Father

Evangelicals seem to have short memories. I say this because they have strong reactions to things like The Hail Mary prayer, which is just parts of Luke chapter two. I guess they are against Bible memorization? 

Another misconception out there that is even more ridiculous is the reaction to calling a priest Father. I see memes and comments vehemently claiming that NO one should be called Father but God. That's funny, the Bible does not agree. 

Genisus 17:5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

Genesis 27:32 And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau. 

Genesis 45:4-8  4 And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. 5 Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. 6 For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

Jesus and the apostles also referred to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as a fathers of the faith. 

There are a lot of other arguements for allowing Catholic priests to be called father but this is the best one. 

Confession, the Misunderstood Sacrament

Part 2 of our series on Catholic Culture is about one of our practices. I wish it were our most popular practices. It is commonly called confession but the official name is the Sacrament of Reconciliation. 

Catholics are encouraged, rather strongly to partake of this sacrament at least twice a year, once during advent and once during lent. Vocabulary side note: Advent is the 25 day preparation period before Christmas in which we prepare ourselves for the second coming of Jesus Christ and Christmas, simultaneously. Lent is the 40 day period from Ash Wednesday until roughly Easter (take away the Sundays and a couple others). 

Why do we do this, you may ask. Because we know that we are sinners and we want to be better people. Yes we do believe that we can just ask Jesus to forgive us. But we also want to grow in holiness. Hiding your sins inside your own mind is NOT going to help you grow in holiness, just like not going to church or being part of the body of Christ and participating in parish life is not going to grow you in holiness either. 

We also want to be like Jesus and his disciples who showed us examples of how we ought to live. Jesus lived with other people and spent His days with them. He "walked in the light" so to speak. We take the admonitions of John and James very seriously, John, in his first letter tells us " If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[b] sin." Confessing your sins to someone in private is a way to walk in the light. 

And Lastly, James reminds us " Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. ... And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore,confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.  A priest is given gifts when He is ordained, one of them is to give good counsel. There are some great benefits to confession that I have enjoyed, also. You can, of course unburden your conscience, that is the most well known benefit. Lesser known benefits are the reassurance of having a brother in Christ tell you that you are indeed forgiven. 

The priest additionally stands in for those that we have offended that we cannot contact. Our sin can send out bad effects outside of the immediate person we have offended. For instance gossip, once let loose on the world can travel the world over. If we are later sorry we gossiped we can't take it back and it could have uncountable effects on unknown persons. 

We can, however repent to the priest and enlist his prayers for reparation of our wrongdoing and he can forgive us for the community that we have offended. 

As you can see all of the practices of Catholics are firmly grounded in scripture. Since we brought the Bible safely from Jesus and the Disciples all the way to the modern era, we helped make sure it got written down and preserved for future generations, we are pretty well grounded in it. 

Tomorrow I will post the Meme that got this started. Blessings upon you and please pray for me. 

Starting a New Series

So a Facebook meme, as they often do, has gotten my ire. I have decided that this ignorance of other cultures has gone on long enough in these United States and I can be a small part of the solution. Especially since it is my culture that is being misunderstood. 

Were you aware that Catholicism is a separate and distinct culture within American life? We have a different vocabulary and style of living (more about that later). 

Many of the common terms that we used are completely misunderstood. Take the word "pray" for instance. I see strong reactions among normally sane Americans to  common uses of this term by Catholics. 

Some words, like this one, are misunderstood simply because the usage of the term has changed over time. Less than one hundred years ago this term meant to request or to petition something from someone. It did not imply that the person you are addressing is superior to you, nor did it imply that the person you are petitioning is some kind of Supreme authority. Catholics mean it like that, regularly. 

We pray to this or that saint, God, and even angels, and it means we are asking for help, usually prayers or intercessions as they can give. Now it used to be universally understood that Christians live forever, Catholics still believe that and act upon that assumption.

I think that it used to be common knowledge among all Christians that  the Bible tells us that the prayers of the saints rise like incense before God (Revelation 8: 3&4). Indicating not only do the saints pray, but that it is a pleasing fragrance to the Father.

The last point I want to make on prayer is that Catholics love Jesus Christ. He is the one we turn to for life, hope, salvation and healing. He is our rock and out redeemer. When I wake up every day, I greet my Lord, I read His word, and I pray to Him. If I ask the intercession of a saint or an angel, it is a secondary or supplementary approach to getting a need met. 

In future posts in this series I will address other misconceptions on the Catholic way of life and our special vocabulary. God bless you all. Additionally, I will quote the pope in his trademark statement, Pray for me. 

Since I am aware that most internet readers do not read long posts I will save more for another post. 

The Holy Spirit's Choice
It seems like everybody is chiming in on their favorite choice for pope these days. I have read profiles of various cardinals and thought that I would personally prefer one or another. 

But the spirit inside me has called for calm. I think that if we are praying, of course I have adopted a Cardinal and pray for him pretty much daily, God will not abandon His Church! 

Don't panic and have your towel on hand... ok you probably will not have to hitch a ride on the next spaceship that passes, yet.  However, when the cry becomes "Habemus Papam" in the Vatican Square, and you find out that the Cardinals did not elect your favorite man, be patient and trust God. After all, each of these men have lead large groups of parishes in the past with diverse congregations. Some traditional and some liberal. They have had to be diplomats, statesmen and confessors, they were ordained as shepherds of God's flock and whoever they are, they must be gravely humbled to accept this office. 

He, whoever he is, has just spent a number of days in prayer, seeking God's will and the leading of the Holy Spirit. Let us seek God in that same humility and submission to the will of the Father. He will take care of us! 

I got an opportunity to speak with a young lady today outside the abortion clinic. We were there to peacefully pray and be available if anyone wants help. It is a program called 40 Days For Life (see below for more information), She wanted to know what we believed and if we were Catholic, I invited her to our parish, because she said she grew up Catholic. I made sure she knew it was all about LOVE, love for the moms, love for the babies  love for the staff at the clinic. We wish for all to be saved and to live! 

We offer alternatives, support, and love!

Starting Over

To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!" ~ psalm 40.

I am starting over. After several years of being depressed and letting my mind beat me up with "what might have been". I am starting over. 

I am facing a future that is uncertain, and a past that I do not know how to interpret, but I am starting over. 

In order to accomplish this I have been forcing myself to think of other things, mostly scripture and how I can serve my parish. I am attending mass more often, and adoration as often as possible. I am trying to get out more and think about what other people need and how I might meet those needs. It is a much happier way to live. I have tried withdrawing and being off by myself and escaping life as much as possible but that was just not doing a thing for me. 

I am also studying scripture more. I recently acquired the first two books in Carroll's The History of Christendom series. Highly recommended by a well-regarded Catholic Theologian that i know. I am re-reading the first book slowly and with much thought (The Founding of Christendom) in conjunction with Bright's A History of Israel. I always wanted to know more about the Bible and get more in depth with it. 

Being Presidential or Being Ashamed

So, two days ago terrorists stormed our Embassy in Cairo Egypt, tore down the flag of our Sovereign Nation, desecrated it and replaced it with their own terrorist flag. 

THIS IS AN ACT OF WAR!

O say does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? 

NO! It was taken down 3 1/2 years ago when a man took office who is not proud of that flag, who is not looking out for our freedoms. Who is not protecting the lives of the weak and the innocent. Who does not stand for the freedom and democracy that made this nation great!. 

I am sorry, I was proud that we could elect an African American to be our president. I was proud that we could all share in that historic event. But also, i was cautious. There were signs that this man was not presidential material all along the campaign trail. 

I researched him on my own. I was curious, I wanted to get behind the movement to elect him. Hearing that he was an advocate of  the so-called Pro-Choice crowd, i was alert that all may not be as it should be. Then I heard the kind of hate filled preaching that he has been subjected to for many years and seemed to support. Then i heard that he consorted with known terrorists. 

I hunted for articles on him and found one in the Chicago Sun-Times about a man, reputed to be a mafia member, named Tony Rezko who had been indicted, at the time for some dirty tricks in Chicago. I read that this Tony Rezko bought a piece of property for Mr. then-citizen Obama for over a Million dollars and sold the parcel that Mr. Obama wanted to him for much less money and took a significant financial loss by keeping the worthless portion of the land for himself. Hmmm. "Does this mean that Mr. Obama owes a debt of gratitude to Mr. Rezko?" I asked myself. 

I tried to speak out about this but who am I? Just a single mom in a medium sized city with no importance. I was a grain of sand hitting a giant wall. 

I sat and watched what this man would do after all the celebration at his inaugurationI . I saw him make abortions MORE available around the world and offer MY tax money to use for them. I was heartbroken for the little ones. 

Then, I watched him woo the weak in faith in my own Roman Catholic Church into his fold. Then I watched as he attacked the foundation of our faith here in the United States, Our Catholic Hospitals, the Knights of Columbus( who provide Catholic Insurance), even our very Bishops who stood up to him for our true teachings. I was proud of our Bishops but heartbroken for our Church and our nation. 

Now I am ashamed, ashamed that our flag was not defended in Egypt. Ashamed that a man who gave his life for the Foreign Service died with a mob of  hatred around him. I am ashamed that one man stood up and was PRESIDENTIAL and defended our flag and our nation and now he is being browbeaten for it. I am ashamed of our media. 

Its been a while.... In the past year i lost three of my cats. Sassy, the one mentioned here, then my beloved 3 year old Alex, who got crystals in his urine and suffered, for several weeks before I could not do anything but put him down poor dear. Then later in January of this year my 10 year old Anya was diagnosed with in operablecancer in her jaw. It was only 10 days later that her poor jaw was red and bloody and she  went on to cat heaven in my arms. 

This left us with only my little 3 year old Kit Kat, so i eventually went on a search for a companion for her to replace her beloved Alex. 

In March, a good friend contacted a lady at church who had a foundling kitty, this became my little Hudson, he was about 10 months old when we adopted him. 

Next, a lady at work begged me to take her big tabby Rufus off her hands, he was also 10 months old but twice the size of Hudson. They were fast friends! 

The Life Dilemma

Here is the BIG QUESTION: To euthanize or not?


Let me 'splain. 


So i am VERY pro-life, BUT I have this 20-year old cat. 


She has been a wonderful and faithful companion for twenty years! I owe her a lot for being there during all the hard times, lowering my blood pressure and bringing lots of companionship, laughter and love into the lives of my children and I. 


She wheezes when she breathes now. Her feet are misshapen and probably arthritic. Take her to the vet you say? Well even IF the vet took food stamps I am currently out of them and will not get more for a week. Now the poor dear has a weepy eye and seems almost deaf. 


There has been some talk with friends that there may be a Humane society clinic Where i can take her and turn her in. But i will feel like a traitor on SO many levels. What should I do? 

WOW

Its been almost a year since my last post! Too long i think. What's on my mind now? Lots of things that are not positive but setting my boring future aside.....here is what i am thinking about a lot lately:

Tradition!

Traditioooooooonn sang Tevya the milkman in Fiddler on the Roof!
Tradition! That is not of GOD, say protestants of certain stripes

Its not our tradition...say some.

Does the Sacred Word of God forbid traditions? NO by no means! The Bible only rails against the "traditions of men". So what are the traditions of GOD? Are they the adaptations of Jewish worship and prayers incorporated into the new worship of the new religion of Christianity by the first apostles of Jesus Christ? OR are they "new" ways of worship invented by those who believe they are lead by the Holy Spirit of God today?

If you were Jesus Christ what what you say? Seems to this humble soul, that if Jesus hand-picked certain men to found the new faith and gave them authority we should follow their traditions.

WHO is Jesus addressing here in this passage--specifically?

Matthew 16  ¹³ When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

   ¹⁴ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

   ¹⁵ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

   ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

   ¹⁷ Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you that you are Peter,^[b] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades^[c] will not overcome it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be^[d] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be^[e] loosed in heaven.” ²⁰ Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

I was taught, years ago in a Christian talk that Jesus was addressing all believers here, but the person pulled verse 19 out all by itself. However, is that the reality here? or is Jesus doing a specific thing here? For over a fifteen hundred years believers thought that this scripture was as straight as it appears. When did we get to make our own interpretations of this out of context? only in the last 50 years i would theorize. 

Lastly, another question, when did the freedom spoken of as a legacy of the power of the Cross and resurrection of Christ become freedom OF religion? When did Religion become a "bad guy"? I believe that Satan wins a round with us if because some people abused a good thing we throw out the good thing altogether. Lets not hand Satan and his ilk any more wins! Please!

An old poster from the wall in my room

Max Ehrmann

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,

and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible without surrender

be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly;

and listen to others,

even the dull and the ignorant;

they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,

they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,

you may become vain and bitter;

for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;

it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs;

for the world is full of trickery.

But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;

many persons strive for high ideals;

and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.

Especially, do not feign affection.

Neither be cynical about love;

for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment

it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,

gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.

But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.

Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,

be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,

no less than the trees and the stars;

you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,

no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,

whatever you conceive Him to be,

and whatever your labors and aspirations,

in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,

it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.

The Skull and Crossbones at the Foot of the Cross

The earliest Crucifixes (they were not ashamed to put Jesus on the cross, they used the full Crucifix), Had a skull and crossbones at the base of the cross. Ancient peoples believed that Golgotha was the place where the bones of Adam were buried. So when depicting the cross of Christ, they placed the God of Love upon the cross with the bones of "the first Adam" as Paul calls him. at its base.

The precious blood of our Savior dripped down upon the bones of Adam and redeemed him to God. O God on this Passion Friday, Cleanse us by your precious and Holy blood. Redeem us fully, in every area of our lives, right to our very bones.

Love

You love to the degree you're willing to sacrifice for the one you love. -- Fr. John Corapi

I would say that if you do not understand who God really is but claim to worship Him, you are actually worshiping a false God.

God is love, but what is love? It is NOT feelings of attraction or lust. God is LOVE and so HE defines love, His actions ARE love, His works are from love and can be no other. If He allows suffering, it is love, that motivates Him. If He allows us our free will it is because of His love. To love is to be like God. Love lays down ones life for another, love sacrifices all for the beloved.

God gave us His very best, His ONLY BEGOTTEN(not made) Son. He allowed Him to suffer and to die, for us.

To call the silly selfish desires that we have to keep someone ours so that we might feel good is not love. Love desires what is best for the Beloved.

I have a friend that God called called to Him recently, This was out of God's love. And though her husband suffers loss and her children miss her dearly, this too is love.

My most popular post

About a year and a half ago i was on a futile search for the name of a song that i loved. I thought the name was from the Chorus You made me alive, But it is not! The song is called Gift of God made popular by Justin Rizzo. I have found that many people all over the place have been searching for this song also, which says to me that it has a real anointing of the Holy Spirit on it. So since I have had more hits for that original post, than any other on my blog, i am reposting the song here.

Enjoy!    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLelQGoQlqs   

UNBELIEVABLE!

Is Ritual and Ceremony Important to God?

I was challenged over Christmas by a family member who said that ritual and ceremony were not important to God, only your relationship to Him is important. .

Let's just look at our relationship with God. If I treat God at least the way that I treat my beloved friends and family, I would find out more about Him. What are His habits, likes and dislikes, what kind of information do I have to base my relationship with this all-important person in my life?

Well I have the Bible and some other early writings of people who knew Jesus Christ first or even second-hand. If I start in the Bible, in the Old Testament i come to places where God specifically called for ritual and ceremony, He ordered a place of meeting, at first a tent, then later a building or temple. He also ordered statuary and vessels for the ceremonies. He proscribed the way that He was to be worshiped and adored in the tent or temple. Hmmm. Well, you ask, I thought Jesus did away with all that stuff?

Let's look at Jesus, He went to the temple and he had a Bar-Mitzvah, and he read his Half-Torah. He went to the temples first to preach until they threw Him out. He kept passover, we know this for certain and He honored the local marriage Ceremony with his presence also.

What about His followers did they seem to think that ceremony and ritual was now passe"? Well when we look at our earliest record of Jesus followers they risked their lives to get together for mass(breaking bread together).

I would conclude that in my relationship with Jesus Christ, I better get on board and embrace Ritual and Ceremony.

Let's Digress into Humor a Bit

Because laughing is supposed to tighten up stomach muscles!!! lol

The Fat Man's Prayer

Lord, my soul is ripped with riot,
Incited by my wicked diet.
We are what we eat, said a wise old man,
And Lord, if that's true, I'm a garbage can!
I want to rise on Judgment Day, that's plain,
But at my present weight, I'll need a crane!

So grant me strength that I may not fall
Into the clutches of cholesterol.
May my flesh with carrot curls be sated
That my soul may be polyunsaturated.
And show me the light that I may bear witness
To the President's Council on Physical Fitness.

At oleomargarine I'll never mutter,
For the road to hell is spread with butter.
And cake is cursed, and cream is awful,
And Satan is hiding in every waffle.
Mephistopheles lurks in provolone,
The devil is in each slice of bologna,
Beelzebub is a chocolate drop,
And Lucifer is a lollipop!

Give me this day my daily slice -
But cut it thin and toast it twice.
I beg upon my dimpled knees,
Deliver me from Jujubees.
And my when days of trial are done
And my war with malted milks is won,
Let me stand with the saints in heaven
In a shining robe - Size 7!

I can do it, Lord, if you'll show to me
The virtues of lettuce and celery.
If you'll teach me the evils of mayonnaise,
The sinfulness of hollandaise
And pasta a la milanese
And potatoes a la lyonaise
And crisp fried chicken from the south!
Lord, if you love me, SHUT MY MOUTH!

Victor Buono

The Barrow Wight

I listen to the singing of the Barrow Wight

As I lie helpless upon the slab

The Cold seeping up from my feet

Into my heart, fogging my brain

I reach across to my best companion

Upon the slab next to me

But cannot see him, or find his hand to grasp

I cannot remember the song

To summon the fellow in the Bright Blue cap

Long years of Westernesse lie upon me

The bright jewels scattered about are useless baubles

With no sun to illuminate them

In this Barrow Mound

S

The Bed of Pain

God speaks to us in many ways, one of them, noted in scripture, is The bed of pain.

I have been home for over a week with severe Bronchitus. It is very similar to the time I had pneumonia. I have been stuck in the house, alone most of the time, with no one to talk to but cats. Now cats ARE wonderful companions but they are a little bit selfish and lazy. They never bring me breakfast or lunch or any other meal in bed, or any of the other accouterments of a good nurse.

So, as in most of my life, if there is a significant change, i look up and say "Why God? What are You doing? What do you want from me?".

This time HE took his time letting me know(or was it me not listening...). But I am starting to get the message, that He wants more of my time and to make some course corrections.

I really wish i was not so dense and heard His voice without the "bed of pain" but I am not....Sigh...

Apart From Me You Can do Nothing.

From today's reading in Luke 5:

After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,
“Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.”
Simon said in reply,
“Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing,
but at your command I will lower the nets.”
When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish
and their nets were tearing.
They signaled to their partners in the other boat
to come to help them.
They came and filled both boats
so that the boats were in danger of sinking.

So many times in our lives we are working so hard for God. But have we asked God what He wants us to do? The disciples found that when they followed Jesus Instructions the catch was overwhelming!

I have been chagrined to find that my efforts get nowhere, but when i commit them to God He makes them bear fruit. Sometimes He lets me know i am fishing in the wrong place and sometimes, I believe, He just needed me to acknowledge His Lordship in what i am doing to bring forth a blessing.