Reflection on society

I'm so saddened by the loss of life in Connecticut last Friday.  It's a tragedy, committed by a sick and/or evil man.  I pray for the victims, the living, the dead, the emotionally wounded, the physically traumatized.  But, not just those in that small New England town.  But those victimized by violence rooted in what seems to me to be an ever increasing lack of respect for human life.

It is a tragedy.  It was an awful, hateful, cowardly act.  It breaks my heart.  But the response troubles me.

"You will be like gods!"

And with those words, it went from "very good" to suffering and death...

Today, I was reminded of those words in a context that caused me to recall one of the theological arguments for the existence of One God.  And it struck as worth discussing...

HHS Mandate and Employment Law

I was reading a completely not related article on sexual harassment in the workplace and was suddenly struck by a thought...

The President has crafted an exemption to the HHS mandate that allows institutions that involves criteria of serving or employing people of a single faith.  Does this mean that if an employer has exempted their health insurance coverage, or in an effort to exempt their coverage, they will be permitted to ask about the religion of potential employees and base their hiring on the religious beliefs of the applicant?

I'm certainly not in favor of that.  However, the contrary of saying you can only be exempt if you discriminate but you are not permitted to discriminate so you must violate your religious beliefs is even more intolerable.

Why don't Catholics flock to the Eucharist, smiling and happy?

If you're Catholic, you're surely quite familiar with our deeply held beliefs regarding the Eucharist.  That it IS the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ. It's not a symbol.  It's not just bread and wine.  It is the Real Presence of Our Lord and Our God.  Receiving Communion is touching the Son of God and incorporating our flesh and His.

And odds are, if you are a Catholic, you have heard a priest talk about how excited and happy we should be when we step forward to receive the Eucharist.

Talking Sola Fide...

I was engaged in a conversation with a fellow that believes in Sola Fide, salvation by faith alone.  He is certain that, as a Catholic, I am in very dire risk of eternal damnation because I believe I can earn my salvation through works.  Sadly, he doesn't actually understand what the Church teaches, nor do I think he
really wanted to hear the truth that the Church does teach.  But, here's what I attempted to witness to him...

Drink his blood?

 The Sacred Page has a good reflection on the readings for the 21st Sunday of Ordinary time in Cycle B.  I particularly liked this part on the Gospel:

"Many wonder how Jesus can command his flesh and blood to be eaten, when the Old Testament forbid the consumption of blood.  Brant Pitre points out that the blood of animals was forbidden because "the life is in the blood" (Lev 17:11).  God did not want his people to share in animal life.  But now, the same principle is the reason for the command to consume Christ's blood: "the life is in the blood."  The life that is in Christ's blood is divine life, and God does want us to share in that!"

It so elegantly encapsulates one of the many mysteries of the Eucharist...  To share in the divine life of our God!  What else is there?

Understanding the Bible, Part 1

I've had an ongoing dialogue with a friend of mine that is somewhere between atheist and agnostic, he can't seem to make up his mind if there is or is not a god.  He certainly doesn't accept any organized religion or religious text.  One of the frequent topics of discussion is the Bible.  He "just can't accept it or understand anyone that does, because it is just filled with things that show [our] God to be evil."

Talking to him, it's obvious that his problem is simultaneously a matter of 1) he has never actually read the Bible, 2) he has simply accepted the claims and interpretation of others that claim to have read it and understand it, and 3) that supposed understanding completely misses what the Bible is and is not.

Shelves of books have been written covering just one of those problems, but I want to briefly touch on that final part of the equation.  What is the Bible?

Regarding The Daily Beast, Paul Ryan, and Abortion, Part 2

In my previous post I discussed my general view on abortion and how it is far more considerate of individual autonomy than the pro-abortion stance is.  And how this makes the pro-life view far more considerate of women than does the view that is supportive of abortion.  But, at the end of that post, I recognized there are some special circumstances that challenge a pro-life view.  Specifically, cases of rape, incest and threat to the mother's life complicate the situation.  In this post, I wish to give these challenges the consideration and response they deserve.

Regarding The Daily Beast, Paul Ryan, and Abortion, Part 1

I was reading a piece from The Daily Beast critiquing Paul Ryan's view on abortion and came across this bit of "insight":

"To him, a woman’s claim to bodily autonomy or self-determination doesn't merit even cursory consideration." 
That strikes me as a superficial understanding of the matter.  This point-of-view is so limited and shallow and is so commonly held, one marvels at how little thought has gone into it.  But, it is critical to understand, so I thought I'd take some time to point out the fallacies and present a fuller understanding of the matter...

Sin. Mine vs. Yours

Unintentionally many of my posts have ended up being about abortion, contraception, or gay marriage.  Some take offense, believing that I am forcing my faith on them or being judgmental and failing to live up to own belief system. I offer this post to explain...

Pilgrimage to West Bend

Earlier this summer my kids found my old Viewmaster and reels tucked away on a shelf in our basement.  As they looked through the slides, they came across a set of reels from West Bend's Grotto of the Redemption, a souvenir of  a family trip we took when I was a child.  All three kids thought it was pretty cool looking and my son suggested, "We should go there some time."

Well, we looked at the calendar, saw that the weekend right before school started back up looked open and made plans.It was about a 3 and a half hour drive there, so we got a room at the Park View Inn.  Drove over Saturday after football practice ended.  Spent some time walking through the Grotto marveling at the intricate work, discussing how powerful Fr. Dobberstein's faith and devotion was, and letting the message of Redemption sink in before attending Mass in the suitably gorgeous Church of Sts. Peter and Paul.  After Mass we went to dinner, had some fun family time and returned to the Grotto just before bedtime to say our family night time prayers in some of the most inspiring parts of the Grotto.

If you live within a day's drive of West Bend, I can't think of a better family outing than to make a trip to visit the Grotto.  My kids would agree.  It is such a beautiful, inspiring and peaceful place for prayer, meditation, and devotion.

Enjoy a few other photos I took.

America and our inability to think beyond self

Over the past two weeks I've watched more than my share of Olympic basketball with my daughter.  Several times during the men's games the commentators would start criticizing the officiating.  As NBA players, former NBA players, or commentators accustomed to covering the NBA covering and commenting on teams largely comprised of NBA players, most of their criticism was rooted in comparing the Olympic officials' enforcement of the rules to the NBA officials' tendency to "let them play."

Traditional marriage and some lessons we need to learn

Tom Hoopes does a great job presenting a view of traditional marriage that I agree with.  And he outlines a few key things we need to keep in mind as Catholics that are standing up for Our Faith, Our God, and His Truth.

I've written much longer to communicate what he succinctly says in his third point.  And the other three points are spot on and equally succinct.

And, most importantly, he ends on a very important lesson that we must always keep in mind as disciples of Christ:

"Christ’s answer to the world’s problems is always the same: Suffer the opposition of the world in order to bring it the truth that will set it free from sin."

Amen.

My meditation for this afternoon

Thanks to St. Josemaria Escriva and his thoughts compiled in The Forge I spent a few minutes meditating on this thought:

"God is my Father! If you meditate on it, you will never let go of this consoling consideration.
Jesus is my intimate friend (another rediscovery) who loves me with all the divine madness of his Heart.
The Holy Spirit is my Consoler, who guides my every step along the road.
Consider this often: you are God's... and God is yours."

A truly amazing thought.  I'm sure I'll keep coming back to it time and time again as I wrap up my workday.

What more is there?

Father Z's article gives  five amazing points for daily prayer .  I'll be keeping these close at hand and if I can but cooperate with God's grace, one day I may live them fully.

Born Gay? Valid argument?

I have family members and friends that range from faithful Catholics to angry atheists and everything in between.  (To be clear, this means that I have some friends that would fit in with the Westboro Baptist crowd as well as atheist and agnostic friends that are calm, rational and tolerant.)  What this means in practicality, is that some days my Facebook stream is littered with some hateful and ignorant stuff.  Today started out with a few of the more militant atheist and agnostic friends passing around a photo of a man holding a sign that reads, "I was born gay.  You were taught religion."

Those posting this think it is a great argument for homosexuality and against religion.  But, is it ?  Let's examine that...

Fasting before Communion

I just returned from daily Mass, what a blessing to have a Church less than two blocks away from my place of work that has a midday Mass.  What a great way to break up the work day, remind myself of what is truly important in life, and to bring myself back to God.  But I digress...

One of my co-workers happened to be there today and we ended up walking back to the office together.  As it happened, about 20 minutes before Mass, I mindlessly reached over and drank the last swallow of coffee from my cup sitting on my desk.  I realized what I had done as I sat the cup back on my desk on my Divine Mercy coaster...  Why didn't I look when I grabbed my cup?  Oh well...  So, I went to Mass and abstained since Communion was only about 45 minutes after that drink of coffee.  Well, my abstaining had not gone unnoticed and on the walk back my co-worker asked why I went to Mass but didn't receive.

Powerful thought...

The Uniqueness of Christianity : The Integrated Catholic Life:

But if God made the road, we must find out whether he made many or one. If he made only one, then the shoe is on the other foot: it is humility, not arrogance, to accept this one road from God, and it is arrogance, not humility, to insist that our manmade roads are as good as God’s God-made one.

The myth that all religion is man made

Spiritual AND Religious:

The second lie locked in this cliche is the implication that all religions are man made constructions. This has filtered down to the general population from a kind of generic Protestantism in our country. Protestantism teaches that all denominations are man made and provisional. You shop around and simply choose the church you like best. What the “all churches are man made and provisional” folks don’t see coming is the logical conclusion that if all churches are man made and provisional then why bother with church at all? If they’re man made, why shouldn’t I make my own and be spiritual but not religious?

What is marriage?

I thought I knew what marriage was.  Not simply the Catholic teaching of marriage, but the practical legal institution of marriage as well.  I thought it was a life long commitment to another human being with the potential for creating and raising children, giving them the assurance of always having a mother & father united to raise them to adulthood and make them stable, reliable, productive members of society.

Sadly, society has convinced my wife that marriage is something else.  Marriage is a public commitment of love, entitling one to share happiness and bodies, but to be discarded when it becomes work or the sexual attraction lessens without any regard for the young lives created and whose lives were to be protected by the partnership and commitment of the parents the committed their lives to one another and any offspring.

The Catholic position on marriage

From: A conversation with my gay friend : Conversion Diary:

“The man and the woman each plan to do their own thing for the rest of their lives. There are no obligations on them outside of respecting one another and having fun. Is that about right?” 

“Close enough. What is marriage if not a commitment? What else could it be about?”

With that statement, Andrew had gotten to the core of the issue.

Praying the Rosary better

Following the Truth has 10 great tips on improving our praying of the rosary.

I love #6.  Can you imagine your husband or wife honestly thinking, "I wish you wouldn't tell me you love me so much."  Neither can I.  Somethings are worth repeating.  We can never tell our infinitely loving and merciful God that we love Him enough.  And reaching out to Christ through Mary, his mother?  I don't think we can do that too much either.

Ever heard TANSTAAFL?

President Obama on the HHS Mandate on Vimeo

I know the President is a well educated, intelligent man.  So, I'm forced to assume that he is intentionally blurring a line and playing to the mentality I see all too often of "If I don't write the check, it must be completely free."

It was more than a couple decades ago that I first read Robert Heinlein's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" which is famous for having popularized the acronym TANSTAFFL: "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch."  Now, the President surely knows that health care insurance is not free.

Tolerance?

Atheist files complaint over Pennsylvania restaurant’s discount for churchgoers - The Washington Post

Simply amazing...  The intolerance and illogical ideas of some people truly amazes me...

Here's a clue, this restaurant is not discriminating of segregating based on religion.  Anyone can go online, do a quick search and print out a bulletin regardless of their religious belief or lack thereof.  They will take any bulletin, Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Catholic.  I'd guess that they'll even take the bulletin from John Wolff's Church of Atheist" that he prints out from his home computer...

Now, if they start demanding a profession of faith, and proof that you are actually a practicing Catholic and denying all other faiths service or discounts, maybe we'll have something to discuss...  But considering that our equal rights protections don't permit discrimination based on age, yet senior discounts are unchallenged... well...  I think this 80 year old protests too much.  And his claims of desiring tolerance while being so intolerant speaks volumes...

"This town needs an enema!"

OK, more than this town, this entire nation.  Particularly the media.  While filling my coffee at work this morning a co-worker (who was on vacation all last week) and I were talking about what we did last week.  My attending a "Fortnight for Freedom" service on the Fourth led to a broader discussion of the "Fortnight" and the general movement to protest the HHS mandate.

"Looking for love in all the wrong places..."

Healing through the Divine Mercy

Fr. Longenecker shared some wonderful thoughts on what ails all of us and the answer to our ills, the Divine Mercy and Infinite Love of God.  I think many, if not all, of us struggle with feelings of loneliness, being unloved, or feeling betrayed or abandoned.  We were all created with a desire for love and belonging to another.  We created desiring union with God, our Creator.  But, we end up confused, wanting the love of a particular man or woman, wanting to feel validated for our beauty, our intellect, our skill at one thing or another, or expecting to be rewarded for our good deeds in a particular manner.  So much so that we become oblivious to the love that is actually there or become hooked on the residual effects of love or attention received in a particular manner.

Waiting in line for Confession

Well, I missed Mass last weekend.  I could give you the who, what, when, why, where and how, but that would likely lead to rationalization, some thinking I'm scrupulous, others thinking I'm trying to rationalize and justify my choice.  But, really all that matters is I missed Mass and I went to confession and God has forgiven me, anyway, that's not what I'm intending to talk about today.  No, what I'm intending to talk about is some of my thoughts while I was standing in line waiting for the priest to enter the confessional and begin hearing confessions.

Struggling with Church Doctrine? Go to Confession! | Matins Musings

Struggling with Church Doctrine? Go to Confession! | Matins Musings

A good message for all Catholics.

An Interesting Perspective on Sex and Our Culture

The McDonaldization of Sex 1 (Sex and Christianity 10)

The above is the first in a four part (more to come?) series regarding the largely unforeseen (Pope Pius XI clearly saw the looming consequences) and rarely discussed ramifications of contraception, legalized abortion, and the sexual revolution on our society as a whole.  I'm sure many will have no problem dismissing the perspective, but I'd hazard a guess that there is a bit of denial, shame and/or guilt coupled with a subconscious refusal to take an honest look at one's own culpability for how those feelings.

As a father of two daughters and a son, this makes me seriously consider what lies in store for them.  My daughters have already reached their teenage years.  And while I grew up in a time when worrying about how boys might treat your daughters was a real concern, I look at our society today and can't help but see that the risk is far greater now.  I think about the sexual content of TV, billboards, magazines and in public conversation 30 years ago and contrast that with today.  30 years ago we had slid a long ways from the days of "I Love Lucy" , "Dick Van Dyke" and "Ozzie & Harriet", but today?  Material that would have been R rated and only in theaters is now showing up in prime time shows that are framed to lure families and kids into watching, without any care taken to restrict access.  People converse publicly, in earshot of kids about sexual acts and use language that would have been inappropriate in any social context.  And everything points to sex as being just a disposable form of cheap entertainment and little more.

Read the series.  Honestly contemplate the reality it is describing.

UPDATE:  Looks like the series isn't finished, the 5th in the series was posted this week:  http://www.patheos.com//Catholic/McDonaldization-of-Sex-5-Tim-Muldoon-07-05-2012.html

Cooperating with the Will of God

Was reading Mark Shea today, and he had this quote from C.S. Lewis:

Can we believe that God ever modifies His action in response to the suggestions of man? For infinite wisdom does not need telling what is best, and infinite goodness needs no urging to do it. But neither does God need any of those things that are done by finite agents, whether living or inanimate. He could, if He chose, repair our bodies miraculously without food; or give us food without the aid of farmers, bakers, and butchers; or knowledge without the aid of learned men; or convert the heathen without missionaries. Instead, He allows soils and weather and animals and the muscles, minds, and wills of men to cooperate in the execution of His will. 'God,' says Pascal, 'instituted prayer in order to lend to His creatures the dignity of causality.' But it is not only prayer; whenever we act at all, He lends us that dignity. It is not really stranger, nor less strange, that my prayers should affect the course of events than that my other actions should do so.  They have not advised or changed God's mind — that is, His over-all purpose. But that purpose will be realized in different ways according to the actions, including the prayers, of His creatures.

For He seems to do nothing of Himself which He can possibly delegate to His creatures. He commands us to do slowly and blunderingly what He could do perfectly and in the twinkling of an eye. He allows us to neglect what He would have us do, or to fail. Perhaps we do not fully realize the problem, so to call it, of enabling finite free wills to co-exist with Omnipotence. It seems to involve at every moment almost a sort of divine abdication. We are not mere recipients or spectators. We are either privileged to share in the game or compelled to collaborate in the work, "to wield our little tridents." Is this amazing process simply Creation going on before our eyes? This is how (no light matter) God makes something — indeed, makes gods — out of nothing.

Profound thinking from a great mind.

Mark used this as part of a discussion of the importance of Mary in Catholic theology and it is a great way of approaching any meditation on Mary.  But, it's also amazing to contemplate how much God desires a relationship with each of us, how much He loves us, how much He cares for us, and the ways He is always attempting to show and communicate His love and desire for us...

The Secular Case Against Gay Marriage - The Tech

The Secular Case Against Gay Marriage - The Tech

I've frequently offered my secular case against same-sex unions, this is a well written piece that parallels the argument I find quite compelling...

Early on it hits on the key question, what is the public interest in the institution that justifies the cost?

Hard Sayings Of The Old Testament

Hard Sayings Of The Old Testament

Was recently discussing the difficulties of the Old Testament with a friend that is somewhere between agnostic and atheist.  Was quite thankful to have this as a resource in addressing his questions about God ordering the killing of entire cultures...

Confused culture

Our culture is so confused.  We deny logic, truth, and reality and are blind to even that reality.  We do our darnedest to separate actions from their consequences, to damaging results.

Consider:

Rick Pitino and the American Hypocrisy

Don't get me wrong.  I'm not complaining that an adulterer lost his job and that a public message was sent that adultery is not acceptable.  But, the reality is that a) it is exceptionally rare that any employer or institution take a moral stand on an issue like this and b) there is an enormous hypocrisy in the nation that says an employer can take steps to protect itself and the law will side with them while the people really, truly and most profoundly affected - the spouse and children - are stuck with this ridiculous legal concept of the "no fault" divorce.

What an amazing insight

Crying children call to mind the mystery of the Mass

A priest friend of mine posted a link to this earlier this week.  I enjoyed it when I read it.  I thought it was a great insight, especially since I recall attending Mass when our kids were infants at a Church without a "baby ghetto" and feeling those looks, stares, and unwelcoming glances.  It actually drove my wife and I away from the Church for several years.  I have since resolved to NEVER be so uncharitable or unloving to anyone that is actually making an effort to spend time with God at the Mass or in His House.

But... it wasn't until last night that I realized just how amazing this perspective is.

I keep coming back to this message...

Jesus is not a means and our experience an end

It is such a key thing to understand about or relationship with our God. I know that feeling of consolation; the joy, happiness, and overwhelming awareness that God is present and loving me.  It is amazing. It's remarkable. And it would be addictive if it were constant or regular. No doubt, I would turn to prayer, Mass, and adoration for the sake of that high alone if it were singeing I knew I could expect regularly.

But praise God, he knows me. He knows my weakness. He knows what I need.  He desires a true relationship where I choose to love Him for who is He is and how He loves me.  He knows that if I felt consolation every time I prayed, attended Mass, received the Eucharist, were absolved of my sins, or sat in the presence of the Eucharist I would do all those things simply for the pleasure I receive.

He's given and gives me just enough to be certain in my faith.  And I do all these things and more, not for the selfish pleasure, but out of sheer love and appreciation for who He is and what He has done and will do for me.

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord!"

Jesus Is Not a Means, and Our Experience Is Not the End |Blogs | NCRegister.com

Jesus Is Not a Means, and Our Experience Is Not the End |Blogs | NCRegister.com

A very important message to remember here...

Catholicism and Suffering

Catholicism and Suffering:

Howard Kainz on sin and suffering in Catholicism: As Jesus brought about atonement and salvation, so also individual Christians by suffering can atone for the sins of others.

For month's now I have been enduring my own suffering.  Suffering through a painful separation that sends me into fits of despair, anger and anguish.  Suffering at seeing my children hurt and confused by their mother's absence from our home.  Some days are easier than others.  Today has not been one of the easy days, though it is far from the worst.  While the difficult days make it hard to follow teachings like this, it is only being reminded of the value of my suffering, being reminded to thank God for the opportunity to serve Him so painfully that I will allow me to make it through this period of my life, on to the next, and ultimately join Him in Glory.

Consequence Free Sex? Debunking the Myth

http://www.ncregister.com/blog/the-myth-of-consequence-free-sex/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NCRegister%2FTheArchbolds+Pat+%26+Matthew+Archbold#When:2012-03-7

Logic and the Culture of Death

The Culture of Death has been front and center in the news this year.  From the Planned Parenthood v. Susan G. Komen spat to the HHS mandate battle, the battle against the anti-life movement in this country has risen to a new and frightful level.  With the heightened attention comes a lot more public debate and bloviating and in looking at that those fighting for the right to kill children, willfully disregarding the rights of others to free speech and free practice of religion, and pushing forward the Culture of Death agenda, I find that so many of their arguments are completely disjointed and separated from logic.  Let's take a look at a few of the recent arguments I've seen.

Blaming the Church for poorly educated Catholics

Recently I was involved in a discussion about contraception and other elements of the Catholic faith that are so poorly understood or followed by Catholics.  In the course of that discussion, one of the participants insisted the problem was entirely the Church and its failure to educate people in the faith.  As it was a diversion from our real point of discussion we sort of tabled that line of thought for a later day.  I didn't wholly agree with his attribution of blame, but it wasn't until later that I gave it a lot of thought.

Civil Rights and Religion

How often have I heard that same-sex "marriage" is a civil rights issue?  Too many times to keep track of, that's for sure.  The people who take that position make it sound pretty convincing, or at least make you feel that if you disagree you must be a Communist, Hitler, or the anti-Christ...  But, this argument requires some serious scrutiny...

Blasphemy and Art

So, today I received an email from "America Needs Fatima"  regarding the blasphemous sculpture  Feet First by Martin Kippenberger which is on display at a museum in Portland, OR:

Saint's Reflection on Mark7:24-30

Today's Gospel was the story of the Gentile woman at first denied Jesus' power to heal her daughter possessed of an unclean spirit, but in her persistence Christ found and rewarded great faith.  Saint Claude de la Columbiere had a beautiful reflection on it which I feel compelled to quote pieces of:

"Consider the workings of divine providence and...the refusal you meet...is only God's strategem to increase your fervor...Remember how he acted towards the Canaanite woman...With what tenderness does he repulse those whom he most wishes to be indulgent to...Take care not to be deceived by it.  The more he seems unwilling, the more you must insist."

"Do as the woman of Canaan; use against him the very arguments he may have for refusing you...I do not deserve the grace I ask, but I do not ask you to give me what I deserve; I ask it through the merits of my Redeemer...you will be unjust to yourself if you give me only what I deserve.  If I were worthier of your benefits it would be less to your glory to give me them.  It is unjust to grant favors to a sinner, but I...appeal...to your mercy."

"Compel God to throw off the mask and say to you with admiration 'Great is your faith, be it done as you wish.  I can no longer resist you, you shall have what you desire, in this life and the next'" 

What powerful words.  Like a love interest that challenges a suitor to pursue and prove his love for her, our Lord wills that we truly desire and want to share in his love.  He will always challenge us to greater reach higher, as we achieve greater capacity for love he will challenge us to grow still further.

Maybe I am a Saint...

Any good Catholic knows that we all strive to be Saints.  We are woefully inadequate and the only hope we have lies in God's Grace and our meager cooperation, but it's the goal we have.  I'm surrounding by good friends and family that constantly point to my Saintly traits, but humility, embarrassment at the being complimented or some other part of my personality tends to leave me more mindful of how much I fail to emulate the Saints, than how I do emulate them.  But, last Friday I spent some time in Eucharistic Adoration reading the Gospel of St. Matthew.  In particular I was reading Chapter 26 and the account of our Lord's agony in the garden.  While I was reading and reflecting my thoughts were focused on His agony, His knowledge of just how many times and how many ways I was going to reject Him, yet He was still going to suffer to redeem me for all those sins I had yet to commit.  Yet again I was thinking just how much I am unlike the Saints.

After that reflection, I returned to my knees and focused my attention on being present with Jesus in Gethsemane, not just focusing on His Real Presence there with me, but connecting myself to Him at the moment of that agony and his and my awareness of how little I deserved His sacrifice but how much He loves me to still be my Savior.  As I'm resting in His presence I contemplating being with Him in the garden my mind starts to drift off to sleep.  And as I jolt myself awake the first thought to enter my mind is, "So you could not watch with me one hour?"

And I suppress a chuckle as I realize, I do share something in common with Peter, James and John...  Maybe I'm doing OK...  At least it's assuring, knowing that in my weakness and desperate need for His grace I am not alone and the company I keep in my weakness is pretty inspiring.

Sola Scriptura

I've been working on this post for awhile, so forgive me for changes in tense or POV, but I finally decided I'd just hit the publish button and move on to other ideas...

For the past several months I've been engaged in an ongoing dialog with a local Jehovah's Witness (JW).  He stopped by the house on a Saturday about 6 months ago and wanted to share his faith with me by reading me a Bible passage.  I listened, then we discussed his understanding, informed by his interpretation (which was actually the Watchtower Society's interpretation) and my understanding, informed by the Catholic Church's teaching.  It was a good discussion, and nearly every other weekend since he stops by and we have an ongoing discussion.

Susan G. Komen and Planned Parenthood

This is my last post on the current culture of death drama playing out around us, but I mentioned this in an earlier post and feel I ought to address some of the less obvious elements...

I'm not going to dwell on the obvious, my religious views and how they influence my view of the situation.  Rather, I want to focus on a few elements that should concern everyone that has reasonable faculties for intellectual reason and logic.

Birth Control, Abortion and the Repression of Women...

OK, I've addressed the HHS rule forcing Catholic institutions to fund and condone birth control and abortifacients, now I need to address one of the arguments I keep hearing lobbed at Catholics and the Church, that obviously we hate women because we want to control their bodies and deny them freedom.  Sadly, the reverese is quite the opposite, we love women and it's the supporters of birth control that apparently have contempt for women, even themselves.  Here's the truth:

HHS and Conscience...

I'm just amazed at how clueless so many in America have become and sadly it starts in the White House...

Man the Creator?

So, tonight I was reading "In the Beginning...", Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger's book on understanding the Genesis story on the creation and fall of man when I came across this:

"There will no longer be any need for the sabbath, since human beings are their own creators in every respect."

Veneration of Mary

Many non-Catholics object to Catholic devotion to Mary based on the fact that Catholic's "worship" Mary and only God should be worshiped. They have other objections to the Marian dogmas and devotions as well, but I'll address those in separate posts. Today, I just want to focus on the idea that Catholics worship Mary elevating her to the level of God.