Compelling, I think so...

At first I couldn't figure out what the point of this was... then it struck me...

Sex, Lies and ... the Bible.

I have recently received an email-update from the website for the Population Research Institute. Though I am not sure how I got on their mailing list, I am thankful for some of the articles they send me. Today's article included this:

"Margaret Sanger is one of the pro-choice movement's iconic figures. She is extolled as a pioneering feminist, health worker, and woman's activist. Her quotes on these subject are treated as scripture. But she was also an outspoken supporter of eugenics, who wanted more children from the fit and sterilization, even segregation, for the unfit. The infamous Negro Project, which targeted Blacks for contraception and sterilization, was one outcome of this.

Planned Parenthood, of course, does not want you know these facts. So the organization works hard to burnish Sanger's reputation, and goes into damage control mode whenever questions are raised about her more unsavory views. At the same time, however, they continue to quietly practice what she preached."

I am struck by Margaret Sanger, who my wife has studied more extensively that I have. Ms. Sanger worked tirelessly to kill as many babies (or according to her thinking mere embryos) as she could and to leave a legacy that is sustained by her disciples. One wonders if each of us who call ourselves Christians will have such an impact?

The whole problem, of course, begins in the MZarital Act itself, of course. Without the virtue of chastity you have the problem of so-called "unwanted pregnancy." This is so striking because the problem of abortion begs the question of why does mankind feel the need to promote sex outside of a marriage where a baby would be wanted? I am also reading this month's This Rock magazine, in which there is an article entitled, "If you want Justice, work for Chastity." The basic premise of which is that the human body is not a mere instrument to be used for pleasure, but has our actions - especially our sexual actions - bear a more profound meaning of who we are as people. Particularly, the author notes, as regards our chastity. This is not something promoted or even mentioned in our modern culture - the virtue of chastity.

Chastity is seen as a hindrance to pleasure, when it is in fact the key to living a life of integrity. It is virtue that allows us to live more intensely and more intently. Chastity, however, is often reduced to mere control of lust which demeans the idea of it being a positive virtue. In other words, the virtue of chastity actually gives us more life, rather than merely restricting our sexuality. It is unfortunate that Ms. Sanger saw the world in terms of race and death, such that people were seen to be a hindrance to happiness, as Jean-Paul Sartre held.

For us Catholics, we must realize and strive to live the reality that sexuality is meant to be used in the appropriate avenues granted by God. Why? Because he is some mean guy who forces us to do things we don't want? No. It is because he is a loving Father who has revealed to us the truth about who we are, and how we can best come to fulfillment as human beings, but we must choose this narrow path. Jesus once said, "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter it are many. For the gate is narrow, and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few (Mt 7:13-14)." I think this is no where more clear than in the area of sexuality.

In our modern world, the lie that our bodies are a mere instrument of who we are has become the norm. Modern media promotes the idea that our body should be used as an instrument of our desire, when the wisdom of mankind - let alone the Catholic Faith for a second - tells us that we are more than mere desire. We have the ability to give ourselves to another with full purpose and intent, and the lessening of this makes us disintegrated and disheveled in our souls. Our Catholic Faith, however, fully helps us to appreciate the great gift of unity that God has revealed for us in Jesus Christ. That man and woman can unite fully in the Sacrament of Marriage is an incredible gift, and unfortunately, for those with homosexual desires, one which can not be fulfilled in same-sex relationships. God desires to consummate his love with our souls in the Holy Eucharist, similar to how a man and woman consummate their marriage and have the ability to bear children because of it. Our souls bear the gift of grace in the world however. Again, we must choose this narrow road. We must desire and seek Christ, and to live fully for him - even if this is an ongoing project.

May we never succumb entirely to the lie that the Catholic Church is outdated in her glorious teaching of our sexuality, for never will man be more fulfilled than in her sacred teachings which she has taught since the time of the apostles. Praise God that we should have such a rock to turn to! And finally, as I prepare to teach for the Catholic Biblical School here in Denver, I am struck by the incredible faithfulness of God which is revealed in the book of the Sacred Scripture. Just consider its been around for so long, and we have a chance to see God's heart by means of the writings there! May you seek him there!

Every hour of EVERY day...

At a time when so many people have gotten such a false impression of the Catholic Faith, one who loves Christ and the Holy Catholic Church must rejoice when good things are happening. Check this out, if you feel like you have been down on your Catholic Faith of late.

UPDATE: Shoot, well i guess I can't link to the video I was hoping you might check out, but you can find it at the above link and scroll down to the bottom where you see three pictures. Click on the one that says Epic. It is quite good!

Funny or True?

My sister is big on the email forwards. I personally don't like 'em. I think they are annoying and ususally I don't spend much time reading them. But then this one came today, which I must say I found quite funny!

1. At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down.

2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don't Disguise Your Voice!

3. Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something,ask If They Want Fries with that.

4. Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks Once Everyone has Gotten Over Their Caffeine Addictions,Switch to Espresso.

5. In the Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write "For Marijuana."

6. Skip down the hall Rather Than Walk and see how many looks you get.

7. Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face.

8. Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is 'To Go'.

9. Sing Along At The Opera.

10. Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their Party Because You have a headache.

11. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream 'I Won! I Won!'

12. When Leaving the Zoo, Start Running towards the Parking lot, Yelling "Run For Your Lives! They're Loose!"

13. Tell Your Children Over Dinner, "Due To The Economy, We Are Going To Have To Let One Of You Go."

14. And The Final Way To Keep A Healthy Level Of Insanity

Send This E-mail To Someone To Make Them Smile.

It's Called ... THERAPY


Not everyone will appreciate this, and that is ok, but if at least one person got a chuckle that is already accomplishing a lot in these days. Anyway, I am sure at least one of these is probably illegal, and a couple of others will probably seriously cause some need for therapy for your kids!

Totally who's?

One would like to think that as we come to understand who Jesus Christ is that each of us would learn to give assent and to abandon ourselves to our Holy Catholic Faith. The incredible reality of the Catholic Church helps us to consider that there is no other religion like the Catholic Faith. Why? Because only the Catholic Church historically is proven to have been founded by Jesus Christ. You can decide for yourself whether you believe Jesus was the only Son of God who was eternally begotten and was sent by the Father for the sake of our Salvation, but you can't argue historically that Jesus established the Catholic Church.

It takes faith to do what I do. My job sustains my family, but I am not making a living that is extremely comfortable given the growing size of my family and what most Americans are striving own in our modern world. This doesn't bother me too much; though, I think some sort of change may be coming eventually. At any rate, I am struck again by the Totus Tuus team that is hear this week at St. Jude. Their devotion to serve the parish and to serve the Mystical body of Christ is once again very edifying. As with years past, you can see their desire and their faith for the Lord Jesus in their mannerisms and chosen words.

I think it disarms us "adults" in the modern world, where we seek so many things, to meet these young people who are dedicated to spreading the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Many are the things that invite us to place our faith in the World, many are the things that tempt us to focus on ourselves and our own desires, but these young people give us a great witness of seeking only to do God's will by their devoting an entire summer to serve our Lord Jesus Christ. Sure, they will eventually move on from this summer program and finish their college degrees and seek other things too - jobs, families, success, etc. But it is striking to know that there is an abundance of young people who are building the kingdom of Christ in this world, and when our current team moves on, there will be more young people to take their place. It reminds one of the Catholic notion of family: we parents procreate in order not only to propogate the human species, but also to pass on the joy of the reality of our Catholic Faith. In both ways, teaching and procreating, God blesses those who truly put the effort and sacrifice to pass on these incredible gifts of our Holy Catholic Faith and life, respectively.

I am struck by the edification which this team provides me. Totus Tuus. It's Latin for "Totally Yours" and it is inspired by Pope John Paul II's papal motto (which actually comes from St. Louis De Montfort). These Totus Tuus team members truly have given themselves TOTALLY to Christ for this summer, and hopefully for their whole lives. You can see this if you ask them about how they are doing. In the midst of the light amounts of sleep and rest and time for themselves, they exude the joy of serving Jesus Christ with their whole minds, whole bodies, and whole strengths. Sure they aren't perfect, but their desire to be sure shows.

Whether you have a child in the Totus Tuus program or not, I encourage you to check out the Totus Tuus website. It can be found here. But most importantly, I hope every parishioner at St. Jude will consider joining us for the potluck on Wednesday to meet these young people and to be edified by their desire to serve Jesus Christ. These are the future of our Holy Mother Church!

The Return of Ron Paul...

at least to my blog anyway. History will reveal anything further.

However, I found this little video that is quite compelling:



The groundswell of support which Dr. Paul receives continues to interest me. I just finished his most recent book, "The Revolution: A Manifesto" and I would recommend it. He does lay out some serious arguements, which it is true that no one else is putting forward in today's political climate.

Again, I do not and will not recommend voting for any candidate, however I am entitled as an American Citizen to freely declare my sympathies. If you are a disgruntled Republican because of the presumptive nominee of your party, you might also be interested to know that there is still a movement afoot to redirect the Republican Party, which I had not heard of until I checked out this website (link here).

What an incredible time to live, hunh? The divisiveness within the Democratic Party, and the potential for a "rEVOLution" in the Republican party - which appears to be a mere return to party roots? These are interesting times indeed.

Finally, I checked out the whole "Google Trends" and Mr. Day is right! You can see it here.

Requiescat in Aeternum Gaudium

Today, marks the one year anniversary of my classmate from Rome, Fr. Ragheed Aziz Ganni, being martyred in Iraq. After celebrating Holy Liturgy according to the Chaldean Rite, with three deacons, he was shot while getting into a car outside a Church. May he enjoy his reward for his faithfulness and may we also be found worthy to die well for Jesus.

I can't but stop and think with fond memories of the many times when Fr. Ragheed, my beloved wife, and I all sipped Irish Tea and had "cornettos (Italian croissants, basically)" at the Irish College in Rome. Ah... may he enjoy his eternity, and may we be there with him when the Lord Jesus calls us home.

The Glory of Latin

Today, I just found this little gem by our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II:

We address especially the young people: In an epoch when in
some areas, as you know, the Latin language and the human values
are less appreciated, you must joyfully accept the patrimony of
the language which the Church holds in high esteem and must, with
energy, make it fruitful. The well-known words of Cicero, "It is
not so much excellent to know Latin, as it is a shame not to know
it" [Non tam praeclarum est scire Latine, quam turpe nescire
(Brutus, xxxvii.140)] in a certain sense are directed to you. We
exhort you all to lift up high the torch of Latin which is even
today a bond of unity among peoples of all nations.

This quote comes from a speech given to the Latinitas Foundation given on Nov. 27th 1978. Unfortunately it is only found online in its entirety in Italian here.

Requiescat in Pax Domini Jesum Christum.

To the point...

Again, Mr. Masonic Traveler has seen fit to comment, and perhaps it is well for certainly there is a much needed clarification that must be given.

First, while Mr. Traveler appears to have a Protestant understanding of Christianity, which is betrayed by the very implied notion that one can come up with belief by sitting on their couch at home while flipping through the channels. One sees this in the accusation that the Church is causing a "manipulated interpretation of telling one how to believe." This comment seems to prefer the notion of "Sola Fides," which is not supported by the Sacred Scriptures. Notice that even in the Gospel of Matthew, as Jesus is sending his apostles out into the world he doesn't say, "go out and affirm everybody in what they already believe because they are really close to the Kingdom of God, just by believing in the Great Architect of the Universe, whose name is really Jah-Buh-Lon... or don't, because they are good right where they are at." Rather the Lord and Savior, the only Son of the one living and True Triune God, Jesus Christ, teaches, "Go therefore and MAKE disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, TEACHING them TO OBSERVE all that I have commanded you; and behold I am with you always, to the close of the age (Mt 28:20)." However, perhaps I am not entirely clear to what Mr. Traveler is referring to as "that"?

Further, Mr. Traveler's incoherent notion of Gnostic Faith being already something integral to early Christianity is again untenable. Notice that Jesus in the Sacred Scriptures, written by the first Catholics - Jesus' own Apostles, did not teach, "You are God within you. All you need is a little light from an angel or something that will help you understand what it means to be truly good." Rather, Jesus Himself taught one of the Pharisees, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (Jn 3:5)." Clearly, one must enter into the teachings and belief of the Christian dispensation, which continues to remain most fully in the Holy Catholic Faith. For what other reason would Jesus say to St. Peter, the first Pope, "You are the rock upon which I will build my Church (Mt 16:18)." I know for me that when I finally accepted the free gift of God's mercy, my life has changed and continues to change as I continue to try to live entirely for the Jesus who continues to save me from Sin (when I am not stupid enough to flee from him). Knowing and teaching people who desire to give up everything in this life in order to follow Jesus Christ is an incredible blessing when one realizes what St. Paul says, "For me, to live is Christ, and death is gain (Phillipians 1:21)." St. Paul continues, "But whatever gains I had, these I have come to consider a loss because of Christ. More than that, I even consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much "rubbish [the Greek word here is "skubala", which literally means poop!]", that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having any righteousness of my own based on the law but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God, depending on faith to know him and the power of his resurrection and (the) sharing of his sufferings by being conformed to his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead (Phil 3:7-11)."

While the association of Jesus with the Essenes is disputed, certainly Jesus - who if he was truly God (and I believe and know he was) - would not establish a Church which would immediately condemn the very Gnostic notions that were already proposed within the time of the Apostles. This we already find hints of in the Book of Revelation, where this gnostic or hidden knowledge or the so-called "deep things of God" where already proposed by the Nioclaitans (cf. Rev 2:6, Rev, 2:15 and Rev. 2:24 - where this doctrine is called "the deep things of Satan").

Mr. Traveler would try to pin on me the belief that Freemasonry doesn't hold all religions as valid. However, I do accept this point, in spite of this accusation, and have not tried to dispute it, since this is precisely the problem. One can not fit the square pegs of other religions into the round hole of Catholicism, to use an analogy. While one can fit Protestant Christianity, with much delusion of its adhereant, into the Masonic mindset, since there is no centralized belief or authority within Catholic derived Protestant theologies. There are few denominations of Christanity, particularly of the Reformation derivations, which do not fit into the understanding of Masonry for this reason - particularly if one has ignored or is not aware of the scriptures teachings about Masonic ideologies. However, why is it that in an upper degree of the Scottish Rite, 32nd if I am not mistaken, that the Mason is meant to step on the Triple Crown and declare, "Down with the imposture!" Certainly, one who understands that the Triple Tiara is a clear symbol of the Papal Tiara will not dispute the rejection of the validity of the Catholic Faith. This certainly fits within the Protestant understanding that with "Sola Fides" one need not have an authority, since one can interpret Christianity for one's self. Further, it fits within the understanding of "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity" as understood by European and particularly French Masonry which rejected both King and Pope.

It is unfortunate that Mr. Traveler appears to not have bothered to watch the video I attached to my last post, which clearly shows Grand Commandmer Albert Pike's contention that Lucifer is also God: "Yes, Lucifer is god and unfortunately adonay [The hebrew God of the Bible] is also God ... the true and philosophical religion is the belif in Lucifer, the equal of Adonay [Nothing could be further from the truth, as Lucifer is but an angel created by God, and who choose to reject God]; ... but Lucifer, god of light and god of good, is struggling for humanity against Adonay, the God of darkness and of evil." . Further, it shows in Morals and Dogma, p. 819, how the leaders of Freemasonry are intentionally deceiving their fellow "brothers." How can this be disputed when your own teachers and books themselves make the case?

Syncretism is not such "a remarkable pot," as Mr. Traveler suggests. In fact, it is quite a "natural" pot, since man does not desire obedience to anyone but seeks freedom from both God and Church. This disobedience is not true freedom, but more properly licentiousness. And why is this? Precisely because of the Original Sin, from which all sin derives its existence. Man has such a difficulty, as does Satan, to serve the one and only true God, the God whom St. John says is Love and whose only begotten son is Jesus Christ. The reason why man flees from love are manifold, however, suffice it to say that man need only accept and believe in the Love of God manifested in Jesus Christ and then also to begin to live that received love and in this will man be drawn to the obedience of love found most fully in the Catholic Church. Again the position that such a teaching creates "exclusivity rather than a tolerant community, and really only builds walls" also clearly ignores the reality that absolute Truth itself exists. Again I ask, how can man believe in the "Masonic religion" when man is expected to deny Jesus Christ as any different than Buddha, or Mohammed, or other religious personages. Clearly this ignores the fundamental truth, as my original post pointed out, "There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved (Acts 4:12)." In other words, tolerance without Truth is useless. To tolerate the actions of Hitler and Stalin is not necessarily a wise course of action, as history has shown. Tolerance must be guided by Truth, or it risks destroying the very mankind it is meant to help. But who can define Truth? Well, as a Christian I have come to believe and know that the only absolute Truth begins in Jesus Christ, who himself said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life."

It appears you ignore the possibility, as many do, that believing what the Holy Catholic Faith believes is the truth. Why so? If Jesus, the only Son of the living and True God {which is not Jahbulon, by the way) established only one Church and guides it with His own Holy Spirit then why wouldn't I believe in it fully? Why would I believe the masonic ideology which forces me to overlook the distinct differences that do exist in various religions, even if some points are similar. Why would it not be more tenable that there is but one Truth and man has gotten it wrong in various ways, just as the many 26,000+ types of Protestantism show.

This again is the problem of Masonry, as my original post pointed out. In the video, we are meant to believe that "The truths you learn as a Mason are personal and private, but the values echo the past..." Logically, Truth can not be a private issue, since Truth affects all men. How can a religion or philosophy which purports to help men find the Truth not proclaim that truth publically. Rather in Masonry it is reserved for men who climb by rungs to "ascend to truth" and who effectively allow themselves to become their own savior, since Truth is manifestly intended to be nothing more than personal opinion? Mr. Traveler and I agree that in the end it comes down to faith. I, however, perfer to believe the words of Joshua: "
Now, therefore, fear the Lord [read Adonai] and serve Him completely and sincerely. Cast out the gods your fathers served beyond the River [read in this Baal!] and in Egypt [again read Osiris, Mithras, Set, etc,], and serve the Lord. If it does not please you to serve the Lord [again we are talking about Adonai here], decide today whom you will serve, the gods your fathers served beyond River or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are dwelling. As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15-15)." One cannot serve "the divine figure of antiquity" and seriously claim to be a Christian, as I have pointed out. To equate Christ our King to be "a light bearer" on par with Mohammend or Buddha is as syncretistic as it gets.

Having studied the notion of "Masonic Charity" to some degree, I would note that it is quite interesting that Mr. Traveler seems to think that charity is the result "of the practice and teachings of the fraternity." And yet, does not Freemasonry itself in the 3rd degree oath impose upon the Mason to inherently prejudice against the non-Freemason. Is not the mason intended to come to the aid of another mason before the non-mason? Is this not what one commonly calls "prejudice?" Perhaps, I am wrong, but I do not see such an integral practice as charitable to all mankind, but charitable to the fellow mason first. Hence the very notion of fraternity in Masonic thought.



Again I would invite any one who is interested to review the video below called "Freemasonry: From Darkness to Light" (which by the way is produced by a Protestant outfit, and yet hits the salient points) or to consider Pope Leo XIII exposition on the Church's stance against the Freemasonic religion or to read a copy of John Salza's book "Masonry Unmasked." There are numerous other resources, but one must truly desire the Truth and not merely accede to the teachings of Masonry. As the humorous thinker G.K. Chesterton once wrote, "Merely having an open mind is nothing. The object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid." There is, I would argue, nothing more solid than the Church of Jesus Christ which He himself built upon the Rock of St. Peter.

To return to a theme...

I have gotten one comment from a person known as "Masonic Traveler" on my last post on Freemasonry. You can find it here.

Unfortunately, it appears one misses the point by noting that Freemasonry is not "against" the Church. Particularly, since the very texts of Freemasonry themselves reject Jesus Christ as the Savior of the World. Instead, they accept Lucifer, aka Satan, as the "God of good." Further, as is pointed out by Mr. Traveler, Freemasonry's insidious tendency is to unite all religions into one, namely to practice syncretism. In which case, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God and the only savior of mankind, becomes equal to Buddha or to Mohammed. This is something which the Christian Faith cannot tolerate since it betrays ignorance and half-heartedness, for which Christ would spew one out of his mouth (Rev 3)! Buddha himself said, "I am not God." Jesus, however, said, "I am the way, the Truth and life. Nobody comes to father but through me." Freemasonry, due to its indifference to Christ, cannot - if one is honest with oneself - accept one religion over another precisely because the focus of freemasonry IS unity. But this unity comes to the exclusion of Truth! This is the unfortunate thing about this Masonic Religion.

Where Masonry presumes it is taking up the slack by offering "charitable works" for its members, it unfortunately removes itself from the "sola fides" (faith alone) which is required of Protestant Christians - as Mr. Traveler points out at the end of his comments. For Catholics, however, faith and works are not and can not be divorced as such. Rather for Catholics we already live the universal life of both faith and works, that is to say, our faith informs our works. We need not believe in both the Holy Trinity and "the Great Architect of the Universe" (i.e. the God of the Masons). Rather, we only need to love as Christ loves in our daily lives - a great challenge to be sure.

No Catholic should be involved with Freemasonry because it seeks to build what the Holy Faith of St. Peter and St. Paul cannot support: a brotherhood of man devoid of the Savior of mankind. One would effectively, as Masonry itself purports, make oneself their own savior if one believed that by merely gathering men together peace can be established among men without Christ the Lord, who heals us of our sin.

If one need more explanation I would encourage any one to consider this video:

To prove the point, notice that one of freemasonry's tenents is that no man shall have authority over another, and yet what shall one make of Christ the King, true God who has become true man?