....not to show this again.
Bishop Grob Named Archbishop of Milwaukee
1 month ago
Monday, January 31, 2011
Real Estate for Life
Sounds like a good thing. If you are in the market for a home, some property, or just want more info contact this group. The short of it is, if you buy a house through a recommended realtor, they give money to a Pro-Life Group - NO EXTRA COST to you. Why not? This was forwarded by Real Catholic TV - very solid group.
Real Estate for Life
Real Estate for Life donates vital funding to pro-life organizations at absolutely no cost to you. Real Estate For Life was founded by Dave Theisen, who has over twenty years of experience in International and Domestic Real Estate. With these sort of credentials, you are assured of getting an excellent agent.
Make the call. Too many babies die needlessly every day and you can help, just by picking up the phone. If you’re thinking of buying or selling your home, let your first call be to 1-877-LIFE-US1 or email proliferealestate@yahoo.com. The cost is nothing, but the result can mean everything.
Real Estate for Life
Real Estate for Life donates vital funding to pro-life organizations at absolutely no cost to you. Real Estate For Life was founded by Dave Theisen, who has over twenty years of experience in International and Domestic Real Estate. With these sort of credentials, you are assured of getting an excellent agent.
Make the call. Too many babies die needlessly every day and you can help, just by picking up the phone. If you’re thinking of buying or selling your home, let your first call be to 1-877-LIFE-US1 or email proliferealestate@yahoo.com. The cost is nothing, but the result can mean everything.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
St. Francis, ora pro nobis, and send the wild dogs.........
February 18-19
Nourishing the Body and the Soul Through Meditation - A Retreat. 7 – 9 p.m. on Friday, continuing on Saturday from 8:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Assisi Heights Spirituality Center, Rochester, Minn. In this retreat, you will explore several meditation styles, including:
Centering Prayer, Loving Kindness [loving-kindness meditation, is a method of developing compassion. It comes from the Buddhist tradition], Tai Chi Movement, Zen Walk [really, watch it on youtube], Tonglen [Tonglen is a meditative practice used in Tibetan Buddhism], Music and Eating Meditation.
This retreat will be beneficial [?]for all, whether you are beginning the practice or seasoned in the art ofheresy, paganism, idolatry, meditation. Please dress comfortably and bring your own yoga mat blanket.
Presenter:
Franciscan Sister Linda Wieser has been a Spiritual Director and Retreat Director for over 25 years. [no surprise there]
She is a Certified Life Coach and Wellness Coach. Advance registration required. $75 per person includes refreshments and lunch. Overnight accommodations available at $25 per night. To register call....[don't you dare, I will hunt you down and beat you with some form of Traditional literature]
Source - the Diocesan paper
From the USCCB
"Superstition corrupts one's worship of God by turning one's religious feeling and practice in a false direction," the Guidelines state. "While sometimes people fall into superstition through ignorance, it is the responsibility of all who teach in the name of the Church to eliminate such ignorance as much as possible."
Nourishing the Body and the Soul Through Meditation - A Retreat. 7 – 9 p.m. on Friday, continuing on Saturday from 8:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Assisi Heights Spirituality Center, Rochester, Minn. In this retreat, you will explore several meditation styles, including:
Centering Prayer, Loving Kindness [loving-kindness meditation, is a method of developing compassion. It comes from the Buddhist tradition], Tai Chi Movement, Zen Walk [really, watch it on youtube], Tonglen [Tonglen is a meditative practice used in Tibetan Buddhism], Music and Eating Meditation.
This retreat will be beneficial [?]for all, whether you are beginning the practice or seasoned in the art of
Presenter:
Franciscan Sister Linda Wieser has been a Spiritual Director and Retreat Director for over 25 years. [no surprise there]
She is a Certified Life Coach and Wellness Coach. Advance registration required. $75 per person includes refreshments and lunch. Overnight accommodations available at $25 per night. To register call....[don't you dare, I will hunt you down and beat you with some form of Traditional literature]
Source - the Diocesan paper
From the USCCB
"Superstition corrupts one's worship of God by turning one's religious feeling and practice in a false direction," the Guidelines state. "While sometimes people fall into superstition through ignorance, it is the responsibility of all who teach in the name of the Church to eliminate such ignorance as much as possible."
Mary Ann Kuharski to speak in Rochester, MN
February 26
The director of PROLIFE Across AMERICA (The prolife "Billboard People), Mary Ann Kuharski, will speak at 1 p.m. at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Rochester. The event will be in conjunction with a prolife rally sponsored by the Olmsted County Chapter of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life. A prolife legislative update will also be provided as well as opportunities available to join in the prolife movement. For more information, please contact
Linda McGuire at (507)259-4035.
You may read more about Mary Ann at http://www.prolifeacrossamerica.org/.
The director of PROLIFE Across AMERICA (The prolife "Billboard People), Mary Ann Kuharski, will speak at 1 p.m. at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Rochester. The event will be in conjunction with a prolife rally sponsored by the Olmsted County Chapter of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life. A prolife legislative update will also be provided as well as opportunities available to join in the prolife movement. For more information, please contact
Linda McGuire at (507)259-4035.
You may read more about Mary Ann at http://www.prolifeacrossamerica.org/.
FertilityCareTM Center announced in the Diocese of Winona
"FertilityCareTM Centers of America president, Thomas W. Hilgers, M.D. is pleased to announce the recent affiliation of FertilityCareTM Services of Stewartville. The local center is headed by Pamela J. Mueller, RN, BSN, FCP. FertilityCareTM Centers of America is a non-profit organization designed to promote and unite
providers of the CREIGHTON MODEL FertilityCareTM System. This contemporary system is the most researched and effective method of natural fertility regulation in existence. Through this system, couples learn how to achieve as well as avoid pregnancy and to appreciate and understand their fertility. This system is also designed to respect the dignity of the woman and couple and the integrity of marriage. FertilityCareTM Services of Stewartville also offers consultations in NaProTECHNOLOGY. This is the new reproductive science developed as a result of the research done on the CREIGHTON MODEL FertilityCareTM System. Through the services of a CREIGHTON MODEL Medical Consultant, medical services are offered in women’s reproductive health care. This includes infertility, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), post-partum depression, prematurity, repetitive miscarriage, Polycystic Ovarian Disease and hormonal abnormalities. By
working with a physician trained in NaProTECHNOLOGY, women have the opportunity to have their
problem identified and treated in a way that is tailor made especially for them.
For more information or to schedule an introductory session contact:
Pamela J. Mueller,
507-254-9478,
fertilitycare4u@myclearwave.net "
Story
I am a big fan of the CREIGHTON MODEL, and highly recommend it - as well as any NAPRO Tech services offered. Yeah, I am a guy, but women will be pleased with how they are treated and respected with this form of NFP.
providers of the CREIGHTON MODEL FertilityCareTM System. This contemporary system is the most researched and effective method of natural fertility regulation in existence. Through this system, couples learn how to achieve as well as avoid pregnancy and to appreciate and understand their fertility. This system is also designed to respect the dignity of the woman and couple and the integrity of marriage. FertilityCareTM Services of Stewartville also offers consultations in NaProTECHNOLOGY. This is the new reproductive science developed as a result of the research done on the CREIGHTON MODEL FertilityCareTM System. Through the services of a CREIGHTON MODEL Medical Consultant, medical services are offered in women’s reproductive health care. This includes infertility, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), post-partum depression, prematurity, repetitive miscarriage, Polycystic Ovarian Disease and hormonal abnormalities. By
working with a physician trained in NaProTECHNOLOGY, women have the opportunity to have their
problem identified and treated in a way that is tailor made especially for them.
For more information or to schedule an introductory session contact:
Pamela J. Mueller,
507-254-9478,
fertilitycare4u@myclearwave.net "
Story
I am a big fan of the CREIGHTON MODEL, and highly recommend it - as well as any NAPRO Tech services offered. Yeah, I am a guy, but women will be pleased with how they are treated and respected with this form of NFP.
Contraception...leads to abortion....really?
...whoooda thought? OH YEAH, THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. Remember this?
sample
Consequences of Artificial Methods
17. Responsible men can become more deeply convinced of the truth of the doctrine laid down by the Church on this issue if they reflect on the consequences of methods and plans for artificial birth control. Let them first consider how easily this course of action could open wide the way for marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards. Not much experience is needed to be fully aware of human weakness and to understand that human beings—and especially the young, who are so exposed to temptation—need incentives to keep the moral law, and it is an evil thing to make it easy for them to break that law. Another effect that gives cause for alarm is that a man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, and, disregarding her physical and emotional equilibrium, reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires, no longer considering her as his partner whom he should surround with care and affection.
Finally, careful consideration should be given to the danger of this power passing into the hands of those public authorities who care little for the precepts of the moral law. Who will blame a government which in its attempt to resolve the problems affecting an entire country resorts to the same measures as are regarded as lawful by married people in the solution of a particular family difficulty? Who will prevent public authorities from favoring those contraceptive methods which they consider more effective? Should they regard this as necessary, they may even impose their use on everyone. It could well happen, therefore, that when people, either individually or in family or social life, experience the inherent difficulties of the divine law and are determined to avoid them, they may give into the hands of public authorities the power to intervene in the most personal and intimate responsibility of husband and wife.
sample
Consequences of Artificial Methods
17. Responsible men can become more deeply convinced of the truth of the doctrine laid down by the Church on this issue if they reflect on the consequences of methods and plans for artificial birth control. Let them first consider how easily this course of action could open wide the way for marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards. Not much experience is needed to be fully aware of human weakness and to understand that human beings—and especially the young, who are so exposed to temptation—need incentives to keep the moral law, and it is an evil thing to make it easy for them to break that law. Another effect that gives cause for alarm is that a man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, and, disregarding her physical and emotional equilibrium, reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires, no longer considering her as his partner whom he should surround with care and affection.
Finally, careful consideration should be given to the danger of this power passing into the hands of those public authorities who care little for the precepts of the moral law. Who will blame a government which in its attempt to resolve the problems affecting an entire country resorts to the same measures as are regarded as lawful by married people in the solution of a particular family difficulty? Who will prevent public authorities from favoring those contraceptive methods which they consider more effective? Should they regard this as necessary, they may even impose their use on everyone. It could well happen, therefore, that when people, either individually or in family or social life, experience the inherent difficulties of the divine law and are determined to avoid them, they may give into the hands of public authorities the power to intervene in the most personal and intimate responsibility of husband and wife.
Monday, January 24, 2011
FINALLY...A Bishop who says it like it is..............
THE CHALLENGE OF OPPOSING INTERPRETATIONS
*
The characteristic of the rupture in the interpretation of the conciliar texts is manifested in a more stereotypical and widespread way in the thesis of an anthropocentric, secularist, or naturalistic shift of Vatican Council II with respect to the previous ecclesial tradition. One of the best-known manifestations of such a mistaken interpretation has been, for example, so-called liberation theology and the subsequent devastating pastoral practice. What contrast there is between this liberation theology and its practice and the Council appears evident from the following conciliar teaching: "Christ, to be sure, gave His Church no
proper mission in the political, economic or social order. The purpose which He set before her is a religious one" (cf. "Gaudium et Spes," 42). [. . .]
One interpretation of rupture of lighter doctrinal weight has been manifested in the pastoralliturgical field. One might mention in this regard the decline of the sacred and sublime character of the liturgy, and the introduction of more anthropocentric elements of expression. This phenomenon can be seen in three liturgical practices that are fairly well known and widespread in almost all the parishes of the Catholic sphere: the almost complete disappearance of the use of the Latin language, the reception of the Eucharistic body of
Christ directly in the hand while standing, and the celebration of the Eucharistic sacrifice in the modality of a closed circle in which priest and people are constantly looking at each other. This way of praying – without everyone facing the same direction, which is a more natural corporal and symbolic expression with respect to the truth of everyone being oriented toward God in public worship – contradicts the practice that Jesus himself and his apostles observed in public prayer, both in the temple and in the synagogue. It also contradicts the unanimous testimony of the Fathers and of all the subsequent tradition of the Eastern and Western Church.
These three pastoral and liturgical practices glaringly at odds with the law of prayer maintained by generations of the Catholic faithful for at least one millennium find no support in the conciliar texts, and even contradict both a specific text of the Council (on the Latin language: cf. "Sacrosanctum Concilium," 36 and 54) and the "mens," the true intention of the conciliar Fathers, as can be seen in the proceedings of the Council.
*
In essence, there have been two impediments preventing the true intention of the Council and its magisterium from bearing abundant and lasting fruit. One was found outside of the Church, in the violent process of cultural and social revolution during the 1960's, which like every powerful social phenomenon penetrated inside the Church, infecting with its spirit of rupture vast segments of persons and institutions. The other impediment was manifested in the lack of wise and at the same time intrepid pastors of the Church who might be quick to defend the purity and integrity of the faith and of liturgical and pastoral life, not allowing themselves to be influenced by flattery or fear. The Council of Trent had already affirmed in one of its last decrees on the general reform of the Church: "The holy synod, shaken by the many extremely serious evils that afflict the Church, cannot do other than recall that the thing most necessary for the Church of God is to
by Bishop Athanasius Schneider
[. . .] For a correct interpretation of Vatican Council II, it is necessary to keep in mind the intention manifested in the conciliar documents themselves and in the specific words of the popes who convened and presided over it, John XXIII and Paul VI. Moreover, it is necessary to discover the common thread of the entire work of the Council, meaning its pastoral intention, which is the "salus animarum," the salvation of souls. This, in turn, depends on and is subordinate to the promotion of divine worship and of the glory of
God, it depends on the primacy of God. This primacy of God in life and in all the activity of the Church is manifested unequivocally by the fact that the constitution on the liturgy occupies, conceptually and chronologically, the first place in the vast work of the Council. [. . .]*
The characteristic of the rupture in the interpretation of the conciliar texts is manifested in a more stereotypical and widespread way in the thesis of an anthropocentric, secularist, or naturalistic shift of Vatican Council II with respect to the previous ecclesial tradition. One of the best-known manifestations of such a mistaken interpretation has been, for example, so-called liberation theology and the subsequent devastating pastoral practice. What contrast there is between this liberation theology and its practice and the Council appears evident from the following conciliar teaching: "Christ, to be sure, gave His Church no
proper mission in the political, economic or social order. The purpose which He set before her is a religious one" (cf. "Gaudium et Spes," 42). [. . .]
One interpretation of rupture of lighter doctrinal weight has been manifested in the pastoralliturgical field. One might mention in this regard the decline of the sacred and sublime character of the liturgy, and the introduction of more anthropocentric elements of expression. This phenomenon can be seen in three liturgical practices that are fairly well known and widespread in almost all the parishes of the Catholic sphere: the almost complete disappearance of the use of the Latin language, the reception of the Eucharistic body of
Christ directly in the hand while standing, and the celebration of the Eucharistic sacrifice in the modality of a closed circle in which priest and people are constantly looking at each other. This way of praying – without everyone facing the same direction, which is a more natural corporal and symbolic expression with respect to the truth of everyone being oriented toward God in public worship – contradicts the practice that Jesus himself and his apostles observed in public prayer, both in the temple and in the synagogue. It also contradicts the unanimous testimony of the Fathers and of all the subsequent tradition of the Eastern and Western Church.
These three pastoral and liturgical practices glaringly at odds with the law of prayer maintained by generations of the Catholic faithful for at least one millennium find no support in the conciliar texts, and even contradict both a specific text of the Council (on the Latin language: cf. "Sacrosanctum Concilium," 36 and 54) and the "mens," the true intention of the conciliar Fathers, as can be seen in the proceedings of the Council.
*In the hermeneutical uproar of the contrasting interpretations, and in the confusion of pastoral and liturgical applications, what appears as the only authentic interpreter of the conciliar texts is the Council itself, together with the pope. One could make a comparison with the confused hermeneutical climate of the first centuries
of the Church, caused by arbitrary biblical and doctrinal interpretations on the part of heterodox groups. In his famous work "De Praescriptione Haereticorum," Tertullian was able to counter the heretics of various tendencies with the fact that only the Church possesses the "praescriptio," meaning only the Church is the legitimate proprietor of the faith, of the word of God and of the tradition. The Church can use this to fend off the heretics in disputes over true interpretation. Only the Church can say, according to Tertullian, "Ego sum heres Apostolorum," I am the heir of the apostles. By way of analogy, only the supreme magisterium of the pope or of a future ecumenical council will be able to say: "Ego sum heres Concilii Vaticani II."
In recent decades there existed, and still exist today, groupings within the Church that are perpetrating an enormous abuse of the pastoral character of the Council and its texts, written according to this pastoral intention, since the Council did not want to present its own definitive or unalterable teachings. From the same pastoral nature of the texts of the Council, it can be seen that its texts are in principle open to supplementation and to further doctrinal clarifications. Keeping in mind the now decades-long experience of interpretations that are doctrinally and pastorally mistaken and contrary to the bimillennial continuity of the doctrine and prayer of the faith, there thus arises the necessity and urgency of a specific and authoritative intervention of the pontifical magisterium for an authentic interpretation of the conciliar texts, with supplementation and doctrinal clarifications; a sort of "Syllabus" of the errors in the interpretation of Vatican Council II.
There is the need for a new Syllabus, this time directed not so much against the errorscoming from outside of the Church, but against the errors circulated within the Church by supporters of the thesis of discontinuity and rupture, with its doctrinal, liturgical, and pastoral application. Such a Syllabus should consist of two parts: the part that points out the errors, and the positive part with proposals for clarification, completion, and doctrinal clarification.
*
Two groupings stand out for their support of the theory of rupture. One of these groupings tries to "Protestantize" the life of the Church doctrinally, liturgically, and pastorally. On the opposite side are those traditional groups which, in the name of tradition, reject the Council and exempt themselves from submission to the supreme living magisterium of the Church, from the visible head of the Church, the vicar of Christ on earth, submitting meanwhile only to the invisible head of the Church, waiting for better times. [. . .]
In essence, there have been two impediments preventing the true intention of the Council and its magisterium from bearing abundant and lasting fruit. One was found outside of the Church, in the violent process of cultural and social revolution during the 1960's, which like every powerful social phenomenon penetrated inside the Church, infecting with its spirit of rupture vast segments of persons and institutions. The other impediment was manifested in the lack of wise and at the same time intrepid pastors of the Church who might be quick to defend the purity and integrity of the faith and of liturgical and pastoral life, not allowing themselves to be influenced by flattery or fear. The Council of Trent had already affirmed in one of its last decrees on the general reform of the Church: "The holy synod, shaken by the many extremely serious evils that afflict the Church, cannot do other than recall that the thing most necessary for the Church of God is toselect excellent and suitable pastors; all the more in that our Lord Jesus Christ will ask for an account of the blood of those sheep that should perish because of the bad governance of negligent pastors unmindful of their duty" (Session XXIV, Decree "de reformatione," can. 1).
The Council continued: "As for all those who for any reason have been authorized by the Holy See to intervene in the promotion of future prelates or those who take part in this in another way, the holy Council exhorts and admonishes them to remember above all that they can do nothing more useful for the glory of God and the salvation of the people than to devote themselves to choosing good and suitable pastors to govern the Church." So there is truly a need for a Syllabus on the Council with doctrinal value, and moreover there is a need for an increase in the number of holy, courageous pastors deeply rooted in the
tradition of the Church, free from any sort of mentality of rupture, both in the doctrinal field and in the liturgical field. These two elements constitute the indispensable condition so that doctrinal, liturgical, and
pastoral confusion may diminish significantly, and so that the pastoral work of Vatican Council II may bear much lasting fruit in the spirit of the tradition, which connects us to the spirit that has reigned in every time, everywhere and in all true children of the Catholic Church, which is the only and the true Church of God on earth.
That's right folks, he's a friend to the TLM.
The privilege of being a father...........
For a few weeks now I have been building a bookcase. This is my first adventure in "woodworking" and it has been a learning experience. What I have gained most of all is an appreciation for the gift of fatherhood. My children have been helping in age appropriate ways throughout the project. Today it struck me that St. Joseph was profoundly blessed to be able to work in such close proximity to the Christ-child on a daily basis.
We as fathers need to allow our children to help us in tasks, not only for their growth, but for ours. In these areas we can teach, share, and nurture what it means to be a real man. This may not be easy, as if you are like me, when I work I want everything perfect. Looking at the bookcase, you will notice a few small imperfections - mostly to a wildly swung hammer by the boy. One can look at this two ways - 1. Get mad and not allow help. 2. Accept it as a growing experience and a chance to teach and reminisce years down the road. Today, by Grace, I chose the latter praying that I may emulate St. Joseph in his patience and meekness. Fathers - build something with your Sons. You will build more than just a thing to place in the living room - you will build the domestic church.I am reminded of the novena to St. Joseph. Here is an excerpt.
The kind of work to which you devoted your time in the workshop of Nazareth offered you many occasions of practicing humility. You were privileged to see each day the example of humility which Jesus practiced -- a virtue most pleasing to Him. He chose for His earthly surroundings not the courts of princes nor the halls of the learned, but a little workshop of Nazareth. Here you shared for many years the humble and hidden toiling of the God-Man. What a touching example for the worker of today!
While your hands were occupied with manual work, your mind was turned to God in prayer. From the Divine Master, who worked along with you, you learned to work in the presence of God in the spirit of prayer, for as He worked He adored His Father and recommended the welfare of the world to Him, Jesus also instructed you in the wonderful truths of grace and virtue, for you were in close contact with Him who said of Himself, "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life."
As you were working at your trade, you were reminded of the greatness and majesty of God, who, as a most wise Architect, formed this vast universe with wonderful skill and limitless power.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
"Why do Catholics..............
Fr. Michael Klos over at Holy Family Blog wrote a great piece on "Why do Catholics Do That" that is most certainly worth reading. Anytime you have a priest that is willing to use, write about, and defend traditional Catholic practices - SUPPORT him.
Attaboy, Padre.
Normal ongoings of the weekend...........
1. My wife spent a great amount of time at church going through all the old curriculum used in the youth ministry and CCD program............she threw away 1 dumpster full of crap (and more in the future) that was used in previous years. Somethings included; accepting homosexuality, single parenthood, and the like. We have a long way to go, but praise God, it is now able to be taken care of. Orthodoxy will reign again!!!
2. My daughter and son were playing "Firefighter" this morning. The question was posed, "What does a firefighter do?"................The answer - "We work out and go swimming and save people, that's about it."
Friday, January 14, 2011
Men of Christ Conference 2011
2011 Men of Christ Conference in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee
February 19th, 2011
Milwaukee Theatre
500 W. Kilbourn Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53203
Schedule of Events
•6:30am - 8:30am: Registration
•7am: Morning Mass - Optional (doors will be locked during Mass)
•9am: Conference Begins
•9:20am: John Pridmore, Fr. Wade Menezes
•11:30am - 1pm: Lunch, Confessions, Fellowship
•1pm - 3:30pm: Deacon Harold, Q&A with speakers, Father / Son Blessing, Eucharistic Procession
•4pm - 5pm: Mass with Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki
Eucharistic Adoration Throughout the Day
February 19th, 2011
Milwaukee Theatre
500 W. Kilbourn Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53203
Schedule of Events
•6:30am - 8:30am: Registration
•7am: Morning Mass - Optional (doors will be locked during Mass)
•9am: Conference Begins
•9:20am: John Pridmore, Fr. Wade Menezes
•11:30am - 1pm: Lunch, Confessions, Fellowship
•1pm - 3:30pm: Deacon Harold, Q&A with speakers, Father / Son Blessing, Eucharistic Procession
•4pm - 5pm: Mass with Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki
Eucharistic Adoration Throughout the Day
It's better in Latin.....
If at any time, in the future, you should ever decide to buy a new T Shirt...............for the church's sake buy it from this company. What wonderful clothes. My Birthday is coming up.....subtle hint. ( I wear a size large)
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Carmelites of St. Joseph - Austin, MN
Has anyone heard of this community of Carmelite brothers? If so, please comment - I am interested, especially since they are so close to our new home ( < 1 hour ). Any comments on their orthodoxy would be greatly appreciated - and if they are partial or open to the traditional Mass.
The Carmelites of St. Joseph are a community of Carmelite brothers founded by his Excellency, Bishop Bernard J. Harrington of the Diocese of Winona. The brothers strive to live the contemplative aspect of the Carmelite charism. This entails a life of liturgical and contemplative prayer, study of Sacred Scripture, manual labor and communal fraternity. We are a Public Association of the Faithful seeking formal affiliation with the international Order of Carmelites (O. Carm.). Our Hermitage has been located on the grounds of Queen of Angels Church, Austin Minnesota, since June, 2001.
We support ourselves by manual labor such as weaving rugs in our workshop or caring for guests and retreatants; some of us may engage in a limited sacramental ministry in local parishes, but we give preference to manual labor like our great Patron, St. Joseph. His life of labor, shrouded in silence, bears an aura of deep contemplation.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
"Whenever applause breaks out in the liturgy........"
In his book "The Spirit of the Liturgy" the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger wrote: "Whenever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement [music, guitars, grand speaking, social justice work, cuddle time], it is a sure sign that the essence of liturgy has totally disappeared and been replaced by a kind of religious entertainment" (Page 198).
Zenit / EWTN
Yep
Zenit / EWTN
Yep
Sunday, January 9, 2011
The Porn Effect - Deacon Ralph Poyo
I saw a talk by Deacon Poyo approx. 6 years ago in Chippewa Falls, WI. At that time the Diocese of La Crosse did annual Men's Conferences - and he was there with Christopher West - what a conference. Sadly, those are gone. I stumbled across Deacons' website, as well as other info - here is a taste. Definitely more to come.
alto porn
I saw a talk by Deacon Poyo approx. 6 years ago in Chippewa Falls, WI. At that time the Diocese of La Crosse did annual Men's Conferences - and he was there with Christopher West - what a conference. Sadly, those are gone. I stumbled across Deacons' website, as well as other info - here is a taste. Definitely more to come.
 |
"When you watch porn, you are watching a lie that is made to destroy you."
Interview with Jennifer Case
Written by April Garris & Jennifer Case
Jenni, thank you so much for allowing me to interview you.
You're very welcome, anything I can do to help, it's my pleasure.
How long have you been out of the porn industry now?
I officially left the entire sex industry about 3 years ago after coming to Christ and finding Shelley Lubben and the Pink Cross Foundation but I stopped actively doing porn in my late 20's when I got married and had my son. I didn't spend too much time doing porn but I used my porn title to sell myself more in other areas and it worked. I used my porn experience to promote myself as a dancer and a prostitute, etc.
Yes, because when you are in the porn industry, the clubs will promote you as a "feature dancer" and you can get more money that way.
Exactly!! I was only 20 when I moved to Hollywood to get into mainstream porn.
How old were you when you first started in the porn industry, and how long were you in for?
I was very young only barely 18 years old when I started doing porn and I would say I did it off and on for about 10 years. I really didn't know how to take care of myself and it seemed to be an easy way to survive. I would say that I was in the sex industry for about 15 years. They love to prey on young girls who need money. They are very easy to take advantage of.
Approximately how many movies did you make?
I probably made about 20 movies not very many at all.
Would you mind describing how you got into porn? I know that no porn performer wakes up one day and randomly decides to get into porn. There is always something leading up to it. Can you just lay out for us the events leading up to your decision to enter the porn industry?
I started out by doing other things first like dancing in a nude bar, doing bachelor parties, and escorting. I needed the money and hadn't finished school and was living on my own at that point. I started living that sex industry lifestyle so eventually someone suggested that I do porn and it sounded like it paid really well and it was legal so I decided to contact a local agent who got me started. The agent got me a scene in a cheap hotel in Denver and that's how it all started. I had no idea what I was getting myself into at the time.
What do you remember the most about that first experience. Was it very traumatic for you?
That first experience was odd. I was bothered by the fact that my agent used forged documents that showed I had been tested for HIV and other STDs. I had never been tested. I also remember the porn star I was supposed to work with that day was there but she couldn't do anything because of her health. Her insides were so damaged from porn. I thought it was going to be me and a woman - less threatening right? But these 2 guys joined in and I didn't think they were going to do that I was supposed to act like it was NOT my first film ever but I think they could tell I was new. There were lots of red flags in the beginning there.
What about your childhood? I know a lot of girls in the industry have backgrounds of sexual abuse, rape, neglect, or some sort of trauma. Do you think any of the events in your childhood made you more susceptible to the idea of getting into porn?
I definitely think my childhood played a big part in me getting into porn, etc. My dad was never around much and my parents divorced when I was about 8. At 14 I ran away from home and eventually became a ward of the state and remained in and out of foster homes, group homes, institutions, and other places until I was 17. I ran away alot and spent time on the streets where it was easy for me to get into trouble and my life was never stable after that. I was also exposed to porn at a very young age and saw porn magazines many times as a child. I think alot of things things from my childhood set me up for a nice, long career in the sex industry.
You mention your dad not being around. I know that's the case for most porn actresses. I know it was for me. What would you say your emotional state was like during your porn career?
It's actually hard to remember alot of what happened since I have blocked most of it out. I think emotionally I was basically "not there" and I numbed myself with pot and alcohol and other things so I didn't have to deal with my raw feelings. I found myself depressed and lonely quite a bit and my behavior was erratic and very self destructive. I look back now and see there was alot of anger and bitterness there as well. I was a real mess.
For a lot of us, drugs was a huge part of how we coped with being in that lifestyle. How did you cope mentally and emotionally with being in the porn industry?
I think it was all about numbing myself and finding any way to escape or "check out". My drug of choice was mostly pot for many years but I got to be a pretty big drinker when I turned 21 while working in a topless bar. I also realized later on that sex was a drug for me as well and slept around alot even when I wasn't working. The marijuana mixed with liquor and sex were a bad combination and left me feeling more empty, lonely and depressed afterwords. As a woman in that lifestyle, you find you never have to pay for drugs or alcohol etc. because someone was always there to provide those things for me. One thing I remember was trying to separate the real me from the porn star me. I became two people and turned it on and off when needed. My other personality "Veronica" was just a fake front to cover up and to protect the real me so I could get my job done. Veronica was very social and outgoing and bold, The real me, Jenni, not so much haha.
Jenni, a lot of people who watch porn believe that the women love what they are doing, and are simply acting out their fantasies. Is this REALLY the truth?
This is NOT the truth about porn, it is a lie. The women living that lie do not love it and if they say they love it, it's a way they lie to themselves to make it seem better. When I did porn, I wanted it to be over as quickly as possible and it was all about the money for me. I thought I did what I had to do to survive at the moment. My fantasies usually consisted of living a normal life, I fantasized about what life would be like if I wasn't stuck in that nightmare. When you watch porn, you are watching a lie that is made to destroy you.
Amen to that!!! When you were in porn, what was your opinion of the guys who watched porn – or even men in general?
I grew to hate men in general and had no respect for men who watched porn. I thought men were perverts and just wanted one thing from women period and they treated women horribly. I think of men differently now. I see them as victims of the porn industry as well. I know that men want what women want too, not sex but love. We all want love. We all have a void to fill but some people try to do that with porn. Some men pay a price for porn addiction by losing their families and jobs. It is so sad and tragic to me that porn destroys the people who make it and also the people to view it. That is clear to me now.
Ya, but when you are in the porn industry, you don't really see it that way, do you? You basically don't care about yourself or anyone else.
Ya, totally. You don't have any respect for yourself or the person you're with. It's all about money, and getting what you can from the other person. It's all about survival. You go into the industry not caring about yourself, and the longer you stay in, the less you care about yourself.
I know I actually hated myself by the time I left. What was the breaking point for you? When did you decide that you finally had to break free from all of that?
It was not just one thing really that made me quit. Many things happened at once and I became severely broken. I was in and out of the sex industry for many years. I tried to get out many times before but I would always need the money and I didn't know what else to do so I would go back to it. I finally hit bottom a few years ago. I lost everything and things were not going well anymore. I had enough of selling my body and soul and couldn't take any of it anymore. I just gave up and didn't know how I would survive, but I had no soul left to sell period. I was dead inside there was only one way to go and that was up. This was the lowest point in my life. I had a son at this point and wasn't going to let it ruin his life as well. If I would have not been a mother, I may be dead. I think part of my motivation was wanting to be a good mother to him.
So, by this time, you pretty much determined to leave because you couldn't take it anymore, but were there any fears?
It was very hard at first but it felt really good to just finally let go and be free from all of it. My only fear was being able to survive without the money. The money kept me hooked. I was worried how I could take care of myself and my child. But I decided I would rather be homeless than ever sell my self again. Once you let go of the money, it's much easier to get out.
We both know that a lot of girls in the industry suffer from mental illness. I know that I myself suffered from serious depression, even after leaving the industry. How would you say your mental condition was upon leaving the porn industry?
I know now that after years of living that life, I was traumatized by it. It was like enduring many years of oppression and abuse of all kinds. When I left and got rid of the drugs, etc., my emotions were raw for the first time in years. Over the years, I suffered depression and anxiety among many other problems and had to have counseling and take medication. Anyone who enters into that and already has mental illness, it will only make it worse.
What about physical problems?
Over the years, I mostly had to deal with STDs. I had so many different infections all of the time. I left Hollywood because I became so ill from Chlamydia. My abdomen hurt so much I had to come back home. My insides had been so abused, that at one point, a doctor at Planned Parenthood brought a group of interns in to look at my damaged cervix! I knew that "business" was taking a toll on my body and it also ages you quickly.
How did you personally recover from your time in porn? Was it extremely difficult?
I feel like the only way I could recover from that is with God in my life. God gives me hope that I didn't have before. The past few years have been hard but so worth it. Things that helped me have been constant support from others, prayer, God's word, and lots of love. The most difficult things have been trying to break old habits and trying to have a "real job". It's all about learning to live a new way, a better way. I think my recovery is an ongoing thing and it takes alot of time. I was in for many years and there was alot of damage done. I know alot more about porn now than I ever did when I was doing it.
Do you feel that Christ had a significant part in your recovery?
I know Jesus was the only way I could get out and stay out for good! For once, I had hope. Jesus saved my life. His love is amazing and I had never experienced love like that before. It was so intense that it hurt sometimes. My mind is being renewed daily by Him. All of the lies that ruled my life are being replaced with the truth, God's word. I had realized that God was my father and would take care of me. He started to fix things in me that were broken. I become stronger in my faith every day. I don't think He is done yet. he is still working on me. I think I am a better mother now because of all of this too. I would not have done any of this if were not for my little boy. I want him to know the truth about porn and treat women with respect.
What about recovery? Do you feel like the hardest part is over, or do you still have a lot of healing to do?
I do think the hardest part is over but I still have healing to do and it will probably take the rest of my life. I have learned how to live a new way and I have been learning how God works. One of the most healing things for me is to help others affected by porn. Reaching out to others helps me heal. God's love fills that void now. I told myself when I was trapped in porn, that if I ever got out (which I thought I never would) that I would try to help women out of that world. There was no help for women like me. I am passionate about it.
So, what do you see for yourself in the future? I know that you volunteer with the Pink Cross Foundation and reach out to other girls. Do you see yourself continuing down that path?
I definitely think that's where God wants me, going back into that nightmare to help save people from it. When I see some of those girls, I see me at 18. There was no such thing as The Pink Cross when I did porn. I know that porn is a major problem and it seems not much is being done about it. I love The Pink Cross Foundation and will continue to work with them. There is a certain way to handle the porn issue and educating and informing everyone makes a difference. I also plan on moving from Colorado to California to help with the cause.
That is awesome, Jenni. If you could say one thing to the men who are reading this right now, what would that be?
Men, GOD LOVES YOU! I love you too and I will always pray for all of you, for the chains to be broken. You are a slave to porn much as much any porn star. If you are viewing porn or addicted to porn, you are trying to fill a void inside of you that only God can fill. Whenever you look at porn, you are making the void bigger, and you will destroy your life. It evil it is a drug and it is poison and a lie. If you think you can keep it in the dark, God will bring it out into the light to stop you and heal you. These women are precious and deserve to be loved just as much as you do. There is a real person on the other side of the images you are seeing, and you are destroying her life and the lives of her children. Every porno has somebody's daughter in it. What if it were your little girl? You may actually be assisting in someone's death! Male and female porn actors die all of the time from AIDS, drug overdoses, suicides, etc. Please stop looking at porn.
HT - Catholic Parents Online, The Porn Effect, Lifesite News
alto porn
Written by April Garris & Jennifer Case
Jenni, thank you so much for allowing me to interview you.
You're very welcome, anything I can do to help, it's my pleasure.
How long have you been out of the porn industry now?
I officially left the entire sex industry about 3 years ago after coming to Christ and finding Shelley Lubben and the Pink Cross Foundation but I stopped actively doing porn in my late 20's when I got married and had my son. I didn't spend too much time doing porn but I used my porn title to sell myself more in other areas and it worked. I used my porn experience to promote myself as a dancer and a prostitute, etc.
Yes, because when you are in the porn industry, the clubs will promote you as a "feature dancer" and you can get more money that way.
Exactly!! I was only 20 when I moved to Hollywood to get into mainstream porn.
How old were you when you first started in the porn industry, and how long were you in for?
I was very young only barely 18 years old when I started doing porn and I would say I did it off and on for about 10 years. I really didn't know how to take care of myself and it seemed to be an easy way to survive. I would say that I was in the sex industry for about 15 years. They love to prey on young girls who need money. They are very easy to take advantage of.
Approximately how many movies did you make?
I probably made about 20 movies not very many at all.
Would you mind describing how you got into porn? I know that no porn performer wakes up one day and randomly decides to get into porn. There is always something leading up to it. Can you just lay out for us the events leading up to your decision to enter the porn industry?
I started out by doing other things first like dancing in a nude bar, doing bachelor parties, and escorting. I needed the money and hadn't finished school and was living on my own at that point. I started living that sex industry lifestyle so eventually someone suggested that I do porn and it sounded like it paid really well and it was legal so I decided to contact a local agent who got me started. The agent got me a scene in a cheap hotel in Denver and that's how it all started. I had no idea what I was getting myself into at the time.
What do you remember the most about that first experience. Was it very traumatic for you?
That first experience was odd. I was bothered by the fact that my agent used forged documents that showed I had been tested for HIV and other STDs. I had never been tested. I also remember the porn star I was supposed to work with that day was there but she couldn't do anything because of her health. Her insides were so damaged from porn. I thought it was going to be me and a woman - less threatening right? But these 2 guys joined in and I didn't think they were going to do that I was supposed to act like it was NOT my first film ever but I think they could tell I was new. There were lots of red flags in the beginning there.
What about your childhood? I know a lot of girls in the industry have backgrounds of sexual abuse, rape, neglect, or some sort of trauma. Do you think any of the events in your childhood made you more susceptible to the idea of getting into porn?
I definitely think my childhood played a big part in me getting into porn, etc. My dad was never around much and my parents divorced when I was about 8. At 14 I ran away from home and eventually became a ward of the state and remained in and out of foster homes, group homes, institutions, and other places until I was 17. I ran away alot and spent time on the streets where it was easy for me to get into trouble and my life was never stable after that. I was also exposed to porn at a very young age and saw porn magazines many times as a child. I think alot of things things from my childhood set me up for a nice, long career in the sex industry.
You mention your dad not being around. I know that's the case for most porn actresses. I know it was for me. What would you say your emotional state was like during your porn career?
It's actually hard to remember alot of what happened since I have blocked most of it out. I think emotionally I was basically "not there" and I numbed myself with pot and alcohol and other things so I didn't have to deal with my raw feelings. I found myself depressed and lonely quite a bit and my behavior was erratic and very self destructive. I look back now and see there was alot of anger and bitterness there as well. I was a real mess.
For a lot of us, drugs was a huge part of how we coped with being in that lifestyle. How did you cope mentally and emotionally with being in the porn industry?
I think it was all about numbing myself and finding any way to escape or "check out". My drug of choice was mostly pot for many years but I got to be a pretty big drinker when I turned 21 while working in a topless bar. I also realized later on that sex was a drug for me as well and slept around alot even when I wasn't working. The marijuana mixed with liquor and sex were a bad combination and left me feeling more empty, lonely and depressed afterwords. As a woman in that lifestyle, you find you never have to pay for drugs or alcohol etc. because someone was always there to provide those things for me. One thing I remember was trying to separate the real me from the porn star me. I became two people and turned it on and off when needed. My other personality "Veronica" was just a fake front to cover up and to protect the real me so I could get my job done. Veronica was very social and outgoing and bold, The real me, Jenni, not so much haha.
Jenni, a lot of people who watch porn believe that the women love what they are doing, and are simply acting out their fantasies. Is this REALLY the truth?
This is NOT the truth about porn, it is a lie. The women living that lie do not love it and if they say they love it, it's a way they lie to themselves to make it seem better. When I did porn, I wanted it to be over as quickly as possible and it was all about the money for me. I thought I did what I had to do to survive at the moment. My fantasies usually consisted of living a normal life, I fantasized about what life would be like if I wasn't stuck in that nightmare. When you watch porn, you are watching a lie that is made to destroy you.
Amen to that!!! When you were in porn, what was your opinion of the guys who watched porn – or even men in general?
I grew to hate men in general and had no respect for men who watched porn. I thought men were perverts and just wanted one thing from women period and they treated women horribly. I think of men differently now. I see them as victims of the porn industry as well. I know that men want what women want too, not sex but love. We all want love. We all have a void to fill but some people try to do that with porn. Some men pay a price for porn addiction by losing their families and jobs. It is so sad and tragic to me that porn destroys the people who make it and also the people to view it. That is clear to me now.
Ya, but when you are in the porn industry, you don't really see it that way, do you? You basically don't care about yourself or anyone else.
Ya, totally. You don't have any respect for yourself or the person you're with. It's all about money, and getting what you can from the other person. It's all about survival. You go into the industry not caring about yourself, and the longer you stay in, the less you care about yourself.
I know I actually hated myself by the time I left. What was the breaking point for you? When did you decide that you finally had to break free from all of that?
It was not just one thing really that made me quit. Many things happened at once and I became severely broken. I was in and out of the sex industry for many years. I tried to get out many times before but I would always need the money and I didn't know what else to do so I would go back to it. I finally hit bottom a few years ago. I lost everything and things were not going well anymore. I had enough of selling my body and soul and couldn't take any of it anymore. I just gave up and didn't know how I would survive, but I had no soul left to sell period. I was dead inside there was only one way to go and that was up. This was the lowest point in my life. I had a son at this point and wasn't going to let it ruin his life as well. If I would have not been a mother, I may be dead. I think part of my motivation was wanting to be a good mother to him.
So, by this time, you pretty much determined to leave because you couldn't take it anymore, but were there any fears?
It was very hard at first but it felt really good to just finally let go and be free from all of it. My only fear was being able to survive without the money. The money kept me hooked. I was worried how I could take care of myself and my child. But I decided I would rather be homeless than ever sell my self again. Once you let go of the money, it's much easier to get out.
We both know that a lot of girls in the industry suffer from mental illness. I know that I myself suffered from serious depression, even after leaving the industry. How would you say your mental condition was upon leaving the porn industry?
I know now that after years of living that life, I was traumatized by it. It was like enduring many years of oppression and abuse of all kinds. When I left and got rid of the drugs, etc., my emotions were raw for the first time in years. Over the years, I suffered depression and anxiety among many other problems and had to have counseling and take medication. Anyone who enters into that and already has mental illness, it will only make it worse.
What about physical problems?
Over the years, I mostly had to deal with STDs. I had so many different infections all of the time. I left Hollywood because I became so ill from Chlamydia. My abdomen hurt so much I had to come back home. My insides had been so abused, that at one point, a doctor at Planned Parenthood brought a group of interns in to look at my damaged cervix! I knew that "business" was taking a toll on my body and it also ages you quickly.
How did you personally recover from your time in porn? Was it extremely difficult?
I feel like the only way I could recover from that is with God in my life. God gives me hope that I didn't have before. The past few years have been hard but so worth it. Things that helped me have been constant support from others, prayer, God's word, and lots of love. The most difficult things have been trying to break old habits and trying to have a "real job". It's all about learning to live a new way, a better way. I think my recovery is an ongoing thing and it takes alot of time. I was in for many years and there was alot of damage done. I know alot more about porn now than I ever did when I was doing it.
Do you feel that Christ had a significant part in your recovery?
I know Jesus was the only way I could get out and stay out for good! For once, I had hope. Jesus saved my life. His love is amazing and I had never experienced love like that before. It was so intense that it hurt sometimes. My mind is being renewed daily by Him. All of the lies that ruled my life are being replaced with the truth, God's word. I had realized that God was my father and would take care of me. He started to fix things in me that were broken. I become stronger in my faith every day. I don't think He is done yet. he is still working on me. I think I am a better mother now because of all of this too. I would not have done any of this if were not for my little boy. I want him to know the truth about porn and treat women with respect.
What about recovery? Do you feel like the hardest part is over, or do you still have a lot of healing to do?
I do think the hardest part is over but I still have healing to do and it will probably take the rest of my life. I have learned how to live a new way and I have been learning how God works. One of the most healing things for me is to help others affected by porn. Reaching out to others helps me heal. God's love fills that void now. I told myself when I was trapped in porn, that if I ever got out (which I thought I never would) that I would try to help women out of that world. There was no help for women like me. I am passionate about it.
So, what do you see for yourself in the future? I know that you volunteer with the Pink Cross Foundation and reach out to other girls. Do you see yourself continuing down that path?
I definitely think that's where God wants me, going back into that nightmare to help save people from it. When I see some of those girls, I see me at 18. There was no such thing as The Pink Cross when I did porn. I know that porn is a major problem and it seems not much is being done about it. I love The Pink Cross Foundation and will continue to work with them. There is a certain way to handle the porn issue and educating and informing everyone makes a difference. I also plan on moving from Colorado to California to help with the cause.
That is awesome, Jenni. If you could say one thing to the men who are reading this right now, what would that be?
Men, GOD LOVES YOU! I love you too and I will always pray for all of you, for the chains to be broken. You are a slave to porn much as much any porn star. If you are viewing porn or addicted to porn, you are trying to fill a void inside of you that only God can fill. Whenever you look at porn, you are making the void bigger, and you will destroy your life. It evil it is a drug and it is poison and a lie. If you think you can keep it in the dark, God will bring it out into the light to stop you and heal you. These women are precious and deserve to be loved just as much as you do. There is a real person on the other side of the images you are seeing, and you are destroying her life and the lives of her children. Every porno has somebody's daughter in it. What if it were your little girl? You may actually be assisting in someone's death! Male and female porn actors die all of the time from AIDS, drug overdoses, suicides, etc. Please stop looking at porn.
HT - Catholic Parents Online, The Porn Effect, Lifesite News
alto porn
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Sooooo this is how homosexuals stand up for themselves?
Right....real effective....mature......loving......makes me want to be sympathetic to their cause. Uh wait, no. For the record - people who believe they are homosexuals (and remaining chaste) are not sinning, those who practice homosexuality are. Big difference. Huge. Don't understand it? Ask.
This is the edited version. Sign the petition below.
www.NationForMarriage.org/kids You can make a difference! Sign the petition today and share it with friends and family. Presented by the National Organization for Marriage
Dear Marriage Supporter,
How low will some gay-marriage advocates go?
Two weeks ago, NOM--and thousands of good people like you--called on national gay-marriage groups to stop using shocking images of children spewing angry obscenities to raise money for their cause.
If you have not seen the video, please do so. (Warning: Even with the profanity muted it's still disturbing, so please make sure no children can see.) Thousands of people just like you have signed our petition to protect the kids.
NOM's “Pink T-shirt video” is opening a lot of eyes to the hatred-inciting tactics of some prominent gay-marriage organizations who've accepted more than $200,000 raised by this disturbing video.
We're asking: Stop using small children shouting obscenities to make your case and raise money for your cause.
Is that too much to ask?!
Read more at: http://www.nationformarriage.org/
This is the edited version. Sign the petition below.
www.NationForMarriage.org/kids You can make a difference! Sign the petition today and share it with friends and family. Presented by the National Organization for Marriage
Dear Marriage Supporter,
How low will some gay-marriage advocates go?
Two weeks ago, NOM--and thousands of good people like you--called on national gay-marriage groups to stop using shocking images of children spewing angry obscenities to raise money for their cause.
If you have not seen the video, please do so. (Warning: Even with the profanity muted it's still disturbing, so please make sure no children can see.) Thousands of people just like you have signed our petition to protect the kids.
NOM's “Pink T-shirt video” is opening a lot of eyes to the hatred-inciting tactics of some prominent gay-marriage organizations who've accepted more than $200,000 raised by this disturbing video.
We're asking: Stop using small children shouting obscenities to make your case and raise money for your cause.
Is that too much to ask?!
Read more at: http://www.nationformarriage.org/
The Family is a “Little Church” - FATHER ROBERT BARRON
There are, to be sure, family values on display in the Bible, but they’re probably not the ones we would naturally expect.
We might in fact be taken aback when we see just how harsh, blunt, and demanding are most Biblical accounts of family relations. We tend to be rather sentimental when it comes to families (especially this time of year), and there's nothing wrong with warm family feelings. But the Scriptural attitude toward families isn't sentimental; it's theological and mission-focused.
A prime example of this unique Biblical perspective is a passage from the first book of Samuel. We hear of Hannah, a devout Israelite woman who, to her deep chagrin and embarrassment, was not able to bear children. Every year, she went to the temple at Shiloh to pray for the grace of pregnancy. Once, she was praying with such passion and with so many tears that Eli the priest assumed that she was drunk and was making a shameful display. Displaying less than exemplary pastoral sensitivity, he said, "how long will you make a drunken spectacle of yourself? Put away your wine!" Can you imagine a more miserable scenario for Hannah? But she stood her ground, protesting, "No, my Lord, I am a woman deeply troubled; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord." Then she told Eli precisely how she had been entreating the Lord: "O Lord of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant…but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a nazirite until the day of his death." A nazarite was an ancient Israelite version of a monk, a person completely dedicated to God.
We then hear that the Lord heard Hannah's prayer and in due time she conceived and bore a son, whom she named "Samuel," which means, "asked of the Lord." When the child was weaned, his mother fulfilled her vow and brought him to the temple. She gave Samuel to Eli and told the priest to raise the child in the temple as a man of God. We can only begin to conceive the anguish Hannah must have felt as she offered back to Yahweh the child whom she had begged from the Lord with such intensity. In time, of course, Samuel grew to be one of the most powerful and important prophets in Israel, the one who anointed both Saul and David and set thereby the history of salvation in a decisively new direction.
With that story in mind, we turn to the well-known passage which is the Gospel reading, in Cycle C, for the feast of the Holy Family. After their visit to Jerusalem, Mary and Joseph, along with a bevy of their family and friends, were heading home to Nazareth. They presumed that the child Jesus was somewhere among his relatives in this caravan. Instead, he was in the temple of the Lord, conversing the elders and masters of the law. Distraught, Mary and Joseph spent three days looking for him. Any parent who has ever searched for a lost child knows the anguish they must have felt. Can you imagine what it was like as they tried to sleep at night, spinning out the worst scenarios in their minds? When they finally find him, they, with understandable exasperation, upbraid him: "Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety." But Jesus responds with a kind of devastating laconicism: "Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?"
The paradox is this: precisely in the measure that everyone in the family focuses on God's call for one another the family becomes more loving and peaceful.
Both stories convey a truth that runs sharply counter to our sensibilities, namely, that even the most powerful familial emotions and sentiments must, in the end, give way to mission. Though they felt an enormous pull in the opposite direction, both Hannah and Mary let their sons go, allowing them to find their vocation in the temple, which is to say, in the space of God. Legitimate sentiment devolves into sentimentality precisely when it comes to supersede the call of God. Both narratives disclose that, on a Biblical reading, the family is, above all, the forum in which both parents and children are able to discern their missions. It is perfectly good, of course, if deep bonds and rich emotions are cultivated within the family, but those relationships and passions must cede to something that is more fundamental, more enduring, more spiritually focused.
This Biblical prioritization of values helps us to see, in fact, what typically goes wrong with families. When something other than mission is dominant – a son's athletic achievement, a daughter's success at university, a child's emotional reliance on her parents, etc. – family relationships actually become strained. The paradox is this: precisely in the measure that everyone in the family focuses on God's call for one another the family becomes more loving and peaceful. John Paul II admirably summed up what I've been driving at when he spoke of the family as an ecclesiola (a little church). At its best, he implies, the family is a place where God is worshipped and where the discernment of God's mission is of paramount importance.
I know it seems strange to say, but the most loving thing that family members can do is to let each other go – for God's service.
The Crescat has a great view on this as well.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Father Robert Barron, "The Family is a 'Little Church'." Our Sunday Visitor (December 19, 2010).
Reprinted with permission of Father Robert Barron.
HT - Above and Catholic Parents Online
We might in fact be taken aback when we see just how harsh, blunt, and demanding are most Biblical accounts of family relations. We tend to be rather sentimental when it comes to families (especially this time of year), and there's nothing wrong with warm family feelings. But the Scriptural attitude toward families isn't sentimental; it's theological and mission-focused.
A prime example of this unique Biblical perspective is a passage from the first book of Samuel. We hear of Hannah, a devout Israelite woman who, to her deep chagrin and embarrassment, was not able to bear children. Every year, she went to the temple at Shiloh to pray for the grace of pregnancy. Once, she was praying with such passion and with so many tears that Eli the priest assumed that she was drunk and was making a shameful display. Displaying less than exemplary pastoral sensitivity, he said, "how long will you make a drunken spectacle of yourself? Put away your wine!" Can you imagine a more miserable scenario for Hannah? But she stood her ground, protesting, "No, my Lord, I am a woman deeply troubled; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord." Then she told Eli precisely how she had been entreating the Lord: "O Lord of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant…but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a nazirite until the day of his death." A nazarite was an ancient Israelite version of a monk, a person completely dedicated to God.
We then hear that the Lord heard Hannah's prayer and in due time she conceived and bore a son, whom she named "Samuel," which means, "asked of the Lord." When the child was weaned, his mother fulfilled her vow and brought him to the temple. She gave Samuel to Eli and told the priest to raise the child in the temple as a man of God. We can only begin to conceive the anguish Hannah must have felt as she offered back to Yahweh the child whom she had begged from the Lord with such intensity. In time, of course, Samuel grew to be one of the most powerful and important prophets in Israel, the one who anointed both Saul and David and set thereby the history of salvation in a decisively new direction.
With that story in mind, we turn to the well-known passage which is the Gospel reading, in Cycle C, for the feast of the Holy Family. After their visit to Jerusalem, Mary and Joseph, along with a bevy of their family and friends, were heading home to Nazareth. They presumed that the child Jesus was somewhere among his relatives in this caravan. Instead, he was in the temple of the Lord, conversing the elders and masters of the law. Distraught, Mary and Joseph spent three days looking for him. Any parent who has ever searched for a lost child knows the anguish they must have felt. Can you imagine what it was like as they tried to sleep at night, spinning out the worst scenarios in their minds? When they finally find him, they, with understandable exasperation, upbraid him: "Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety." But Jesus responds with a kind of devastating laconicism: "Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?"
The paradox is this: precisely in the measure that everyone in the family focuses on God's call for one another the family becomes more loving and peaceful.
Both stories convey a truth that runs sharply counter to our sensibilities, namely, that even the most powerful familial emotions and sentiments must, in the end, give way to mission. Though they felt an enormous pull in the opposite direction, both Hannah and Mary let their sons go, allowing them to find their vocation in the temple, which is to say, in the space of God. Legitimate sentiment devolves into sentimentality precisely when it comes to supersede the call of God. Both narratives disclose that, on a Biblical reading, the family is, above all, the forum in which both parents and children are able to discern their missions. It is perfectly good, of course, if deep bonds and rich emotions are cultivated within the family, but those relationships and passions must cede to something that is more fundamental, more enduring, more spiritually focused.
This Biblical prioritization of values helps us to see, in fact, what typically goes wrong with families. When something other than mission is dominant – a son's athletic achievement, a daughter's success at university, a child's emotional reliance on her parents, etc. – family relationships actually become strained. The paradox is this: precisely in the measure that everyone in the family focuses on God's call for one another the family becomes more loving and peaceful. John Paul II admirably summed up what I've been driving at when he spoke of the family as an ecclesiola (a little church). At its best, he implies, the family is a place where God is worshipped and where the discernment of God's mission is of paramount importance.
I know it seems strange to say, but the most loving thing that family members can do is to let each other go – for God's service.
The Crescat has a great view on this as well.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Father Robert Barron, "The Family is a 'Little Church'." Our Sunday Visitor (December 19, 2010).
Reprinted with permission of Father Robert Barron.
HT - Above and Catholic Parents Online
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Epiphany Blessing 20 C+M+B 11
How to do the Blessing - Courtesy of Fish Eaters
Father stopped by to do the traditional Epiphany house blessing, and after a quick trip back to the church to retrieve the thurible, we were on our way.
As a side note, this was Father T.'s first Epiphany house blessing in over 20 years - WOW, I pray he is able to exercise more of his Priestly roles in the coming years. If you are in the SE Minnesota area and would like to contact Fr. T, parish info can be found here.
Epiphany, the 12th day after Christmas, celebrates the visit of the three kings or wise men to the Christ Child, signifying the extension of salvation to the Gentiles. Epiphany falls on Thursday, January 6, 2011. In most countries, including the United States, the celebration of Epiphany in 2011 is transferred to Sunday, January 2.
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