Go Green

Not because I'm a huge fan of the Battle of Thermopolae but because I still profess to be a fan. 2008 was a good year for at least the Spartans. Go green.

What Does The Prayer Really Say?»Blog Archive » 31 Dec & 1 Jan: Plenary Indulgences for the faithful

As we close out 2008, we take can take full opportunity to harness God's abundant grace. Thanks WDTPRS for providing the info below...

What Does The Prayer Really Say?»Blog Archive » 31 Dec & 1 Jan: Plenary Indulgences for the faithful:
"We Praise Thee Te Deum laudamus
We praise thee, O God; we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.
All the earth doth worship thee, the Father everlasting.
To thee all Angels cry aloud,
the Heavens and all the Powers therein.
To thee Cherubim and Seraphim continually do cry:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth;
Heaven and earth are full of the majesty of thy glory.
The glorious company of the apostles praise thee.
The goodly fellowship of the prophets praise thee.
The noble army of martyrs praise thee.
The holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge
thee,
the Father, of an infinite majesty,
thine adorable, true, and only Son,
also the Holy Ghost the Comforter.
Thou art the King of glory, O Christ.
Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.
When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man,
thou didst humble thyself to be born of a Virgin.
When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death,
thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father.
We believe that thou shalt come to be our judge.
We therefore pray thee, help thy servants,
whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood.
Make them to be numbered with thy saints,
in glory everlasting."

Lapsed-Disgruntled Catholic Pie

This recipe for Lapsed-Disgruntled Catholic Pie...
... brought to you by National "Catholic" Reporter:

1 cup of growing disenchantment
1/2 cup of some pronounced unease
3/4 cup of rotting historical illiteracy
1 cup of disillusioned with dogmatic bans
3 teaspoons of outgrown child childhood fantasies about the Real Presence, purgatory, and guardian angels (note: can be substituted with a 1/4 cup of ripe theological ignorance)
4 cups of stale, bitter skepticism

Mix all well in a bowl of ambiguity. Pour into a pan of uncertainly. Heat stove of 150 degrees, the preferred temperature for lukewarm spirituality. Cook for whatever length of time feels good to you. Coat with thin layer of sugary, neo-pantheistic frosting. Serve to readers of National "Catholic" Reporter while in a natural state of discomfort, chanting, "I am Catholic. I am Catholic."

Read entire recipe. My favorite line: "I know now that humans can never penetrate the idea of God; certainty is – and has always been -- an illusion." Hmmm...for someone who doesn't believe in certainty, she certainly sounds very certain about not being certain.

O Emmanuel...

O EMMANUEL, rex et legifer noster,
expectatio gentium et salvator earum:
veni ad salvandum nos, Dominus Deus noster.

O Emmanuel (Isaiah 7:14), our king and lawgiver (Isaiah 33:22),
hope and salvation of the peoples (Genesis 49:10; John 4:42):
come to save us, O Lord our God (Isaiah 37:20).

O King of the nations...

O REX gentium et desideratus earum,
lapis angularis qui facis utraque unum:
veni et salva hominem quel de limo formasti.

O King of the nations (Jeremiah 10:7) and their desire (Haggai 2:7),
cornerstone (Isaiah 28:16), who reunite Jews and pagans into one (Ephesians 2:14):
come and save the man whom you formed from the earth (Genesis 2:7).

O Star...

O ORIENS, splendor lucis aeternae et sol iustitiae:
veni et illumina sedentem in tenebris et umbra mortis.

O Star who rises (Zechariah 3:8; Jeremiah 23:5), splendor of the eternal light (Wisdom 7:26) and sun of justice (Malachi 3:20):
come and enlighten those who lie in darkness and the shadow of death (Isaiah 9:1; Luke 1:79).

O Key of David...

O CLAVIS David et sceptrum domus Israel,
qui aperis, et nemo claudit; claudis, et nemo aperit:
veni et educ vinctum de domo carceris, sedentem in tenebris et umbra mortis.

O Key of David (Isaiah 22:23), scepter of the house of Israel (Genesis 49:10),
who open and no one may shut; who shut and no one may open:
come, free from prison captive man, who lies in darkness and the shadow of death (Psalm 107: 10, 14).

O Root of Jesse...

O RADIX Iesse, qui stas in signum populorum,
super quem continebunt reges os suum, quem gentes deprecabuntur:
veni ad liberandum nos, iam noli tardare.

O Root of Jesse, who stand as a sign for the peoples (Isaiah 11:10),
the kings of the earth are silent before you (Isaiah 52:15) and the nations invoke you:
come to free us, do not delay (Habakkuk 2:3).

I never promised you a rose garden

I have survived the first 5 hours of being the most evil mom in the universe. Today I had to deliver the terrible news to my 6th grader that we were withdrawing him from his elementary school to put him in a much better charter prep school. C'mon, doesn't he know that he will receive a superior educational experience more suited to his basic academic needs while also keeping the dreams and pursuits of the socratic method of discovery firmly and foundationally in place? Answer-no. After he sobbed away to his room and before he stabbed a pencil thru the arm of the chair (he is quite like his mother), the bolt of reality hit me that the decisions that we make as parents have a delayed beneficial component. And isn't that just like the rest of life. I want peace, security, serenity NOW. I don't want to be retrofitted with that later. I want immediate feedback, no pregnant pauses, no uncertainty. I am very much like a spoiled 2 year old when it comes to matters such as these because smetimes I am very much a toddler, spiritually. Lord have mercy.

I am reminded of Saint Joseph. What amazing courage he possessed. Some may have considered him certifiably mad for believing the promise of an angel in a dream. I think he had an undeniably mature spiritual life. He trusted God and was willing to be patient and make decisions despite what made no sense to him. He had no guarantee of any future, yet he trusted. This, coming from a man, who would have been the only one in his family soiled by sin. If there were mistakes made in that home, (someone didn't put the lid back on the grain container, pounding a thumb in stead of a nail followed by an expletive), surely the finger would always point to him! I imagine his humility grew exponentially. St. Joseph is also credited with being the patron of departing souls. I find this particularly comforting knowing that God charged him with being the guardian of both the Blessed Mother and the Savior of the Universe. Talk about a tall order!

Thanks St. Joseph, for the model of parenthood you provide. Help me continue to learn to trust the Father's ability to see around the tight corners in life and calm my flagging spirit. And if you could just take care of that nagging insecurity issue, that would be great too!

O Lord...

December 18

O ADONAI, dux domus Israel,
qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti, et in Sina legem dedisti:
veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extenso.

O Lord (Exodus 6:2, Vulgate), leader of the house of Israel,
who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush (Exodus 3:2) and on Mount Sinai gave him the law (Exodus 20):
come and free us with your powerful arm (Exodus 15:12-13).

O Wisdom...

I – December 17

O SAPIENTIA, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti,
attingens a fine usque ad finem fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia:
veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.

O Wisdom, who come from the mouth of the Most High (Sirach 24:5),
you extend to the ends of the earth, and order all things with power and sweetness (Wisdom 8:1):
come and teach us the way of wisdom (Proverbs 9:6).

Run, Run Rudolf

More political correctness threatens the cute little reindeer with the red nose.

Religious Rudolf - The Curt Jester

Prison bans chapel crucifix to avoid offending Muslims | Mail Online

A Multi-faith space that bans Christ on the cross is no multi-faith space at all. This is what the Brits get when they employ Imams to do their interior decorating.

Prison bans chapel crucifix to avoid offending Muslims | Mail Online

Well, what d'ya know?

What would 437,000 folks want the rest of the world to know?
UN: 437,000 Signatures Support Life and Marriage - Catholic Online

The Romantic Allure of Total Commitment in It’s a Wonderful Life | Catholic Exchange

"Some might argue that It’s a Wonderful Life is sentimental, but unrealistically old-fashioned. “Times change” is the mantra of the postmodern. Instead of lamenting that one cannot “turn back the clock,” I would argue that if it is telling the wrong time, then that is precisely what we should do. Pull out the stem and move the hands until they align with reality, and then get it moving forward again. We owe as much to our spouses, and to our families. A good look at It’s a Wonderful Life might be an excellent place to begin this Christmas season."

Dr. Marc Newman is president of MovieMinistry.com, a company dedicated to providing pastors, lay leaders, and ordinary Christians with the tools necessary to use movies as a way of reaching out to others with the Gospel of Christ.


The Romantic Allure of Total Commitment in It’s a Wonderful Life | Catholic Exchange

Winter Party

I got this today in my email regarding my son's 6th grade Christmas, I mean uh, holiday, no, um, winter party.

Hi Parents. The winter party is among us. I am wondering if any of you have ideas for activities. The kids are older and although they would very much enjoy decorating cookies, we should probably do a bit more...

The party will be Friday 19th 12-1:30pm.

So perhaps I would suggest telling the great story of the birth of Jesus Christ, a historical figure that a vast majority of people in this counrty believe to be the Son of God most high who came to earth to save man from his deplorable, pride-ful, unhumble, sinful, destined-for-hell existence. No? Well how about we sing some Christmas, I mean holiday, well er uh winter songs that warm our hearts about this lovely time of year when the snow is falling and the...hey wait a minute; I live in Arizona where it's about 65-70 degrees this time of year. Ok, back to the drawing board. How about we talk about that festive, oversized, red-suited, jolly old elf named Santa Clause? He seems to like to have a good time and all flying around on the magic sled and woooops, not only is he one of those saint guys, but he....SMOKES. So sad. I saw some promise. Ok, how about I consult a few pagans and wiccans and really get down to this winter party idea. After all, this is "yule"season folks and everybody knows that in the northern hemi, the pags and druids all celebrate the longest night of the year...Winter...Dec 21. So between now and then I'll be collecting up all of my stones, herbs, candles, celtic dragons, and incense sticks and wait for the amazing sun to begin its long journey back to earth.

Quotable...

The below is a quote I discovered from blogger Adoro te Devote. She has a beautiful way with words...

Testament to God's Mercy
"If I was ever treated as badly by another person as I treat God on a regular basis, I would never have time for that person ever again."

LifeSite Special Report - The Broken Windows in the US Catholic Church

Pope Benedict has seen that the sense of awe of God, the wonder of His majesty and the faith of the people have been gutted by theologians, pastors and bishops who have given very liberal, unintended interpretations to the documents of the Second Vatican Council. He commented on one occasion about the original intentions of the Council: "Anyone like myself, who was moved by this perception in the time of the Liturgical Movement on the eve of the Second Vatican Council, can only stand, deeply sorrowing, before the ruins of the very things they were concerned for."
Read the article from Lifesite in its entirety..
LifeSite Special Report - The Broken Windows in the US Catholic Church

Pope: Mary reflects the beauty that saves the world

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is a chance to "contemplate the reflection of the Beauty who saves the world: the beauty of God that shines on the face of Christ."

Pope: Mary reflects the beauty that saves the world

A day that will live in infamy

I visited the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor several years ago with my family. I remember the transluscent film of oil that lay on the surface of the water...apparently still seeping up from the remains below us after all these years. Also notable was the profound silence of the roughly 50 visitors at a time that came to pay their respects. If you are ever on Oahu, don't miss the opportunity to visit Pearl Harbor. A necessary reminder for us all that this side of heaven it will be necessary that we not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again (italicized portion - FDR's message to Congress on Dec 8, 1941.)

Technology - The New Front Porch

I grew up "Downriver". Riverview - or Riverdale as we gested after Archie and Jughead fame - is a small bedroom community located about 20miles south of Detroit. Like most of us boomers and post boomers, I grew up in a neighborhood that had sidewalks and porches. Our parents actually sat on our porch and watched us play in the street...imagine THAT. We flew paper kites and floated plastic army boats in the (probably contaminated) water that flowed up against the curbs as cars and neighbors traveled past. My folks "shot the breeze" with the other folks in the neighborhood. It was nice. It was neighborhoodly.

Things are a little different for neighborhoods nowadays. We don't have curbs, porches or sidewalks necessarily. Instead, we have things that blot out the front porches: HOAs, really big homes requiring hired upkeep; walking/running/jogging for fitness sake only; the plugging in & zoning out with MP3 players etc. We spend most of our time indoors behind our technology. Do you see the trend? We are losing touch with our Neighborhoodliness. The front porch is becoming obsolete.

But there is hope for us. Hugh Hewitt posts the below column about how we can save face with our community thru Twitter and other means. In fact, he makes it almost a moal imperitive that we do so lest we lost our sense of community identity.


Hugh Hewitt : Renewal in the Winter: Another Push for Twittered Conservatives - Townhall.com

Advent Calendar

This is cool, click on the icon to the right and you will be able to click away on advent calendar meditations for each day of advent.
Enjoy...thanks Curt Jester.

What's wrong with Catholic voters, Continued: answering readers' arguments

Nearly a month ago, immediately after the US presidential elections, Phil Lawler on Catholic Culture wrote a column lamenting the failure of Catholic voters to unite in opposition to the "culture of death." That column--What's wrong with Catholic voters? What's wrong with Catholics?"-- was met with many arguments that could be lumped into 3 generalized categories against his theory. Those criticisms along with his responses are linked below.

Catholic Culture : Commentary : Articles : What's wrong with Catholic voters, Continued: answering readers' arguments:

Saving Michigan's Econ - Part of the Deal

I like Hugh Hewitt's thinking on this one. Being from the Motor City and all, the subject hits rather close to my old home.
Townhall.com::Blog

Forward this...or else

welcome new follower

Hi Cuz29. Glad to have you aboard. I'm guessing you are also big fan of little Labbies. Me too. Any tips on moderating their strong drive for consuming post digestive waste in the backyard would be greatly appreciated.

Rosaries For Life

Here's a little homework for us; this is a 54 day Conversion of America Novena which began yesterday. You can still catch up (story of my life) by praying 2 rosaries a day.

Rosaries For Life

One of the 5 intentions is a prayer for the President Elect...

For President-elect Obama, and for all of the leaders of the United States of America, that they will be led personally to Jesus Christ and His truth, and that they will lead our country in a positive direction. Or in other words, as Archbishop Wuerl said, "That our nation's new leaders be guided in their decisions with wisdom and compassion and at the heart of all of their decisions may there be a deep respect for and commitment to the sanctity and dignity of all human life and support for the most vulnerable among us."

The Divine Orchestra

There is a giftedness in Fulton Sheen in his ability to synthesize and distill elaborate concepts into metaphors that are easy to understand. When I read his work or listen to his brilliant oratories, I shrink but my heart seems to enlarge. Does that make sense? I thought this brief essay of might be fitting for the beginning of advent; maybe you'll see what I mean...

Music offers some explanation of what might have happened at the beginning of the human race. An orchestra director has before him his score. It was written by a great composer, and all the adequate directions have been scored for a perfect rendition. The musicians are all free; they can follow the ditrections of the conductor, or they can ignore them. They can be either reactionary and never turn a page, or they can be liberal and play, instead of the symphony, "I Got Plenty of Nothin'".

Now suppose that one of the musicians decides deliberately to hit a sour note. The conductor hears it. He may either wave his baton and order the orchestra to play it over, or hea can ignore it. It makes no difference which he does, because at a certain temperature, that note is flying out into space at the rate of 1,200 feet per second. As long as time endures, there is discord and disharmony somewhere in God's universe.

Regardless of how much one wanted to make the universe universally harmonious again, it could not be done by anyone within time because time is irreversible.

The only way that discord could be stopped would be by someone reaching out from eternity, laying hold of that wild note, and stopping it in its mad flight. But would it still be a sour note? Not necessarily. On one condition it could become a sweet note, namely, if the one who stopped it wrote a new symphony and made that one note the first note in the new melody. Then it would be a sweet note.

Something like that must have happened at the beginning of the human race. God wrote a perfect symphony. It was well scored, but mankind was free to play a discord. Discords in the symphony of life did not mean our freedom was destroyed.

At the beginning, man being free, hit a discordant note, a disobedient note. That discord went through human nature, and it infected everyone. That original discord could not be stopped by man himself, because he could not repair an offense against the infinite with his finite self. He had contracted a bigger debt than he could pay. The debt could be paid only by the Divine Master Musician coming out of His Eternity into time. But there is a world of difference between stopping a discordant note and a rebellious man. One has no freedom, the other has; and God refuses to be a totalitarian dictator in order to abolish evil by destroying human freedom. God could seize a note, but He would not seize a man. Instead of conscripting man, God willed to consult humanity again as to whether or not it wanted to be made a member of the Divine Orchestra once more. Almighty God, having given freedom to man, will not take it away again.

There was a Divine consultation with humanity, in which a Woman was asked by God if she would give Him human nature - "Will you freely give Me a new note out of humanity with which I can compose a new symphony?" In the name of all humanity, she consented: "Be it done unto me." This new man must be a man; otherwise God would not be acting in the name of humanity. But He must also be outside the current of infection to which all men are subject. Being born of a Woman, He will be a man; being born of a Virgin, He will be a sinless man.

When God took upon Himself the human nature and became Christ throught he Virgin Mother, He was the first note in the new melody. It is up to our personal will freely to incorporate ourselves into Him by faith thus adding another note and creating a new humanity. We appropriate this saving grace by a free act, repeating the words of the Woman..."Be it done unto me."

Humanity is thus divided into two groups, namely, the old humanity, which is still goverened by the flesh, and the new, regenerated humanity, which is governed by the Spirit: the humanity of goodness, love of God, love of neighbor.