the SILENT monks

a story from native canadians..

Elders gathered the children together for some banter and lessons..
The oldest elder speaking, told the children that in each one of them there lives two wolves; one good 'white' wolf, and one evil 'black' wolf, and they are fighting each other. The good wolf is full of compassion, forgiveness and kindness and the bad wolf is full of anger, greed and selfishness. One of the children asked, 'who will win?’ The elder replied,” the one you feed".

why do catholics do that?

Q- Why do Catholics Genuflect?

A-Genuflection is an act of reverence consisting of falling onto (usually) one knee. It originated as a posture of respect of a knight before a king. Today the term is used mostly in the Latin rite of the Catholic Church. Catholics who come into the presence of the Eucharist (stored in the tabernacle) are expected to genuflect on the right knee as a sign of devotion. If the Eucharist is exposed in a monstrance, many Catholics genuflect on both knees.Traditionally, a priest or acolyte passing in front of the tabernacle during the Mass would genuflect each time he passed; however, recent instructions from the Vatican have indicated that it suffices to genuflect once at the beginning and once at the end of Mass.On Good Friday and Holy Saturday, Catholic Churches do not contain the Eucharist. However, there is a custom whereby the faithful genuflect to the crucifix on these days, once it has been revealed in the Good Friday service.

Genuflection is an act of humility. Catholics take seriously the verse that states that 'Every knee shall bow."

Praising Him...

F R I D A Y , N O V E M B E R 2 0 , 2 0 0 9

22,000 Youth in Eucharistic Procession through Kansas City

Cardinal DiNardo gave the keynote at today’s session of the National Catholic
Youth Conference in Kansas City, while Kansas City, Kansas Archbishop Joseph
Naumann led Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction at Sprint
Center. Kansas City – St. Joseph Bishop Robert W. Finn then led 22,000 High
School students through his See City from Sprint Center to the Kansas City
Convention Center. 
to See pics – click read more-

how brave?

A young lad from Cincinatti overheard his father saying that his older brother needed a blood transfusion immediately. The youngster thought it over a while and though he wasn't quite sure what 'these blood transfusions' were, he asked his father, "Dad, can't I give Bud the blood transfusion?" The parents thought it over, and soon the mother took the boy to the clinic. Within fifteen minutes the nurse had removed the half pint of blood that was needed. The boy's jaw was set even though he was shuddering a bit. He raised his manly tear-dimmed eyes to his mother and quietly asked, "Mom, do I die now, like Jesus?" The mother almost fainted when it became clear to her how brave her boy had been. With a burst of love she drew his slightly protesting form to herself as she realized that he had thought that he was giving his life that his brother might live.
Bk1.17

learning something..

Over a hundred years ago a university student found himself on a train by the side of a person who seemed to be a well-to-do peasant. He was praying the Rosary and moving the beads with his fingers."Sir, you still believe in such outdated things?" asked the student of the old man."Yes' I do. Do you not?" asked the man.The student burst out into laughter and said, "I do not believe in such silly things. Take my advice. Throw the Rosary out through this window, and learn what science has to say about it.""Science? I do not understand this science. Perhaps you can explain it to me," the man said humbly with some tears in his eye.The student saw the man was deeply moved. So. to avoid further hurting the feelings of the old man, he said: "Please give me your address and I will send you some literature to help you on this matter."The man fumbled in the inside of his pocket coat and gave the boy his visiting card. On glancing at the card, the student bowed his head in shame and became silent. On the card he read: "Louis Pasteur, Director of the Institute of Scientific Research, Paris."
bulletin.orange
Louis Pasteur (December 27, 1822 – September 28, 1895) was a French chemist and microbiologist best known for his remarkable breakthroughs in the causes and prevention of disease.

from the bar stool

questions or comments overheard at the pub

Q- If the devil is so bad, why doesn't God kill him?

A-The devil is an angel and God created angels to be immortal beings endowed with free will. For God to annihilate an immortal creature for exercising his free will would only mean that the creature was not really given either immortality or free will.
(Michelle Arnold-apologist)

why do catholics do that?

Q- Why do they bless themselves with water when entering the Church?

A-The ritual use of this precious substance is ancient and rooted in the Old Testament. When the Israelites entered the Temple, they had to undergo purifcation by immersion in a mikvah (modern Jews still make use of mikva'ot on Yom Kippur, on wedding days, for purification). These ritual purifications by water prefigured Christian Baptism, which we recall when we bless ourselves (cross ourselves) using holy water upon entering our churches. Devoutly blessing one's self with Holy Water remits venial sins.

When you enter a church, you might find a holy water font (or "stoup") attached to the wall at one or both sides of each door, or you might find a free-standing font. Simply dip the tips of the fingers of your right hand into the water and cross yourself while mentally contemplating the words, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." Make it meaningful, remembering the meaning of your Baptism and mentally expressing your gratitude to God. Many Catholics repeat this process upon leaving the church, too.

eclectic truths..

eclectic truth.283.09
As Christians, we must be prepared for persecution.
As Catholics; sometimes we face more attacks from members in our Church, than outside of it.
We must appreciate and learn to live in a world, that at times may revolt against us being in it.
+ + +

like mysteries..?

In the year of Our Lord...1531..

+ Image painted by God
+ From flowers growing in the winter
+ The constellation of stars (of that night) are depicted on Her mantel
+ On a simple cloth in a salty, humid environment; intact for 500 yrs.
+ Sash tied around waist; (local meaning) She is with Child

+ Standing in prominence in front of the sun (Aztecs worshipped the sun)
+ Responsible for 8 million conversions within first seven years
+ Not destroyed by a bomb blast (was targeted & much of Church destroyed)
+ Cloth and colours repelled a spill of nitric acid (accidental)
+ Black Cross brooch at Her neck
+ Images of people are reflected in Her eyes.. as with real eyes
+ Science has questions, but no explanations..

we ignore the cries.. and need reminding...

who am not..

‘The snorting of his horses, were foretold by Daniel’..

And make no mistake; this is no man of myth, but of flesh and blood.

‘He will be filled with hatred and violence, wearing a mask of goodwill; he will have cunning and deception and will resort to intimidation and the earth will bend beneath his scepter; he will be a learned philosopher, a skillful orator, celebrated in the art of policy and the manufactured sciences; he will repel mockery and ridicule like a snake shedding skin. His rein will be magical, filled with trickery and fame.

Why?
..’this will be permitted to all who have not believed the truth but have delighted in iniquity and will be condemned. God will permit them to be attracted to this false messiah, according credence to his deeds and doctrine, and to follow him in this fiendish life.’

..‘As he succeeds in overcoming the virtuous by a persecution carried to the extreme limit, he will be allowed free rein to all kinds of injustice, and there will be no freedom except for evil.’

from Chesterton's 'Orthodoxy'..

According to most philosophers, God in making the world enslaved it. According to Christianity, in making it, He set it free. God had written, not so much a poem, but rather a play; a play he had planned as perfect, but which had necessarily been left to human actors and stage-managers, who had since made a great mess of it.

where are you going?

if you ask me..

How can anyone ever consider the possibility that Mary had other children and that Jesus had other brothers and sisters? If we do a little reflection, I believe the answers become obvious.

Let’s look at it from a purely human viewpoint. Mary is the only creature on earth and through all of time worthy to be God’s human tabernacle. A purer human did not and will not exist. Mary gave consent and permitted the Holy Spirit to enter, therefore allowing God to truly become flesh.

It is unimaginable that she would be used further to simply reproduce. We are talking about the spouse of the Holy Spirit. After this greatest honor; does anyone actually believe that any mortal could measure up? Preposterous! Mary, the Mother of God, Our Lord, did not concern herself with pursuing personal satisfaction.

control freaks

I am really having a hard time getting my head around the brazen audacity of the bewildering creeps that decree the need for population control. My initial thought is, ‘Who the hell do they think they are?’

They; who had absolutely ’no say’ in becoming a person, feel privileged to the point of deciding the fate of others. Why would they think their opinion counts for more?
Is it because they have a bigger soapbox, or lots of money, or a job with media access?

In the grand scheme of their scheming, they count for zilch!
In fact, unless you believe in an omnipotent God we all count for zilch.
With No God or the god of Nietzsche (ie: one that died) we are left with poor leadership.
Why are the ones in most leadership positions, the ones who are least capable of doing so?

'welcome home'

recommended malt..

ARDBEG 10 Year
Pound for pound one of the best single malts you can buy; as long as you like them smoky.

AROMA - Exceptional balance and depth. At full strength, the aroma is a mix of toffee and chocolate sweetness, cinnamon spice and medicinal phenols. Fresh citrus (lime) with floral notes.
TASTE - The mouthfeel is firstly lightly spiced, then chewing, and mouthwatering and full, finally drying.
FINISH - Long and smoky. A balanced smoky salty-sweetness is left on the palate.

what is faith?

When we see an object, light bounces off it, then reaches our eye and is refracted by the cornea and lens and focused into an image on the retina. But the image made on the retina is upside down and reversed. It's up to the brain to make sense out of it.
We can believe that our eyes work without knowing how they work!

Do we run for cover every time we see a 150,000 pound object fly over our head? Or do we trust that the plane will continue to fly?

If we are in an underground cave at 9:00am; do we know or think or trust that the sun is shining outside?

If we do not believe in such things as birds, will they suddenly fall from the sky?

Have you ever watched something extraordinary happen and wonder if what you saw really happened? Sometimes we can blink and something or someone disappears? At least that’s what we thought we saw.
Something that you previously thought was impossible.
But if you continue to badger the point; you’ll eventually chalk it up to a vivid imagination.

Why do we believe in things we cannot understand?
Faith is believing the intangible, and being absorbed into the mystery.

‘Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.’ Heb11:1

Year of the Priest: Pope Benedict Writes a Letter to Every Priest

'O, how great is the priest! ... If he realized what he is, he would die.' (St. John Mary Vianney)

ROME (Catholic Online) - Pope Benedict XVI has sent a tender, personal and theologically beautiful letter to every Catholic priest in the world. On June 19, the Solemnity of the Most sacred heart of Jesus, he will inaugurate a "Year for Priests." The year will be dedicated to prayer for the sanctification and renewal of the clergy. Using the words and witness of the saintly Cure of Ars, St. John Mary Vianney, as a backdrop for this letter to his beloved priests he has broken open for all the depth and beauty of the priestly vocation. He has also invited all of the faithful to fully participate.

see article link

hospital for sinners

We can walk into a hospital and see people with all ranges of afflictions. Patients are preparing for a minor procedure and some for a life threatening operation. Walk around and you will find happy and sad people; those recovering or welcoming a newborn into their life, as well as those at the crux of end of life situations. Hospitals are full of many people with many reasons looking for a cure or a hope or alleviation of pain.

Besides the patients we can see the doctors, nurses and the hospital administration as well as those visiting. All walks of life are there, from destitute to the extremely wealthy. The hospital is a place that provides treatment for the sick or injured and those requiring assistance for health related issues.

It could be said, if we looked at the Church in an allegorical sense; that it is not a house for the saints, it is a hospital for sinners. We go to Church to be close to God, and many travel with a heavy heart. We go to receive diagnosis and be healed from our sickness of sins. To be nourished and spiritually strengthened with hope in our heart. We receive the medicine of the sacraments and enjoy ‘beginning of life’ and ‘end of life’ celebrations.

The priests and nuns can be our spiritual doctors along with other parishioners.
I remember a story from our priest when he was confronted by a person in a public setting. The person recognized he was a priest and came up to him and said “the Catholic Church is full of hypocrites”. He answered, ‘Yes, and we always have room for one more’.

Our Church is not reserved only for the pious. Sinners make up our Holy Catholic Apostolic Church, and none should be turned away. The ‘hospital’ will always remain open. We have our Lord’s promise, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it” (Matthew.16:18). Now we know that the gates of hell are definitely trying to prevail, both from outside and inside the church; but we can always enter this hospital for sinners, our beacon of hope.

poster's poster..

Change is Possible for Gays Says Catholic Psychologist

Summarized.. see link for article
Catholic Online By Genevieve Pollock 6/17/2009
Zenit News Agency

Change is possible... men and women can come out of homosexuality.

ENCINO, CA (Zenit) - A Catholic psychologist who specializes in reparative therapy with homosexuals says it's possible for those with same-sex attractions to change, despite agenda-driven ideologies that state the opposite. Joseph Nicolosi, founder and director of the Thomas Aquinas Psychological Clinic in Encino, spoke with ZENIT about his experience as a clinical psychologist and the former president of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality ‘NARTH; (a non-religious & non-political organization).Nicolosi explained that NARTH has been actively working on a research project compiling scientific data to dispute the APA's claim on homosexuality, targeting three unscientific assumptions that form the basis of their policy. He stated that these are erroneous assumptions..

"court jesters"

When the ‘court jesters’ step out of costume; they should remain mute in the public square. The stage is not theirs to command, but theirs to portray.

Let me ask the question: What is a ‘court jester’?
Definition: a clown or buffoon employed by a noble or royal for ‘entertainment’; also called a ‘fool’.

This noted moniker of the past has clearly evolved into the ‘entertainers’ of today.
These ‘jesters’ are actors, ‘hollywood elites’, or so-called ‘celebrities’ that are being paid (actually overpaid) a king’s ransom to entertain society rather than a kingdom. However they (court jesters) feel that being a derivative of this royal lineage gives them justification and some intelligence via osmosis of privilege, to decree their opinions as if they themselves were ‘royalty’. They espouse topics such as politics, religion (or the lack of), and the environment; However, they declare so in such a gawking condescending way.

The unfortunate part comes from the fact that we live in a society that is drawn to the entertainment industry like moths to a flame. And in a reversal of fortunes; the ‘jesters’ of today are some of the world’s richest, yet spiritually bankrupt inhabitants on this earth.

the invisible war..

TV stations on satellite or cable or free
Media blogs on computers, ‘blackberrys’ you’ll see
Music on your head, your phone, or ipod
Movies at theatres, car, on demand you nod
Gaming for junkies, computer nerds and sport fans
Pictures snapped in every place not imagined..or planned


What is this sword’s edge we live on?
On what side shall we go?
Do we get split down the middle?
Halved or uneven, do we know?


Pick a topic
And think it through
Run from the noise
And choose what is true


What are these choices?
Why are they harried?
If options could form us
Would they be varied?


Off in the distance
Alone in the notion
Urge excess unending
Aligning this potion


These choices may drown us
The amounts are legion
This surplus screams prudence
In all of our regions


The battle is storming
This incoming tide
Our ship taking water
For the life of our ride


So batten the hatches
Bolt all the doors
Ready the castle
For the invisible war

on reality or illusions thereof..

When we decide, we are exercising a human trait that elevates us from the animal kingdom. We cease becoming an arranged action of molecules. Science can explain the material composition of our bodies; but the process of thought straddles between a physical and spiritual realm.

Thought is an unseen process from a composite group of molecules. We cannot say that our arm decided to lift a glass of water to take a drink, yet we believe our brain can. We know our brain (an organ of the body) is capable of orchestrating this ‘lifting of this glass’; and also consists of a conscience. Yet it doesn’t consciously tell us to breathe or for our heart to continue pumping while we sleep. We see ‘as far as the eye can see’; but the mind has no such limits.

We know some things by instinct, some things by experiences, some by the sciences and some by our desire or study; but how do we explain the moral code that exists in our heart? How can we know that a moral code exists in our heart, since it doesn’t show up on a ‘cat’ scan or ex-ray? Does this infer our soul or being?

Now, back to ‘lifting the glass’. The parts of our body move in a controlled sequence of actions and we acknowledge the effects of gravity and anticipate a sensation we recall from a previous act. Animals may do similar things by instinct; but they do not scan such a variety of choices: like pouring the water on someone’s head, or throwing the glass across the room, or mixing it with scotch!

As I write my thoughts and you read the words; you are in a way, reading my mind. But be assured, not beyond these words.Animals can act or react instinctively, but a human makes the path an individual trail.

Put a ball on an angled surface and it will roll, not because it wants to but because it must. Add a soccer field and players and the ball becomes hope for a nation. Each human person has a bit of the creator inside that beckons us to become an integral character of this puzzle we call life.

decide..

what's our mark?

What is the most important text, symbol or mark on a tombstone?

Some would say, the maxims added by the family; like ‘A loving father and husband’, or ‘Forever Remembered’. Some would say perhaps that it is our surname that explains our life’s ‘DNA’. Still others would insist that it is the day of our birth; the day we sprang to life in this world.

But what of the dash or hyphen that’s engraved between the date of birth and the date of death? That little inconspicuous mark says nothing but contains everything. This mark signifies our entire life. And only God knows precisely what this mark stands for.

Another important (maybe more so) mark on the tombstone is the date of death. In the Church, we celebrate a saint’s feast day on their anniversary of death not birth? This date marks the day of entrance into eternal life. It should actually be referred to as the date of our re-birth rather than death!

I’ll explain using words from Bishop Sheen; ”To a pagan, this world is everything and death deprives him of all there is; to the Christian, this world is only a scaffolding through which souls climb to the Kingdom of God. All during life, the pagan is moving toward death; but the Christian is moving backward. He starts with the fact that he must die and render an account of his (life) stewardship; knowing that he will die, he plans his life accordingly.”

In essence we (as Christians) live our life in reverse. With God time is irrelevant, so the direction of it is also extraneous. By the act of living, we move towards the beginning of our undying life. Therefore if we looked at our life in reverse; beyond our birth is really an end or using the thesaurus suggestion for ‘end’, our ‘death’. To summarize, our beginning in this world is actually our end, with no end going forward! All clear now?

I guess this is more to ponder..

the 'cafeteria catholic'

This is an expression that applies to those calling themselves ‘Catholic’ that want to pick and choose whatever they like about the faith and decide the breadth and width of each topic.

In recent news; some of the chosen people (celebrities) are publically calling themselves ‘cafeteria catholics’ and wearing this as a badge of honour. Comments like ‘I consider myself a Catholic in good standing; but I disagree with a lot of the teachings of the Church’ .. or ‘I don’t believe’.. And then they proceed to spew their narrow minded canned jargon that is emitted by most of these uninformed sheep.

They stand in their cafeteria line and take similar servings from what is processed and served up by the media-celebrity chefs. Or they simply take it upon themselves to decree their opinions.

To put it bluntly.. a cafeteria catholic is a lukewarm catholic.. And noting what scripture tells us in Revelation 3:16 “but since you are neither hot nor cold, but only lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth.”

The Church is established here on earth, by Jesus, to guide us on our journey of life.We must remember that God created us; and not the other way around!