Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Akiane Kramarik, Grace from God

Twelve year old Akiane Kramarik was born to an atheist mother and a fallen away Catholic father, neither wanting anything to do with Christianity nor God for that matter. At age three (3) Akiane had an encounter with God. At age four (4) she began painting and expressing her dreams and thoughts of her encounter with God, first through paintings of pets and family members, then with striking portraits of Jesus and the beauty of God through others. She describes God as a "bold Light", "strong" and "masculine". This coming from then ten (10) year old Akiane with no formal education in Christianity or any type of exposure thereof. She dropped in and out of public and private schooling, but she is mostly home schooled. Eventually her parents converted to Christianity. Akiane was interviewed by CNN at the age of twelve (12). I have the You Tube excerpt here. It is quite moving. She and her family are not Catholic, but one thinks that if these dreams and encounters with Jesus were to continue, the inevitable may happen. (Hat Tip: A Catholic Mom in Hawaii) To view Akiane's art click here. To read more about Akiane click here. To go to A Catholic Mom in Hawaii blog click here.
Monday, January 22, 2007

Houston Chronicle Purveyor of Pornography

The Houston Chronicle is the only major paper in the Houston metropolitan area. This is unfortunate since this paper leans hard to the left and is full of errors both grammatically and morally. Last weekend in the STAR section of this 'family newspaper' had a story devoted to 50 year old porn stars and the rise of senior pornography. The reader representative James Campbell for the Houston Chronicle wasn't to accommodating to the left-leaning Chron.
OK, I'm hardly prudish, but seeing the story, along with a photo of the 50-year-old wannabe porn actress prompted me to question our rationale and judgment for publishing the story. Why? I'm mindful of readers who constantly remind me that the Chronicle is distributed at area schools, including elementary schools. As a parent, I diligently monitor and censor what my 8-year-old son reads, views or listens to. So I empathize with readers who expressed consternation at our publishing a story they deemed inappropriate for a "family newspaper." Some readers saw it as graphic beyond the boundary of good taste to read lines like"within a few unscripted minutes they're mostly unclothed, panting and moaning for the camera, engaged in sexual contortions and obviously unbothered by visiting onlookers" doing "a gonzo shoot — meaning it is more or less plot-free sex for 40 minutes or so." They asked: Where were the editors? "I was dismayed to see the positive portrayal of pornography in the Star section of [Sunday's] paper ('Fifty, nifty and launching a career as a porn star')," a reader wrote. "The graphic nature of the article was bad enough, but I was especially offended that it was accompanied by a provocative photo of a woman in a see-through negligee and g-string. You could have devoted those column inches to any number of important woman-centered or news items ... rather than an article portraying pornography in a positive light." Another reader wrote that story about "the biggest trend in adult videos is older women ... was very distasteful. I am sure kids and teens read this paper (the next page shows Houston's future debutantes). ... How inappropriate to use an article on letting people know that 40- and 50 year-old women ... are getting into the porn industry ... I enjoy reading the Sunday paper but not seeing the paper advertise, through an article, that porn is all right ... And more: "I am disappointed in the Sunday Chronicle Lifestyle section. In my opinion, this is not appropriate material for a family newspaper, but may be appropriate for Playboy Magazine, or some porn magazine. As my Readers' Representative, please let it be known that we do not appreciate this type of article in our newspaper."
The Houston Chronicle's features editor rebuffed Mr. Campbell and his readers by stating:
Kyrie O'Connor, deputy managing editor/features, responded: "We didn't choose the 50-plus porn star story deliberately to annoy people. We chose it because it was one of the most interesting stories we'd seen in a long time, well-written, lively, unusual. It's true that it may not be the first story you would want your 8-year-old to read that day, but while we need to be respectful of our readers, we don't need to plan the newspaper for 8-year-olds. Any child who could read that story should have his or her questions answered about it by a thoughtful adult. Our desire was not to endorse the over-50 porn star lifestyle or advocate for it — that's not what we do — but to give people something to read and think about, to be amused or mildly provoked, as they choose. The picture was not risqué."
I agree with Mr. Campbell, though the story is 'interesting' it has no place in a newspaper such as the Houston Chronicle that is the only paper in town. What are they trying to cater to? The six readers (including Kyrie O'Connor apparently) who may feel disenfranchised if someone isn't writing a story about their fallen behavior? To read James Campbell excellent posting click here. To read blogHOUSTON's posting on this click here.

Time for a Catholic Monarch in England?

The new Anglican primate of Ireland has broached the issue by saying that the Act of Settlement of 1701 bans a Catholic from being King (or Queen) of England. Even if the spouse and not the actual monarch is Catholic, that couple is barred from holding the throne. I personally have no stake since I am an American, but it would be a positive step forward for Catholics in England. Why? Well reading this act carefully it allows for a Hindu, Buddhist, and any other 'religious' person can marry the future king Prince William but not a Catholic.
The BBC reports that Bishop Harper in an interview with the Irish Times says that the ban on Catholics becoming the British monarch should be abolished. The Act of Settlement of 1701 bans Catholics, or those married to Catholics, from ascending the British throne. Bishop Harper, who was born in Tamworth in Staffordshire, is to succeed Dr Robin Eames who retired in December. The new primate-elect said the Act "belongs to its time and we should move on", but that its repeal could have implications for the Church of England. As well as being the head of state, the British monarch is governor of the Church of England. Bishop Harper told the Irish Times that the disestablishment of the Church of England - separating church and state - was something it would "not only get over, but would be the better for it". Previously, Westminster Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor has said under the terms of the Act, Prince William "can marry by law a Hindu, a Buddhist, anyone, but not a Roman Catholic" and still be king. The relevant part of the Act states: "That all and every person and persons, who shall or may take or inherit the said Crown, by virtue of the limitation of this present act, and is, are or shall be reconciled to, or shall hold communion with, the See or Church of Rome, or shall profess the popish religion, or shall marry a papist, shall be subject to such incapacities."
Nice. To read more click here.
For an Anglican view click here.

English Law Forces Homosexual Values Upon Catholic Church

Catholic Charities in San Francisco is already doing this with the approval of Archbishop Niederauer by sending homosexual practicing partners to other adoption agencies. While in England Lord Falconer is going to force the Catholic Church there to accept homosexual practicing partners looking to adopt. (note: emphasis mine)
The Roman Catholic Church and other religious bodies cannot be exempted from new laws banning discrimination against gay (homosexuals) people, Lord Falconer, the Lord Chancellor, said yesterday. He resisted attempts by Ruth Kelly, the Communities Secretary, to water down the rules to enable Catholic adoption agencies to turn away same-sex (homosexuals) couples. The Equality Act 2006, which comes into force in April, bans discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities and services on the basis of (homo)sexual orientation. Miss Kelly, a Catholic and a member of the Opus Dei sect, is under pressure from the Catholic Church to include an exemption for church-run adoption agencies. Lord Falconer told BBC television's Sunday AM programme: "We have introduced laws which prevent discrimination against people on the basis of their (homo)sexual orientation; those laws should be given full effect. "We do take the view in this country that you shouldn't be discriminated against on that basis and think that applies to everybody, whatever your religion." Downing Street has proposed a possible compromise under which Catholic agencies could refuse to accept gay (homosexual) couples but would have a duty to refer them to agencies that would accept them. A spokesman for Miss Kelly's Department of Communities and Local Government confirmed yesterday that discussions were under way in Whitehall on the new rules, but denied that "preferential treatment" would be given to an individual faith. "We are absolutely committed to bringing forward effective protection from discrimination on the basis of (homo)sexual orientation and fully recognise the value of gay (homosexual) and lesbian parents," said the spokesman.
This is what happens when misguided liberals force their value system of false rights upon religous entities such as the Catholic Church. This is not freedom of religion that our forefathers wrote into the constitution. Granted this is occuring in England, but we are not to far off with a Clinton/Obama presidency coming upon us in 2008.
To read this article click here.
To read the Church's stance on the homosexually inclined click here.

Merkel: EU Charter Must Reference Christianity

Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany and current European Union (EU) president, wants to make a much more explicit reference to Christianity in the EU Constitution (Charter).
Merkel told German news weekly Focus, in talks with German cardinal Karl Lehmann, that she regretted that the current draft constitution for the 27-member European Union did not include a mention of God or Christianity. "I would have liked to have seen a clearer declaration on the Christian roots (of Europe)," she said. "No one doubts that they significantly shape our life, our society," the chancellor said. (. . .) The Vatican and other church organizations have expressed regret that the document does not include an explicit reference to Europe's Judeo-Christian origins. (. . .) Last year Merkel was among the EU politicians campaigning for a more explicit reference to Europe's Christian roots. Plans to include such a reference were originally blocked by French President Jacques Chirac. Some German officials hope French conservative presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy, who has criticized France's official secularism as too rigid, may support their campaign.
Angela Merkel was born Angela Dorothea Kasner from a Lutheran pastor. She married and divorced Ulrich Merkel and is now married to Joachim Sauer. Besides being fluent in German, she speaks near flawless English as well as French, Italian, Russian, and Polish. She is the first 'ossi', or East German from post-unification to lead a united Germany. She is also the first woman and the youngest person ever to hold the position of chancellor since the establishment of Germany in 1871. Her politics is center-right, of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), and is called "The Iron Frau", a comparison to the great Prime Minister Thatcher of Great Britain. She has a background in natural sciences and has been described as the "Most Powerful Woman in the World" by Forbes magazine. Ironically, the CDU was refounded under Konrad Adenauer after World War II that helped develop the 'German Miracle' of economic and cultural recovery. The CDU is the main party affiliated with both Catholics and Protestants, though it is less so now. Konrad Adenauer was a devout and practicing Catholic that helped form what is now called the European Union, based on Catholic virtues and values. Which of course the EU has even ignored their own beginning thinking that 'man' is the end of itself. I personally pray that the EU constitution does make a strong reference to Christianity. From a secular point of view, it is a disgrace that such a reference is not even in the constitution. How can a entire continent deny 1500+ years of Christian heritage? To read this article click here. To read more about Chancellor Merkel click here. To read more about Konrad Adenauer click here.
Saturday, January 20, 2007

Growing in Faith, Hopefully in Houston

I feel like it can't get any better than what I've experienced so far with my faith. I have grown in leaps and bounds these past three (3) years more than all the previous years combined. Something happened that accelerated my growth in my faith. I can't explain it well enough but I'll do my best here.
I can say almost for certain that the final week of Pope John Paul II's life was an extraordinary time for me. From the 24 hour coverage of his Holiness' final moments to the dramatic buildup of his funeral, and the election thereof Pope Benedict XVI. It was a mystical moment for me, but one that I didn't realize until about a year and a half later. From that moment on I began devouring books on our beautiful Catholic faith.
Reading books is a favorite pastime of mine. Normally I read early 20th century American fiction writers such as John Steinbeck and Ernest Hemingway. I also enjoy reading science fiction such as Isaac Asimov and Kevin J. Anderson. To top it all off I read political non-fiction such as Samuel P. Huntington and Bernard Goldberg to Dinesh D'Souza. But my favorite is history. I looove history. I read it as a passion. From American history to medieval European history to Roman history. You name it, I have read it or about to read it.
Well, back to the subject. So I read a lot basically and I am Catholic. I have not always been an observant Catholic which was mostly due to the influence of the fallen world and my ignorance of Catholicism. Not that I was a Ted Kennedy or Dorothy Day type of Catholic, but you could say that I wasn't your typical Catholic that I still attended Mass, but my faith pretty much began and started at Mass only.
So I picked up a short book about the explanations of certain 'Catholicisms' that outsiders always questioned. Nothing to deep nor explanatory enough, but it was a book that I normally pick up ever year or so about Catholicism flipping through to better understand what I was doing. This time I did more than just browse this book, I read it in a day and went straight to a Barnes & Noble (I split my free time there and at Borders) and picked up another book, but this time with a bit more substance. Finished that by the end of the week and went straight to Mass on Sunday.
From that day forward not a day goes by that I don't read a chapter out of the Bible, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Vatican II documents, and my current favorite Catholic book of the moment (lives of saints, spirituality, Church history, etc). Learning to pray properly, understanding the form and function of the Mass, learning my Holy Days of Obligations, the Hours of Prayer, and so on and so forth.
It was just little by little building up more momentum than the day before. You could say that this blog was an outgrowth of this leap in my learning curve. I became much more engaged in my faith where I am at a point now that I just can't believe it can't get any better or I could not learn anymore (faster) than the previous three (3) years.
I am not an expert in any area of our Catholic faith. But I do understand most of the basic precepts and the importance of prayer and humility (and still learning). I just didn't realize that my spiritual side would spill over into work, play, and other areas such as discipline. If a friend of mine from three (3) years ago would who hasn't seem me in that span of time and were to meet me today, they would notice the changes. So I have deepened my spiritual life and continue to pray and learn more about my faith. The results thus far has prompted me to continue to diligently work towards sanctifying everything that I do for God.
To get to the point, it is getting better each day as I grow in my faith. I've left everything up to God which has given me new life. Freeing me to worship Him without any other interference. I don't want to share many of the good deeds and developments within myself just yet, but I will say that this blog will be heading into a different direction than it has previously. One thing though that I am praying and asking God for is for me to stay in Houston.
I can't do this all by myself. By the Grace of God and a little perseverance I have made it this far into life. I'm asking my avid readers for a favor which I've never asked before, but I really need now. Pray for me that I reach this one goal for the year. I've lived a frantic and busy life moving to many parts of this great nation and I'm a bit tired of having to pull up roots and reestablish myself elsewhere. Growing up in Hawaii, doing my university studies in Arizona, and working all over the South has been a wonderful experience. It's time I stay in one place and stop travelling because of work or moving because of work. Pray for me that I may find gainful employment here in Houston. There's lots of jobs out there and I could land a job anywhere but Houston, so I've been doing contracting work for many months while keeping residence in Houston. It's a great job and I enjoy what I am doing, but I am also not doing other things that I have helped to establish in Houston such as apostolates and my many, many friendships. So if you could, pray for me that I will be successful in finding work here in Houston. And if I am not, it is still all for the best and I will still be thankful for your prayers.
God bless you all.
Tito

Post Script: I'm not the bald guy with the big goofy grin and bushy eyebrows.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Lina Joy Becomes a Christian

The former Azlina Jailani (now Lina Joy) who was born a Muslim but converted to Christianity in 1990 is facing stiff resistance to change her ID to show she is a Christian. In a country such as Malaysia where the slight majority are Muslims, it is easy to change your ID card to show that you are a Muslim, but it takes an act of congress (pun intended) for the ID card to reflect that you are now a Christian.

"MALAYSIA's status as a moderate Muslim country is being put to the test in a milestone court decision that may allow Muslims to renounce their faith, a move considered one of Islam's greatest sins. The nation's highest court is to rule on an appeal by Lina Joy, a convert from Islam to Christianity who for a decade has been locked in a battle with the government to have her decision legally recognised. The appeal brings to a head passionate arguments about whether Muslims can renounce Islam at will and, ultimately, whether Malaysia is a secular country or is morphing into a conservative Islamic state under religious Sharia law." Our country is at a crossroads pending the outcome of this landmark case," Joy's counsel, Benjamin Dawson, told AFP. "This decision is pivotal to the direction the country will take."

In Islam, it is easy for anyone to become a Muslim, but when converting to Christianity, it brings condemnation and sometimes death.
To read more about this story click here.
For a better analysis of the story click here. For further commentary click here.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Another Blog... Moves

One of my favorite reading pleasures is + + relapsed catholic + + . I've posted many times about her and her blog and of course here is another gratuitous posting. Apparently due to an RSS feed issue with blogger.com, this matriarch of the Catholic blogosphere has moved on to a new web address. She will still be blogging as relapsed catholic but the web address is now http://www.relapsedcatholic.com/. So if you frequent her blog, click here to go to her new residence.

Annual Life Mass at Annunciation Church

The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston will be celebrating the Annual Life Mass at Annunciation Church located on 1618 Texas Avenue. Archbishop Daniel DiNardo will be celebrating Mass which begins at 10:00 AM. Prior to Mass there will be a Rosary at 9:00 AM and after Mass there will be a reception next door at the Incarnate Word Academy at 11:00 AM.
For those in Houston who normally attend daily Mass on Saturday, this would be a wonderful opportunity to support the unborn and elderly. In addition, you will be attending Mass at a historical site in Houston in one of the nations oldest and beautiful churches available in our archdiocese.
For more information click here.

Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes Church (downtown Toronto)

Our Lady of Lourdes Church in downtown Toronto is snuggled in between large condominium buildings near the heart of the city. There is some construction around that will further put this treasure of a church hidden away even better (or for worse). The view from the outside doesn't give it much justice depending in what direction you are walking towards it. For instance if you park on Earl Place (formerly Earl Street) it doesn't look like much, in fact if you are not on Sherbourne Street walking towards it, you would never notice it was there. Unless of course your condo faced this beautiful, but a little run-down, church. I approached this church driving on Jarvis and I missed it several times looking for Earl Place. Not until I decided to drive well below the speed limit and examined every square inch, or rather, centimeter (it is Canada after all) was I able to locate this gem.
I've been attending the daily noon Mass each day because it is the only noon Mass in the Greater Toronto Area, or GTA as Torontans(?) or locals refer to their great city. I forget the name of the priests that celebrate the Mass at noon, but they are reverential and orthodox as far as I could tell. A deacon or what seems to be another priest assists in the the celebration.
The exterior of Our Lady of Lourdes Church has a nice miniature, relative to St. Peter's, copula and beautiful Roman style pillars out front. There is a recreation of the apparition of Mary in Lourdes of a statue on the exterior of the church as well.
The interior of the church seems like any other traditional Catholic church with a chancel, transept, and nave forming the sanctuary (the chancel forms. The nave of course has pews with kneelers in them. The ambo is located on the lectern side and the gospel side is vacant. The narthex is nonexistent since the main entrance is actually behind the altar with side entrances filtering from the front. To the left of the gospel side is the sacristy. The tabernacle is directly behind the altar, but facing the opposite direction, meaning you can walk around the alter and pray towards the tabernacle and the nave, with a small wall separating the two.
To the left of the transept is a beautiful recreation, again, of the apparition of Mary in Lourdes for adoration. On the opposite side are an array of saints for adoration.
To learn more about Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Toronto click here.
To learn more about Lourdes, click here.
To learn more about Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary, click here.
For my Canadian adventure click here.
For my last review of a Catholic church click here.

Changes to CVSTOS FIDEI

I just wanted to inform my avid readers that there are some small changes that have occurred or will occur on this blog. One is that I have gotten rid of the "My Postings" section of the blog. It just highlighted the most recent postings and I just got bored and saw no usefulness in it (Tony at Catholic Pillow Fight will like this change). Gerald over at Cafeteria is Closed seems to like it but it doesn't work for me. Another change, or not really change, but non-occurrence is that my two guest bloggers haven't blogged anything at all. Matt has decided to open another new blog of his own and Handmaiden is to timid to post at all. But that's ok, when they get their nerve up it will be worth reading. In the meantime I will have a little surprise sometime in February that will show up in my blog that I think you all will enjoy. Also I decided to dump my "Millstone" awards for now. It's to depressing to have to blog about, besides, God is the final arbitrator of such matters. In much happier news I've completely changed over to Blogger Beta, which it seems to be just Blogger now since it looks like they are dumping the 'Beta' part. Finally I want to thank you all for even reading my blog. Suggestions, constructive feedback, accolades, and non-sequitors are much appreciated, plus just simply commenting would also be nice. God bless and Godspeed! Tito
Wednesday, January 10, 2007

My Canadian Adventure

I’ve been up here in Canada on a work assignment for several months and it has been a fun adventure to say the least. I've got to say that Kathy Shaidle has it good up here in Toronto. Beyond learning and adding new business skills to my résumé I’ve met a lot of great people, visited many beautiful areas, and have had wonderful (and not so wonderful) experiences of the country; Some of the not-so-wonderful experiences is to remember to use your credit card when renting a vehicle in Canada, they don’t use debit cards up here. I’ve come away with some wisdom that I would like to share with my avid readers if you were ever to travel up north. 1. Don’t respond to a French-speaking Canadian Customs Agent with ‘No hablá español’. 2. Don’t refer to a Canadian Customs Agent as a ‘Canuck’ (or a Canucki for that matter). 3. Don’t explain to the Canadian Customs Agent what the ‘F’ in N.A.F.T.A. is defined as when they ask you to pay for a ‘work visa’ in order to ‘work freely in Canada’. They’ll take offense to that. 4. Don’t refer to Canadian money as ‘pesos’. Especially when asking “how many Canadian pesos will it be for the free work visa”. 5. Don’t ask the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police), when they’re interrogating you for your ‘F’ explanation, “where is your horse”. 6. Don’t take pictures of Canadian Airport Police as they intimidate passengers that are complaining about a flight that was cancelled after it was delayed for 13 ½ hours at midnight on Christmas Eve. Apparently it’s illegal to take photographs of them beating up on passengers at the gate. 7. Don’t refer to Indian food such as Chicken Curry wrapped in Nan bread as a “very spicy chicken burrito”. 8. Don’t ask the Sikh luggage security personal at the airport to “stop yapping and start checking my baggage”; they just might throw their turban at you. 9. Remember to check to see if you are carrying cash-money BEFORE ordering coffee and donuts at Tim Horton’s. 10. And lastly, remember when ordering ‘Canadian beer’ in Canada, they just call it ‘beer’.
Sunday, January 7, 2007

Archbishop Stanislaw Wielgus Has Resigned

Pope Benedict XVI has accepted the resignation of Stanislaw Wielgus. (Hat Tip: RORATE CÆLI) To read the RORATE CÆLI posting click here. To read the news release click here.
To read the latest Google news on his resignation click here.
Post Mortem: Now if only Cardinal Mahony and other notorious bishops in the United States would take the archbishops lead.My opinion, again, is that he is sorry for his communist contacts. Plus there was no harm done to any of his colleagues while he informed on them. But primarily that he asked for forgiveness. I wish he hadn't resigned. (and I'm a staunch anti-Communist)

Archbishop Stanislaw Wielgus To Resign?

According to the BBC, Polish media is reporting that the installation of Stanislaw Wielgus may not go ahead.

Polish and Vatican officials held talks overnight on the fate of Stanislaw Wielgus, at the centre of communist-era spying row, the reports said.

. . . The BBC's Adam Easton in Warsaw says preparations are still taking place for a service at 1000 GMT, but that the installation ceremony may be replaced by a Mass of thanksgiving for the archbishop's predecessor, Jozef Glemp. Commentators say a decision to stop the installation at this late stage would be unprecedented.

. . . In one survey, two-thirds of people asked, said Archbishop Wielgus should resign. His admission came after a Church commission acknowledged he had collaborated with the communist secret police.

What a mess. Personally, if he didn't hurt anyone and regrets working in conjunction with communist spy's then he's ok to be the archbishop. Especially if Pope Benedict XVI had full knowledge prior to his appointment.
To read the rest of the article click here.
Saturday, January 6, 2007

Matt Travels to Europe

My buddy Matt is taking time off from work and travelling to Europe for January. He resides here in Houston but is originally from Canada. He is a Catholic blogger who hasn't much blogged about anything since April and is yet to post on my blog. But he is starting up again at his new blog about his travels in Europe. I persuaded him to purchase a digital camera and log his journey since he will be visiting many Catholic sites. He has taken this idea and decided to start this new blog: Matt's Travel Blog (http://matts-travel.blogspot.com/). He arrived in Rome this (Saturday, January 6) morning and is settled down. He will attend Mass at the Sistine Chapel with Pope Benedict XVI, if they let him. During his trip in Europe he will keep notes and pic on his blog. So for your enjoyment, take a look at his blog. In the photo below our Rosary prayer group is in front of an abortion mill in Houston. Matt is the one farthest to the right.

CVSTOS FIDEI's 2007 New Year's Resolution

Last year I wanted to read the Holy Bible cover to cover. I failed, though I did read the Bible more than any other time in my life. I'd like to give you all my New Year's resolution but that is a private affair. So I'll give my blogs New Year's resolution. 1. This year I will attempt to post more on positive items than on negative items. 2. This year I will attempt to be more charitable in my postings. 3. This year I will offer more Houston based Catholic events than in the past. I think stopping at three (3) is a good number don't you all think? Besides I can't think of anything else. So here we go entering a brave new year as Christians practicing our Catholic faith and being a witness of our Catholic faith to the fallen world. God bless you all. Tito
Friday, January 5, 2007

The Denver Blizzard & Hurricane Katrina

This comment was left on the Small Dead Animals blog under the "As The Ice Caps Melt" posting. Basically someone was spouting off how the contrasts between how Denver deals with a natural disaster to New Orleans. The following is the comment. WEATHER BULLETIN Up here, in the "Mile-Hi City", we just recovered from a Historic event--- may I even say a "Weather Event" of "Biblical Proportions" --- with a historic blizzard of up to 44" inches of snow and winds to 90 MPH that broke trees in half, knocked down utility poles, stranded hundreds of motorists in lethal snow banks, closed ALL roads, isolated scores of communities and cut power to 10's of thousands. FYI: George Bush did not come. FEMA did nothing. No one howled for the government. No one blamed the government. No one even uttered an expletive on TV. Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton did not visit. Our Mayor did not blame Bush or anyone else. Our Governor did not blame Bush or anyone else, either. CNN, ABC, CBS, FOX or NBC did not visit -- or report on this category 5 snowstorm. Nobody demanded $2,000 debit cards. No one asked for a FEMA Trailer House. No one looted. Nobody -- I mean Nobody demanded the government do something. Nobody expected the government to do anything, either. No Larry King, No Bill O'Rielly, No Oprah, No Chris Mathews and No Geraldo Rivera. No Shaun Penn, No Barbara Striesand, No Hollywood types to be found. Nope, we just melted the snow for water. Sent out caravans of SUV's to pluck people out of snow engulfed cars. The truck drivers pulled people out of snow banks and didn't ask for a penny. Local restaurants made food and the police and fire departments delivered it to the snowbound families. Families took in the stranded people -- total strangers. We fired up wood stoves, broke out coal oil lanterns or Coleman lanterns. We put on extra layers of clothes because up here it is "Work or Die". We did not wait for some affirmative action government to get us out of a mess created by being immobilized by a welfare program that trades votes for 'sittin at home' checks. Even though a Category "5" blizzard of this scale has never fallen this early, we know it can happen and how to deal with it ourselves. In my many travels, I have noticed that once one gets north of about 48 degrees North Latitude, 90% of the world's social problems evaporate.* It does seem that way, at least to me. I hope this gets passed on. Maybe SOME people will get the message. The world does Not owe you a living. *** * Dude's never been to Canada... (or western Europe - Tito) Kathy Shaidle adds: Nobody, presumably, blamed global warming, either. Post Mortem: I myself have been in a horrendous hurricane while growing up in Hawaii and my experience of it was vastly different from the what happened in New Orleans. Simply, I am disgusted at the way the people of New Orleans dealt with their circumstances as well as the media hype that followed. I'd like to see the people of New Orleans deal with the aftermath of my experience where most of the residents of Kauai didn't have a home with a roof, no running water, and electricity for weeks if not months. None of us complained, none of us ran up to tv news trucks at every opportunity (in fact, there were barely any coverage at all), and there were no rapes, shootings, deaths, or any other type of malcontent activities. We treated each other as Christians and went about reconstruction with barely a whisper being mentioned about Hurricane Iwa after it hit. That's my diatribe for the day. For the original comment click here. For Kathy Shaidle's posting click here. For Hurricane Iwa click here.
Thursday, January 4, 2007

Another Blog Bites the Dust?

Now that Evangelical Catholicism is not going anywhere I see that A Catholic Life may have to close down because Moneybags is entering the seminary soon. This sounds familiar when friend of mine entered the North American Seminary his blog went down within days. Nonetheless Moneybags isn't going to close it down permanently, just only while he's attending his seminary during the Fall and Spring.
Today I read from several other people that seminarians at the seminary I will be attending are not allowed to have blogs or use forums online. I was extremely disappointed, but I will do whatever I must to live in obedience to my superiors. I plan on keeping this blog on the Internet forever. I have worked and put months worth of hours into this blog. I hope that it is a source of information for months while I am not blogging. Specifically, the "Catholic Categories" has very valuable information. I do, however, hope to post on this blog throughout the summer. So, starting in Fall 2007, I will be unable to post for a significant amount of time - probably until Summer 2008. However, I will be able to email people, so I will remain in touch with my readers. I have grown so close to many readers that it will be very difficult to stop blogging for those months. I pray that I will be able to do whatever is required of me.
Well, he is joining tens of thousands of other Catholics that are part of the Pope John Paul II generation of vocations. I'd rather see Moneybags become a priest rather than blogging, which I believe you all to agree would be the best thing if it finally comes to that. Good luck and Godspeed Moneybags! Tito To view Moneybags latest posting click here.
Tuesday, January 2, 2007

Catholic Devotions Meme

Jean from Catholic Fire just meme'd me... 1. Favorite devotion or prayer to Jesus? Prayer of Fatima. 2. Favorite Marian devotion or prayer? The Rosary. 3. Do you wear a scapular or medal? No. But I do wear a Benedictine Crucifix. 4. Do you have holy water in your home? Yes. And when I'm on the road (which is often). 5. Do you 'offer up' your sufferings? Always. 6. Do you observe First Fridays and First Saturdays? First Fridays only. But probably First Saturdays in the future. 7. Do you go to Eucharistic Adoration? Not as often as in the past. 8. Are you a Saturday evening Mass person or Sunday morning Mass person? I am a Sunday morning person. I used to be a Sunday evening person, but circumstances changed. 9. Do you say prayers at mealtime? Always. 10. Favorite Saint(s)? St. Michael the Archangel, St. Gabriel the Archangel, St. Raphael the Archangel, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Gianna, among some. 11. Can you recite the Apostles Creed by heart? Yes. 12. Do you usually say short prayers (aspirations) during the course of the day? Yes. 13. Bonus Question: When you pass by an automobile accident or other serious mishap, do you say a quick prayer for the folks involved? Sometimes, try to always but keep forgetting. I tag Bill Cork, Jeff Miller, Gerald Augustinus, Kat & Michael, Kathy Shaidle, Vir Speluncae Catholicus, Alan Phipps, Amy Welborn, Quintero, Tony, Paul that guy, Dad29, WICatholic, Fr. Philip, OP, and Fr. Joe.

Evangelical Catholicism Calling it Quits?

While I was reading the latest posting by Katerina Marie over at her (along with Michael Joseph) blog named Evangelical Catholicism, I read in the comments sections that they are going to 'cancel' the blog. I guess that's one way to say 'goodbye'. Nonetheless both Katerina and Michael have been deciding whether to continue or not for quite awhile now. For a little background, these two exploded into the Catholic blogosphere in late July. I stumbled across these two while reading Moneybags blog, A Catholic Life. Moneybags posted a "Why am I Catholic" video that he viewed on their blog. I came away quite impressed. Reading further on their blog it seems that Katerina is quite the Catholic social doctrine aficionado while her boyfriend is a philosophy intellect. Quite an impressive combination to say the least. And to go with that, they both know how to blog. Which makes for incredible reading. Now back to 'cancelling' their blog. It's been mentioned several times in various comments on their blog that they are getting disillusioned with the Catholic blogosphere. Apparently they have been knocking heads with some of the biggest names in the Catholic blogosphere. From Gerald over at the Cafeteria is Closed to the American Papist. From what I could discern they have been questioning the charitableness and obedience of several posters and bloggers. To be fair they never intended to do so when posting comments, it just evolved that way. I haven't been reading all of these 'debates' and for the record I generally post on secular current affairs through the eyes of a Catholic on my own blog. I have zero philosophy knowledge and my depth of Catholic social doctrine is somewhat bare. So I can't really state whether who is right or who is wrong, but it is clear to see that these 'debates' have been taking a toll on these two. I myself have had a lively 'debate' with these two, but not to the extent I have been reading around the other Catholic blogs. Nonetheless, from my perspective, they clearly should remain blogging because they add a different dimension that the Catholic blogosphere lacks and that is a highly intellectual context of Catholic social causes that goes beyond 'life' issues, such as poverty and materialism. The philosophical dimension can be found elsewhere, but not with the unique combination that Katerina brings to the table to complement Michael's philosophy background. Many may not agree with me on what I'm writing, but you have to agree that these two make you think twice about what a complete Catholic can be or maybe should be. For me they have helped to reinforce what I already knew by studying documents such as Pacem in Terris, Quadragesimo Anno, Rerum Novarum, rereading Deus Caritas Est, Centesimus Annus, and rereading Gaudium et Spes just to name a few. While they may bring this topic up of 'cancelling' pretty often you can say that this posting of mine is a preemptive strike to ask them 'not to cancel' their fine blog. Yes, I do disagree on a couple of points with these two, but they have stoked the fires of debate that can only be beneficial for them as well as I. So Kat and Michael, don't cancel your blog. Even if you're kidding around. I've had to see Seattle Catholic, Anathema Sit, and College Catholic call it quits. What next? Relapsed Catholic and The Curt Jester?!

Nancy Pelosi Scandalizes Catholic Church

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi the new Speaker of the House from the Democratic Party which she represents from the 8th district of San Francisco is engaging in a series of week long activities to celebrate her taking the Speaker of the House position. One of these activities includes a Mass at Trinity University. This is especially scandalous. Why? When this congresswoman declares herself not only a Catholic, but a pro-life Catholic, yet takes each and every opportunity to shoot down pro-life legislation and vote for every pro-choice (pro-abortion) legislation, this causes a scandal within the Catholic Church. To make it worse, she will be attending a high-profile Mass in Washington, DC. This is simply outrageous and makes it even more scandalous. Someone needs to take her aside and explain to her that her actions speak louder than words, especially in a high profile position that is the Speaker of the House position. Someone needs to point out to her what the late Pope John Paul II said in Evangelium Vitae:
. . . the fact of the destruction of so many human lives still to be born or in their final stage extremely grave and disturbing, but no less grave and disturbing is the fact that conscience itself, darkened as it were by such widespread conditioning, is finding it increasingly difficult to distinguish between good and evil in what concerns the basic value of human life. (Evangelium Vitae, #4)
What Speaker Pelosi has is an inconsistent Life Ethic. You cannot be pro-life and still vote anti-life (pro-abortion/pro-choice).
The common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights—for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture—is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination (Christifideles Laici, no. 38).
Then Cardinal Ratzinger wrote a letter titled "Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion," which explained in great detail the difference in moral weight between a wage increase and abortion:
"Not all moral issues have the same moral weight as abortion and euthanasia. For example, if a Catholic were to be at odds with the Holy Father on the application of capital punishment or on the decision to wage way, he would not for that reason be considered unworthy to present himself to receive Holy Communion. While the Church exhorts civil authorities to seek peace, not war, and to exercise discretion and mercy in imposing punishment on criminals, it may still be permissible to take up arms to repel an aggressor or to have recourse to capital punishment. There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not however with regard to abortion and euthanasia." (Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion)
Which brings us back to the 'gratuitous' Mass that Speaker Pelosi will be attending this week. She brings scandal by her actions which don't support her words of holding Catholic teachings to heart. Is Speaker Nancy Pelosi worthy to receive Holy Communion. The simple and correct answer is "no". For a great article by Judie Brown of Human Events about Mrs. Pelosi click here. For another great article about Catholic politicians by Mark Brumley of Ignatius Insight click here. For the Evangelium Vitae Encyclical by Pope John Paul II click here. For a previous posting of mine related to Mrs. Nancy Pelosi and other 'alleged' Catholic politicians click here.
Monday, January 1, 2007

Catholic Blogosphere Roundup for Jan 1

I'm working on a couple of postings that is eating up my free time. So I don't have much time to blog about many other topics that I see making the rounds of the Catholic blogosphere. But I do read many of my favorite Catholic blogs so here's a round up of some of the more noteworthy postings that I have enjoyed today. Former Swedish Lutheran (Augustinian Monk of all things) Tells His Story - RORATE CÆLI -I enjoy reading conversion stories and this one was very insightful. -How the Catholic bishop in Sweden told him not to convert to Catholicism. -Excellent interview. -Studying at St. Mary's College in St. Mary's, Kansas. -Unfortunately, he is studying to be a SSPX priest; great interview nonetheless. -Excellent insight into false ecumenism Rudy Youngblood of Apocalypto is not really an Indian - Built On A Rock -Same guy who outed 'Iron Eyes Cody' of the crying Indian fame in the 1970s commercial, outs Rudy. -link to BOAR is acting up so go to the blog itself. Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God - A Catholic Mom in Hawaii -On January 1, the Church commemorates the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God- the greatest title of Mary.

There's more, but I need to get going. God bless you all.

G.K. Chesterton and 2007 Anno Domini

"The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul and a new nose; new feet, a new backbone, new ears, and new eyes. Unless a particular man made New Year resolutions, he would make no resolutions. Unless a man starts afresh about things, he will certainly do nothing effective. Unless a man starts on the strange assumption that he has never existed before, it is quite certain that he will never exist afterwards. Unless a man be born again, he shall by no means enter into the Kingdom of Heaven."
- G. K. Chesterton
Today's quote of the Day.
(Hat Tip: American Papist)
(Photo: AP via National Post)

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