Oct 2 - Feast of Guardian Angels

"Behold, I send an angel before you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place which I have prepared. Give head to him and listen to his voice, do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression; for my name is in him. But if you listen attentively to his voice, and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and an adversary to your adversaries." Ex 23: 20-22 "See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven." Mt 18:10 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased." Lk 2: 13-14

Birds & Truth - Sirach 9:27

Click on picture for larger image I had intended to do these quote image combos more frequently - but time sure does fly, even if you aren't having fun. :) Enjoy.

Bible Statistics and Lesson from Maccabees

Dom Bettinelli at Betnet.com has a new tumblelog appropriately named Bettumblog. This is a place he started for interesting clippings he finds, but provided without comment. There he had posted some lectionary statistics about the percent of the bible you will hear at mass. For the New Testament, if you go just on Sundays, you get about 41%, and if you go daily, you get about 72%. For the Old Testament it is about 4% from Sunday masses and 14% if you attend daily mass. So, if you rely only on mass attendance for your Bible reading you are missing out on A LOT, especially from the OT. Read your bible! You will find that it has great relevance for and many parallels with today! Last night, I was reading 1st Maccabees (0% in Sunday lectionary readings). It was describing how the Seleucid king had conquered Israel, had taken over the temple, and had banned Jewish worship and rituals (those circumcising their sons were killed - the mother, those doing the circumcision, and the child). This was done because the king, Antiochus, wanted to unify his realm with a single religion (worshiping the Greek gods). So here is the part that is relevant for today. Many of the Jews who had admired Greek culture embraced this change and became apostates - rejecting their faith in the true God - even some of the priests! While we do not have a pantheon of false gods in the sense of Zeus and his ilk, we do have a modern pantheon of materialism, sex, power, science, nature, and the self. While none of these "gods" are wrong when kept in their proper place, our modern society tells us to fall down and worship them. They take the good that these false gods are based upon, and distort them until they are evil. We are pressured to abandon our God and follow their "truth." Secular cultural leaders tell people of faith that they are fools, and that true knowledge and wisdom are found in their false gods. The worst of these are those that masquerade as religious or faithful. Those who have bought into the modern fallacies - those who reject the tenets of the faith, but retain the "cultural" aspect of their religion. Or they tell us the god "tolerance" supersedes all else, and any disagreement is simply not tolerated. Here is the good news/bad news. In Maccabees, even though the false religion succeeds for a while - a statue of a false god is even erected in the temple, the resistance of those who remain faithful renews the Jewish faith and restores Jerusalem. Here is the bad news, it was not easy and many suffered. This theme recurs frequently in the Bible. Our faith will be challenged, many will fall, but those who stay faithful will be saved in the end - but not without suffering. It is always good to remind ourselves that the faithful win in the end, but it is also important to remember that we may suffer greatly before that time. Stay faithful.

Modern Ezra & Nehemiah

This week I read Ezra and Nehemiah. And something struck me about the parallel between these two biblical figures and Pope Benedict. Ezra restored right worship of the Lord, and rebuilt the temple in Jerusalem. Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem so the City could be re-established after it had been destroyed. Both books were about restoring God's law in his city and in the hearts of his people. The release of the Moto Proprio, Summorum Pontificum strikes me as directly parallel to Ezra re-establishing worship and rebuilding the temple. The Holy Father is seeking to restore the right worship to the Church - not by requiring that all return to the Extraordinary form of the right, but by setting in place an influence to control the rampant liturgical abuses and the lack of the sacred found so often in the current ordinary form of the Latin Rite. As with Ezra, there are some who do not want this. But restoration of the sacred is what we need, and what many who feel exiled within our own Church need. The document released by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith "Regarding Certain Aspects of Church Doctrine" is akin to Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah re-established the borders of the City of God. He strengthened its defenses so that it could again be inhabited and defended by His chosen people. The Pope, through this document, clearly establishes the border of the Church. He is re-stating, and strengthening the defenses against those would see the boundaries erased and relativism installed as god. Of course those outside of the Church take offense - just as Sanballat and Tobiah grew angry. There were even those among the Jewish people who conspired with those outside to stop Nehemiah, as Shemaiah conspired with Sanballat and Tobiah. Similarly, today we see those who are nominally within the Church trying to undermine the work of the Pope on this and other issues. In these old testament cases we see opposition to rebuilding Jerusalem. Today, we have something similar, as Pope Benedict, building on the work of Pope John Paul, calls the people back from the error of their ways so the Church can be strengthened. The question is where do you stand. Do you stand with those seeking to keep the Church weak, or will you give your efforts to building Christ's own Church? I, for one, will serve the Lord by offering my labor in the service of building and strengthening his Church.

Word of the Cross - 1 Cor 1:18

Click on picture for larger image I have been wanting to start combining my photos with quotes. Here is my first attempt. You can click on the picture for a larger image. I know at least one person who visits my blog who will likely recognize the cross. :)

History (?) Channel

I caught some of a History Channel show this evening on "The Real Pontius Pilate." It had a theory and pattern I have been seeing on a great number of these pseudo intellectual channels (National Geographic, Discovery, History). The pattern is all the same - kick dirt on the bible, showing how the enlightened "scientists" of the 21st century know better than eye witnesses and those who knew eye witnesses. The arrogance is astounding and for any who have eyes, the agenda is plain to see. This time (and this theory has been on lots of shows), it is stated as fact that Christ was a target of the Roman governor (in spite of what we read in the Gospels), not the Jewish leadership. You see, they were doing what he wanted. In fact, at one point they came out and said that the biblical account was wrong (though they relied on parts for their evidence). When I see these shows, I typically turn them - but occasionally I watch to know what is being said. This nonsense must be getting watched by a larger audience. These channels are filled with nonsense shows on the Bible. I think they should change their name to "Alternate History Channel" or "Revisionist History Channel"

Fr. Larry Richards Confession Talk

Click on picture for larger image I am in a bowling league and we had our final games in Vegas this past weekend. We had fun - the whole family took a drive across the desert and rented a house for the weekend. Now, you may think it odd that on the way to Vegas we listened to a CD on confession, but that is what we did. A friend who is part of my Cursillo 4th day meeting group gave me three CDs to listen to. I got something out of all three CDs, but the one that I wanted to share here was the on confession. It was a talk by Fr. Larry Richards. It starts with a focus on God's love and forgiveness, but to understand forgiveness we must understand sin and our own sinfulness. He goes through a very challenging and engaging review of the 10 Commandments as an examination of conscience. Father gave me quite a bit to think about for my next confession. The point that got me most was his discussion of the first commandment. For those who forgot, I have it here: "'I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. " (my emphasis) Fr. Larry was talking about how we focus on the rules, but it is all about our relationship with God. People don't think about violating the First commandment, but it is most important. We are to put God FIRST. But we all fail. It got me thinking about how am I not putting God first in my life. If I can start each day asking how am I putting God first, and end each night evaluating how I did - I think I will be in a much better spot. Fr. Larry has a site at www.thereasonforourhope.org. There is more on the site, but let me point out two directly related points of interest. You can buy the CD on the site for $7 or download the mp3 for $2 (specifically here). There is also a PDF "sin list" examination of conscience that is worth reading (click here).

Ash Wednesday

Today is Ash Wednesday. May your Lenten season be prayerful, and may God use the penances you endure for your benefit and His glory. “A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level and the rough places a plain” Is 40:3-4 BTW, the timestamp is off because it is after midnight East Coast (where I am traveling), but Blogger still thinks I am in CA.

Powerful Verse

Here is a verse from tomorrow's (Sun, Feb 4) second reading that really hit me. It is Paul's first letter to the Corinthians verses 10: "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective" All that I do that is good comes from Him. Lord, I pray that your grace is effective in me that I may be of your design. Amen.

Epiphany

Today was the feast of the Epiphany - where we celebrate the magi bringing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. I hope your Epiphany was enlightening. Father Joe gave a wonderful homily today. I'd like to share the themes he touched. Not that the ideas are new, but he showed a connection I had missed before. He was discussing the magi and how their attention to nature and their wisdom (i.e., reason) they were able to get very close to Christ...but not all the way. Wisdom and nature are wonderful tools, but insufficient by themselves. The magi needed to consult scripture (i.e., revelation) to go all the way. Reason and nature can get you going in the right direction, but God must reach out and guide us as well - we cannot do it on our own. That is what God does through Scripture - reveal Himself to us. Father had a second point I caught. It was the magi and not Herod or the scribes that visited Christ. Even though the scribes had the answer, they were unwilling to do anything about it. Belief is insufficient. Action is required. Non-Christians who seek God, though they have not revelation may get closer to Christ than Christians who have faith but do not act. We must live our faith, take action, and follow where God leads.

Bible Or Koran For Swearing-In

Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the first Muslim elected to the United States Congress, has announced that he will not take his oath of office on the Bible, but on the bible of Islam, the Koran. He should not be allowed to do so -- not because of any American hostility to the Koran, but because the act undermines American civilization. Yet another attempt to undermine Christianity in Western Civilization. Tags: Christianity

Joy

Click on picture to see a larger image. When I see the picture above, I see and feel joy. When I lived the moment, there was joy. We finally had reached our destination on a long trip. Why is this relevant? Read on. This weeks Sunday readings were particularly good. I read a wonderful take on this that I have quoted from below. There are lots of lessons in his commentary. I particularly like the point on joy and why Christ chose wine to turn into his Blood, and have quoted it below. I got this from the Zenit news service. I have only quoted parts - check out the entire posting by clicking on the link below. From: Father Cantalamessa on Bread and Wine "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him." The Gospel passage continues the reading of chapter 6 of John. The new element is that to the discourse on bread Jesus adds that of wine; to The image of food he adds that of drink, the gift of his flesh and of his blood. Here, Eucharistic symbolism reaches its culmination and totality. But, why, precisely, did Jesus choose wine to signify his blood? Just because of the affinity of color? What does wine represent for men? It represents joy, celebration; it does not represent usefulness so much (as bread does) but delight. It is not only made to drink, but also to toast. Jesus multiplied the loaves because of the people's need, but in Cana he multiplied the wine for the delight of the guests. Scripture says that "wine gladdens man's heart andbread strengthens it" (Psalm 104:15). If Jesus had chosen bread and water for the Eucharist, he would only have indicated the sanctification of suffering ("bread and water" are in fact synonymous with fasting, austerity and penance). By choosing bread and wine he also wished to indicate the sanctification of joy. How wonderful it would be if we also learned to live the joys of life in a Eucharistic manner, that is, in thanksgiving to God. God's presence and look do not cloud our honest joys; on the contrary, they enlarge them. Tags: Christianity, Catholicism, Eucharist, Blood of Christ, Wine, Joy

Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Click on picture to see a larger image. Today is the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Today we celebrate when God brought Mary's body as well as her soul to Heaven after she died. She gets to fully participate in the resurrection right away because of her selfless, sinless life. She is the one who said yes to God - Praise God for that "YES!" The love our Lord must have for his mother! And, oh the love she has for us her children! Christ gave her to us, and us to her through John when he was on the Cross. It is awesome - in the true sense of the word. Let's celebrate!!!!! I'd like to do it here in two ays. I am blessed to lector at this evening's mass. I'd like to quote from the reading I will be allowed to proclaim tonight (these are just two of the lines). It is from Revelation 11:2,5. "A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod." Amen! The other way I want to celebrate, is with on of my favorite prayers. It is the Momorare: Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins my Mother; to you I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful; O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy hear and answer me. Amen. Have a great feast day!!!!! Tags: Christianity, Catholicism, Blessed Virgin Mary, Prayer, Memorare

Blogging With Love

Click on picture to see a larger image. Last night I was reading my Bible. I was looking for a little peace because this week has been pretty tough, and next week looks to be the same. I have been reading 1 Corinthians, and came to chapter 13. This is the beautiful passage describing what love is and what it isn't. Last night the very first line of Chapter 13 struck me. I am quoting here from the New Jerusalem version - “Though I command languages both human and angelic – If I speak without love, I am no more than a gong booming or a cymbal crashing.” (1 Corinthians 13:1) When I read the verse above, I decided to post some thoughts I have had on blogs I recently visited. I have been reading different Catholic blogs lately, and have had two distinct types of experiences. I don’t want to call out specific blogs of one or the other type, but I did want to discuss the experiences. The first experience is on sites where the writer speaks with love. The voice I hear in these is one of humility and compassion. Even when there are strong opinions, there is respect for the reader. There is a clear sense of Christian love – even in firmness. When I don't agree, I listen - perhaps I am wrong and should reconsider my position. There is a sense of community here. In others (read many), I hear condescension, condemnation, and disrespect . For example, there was a blog spot (and I don’t want to mention the name) where they were discussing homosexuality and homosexual marriage. The point of view was conservative (which I actually agree with), but the tone was utter disdain and condemnation. On another, they were preaching war and hate right after discussing pro-life and saving the unborn (even though the Pope has come out against the wars and aggression being discussed). In comments on some of the sites as well, I see a lack of Christian love for others within and outside the Church. With the first set, I feel a sense of community – even when I don’t completely agree. With the latter, I am left empty even when I am in complete agreement with the issues. Have others noticed the difference? I have included a picture of a schooner with this blog. I think we are all on the same ship (the Church). We are all in this together – but it seems like some want to either throw othersout, jump ship, or take control. All of which make for an unhappy situation. Have you seen what I mean? What do you think? Is this latter set, the noise of gongs and the sound of cymbals? Does not the noise make the message of love harder to hear? Share your thoughts. Tags: Christianity, Catholicism, Love, Community, Blogging