Drowning in Devotions

One of the great things about being Catholic is all the devotions that we have. We have the rosary, chaplet of Divine Mercy, devotion to saints, novenas, devotion to the Blessed Mother, etc. etc. etc. We have so many prayers and opportunities, not to mention daily mass, holy days of obligation, confession, penance services, Bible studies, faith formation classes, hundreds of thousands of books by Catholic authors, etc. etc. etc.

Thinking about this, I think I sometimes overwhelm myself. There have been very spiritually high times in my life where I have been able to do the Liturgy of the Hours, the Rosary, and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy each and every day. Unfortunately, many times when I forget to do one, I wouldn't do any of them for a certain day, or when you start to let things go like that you can even get off schedule and fall into spiritual lethargy.

During this lent (By the way, how are your Lenten resolutions going?), I have made it a point to say the Morning and Evening prayers (and many times Night prayer) from the Liturgy of the Hours/Divine Office/Breviary. It's been wonderful. I've decided that instead of trying to tackle too much or get myself quickly into a commitment I can't keep, that I am going to commit myself even after Lent to continue praying these main offices DAILY. That will be my devotion - devotion to the prayer of the Church Universal and praying the Psalms daily. That isn't to say that I am never going to pray the rosary (we actually do that every day after daily mass when I am able to attend) or the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, or prayers to my patron saints, or novenas, or anything else. Just that I am going to focus and work hard on this devotion, and maybe add more after I have mastered the ability to pray all 7 offices each day.

As I am discerning a possible future calling to the Diaconate, I really need to get used to the potential future obligation to pray them anyway.

Hope your lent is going well. My wife and I are headed to Hawaii for a work trip for me and a vacation for her soon. Maybe I'll have some time to blog there.

Divorce Rates

Thought I would share this interesting post about divorce rates among religious groups. Note that practicing Catholics are all the way on the bottom. I'm proud of us! Thanks to Marcus for passing it on.

Brief Thoughts on Confession

I went to confession again today (I try to go as regularly as possible, and as the Church suggests, we should at least try to go once a month even if we are confessing venial sins.) It amazes me that no matter how many times you go and no matter how many times you confess things (even the same things!) and even if the priest knows who you are, you always hear the words "I absolve you from your sins". How beautiful those words are, to hear them spoken - to actually hear Christ speaking to you through the priest and forgiving you of your wrongdoing. Each and every time.

I think I should end with the quote from John's letter "If we say we have no sin we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us". Go to confession if you haven't in a while!

Redefining

Sometimes people ask about the Church's rather strong view on the protection of life including people who are in a so-called "vegetative" state. It is interesting that, at least in this one case, scientists have found that a person thought to be in this state can listen and communicate even though they are not functioning. Hopefully this will lead others to start thinking about the sanctity of all life.

"Safe Sex"

Recently I have found a lot of news articles "beating a dead horse." For a simple example, let's take the Stimulus program our government has implemented several times in the last few years under both Presidents Bush and Obama. We poured money into our banking system and to pave roads, and guess what, the economy still stinks. So, the news and the government has decided, we "might need another stimulus package". Sounds like insanity (doing the same thing over and over again with the same results).

Likewise, I read a recent article about an increase in teenage pregnancies. Of course, we in the United States have been increasing "Sex education" and birth control (handing out condoms or making "the pill" more accessible to teenage girls), not to mention abortion. The solution? Hand out more birth control and teach more "sex education", even to younger ages.

I've also had conversations with Catholics and Orthodox recently about their problems in marriage, how immoral tactics such as these (and others) are the correct way to proceed in their marriage to keep it from failing.

Then, I stumbled upon an article on Catholic Online that sums up a lot of my opinion. Come on people, let's move towards more modesty and purity, less immorality to solve our problems in society. It's a function of our society moving more and more towards self-indulgence and satisfaction and another time where people are failing to remember the ideas of self-sacrifice and the value of suffering.

Is the abortion debate over?

I just wanted to share this well thought out and highly critical article, which I think speaks a lot to the position we need to take.

March for Life

Say a prayer for an end to abortion everywhere today! Our parish is having 24 hour Eucharistic Adoration and I'm about to head out for the evening to go to it. More on this later I hope!

One more note, I read this on CNN:

"A fetus is not a life, sorry," NOW President Terry O'Neill told CNN. "And no, nobody's religious conviction justifies taking women's ability to shape their own futures away from them."

Well, as my professors would say in graduate school, we need a citation on that first sentence (about what a Fetus is or is not) and secondly, note the language shift to make it look like we are trying to "take away women's ability to shape their own futures" rather than trying to protect the future of children.

In another language twist, CNN continues to call us "Anti-Abortion" protesters, refusing to use the term pro-life. More prayers tonight!

"Being Like the Early Christians"

So I was asked by an anabaptist what was wrong with "Being like the Early Christians" - so I wanted to take up this question as a blog post.

First, obviously we would disagree about what an early Christian was like. Most Protestants who want to "be like the Early Christians" would deny that they believed the bread and wine became the actual body and blood of Christ. Actually, all evidence we have and all the writings of the early Christians indicate that they did, along with the New Testament record and Christ's own words. They would also reject that the Church followed a liturgical worship schedule, which it historically obviously did. So, when you wanted to "be like the early Christians", you would actually be a Catholic - obviously not what they think an early Christian was. Also, with their belief in "sola scriptura" they would have a hard time understanding how the New Testament wasn't laid in stone until 400 A.D. how the early Christians would base almost everything they did off sacred Tradition (there I said the "T" word!)

But, perhaps even more importantly, if we were to "become like the Early Christians" we would have to forsake the Church as it is today. Christ created a living body to be his Church; His Body. An organic body doesn't simply stay in a static state, unable to adapt and grow, but instead it becomes a much stronger, more well defined, larger entity growing daily and becoming more aware of truths of faith and morals. This organic, dynamic body is what the Catholic Church is, and to forsake 2000 years of growth would be ludicrous to say the least. Here, if someone was more interested, they might pursue more about the Catholic Church and doctrinal development.

I think Christ put it best when he referred to the Church (or Kingdom) as a mustard seed:

Mark 4:30-32 (RSV)

"And he said "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed which when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade"

Update on Mass. Senate Race

Well, as most of you know by now, Brown won! Let's pray for him that he make wise decisions when in office, especially regarding the most innocent of human beings, the unborn. Let's also pray that we get real health care reform that helps the most defenseless people (the unborn, children, the elderly and the poor) and doesn't tear down life.

Finally, pray for him on issues where he might not agree with the Church, whatever those might be.

Massachusetts

Tonight at around 8 o clock the polls close in Massachussetts. If you read this before then, say a quick prayer about the election. One of the candidates has already proven herself to be an anti-Catholic bigot with her remarks about how Catholics shouldn't be doctors or nurses in emergency rooms, not to mention being all around obnoxious in general with her attitude towards this election. This could also be a big impact on whether abortion funding gets cut out of the health care bill. We'll see!

Xavier Sports New Duds

I wanted to make this my first blog post and show off my new outfit from EWTN!

Prophecy

Just wanted to share a bit. Perhaps it is more common than I thought, but did anyone else notice how the readings from Sunday prophesied the Magi coming to Christ? I guess I just never came across these passages, except the last couple years when I've been Catholic but had not gotten to take them in.

Reading I
Is 60:1-6
Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come,
the glory of the Lord shines upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth,
and thick clouds cover the peoples;
but upon you the LORD shines,
and over you appears his glory.
Nations shall walk by your light,
and kings by your shining radiance.
Raise your eyes and look about;
they all gather and come to you:
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters in the arms of their nurses.

Then you shall be radiant at what you see,
your heart shall throb and overflow,
for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you,
the wealth of nations shall be brought to you.
Caravans of camels shall fill you,
dromedaries from Midian and Ephah;
all from Sheba shall come
bearing gold and frankincense,
and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13.
(cf. 11) Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
All kings shall pay him homage,
all nations shall serve him.
Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

Reading II
Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6
Brothers and sisters:
You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace
that was given to me for your benefit,
namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation.
It was not made known to people in other generations
as it has now been revealed
to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:
that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body,
and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Gospel
Mt 2:1-12
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod,
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
“Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.”
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,
He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea,
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel.”
Then Herod called the magi secretly
and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said,
“Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word,
that I too may go and do him homage.”
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,

they departed for their country by another way.

January 22

I did not know this prior to today, but January 22nd is a special day set aside by the Church to perform penance for violations against human dignity caused by abortion in our world today. I think it's a good if, as a small New Year's resolution, we all promise to perform some special act of penance (abstinence from meat, the rosary, get up early, fast, etc.) Just wanted to share, but maybe everyone else already knew about this!


In all the dioceses of the United States of America, January 22 (or January 23, when January 22 falls on a Sunday) shall be observed as a particular day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion, and of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life. The Mass "For Peace and Justice" (no. 22 of the "Masses for Various Needs") should be celebrated with violet vestments as an appropriate liturgical observance for this day.

General Instruction of the Roman Missal, no. 373

Latin Prayers and their Translations

This site include a great number of Latin prayers and their English translations. I'm happy to see some of these that we don't use often in our daily lives. Take a look and hopefully they will enrich your life as well. Thanks to Soutenus for sharing these!

Indulgences

A lot of discussion has gone into what an indulgence really is. Of course, it is NOT buying a chicken bone said to be that of St. Peter (which may or may not have been a serious abuse in the Catholic Church in the middle ages.) Instead, it is the remittance of temporal punishment for sin, and it comes in two forms - plenary and partial. Take a look at this from EWTN. It might be the best discussion of such I have ever seen. It also is definitely not easy, because who can honestly say their heart is completely removed from all attachment or desire for sin?

Spirit of Ecumencism

In the spirit of ecumenicism, as we draw advent to a close, read this great story about a Protestant minister and member of Congress willing to stand up for moral values. It strengthens my feeling that all Christians need more than ever to unify under Christ.

Continuing the Absurd

Recently, my wife was taking photographs for a journal of a child who lives down the street from us. She was still pregnant at the time, and the girl asked her how many children she would like to have. Jokingly, she said "oh, about seven or eight". Her mother jumped into the conversation to say "Don't you care about the world's population?"

This attitude has been developing for some time in our world. The fight against the unborn is following the same trend, as contraception and abortion are not being seen as a way to control climate change and make the world "a better place". We have probably all heard of the monstrous abuses conducted in China in the name of population control, but as Catholic online reports, it seems to be spreading. It's time for us as Catholics to stand up to this kind of nonsense.

Sometimes Catholics will say that they don't need to hear about abortion because it isn't applicable to their lives, so it should be kept out of homilies. They ignore the fact that all of us, even if we aren't having abortions personally, have a responsibility to use our money, time, writing,prayer, and other resources to fight against abortion, contraception, and population control.

Grey Areas

Fr. Andrew spoke in his homily this morning about grey areas and the Church. Sometimes when we think about what constitutes a sin or how to live our lives, or what is a mortal sin, we see grey areas. We wonder "how far can I go with this without it being sin?" Fr. Andrew correctly pointed out in his homily this morning that God - through his Word, but even more so through the Church has been specific as to what is right and wrong - so if we are talking about sexual issues (contraception, homosexuality, sex before marriage, etc.), life issues (abortion, euthanasia, etc.), or even the 10 commandments, the Church clearly defines right and wrong. Grey areas are things that we manufacture, many times in order to avoid responsibility for doing right when it seems burdensome or the cross seems too heavy.

I thought it was a very good homily. Now if only we could figure out one spelling for grey (gray) in English...

News of the Bizarre

Catholic Online reports that Barbara Boxer (obviously as nutty if not more so than Nancy Pelosi, but at least not Catholic) has compared abortion to Viagra. Well, Barbara, I will gladly give up my insurance discount for Viagra if you will give up insurance paying for abortion. I promise.

Happy Advent!

I hope everyone's Advent is going well! I had a few (well, technically two) thoughts and reflections today during our monthly Parish Catechesis.

Advent, is a time of waiting for the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ - not only in the sense of commemoration of His physical birth on Earth in Bethlehem, but also symbolically of his Second Coming. Thus, it is a time of anxiety, of restlessness, of awaiting hope to come.

I feel that the Advent Wreath does a very good job of personifying this in the candles we light each week. Slowly the darkness peels away, until the crescendo builds to Christmas Day, when our Lord and Savior was born.







My second thought was regarding the Blessed Virgin Mary. Today, we were read the Nativity Story, and told to attempt to personify ourselves as something present (I chose the perspective of the straw in the barn - but that's irrelevant). Our priest was remarking how all mothers could identify with Mary as a mother. This got me thinking about the anxiety our Blessed Mother must have felt throughout her pregnancy! I began to reflect on my own anxiety when preparing for my first baby - all of the shopping, decorating, and doctor appointments. However, I did not have to even consider, or try to understand, that I would be giving birth to the Savior of the World! How brave Mary was, and how much strength she must have embodied. Can you imagine if you were told that the child in your womb was destined to be the President of the United States? Now consider the task and responsibility of Mary the Mother of God!

Oh Blessed Mother Mary, pray for us.