Harry Potter - harmless or harmful?

There are, of course, many adherents to either camp. But a friend of mine posted this suggestion on his blog, I thought, perhaps, the parishioners of St. Jude might consider its content, for certainly popular culture will not cease in our marketing age.

The Militia Immaculata

I don't know about you, but there have been many times in my life when it seemed like revolution was the only way. Only way to what? Well, whatever I wanted. It seemed like I could get things a lot easier for me if I could just rebel against whatever it is that was getting in my way. How about you? Ever feel that way?

When I finally met Jesus Christ. It began to occur to me that this wasn't the way one could get things. Once you realize there is truly a God who does not want you to be stifled but who truly cares about you and wants only that you find joy beyond what you ever expected, then one begins to realize that maybe there is something to discussion. There is something to making known your desires, especially in prayer. There is something to allowing what you want to be known to the one who cares most fully for you.

As I have begun to mature in my faith, it has become even more clear to me that discussion is good, but it must be coupled with abandonment. It must become discussion with a clear understanding that I am happily not in control of my life. In fact, I can only get in the way if I do not respond to God's love with an appropriate love. Part of loving the Lord Jesus Christ is recognizing that there is only one Lord and it is not me - even if it is still sometimes difficult to live or recognize that.

Nevertheless, I think that is the glory of practicing the Catholic Faith and especially part of being a member of St. Jude. We have some great people at this parish who truly love Jesus Christ - as there are at many parishes. Now, when we love Jesus, then the further gift we are allowed to receive is the gift of his blessed Mother, Mary. She who gave us all grace in Jesus. Many Catholics allow themselves to receive her, but then God is even more gracious in giving us the opportunity to be consecrated to her - that we might be her instruments to allow Christ's grace to work through us by her prayers.

To be consecrated means to entrust ourselves entirely to her care. This is something which we follow our Lord Jesus Christ in doing, if we choose to do it. "What is born of flesh is flesh, what is born of spirit is spirit (Jn 3:6)." So when we are born of Baptism, we are allowed to choose to recieve Jesus' Mother as our own, then more than just receiving her we may choose to abandon or entrust ourselves to her care. And is this not what Jesus himself did by becoming an infant who nursed from her?

May each of us consider the love of God shown through the gift of the Blessed Mother of Jesus Christ, Mary. For this was the wisdom followed by many of the Saints, but especially, in our modern times, of St. Maximillian Kolbe whose feast we celebrate tomorrow - August 14th. St. Maximillian was an incredible man who gave up his life for a husband who was going to be killed in Auschwitz during WWII. Yet, his martyrdom for love was only the beginning. He wrote a number of things and started newspapers devoted to proclaiming the Good News of Our Lord Jesus Christ in print and established radio stations all to honor Mary, the Mother of God. St. Maxilmillian also started a movement called the Militia Immaculata. This an international movement for laypeople to grow in devotion to the Mother of God, Mary. By being devoted to Mary we show our devotion to Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Can you name one person you love who isn't honored when you honor their mother? Believe me, it is no different with the Savior of all mankind.

If you are interested, you can check out http://www.consecration.com/ if you would like more on what it means to belong the Militia Immaculata. I have been a member since 1998. Perhaps, another day I will post the incredible year that Our Mother Mary gave me after I had consecrated myself to her service. I know firsthand what blessings God can give you, if you are willing to be an instrument for Jesus Christ placed in the hands of His Blessed Mother. At any rate, the whole point of this post is to remind each of us, including me, that we should never tire of growing closer to the Almighty God who has shown us His love in Jesus Christ.

I am directed.

I just finished reading one of the Catholic Church's documents called "The General Directory for Catechesis." This was put out at the end of the millenium to instruct all those responsible for passing on the faith. There are some interesting tidbits in there about how Catholics should all feel the responsibility to pass on our faith to the next generations and other non-Catholics. It is all very interesting because this is something we may not hear very often.

Nevertheless, the General Directory for Catechesis states in paragraph #255:

Parents are the primary educators in the faith. Together with them, especially in certain cultures, all members of the family play an active part in the education of the younger members. It is thus necessary to determine more concretely the sense in which the Christian family community is a locus of catechesis. The family is defined as a "domestic Church", that is, in every Christian family the different aspects and functions of the life of the entire Church may be reflected: mission; catechesis; witness; prayer etc. Indeed in the same way as the Church, the family "is a place in which the Gospel is transmitted and from which it extends". The family as a locus of catechesis has an unique privilege: transmitting the Gospel by rooting it in the context of profound human values. On this human base, Christian initiation is more profound: the awakening of the sense of God; the first steps in prayer; education of the moral conscience; formation in the Christian sense of human love, understood as a reflection of the love of God the Father, the Creator. It is, indeed, a Christian education more witnessed to than taught, more occasional than systematic, more on-going and daily than structured into periods. In this family catechesis, the role of grandparetns is of growing importace. Their wisdom and sense of the religious is often times decisive in creating a true Christian climate. [emphasis added]

I think that these words should cause us to pause and reflect how much are we implementing these things in our own families? It is interesting to know that many children, by the time they get to the second grade do not know the Our Father or the Hail Mary - two very basic Catholic prayers. Yet, this would not be a big deal, if they at least were used to praying at home. Unfortunately, this is too often not the case.

If we parents are to take up our role as educators and witnesses of our belief in Jesus Christ then we NEED to re-consider how seriously are we taking the Christian Faith and more importantly how serious is our commitment to the one, holy Catholic Church established by Jesus Christ, our Lord and King.

Many things in our lives demand our time and our effort, but there is nothing more rewarding and nothing more precious than our Catholic Faith. The question we must ask ourselves is whether we truly believe that. What is the reason that people were willing to die for the Catholic Faith throughout the centuries? Perhaps, just perhaps, there is more for you discover as an adult in the teachings of the Church which can bring you much greater joy than you can imagine. I know that in my own experience, after studying Catholic Theology for 7 years I always find that to be true! I find that even now as I am reading St. Gregory of Nyssa's Life of Moses.

May you and I be blessed to find your eyes even more opened to the wonder of the teachings of Christ which have been entrusted to the Holy Catholic Church.

Man's Capacity for fun...

Today, while building a Powerpoint presentation for the first session of RCIA on "Man's Capacity for God." I had the notion to use a picture of Underdog. Part of the reason for this was my recent trip to Vancouver on a Frontier flight. Say what you will about Frontier Airlines, but I have to admit I was pretty pleased with the TV channel selection - main reason: Hong Kong Phooey on the Cartoon Network. [That link is the "Green Thumb" episode]

I loved cartoons like that were shown in the 80's. Does anyone reading here know what I am talking about? Underdog, Deputy Dawg, Snidely and Whiplash, Gummi Bears, Transformers, but most especially Hong Kong Phooey [that link is the theme song]. Such a great show, and primarily because there was no need for suggestive things of any sort. It was just plain ole fantastical entertainment - the phooeymobile? HA!

They just don't make cartoons like that anymore. I have tried to watch a couple with my son, who is only 2 1/2. We don't do it very often, but once in a while. Its seems like they are just too complicated. Maybe it is just me. I rarely watch TV to begin with anymore, but when I do I just want to relax and be entertained. Though, if I had cable, I think I might watch too much of these cartoons. I read somewhere that there are only 16 episodes of Hong Kong Phooey, so perhaps I should just buy the DVD collection.

Anyway, I think those old Hanna-Barbera cartoons, for the most part, always seemed so funny because they had a great sense of irony and fantasy all rolled into one. What was your favorite, if you had one?

By the way, I realize that neither Transformers or Gummi Bears were from Hanna-Barbera but I still loved those too... does anyone remember Marsupalami? If you liked those ole cartoons too you might be interested in this t-shirt website: http://www.80stees.com/

To say the least...

A friend of mine, who shall remain nameless, often sends me very interesting articles because his marketing job allows for him to search the internet for various things. It is often interesting to read some of the amazing things the internet can tell us about. For example, supposedly there is a group that has come up with a way to soon manufacture hoverboards, you know like those showcased in the movie "Back to the Future 2."

But there are also some other things which makes one wonder about the effects of the science we are imposing on our children? Does the scientism of our modern age affect you? Should we believe in science over our belief in Jesus Christ? Are they even at odds? These are all very interesting questions which can be discussed and should be among sincere Catholic Adults.

However, in the meantime, reports continue to come out about the effects of our modern way of life on our children. Take for example this article, which is linked here. I find this particularly scary, if this newsreport is credible. For me, I think the most interesting thing is that, beyond the evironmental consideration, there is a suggestion of children growing up fatherless being a factor in sexual maturity being expedited.

We must - especially as Catholics - begin to see the inherent dangers of allowing our children to grow up fatherless. We must support men who have fathered children to not be afraid nor to be domineering, but rather to love as Jesus Christ loved us. There are many problems with the modern understanding of Fatherhood, as are detailed in various books and articles both online and in print. It seems to me one of the most serious are the influences of the proponents of extreme Feminism, that is those who desire to see men subjected to the authority and power of women. This is certainly not a tenable Catholic position, just as men domineering their families is not either. The reason, it seems to me, is that it causes certain men to feel inadequate in the face of the challenge of becoming a father - hence causing women to be coerced into abortion, the abandoment of pregnant mothers, and the increase of sexual promiscuity which allows men to be irresponsible.

Men, in all of our weakness and strength, must be supported by society, by spouses, and by friends to take up the "cross" of love in the footsteps of Jesus. Each of us should feel the necessity to encourage men. I am often struck by the way some people, without even knowing it, discourage men or degrade them, because of the hurts or wounds of their own experience. We must recognize innocence in young boys and we must support those wounded men who are already struggling with their own sinfulness. And we men must come to recognize that we are sinners and have sins to which we must "man up to" and fight against.

The Glory of our Lord Jesus Christ is that He shows us that nothing in this world can not be overcome, if not physically than at least interiorally. Our souls are invited to receive the Mercy and Healing of Jesus Christ - most especially in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We can do it, no matter what has wounded us and no matter what we struggle with. But each man and each woman must accept this gift of God's mercy, and live a life in response to it if our world is to ever change.

Home again, Home again, lickety split...

It always hard coming back from vacation. If and when I make it to heaven, I think one of the things I will miss very little is that sense of disappointment that comes with arriving back at home. You know, when you show up at home, tired and you have no idea what to eat for dinner because everything in your fridge is either rotten or not there!

Only when we arrive in heaven will those small disappointments be gone. But can you imagine what it will be like to enter into the joy of heaven? Just think Peter, James and John had a small taste at the Transfiguration, which is the feast we celebrate on Monday. Let no one of us ever feel in despair or worry because of such disappointments, for when the Lord Jesus returns such things will never arise again.

In the meantime, we have only to overcome our own desires and self-centeredness. While each of us want many things for ourselves, let us strive to receive all that God allows to happen to us. For thus we follow in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ as he suffered upon the cross for love of you and me.

The eyes of the Father

I am currently far away from my little home in Lakewood. I am not even in the same country actually! I am currently in Vancouver, BC, Canada. My wife is originally from here and she had returned to visit her family. I, after attending the conference in Steubenville, was able to come up and see her and our children.

It was so sad on the one hand, to have left my wife, 2 1/2 year son and 6 month daughter. Especially my daughter. It seems to me that when children are so young it seems like everyday they are growing faster and more significantly. In the 10 days we were apart from each other, when I saw her again, I noticed what seemed to be a significant change.

In reflecting on it, it makes me think of God the Father. You know when we commit sin, Holy Mother Church tells us that we remove ourselves from our relationship with God. We sever it. Then when we return to the Church in the Sacrament of Confession, God readily and wholeheartedly has already been awating our return to him. I had a small inkling of what this feels like in seeing my little daughter.

Not only did she seem to have grown in those 10 days, but I was so overjoyed at seeing her smile of recognition as she saw me again for the first time in days. It seemed like in her little mind I was someone she knew. And of course, my son gave me the biggest hug.

Its moments like these we need to treasure, not just because it is awesome to be reunited with family, but because in times like these God the Holy Trinity reminds us that every moment of our day and life He cares and loves us each. If we look with the eyes of faith we will see the joy of how much God loves us and is drawing each of us closer to his heart. When we can see such things then the peace and joy of serving and obeying Christ makes all the more sense.

A time for us is a time for the Lord.

There are so many things in our live which we take for granted. We often pass by the daily things of our lives with disregard, because we seen them so often. For many of us in our modern day, we can think of all those email addresses we have stored up in our email accounts - especially those of which are our friends whom we haven't spoken to in a while.

I just recently got onto Facebook.com because two of my dear priest friends (one of whom is above in the picture) from England had sent me an invitation. I had missed talking with them, so I thought it might be good to connect with them. This last weekend as I was at the Franciscan University, a very dear friend of mine explained some of the intricacies of Facebook which are very exciting for connecting with old friends. You have to love technology and the way it can connect us to people.

Another friend, however, pointed out that he didn't want anything to do with this technology. I think one of his points was that it was hard enough keeping in contact with the people just in his local area. How in the world could he keep in contact with so many people all at once! Though I tend to disagree with this, I do think he has a point.

It was St. Francis of Assisi who is quoted as saying, "Do few things, but do them well." I think that is clearly some very good wisdom. Precisely because we can often try to do too much at once. Nevertheless, it seems to me that things like instant messengers and Facebook.com can be a way to really connect with people and to be reminded of friends that one has lost touch with.

In a similar vein, we can consider the practice of our Catholic Faith. There is so much about being a Catholic that many of us forget about. With 2000 years of Christian practice and devotional traditions which have sprung up from various corners of the planet earth, there is much to know and be reminded of. Nevertheless, there are many things about our Catholic Faith that we can always learn more deeply about. I think no greater physical example exists than sacramentals - things like saint medals, scapulars, holy cards, images, or icons. These sorts of holy reminders help us to think about the fact that if and when we get to heaven, we won't be alone. We will in fact be there with all the saints and all those who have lived a life pleasing to God.

Like Facebook.com, I think it is often helpful to be reminded of the many many saints who are in heaven because in each of our lives, one or two or more have been intimately involved with their intecessory prayers before the Throne of Christ. Who among us can't use more friends whose only goal is to get us to heaven?!

The Book of Sirach says, "A faithful friend is sturdy shelter, and he who finds one has found a treasure (Sir 6:14)." Note that the scripture says "one." I had a conversation recently about that, some of us may not have even found one whom we can say is "faithful." I don't think it is wrong to beg heaven for such a friend. I pray that in all my friendships I can be faithful, I know I am not perfect, but I am trying. In fact, I have a friend who, though not Catholic, has been amazing about acknowleding my birthday every year since 1991! I am lucky if I remember to send an email once a year to her. But I think we both desire that our friendship will never be lost for the formative years that we shared together.

I pray that in the midst of our busy world, this post might invite you to consider who are those faithful friends that are the treasures in your life? But like all things, may we look beyond the gift to the giver of these gifts. Let each of us thank our Lord Jesus Christ for all that He gives to us in our friends - and if not the friends of this life, then even more profoundly in the Saints of Heaven who beckon us to their Lord and Friend, Jesus Christ. For after the spiritual war of this life we pray will be united in the Glory of the Lord and with all the Angels and Saints, and those loved and those lost. May each of us thank God for all the many treasures we have received.

How could you not love the Good Shepherd???

If you have been anxiously awaiting my next post (which I am sure precious few, if any, have been), then I apologize for taking so long. I have been gone since last Wednesday at the St. John Bosco Conference for religious educators in Steubenville, OH.

Steubenville... its not exactly paradise, but the conferences there are always quite good. Some may not be aware that they have a whole slew of conferences during the summer. The St. John Bosco (or Bosco for short) is always a good one - especially for those who work at teaching the faith. I am always inspired whenever I go and it is always very enlightening.

As usual there were many good talks given. One of the best was by a women named Rosalind Moss. She was a devoutly Jewish woman who became a protestant. After a few years, she decided to become a Catholic. I bought her talk called "The Jewish Roots of our Catholic Faith." I have not yet had the opportunity to hear her talk, but I am excited to hear it. Fr. Schaffer actually took it with him as he travels for the next few days. But when I get it I will be listening intently.

One of the things she spoke about at her talk was about the Good Shepherd. I have heard many things about the Good Shepherd but I don't remember if I had ever heard this:

When a shepherd has a sheep that wanders off all the time. The shepherd will often let it wander, and go and retrieve it. It will wander, and then the shepherd will retrieve it. It wanders, shepherd retrieves. Eventually, when the shepherd becomes annoyed, the shepherd will break the legs of the little sheep. However, the shepherd will then place the sheep upon his shoulders and hold it upon his shoulders until the day when the little sheeps legs heal. While they are healing, the shepherd feeds the sheep, holds the sheep constantly, and watches over it. Then when the shepherd finds that the sheep has healed, he places the sheep on the ground and it walks. But now it follows the sheep happily for the rest of its days. This is the reason why when we when David had Uzziah killed for the sake of taking Batsheba as his own, he had wandered far from the Lord. David realizing the loving care of God then realized his sin, through the words of the prophet Nathan, and repented of his sin. He also wrote Ps. 51, which is a psalm of repentence. In that Psalm, David writes: "let the bones which you have broken rejoice."

I think this is so beautiful - for so many different reasons. There is so much there. No wonder Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd. Though we have it easy in our repentance - all we have to do is go to a priest to receive the Sacrament of Confession, it is powerful to remember the Lord asks of us some sacrifice by which we can make reparation for our sins. Not that we must have our legs broken, but now the Good Shepherd even asks us to figure out our own penitential practices to make reparation for our sins.

I know in my own life the greatest sins always cause me the greatest, what the older Catholics among us called, compunction. Its not much you hear about these days, but we must be moved to compunction for our sins. Compunction is the movement towards a hatred of one's sins. Each of us needs it. I know often it can be hard to want to feel sorry for our sins, but may we each think of our loving shepherd who invites us to receive his care and love - rather than to allow ourselves to wander into the painfully slow claws of sin.

"How far back are we taking this..."

"...and has it been thought thru. (sic)" This is a comment made in a recent note I received. The parishioner who wrote this I thought, at first, was very bold. The more I thought about it though, the more I realized that this is just the problem. Many people think we must be bold in our attempts to cease the reclaiming of our Catholic Heritage, for some reason. Nevertheless, we should rejoice that the heritage of the Catholic Faith is not being lost, rather our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, is very clearly helping the Church to re-establish herself in what was her glory before the Second Vatican Council. Not to say that anyone is necessarily rejecting anything that happened at Vatican II, because this is not the stated purpose of Pope Benedict XVI.

Rather, it is clear that many things that have been in danger of being lost to history are now in the process of being restored. Someone sent me this link, which I think is interesting on so many different levels. The Pope has, apparently, been celebrating the Mass according to the Missal of Bl. Pope John XXIII. Can you imagine? This is the same Mass, in some of its parts, that every Pope has celebrated going back perhaps as far as St. Peter himself! That is right, some historians argue that the Eucharistic Prayer I, known more properly as the Roman Canon, may go back as far as St. Peter's own pen? I think that is incredible myself. Could you imagine saying words in Latin which go back for sure at least to the 16th century and which only 264 other men could say they had said as Pope? I can't. What a joy to be the Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church! Of course, I can only say this because I am not the Pope. No one probably has a clue as to the daily difficulties and tensions that the Pope deals with from across the face of the planet.

Even so, I think it is incredible for us to realize that our heritage is being "restored." We are not "taking" anything anywhere. To the question as to whether it has been "thought thru," I think we can honestly think about that and say yes! But whom has thought it through? Well, it seems to me that it is none other than our Lord himself. For was not the Church founded by Jesus Christ, and has He not continued to guide it with His own Holy Spirit till this day? True mankind has the ability to reject or modify or destroy what he has entrusted to us, yet the Church is constantly called to restore us and by that restoration to feed us for eternal life. This I think is the beauty and challenge of our obedience to the Holy Father. On the one hand, we must heed his direction if we are going to be fed most fruitfully. On the other, we must also challenge ourselves to understand where we are being led in his directives.

Let us realize, then, that our faith restores us to the Garden of Eden, and then takes us even further. This is the reason why for centuries theologians suggested that the "Tree of Life" which Adam and Eve rejected is symbolized by the Crucifix. For from the crucifix, that tree of death, we receive life and life more abundantly.