A sign in the Bank Lobby reads:
"Please note that this Bank is installing new Drive-through teller machines enabling customers to withdraw cash without leaving their vehicles.
Customers using this new facility are requested to use the procedures outlined below when accessing their accounts.
After months of careful research, MALE & FEMALE procedures have been developed.
Please follow the appropriate steps for your gender."
MALE PROCEDURE:
1. Drive up to the cash machine.
2. Put down your car window.
3. Insert card into machine and enter PIN.
4. Enter amount of cash required and withdraw.
5. Retrieve card, cash and receipt.
6. Put window up.
7. Drive off.
FEMALE PROCEDURE:
1. Drive up to cash machine.
2. Reverse and back up the required amount to align car window with the machine.
3. Set parking brake, put the window down.
4. Find handbag, remove all contents on to passenger seat to locate card!
5. Tell person on cell phone you will call them back and hang up
6. Attempt to insert card into machine.
7. Open car door to allow easier access to machine due to its excessive distance from the car.
8. Insert card.
9. Re-insert card the right way.
10. Dig through handbag to find diary with your PIN written on the inside back page.
11. Enter PIN.
12. Press cancel and re-enter correct PIN.
13. Enter amount of cash required.
14. Check makeup in rear view mirror.
15. Retrieve cash and receipt.
16. Empty handbag again to locate wallet and place cash inside.
17. Write debit amount in check register and place receipt in back of checkbook.
18. Re-check makeup.
19. Drive forward 2 feet.
20. Reverse back to cash machine.
21. Retrieve card.
22. Re-empty hand bag, locate card holder, and place card into the slot provided.
23. Give dirty look to irate male driver waiting behind you.
24. Restart stalled engine and pull off.
25. Redial person on cell phone.
26. Drive for 2 to 3 miles.
27. Release Parking Brake.
SEND THIS TO A MAN WHO NEEDS A LAUGH AND TO THE LADIES YOU THINK CAN HANDLE IT!
Monday, December 11, 2006
Friday, December 08, 2006
Cell Phone vs. Bible
Wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phones?
What if we carried it around in our purse or pockets?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we spent an hour or more using it every day?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?
What if we gave it to kids as gifts?
What if we used it as we traveled?
What if we used it in case of an emergency?
This is something to make you go..."Hmmm....where is my Bible?"
Oh! and a few more things --
Unlike our cell phones:
One plan fits all.
Unlimited usage.
No roaming charges.
No weak signals and...
We don't ever have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill!
Prayer is askin for rain. Faith is carryin an umbrella.....
What if we carried it around in our purse or pockets?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we spent an hour or more using it every day?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?
What if we gave it to kids as gifts?
What if we used it as we traveled?
What if we used it in case of an emergency?
This is something to make you go..."Hmmm....where is my Bible?"
Oh! and a few more things --
Unlike our cell phones:
One plan fits all.
Unlimited usage.
No roaming charges.
No weak signals and...
We don't ever have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill!
Prayer is askin for rain. Faith is carryin an umbrella.....
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
The Obligation
THE OBLIGATION TO ATTEND MASS ON SUNDAYS
Manuel Garrido, O.S.B.
The moral obligation to participate in the eucharistic sacrifice on Sundays dates from the very beginning of Christianity, although it did not become a definite law of the Church until the fourth century. The meaning, the scope and the application of this law have been the subject of much research and study, not to mention considerable controversy, in the years following the Second Vatican Council. The matter can be studied from the vertical point of view, in that there exists the obligation to worship God, and also from the horizontal viewpoint, which involves all the anthropological aspects of every shade and hue. Both of these approaches are legitimate and easily lead to a solution, so long as they are integrated, and the conclusions drawn from each are given their proper place in the scale of values. But trouble begins when the proponents of one approach refuse to recognize the validity of the other. And here, as in so many other manifestations of the Church's discipline, the strength of our faith is all-important, and so is the regulating of all our acts by a truly religious conscience. Something similar happens in hospitals and schools, or in any institution with a set of rules that must be followed. Typical is a fixed schedule for meals, which people with a good appetite find no difficulty in obeying, while those with poor appetites regard it as an imposition to be avoided.
The obligation to attend Sunday Mass exists. It is a commandment of the Church which binds under the penalty of grave sin. It exists for a specific reason and should be known and loved, so that the soul feels a need to fulfill it. The fact that it is a law helps to create a religious consciousness of this need, which, in turn, makes it easier to fulfill the obligation.
Although they refer to another subject, the following words of Msgr. Escriva de Belaguer sum up admirably what I am trying to say: "In direct opposition to the faith which we find a mistaken interpretation of freedom, a freedom with no end in sight, with no objective standards, without law, without responsibility; in a word licentiousness. This unfortunately, is what some people propose, and it is nothing but an excuse to attack the faith." ("Friends of God", no. 32) Like any other society, the Church has her own laws, which should be followed in the light of her proper aims, especially when it is a matter with some bearing on the third Commandment. In order to appreciate a law and fulfill it conscientiously and enthusiastically, it is first necessary to know it properly.
The Day Of The Lord
The Second Vatican Council reminds us that "apostolic tradition of the Church is, from the very day of the resurrection of Christ, to celebrate the Pasch every eight days, on the day which is called the day of the Lord" ("Sacrosanctum Concilium", 106). Modern scientific investigation also proves that this custom is from the time of the apostles.
The first mention of this is to be found in Sacred Scripture is in St. Paul's first Epistle to the Corinthians, written in the year 57. The Apostle refers "to the first day of the week" (16, 1-2) as the most appropriate for the collection for the poorer communities. About two years later the Acts of the Apostles tell of the celebration of the eucharist in Troas: "on the first day of the week" (20, 7-8). Here we are given to understand that the celebration takes place in the evening or the night of the day before. This custom was observed in the Church until the last century and has been restored since the Council. From the foregoing it is clear that in Greece, Galatia, Bithynia, and consequently in Palestine and Syria, during the first half of the first century, the celebration of the eucharist on the first day of the week was a common establishment among Christian communities.
We first hear of this day being referred to as the Lord's day in the Apocalypse of St. John, 1, 9-10: "I was in the spirit on the Lord's Day". In Latin it is called "Dominica" or "Dies Dominicus", a name which is retained in the Latin languages: "domingo, domenica, dimanche, domineca", etc.; while in the Germanic languages the pagan name is retained "dies solis" (sonntag, Sunday), in Russia it is called "voskresenie," after the resurrection of the Lord; the Armenians call it "haruthjan" and "deruni," which means "the Lord's Day."
In Didache, 14, I the Sunday celebration seems obligatory: "On Sundays, get together and break the bread and give thanks, confessing your sins in order that your sacrifice may be pure." This testimony pertains to the second half of the first century. In the second century, St. Justin, writing to a pagan, gives us a striking description of Holy Mass being celebrated every Sunday, referred to by him as "dies solis"; and he goes on to explain that those who live in towns and villages attend this sacred assembly ("Apologia" I, 67). During the same period we have Dionisius of Corinth speaking of the first day of the week as a "holy day" ("PG", 20, 388). From here on we can find numerous descriptions of the Sunday eucharistic celebration and also of the Christians' obligation of participating in the same.
The Early Christians
Nowadays facilities abound for us to fulfill the obligation of attending Mass on Sunday therewith enriching our spiritual life. In the case of the early Christians, both for those of Jewish and pagan origin, it entailed great sacrifices for them to attend the eucharistic celebration, sometimes even the sacrifice of life itself. Thus, the deep-rooted meaning such an obligation had in their lives is very clear.
Pliny the Younger, the governor of Bithynia, in a letter addressed to the Emperor Trajan in the year 112 mentions that the arrested Christians "declared that the very fault they were accused of was gathering together" on a fixed day to sing a hymn to Christ who is God ("Epist". 10, 96). About 200 years later 31 men and 18 women were arrested in the same city and brought before the proconsul Anulinus in Carthage on the 12th of February in the year 304. According to the authentic "Acts" of their martyrdom, they maintained the following very impressive dialogue with the Roman proconsul:
—It is true that in your house you celebrated the meeting in spite of the edict of the Emperor?
—Yes, in my house we celebrated the day of the Lord.
—Why did you allow so many people to participate?
—Because they are my brothers and sisters and I couldn't refuse them.
—You should have refused them.
—No, I couldn't have done that because we had to celebrate the liturgy of the day of the Lord.
These martyrs of Bithynia have sometimes been referred to as "the martyrs of the Sunday celebration," and not without reason.
Through the writings of the Fathers of the Church, especially in that of St. Ignatius of Antioch, we can see the changes that took place in these Christians converted from Judaism. This saint, in his letter to the Magnesians says: "...they gave up keeping the Sabbath and began by living according to the Sunday celebration, the day in which a new life was born for us through the grace of the Lord and the merits of his death" (9, 1).
In the writings of St. Justin we can find the same line of thought. Having described the Sunday eucharistic celebration as resembling our Sunday Mass he adds: "We hold this celebration on the ‘dies solis’ because it is the first day, the day in which God created the world, and also the day in which Christ, our Savior rose from the dead". (Apol. 1, 67, 7)
It is observed by Dix and Jungmann, to quote only two of the many specialists on the subject, that the early Christians gave prime importance to the dominical eucharistic assembly, in spite of calumnies that circulated among the pagans and in spite of varied persecutions and sufferings. On hearing certain present-day opinions, and on observing the behavior of those Christians of the earlier centuries, one is inclined to ask if they were not possessed by the devil to face such dangers, or on the other hand, if it is now that the triumph of Satan is manifested in the indifference and coldness with which the Sunday obligation is fulfilled. Is it that we no longer feel the necessity to offer glory to God by attending Sunday Mass, or to nourish our souls with the Word of God and with the body and blood of Christ?
Festive Character
One of the most characteristic notes of the Sunday Mass is its communitary and festive aspect. The Church feels the necessity of gathering the faithful periodically for its liturgical celebrations. Ever since the apostolic times, Sunday has been the day set aside for this meeting, as can clearly be seen in the Acts of the Apostles and in St. Paul's letters. According to the well-known specialist G. Dix, during the first three centuries the word "ekklesia" was used only to express the liturgical weekly meeting, or to denote those who had a right to take part in it. St. Ignatius of Antioch exhorts the early Christians to be responsible in attending and in participating in the Sunday liturgical assembly.
But perhaps the most expressive testimony of this aspect of the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays can be found in the "Didaskalia Apostolorum" of the third century: "teach the faithful and exhort them to be present at Sunday Mass, less they decrease the Church by their absence and deprive the mystical body of Christ of one of its members; they should hear the words of Christ as directed to each one of them in particular: "he who does not gather with me scatters" (Luke 11,23). Because you are members of Christ your only meeting place is the Church. Because Christ makes himself present as promised and communicates with us, you cannot belittle yourselves nor deprive the Savior of his members, you cannot separate or divide his body (c. 13).
The spirit of assembly appears from the beginning to be fundamental in the Sunday obligation. We cannot keep Sunday holy individually even through pious practices. There is no heaven for individualism even though it is the individual that is saved by cooperating with divine grace in this great enterprise.
This mystical presence of Christ in the Sunday assembly referred to in the "Didaskalia has been stressed through the tradition of the Church right down to our own day. This awareness of the presence of Christ, the assembly of the faithful, and all the elements of the liturgical celebration give a festive note of joy that cannot be found in any other gathering. It is not without reason that St. John Chrysostom said: "It is to a banquet that the Lord calls you ... you are invited to rest.... In the Church joy triumphs over grief and heals the wounds in your heart. Oh, heavenly call! Let's hurry! But at the same time let's honor this Sunday meeting by what we are and by what we do." ("In Osiam hom. 1,1)
Excess Of Sunday Anthropology
The Sunday obligation has also been "contested" recently. All the possible and imaginary situations in which one may find oneself in our era have been examined in order to question the commandment of the Church: "to hear Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation." Most of them are mere assumptions, and the Church has always had them in mind and has dispensed of the obligation of hearing Mass in those circumstances. We also have to keep in mind the very many facilities that now help fulfill this Christian duty.
The above mentioned study of the destiny of man in his relation to God has advanced greatly in certain well-defined aspects, but not as a really integral anthropology where the law, the norm, the supernatural value of the spirit, etc. should also be taken into account. Countless pages have been filled about the different aspects of "otium" and "non-Otium" (Negotium=business). Otiosity is considered as a liberating factor: (free choice, free conduct) liberalization of choice of conduct and of purpose. As an expression of freedom it has been used at different levels for the self-realization of the human person. Because of this, it has been considered as a liberalization of the eventual "alienating" characteristic of work, and as a liberating factor in the monotony the constant effort in work calls for, as well as from the negative consequences work produces in the psychology of the one who realizes it.
Reflecting deeply on the above, we find that it is not in opposition to the obligation of hearing Mass on Sundays; on the contrary Sunday Mass offers the possibility of this liberalization in a higher sense than man could ever dream of. The most striking sign of the divine image in man is his freedom. The interior and eschatological freedom should tend to conquer the existential area of man, in which case the Sunday obligation offers a perfect framework with its double aspect: to honor God and to rest from work.
Quoting Msgr. Escriva de Balaguer, we have already referred to the mistaken interpretation of freedom with no objective standards and with no end in sight. It must be remembered that this freedom which many seek on Sundays as time spent in diversion and amusement, also has its rules and aims: for example the traffic rules, which, when obeyed, help us to attain our aim, whereas, if they are ignored, the contrary will occur.
The same can be said when the Sunday obligation of hearing Mass is looked at from a theoretical level based on biblical theology, or as a legally binding precept. The suggestion of having a weekly liturgical precept (and not necessarily the Sunday precept) does not really solve anything; merely reducing it to an inner obligation without the binding force of a law, means ignoring the nature of the law, and thus, too, all that has been said so far. It is striking to note that, in some communities where the Sunday precept has been questioned, they have reached a point where the eucharist is celebrated without due respect or dignity. On the other hand, some groups have always given the Sunday celebration its full liturgical meaning, and this has produced extraordinary effects in the lives of the faithful.
The Voice Of The Church
The obligation of hearing Mass on Sundays, being a precept of the Church, could be altered or changed by the competent hierarchy of the Church; but the Church has not done so. On the contrary she has been over-generous in offering facilities for its fulfillment, and by simplifying the rites and offering a greater abundance of biblical and liturgical texts, she has exhorted that the eucharist be celebrated with the maximum power of pastoral efficacy. All the existing problems were studied by the bishops in the Second Vatican Council. Nevertheless in n. 106 of the constitution "Sacrosanctum Concilium" Sunday has been underlined as a day in which the faithful gather "so that by hearing the Word of God, and taking part in the eucharist, they may call to mind the passion, resurrection and glorification of the Lord Jesus, and may thank God." And they add: "Hence the Lord's Day, is the original feast day and it should be proposed to the faithful and taught to them in such a way that it may become in fact a day of joy and freedom from work."
The instruction "Eucharisticum Mysterium" of May 25, 1967, having put forward the theological meaning and apostolic origin of Sunday, goes on to say: "In order that the faithful may willingly fulfill the precept to sanctify this day and should understand why the Church should call them together to celebrate the eucharist every Sunday, from the very outset of their Christian formation Sunday should be presented to them as the primordial feast day, on which, assembled together, they are to hear the Word of God and take part in the Paschal Mystery. Moreover, any endeavor that seeks to make Sunday a genuine day of joy and rest from work should be encouraged." (AAS, 59 (1967), pp. 539-573, no. 25).
Later, this document insists that the celebration of Sunday Mass, whether it be with the Bishop, in the Parish Church, in other churches or approved places, nourishes and gives expression to the sense of community in the faithful.
Paul VI stated in the question of the obligation of Sunday Mass to bishops from the central regions of France visiting him in Rome "ad limina apostolorum" on March 26, 1977. Among those present were the bishops of Bourges, Sens, Tours, Blois, Chartres, Moulins, Nevers and Orleans. From the context of the Pope's message, it is clear that they had brought up the problem of the Sunday gatherings of the faithful without the presence of a priest, in the rural districts where the towns and villages lack pastors, as a certain aspect of the unity of life and of prayer which would not be advisable to discontinue. The Pope made it clear that he understood the reason for these meetings and their advantages, from the point of view of the responsibility of those who participate and the vitality of the faithful. He knew that in certain regions those meetings were favored. Then he added: "proceed cautiously, without necessarily multiplying the number of those meetings, as if it were the best solution.... On the other hand, the aim has to continue being the celebration of the sacrifice of the Mass, the only true realization of the Pasch of the Lord." (Paul VI, "Teachings to the People of God", 1977)
During the same year, in the National Eucharistic Congress in Pescara, Italy, the Pope once again insisted, in words that reveal the importance he gave to the Sunday precept: "How could we make both pleasing and binding a religious duty that every week both finds us united and praying ... in order to celebrate this blessed and continuous memory of the Pasch of salvation—the Sunday Mass? Such a Congress cannot fail in the restoration of the behavior that once again reveals itself as the "hinge" of our religious life; it should point to the beginning of the return to the faithful and loving observance of this vital precept." ("ibid". pp. 420-421)
Once again, the following year, at the beginning of Lent, the Pope spoke about the importance of the distribution of the days of the week, in such a way that, on Sunday the Christian imposes on himself some fixed religious observance. He quoted no. 106 of the constitution "Sacrosanctum Concilium" already cited and added: "We will do well in always considering this standard as all-important in our religious and social customs." (1, 1978, p. 17)
This is the way to be followed. The old Spanish liturgy used to admonish our forefathers: "Sunday is a day of light and of life. On that day, Christ, the life of the faithful, rose from the dead. Let us celebrate it with solemnity in order to deserve a blissful peace."
[Fr. Garrido worked as an expert in the Second Vatican Council. At present he teaches Liturgy in the Faculty of Theology Norte de Espana and is also professor of Dogmatic Theology and Liturgy in the Monastery of the Holy Cross (Valle de los Caidos, Spain). He is the author of several books on liturgy.]
Catholic Position Papers, Series B—Number 22 March, 1982—Japan Edition Seido Foundation for the Advancement of Education, 12-6 Funado-Cho, Ashiya-Shi Japan Original articles published in these Papers may be reprinted without prior permission, if credited to CPP. Copies of all reprints would be appreciated.
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Manuel Garrido, O.S.B.
The moral obligation to participate in the eucharistic sacrifice on Sundays dates from the very beginning of Christianity, although it did not become a definite law of the Church until the fourth century. The meaning, the scope and the application of this law have been the subject of much research and study, not to mention considerable controversy, in the years following the Second Vatican Council. The matter can be studied from the vertical point of view, in that there exists the obligation to worship God, and also from the horizontal viewpoint, which involves all the anthropological aspects of every shade and hue. Both of these approaches are legitimate and easily lead to a solution, so long as they are integrated, and the conclusions drawn from each are given their proper place in the scale of values. But trouble begins when the proponents of one approach refuse to recognize the validity of the other. And here, as in so many other manifestations of the Church's discipline, the strength of our faith is all-important, and so is the regulating of all our acts by a truly religious conscience. Something similar happens in hospitals and schools, or in any institution with a set of rules that must be followed. Typical is a fixed schedule for meals, which people with a good appetite find no difficulty in obeying, while those with poor appetites regard it as an imposition to be avoided.
The obligation to attend Sunday Mass exists. It is a commandment of the Church which binds under the penalty of grave sin. It exists for a specific reason and should be known and loved, so that the soul feels a need to fulfill it. The fact that it is a law helps to create a religious consciousness of this need, which, in turn, makes it easier to fulfill the obligation.
Although they refer to another subject, the following words of Msgr. Escriva de Belaguer sum up admirably what I am trying to say: "In direct opposition to the faith which we find a mistaken interpretation of freedom, a freedom with no end in sight, with no objective standards, without law, without responsibility; in a word licentiousness. This unfortunately, is what some people propose, and it is nothing but an excuse to attack the faith." ("Friends of God", no. 32) Like any other society, the Church has her own laws, which should be followed in the light of her proper aims, especially when it is a matter with some bearing on the third Commandment. In order to appreciate a law and fulfill it conscientiously and enthusiastically, it is first necessary to know it properly.
The Day Of The Lord
The Second Vatican Council reminds us that "apostolic tradition of the Church is, from the very day of the resurrection of Christ, to celebrate the Pasch every eight days, on the day which is called the day of the Lord" ("Sacrosanctum Concilium", 106). Modern scientific investigation also proves that this custom is from the time of the apostles.
The first mention of this is to be found in Sacred Scripture is in St. Paul's first Epistle to the Corinthians, written in the year 57. The Apostle refers "to the first day of the week" (16, 1-2) as the most appropriate for the collection for the poorer communities. About two years later the Acts of the Apostles tell of the celebration of the eucharist in Troas: "on the first day of the week" (20, 7-8). Here we are given to understand that the celebration takes place in the evening or the night of the day before. This custom was observed in the Church until the last century and has been restored since the Council. From the foregoing it is clear that in Greece, Galatia, Bithynia, and consequently in Palestine and Syria, during the first half of the first century, the celebration of the eucharist on the first day of the week was a common establishment among Christian communities.
We first hear of this day being referred to as the Lord's day in the Apocalypse of St. John, 1, 9-10: "I was in the spirit on the Lord's Day". In Latin it is called "Dominica" or "Dies Dominicus", a name which is retained in the Latin languages: "domingo, domenica, dimanche, domineca", etc.; while in the Germanic languages the pagan name is retained "dies solis" (sonntag, Sunday), in Russia it is called "voskresenie," after the resurrection of the Lord; the Armenians call it "haruthjan" and "deruni," which means "the Lord's Day."
In Didache, 14, I the Sunday celebration seems obligatory: "On Sundays, get together and break the bread and give thanks, confessing your sins in order that your sacrifice may be pure." This testimony pertains to the second half of the first century. In the second century, St. Justin, writing to a pagan, gives us a striking description of Holy Mass being celebrated every Sunday, referred to by him as "dies solis"; and he goes on to explain that those who live in towns and villages attend this sacred assembly ("Apologia" I, 67). During the same period we have Dionisius of Corinth speaking of the first day of the week as a "holy day" ("PG", 20, 388). From here on we can find numerous descriptions of the Sunday eucharistic celebration and also of the Christians' obligation of participating in the same.
The Early Christians
Nowadays facilities abound for us to fulfill the obligation of attending Mass on Sunday therewith enriching our spiritual life. In the case of the early Christians, both for those of Jewish and pagan origin, it entailed great sacrifices for them to attend the eucharistic celebration, sometimes even the sacrifice of life itself. Thus, the deep-rooted meaning such an obligation had in their lives is very clear.
Pliny the Younger, the governor of Bithynia, in a letter addressed to the Emperor Trajan in the year 112 mentions that the arrested Christians "declared that the very fault they were accused of was gathering together" on a fixed day to sing a hymn to Christ who is God ("Epist". 10, 96). About 200 years later 31 men and 18 women were arrested in the same city and brought before the proconsul Anulinus in Carthage on the 12th of February in the year 304. According to the authentic "Acts" of their martyrdom, they maintained the following very impressive dialogue with the Roman proconsul:
—It is true that in your house you celebrated the meeting in spite of the edict of the Emperor?
—Yes, in my house we celebrated the day of the Lord.
—Why did you allow so many people to participate?
—Because they are my brothers and sisters and I couldn't refuse them.
—You should have refused them.
—No, I couldn't have done that because we had to celebrate the liturgy of the day of the Lord.
These martyrs of Bithynia have sometimes been referred to as "the martyrs of the Sunday celebration," and not without reason.
Through the writings of the Fathers of the Church, especially in that of St. Ignatius of Antioch, we can see the changes that took place in these Christians converted from Judaism. This saint, in his letter to the Magnesians says: "...they gave up keeping the Sabbath and began by living according to the Sunday celebration, the day in which a new life was born for us through the grace of the Lord and the merits of his death" (9, 1).
In the writings of St. Justin we can find the same line of thought. Having described the Sunday eucharistic celebration as resembling our Sunday Mass he adds: "We hold this celebration on the ‘dies solis’ because it is the first day, the day in which God created the world, and also the day in which Christ, our Savior rose from the dead". (Apol. 1, 67, 7)
It is observed by Dix and Jungmann, to quote only two of the many specialists on the subject, that the early Christians gave prime importance to the dominical eucharistic assembly, in spite of calumnies that circulated among the pagans and in spite of varied persecutions and sufferings. On hearing certain present-day opinions, and on observing the behavior of those Christians of the earlier centuries, one is inclined to ask if they were not possessed by the devil to face such dangers, or on the other hand, if it is now that the triumph of Satan is manifested in the indifference and coldness with which the Sunday obligation is fulfilled. Is it that we no longer feel the necessity to offer glory to God by attending Sunday Mass, or to nourish our souls with the Word of God and with the body and blood of Christ?
Festive Character
One of the most characteristic notes of the Sunday Mass is its communitary and festive aspect. The Church feels the necessity of gathering the faithful periodically for its liturgical celebrations. Ever since the apostolic times, Sunday has been the day set aside for this meeting, as can clearly be seen in the Acts of the Apostles and in St. Paul's letters. According to the well-known specialist G. Dix, during the first three centuries the word "ekklesia" was used only to express the liturgical weekly meeting, or to denote those who had a right to take part in it. St. Ignatius of Antioch exhorts the early Christians to be responsible in attending and in participating in the Sunday liturgical assembly.
But perhaps the most expressive testimony of this aspect of the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays can be found in the "Didaskalia Apostolorum" of the third century: "teach the faithful and exhort them to be present at Sunday Mass, less they decrease the Church by their absence and deprive the mystical body of Christ of one of its members; they should hear the words of Christ as directed to each one of them in particular: "he who does not gather with me scatters" (Luke 11,23). Because you are members of Christ your only meeting place is the Church. Because Christ makes himself present as promised and communicates with us, you cannot belittle yourselves nor deprive the Savior of his members, you cannot separate or divide his body (c. 13).
The spirit of assembly appears from the beginning to be fundamental in the Sunday obligation. We cannot keep Sunday holy individually even through pious practices. There is no heaven for individualism even though it is the individual that is saved by cooperating with divine grace in this great enterprise.
This mystical presence of Christ in the Sunday assembly referred to in the "Didaskalia has been stressed through the tradition of the Church right down to our own day. This awareness of the presence of Christ, the assembly of the faithful, and all the elements of the liturgical celebration give a festive note of joy that cannot be found in any other gathering. It is not without reason that St. John Chrysostom said: "It is to a banquet that the Lord calls you ... you are invited to rest.... In the Church joy triumphs over grief and heals the wounds in your heart. Oh, heavenly call! Let's hurry! But at the same time let's honor this Sunday meeting by what we are and by what we do." ("In Osiam hom. 1,1)
Excess Of Sunday Anthropology
The Sunday obligation has also been "contested" recently. All the possible and imaginary situations in which one may find oneself in our era have been examined in order to question the commandment of the Church: "to hear Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation." Most of them are mere assumptions, and the Church has always had them in mind and has dispensed of the obligation of hearing Mass in those circumstances. We also have to keep in mind the very many facilities that now help fulfill this Christian duty.
The above mentioned study of the destiny of man in his relation to God has advanced greatly in certain well-defined aspects, but not as a really integral anthropology where the law, the norm, the supernatural value of the spirit, etc. should also be taken into account. Countless pages have been filled about the different aspects of "otium" and "non-Otium" (Negotium=business). Otiosity is considered as a liberating factor: (free choice, free conduct) liberalization of choice of conduct and of purpose. As an expression of freedom it has been used at different levels for the self-realization of the human person. Because of this, it has been considered as a liberalization of the eventual "alienating" characteristic of work, and as a liberating factor in the monotony the constant effort in work calls for, as well as from the negative consequences work produces in the psychology of the one who realizes it.
Reflecting deeply on the above, we find that it is not in opposition to the obligation of hearing Mass on Sundays; on the contrary Sunday Mass offers the possibility of this liberalization in a higher sense than man could ever dream of. The most striking sign of the divine image in man is his freedom. The interior and eschatological freedom should tend to conquer the existential area of man, in which case the Sunday obligation offers a perfect framework with its double aspect: to honor God and to rest from work.
Quoting Msgr. Escriva de Balaguer, we have already referred to the mistaken interpretation of freedom with no objective standards and with no end in sight. It must be remembered that this freedom which many seek on Sundays as time spent in diversion and amusement, also has its rules and aims: for example the traffic rules, which, when obeyed, help us to attain our aim, whereas, if they are ignored, the contrary will occur.
The same can be said when the Sunday obligation of hearing Mass is looked at from a theoretical level based on biblical theology, or as a legally binding precept. The suggestion of having a weekly liturgical precept (and not necessarily the Sunday precept) does not really solve anything; merely reducing it to an inner obligation without the binding force of a law, means ignoring the nature of the law, and thus, too, all that has been said so far. It is striking to note that, in some communities where the Sunday precept has been questioned, they have reached a point where the eucharist is celebrated without due respect or dignity. On the other hand, some groups have always given the Sunday celebration its full liturgical meaning, and this has produced extraordinary effects in the lives of the faithful.
The Voice Of The Church
The obligation of hearing Mass on Sundays, being a precept of the Church, could be altered or changed by the competent hierarchy of the Church; but the Church has not done so. On the contrary she has been over-generous in offering facilities for its fulfillment, and by simplifying the rites and offering a greater abundance of biblical and liturgical texts, she has exhorted that the eucharist be celebrated with the maximum power of pastoral efficacy. All the existing problems were studied by the bishops in the Second Vatican Council. Nevertheless in n. 106 of the constitution "Sacrosanctum Concilium" Sunday has been underlined as a day in which the faithful gather "so that by hearing the Word of God, and taking part in the eucharist, they may call to mind the passion, resurrection and glorification of the Lord Jesus, and may thank God." And they add: "Hence the Lord's Day, is the original feast day and it should be proposed to the faithful and taught to them in such a way that it may become in fact a day of joy and freedom from work."
The instruction "Eucharisticum Mysterium" of May 25, 1967, having put forward the theological meaning and apostolic origin of Sunday, goes on to say: "In order that the faithful may willingly fulfill the precept to sanctify this day and should understand why the Church should call them together to celebrate the eucharist every Sunday, from the very outset of their Christian formation Sunday should be presented to them as the primordial feast day, on which, assembled together, they are to hear the Word of God and take part in the Paschal Mystery. Moreover, any endeavor that seeks to make Sunday a genuine day of joy and rest from work should be encouraged." (AAS, 59 (1967), pp. 539-573, no. 25).
Later, this document insists that the celebration of Sunday Mass, whether it be with the Bishop, in the Parish Church, in other churches or approved places, nourishes and gives expression to the sense of community in the faithful.
Paul VI stated in the question of the obligation of Sunday Mass to bishops from the central regions of France visiting him in Rome "ad limina apostolorum" on March 26, 1977. Among those present were the bishops of Bourges, Sens, Tours, Blois, Chartres, Moulins, Nevers and Orleans. From the context of the Pope's message, it is clear that they had brought up the problem of the Sunday gatherings of the faithful without the presence of a priest, in the rural districts where the towns and villages lack pastors, as a certain aspect of the unity of life and of prayer which would not be advisable to discontinue. The Pope made it clear that he understood the reason for these meetings and their advantages, from the point of view of the responsibility of those who participate and the vitality of the faithful. He knew that in certain regions those meetings were favored. Then he added: "proceed cautiously, without necessarily multiplying the number of those meetings, as if it were the best solution.... On the other hand, the aim has to continue being the celebration of the sacrifice of the Mass, the only true realization of the Pasch of the Lord." (Paul VI, "Teachings to the People of God", 1977)
During the same year, in the National Eucharistic Congress in Pescara, Italy, the Pope once again insisted, in words that reveal the importance he gave to the Sunday precept: "How could we make both pleasing and binding a religious duty that every week both finds us united and praying ... in order to celebrate this blessed and continuous memory of the Pasch of salvation—the Sunday Mass? Such a Congress cannot fail in the restoration of the behavior that once again reveals itself as the "hinge" of our religious life; it should point to the beginning of the return to the faithful and loving observance of this vital precept." ("ibid". pp. 420-421)
Once again, the following year, at the beginning of Lent, the Pope spoke about the importance of the distribution of the days of the week, in such a way that, on Sunday the Christian imposes on himself some fixed religious observance. He quoted no. 106 of the constitution "Sacrosanctum Concilium" already cited and added: "We will do well in always considering this standard as all-important in our religious and social customs." (1, 1978, p. 17)
This is the way to be followed. The old Spanish liturgy used to admonish our forefathers: "Sunday is a day of light and of life. On that day, Christ, the life of the faithful, rose from the dead. Let us celebrate it with solemnity in order to deserve a blissful peace."
[Fr. Garrido worked as an expert in the Second Vatican Council. At present he teaches Liturgy in the Faculty of Theology Norte de Espana and is also professor of Dogmatic Theology and Liturgy in the Monastery of the Holy Cross (Valle de los Caidos, Spain). He is the author of several books on liturgy.]
Catholic Position Papers, Series B—Number 22 March, 1982—Japan Edition Seido Foundation for the Advancement of Education, 12-6 Funado-Cho, Ashiya-Shi Japan Original articles published in these Papers may be reprinted without prior permission, if credited to CPP. Copies of all reprints would be appreciated.
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Thursday, November 02, 2006
8 Reasons to Go to Mass
8 Reasons to Go to Mass
THOMAS LICKONA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Mass is boring."
"I don't get anything out of Mass — why should I go?"
"Why can't I just pray alone?"
These are common feelings, especially among young people but among many adults as well.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Do this in memory of me."
- JESUS, THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE 22:19
"If you really thought about who you are, who God is, and how much thanks you owe Him, you would want to go to Mass. The Mass would become the source and center of your spiritual life." - JAMES STENSON
These are common feelings, especially among young people but among many adults as well. The great Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, when conducting a retreat for teenagers, once gave a talk on the meaning of the Mass. He said, "If you don't get anything out of Mass, it's because you don't bring the right expectations to it." The Mass is not entertainment, he said. It is worship of the God who made us and saves us. It is an opportunity to praise God and thank Him for all that He has done for us.
If we have a correct understanding of Mass, Bishop Sheen said, it will become more meaningful for us. We will want to go to Mass. We will understand why the Mass is God's precious gift to us, and we wouldn't think of refusing that gift. Here are eight reasons to go to Mass:
1. The Command of God.
The Third of the Ten Commandments given to Moses by God is, "Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day" (Exodus 20:8).
2. The Command of Christ.
Why should we keep the Sabbath holy by going to Mass? The Mass was instituted at the Last Supper by Jesus before his Crucifixion. The Last Supper was the first Mass.
When the hour came, he [Jesus] took his place at the table with the apostles . . . Then he took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which will be given for you. Do this in memory of me" (Luke 22:14,19).
When we celebrate the Mass, we repeat the Last Supper, as Jesus commanded us to do. In doing this, we remember and re-present his great act of love for us on the Cross — taking our sins upon himself so that we, if we follow his commandments, can live with him forever in heaven.
3. The Command of the Church.
The Church teaches that we must fulfill the command of Jesus ("Do this in memory of me") by attending Sunday Mass (or the Vigil Mass the night before). The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994, pp. 493-94) explains that Mass attendance on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation is the first of the six Commandments of the Church. These Commandments of the Church also require receiving Communion at least once a year during the Easter season, confessing any mortal sin as a preparation for Communion, and observing the prescribed days of fasting and abstinence. These Commandments spell out the minimal responsibilities of a Catholic. To fail to fulfill them through our own fault, the Church teaches, is a serious sin.
4.The Church speaks with the authority of Jesus.
Why should we obey these teachings of the Church? Where does the Church get its authority? From Jesus. In Matthew 16:18-19, Jesus made Peter the head of his Church — the first Pope. He gave Peter and the Church "the keys to the kingdom of heaven":
I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
The Church's authority in faith and morals is absolute because Christ's authority is absolute.
5. What we do at Mass.
The Mass is first of all a sacrifice — the perfect sacrifice, created by Jesus. Through the priest we offer Jesus, Body and Blood, to the Father, just as Jesus offered Himself to the Father on the Cross. In an unbloody way, we repeat — make present — Christ's death and Resurrection. Through this memorial of Jesus, we offer God our praise, sorrow for our sins, and deepest thanks.
The Mass is also a meal. At the Consecration, the bread and wine, through the power of the Holy Spirit, become the Body and Blood of Christ. Not a mere symbol, but Jesus's real flesh and real blood, under the appearance of bread and wine. When we receive Holy Communion, we receive Jesus Himself. He is real food for our soul. He said this very plainly: I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. (John 6:55-56).
What are the benefits of Holy Communion? It strengthens our union with Jesus; He lives within us in a special way. It cleanses us from venial sins. (Mortal sins require forgiveness in Confession.) It gives us grace to avoid sin in the future. It increases our love of God and neighbor.
6. Why do we have to worship with other people?
God made us social beings. He wants us to come together in community to worship Him. Jesus said, "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I" (Matthew 18:20).
7. What are the consequences for others if we stop going to Mass?
James Stenson points out:
Our ancestors risked persecution, even death, to be able to take part in Mass. When you have children someday, they will need the graces and strength that come from the Mass. If you fail to pass it on because of your own indifference, you will do the gravest injustice to them and to God. You have the power to snuff out, in one generation, the faith that has sustained your family for generations. This is an enormous responsibility. You will have to answer to God for it.
8. The benefits of Mass.
If we give God a chance, He will help us experience the tremendous benefits of the Mass and the Eucharist. James Stenson writes:
Be patient. Bring an attitude of prayer and thanksgiving to Mass, and you will reap great spiritual riches: consolation, confidence, peace, deep happiness, and spiritual strength for the challenges of life.
Mother Teresa once wrote: "Jesus is my God/ Jesus is my Spouse/ Jesus is my Life/ Jesus is my Everything. Because of this, I am never afraid." Mother Teresa went to Mass every day. If we love the Mass as she did, we, too, will live in Jesus and he in us, and will we never be afraid.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Thomas Lickona "8 Reasons to Go to Mass."
Reprinted with permission of Thomas Lickona.
THE AUTHOR
Thomas Lickona is a developmental psychologist and professor of education at the State University of New York at Cortland. He is the author of Character Matters: How to Help Our Children Develop Good Judgment, Integrity, and Other Essential Virtues (Touchstone, 2004) and the Christopher Award-winning book Educating for Character (Bantam Books, 1992). He has also written Raising Good Children (Bantam Doubleday 1994) and co-authored Sex, Love and You (Ave Maria Press, March 2003). Thomas Lickona was instrumental in development of the Center for the Fourth and Fifth Rs. He is on the Advisory Board of the Catholic Educator's Resource Center.
Copyright © 2000 Thomas Lickona
THOMAS LICKONA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Mass is boring."
"I don't get anything out of Mass — why should I go?"
"Why can't I just pray alone?"
These are common feelings, especially among young people but among many adults as well.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Do this in memory of me."
- JESUS, THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE 22:19
"If you really thought about who you are, who God is, and how much thanks you owe Him, you would want to go to Mass. The Mass would become the source and center of your spiritual life." - JAMES STENSON
These are common feelings, especially among young people but among many adults as well. The great Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, when conducting a retreat for teenagers, once gave a talk on the meaning of the Mass. He said, "If you don't get anything out of Mass, it's because you don't bring the right expectations to it." The Mass is not entertainment, he said. It is worship of the God who made us and saves us. It is an opportunity to praise God and thank Him for all that He has done for us.
If we have a correct understanding of Mass, Bishop Sheen said, it will become more meaningful for us. We will want to go to Mass. We will understand why the Mass is God's precious gift to us, and we wouldn't think of refusing that gift. Here are eight reasons to go to Mass:
1. The Command of God.
The Third of the Ten Commandments given to Moses by God is, "Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day" (Exodus 20:8).
2. The Command of Christ.
Why should we keep the Sabbath holy by going to Mass? The Mass was instituted at the Last Supper by Jesus before his Crucifixion. The Last Supper was the first Mass.
When the hour came, he [Jesus] took his place at the table with the apostles . . . Then he took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which will be given for you. Do this in memory of me" (Luke 22:14,19).
When we celebrate the Mass, we repeat the Last Supper, as Jesus commanded us to do. In doing this, we remember and re-present his great act of love for us on the Cross — taking our sins upon himself so that we, if we follow his commandments, can live with him forever in heaven.
3. The Command of the Church.
The Church teaches that we must fulfill the command of Jesus ("Do this in memory of me") by attending Sunday Mass (or the Vigil Mass the night before). The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994, pp. 493-94) explains that Mass attendance on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation is the first of the six Commandments of the Church. These Commandments of the Church also require receiving Communion at least once a year during the Easter season, confessing any mortal sin as a preparation for Communion, and observing the prescribed days of fasting and abstinence. These Commandments spell out the minimal responsibilities of a Catholic. To fail to fulfill them through our own fault, the Church teaches, is a serious sin.
4.The Church speaks with the authority of Jesus.
Why should we obey these teachings of the Church? Where does the Church get its authority? From Jesus. In Matthew 16:18-19, Jesus made Peter the head of his Church — the first Pope. He gave Peter and the Church "the keys to the kingdom of heaven":
I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
The Church's authority in faith and morals is absolute because Christ's authority is absolute.
5. What we do at Mass.
The Mass is first of all a sacrifice — the perfect sacrifice, created by Jesus. Through the priest we offer Jesus, Body and Blood, to the Father, just as Jesus offered Himself to the Father on the Cross. In an unbloody way, we repeat — make present — Christ's death and Resurrection. Through this memorial of Jesus, we offer God our praise, sorrow for our sins, and deepest thanks.
The Mass is also a meal. At the Consecration, the bread and wine, through the power of the Holy Spirit, become the Body and Blood of Christ. Not a mere symbol, but Jesus's real flesh and real blood, under the appearance of bread and wine. When we receive Holy Communion, we receive Jesus Himself. He is real food for our soul. He said this very plainly: I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. (John 6:55-56).
What are the benefits of Holy Communion? It strengthens our union with Jesus; He lives within us in a special way. It cleanses us from venial sins. (Mortal sins require forgiveness in Confession.) It gives us grace to avoid sin in the future. It increases our love of God and neighbor.
6. Why do we have to worship with other people?
God made us social beings. He wants us to come together in community to worship Him. Jesus said, "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I" (Matthew 18:20).
7. What are the consequences for others if we stop going to Mass?
James Stenson points out:
Our ancestors risked persecution, even death, to be able to take part in Mass. When you have children someday, they will need the graces and strength that come from the Mass. If you fail to pass it on because of your own indifference, you will do the gravest injustice to them and to God. You have the power to snuff out, in one generation, the faith that has sustained your family for generations. This is an enormous responsibility. You will have to answer to God for it.
8. The benefits of Mass.
If we give God a chance, He will help us experience the tremendous benefits of the Mass and the Eucharist. James Stenson writes:
Be patient. Bring an attitude of prayer and thanksgiving to Mass, and you will reap great spiritual riches: consolation, confidence, peace, deep happiness, and spiritual strength for the challenges of life.
Mother Teresa once wrote: "Jesus is my God/ Jesus is my Spouse/ Jesus is my Life/ Jesus is my Everything. Because of this, I am never afraid." Mother Teresa went to Mass every day. If we love the Mass as she did, we, too, will live in Jesus and he in us, and will we never be afraid.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Thomas Lickona "8 Reasons to Go to Mass."
Reprinted with permission of Thomas Lickona.
THE AUTHOR
Thomas Lickona is a developmental psychologist and professor of education at the State University of New York at Cortland. He is the author of Character Matters: How to Help Our Children Develop Good Judgment, Integrity, and Other Essential Virtues (Touchstone, 2004) and the Christopher Award-winning book Educating for Character (Bantam Books, 1992). He has also written Raising Good Children (Bantam Doubleday 1994) and co-authored Sex, Love and You (Ave Maria Press, March 2003). Thomas Lickona was instrumental in development of the Center for the Fourth and Fifth Rs. He is on the Advisory Board of the Catholic Educator's Resource Center.
Copyright © 2000 Thomas Lickona
Hey God, what's shakin'?
(This story is not about me... Links to the author are at the bottom of the post.)
"His voice then shook the earth; but now he has promised, 'Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven.' This phrase, 'Yet once more,' indicates the removal of what is shaken, as of what has been made, in order that what cannot be shaken may remain." - Hebrews 12:26-27
Situation Explained
When is the last time you felt the physical power of God?
Solution Offered
It was about ten after seven on a beautiful Sunday morning.
My wife had just gotten up. I was a little more "slow moving" (a nice way of saying that if I could have laid in bed for another three days, I would have).
The sun had just begun breaking through the windows of our hotel room. Out our window you could see the early morning light outlining the palm trees and mountains and illuminating the beautiful Pacific ocean. We were in the Hawaiian islands, invited there to do ministry. We took advantage of the invitation to get away for a second honeymoon.
As the light bid my eyes to open, I fought to keep them closed. It was at that point that I heard a strange sound, unlike any I was accustomed to hearing. Then the walls of the hotel began to shake. Pictures and furniture fell and moved. The power went out. My wife screamed. My lazy tail was bounced out of bed onto the floor.
I ran to my wife and covered her as we knelt in a doorway and began praying.
The earth and hotel weren't the only things shaking.we were shaking, too.
Our "getaway" to paradise was interrupted with a Sunday morning wake-up call that registered 6.5 on the Richter scale, including 18 aftershocks to insure we weren't "snoozing". Luckily, we were not hurt and there were no reported casualties.
Now, while I didn't do the math to see what the odds were that on our four-day getaway we would be lucky enough to experience the first earthquake to hit Hawaii in over two decades.I did stop to think that there was something about God to be learned from every experience, even this one.
Looking back, I have to say that the earthquake was a tremendous spiritual gift for me.
It reminded me, once again, just how big God is and how absolutely small I am.
It demonstrated how dependant we are on electricity and technology, overly dependant, actually.
It showed, beyond the shadow of a doubt, just how helpless we are when it's us against Mother Nature - nature is still more powerful.
It reaffirmed how much I love my wife more than myself. Honestly, I really didn't care if I died; it never even entered my mind.her safety and her life were all I could think about.
But the greatest gift it gave me was appreciation for God.
We have a God Who is powerful enough to make the earth shake yet gentle enough to create a newborn baby.
We have a God Who is loving enough to give us free will, yet merciful enough to forgive our selfishness.
We have a God Who is strong enough to level the world in an instant yet Who, instead, let Himself be tortured and destroyed to cover our debt of sins.
And we have a God who, in every instant - the scary and the calm, the loud and the quiet, the normal and the extraordinary - who loves us enough to shake us (sometimes, literally) out of our spiritual slumber, remind us of His ultimate power, and invite us to trust in Him more completely.
This verse today reminds me of how many things I put my faith in besides God, and how all of those worldly, created things are worthless and useless when all is said and done. God is the ultimate power. God is an awe-some, as in "we should be filled with AWE" but even more importantly, God is an awe-some lover, as in "The One Who loves us perfectly, and Who shows us how to love".
Look around your life right now. God might be shaking things up (probably not literally). Don't run from that social, emotional or spiritual earthquake. It's a gift from God to you. When He rocks your world, it's in an effort to shake away all those things that you cling to that are not grounded in God. When your life is free of any relationships or situations that is not focused on Him, then it will get quiet again.
What was I reminded of in that earthquake?
Sometimes He has to shake us to wake us.
Salvation Given
"His voice then shook the earth; but now he has promised, 'Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven.' This phrase, 'Yet once more,' indicates the removal of what is shaken, as of what has been made, in order that what cannot be shaken may remain." - Hebrews 12:26-27
Until you put your trust completely in God. hold on tight.
The above is a product of the "Bible Geek" from www.lifeteen.com
"His voice then shook the earth; but now he has promised, 'Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven.' This phrase, 'Yet once more,' indicates the removal of what is shaken, as of what has been made, in order that what cannot be shaken may remain." - Hebrews 12:26-27
Situation Explained
When is the last time you felt the physical power of God?
Solution Offered
It was about ten after seven on a beautiful Sunday morning.
My wife had just gotten up. I was a little more "slow moving" (a nice way of saying that if I could have laid in bed for another three days, I would have).
The sun had just begun breaking through the windows of our hotel room. Out our window you could see the early morning light outlining the palm trees and mountains and illuminating the beautiful Pacific ocean. We were in the Hawaiian islands, invited there to do ministry. We took advantage of the invitation to get away for a second honeymoon.
As the light bid my eyes to open, I fought to keep them closed. It was at that point that I heard a strange sound, unlike any I was accustomed to hearing. Then the walls of the hotel began to shake. Pictures and furniture fell and moved. The power went out. My wife screamed. My lazy tail was bounced out of bed onto the floor.
I ran to my wife and covered her as we knelt in a doorway and began praying.
The earth and hotel weren't the only things shaking.we were shaking, too.
Our "getaway" to paradise was interrupted with a Sunday morning wake-up call that registered 6.5 on the Richter scale, including 18 aftershocks to insure we weren't "snoozing". Luckily, we were not hurt and there were no reported casualties.
Now, while I didn't do the math to see what the odds were that on our four-day getaway we would be lucky enough to experience the first earthquake to hit Hawaii in over two decades.I did stop to think that there was something about God to be learned from every experience, even this one.
Looking back, I have to say that the earthquake was a tremendous spiritual gift for me.
It reminded me, once again, just how big God is and how absolutely small I am.
It demonstrated how dependant we are on electricity and technology, overly dependant, actually.
It showed, beyond the shadow of a doubt, just how helpless we are when it's us against Mother Nature - nature is still more powerful.
It reaffirmed how much I love my wife more than myself. Honestly, I really didn't care if I died; it never even entered my mind.her safety and her life were all I could think about.
But the greatest gift it gave me was appreciation for God.
We have a God Who is powerful enough to make the earth shake yet gentle enough to create a newborn baby.
We have a God Who is loving enough to give us free will, yet merciful enough to forgive our selfishness.
We have a God Who is strong enough to level the world in an instant yet Who, instead, let Himself be tortured and destroyed to cover our debt of sins.
And we have a God who, in every instant - the scary and the calm, the loud and the quiet, the normal and the extraordinary - who loves us enough to shake us (sometimes, literally) out of our spiritual slumber, remind us of His ultimate power, and invite us to trust in Him more completely.
This verse today reminds me of how many things I put my faith in besides God, and how all of those worldly, created things are worthless and useless when all is said and done. God is the ultimate power. God is an awe-some, as in "we should be filled with AWE" but even more importantly, God is an awe-some lover, as in "The One Who loves us perfectly, and Who shows us how to love".
Look around your life right now. God might be shaking things up (probably not literally). Don't run from that social, emotional or spiritual earthquake. It's a gift from God to you. When He rocks your world, it's in an effort to shake away all those things that you cling to that are not grounded in God. When your life is free of any relationships or situations that is not focused on Him, then it will get quiet again.
What was I reminded of in that earthquake?
Sometimes He has to shake us to wake us.
Salvation Given
"His voice then shook the earth; but now he has promised, 'Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven.' This phrase, 'Yet once more,' indicates the removal of what is shaken, as of what has been made, in order that what cannot be shaken may remain." - Hebrews 12:26-27
Until you put your trust completely in God. hold on tight.
The above is a product of the "Bible Geek" from www.lifeteen.com
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Mass Is PHAT
When I was about 17 or 18 years old I saw something that forever changed my life.
It was during Franciscan University's Steubenville South Catholic Youth conference in Alexandria, Louisiana that this event took place.
No, this is not the story of how I came to fully give my life to Christ and gain an undying hunger for the Eucharist... no no... this is the story of a banner.
The banner I speak of simply read, "Mass is PHAT"
I read the banner with friends and initially we all thought it was the corniest thing we had ever seen.
Sure, we all loved Mass and we all were addicted to the celebration of the Eucharist and always had fun when we went to Mass, but to see a term such as "PHAT" being used to describe it was beyond us.
For those of you who do not know, "PHAT" in the secular world means "Pretty Hot And Tempting." Used most often to describe a member of the opposite sex or anything one finds to be... well... Pretty Hot And Tempting... yeah...
Anyways, I asked myself, "Is Mass 'Pretty Hot And Tempting?'"
Though it is tempting in some ways due to the fact I'm always tempted to go, the "Hot" part was troubling me.
But then it happend... I came up with the most incredible slogan known to the youth at St. Laurence Catholic parish at that time... I said:
Mass is "Precious Holy And True!" : Mass is PHAT!
Heck yes Mass is PHAT and from that day on, Mass always has been and always will be PHAT, Precious Holy And True. Needless to say, this revelation of mine is another reason why I encourage EVERYONE to GO TO MASS!
On top of that, when I got home from Steubenville, I quickly did a search online for others who thought Mass was PHAT and I came upon one of the most awesome Catholic websites ever.
I share this find with you now. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you...
PHATMASS.COM!
This site is full of everything that is Catholic for todays "new aged" teens and young adults or anyone interested in the more "liberal" aspects of Catholic life.
Featuring everything from the Massmatics hip-hop cd to other Catholic artist and wallpapers that will turn your computer into an apologetic machine, this website has everything. And yes, it does have some hardcore apologetic material on it as well... Oh how I love apologetics... really shakes your faith sometimes...
It was during Franciscan University's Steubenville South Catholic Youth conference in Alexandria, Louisiana that this event took place.
No, this is not the story of how I came to fully give my life to Christ and gain an undying hunger for the Eucharist... no no... this is the story of a banner.
The banner I speak of simply read, "Mass is PHAT"
I read the banner with friends and initially we all thought it was the corniest thing we had ever seen.
Sure, we all loved Mass and we all were addicted to the celebration of the Eucharist and always had fun when we went to Mass, but to see a term such as "PHAT" being used to describe it was beyond us.
For those of you who do not know, "PHAT" in the secular world means "Pretty Hot And Tempting." Used most often to describe a member of the opposite sex or anything one finds to be... well... Pretty Hot And Tempting... yeah...
Anyways, I asked myself, "Is Mass 'Pretty Hot And Tempting?'"
Though it is tempting in some ways due to the fact I'm always tempted to go, the "Hot" part was troubling me.
But then it happend... I came up with the most incredible slogan known to the youth at St. Laurence Catholic parish at that time... I said:
Mass is "Precious Holy And True!" : Mass is PHAT!
Heck yes Mass is PHAT and from that day on, Mass always has been and always will be PHAT, Precious Holy And True. Needless to say, this revelation of mine is another reason why I encourage EVERYONE to GO TO MASS!
On top of that, when I got home from Steubenville, I quickly did a search online for others who thought Mass was PHAT and I came upon one of the most awesome Catholic websites ever.
I share this find with you now. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you...
PHATMASS.COM!
This site is full of everything that is Catholic for todays "new aged" teens and young adults or anyone interested in the more "liberal" aspects of Catholic life.
Featuring everything from the Massmatics hip-hop cd to other Catholic artist and wallpapers that will turn your computer into an apologetic machine, this website has everything. And yes, it does have some hardcore apologetic material on it as well... Oh how I love apologetics... really shakes your faith sometimes...
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Why Go to Mass?
Here it is everyone. My first blog post on the topic, "GO TO MASS!." The things I post are not options, they are facts and are meant to encourage you all grow daily and live fully in your Catholic/Christian life
America (americamagazine.org), Vol. 190 No. 16, May 10, 2004
Why Go to Mass?
Click on the above link and read the article. The information is not there to force anyone to do anything. It simply states the truth behind why a person should attend services on Sunday.
America (americamagazine.org), Vol. 190 No. 16, May 10, 2004
Why Go to Mass?
Click on the above link and read the article. The information is not there to force anyone to do anything. It simply states the truth behind why a person should attend services on Sunday.
Pope's Message to Catholic Parents
Site Link: www.catholic.org
Story Link: click here
Pope to Catholic parents: Renew your faith to be authentic teachers
By Carol Glatz
7/3/2006
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY – The key response to today's increasingly secularized communities is for adults to renew and deepen their faith in Christ so they can be authentic examples and teachers of Christian living to future generations, Pope Benedict XVI said.
Before his planned trip to Valencia, Spain, July 8-9, to help close the Fifth World Meeting of Families, the pope underlined the importance of this year's theme of living and transmitting faith in the family.
In remarks made before praying the July 2 Angelus in St. Peter's Square, the pope urged all the world's families to be "authentic communities of love and life in which the flame of faith may be handed down from generation to generation."
If parents and godparents are "to be authentic" in fulfilling their mission to share their Christian faith, the child's baptism "must be preceded and accompanied by the parents' commitment to deepen their own knowledge of the faith," the pope said. This should also be accompanied by prayer and diligent practice of the sacraments of confession and the Eucharist, he said.
"In so many of today's secularized communities, the first urgency for believers in Christ is precisely to renew the faith of adults so that they will be able to share (the faith) with new generations," the pope said.
However, he said, it may happen that a child's interest in Christ and his or her own deepening of faith through Christian initiation could become "a useful occasion for the parents to return to the church and delve further into the beauty and truth of the Gospel."
In remarks made in English after praying the Angelus, the pope prayed that families would fulfill their "God-given vocation and benefit from just governmental policies which safeguard their fundamental role in society."
Story Link: click here
Pope to Catholic parents: Renew your faith to be authentic teachers
By Carol Glatz
7/3/2006
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY – The key response to today's increasingly secularized communities is for adults to renew and deepen their faith in Christ so they can be authentic examples and teachers of Christian living to future generations, Pope Benedict XVI said.
Before his planned trip to Valencia, Spain, July 8-9, to help close the Fifth World Meeting of Families, the pope underlined the importance of this year's theme of living and transmitting faith in the family.
In remarks made before praying the July 2 Angelus in St. Peter's Square, the pope urged all the world's families to be "authentic communities of love and life in which the flame of faith may be handed down from generation to generation."
If parents and godparents are "to be authentic" in fulfilling their mission to share their Christian faith, the child's baptism "must be preceded and accompanied by the parents' commitment to deepen their own knowledge of the faith," the pope said. This should also be accompanied by prayer and diligent practice of the sacraments of confession and the Eucharist, he said.
"In so many of today's secularized communities, the first urgency for believers in Christ is precisely to renew the faith of adults so that they will be able to share (the faith) with new generations," the pope said.
However, he said, it may happen that a child's interest in Christ and his or her own deepening of faith through Christian initiation could become "a useful occasion for the parents to return to the church and delve further into the beauty and truth of the Gospel."
In remarks made in English after praying the Angelus, the pope prayed that families would fulfill their "God-given vocation and benefit from just governmental policies which safeguard their fundamental role in society."
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Hardcore!
Hey everyone,
No, this isn't the beginning of my "why you should go to Mass" series, but the title for this blog post is a link to something very hardcore that my beautiful Lissa wrote a while back in her blog and I wanted to link you all to it so you can read it.
No doubt I will eventually write a series about many of the subjects contained within this post, but for now, enjoy some truth!
No, this isn't the beginning of my "why you should go to Mass" series, but the title for this blog post is a link to something very hardcore that my beautiful Lissa wrote a while back in her blog and I wanted to link you all to it so you can read it.
No doubt I will eventually write a series about many of the subjects contained within this post, but for now, enjoy some truth!
Don't Go to Church?!?
WARNING!
If you are a Christian, especially you Catholics out there, get ready.
I am in the process of planning out my first of many series that will be posted on this blog.
My first series will be based on "Why you need to go to Mass(church)"
This topic has been stirred in me by the rising number of people I encounter who truly feel that going to church isn't necessary. How wrong they are...
I'm not here to condemn, I'm here to educate. Prepare your hearts for the truth. It's coming to this blog very soon.
God bless you all
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Lissa SO Rocks
Need I say more? I mean, look at her. Isn't she just the hottest thing ever when she has a mic in her hand and she's singing? Pictures/situations like the one you see pictured above is just one of the many reasons why I love that girl to death. Lissa SO Rocks!
Love you sweetheart!
The Heart of a Saint
From the site: www.catholic.org
Direct Link: Click Here
Direct Link: Click Here
Sainted priest’s heart - Thousands await chance to see incorrupt relic
By Lena Pennino
10/12/2006
Catholic News Service
MERRICK, N.Y. (CNS) – More than 5,000 people entered Cure of Ars Church in Merrick Oct. 7-9 to pray before St. John Vianney's heart, and the pastor expected thousands more by Oct. 11, when the incorrupt relic of the sainted 19th-century French priest would end its visit and be taken to Boston.
St. John (Jean-Marie Baptiste) Vianney, who died in 1859, is widely known to Catholics as the Cure (parish priest) of Ars. He won over the hearts of his villagers in France by visiting with them, teaching them about God and reconciling people to the Lord in the confessional.
This was the first time that his heart has been brought to the United States. It is usually kept in the basilica in Ars near the incorrupt – miraculously undecayed – body of the saint.
Pilgrims who wanted to see the relic waited in a long line leading up to the church entrance. After kneeling before the heart in prayer, many stayed to go to confession. In his life St. John Vianney often heard confessions for 16 to 18 hours a day.
Some of those waiting in line described an overwhelming need to see a real miracle. Others said it was a historic moment. And still others – many seminarians and priests – came to thank the Cure of Ars, patron saint of parish priests, for answered prayers during times they struggled with their vocation or ministry.
"I came here to see a miracle," said Laura Musto, 46, of St. Mary of the Isle Church in Long Beach, referring to the incorrupt heart. "And we need miracles in today's world."
"I came to see the heart of a saint," said Maria Gilmore, 82, of Sacred Heart Church in North Merrick. "I thought everyone turned to dust but I guess not."
"We came here on a minipilgrimage to be close to his heart, to have a moment of intimacy with the saint," said Charlie Gallagher, 23, a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Washington who was joined by two classmates, Ted Hegnauer and Rick Nichols.
"This relic represents who St. John Vianney was and who we aspire to be. When I kneel before the heart, I will ask St. John Vianney to replace my heart with his heart so I can emulate him," Gallagher told The Long Island Catholic, newspaper of the Rockville Centre Diocese.
Patricia Couglin was surprised when her three grandchildren – Kim, 11, Mike, 13, and Peter DeMeo, 16 – wanted to venerate the heart with her.
"This is pretty cool," said Peter. He was wearing a "hoodie," or hooded sweatshirt, had iPod headphones in his ears and mentioned that he loved science and magic tricks. "It's something you don't hear about every day, that a heart is that old and still preserved," he said.
"I was surprised they wanted to come," said Couglin, who teaches math at Holy Family parish school in Hicksville. "I thought they'd be watching cartoons. ... As a grandmother, I was really impressed. When we get there, we'll say some prayers and I hope they go to confession."
Each day of its five-day stay in Merrick, four Knights of Columbus carried the relic into the church on a platform topped by a golden canopy. Other Knights, in full regalia with swords drawn, lined the aisles to form an honor guard as the relic passed.
A constant at each Mass and devotional event was a contingent from France that included Bishop Guy Bagnard of Belley-Ars and the pastor of Cure of Ars Parish, Father Charles Mangano. The parish – the first church in the United States to be named for the French priest after he was proclaimed a saint in 1925 – celebrated its 80th anniversary Oct. 8.
"This is a homecoming for St. John Vianney," said Father Mangano at the anniversary Mass. "I believe with all my heart that the heart coming here was the plan of God and the desire of St. John Vianney."
"I take no credit for bringing it here," Father Mangano said. "I did not even come up with the idea." A fellow priest made the suggestion – "like a lightning bolt that interrupted our conversation" – he said. Father Mangano then asked Bishop Bagnard if the heart could visit the parish. Two weeks later, when the visit was approved, "I cried," he said.
"Why did God choose to preserve St. John Vianney's body?" he asked the congregation. "He chose to leave evidence for my sake, for your sake. This is a small example of God's power that may hint at our own preservation of souls that we cannot see."
"What did you come to see?" Bishop William F. Murphy of Rockville Centre asked more than 250 priests, seminarians and deacons who gathered for Mass and veneration of the relic Oct. 9, a day reserved for them. "One whose life affirms yours ... a man who followed Christ the high priest like you do."
St. John Vianney was once dismissed from the seminary because of his difficulties with academic studies. But he persevered and was ordained in 1815. Three years later he was named pastor in Ars, a tiny village near Lyon.
Within a few years he transformed the religious life of the village, and his fame as a preacher, confessor and spiritual counselor soon spread throughout France and around the world. - - -
Copyright (c) 2006 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Relationships
Taken from www.lifeteen.com
Direct link: click here
7 Signs your relationship isn’t working
By Andrea Prisby
Relationships have their ups and downs, but how do we know if this relationship really isn’t working? Here’s seven clues that your it’s not true love.
1. Fight Fight Fight!
You may have so many things in common but still argue. Minimal disagreements are fine, but if you even have to question if you fight too much--then you probably do. Fights matter because petty arguments on the surface are caused by pent-up aggression underneathe. Aggression does not come from love. It is poison in a relationship.
2. Too Dependent
Do you rely on him/her for everything? If that person was stripped from you, could you survive on your own? It’s easy—especially for girls—to become dependent on their boyfriend. A certain level of dependency is healthy in a relationship, because you want to look to one another for support and compassion. But if you feel like you cannot do anything without that person, something is wrong. Or if you feel like you have to ask permission to go out with your friends or spend time with your family, that dependency has become distorted into control. Depend on one, the One.
3. Jealousy
There are three circumstances for jealousy. The first is you trying to figure out where you fit in his/her list of priorites. Feeling like you are fifth on the list will make you jealous. Talk about it, and if see if things change. If you are still behind sports, homework, friends, video games, and sleep--then get out.
The second kind of jealousy comes from your date flirting with others. This is a sign of manipulation, and manipulation is a sign of a doomed relationship. Make a habit of looking for manipulation and save yourself from a lot of pain.
The third kind of jealousy comes from inside you and has nothing to do with the other person. Your own insecurity can play games in your head, making you covetous of the other person’s time and affection. Step back and examine yourself. If you don’t, you’ll probably get dumped.
4. Friends First, You Last
It’s healthy to hang out with each other’s friends. This keeps you from living on Planet You-Me. But there is a difference between hanging out with your friends every so often and hanging out with them all the time. If your boyfriend/girlfriend chooses to spend more time with their friends, they are not ready for a relationship. This balance is important and needs to be discussed early in the relationship.
5. You First, Friends Last
Similar to #4, if your friends and family are complaining about never seeing you, you need to re-examine your relationship. Yes, when you are dating, you naturally spend more time with that person before where all you did was hang out with friends and family. But when you cut that time off completely, you are too absorbed in that other person. This is unhealthy. The important thing is to maintain relationships with friends throughout the relationship, especially in the early stages. They can help hold you accountable and keep your head on straight.
6. Less God time
This is huge. If your relationship with God is suffering, you need to back away. If he/she is pulling you away from God, instead of leading you closer, get out of the relationship. God should be the center of your relationship. You should each love Him more than the other person.
Missionary dating does not work. Yes, there may be hope that your boyfriend/girlfriend will someday come to love the Lord, but that “hope” isn’t going to help your relationship grow and develop. The best thing you can do for that other person is to let them be God’s. You need to be solid in your faith before you begin a relationship. Don’t assume that he/she will change once you start dating.
7. Isn’t willing to talk or listen
When you talk, does he or she listen? If you feel shut out, this relationship has already died. You should never put up with this behavior. Remove yourself from the situation. You deserve to be listened to and to be respected.
These ideas may convict you and force you to examine your relationship. I want to remind you that they are meant to do just that. I am not assuring you that even if half are true that your relationship needs to end. Please take them into consideration, pray about them, and then handle your relationship accordingly. Relationships can lead us closer to God, or further away, so we need to be smart about who we date. God is the true source of happiness, and a God-less relationship is a love-less relationship. You deserved to be loved!
Direct link: click here
7 Signs your relationship isn’t working
By Andrea Prisby
Relationships have their ups and downs, but how do we know if this relationship really isn’t working? Here’s seven clues that your it’s not true love.
1. Fight Fight Fight!
You may have so many things in common but still argue. Minimal disagreements are fine, but if you even have to question if you fight too much--then you probably do. Fights matter because petty arguments on the surface are caused by pent-up aggression underneathe. Aggression does not come from love. It is poison in a relationship.
2. Too Dependent
Do you rely on him/her for everything? If that person was stripped from you, could you survive on your own? It’s easy—especially for girls—to become dependent on their boyfriend. A certain level of dependency is healthy in a relationship, because you want to look to one another for support and compassion. But if you feel like you cannot do anything without that person, something is wrong. Or if you feel like you have to ask permission to go out with your friends or spend time with your family, that dependency has become distorted into control. Depend on one, the One.
3. Jealousy
There are three circumstances for jealousy. The first is you trying to figure out where you fit in his/her list of priorites. Feeling like you are fifth on the list will make you jealous. Talk about it, and if see if things change. If you are still behind sports, homework, friends, video games, and sleep--then get out.
The second kind of jealousy comes from your date flirting with others. This is a sign of manipulation, and manipulation is a sign of a doomed relationship. Make a habit of looking for manipulation and save yourself from a lot of pain.
The third kind of jealousy comes from inside you and has nothing to do with the other person. Your own insecurity can play games in your head, making you covetous of the other person’s time and affection. Step back and examine yourself. If you don’t, you’ll probably get dumped.
4. Friends First, You Last
It’s healthy to hang out with each other’s friends. This keeps you from living on Planet You-Me. But there is a difference between hanging out with your friends every so often and hanging out with them all the time. If your boyfriend/girlfriend chooses to spend more time with their friends, they are not ready for a relationship. This balance is important and needs to be discussed early in the relationship.
5. You First, Friends Last
Similar to #4, if your friends and family are complaining about never seeing you, you need to re-examine your relationship. Yes, when you are dating, you naturally spend more time with that person before where all you did was hang out with friends and family. But when you cut that time off completely, you are too absorbed in that other person. This is unhealthy. The important thing is to maintain relationships with friends throughout the relationship, especially in the early stages. They can help hold you accountable and keep your head on straight.
6. Less God time
This is huge. If your relationship with God is suffering, you need to back away. If he/she is pulling you away from God, instead of leading you closer, get out of the relationship. God should be the center of your relationship. You should each love Him more than the other person.
Missionary dating does not work. Yes, there may be hope that your boyfriend/girlfriend will someday come to love the Lord, but that “hope” isn’t going to help your relationship grow and develop. The best thing you can do for that other person is to let them be God’s. You need to be solid in your faith before you begin a relationship. Don’t assume that he/she will change once you start dating.
7. Isn’t willing to talk or listen
When you talk, does he or she listen? If you feel shut out, this relationship has already died. You should never put up with this behavior. Remove yourself from the situation. You deserve to be listened to and to be respected.
These ideas may convict you and force you to examine your relationship. I want to remind you that they are meant to do just that. I am not assuring you that even if half are true that your relationship needs to end. Please take them into consideration, pray about them, and then handle your relationship accordingly. Relationships can lead us closer to God, or further away, so we need to be smart about who we date. God is the true source of happiness, and a God-less relationship is a love-less relationship. You deserved to be loved!
Monday, October 09, 2006
Matt Maher
Matt Maher has become one of the most popular and critically-acclaimed Catholic artists in the country. Since his 2002 debut release, The End and the Beginning, the rise of Matt and his music has been remarkable. At World Youth Day 2002 in Toronto, Matt’s "Litany of the Saints" was sung at the official Papal Evening Prayer, with the Holy Father singing the lyrical prayer along with 700,000 young pilgrims from around the world. Matt’s songs “Just Like You” and “Love Has Come” were recorded by Christian artist Kathy Troccoli for her album, The Heart of Me, which received a 2002 Grammy nomination for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year.
In October 2003, Maher received the Unity Award for Best New Artist of the Year from the United Catholic Music and Video Association. In 2004 he received the Unity Award for Praise & Worship Song of the Year for “I Love You, Lord.” Matt’s music has received glowing reviews form major Catholic and Christian music publications, and he has also become a popular performer at youth ministry conferences and rallies.
With the release of Welcome to Life in 2003 and his third album, Overflow, in February 2006, Matt continues to explore the wonder and challenges of this life that God calls us to.
In October 2003, Maher received the Unity Award for Best New Artist of the Year from the United Catholic Music and Video Association. In 2004 he received the Unity Award for Praise & Worship Song of the Year for “I Love You, Lord.” Matt’s music has received glowing reviews form major Catholic and Christian music publications, and he has also become a popular performer at youth ministry conferences and rallies.
With the release of Welcome to Life in 2003 and his third album, Overflow, in February 2006, Matt continues to explore the wonder and challenges of this life that God calls us to.
The Latest In Crazy Politics
Stewart dispels rumor of White House run - Yahoo! News
I will admit... It would be something if Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert ran this country.
However, I feel that instead of running the country, they should instead be paid political advisors. That way, their "common sense" way of explaining world events would have new significant use.
Yes, this is my first blog in a long time... Deal with it!
Thursday, September 14, 2006
An Interview with Matt Maher
Matt Maher is in my opinion, one of the best worship leaders in the world today. He's still pretty new to the scene, but his work with programs like Life Teen has produced results that continually increase the number of young people who passionately live for Christ. Not just young people, but people of all ages! Here is an interview with Matt Maher that I came across through http://christianmusic.about.com/
Matt Maher
From Kim Jones,
Unity comes through dialog through relationships
Matt Maher is a contemporary worship leader in the Catholic faith. Since most people outside of the Catholic faith find “contemporary worship” and “Catholic” to be two things they would never associate as going together, I asked Matt to describe himself and what he does for me. Here is what he had to say …
“I’m a worship leader out of Mesa Arizona. Primarily I work full time at a church. I’ve done some touring and traveling over the years, but I work 20 hours a week as a worship leader and 20 hours a week as young adult minister. I lead a college Bible study. It’s a Catholic Church, which kind of surprises a lot of people. The joy that I really feel, as part of my ministry, is that I’ve been kind of going out more and traveling and working with different people breaking down those stereotypes because people have a lot of Catholic stereotypes.
I’m just letting them know that there is a generation, now rising, of Catholics who recognize the gift of Salvation that’s been given to them and that see the need for a daily relationship with Jesus and pursue it. And pursue Him actively in His Word, and also pursue it in the Sacrament. Primarily, I think the way that God has been using me to reach out to people is through worship. I think there’s kind of a format that’s developed. I lead worship every week. I do a mass every Sunday night at 6 PM at my church, Saint Tims, and on Tuesday nights we do a thing called XLT. Basically what it is is a gathering for high school and college students. It’s consistent with about 40 minutes of worship, 20 to 25 minutes of teaching and about 25 to 30 minutes of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. It’s been really powerful to see that happen and to see these different elements kind of from post-modern culture and Christianity, not clashing, but colliding with something as ancient and ritualistic as the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. And it’s been phenomenal to see the fruit come from that. I just got off the phone this morning and found out that I was asked this fall to Atlanta to the NCYC, which is the National Catholic Youth Conference. It’s the largest single Catholic youth conference in the world, or maybe it’s just North America. I mean, there’s World Youth Day, but a straight-up conference for high school students, I think this is the largest one in the world. We’re going to do a XLT worship night in an auditorium that seats 15000 people. It will be sometime in November or December. So I’m already excited. I’ve done a lot of work throughout the country with a ministry called Life Teen, which is a parish based youth ministry program that’s designed to help provide and develop resources for youth ministers to reach their teens and lead them to Christ. I’ve mostly just done music with them. I’ve also worked with the Franciscan University of Steubenville at the summer youth conferences. I’ve led worship at a couple of those. So that’s kind of what I do. It’s kind of a big myriad or a smattering of things.
What I’ve realized too is that the harvest is plenty, but the laborers are few. The reality is that because of the denominational barriers that exist, there are so few laborers in the Catholic Church. You know, I think it’s a move that God is doing. It’s not about me, it’s about unity and not just playing at unity by basically saying, “Well, we’ll let Catholics come here and hang out with us.” There’s a guy that I’ve been developing a friendship with whose name is J. D. Walt. He’s the Dean of Chapel at Asbury Seminary in Kentucky. He’s just a phenomenal preacher, a great man, a great husband and loving father. He and I have just been dialoging and he said something really profound. He said that unity comes through dialog through relationships. I was like that is really true.
Finding a new ways to dialog
For me, growing up, I always had a cross section of friends from different ethnic or religious backgrounds. So the thing I’ve witnessed is that there has been a lot of misrepresentation out there. A lot of people have been poorly educated about Catholicism. They’re just taking what their pastor said when they were 10 or 11 or a teenager in high school and they give a quick track on 10 things to refute your Catholic students. I was never taught that, through all of my Christian upbringing. There’s this whole buzz-talk now about the “emerging church”. What is that look like? A friend of mine asked me that once and I said, “Well, it starts with candles and creative music!” (laughs) No, seriously, I’m only 30, so what do I know, but I think it starts with solid community, regardless of the denomination, and depth of teaching.
It’s about re-presenting, which I think Catholics need to do a better job of, dogmas or doctrines, not as these set rules or laws, but as deeper expressions of God’s love, for God and God’s love of humankind. Not so much as alternate ways to God like a 12-step program. It’s not about that. It’s interesting that people could look at creation and see how God used that to worship Him, and yet look at a 14 year old girl who said “yes” and could have gotten killed for being pregnant outside of marriage 2000 years ago, and not honor her. So I think it’s trying to find new ways to dialog with other Christians to re-present these ancient ideas that I see people stumble on or find out on their own. We have a history or a fascination with the ancient church and I think it’s our job as Catholics to … not to protect it … but for us to know about it and be in dialog with it. I always say that I feel like we’re like the spoiled, adopted kids of God. We have all of these toys and we don’t even know it.”
Matt Maher
From Kim Jones,
Unity comes through dialog through relationships
Matt Maher is a contemporary worship leader in the Catholic faith. Since most people outside of the Catholic faith find “contemporary worship” and “Catholic” to be two things they would never associate as going together, I asked Matt to describe himself and what he does for me. Here is what he had to say …
“I’m a worship leader out of Mesa Arizona. Primarily I work full time at a church. I’ve done some touring and traveling over the years, but I work 20 hours a week as a worship leader and 20 hours a week as young adult minister. I lead a college Bible study. It’s a Catholic Church, which kind of surprises a lot of people. The joy that I really feel, as part of my ministry, is that I’ve been kind of going out more and traveling and working with different people breaking down those stereotypes because people have a lot of Catholic stereotypes.
I’m just letting them know that there is a generation, now rising, of Catholics who recognize the gift of Salvation that’s been given to them and that see the need for a daily relationship with Jesus and pursue it. And pursue Him actively in His Word, and also pursue it in the Sacrament. Primarily, I think the way that God has been using me to reach out to people is through worship. I think there’s kind of a format that’s developed. I lead worship every week. I do a mass every Sunday night at 6 PM at my church, Saint Tims, and on Tuesday nights we do a thing called XLT. Basically what it is is a gathering for high school and college students. It’s consistent with about 40 minutes of worship, 20 to 25 minutes of teaching and about 25 to 30 minutes of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. It’s been really powerful to see that happen and to see these different elements kind of from post-modern culture and Christianity, not clashing, but colliding with something as ancient and ritualistic as the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. And it’s been phenomenal to see the fruit come from that. I just got off the phone this morning and found out that I was asked this fall to Atlanta to the NCYC, which is the National Catholic Youth Conference. It’s the largest single Catholic youth conference in the world, or maybe it’s just North America. I mean, there’s World Youth Day, but a straight-up conference for high school students, I think this is the largest one in the world. We’re going to do a XLT worship night in an auditorium that seats 15000 people. It will be sometime in November or December. So I’m already excited. I’ve done a lot of work throughout the country with a ministry called Life Teen, which is a parish based youth ministry program that’s designed to help provide and develop resources for youth ministers to reach their teens and lead them to Christ. I’ve mostly just done music with them. I’ve also worked with the Franciscan University of Steubenville at the summer youth conferences. I’ve led worship at a couple of those. So that’s kind of what I do. It’s kind of a big myriad or a smattering of things.
What I’ve realized too is that the harvest is plenty, but the laborers are few. The reality is that because of the denominational barriers that exist, there are so few laborers in the Catholic Church. You know, I think it’s a move that God is doing. It’s not about me, it’s about unity and not just playing at unity by basically saying, “Well, we’ll let Catholics come here and hang out with us.” There’s a guy that I’ve been developing a friendship with whose name is J. D. Walt. He’s the Dean of Chapel at Asbury Seminary in Kentucky. He’s just a phenomenal preacher, a great man, a great husband and loving father. He and I have just been dialoging and he said something really profound. He said that unity comes through dialog through relationships. I was like that is really true.
Finding a new ways to dialog
For me, growing up, I always had a cross section of friends from different ethnic or religious backgrounds. So the thing I’ve witnessed is that there has been a lot of misrepresentation out there. A lot of people have been poorly educated about Catholicism. They’re just taking what their pastor said when they were 10 or 11 or a teenager in high school and they give a quick track on 10 things to refute your Catholic students. I was never taught that, through all of my Christian upbringing. There’s this whole buzz-talk now about the “emerging church”. What is that look like? A friend of mine asked me that once and I said, “Well, it starts with candles and creative music!” (laughs) No, seriously, I’m only 30, so what do I know, but I think it starts with solid community, regardless of the denomination, and depth of teaching.
It’s about re-presenting, which I think Catholics need to do a better job of, dogmas or doctrines, not as these set rules or laws, but as deeper expressions of God’s love, for God and God’s love of humankind. Not so much as alternate ways to God like a 12-step program. It’s not about that. It’s interesting that people could look at creation and see how God used that to worship Him, and yet look at a 14 year old girl who said “yes” and could have gotten killed for being pregnant outside of marriage 2000 years ago, and not honor her. So I think it’s trying to find new ways to dialog with other Christians to re-present these ancient ideas that I see people stumble on or find out on their own. We have a history or a fascination with the ancient church and I think it’s our job as Catholics to … not to protect it … but for us to know about it and be in dialog with it. I always say that I feel like we’re like the spoiled, adopted kids of God. We have all of these toys and we don’t even know it.”
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Teaching the Young
"Never tell a young person that something cannot be done. God may have been waiting for countless centuries for somebody ignorant enough of the impossibility to do that thing."
- Anonymous
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
'The Simpsons' & Catholicism
Last night I was watching The Simpsons and the story line caught my interest in a way it normally doesn't. Homer and Bart find interest and begin to convert to Catholicism!
Bart was blamed for a mishap at school and was thus sent to Catholic school for a "tougher" schooling experience. What happens instead is Bart finding a new faith.
Homer, in an attempt to "save" his son from the conservative Catholic church goes to the school to argue with the Priest and upon arrival, discovers their pancake night. After rounds of pancakes and a lot of jibber-jabber, Homer too begins a new path of faith in the Catholic church.
Ok, did I like this episode because people were becoming Catholic? No!
A lot of false things were of course spoken about Catholicism and true things were made to sound bad. However, Protestants were equally "bashed" thus making this episode entirely stereotypical of all Christianity.
The show ended pretty much with Bart stopping fighting between the Catholics and Protestants by making all of them aware of the things they all shared. That being the message that Christ is Lord!
I'm not sure what season this show aired or anything, but I was thoroughly entertained and deep thoughts were provoked as well.
Oh, and for anyone who may have an interest in becoming a Catholic, I think Homer put it best when he said, "Once you go Vatican, you can't go back again."
Bart was blamed for a mishap at school and was thus sent to Catholic school for a "tougher" schooling experience. What happens instead is Bart finding a new faith.
Homer, in an attempt to "save" his son from the conservative Catholic church goes to the school to argue with the Priest and upon arrival, discovers their pancake night. After rounds of pancakes and a lot of jibber-jabber, Homer too begins a new path of faith in the Catholic church.
Ok, did I like this episode because people were becoming Catholic? No!
A lot of false things were of course spoken about Catholicism and true things were made to sound bad. However, Protestants were equally "bashed" thus making this episode entirely stereotypical of all Christianity.
The show ended pretty much with Bart stopping fighting between the Catholics and Protestants by making all of them aware of the things they all shared. That being the message that Christ is Lord!
I'm not sure what season this show aired or anything, but I was thoroughly entertained and deep thoughts were provoked as well.
Oh, and for anyone who may have an interest in becoming a Catholic, I think Homer put it best when he said, "Once you go Vatican, you can't go back again."
Friday, August 11, 2006
Wrong!!!
This is one of those funny emails I received and felt the need to share with all who may stumble upon this blog. It's decently funny, kind corny... It's cheap entertainment...
Two medical students were walking along the street when they saw an old man walking with his legs spread apart.
One of the students said to his friend: "I'm sure he has Petry Syndrome. Those people walk just like that."
The other student says: "No, I don't think so.. The old man surely has Zovitzki Syndrome. He walks just as we learned in class."
Since they couldn't agree they decided to ask the old man. They approached him and one of the students said to him: "We're medical students and couldn't help but notice the way you walk, but we couldn't agree on the syndrome you might have. Could you tell us what it is?"
The old man said: "I'll tell you, but first you must tell me what you think."
One of the students said: "I think it's Petry Syndrome." The old man said: "You thought.......... But you are wrong."
Then the other student said: "I think you have Zovitzki Syndrome." The old man said: "You thought.......... but you are wrong.
So they asked him: "Well, what do you have?"
The old man said: "I thought it was GAS......... but I was wrong."
Two medical students were walking along the street when they saw an old man walking with his legs spread apart.
One of the students said to his friend: "I'm sure he has Petry Syndrome. Those people walk just like that."
The other student says: "No, I don't think so.. The old man surely has Zovitzki Syndrome. He walks just as we learned in class."
Since they couldn't agree they decided to ask the old man. They approached him and one of the students said to him: "We're medical students and couldn't help but notice the way you walk, but we couldn't agree on the syndrome you might have. Could you tell us what it is?"
The old man said: "I'll tell you, but first you must tell me what you think."
One of the students said: "I think it's Petry Syndrome." The old man said: "You thought.......... But you are wrong."
Then the other student said: "I think you have Zovitzki Syndrome." The old man said: "You thought.......... but you are wrong.
So they asked him: "Well, what do you have?"
The old man said: "I thought it was GAS......... but I was wrong."
Monday, August 07, 2006
Violet Goddess
A Priest's First Mass
Here's a little something that was sent to me a few years ago.
From what I can tell, it came from http://www.funforwards.com
A new priest at his first mass was so nervous he could hardly speak. After mass he asked the monsignor how he had done. The monsignor replied, "When I am worried about getting nervous on the pulpit, I put a glass of vodka next to the water glass. If I start to get nervous, i take a sip."
So the next Sunday he took the monsignor's advice. At the beginning of the sermon, he got nervous and took a drink. He proceeded to talk up a storm. Upon his return to his office after mass, he found the following note on the door:
1. Sip the Vodka, don't gulp
2. There are 10 commandments, not 12.
3. There are 12 apostles, not 10
4. Jesus was consecrated, not constipated
5. Jacob wagered his donkey, he did not bet his ass.
6. We do not refer to Jesus Christ as the late J.C.
7. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not referred to as Daddy, Junior and the Spook.
8. David slew Goliath, he did not kick the shit out of him.
9. When David was hit by a rock and knocked off his donkey, don't say he was stoned off his ass.
10. We do not refer to the cross as the "Big T"
11. When Jesus broke the bread at the last Supper he said, "Take this and eat it for it is my body." He did not say "Eat me."
12. The Virgin Mary is not called "Mary with the Cherry."
13. The recommended grace before a meal is not: Rub-A-Dub-Dub thanks for the grub, yeah God.
14. Next Sunday there will be a taffy pulling contest at St. Peter's, not a peter pulling contest at St. Taffy's.
From what I can tell, it came from http://www.funforwards.com
A new priest at his first mass was so nervous he could hardly speak. After mass he asked the monsignor how he had done. The monsignor replied, "When I am worried about getting nervous on the pulpit, I put a glass of vodka next to the water glass. If I start to get nervous, i take a sip."
So the next Sunday he took the monsignor's advice. At the beginning of the sermon, he got nervous and took a drink. He proceeded to talk up a storm. Upon his return to his office after mass, he found the following note on the door:
1. Sip the Vodka, don't gulp
2. There are 10 commandments, not 12.
3. There are 12 apostles, not 10
4. Jesus was consecrated, not constipated
5. Jacob wagered his donkey, he did not bet his ass.
6. We do not refer to Jesus Christ as the late J.C.
7. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not referred to as Daddy, Junior and the Spook.
8. David slew Goliath, he did not kick the shit out of him.
9. When David was hit by a rock and knocked off his donkey, don't say he was stoned off his ass.
10. We do not refer to the cross as the "Big T"
11. When Jesus broke the bread at the last Supper he said, "Take this and eat it for it is my body." He did not say "Eat me."
12. The Virgin Mary is not called "Mary with the Cherry."
13. The recommended grace before a meal is not: Rub-A-Dub-Dub thanks for the grub, yeah God.
14. Next Sunday there will be a taffy pulling contest at St. Peter's, not a peter pulling contest at St. Taffy's.
Saturday, August 05, 2006
New Laptop / Random Stuff
i just need to do some random blogging. I'm sitting here upstairs in my house in a chair. did you need to know that much detail? No, but I felt the need to tell you anyways only because I feel it could make what I say next have a little more meaning.
I recently purchased a new laptop that I am typing with right now. it's nice. It's a dell, it's my 2nd laptop to own and it's my first laptop that came with wireless internet capabilities already installed. No more purchasing a special card to insert into the laptop to make it wireless. No, this thing was ready to go and picked up the wireless connection in my house literally as soon as i turned the thing on.
I know a lot of you are probably like, "what's so exciting about a laptop with wireless internet? I've been using one forever!" Well, I'm sorry i'm so late getting into this game, but for me, not having to use a long cord to connect to the internet is kinda nice and i'm excited about it.
I think it's taken me 20 minutes to write this much because of a distraction I call TELEVISION.
I can't pause live TV at my house. I thought about recording a TV show a while back and realized I would need a VHS tape to do it... so I'm still old school enough right now.
The point of this whole blog was to tell you that my name is Adam and I think it's a good name for me. It says a lot.
I recently purchased a new laptop that I am typing with right now. it's nice. It's a dell, it's my 2nd laptop to own and it's my first laptop that came with wireless internet capabilities already installed. No more purchasing a special card to insert into the laptop to make it wireless. No, this thing was ready to go and picked up the wireless connection in my house literally as soon as i turned the thing on.
I know a lot of you are probably like, "what's so exciting about a laptop with wireless internet? I've been using one forever!" Well, I'm sorry i'm so late getting into this game, but for me, not having to use a long cord to connect to the internet is kinda nice and i'm excited about it.
I think it's taken me 20 minutes to write this much because of a distraction I call TELEVISION.
I can't pause live TV at my house. I thought about recording a TV show a while back and realized I would need a VHS tape to do it... so I'm still old school enough right now.
The point of this whole blog was to tell you that my name is Adam and I think it's a good name for me. It says a lot.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Water and Beer Education
WATER......
It has been scientifically proven that if we drink 1 liter of water each day, at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than 1 kilo of Escherichia coli bacteria found in feces, in other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of poop! However, we do not run that risk when drinking beer because alcohol has to go through a distillation process of boiling, filtering and fermenting.
WATER = Poop
BEER = HEALTH
Free yourself of Poop, drink BEER!!!
It is better to drink beer and talk shit than to drink water and be full of shit. There is no need to thank me for this valuable information, I am doing it as a public service.
Have a nice day...
It has been scientifically proven that if we drink 1 liter of water each day, at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than 1 kilo of Escherichia coli bacteria found in feces, in other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of poop! However, we do not run that risk when drinking beer because alcohol has to go through a distillation process of boiling, filtering and fermenting.
WATER = Poop
BEER = HEALTH
Free yourself of Poop, drink BEER!!!
It is better to drink beer and talk shit than to drink water and be full of shit. There is no need to thank me for this valuable information, I am doing it as a public service.
Have a nice day...
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Slow Me Down
SLOW ME DOWN
Slow me down, Lord, I am going too fast;
I can't see my brother when he's walking past.
I miss a lot of good things day by day;
I don't know a blessing when it comes my way.
Slow me down, Lord. I want to see
More of the things that are good for Me
A little less of me and a little more of you,
I want the heavenly atmosphere to trickle through.
Let me help a brother when the going is rough:
When folks work together life isn't so tough.
Slow me down, Lord, so I can talk
With some of Your angels.
Slow me down to a walk.
Slow me down, Lord, I am going too fast;
I can't see my brother when he's walking past.
I miss a lot of good things day by day;
I don't know a blessing when it comes my way.
Slow me down, Lord. I want to see
More of the things that are good for Me
A little less of me and a little more of you,
I want the heavenly atmosphere to trickle through.
Let me help a brother when the going is rough:
When folks work together life isn't so tough.
Slow me down, Lord, so I can talk
With some of Your angels.
Slow me down to a walk.
I'm Not... And That's Okay!
Here's a little something for people of all ages to read and realize and follow.
I'm not the smartest.
I'm not the best looking.
I'm not the funniest.
I'm not the strongest.
I'm not the fastest.
I'm not the most thoughtful.
I'm not the most humble.
I'm not the most helpful.
I'm not the most selfless.
And... that's okay.
If I only concentrate on what I am not, I'll never know or share who I really am, and I'll never discover who I am capable (through God's grace) of becoming.
God is forming me each day. I am a work in progress.
And that's a good thing to be.
Monday, July 24, 2006
World's Worst Blogger
I am terrible at blogging...
I am the worst blogger ever!
I am not even linking anything within the text of this post.
I have not written my review of the Newsboys concert I went to.
I have not begun my catholic apologetic series as i promised.
I fear when i begin my apologetics, someone will have their faith shaken and may turn away from reading my blog... It's hard for us to hear the things I may say.... (Jesus!!! hehe)
Does anyone actually read my blog? Or have they given up due to the fact I never blog?
Blog is a cool word...
YaY!
God bless!
Adam
I am the worst blogger ever!
I am not even linking anything within the text of this post.
I have not written my review of the Newsboys concert I went to.
I have not begun my catholic apologetic series as i promised.
I fear when i begin my apologetics, someone will have their faith shaken and may turn away from reading my blog... It's hard for us to hear the things I may say.... (Jesus!!! hehe)
Does anyone actually read my blog? Or have they given up due to the fact I never blog?
Blog is a cool word...
YaY!
God bless!
Adam
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
The Bible
When was the last time you read the...
BIBLE !?
I hope many people stumble across this post and click that handy link I put up there. The Bible sheds light onto everything you deal with in your life. If you do not believe me, I dare you to read it and prove me wrong.
Need some help locating something? Just ask!!! The Bible is the source of most of my knowledge about life and how things work. (The other stuff comes from my prayer time that takes place after I read)
So go on! Click that link! Now you don't even have to get off the computer to read your scriptures!!!
Oh, and for you hardcore Catholics... Here's the...
CATECHISM !!
BIBLE !?
I hope many people stumble across this post and click that handy link I put up there. The Bible sheds light onto everything you deal with in your life. If you do not believe me, I dare you to read it and prove me wrong.
Need some help locating something? Just ask!!! The Bible is the source of most of my knowledge about life and how things work. (The other stuff comes from my prayer time that takes place after I read)
So go on! Click that link! Now you don't even have to get off the computer to read your scriptures!!!
Oh, and for you hardcore Catholics... Here's the...
CATECHISM !!
Friday, July 07, 2006
Newsboys Concert!?
Well, I may or may not be going to see the Newsboys in concert next Saturday in the Woodlands for KSBJ's 24th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT.
Why it is still a maybe is a long story that only involves me very very slightly. But hopefully, all truths will be revealed, understood and believed and I will be able to go.
However, there is a chance that the truth will never be listened to and thus I will not be there...
Anywho, I'm off... Got to do something besides type all night!
God bless you all!
Why it is still a maybe is a long story that only involves me very very slightly. But hopefully, all truths will be revealed, understood and believed and I will be able to go.
However, there is a chance that the truth will never be listened to and thus I will not be there...
Anywho, I'm off... Got to do something besides type all night!
God bless you all!
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
LissaStuff
You see... My beautiful girlfriend Lissa has a
BLOG!
As her boyfriend, it is my obligation to give you all a link to her blog. So here is the link!
LissaStuff
Now, the only funny thing about this is that she is the only person who reads my blog... so exposing this link is of no advantage to her for she is the only one who reads what I'm typing right now that I know of... So yeah... haha
anyways, now she is linked and I'm sure is super happy!!!
I love her... I really do... She's so adorable!
God bless you all!!!
BLOG!
As her boyfriend, it is my obligation to give you all a link to her blog. So here is the link!
LissaStuff
Now, the only funny thing about this is that she is the only person who reads my blog... so exposing this link is of no advantage to her for she is the only one who reads what I'm typing right now that I know of... So yeah... haha
anyways, now she is linked and I'm sure is super happy!!!
I love her... I really do... She's so adorable!
God bless you all!!!
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Mele Florez-Avellán
Ok, so again in this post, I am not putting up a link to my girlfriend's blog because I'm too lazy to look up the link right now...
But, I am putting up a link to her mom's website. This site features everything from her artwork to recordings of her music from back in the day.
Here it is! Enjoy!
http://meleflorez.com/
But, I am putting up a link to her mom's website. This site features everything from her artwork to recordings of her music from back in the day.
Here it is! Enjoy!
http://meleflorez.com/
Friday, June 30, 2006
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Franciscan University Youth Conferences
Franciscan University High School Youth Conferences
This link is the main site for the steubenville youth conferences. I have attended "Steubenville South" 7 times now.
These weekends are just... powerful. I really can't describe it without writting the novel of my testimony from my first time there as a 16-year-old through my 7th time there as a 23-year-old chaperone. (for all you math people, yes, there was a year in there I did not attend due to being too old and too young at the same time.... yeah...)
Anyways, just a link for you all and a little help for Franciscan University to get their name out there!
Also, if you're bored, try bored.com I don't know if it even exist still, but yeah... try it!
God bless you all!
-Adam and stuff-
This link is the main site for the steubenville youth conferences. I have attended "Steubenville South" 7 times now.
These weekends are just... powerful. I really can't describe it without writting the novel of my testimony from my first time there as a 16-year-old through my 7th time there as a 23-year-old chaperone. (for all you math people, yes, there was a year in there I did not attend due to being too old and too young at the same time.... yeah...)
Anyways, just a link for you all and a little help for Franciscan University to get their name out there!
Also, if you're bored, try bored.com I don't know if it even exist still, but yeah... try it!
God bless you all!
-Adam and stuff-
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Is this really a blog?
DOOOOOOOOOOOD
I am the worst in the world about keeping up with a blog... not many people are linked to me anyways right now... so um... yeah....
I'm gonna be getting real hardcore on this blog pretty soon...
Adam gonna be spreading a lot of Catholicism for all you to be reading... so do it!
God bless!
I am the worst in the world about keeping up with a blog... not many people are linked to me anyways right now... so um... yeah....
I'm gonna be getting real hardcore on this blog pretty soon...
Adam gonna be spreading a lot of Catholicism for all you to be reading... so do it!
God bless!
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Current Life Events
What's up world!
It's Thursday afternoon and I'm about to pack for my trip to Louisiana this weekend. That's right, I'm chaperoning for my teens at IHM as we go to the Steubenville South Catholic Youth Conference in Alexandria, Louisiana.
This will be my 7th time attending the conference (3rd time as a chaperone). I'm really excited as always to join my teens on this journey through one of the most powerful weekends of their lives thus far.
I'll write more about the Conference and my personal stories about it all later. Just wanted to let everyone know that I'll be there with those kids praising God for he is GOOD!!!
The theme is "Unchanging" which is exactly what God's love for us is... unchanging!
Did I mention I have the best girlfriend in the world? Yeah... I do... her name is Lissa!
It's Thursday afternoon and I'm about to pack for my trip to Louisiana this weekend. That's right, I'm chaperoning for my teens at IHM as we go to the Steubenville South Catholic Youth Conference in Alexandria, Louisiana.
This will be my 7th time attending the conference (3rd time as a chaperone). I'm really excited as always to join my teens on this journey through one of the most powerful weekends of their lives thus far.
I'll write more about the Conference and my personal stories about it all later. Just wanted to let everyone know that I'll be there with those kids praising God for he is GOOD!!!
The theme is "Unchanging" which is exactly what God's love for us is... unchanging!
Did I mention I have the best girlfriend in the world? Yeah... I do... her name is Lissa!
Joe Cartoons
Pointless...
Senseless...
Brain Frying...
Yet, somehow an internet classic that I had forgotten about until now...
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you...
Joe Cartoon
Senseless...
Brain Frying...
Yet, somehow an internet classic that I had forgotten about until now...
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you...
Joe Cartoon
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Catholics and Statues
LIFETEEN.com - "Leading Teens Closer to Christ"
I dunno... Seems to me that many people still think Catholics worship statues...
Here is just one source of information on the truth behind the myth...
enjoy! and God bless!
I dunno... Seems to me that many people still think Catholics worship statues...
Here is just one source of information on the truth behind the myth...
enjoy! and God bless!
First Post: WELCOME!
Welcome to my blog everyone!
I will try to keep my posts centered around subject matter that will expand your mind, but perhaps every now and then I'll slip and something weird will show up... Perhaps more than just "now and then"
Anyways, this is all for my first post. Enjoy!
God bless you all!
I will try to keep my posts centered around subject matter that will expand your mind, but perhaps every now and then I'll slip and something weird will show up... Perhaps more than just "now and then"
Anyways, this is all for my first post. Enjoy!
God bless you all!
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