Normalizing Perversion

Good grief!  What acrobatics we put out consciences through to justify our actions!  I'm thinking of how young adults justify "recreational sex."

"We've made a personal commitment to each other."  That's their reason.  Mmmm, like I've made a personal commitment to feed my cat every day?  Walk the door?  Take care of my pets?

Is that what love has been reduced to---a personal commitment?

(Thank you Jesus for Dick, my hubby.)

That kind of personal commitment doesn't do it for me.  I want a sacred covenant relationship, made before God, and sealed with the Eucharist.

How did we ever get to this stage of human development?

Isn't love a supreme desire to seek the true good of the other person?  Forever and ever?  A desire to grow old together?  To enjoy children together?

The nature of marriage is love. I always think of Tobit praying before taking his wife, "... And so I do not take my sister for any lustful motive; I do it in singleness of heart..."

What is the nature of a personal commitment--depends (feed the cat, etc.).  Do couples in "personal commitments" take their partners not for lust?  

Nowadays, people don't take sex outside of marriage, seriously.  The culture promotes recreational sex. No  one sees any wrong in it.  Our culture has so perverted society that sex before marriage is normal.  I feel especially sorry for young women.  They have rationalized that their bodies' main purpose is to pleasure men.  Is it fun to have your hymen broken? Is it pleasurable to have sex, rather than make love?  She is also taking the risk of pregnancy, and her partner is letting her take it. I think this is a perversion of love.  The personal commitment isn't about love; it's normalizing perversion.  

(Thank you Jesus for Dick, my hubby.)

Evangelization of Witness

Pay attention to my parish's seminarian, Patrick Fiorillo. His journey is what we hope for all our children, indeed, all people.

Advent is Waiting

Msgr. Peter Conley

Msgr. Peter reminisced about "waiting."  When he was a boy of eleven years, he loved his father most.  His father was the head of the family and always insisted upon the family eating supper together.  One day there was a blizzard.  He had no school.  It snowed all day.

Dinner time came and his father wasn't home yet.  The family waited half an hour.  They waited an hour.  No one voiced what they were thinking.

Peter worried that something had happened to his father.  After a couple of hours, he told his mother that he was going to wait at the bus stop.  His mother didn't stop him.  So Peter bundled up to walk in the snow and trudged out.  He walked up the side street.  He walked up the main street, crossed the railroad tracks, climbed the little hill, and stood at the bridge.

There were two busses his father could take.  One would stop at the bridge, and then cross over the bridge.  The other would stop at the bridge, and continue on straight.  Peter waited.  He saw bus headlights down the road.  He waited.  He watched the bus slowly, ever so slowly make its way to the bridge.  One person got off.

Peter held his breath.  He couldn't make out the face.  But the person that got off the bus was a man.  Then the man pulled down his hat, and Peter recognized his father's mannerisms and let out a sigh of relief.

That's waiting.  Advent is waiting for Christ to come.

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

It's Sunday, again!  That means it's time for A Catholic Carnival's Sunday Snippets, generously hosted by R'Ann and her This and That and the Other Thing Blog.  I suggest that you go over to her blog to see what Sunday Snippets is all about.

R'Ann was talking about her favorite title for Mary, which for her is Our Lady of Divine Providence.  My favorite title is Our Lady of Mercy because that's the title of my Lay Dominican Chapter.  The Chapter is inside a prison, so we have a very heartfelt connection to Our Lady of Mercy.

What happened this week?

Monday -- I did a book review of Ruby Heart by Cristelle Comby.  This is book two, of a detective series.  The detectives are a unique complementary combination.

Tuesday -- my thoughts about Father George's homily.

Wednesday -- I made a fool of myself, again--almost.

Thursday -- Catechesis about the Church Fathers.

Friday -- A post about hubby's toilet paper fetish.

Saturday -- Two posts: a quiz to help buying Christmas presents, and Father Jerry almost catching on fire, from the Advent Wreath.

I'm happy I went to church on Saturday, because I feel a cold coming on, and since I've been to Mass already,I can stay home and gather in my defenses to battle any germs lurking around, waiting to attack.

The Holy Spirit and Fire Ignites Priest

We almost had a real live demonstration of Matt. 3: 11-12, and/or a catastrophic event.  Father Jerry Hogan, the circus priest, almost went up in flames.  No he wasn't performing, just giving a homily.  It wasn't boring before the fire, and it certainly wasn't after.

Father Jerry was talking about John the Baptist proclaiming:

 I indeed baptize you with water...He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

When the people sitting on the side aisle starting exclaiming.  "Look out...the candles...your vestments...the flame...the chasuble...catching fire...Advent wreath..."

Father Jerry looked behind him.  Father Jerry jumped down three steps at once!!!!!

Whew!

Thanks be to God that he wasn't hurt.  Nothing happened.  The Advent Wreath is placed on the floor in front of the altar.  And that's where Father Jerry stands to give the homily.  The vestments weren't even scorched.

I think this is one homily I will never forget, (nor Father Hogan).

Quiz to Help You Find the Perfect Present

Are you overwhelmed with thoughts of what to get people?  Money and gift cards show no thought.  You want to do better than that.  This quiz  will help.

1.     Does the person like music?

2.     Does the person like to read?

3.     Does the person watch movies?

4.     Does the person dress stylishly?

5.     Does the person wear rude, crazy, tee shirts?

6.     Is the person a sports fanatic?

7.     Does the person wear pajamas?

8.     Is the person sentimental?

9.     How close is the person to you?

10.     How much money do you have to spend?

So take the questions you answered "yes" to, and take questions "9" and "10" into consideration, and you should have a pretty good idea what to buy.

Toilet Paper Roll School of Thought

Yesterday, the RCIA catechumenate discussed self-esteem and narcissism.  Self-esteem is good.  You should be proud and have faith in yourself.  Narcissism is too much self-esteem.  You would never think of anyone but yourself; rules and laws don't apply to you.  Narcissists think they're always right.

When it comes to going to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, they're in a quandary.  They probably wonder why they have to, because they haven't sinned.  Everyone understood this.

Everything was going along fine, until someone mentioned that narcissists don't change the toilet paper in the bathroom because they had what they needed; let the next person change the roll.  Everyone laughed but me.  Hubby is always accusing me of doing this.  But I don't think I'm being narcissistic.  It's just because I change it when it's near the end of the roll.  He always wants an extra one handy, all the time.  I claim it's just a different school of thought, not narcissism.

Do you see my point?

The Christmas Cactus does well next to the toilet paper.