
semper vetabant eum
apud ludos ludere.

Deinde ante natalem
Santa venit, et
"Tu, Rudolphe nitide,
traham meam duc nocte."
Dein, ut renones amant,
exclamantes hilare:
"Rudolphe, naso rubro,
in annalibus eris!"

Stand Up For The Truth: Take The Survey

Catholic Bluegrass

The second headline in the previous post (God Considers Smiting Bible Pirates) will surely be of interest to Fr. Edward Richard, banjo player and moral theologian. He is one of my moral theology professors at Kenrick Seminary and, being the recording artist/moral theologian that he is, he is most interested in copyright laws. He will be glad to know the Big Guy is considering doing something about copyright infringement. For more info on Fr. Richard or to order one of his CD's click here.

Oh, by the way, the building in the background of the picture found above is Kenrick Seminary, my home for the majority of the year.

Some Interesting Headlines

ATHEIST STILL UNCONVINVED AFTER MEETING WITH GOD

and

GOD CONSIDERS SMITING BIBLE PIRATES

My Winter Travels

As most of you know, before Christmas I did a little traveling through Minnesota.  I visited a number of friends, including a good friend from Ely, Minnesota.  We spent a few days out in his family's cabin out in the woods (and when I say out in the woods, I mean it.  There was no indoor plumbing or electricity.).  For those of you who have never visited northern Minnesota in the winter time it is a must.  I don't think I have ever seen anything quite so beautiful.  Granted, it is very cold (when I was there it hovered somewhere around 20 degrees in the daytime and below zero at night),  but it is well worth the beautiful scenery and wildlife.

Merry Christmas

Hello all, an Merry Christmas. Boy things have been moving fast here at home, and as such I haven't had alot of time to post. Maybe tomorrow I will have a little more time to tell you what is going on in my life, until then, take care.

Walking In A Winter Wonderland...

Sorry I haven't posted since the 15th, but I have been hiding out in a cabin in the woods of northern Minnesota. It was a real "north woods" experience. Just me and a couple of friends in a cabin with no electricity, no indoor plumbing, and a whole lot of fun. For those of you who have never been in northern Minnesota during the winter, you have to go. It was the one of the most gorgeous things I have ever seen. It was truly a winter wonderland. I'll give you more details later.

My Journeys

Today I had coffee with the priest who was my spiritual director for the four years I spend in the seminary in Winona, MN.  He is now the rector of the Seminary, and is doing a fine job.  Things have certainly changed from when I was studying there.  The chapel has been remodeled, another chapel has been added, and much painting and redecorating has been done.  More important than that, though, is the improvement in the formation program.  From what I can see, the men here are getting solid formation rooted in the tradition of the Church.  Especially notable is the fact that I have yet to go to the chapel as be there alone.  There is always someone praying, which tells me that we have a generation of priests coming who are rooted in a solid prayer life; men who are dedicated to and in love with Christ and His Church.

The Reality Of Evil And Demons

My Vocation Director recently sent this article to all of the seminarians of my diocese. I thought it was very good, and am interested in hearing your comments on it.

Abandoning Priestly Celibacy Is Not The Answer

Today is some of my free time I read this article by Deal Hudson addressing the alleged decline in priestly vocations.  Some would have us believe that removing celibacy from the equation would increase vocations, however, according to Hudson the opposite would is true.  He says,

"Making celibacy optional is exactly the opposite of what encourages vocations. It’s wrong both in theory and practice. It changes the unique nature of our priesthood and sends out the message that celibacy was too difficult a burden for our priests to bear. For the Church to wave a white flag of surrender in the face of a sexually saturated culture would dispirit Catholics for generations to come."

I agree with him.  I also would like to point out that priestly vocations, with few exceptions, come from those parishes and diocese that hold firm to the beliefs of the Church.  We would have more vocations (thus eliminating the "need" for optional celibacy) if people lived the faith which has been passed on to them; the faith of the Church of Jesus Christ (aka: The Roman Catholic Church).  When young men see priests living the truth of the faith, they will be attracted to that life, and follow in their footsteps.  Young men are not attacted to mediocrity, but to the greatness found in those who are holy.

It's The End Of The Semester!

Well, the final exams have been taken and the papers have been turned in.  What a relief!  Now for a little relaxation...The first part of this break will be spent visiting friend all over the place, but mostly in Minnesota.  Earlier today I visited a friend of mine from my college seminary days who is now a priest in Rochester, MN.  It was very good to catch up with him and see how his ministry is shaping up. 

Speaking of my college days, I am typing this post from my old college seminary, Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary in Winona, MN.  It brings back alot of memories to be back.  Tommorow I will head to Minneapolis and St. Paul to visit friends up there for a few days, and then on to Ely, MN. which for those of you who don't know is darn near as close as close to Canada as you can get without actually being there, eh.  I will spend a few days there visiting a friend and relaxing at his families Cabin in the woods.  I hope to be able to post some stuff along my journey.  Pray for safe travel.

Messiah

Last night I attended Handel's Messiah performed by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.  This was the first time I had seen it performed live, and it was magnificent.  A group of about thirty seminarians and a half dozen priests attended it.  It was truly amazing, and what made it even more phenomenal is that the conductor was Itzhak Perlman, winner of four emmys and fifteen grammys.  He also played a major role in the score of Schindler's List.

True Christianity

There has been some discussion on this blog about hypocracy and Christianity; how people who claim to be Christians really are not. When I read the following I thought of that ongoing discussion. It seems like many think that in order to be a "true' Christian that we need to be perfect, but that is not so. Granted, our goal is perfection, and we constantly need to be striving for it, but to think we will get there without the help of Christ, and without stumbling is ridiculous.

I Am A Christian

When I say... "I am a Christian", I'm not shouting "I'm clean living," I'm whispering, "I was lost", Now I'm found and forgiven.

-Anonymous

Christmas Celebrations

Tis the season for Christmas parties of all sorts.  Tonight was our annual Christmas celebration at the seminary.  We started out with Mass followed by a grand meal complete with entertainment, part of which was yours truly singing O Holy Night...it was alot of fun. 

During Mass, I was thinking that in exactly six months from today I will be ordained a deacon...six months...it's not long.  Pray for me.

Exam Week

Sorry I haven't been posting much, it's exam week at the Seminary so things are a little hectic and tense. I should be back to posting like mad come tomorrow afternoon or evening. I will be done with this semester at 10:30 tomorrow morning...but whose counting?

This Made Me Laugh Out Loud

Our last conference was full of challenge and encouragement, quite different from the psychological fluff that we sometimes get. He told a story of when he was a novice and read the Gospel of Matthew for the first time. He was enamored of it. He found it to be inspiring, setting him on fire to live the faith that was proclaimed so boldly by Christ. He went to his novice master and told him about this new found fire within him. The response of the novice master was "don't get carried away." Fr. Kavanaugh told us, "Don't get carried away? No! Get carried away! Live the faith!" Amen. I agree whole heartedly. We need to get carried away! That is how saints are made. This is where we all need to grow, this is where I need to grow. Those of you who know could tell everyone that I am nowhere near being a saint, yet that is my goal. I have never been one to get carried away with living my faith. Maybe the time has been come, maybe the time to step out in faith and join the great cloud of witnesses spoken of by St. Paul has come. Are you willing to join me? Let’s go, the salvation of our souls and the souls of others are at stake!

The DaVinci Code

I have yet to read the book, but I have spoken to many who have, and in many cases this work of fiction is taken to be fact.  Recently there was even a television "documentary" which treated the book as though it actually were based on fact.  Could this be another instance of anti-catholic rhetoric or is it just plain stupidity?  I don't know.  But in case you, or someone you know has been duped into believing that what is presented in this novel is true, here is an article that can help. 

The Inquisition

I just read an article about the Spanish Inqusition by Thomas Madden that I think clears up alot of misconceptions.The topic of the inquisition has been one debated on this blog before, so whenever I find a piece that clarifies the issue, I like to post it. Take a look if you are interested.

The Original Grinch?

"The Vatican newspaper,L' Osservatore Romano, reported Friday the scholar, Franccesco D'Aiuto, this week discovered a ninth-century copy of 400 verses by the Greek writer [Menander]. It says 200 of them are part of Menander's play Dyskolos or 'The Grouch.'"

Hmmm...could it be the original rendition of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas?"

Day of Recollection

Today I am in the midst of a day of Recollection: a day of prayer, silence, and confrences on spirituality.  The director is Fr. John F. Kavanaugh, SJ who is a professor of Philosophy at St. Louis University as well as a regular contributor to America magazine. 

His first confrence touched on a topic which has been mentioned on this blog a number of times recently, namely, the fact that we as Christians all too often do not live as we should.  He spoke about the conflicting desires we have in regard to this; at one time we desire both to live as Christ lived and to live lives totally different from his.  This is the human condition.  Yet, Christ came to redeem and transform us if only we will let him.  This is what advent is about, it is about opening our hearts in order that Christ may be born there.  It is about allowing ourselves to follow our deepest desire...the desire to be one with God.

Ok, enough preaching for now. 

They Have Got To Be Kidding

From the makers of the Meatrix comes a new billboard campaign linking the Blessed Virgin with Vegetarianism.  The Curt Jester has a few amusing and I would argue, true things to say about this.  I quote some of his comments here: 

"The silliness of the whole "Jesus is a vegetarian" thing really only backfires against PETA. They are not going to convince people to be vegetarians by lying to them. If Jesus was such a promoter of vegetarianism then he certainly gave off some mixed messages and metaphors. The whole killing of the Lamb for the Passover and Jesus being the sacrificial Lamb of God seems to give a different message. But maybe God really did want to use vegetables instead in sacrifice but gave up after some initial confusion. What if God had told Moses to tell the Israelites to sacrifice a vegetable such as the lentil plant. "You must sacrifice a lentil and then place the fluid on the door and lintel." "What? How can I put the lentil on the lentil?" "No I said to put the lentil on the lintel, oh nevermind - sacrifice a lamb instead."

I am personally glad that God did choose a lamb as the sacrificial image. It would be just strange to hear the "Potato of God, you take away the sins of the world". Then again, what if instead of saying "I AM" he really said "I YAM."

It would also sound weird if Isaac had said "Behold, the fire and the wood; but where is the Asparagus for a burnt offering?" and Abraham tells his son "God will provide the Asparagus" and then before Abraham attempts to sacrifice his son an Angel calls his attention to an Asparagus conveniently caught in a thicket behind him.”

Oly-hay Ible-bay

Thanks to Fr. Bryce Sibley for this link to the Bible in Pig Latin. Leave it to Fr. Sibley to find something like this. Just for fun, here is a quote from John 6:54-55, "Oso-whay eateth-ay y-may esh-flay, and-ay inketh-dray y-may ood-blay, ath-hay eternal-ay ife-lay; and-ay I-ay ill-way aise-ray im-hay up-ay at-ay e-thay ast-lay ay-day. Or-fay y-may esh-flay is-ay eat-may indeed-ay, and-ay y-may ood-blay is-ay ink-dray indeed-ay."

The Church Is A Child Molesting Cult?

One of my readers recently commented on my post about Abercrombie and Fitch by saying:

“Let me see if I got this right. A member of the biggest child molesting cult in the world is complaining about a catalog of porn? That's only half a sad as the members of the cult claiming to be true Christians!”

I would like to respond to/comment on four things in his post.  First I will respond to his claim that the Catholic Church is a cult.  This could be true depending on what definition of cult he is using.  If he is using the first, second, or fifth definition given my the online Merriam-Webster Dictionary he would be correct, for the Catholic Church includes “formal religious veneration of God,” “a system of religious beliefs and ritual,” and is characterized by “great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work.”  I am willing to bet, however, that he meant cult in the sense of the third definition which is “a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious.”  In this case he is mistaken.

As to his claim that the Church is the “biggest child molesting cult in the world,”  I respond by saying it is certainly a fallacious argument for a number of reasons.  I will give two here.  First, it seems to me that child molestation is not a characteristic of one religion as opposed to another.  Rather I think child molestation has more to do with fallen human nature.  Anyone, no mater what religion, race, or political affiliation is prone to sin.  There are just as many members of the Jewish faith, the Muslim Faith, or any other faith that fall into this sin.  Now, do not hear me saying that this sin is ok because it is just part of human nature, clearly it is not ok.  It is an evil that must be rooted out from wherever it is found.  Secondly, if he is referring to the priesthood, which I am willing to bet his is, statistics show that there is a higher incidence of sexual abuse among married men then there are among priests.

Third, I would like to comment on how he believes that it is sad that members of the Christian faith are not living an authentic Christian life.  I give him this one.  It is truly sad that many Christians do not live the life they supposedly uphold.  It is an abomination that Joe London recently commented on.  My only respnse to that is a clear call to all Christians to step up to the plate and live the truth.

Fourthly, one thing that struck me about his post is that he makes a connection between pornography and child molestation.  I want to thank him for bringing this to our attention because I believe that there is a connection between the use of pornography and sexual crimes, including child molestation.  This connection was spoken about by Ted Bundy who “killed at least twenty-eight young women and girls in acts too horrible to contemplate. He was… convicted and sentenced to death for killing a twelve-year-old girl and dumping her body in a pigsty.”  Bundy spoke of the connection between his use of pornography and the crimes that he committed in an interview given to Dr. James Dobson the night before he was executed.  Bundy stated, “I've lived in prison for a long time now, and I've met a lot of men who were motivated to commit violence. Without exception, every one of them was deeply involved in pornography - deeply consumed by the addiction. The F.B.I.'s own study on serial homicide shows that the most common interest among serial killers is pornographers. It's true.”  This is a man who knew what pornography can do.  He knew all to well the connection between pornography and sexual crimes.  This is why we need to rip the plague of pornography from our society; there is no good that can come from it.

Update

Holy Smokes, the last week of class for this semester is flying by.  Yesterday I finished my paper on the relationship between Marriage and The Eucharist.  I will post a link to it on here as soon as I get it back from the professor (hopefully with a good grade) and make the changes he suggests.  I think it's good, but then again, I am biased.

My diaconate ordination continues to gets closer and closer, and thus more real every day.  Just today I recieved an e-mail from the wonderful secretary at the vocation office inquiring how many invitations I will need...I can't believe I am that close to making a commitment that will last forever, and can never be reversed.  I was recently talking about this same topic with a good friend of mine who is engaged and planning a wedding for this summer.  We were discussing how, in many ways, we are going through very similar processes.  For instance, we are both preparing to make a life-long commitment with a wonderful bride: he will marry his wife, and I will marry the Church.  It's amazing how both of us are experiencing the same feelings, fears, anxieties, and doubts even though we are called to different vocations.  I am beginning to ramble on, so I will end for now.  I am sure that as time goes on I will write more about my upcoming ordination.

My Frustations...

Alright, someone help me understand something.  Why is nobody commenting on my posts?  It's not like nobody's reading them. Come on folks...say what's on your mind!  Lets get some good healthy conversation going...

Abercrombie & Fitch: Purveyors of Porn vs. Doctor James Dobson: Purveyor of Truth

I didn’t know that one of the most popular produces of clothing for the youth of America was also involved in the production of pornography and the promotion of all sorts of perversions until I read this article by Anne Morse. She tells the story of Abercrombie’s quarterly porno magazine entitled Field Guide, focusing on the latest Christmas edition, The Christmas Field Guide, which includes photos of “dozens of naked young men and women in various sexual poses, including group sex. The pictures are accompanied by a column from a "sexpert" who, among other lewd advice, suggests readers engage in oral sex in movie theaters "so long as you do not disturb those around you."” Previous editions of the Christmas special edition included “pictures of Santa in sadomasochistic poses with his elves, drinking tips, advice on seducing everyone from teachers to nuns, and a recommendation that students "negotiate a special group rate at a local motel, which your entire quad can take advantage of."” A&F also “recently outraged parents by marketing, to seven-year-old girls, thong-style panties featuring slogans like "Eye Candy" and "Wink Wink."”

This is appalling. Things such as this are why our country is obsessed with sexual perversion. It is because of organizations such as A&F that a large percentage of Americans have bought into the lie that sex is meaningless and thus is nothing more than a form of recreation. Granted, it is not only A&F that is responsible for the moral degradation of our Nation, but they are a good example of how low society has fallen.

One of the fine men outraged by A&F’s portrayal of sex is Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family. Dr. Dobson had the moral backbone to encourage his listeners to boycott A&F, and it worked. When Anne Morse went to her local A&F store to buy a copy of The Christmas Field Guide as research for her article, she found that it had been pulled from the shelf. When she inquired at the company headquarters as to the reason she was told that Dr. James Dobson was behind the boycott which was their motivation for pulling the magazines.

This whole fiasco just goes to show that if we Christians fearlessly stand up for the truth, the truth will triumph. I commend Dr. Dobson for being fearless in his stance against Abercrombie and Fitch. He is an example for all of us in our struggle to uphold Christian values such as chastity and purity.