Support Massachusetts National Guard 1/182nd Infantry Unit

Ranger Rosary

My friend, Ken is currently deployed in Afghanistan.  There aren't any PXs there, so he and the other troops need to rely on care packages.  If you would like to help out here is a list.  If you're wondering what the Silly String is for, it's to help to detect trip wires.

DRINKS:  Sweetened instant Kool-Aid, Lemonade, Tang, Tea, Coffee, Powdered Gatorade, Hot Chocolate, and Powdered Crystal Light.

SNACKS:  Anything Little Debbie, Applesauce Cups, Bean Dips, Beef Jerky, Beef Sausage Logs, Bowl Appetite Dinners, Breakfast Bars, Bubble Gum, Jello-O and Pudding Cups, Licorice, Lifesavers, Microwave Popcorn, Mints, Oreos, Pasta Anytime Dinners, Peanut Butter,  Pop Tarts, Powdered Milk, Pretzels, Pumpkin Seeds, Raisin, Ready to Eat Soups, Saltines, Sardines, Slim Jims, Canned Salmon, Cereal, Cheese Dips, Chips, Salsa, Pre-packaged Cookies, Crackers, Cup O'Noodles, Dinty Moore Meals, Mac n' Cheese packages, Tuna pouches, Dried Fruit, Sun Flower Seeds, Fruit Cups, Velveeta, hard candy like sweet tarts, spree, lollipops, canned cheese, packaged or canned nuts of all kinds.

TOILETRIES:  Bar soap (regular size), Body Wash, Bounce Sheets, Carmex, Chap Stick, Deodorant, Q-Tips, and disposable razors, room fresheners, Shampoo, Sun Block, Toilet Paper, individually wrapped, Toothbrushes, Toothpaste, Handy Wipes, Moisturizers, wet-naps, band-aids, shaving cream, mouthwash, baby wipes, tooth picks, dental floss, nail files, odor eaters, hand sanitizers, insect repellent.

MEDICINES AND VITAMINS:  Daily Vitamins, Tylenol, eye drops, foot powder, aspirin, Rolaids, Popto Bismol, Tums, Imodium AD, Cortisone cream, Motrin, Vitamin C, Neosporin.

MISCELLANEOUS: Paper, writing pads, peel'n seal envelopes (as gummed flaps stick together in the heat), Greeting Cards, Qt./Gal. Ziploc Bags, Chilly Willy Neck Coolers, AA and AAA batteries, pens (black ink), Mini Kleenex packs.

FUN STUFF: Disposable Cameras, Note Pads, Greeting Cards, Dice, Poker Chips, Puzzle Books, Nurf Footballs, Yo-yos, Crossword puzzles, Sudoku, Word Finds, Pocket Electronic games, balls, holiday fun items, (Santa hats, Christmas stockings, Halloween, etc.)

PERSONAL ITEMS:  Small hand towels, white tube socks cotton, bandanas (washed and softened) to shield their faces from sand.  Silly String to help detect trip wires.  Small medical kits to carry on missions.  Sturdy Combat Rosary Beads.  Bibles.

Please send them to:

SSG Kenneth Gormley
PRT Farah
FOB Farah
APO AE 09382
                                              Thanks everyone!

Vote Them Out

Image via Wikipedia

I've been reading about New York passing the same sex marriage bill.   What really bothers me is the process.  I'm not against gay people.  All people have dignity.  I don't agree with same sex marriage, but that's not what disturbs me about the states that are passing same sex marriage.

What disturbs me is that it's not the will of the people.

That's one big, fat reason, to oppose the same sex marriage bill.  Others could be Genesis 2: 24, and the Catechism Article 7, 1604.  But I don't have to quote anything religious.  It's just not right for state legislatures to oppose the will of their constituents and vote on redefining traditional  marriage.  Marriage!  The backbone of civilization!  The state is changing society.  It is trying to redefine traditional families.  How do you define social engineering?

Why don't politicians put the question of same-sex marriage on the ballot?  It's not put to the people because same-sex marriage would never pass.  So why do the state legislatures vote it in?

Money.

The Huffington Post states that well-funded gay-rights supporters helped pass the same sex bill.

 "The passage of historic legislation legalizing same sex marriage in the state of New York last Friday was owed in large part to a compelling political motivator: money."

Remember this, everyone.  Your representatives are not representing you.  They vote where the money is.
VOTE THEM OUT.

Map:
Laws regarding same-sex partnerships in the United States

  Same-sex marriage¹

  Unions granting rights similar to marriage^1,2

  Legislation granting limited/enumerated rights¹

  Same-sex marriages performed elsewhere recognized¹

  No specific prohibition or recognition of same-sex marriages or unions

  Statute bans same-sex marriage

  Constitution bans same-sex marriage

  Constitution bans same-sex marriage and some or all other kinds of same-sex unions

¹May include recent laws or court decisions which have created legal recognition of same-sex relationships, but which have not entered into effect yet.
²Same-sex marriage laws in California are complicated;

It's Official

It's announced in Zenit.  My hero, my favorite friar, priest, spiritual guru...Pere Marie Jean-Joseph Lataste, O.P. will be proclaimed "Blessed."

15 Advance Toward Beatification or Canonization

VATICAN CITY, JUNE 28, 2011 (Zenit.org).- A Mexican nun who died just 30 years ago is among the newest group of canonization and beatification causes to advance with the approval of Benedict XVI.

At a meeting Monday with Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints' Causes, the Pope approved the following decrees: ;

Miracles attributed to the intercession of:

-- Mariano Arciero, Italian diocesan priest (1707-1788).

-- Jean-Joseph (born Alcide Lataste), French priest of the Order of Friars Preachers and founder of the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Dominic of Betania (1832-1869).

-- María Inés Teresa del Santísimo Sacramento (born Manuela de Jesús Arias Espinosa), Mexican founder of the Poor Clare Missionary Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament and the Missionaries of Christ for the Universal Church (1904-1981).

-- Hildegard Burjan, German laywoman and founder of the Sisters of Social Charity (1883-1933).

The Pope recognized the martyrdom of:

-- Salvio Huix Miralpeix, bishop of Lleida, Spain, killed in hatred of the faith in 1936.

-- Karl Lampert, Austrian diocesan priest and pro-vicar of the apostolic administration of Innsbruck Feldkirch, killed in hatred of the faith in 1944.

-- Josefa Martínez Pérez of the Congregation of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, and 12 companions, killed in hatred of the faith in 1936.

The Holy Father recognized the heroic virtue of:

-- Giovanni Marinoni (born Francesco), Italian professed priest of the Order of Theatine Clerics Regular (1490-1562).

-- José María García Lahiguera, archbishop of Valencia, Spain, and founder of the Congregation of Oblate Sisters of Christ the Priest (1903-1989).

-- Matthew Kadalikattil, Indian diocesan priest and founder of the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (1872-1935).

-- Raffaele Dimiccoli, Italian diocesan priest (1887-1956).

-- Sofia Czeska-Maciejowska, Polish founder of the Congregation of the Virgins of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1584-1650).

-- Maria Giuseppina Benvenuti (born Zeinab Alif), Sudanese professed religious of the Order of St. Clare (1845/46-1926).

-- Laura Meozzi, Italian professed religious of the Institute of Daughters of Our Lady of Help (1873-1951).

-- Luigia (Gina) Tincani, Italian founder of the Union of St. Catherine of Siena of the Missionary Sisters of Schools (1889-1976).

For more information of Fr. Lataste, go to this site, with a biographical timeline.   

Pope Sends First Tweet

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Talk about the media!

Using The Power of the Media

I'm sick of the media.  As I've blogged before on July 30, and September 23, 25, 30, of this year, the media will say anything to sell its product.  My first inclination is to throw my apron off and retreat to the Cape and vegetate.  But on second thought, as attractive as that may be, I feel called to do battle.  I may still head down to the Cape, but not to retreat.  I'm fighting the modern, cultural spin, to what is the Truth.  I'll do my part to expose the misconstruction and throw light on what is true.  

Cardinal Christoph Schonborn

I wrote this last Nov, upon hearing that the Pope was condoning condoms...NOT!  Anyway, I just read Fr. Tim's blog, The Hermeneutic of Continuity, where the media turned the minds of the powers that be.


What am I talking about?


In the past, Vienna had these sacrilegious Masses.  Writing to Cardinal Schonborn had no appreciable affect.  Neither did writing to the Vatican.  Petitions didn't work, either.  It was Gloria TV blasting video clips on the internet that got everyone's attention.  That worked.  As Father Tim said, " If a picture is worth a thousand words, a YouTube (or Gloria TV) is worth a lot more. You could write several thousand words to Bishops and Vatican dicasteries and get nowhere, but a short video clip buzzing around the Catholic blogosphere can be an economic way for the laity to exercise their right under canon law to manifest their concerns to their pastors."fb


uzzinga picture is worth a thousand words, a YouTube (or Gloria TV) video is worth quite a lot more. You could write several thousand words to Bishops and Vatican dicasteries and get nowhere, but a short video clip buzzing round the Catholic blogosphere can be an economic way for the laity to exercise their right under canon law to manifest their concerns to their pastors.

Related articles

• "Western Mass" stopped Deo Gratias (the-hermeneutic-of-continuity.blogspot.com)

Dominican Province of St. Joseph | Miracle approved for Père Lataste Blog | op-stjoseph.org

Dominican Province of St. Joseph | Miracle approved for Père Lataste Blog | op-stjoseph.org

Yes, finally what we Dominicans have been praying for --  B16 has approved a miracle for Pere M. Jean-Joseph Lataste, O.P.  Pere Lataste is known for founding the Dominican Sisters of Bethany.  We who follow his spirituality are excited.

 It is a spirituality that is understood in the context of redemption, particularly through Jesus Christ, in the death He suffered after being taken prisoner from the Garden of Gethsemane. It is a spirituality that directs preaching to challenging situations of despair, into offering hope through redemption. Here is where the Word of God is to be announced, especially to the prisons, where our Messiah was sent "to proclaim liberty to prisoners." (Luke 3:18)

Something I wrote for Facebook.

Kindness

Kindness is something I continually work on.  I really don't think that I'm an unkind person; it's just that I'm not focused on others.  I don't notice the name tag on the cashier.  I don't see that you're having difficulty doing something. I don't hear what your want.

I'm thinking of something else.

And that's not necessarily thinking of myself.  I may be trying to think of ways to help someone.

Maybe I'm rationalizing.  Anyway, I struggle with this.

This morning I witnessed kindness personified.  I observed a cashier say something nice to every single person he encountered.  At first, I thought that the person he was "chit chatting" with was a friend.  But he carried on a constant patter with everyone.  Also, I observed his customers' reactions.  Everyone he met came away smiling.

Even me.

Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.  Matt. 25:34-6,40 

My Prayer for Young People

This post is what I sent in response to  Meghan Wenger's request for stories.  (See my post on June 14, 2011.) She is going to be a junior at Boston College.  She is working on a book project and looking for examples and reasons for young people to be Catholic.  It's not too late for you to help her out, also.  She'd like your story by July 1st, 2011.  Send it to catholicinspires@gmail.com   

      I was in front of the altar pronouncing my wedding vows, and privately promising God that I would use this vocation of marriage as a means to save my soul, and take my husband, and any future children, along with me.  This Catholic ceremony was very important to me.  I wanted the sacramental grace that only the Catholic Church can give.  Sure I can get married by the Town Clerk and have a piece of paper that says I’m married legally.  Sure I can stand in front of a justice of the peace, and my husband and I can make personal commitments to God.  And sure, we could have just lived together and made a commitment between ourselves.  But I wanted more.  I wanted the best.  I wanted what only the Catholic Church can offer – sacramental grace.  To Catholics, marriage is a sacrament!  It is that important. 

            All the milestones in my life are marked with special religious signs: birth (Baptism), childhood (First Communion and First Penance), Teen years (Confirmation), choice of vocation (Marriage, Priesthood), and death (Sacrament of the Sick, formerly known as Last Rites).   I love them all.  I love the Traditions, the Communion of Saints, Mary, and most of all, the Eucharist.  Being Catholic is part of my identity.  It’s how I view the world. 

            Let’s take one modern issue.  Today’s culture tells us that people thinking of marriage should cohabitate to see if they’re compatible.  Today’s culture is also telling us that homosexuals should be able to get married.  Today’s culture also encourages divorce if things don’t work out.  Can’t you see how this perception is weakening families?  The modern cultural perception of marriage is just plain wrong. 

The Church has always encouraged strong family life.  Its voice can be heard opposing anything threatening the traditional definition of marriage.  Strong families are something that not only the church needs, but also society.  Our present culture of easy divorce, cohabitation, and same sex marriage is redefining the family.  It is undermining the traditional family.  The Church teaches us to uphold the family.  I agree.  To tell you the truth, I think this present idea of co-habitation is nothing more than free maid service with sex.  I see no advantage for a girl doing this.  The guy gets free sex, maybe even some rent money, and probably someone who’ll cook and do laundry. 

             Catholic family life does not only include the biological family.  Being Catholic means you are part of a larger community.  This is most powerfully symbolized in the Eucharist—the central sacrament of our faith.  Understanding the Eucharist, one learns that we are never alone.  God is with us in Holy Communion.  When we receive the Blessed Sacrament, we are one with God.  We can open ourselves to God’s presence in Eucharistic Adoration, prayers, scriptures, and the reception of sacraments.  Catholics are not alone.  That is why we are concerned about others.  Just as we are one in communion with God, we are also in communion with one another.  We care about the salvation of others’ souls.  Not only do Catholics give to the needy, but we care enough about others to try and stop them from killing themselves, their babies, and others.  Yes, we believe in life.  Life is a gift from God, which is why I love celebrating the different stages of life through our Catholic sacraments.

            Since we have this view of one large Catholic family, Catholics are taught to see and pray for global concerns.  We have a universal vision; yet, Catholicism teaches that each individual is important.  Catholics have a long history, beautiful basilicas, schools, and hospitals, besides its wonderful liturgy and music.  Identifying with the Catholic Church gives everyone a connectedness; they are members of the one true Church founded by Jesus Christ.  Everyone is seen as having an inherent dignity.  Each of us was created by God, and should be treated as such.  

             I’ve found that my Catholic faith has given me the answers to all my real-life questions. Today, however, young people have unique challenges.  When I grew up, I was surrounded by a Catholic culture.  I went to a Catholic school.  Just about all my friends were Catholic, and those that weren’t didn’t think  any differently than I did because they were from religious families that upheld the same Ten Commandments that I was taught.  Television portrayed ideal families that were models for everyone to live up to.  There were even commercials on TV that touted, “The family that prayed together, stayed together.”  My parents didn’t have to be vigilant to raise me with Catholic values, because we were surrounded with them in school, play, and culture.

              Today, the world is the opposite.  Our good Catholic values are mocked.  Traditional families and their values are denigrated.  Even computer games portray unacceptable aggression as fun, exciting, and well—normal.  The words to some songs that I hear are below the minimal standards of decency.  It seems like anything goes.

             One way for our young people to confront this contemptible culture is to be grounded in faith.  If someone is confident in their knowledge, “if they know where they are coming from,” then not only will they not be swayed by all the “bling” of the modern world, but also be able to confront it.  Pope Benedict XVI, in the foreword to the new catechism for young people, YOUCAT, says

So I beg you: Study this Catechism with passion and perseverance.  Make a                                                        sacrifice of your time for it!  Study it in the quiet of your room; study it with a                                                   friend; form study groups and networks; share with each other on the                                                                                           Internet.                                                                                                                                                                      …You need to know what you believe.  You need to know your faith with                                                                            that same precision with which an IT specialist knows the inner workings                                                                                         of a computer.  You need to understand it like a good musician knows the                                                                                   piece he is playing.  Yes, you need to be more deeply rooted in the faith than                                                                             the generation of your parents so that you can engage the challenges and                                                                                                     temptations of this time with strength and determination.

           Times have changed.  The world and its culture does not support Catholic families.  You have to work at being and staying Catholic, but it’s worth it.  Young people need to study their faith: the catechism, scriptures, Bible commentaries, papal encyclicals, Church history, and writings of the Church Fathers.  They need to be active in their parishes. 

           My faith has enabled me to make sense of the world.   I have always felt supported by my religion, i.e., spiritually, and emotionally and physically in my parish community.   Knowing that I am connected to a universal Church, with people praying for me and my needs has always been a comfort, and a source of strength.  Being Catholic for me is a concrete experience, not just an idea.  To see my children carrying on the Church customs and traditions is a source of comfort for me, because I know they’ll be all right.  Their needs will be met the best they can be.  All they have to do is to remain faithful.   This is my prayer for my family and all young people.

Magnificat

Heads up!
   Magnificat has published the New Missal.

There's the Roman Missal for Mass,
                 Chapel Edition,        
                 Pew Cards,
                 and the Magnificat Companion for people like me who like to use the monthly magazine Magnificat.

They'll be out in October. Order them now.
            

A Catholic Eucharistic Flash Mob

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ5aYoSr3Hg

A Eucharistic flash mob in the centre of Preston, organised by the Capuchin Franciscans on Ascension Thursday 2011.

New Vatican Website

A new Website enhances the Vatican on the net

BOOKS AND TECNOLOGY

At the end of June a new Website will add to the information available about the Holy See

VATICAN INSIDER STAFFVATICAN CITY

The website will go online on June 29, on the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul, and will be the Vatican's new information site.

The www.news.va website is being promoted by the Pontifical Council for Social Communications. The project involves a synergy between the communication tools which have been available on the internet for many years: online information provided by L' Osservatore Romano, Vatican Radio and the Fides news agency of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, as well as news published on the Vatican's press office's websites and the Vatican Television Center.

A Catholic Priest Needs Your Help NOW

A Catholic Priest Needs Your Help Right Now!

"My dear friends, be aware of the great gift that priests represent for the Church and the world. Through their ministry the Lord continues to save mankind, to make Himself present, to sanctify. Give thanks to God and above all remain close to your priests with prayer and support, especially in moments of difficulty".

May 5th, 2010 General Audience

    

We provide life-saving care for thousands of priests experiencing difficulties. Please join us as a partner in mission today.

     Opus Bono Sacerdotii is a Catholic charity that in partnership with our benefactors, assist bishops, religious superiors, and Vatican officials in finding solutions for the proper care and treatment of priests who are experiencing difficulties. In the past nine years since our founding we have been contacted by thousands of priests and many bishops, including the Holy See.

     I would like to ask you to consider helping us as a partner in missionwith a donation, so that we can provide much needed support to Catholic priests for their healing and renewal.

     A Catholic priest needs your help right now! Please consider making a donation today. For your convenience, I have posted the link below to make an on-line donation if you prefer.

     I look forward to hearing from you soon and may Our Lady of Priests be your health and your protection!

     Sincerely,

     Joe Maher
     President & Co-Founder
     joemaher@opusbono.org

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• Opus Bono Sacerdotii: Work for the Good of the Priesthood (deaconjohnspace.wordpress.com)

Au Revoir Not Adieu

This is the entire post from a Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Corpus Christi 1983-1997 explaining Fr. John Corapi's announcement.  See my post from June 17th, where I posted my thoughts on Corapi's posting.  I was shocked to read other bloggers' comments.  It seemed that they read that Fr. John was quitting the priesthood.  He was leaving in a snit.  Whatever it they were reading had a negative connotation.

Was I reading the same thing they were?  I was doubting my sanity, until I read ABYSSUS ABYSSUM INVOCAT/ DEEP CALLS TO DEEP   Yes, this explanation follows along the my line of thinking.

Great Pyrenees Sheep Dog Guarding the Flock

FIRST OF ALL LET ME ESTABLISH THAT I HAVE NOT SPOKEN WITH FATHER CORAPI.

The fact that he has chosen the nom de plume of The Black Sheep Dog is revealing:  he cares for the flock of sheep he has been ministering to all these years, sheep that he well knows are of the Lord’s flock, not his.

As a suspended priest he cannot function publicly as a priest, but he can continue to evangelize as long as he does not present himself to the public as a priest.

Every baptized person is given the obligation of being a witness to the truth, of being an evangelizer.  In Father Corapi’s case, the obligation is all the greater in view of the gift of the sacramental priesthood he has been given.  Prevented (hopefully only temporarily) from exercising that priesthood in a public manner during his suspension, he is aware of his obligation to be a witness to the truth and to continue to evangelize.  He evidently intends to do so until his suspension is lifted not as Father John Corapi but as The Black Sheep Dog.

As a good sheep dog he will continue to try to protect the flock from the dangers of heresy, heterodoxy, and all other forms of untruth.

I think it is a stroke of genius that he chose the image of the sheep dog’s eyes for his blog’s masthead.  I have a ranch.  I have sheep.  I have two wonderful sheep dogs, one a Great Pyrenees and the other an Anatolian Shepherd.  I know that they are constantly on the alert for dangers threatening the sheep.  They look with one eye for coyotes  (we do not have wolves in South Texas) and they constantly keep one eye on the sheep.  His avatar is perfect for the role he intends to perform as a shepherd.

Now, until his suspension is lifted, he is free from the Church’s prohibition on clerics participating in the political life of the nation.  Given his past outspoken criticism of the current slide of our government to become more and more like the socialist governments of Europe, I think that we can expect to hear The Black Sheep Dog speak out more openly on the burning issues we will face in the election year of 2012.  I know from my own experience that God sometimes “writes straight with crooked lines” as the Portuguese put it, and so perhaps God is using this new (unwanted) freedom from ecclesiastical restraint to permit The Black Sheep Dog to say some important things in the next 16 months on those burning issues.

I believe that he is justified in not seeking to clear his name through a canonical process; at the present time such processes are very flawed in most dioceses.  Rather I would like to believe that he intends to try to clear his name through the civil courts.  Since I believe that his accuser is a former manager of his media company who he terminated with some kind termination agreement, and since she has evidently sought revenge for her termination by writing to the Bishop of Corpus Christi denouncing Father John, I believe that it is possible for him to do so and I wish him every success in such an endeavor.  The basis for his lawsuit would probably be defamation of character, libel, extortion, breech of contract, or whatever.

Reading some of the comments on his blog I am appalled at the viciousness of some of them.  It is obvious that there is very little if any love in the hearts of some of the writers.  It is almost as though some of those writers are filled with hatred for the Catholic Church and/or its priests.  It is possible to disagree about almost anything without resorting to ad hominem personal attacks.

What many of these hostile commentators seem to be unaware of is the fact that Father John Corapi does not belong to a religious order or congregation.  He belongs to a Society of Apostolic Life.  He is not a priest of the Diocese of Corpus Christi, he is incardinated in the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity,  a diocesan Society of Apostolic life that I established in the Diocese of Corpus Christi when I was the Ordinary of the Diocese.  He has never held an assignment in the Diocese nor has he ever worked in the Diocese.   Following his ordination in Rome in 1991 by Blessed Pope John Paul II he has ministered in many places, but not in the Diocese of Corpus Christi.  With the permission of his superiors he established his media company in Montana and has lived there ever since.  As a member of that Society (The Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity) Father John is not bound by a vow of poverty.  He is bound by a promise of obedience to his superior, the General Priest Servant of the Society.

These are just a few thoughts on Father John Corapi’s announcement yesterday.

The Mystery of the Trinity

Image via Wikipedia

Trinity Sunday is my feast day.  My religious name is Sister Faith in the Blessed Trinity.  I love that name because people use it all the time, every time they pray, "In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

Non-believers may ask, "I thought you believers believed in one God?"  "We do."

Of course, this line of thought leads to an explanation of the Trinity.  No explanation can do justice to the reality of God being three unique Persons, and at the same time One Person.  One can try to explain the Trinity by referencing the Bible, but the word, Trinity, as such, is not mentioned in the Bible.  There is no verse that says "God is a Trinity."  But this doesn't prove anything.  There are many words and phrases that Christians use, which are not found in the Bible.  The word "Bible" is not found in the Bible.  But the term "Holy Trinity," has been used for centuries by Christians to embody the concept of Trinity, which is presented as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Many have tried to explain the concept of Trinity.  Sometimes they help to understand, but they all have their limitations.  I have encountered "1x1x1=1."  The Trinity is like "ice" also "water" and also "vapor,"  but all are H2O.  And then there's the egg: shell, white, yolk.  Another example is the Shamrock, i.e., three leaves but one flower.  The triangle consists of three sides, yet one triangle.  At the Quantum physics level, there are particles that are fundamentally three and one at the same time.

All explanations fall short, hence the Trinity is a mystery.

The Athanasian Creed from the fifth century states: "The Father is God; the Son is God; and the Holy Spirit is God.  But there are not three gods, only one God."  The concept is a Christian revelation -- a mystery.  It's impossible to understand.  That's why faith is called a "gift."  Those that believe have the gift.  And for those of us who have this gift -- this faith, are all the richer for it.

After all, we don't understand how our thoughts become words, or how gravity exactly works.  These are physical manifestations that all humans experience, yet don't understand.  Why would anyone expect to understand Divine mysteries?  We accept the Trinity by faith.

Fathers

Fatherhood isn't always as it is portrayed in a Hallmark Card.  Some of us had less than perfect Dads.  But at no time, did I ever doubt his love for me.



If the dead are not raised, what about those who have themselves baptized on behalf of the dead?  If the raising of the dead is not a reality, why be baptized on their behalf?   From the first letter of the apostle Paul to the Corinthians

Lux perpetua luceat ei, Domine.  Requiescat in pace.

Sex and Vocation are Incompatible.

Iphone has a Confession App.  I wanted to use it in Confession, today.  It is recommended.  Really.  You can take it in with you for your notes and you can choose several different Acts of Contrition.

For your personal examination of conscience the App asks certain questions, e.g., age, sex, and vocation.  Well my examination of conscience was just the Ten Commandments list.  OK.

But tonight I wondered if I put down a different vocation, would they give me a more spiritual examination of conscience.

LOL!  I put my correct, name, sex, and age, but when it asked for vocation I put in priest.  You know what the iPhone said?  "INVALID SELECTION Sex and Vocation are incompatible."

After laughing, I changed my sex to male and put in priest.  Ah, the examination of conscience, is much more thorough.  I'm using the priest's examination of conscience for now on.

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Confession

                        I'm not blogging today.  I just went to confession.

Good Bye Father Corapi

I understand.  If you can't do your work under certain conditions, you move on, like St. Paul.  Tonight, I read where Fr. Corapi  saw where the story was leading, and he changed his plans, his route, and has stopped before he was thrown under the bus.

You know the expression, "you can't fight city hall."  Well, you can; it's the church you can't fight, because you can't win.  The way the process works now, it's stacked against accused priests.  A priest is assumed guilty immediately, until proven otherwise.  Crazy?  You bet!

But that's the way it is.  So the priest can't work while his case is being investigated.  Meanwhile, it may never come to a conclusion.  The poor priest is left hanging...hanging....hanging.......

No use batting your head against the wall.  It is what it is.

So to continue doing God's work, Fr. Corapi will not be preaching as a priest, anymore.  His ministry will be different, but continue through writing and other media.  He will not play a losing game where the deck is stacked.  He will not bad mouth the church.  He will simply move on.

Watch for his book, The Black Sheep Dog

Related articles

• These Stone Walls: Are Civil Liberties for Priests Intact? (deaconjohnspace.wordpress.com)
• McGrory: Priest dies of a broken heart (boston.com)
• http://www.themediareport.com/jun2011/mitchell-garabedian-brian-mcgrory.htm
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Preaching

The USCCB has agreed to look into and prepare a document on preaching.  The target date is November 2012.  The paper will look into homilies, specifically.  It sounds like a lively debate ensued over whether or not homilies should include catechesis.  Some say, (and I've been told myself) that homilies are not the place for adult catechesis.  But today's Catholics are so poorly formed in the truths of their Faith, where else will they hear it?  The homily is the only shot some get.

Order of Preachers -- Fr. Timothy Radcliffe

I have a friend who told me that years ago he and his wife would go to have an abortion on Saturday, and go to Mass afterwards, because they didn't know it was wrong.  They received First Eucharist and Confirmation together, so their religion formation ended at age 8.  They never heard the word "abortion" in a homily.

Come to think of it, I've rarely heard the word mention.  I don't think I've ever had a homily on any of the hot buttons that Catholic should be concerned with: abortion, capital punishment, homosexuality, contraception, social justice, etc.

The best homily I ever heard was by Fr. John Currie to my "cloistered brothers."  I still remember it and I don't think I'll ever forget it because there were few women in the congregation, so the homily was directed at the men.  Father told it like it was.  He was right in their face.  I'll never forget it because I was so embarrassed I felt my neck redden.  Father talked about pornography.