If you love life...

then enjoy it!


Baby Steps (English) from American Life League on Vimeo.

Pardon me for thinking like the Holy Father...

Quite awhile ago here at the parish I published an article in the bulletin about clapping at Mass. There was a bit of a "storm" because of it, and being concerned I had somehow spoken out of pride, I searched through the Church's teaching and found nothing that supports the idea. And, in fact, found that we are adding to the Liturgy that which is not called for.

I just read this today, as directed by a dear friend, and now I feel even more strengthened in my position. Now if only someone could point me to the document which says we should not wear flip-flops to Mass...

Don't get me wrong...

I mean, I really do like Frank and Dino - well there music anyway. I don't know if I would have liked them personally. I watched on Netflix, as I think I said, the Frank Sinatra show which was an hour long program in the late 50's (I think). Mostly it has a lot of Frank singing with Ella Fitzgerald joining him at the end.

Frank is Americana, isn't he? I mean can you argue that is not the case, so too with Dino. Especially in the glory of early television where sex and violence was not the norm for our "cultural barometer." My dad actually mentioned something about TV today I found quite striking. He had said that before he went to Korea the Navy showed him movies of people being killed in order to help them prepare for war - what he called "Training Videos." For my dad, modern TV is nothing less than "training videos" for war, or violence anyway.

That got me thinking, along with Frank and Dino - whose hometown I am hours from leaving for, and it made me think of a movie I have yet to see. I checked it out on Youtube, becuase I was wondering about how I heard so much about it. Consider this was in a movie in 1941 (wait for it, after the music):

The motion picture was called "Hellzapoppin," and I would love to see it. There is also a pretty incredible scene in the Marx Brothers movie "A Day at the Races," which I actually own.

All things considered, I think I have lost sight of how much I love Swing dance. I actually won a few contests as Franciscan University while I was there, and started a Swing Dancing Club. It has always struck me how much of a "folk dance" swing dancing is and yet no one promotes it this way.

As our country sinks further into consumerism, I for one will be sure to teach my kids the Great American Swing Dance! Why? Because I think it is one of those things that can be passed on without a bit of money, and you will always have fun once you learn how to do it! Dancing is a natural and integral part to most any society, and yet we are so busy in the United States we are forgetting our dances - I include in this Square Dancing too, which I always loved when I learned it in 3rd & 4th Grade [Thank you Mrs. Card!]

I mean, COME ON!!! GOD BLESS AMERICA! Let's get back to the business of enjoying ourselves without violence, shall we?

Was it a real "board?"

I have to admit: I have always liked Frank Sinatra. But I was thinking about my previous post and the article put together by Prof. Nicolosi. One wonders how would things have been different if the Chairman of the board were known for his Catholic way of life, as opposed to being the "swinging hepcat" that he is known to have been. Now please notice that I am making no judgement calls on Mr. Sinatra, I hardly know that much about him. But I was watching a late late night informercial about the Dean Martin's Celebrity Roasts. I think these seemed like really funny shows, and I am saddened that I never saw them and really don't want to spend the money to get them from Gunthy Renker to get them.

But it struck me how much Frank Sinatra was seen as the hipster old guy who was a so cool. It was very odd. I really began to wonder about why, as a Catholic, he never tried to promote the faith (or perhaps he did and one just never hears about it today with all the other things being promoted by other celebrities).

I leave next week for the Franciscan University of Steubenville. Steubenville, you may know - besides being, according to Cardinal Stafford, an instrumental part of the renewal of the Church in United States - also just happens to be the birth place of Dean Martin. Every time I go there I always enjoy going to Karaoke with a friend of mine and I always sing a Dean Martin song. But reading that article also has made me think about what legacy do these two men, Dean and Frank, have? For the world they were two beloved men who entertained and shared their lives with hundreds of thousands if not millions of people over the course of their lives. But how much did they promote their belief in Jesus. Perhaps they did, as I said, but I have never found anything about it (not that I have actually looked).

On the other hand, when you watch the Frank Sinatra show (which you can watch one episode if you have Netflix) it is awesome how moral it seems to be compared with the sex, violence, apathy and cynicism we have today on the airwaves of American radio and TV.

I guess, at the end of the day, what I am getting at here is that I hope that my life will somehow help others to know Jesus. I just finished teaching two classes at the Archdiocese of Denver for the Catechetical School and it was truly an incredible experience to help (hopefully) people to know the Catholic Faith a little better.

May each of us reassess what our legacy will be for the world. Particularly, one wonders what will become of our President - and I am not taking either political side here - but a "funny" thing happened on the way from the G8 summit! And please God may my legacy be to have helped to established the Reign of Christ! Please pray for me!

A Call to Arms!

There is nothing in this world that is not meant to be put at the service of our Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing. So I was working on a powerpoint presentation today when a friend of mine sent me this link.

It is quite challenging and I think we should encourage all of our children to take the Gospel into their chosen profession, but we should not be afraid to help our children to even consider whether the media arts are not a great way to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

For each of us to do this, we must first understand why there is nothing more important in life than to follow after Jesus Christ, to "pick up our cross and follow him daily." This is not as hard as it sounds, to understand this; to live it, now that is a different story. But if we can't understand it first, and understand it fully then we can never begin to help our children find the joy of life and the true joy of living. Let us not give up on life ourselves, nor give up on our quest for holiness, nor fail to regain this journey in the Sacrament of confession.

UPDATE: The link appears to have failed above, but here it is again: http://www.cuf.org/Laywitness/LWonline/mj08nicolosi.asp I hope you can find it!

May not be for kids...

I have been laughing over this video for quite a few minutes. I know this has nothing to do with anything, but perhaps it may provide a laugh for those of you with an appreciation of dealing with major coporation call centers. It is quite funny, but perhaps may not be the most appropriate thing... depending on how you take the dialogue. I wrestled with whether I should put this one here, but oh when my friend sent it to me I have been laughing ever since... so here you go: