Tasmin Mitchell scored 21 — including the game-winning 3-pointer with 9.8 seconds remaining — to lead No. 18 LSU to a 73-70 victory over Kentucky on Saturday and give the Tigers the Southeastern Conference regular season title.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Go Tigers! SEC Champs!
Tasmin Mitchell scored 21 — including the game-winning 3-pointer with 9.8 seconds remaining — to lead No. 18 LSU to a 73-70 victory over Kentucky on Saturday and give the Tigers the Southeastern Conference regular season title.
Rendering unto Caesar: The Catholic political vocation
The Archbishop of Denver is doing all he can to preach and teach the Catholic faithful on real citizenship! I came across this first at Amy Proctor's blog and the entire article can be found here. Archbishop Chaput says some things we all need to hear:The “separation of Church and state” does not mean – and it can never mean – separating our Catholic faith from our public witness, our political choices and our political actions. That kind of separation would require Christians to deny who we are; to repudiate Jesus when he commands us to be “leaven in the world” and to “make disciples of all nations.” That kind of radical separation steals the moral content of a society. It’s the equivalent of telling a married man that he can’t act married in public. Of course, he can certainly do that, but he won’t stay married for long.
Three weeks before last November’s election, I wrote the following words:
“I believe that Senator Obama, whatever his other talents, is the most committed ‘abortion-rights’ presidential candidate of either major party since the Roe v. Wade abortion decision in 1973. [T]he party platform Senator Obama runs on this year is not only aggressively ‘pro-choice;’ it has also removed any suggestion that killing an unborn child might be a regrettable thing. On the question of homicide against the unborn child – and let’s remember that the great Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer explicitly called abortion ‘murder’ – the Democratic platform that emerged from Denver in August 2008 is clearly anti-life.”
I added that, “To suggest — as some Catholics do — that Senator Obama is this year’s ‘real’ prolife candidate requires a peculiar kind of self-hypnosis, or moral confusion, or worse. To portray the 2008 Democratic Party presidential ticket as the preferred ‘prolife’ option is to subvert what the word ‘prolife’ means.”
Friday, February 27, 2009
Our troops are heroes!
I found these videos at Amy Proctor's site and wanted to share them. First, watch the reception the troops give the current Commander in Chief:
Then watch the reception the troops gave President Bush:
I love our military!
Then watch the reception the troops gave President Bush:
I love our military!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Fr. Mario Balbi, SDB, Rest in Peace
Today is a very sad day for our community and for me personally. The eldest member of my community, Fr. Mario Balbi, SDB passed away yesterday at the Port of Newark following an accident. Fr. Mario would have been 89 years old on March 25 of this year and he still went to work everyday as a chaplain at the Port of Newark. He was a great inspiration of pastoral zeal and hard work. Please pray for the repose of his soul and for our community as we mourn his passing.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Rollover: A 1981 film that was prophetic!
All I can say is that this movie was very prophetic! Rollover was a movie that was made in 1981, but it could have been made today... The film deals with the American Banking industry and their problems and stars Jane Fonda, Kris Kristofferson and Hume Cronyn. Hat tip to Patrick Madrid on this one. I especially like how the Holy Father even gets a nod for praying for peace in the film. We do need to pray for our world leaders and for our economy. Let's continue to pray for all those who are looking for work as well.
Impact of Archbishop Fulton Sheen!
Let's continue to pray for the beatification and canonization of the good Archbishop!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Vatican education prefect defends Catholic school funding
Public funding of Catholic schools is a question of “distributive justice”, reasons the Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education. Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski made the case for government subsidies or vouchers at the Acton Institute-sponsored conference “State Financing of Catholic Schools”, held February 16th at Rome's Pontifical Antonianum University.
"This is based on law if we universally uphold several international resolutions that recognize the fundamental right of parents to determine the education of their children. … This means that they are entitled to choose between schools. But if you must pay at one school and not at another, then the choice is not free."
The Cardinal also commented on the recent elimination of Catholic and Protestant religion courses in Quebec, Canada. This past September, all public and private schools were required to replace these courses with an Ethics and Religious Culture curriculum that taught all religions, as well as secular ethics.
"This is the denial of the right of the parents. Because talking about all the religions violates the right of the parents to educate their own children according to their own religion. Secondly, talking in the same way about all the religions, it is almost like an anti-Catholic education—anti-Catholic because this creates a certain relativism. Relativism—all the religions are the same and you can choose one of them like a story. So this is not an education, but anti-religious—very often anti-religious."
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Date set for final approval of Blessed Damien's canonization
The following comes from the Catholic News Service:The Vatican announced that final approval would be given Feb. 21 for the canonization of Blessed Damien de Veuster, a Belgian-born missionary priest who served patients with Hansen's disease on the Hawaiian island of Molokai more than a century ago.
Pope Benedict XVI authorized the publication of a decree recognizing a miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Damien last July, clearing the way for his canonization.
The Vatican said Feb. 16 that an "ordinary public consistory" -- a meeting of the pope with cardinals resident in Rome and invited bishops and other dignitaries -- would be held Feb. 21 to finalize the approval of 10 canonizations, including Blessed Damien's.
The dates for the canonization ceremonies are expected to be announced shortly after the consistory.
Blessed Damien was a 19th-century missionary, a member of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Born in 1840, he spent the last 16 years of his life caring for patients with Hansen's disease, or leprosy, on Molokai.
Blessed Damien died in 1889 and was beatified in 1995.
The miracle attributed to Blessed Damien involves the 1999 healing of Audrey Horner Toguchi, a Hawaiian who had been diagnosed with cancer. She had a tumor and other tissue removed and underwent radiation; when new tumors were found on her lungs, she decided to pray to Blessed Damien instead of undergoing the chemotherapy her doctors recommended. The lung tumors gradually shrunk and disappeared altogether.
In his message for World Leprosy Day 2009, Mexican Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan called Blessed Damien "a lighthouse of faith and love."
Cardinal Lozano, president of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Ministry, said the soon-to-be saint is "the symbol of all those consecrated to Christ with religious vows who still today dedicate their lives to such people" as those struck with Hansen's disease.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Mary at Lourdes
Mary reveals herself to the littlest ones. This is the picture that emerges from the Marian apparitions at Lourdes. From February 11 until July 16, 1856, the Blessed Virgin appeared 18 times to Bernadette Soubirous, a 14 year old girl.
Within the cave of Massabielle, Bernadette saw for the first time, what she describes as "a lady dressed in white: she was wearing a white dress, also a white veil, a blue belt and a yellow rose on each foot."
On March 25, 1858, Mary would make herself known to Bernadette as "the Immaculate Conception." Although the young shepherdess did not understand the term, the revelation confirmed the dogma that had been defined by Pope Pius IX four years earlier.
Prayer, and the conversion of sinners are at the heart of Mary's requests to Bernadette. "Go tell the priests to come here in procession, and that a chapel is to be built," was the message Mary asked the girl to bring to her parish priest, Father Peyramale, who doubted the reality of the apparitions.
"For 150 years, pilgrims have never ceased to come to the grotto of Massabielle to hear the message of conversion and hope which is addressed to them. And we have done the same; here we are this morning at the feet of Mary, the Immaculate Virgin, eager to learn from her alongside little Bernadette."
(Passage from Benedict XVI's homily in Lourdes on September 14, 2008).
In addition to appeals for prayer and penance, Mary also brings gestures of love for mankind. Until now, the Church has authenticated 67 miraculous healings at Lourdes. Because of the close relationship Mary has with the ill, February 11, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, is also the World Day of the Sick.
Every year, more than 5 million people from around the world come on pilgrimage to Lourdes to pray to Mary and ask for healing of body and soul for themselves, or their relatives.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Reflections on the identity of Catholic Universities in the 21st century
Important intellectuals and heads of various European athenaeums have gathered at the University Francisco de Vitoria in Madrid to reflect on the identity of the University, with the theme: "Catholic University, Nostalgia, mimicry or new humanism?" Participants raised new challenges for this institution in the twenty-first century.
Cardinal Poupard, President Emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Culture, opened the discussion by insisting that the University can not yield to the demands of the market and become a mere factory for graduates . More specifically, he emphasized that at the Catholic University, integrated formation must take precedence, bringing together the various types of knowledge and seeking the growth of the individual.
"The university should be the place where you not only learn more, acquire more knowledge, but especially where one is more, where one becomes a man, the best man; a place where his humanity grows."
The Cardinal also noted that the University's mission is not complete if it does not aspire to evangelization.
"The University will be what its professors are, not only for their scientific and professional competence, but above all by the clear testimony of their faith, by their full humanity and by existentially uniting the true, the good and the beautiful."
Poupard concluded by assuring that the future of humanity lies in knowing how to communicate to future generations the reasons for living and the reason for hope.
Participants at the meeting stressed the need to create a network of Catholic universities to develop cooperative work.
Cardinal Poupard, President Emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Culture, opened the discussion by insisting that the University can not yield to the demands of the market and become a mere factory for graduates . More specifically, he emphasized that at the Catholic University, integrated formation must take precedence, bringing together the various types of knowledge and seeking the growth of the individual.
"The university should be the place where you not only learn more, acquire more knowledge, but especially where one is more, where one becomes a man, the best man; a place where his humanity grows."
The Cardinal also noted that the University's mission is not complete if it does not aspire to evangelization.
"The University will be what its professors are, not only for their scientific and professional competence, but above all by the clear testimony of their faith, by their full humanity and by existentially uniting the true, the good and the beautiful."
Poupard concluded by assuring that the future of humanity lies in knowing how to communicate to future generations the reasons for living and the reason for hope.
Participants at the meeting stressed the need to create a network of Catholic universities to develop cooperative work.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
"Your calling is calling!"
I came across this at the Deacon's Bench. It made me think of vocations! Very cool!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
The next Archbishop of New York?
The rumor mill has been in high gear as to the next Archbishop of New York. The announcement is expected soon and Archbishop Dolan's name is high on the list. Let's pray for whoever takes up this great task of leading the Archdiocese of New York and let's continue to pray for all of our Church leaders.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Lateran Treaty among highlights of new Vatican anniversary exhibition
February 11th marked the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Vatican City State and, on that same day, a new exhibit opened to commemorate the event. Coordinator, Dr. Barbara Jatta explained the need to provide pilgrims with the history of the world's smallest country.
"The tourists that are coming to Rome and to the Vatican do not know that the Vatican was not built in the 16th century or in the Baroque time with Bernini's fantastic colonnades, but was mostly built in the 30s of the 20th century."
Artifacts, documents, and never-before seen photographs chronicle the Vatican's history going back to 1870, when the Holy See was forced to relinquish its expansive Papal States to Italy. Much of the exhibit focuses on Pope Pius XI, whose pontificate coincided with the signing of the Lateran Treaty that established the Vatican City State.
"The original treaty and concordat that is generally kept in the Vatican Secret Archives is now today shown for the first time in this exhibition."
Visitors can also learn about the construction of the Vatican's many institutions, such as its postal service, radio station, and museums. Entitled "1929-2009: Eighty Years of the Vatican City State," the exhibition runs until May 10th in the Braccio di Carlo Magno in St. Peter's Square.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
What's my line: Bishop Fulton Sheen
I came across this video at the Deacon's Bench the other day and had to add it too! I am a big fan of the Archbishop and I hope you enjoy this! Let's continue to pray for his beatification and canonization!
Prayer need: Over 900 massacred in Congo since Christmas
The situation in the Congo seems to be getting worse. Just a few weeks ago some of our Salesians were attacked at one of our technical schools and there seems to be no end to the violence in this poor nation. The following comes from CNA:Troops of the guerilla Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) have massacred over 900 people since Christmas in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The news reports from missionary media sources, which are not attracting attention in Europe and America, lament the inaction and “impotence” of the United Nations forces in the area.
Fides news agency reports that the LRA is a Ugandan group mainly composed of child soldiers kidnapped and forced into service. For decades the group has ravaged the land in northern Uganda and is active in Congo, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic.
The armies of Uganda, Congo and South Sudan formed a joint military operation in late December 2008 to try to stop the LRA. They moved against the LRA general headquarters in the Garamba Forest in the Congo with the backing of the U.N. and the United States.
However, the operation failed to capture the guerilla leaders, who are wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.
The LRA has responded with violence against Congolese civilians, sacking and destroying entire villages and killing entire families.
Fides, which is a missionary news agency, accused the U.N. Mission in Congo (MONUC) of being “yet another one of the acronyms that has become synonymous with the impotence of the international community.”
Fides claimed that MONUC members seem to be “mere spectators in the massacres of these people whom they should be defending.”
You can learn more about this situation here and here.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Peter Schiff: Get Ready
I think Peter Schiff is an economic prophet and someone we need to pay attention to. I found this on the New England Republican site.
Peter Schiff is the president of Euro Pacific Capital, a registered broker/dealer that has historically been recognized for its expertise in foreign markets and securities. Mr. Schiff is one of the few non-biased investment advisors (not committed solely to the short side of the market) to have correctly called the current bear market before it began.
Benedict XVI. "May God keep watch over the Vatican State"
"Let us ask the Lord, who firmly guides the fate of the Barque of Peter through the events of history that are not always peaceful, to continue to watch over this small State." Benedict XVI recalled the Vatican City State's 80 years at the end of a concert that included excerpts from Handel's "Messiah." The concert was performed Thursday night in the Paul VI Hall by "Our Lady's Choral Society of Dublin" and the "RTE Concert Orchestra," directed by Maestro Proinnsias O'Duinn. The Holy Father also asked the Lord to assist him, as the Successor of Peter, to faithfully and efficiently carry out his own ministry "at the foundation of unity of the Catholic Church, that has its visible center in the Vatican."
Friday, February 13, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Lord, what do You want me to do with my life?
As they have done every year for the past five years, the Catholic Claretian Publications has organized an event in Rome to reflect on the theme of 'vocation'.
Juan Carlos Martos, a missionary with the Claretians' Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, introduced the book "Open your heart: vocational activity in difficult and turbulent times".
"With this book, as we would say, we want to offer a pedagogy of vocational accompaniment."
"I think the job is the following: How can we make it possible for the young people of our time, instead of asking 'What am I going to do with my life?', be able to bring that question to God: "Lord, what do You want me to do with my life."
God is calling, but are young people listening?
"I see several things. The central issue I find most disturbing is narcissism. That is, the person at the center of everything is me. This is neither good nor bad. The only thing is, it produces a phenomenon of deafness to other voices, some so close that they are knocking at the doors. But there is a great insensitivity to respond to another's call, other than to those that come from their own sensibility, their own desire, own intuitions, or their own tastes."
The Red Envelope Project!
I found this at the Spirit Daily site and I think it is a great idea! You can read about the idea here and here is the suggestion:
Here is what I would like you to do:
Get a red envelope. You can buy them at Kinkos, or at party supply stores. On the front, address it to:
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington , D.C. 20500
On the back, write the following message:
This envelope represents one child who died in abortion. It is empty because that life was unable to offer anything to the world. Responsibility begins with conception.
Put it in the mail, and send it. Then send this website to every one of your friends who you think would send one too. I wish we could send 50 million red envelopes, one for every child who died before having a a chance to live. Maybe it will change the heart of the president.
Here is what I would like you to do:
Get a red envelope. You can buy them at Kinkos, or at party supply stores. On the front, address it to:
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington , D.C. 20500
On the back, write the following message:
This envelope represents one child who died in abortion. It is empty because that life was unable to offer anything to the world. Responsibility begins with conception.
Put it in the mail, and send it. Then send this website to every one of your friends who you think would send one too. I wish we could send 50 million red envelopes, one for every child who died before having a a chance to live. Maybe it will change the heart of the president.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Remember to pray the Angelus!
The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.
Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
Hail Mary . . .
And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary . . .
Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray:
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
New Mother General of Salesian Sisters: Mother Yvonne Reungoat, FMA
Youth are the leaders of the world. They are the present and the future and the best evangelizers of their peers. The Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco, currently the largest woman's religious congregation under the name Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians, know this well.
On the feast of Don Bosco, Mother Yvonne Reungoat, the new Superior General of the Salesian Sisters, gave an interview to H2onews in Rome, where she explained what it means to follow in the footsteps of Don Bosco and the founder of the Salesian Sisters, Maria Domenica Mazzarello, both saints.
"Making young people feel that they are loved, not only so that they know it, but that this love be shown to them so they can come to really believe that God loves them. And to help them discover and develop all their resources to become the leaders in building today's world....and tomorrow's."
"This is our major challenge: to help the youth become young leaders in this message, to become missionaries to other young people to help them find the meaning of their lives. Young people today need love, need this sense of life that really can be found in God."
The Salesian sisters now have over 14 thousand religious in 89 countries worldwide.
"Educating young people today, given the great challenges of a quickly and constantly changing society."
"To respond to these challenges in view of God's plan for humanity, in other words, to build the human family, we believe that education must be the foundation for this world of tomorrow."
A miracle for John Paul from John Paul?
The Deacon's Bench is a fantastic blog with lots of good information and well written stories! Deacon Greg has this latest on the possible miracle for Pope John Paul II! I really pray this miracle helps move his Beatification forward. Baby John Paul may have been the beneficiary of a miracle from his holy namesake! Here is the full story from CNA:
Tracy and Tami Hauser are praying for a miracle and asking others to do the same. On Oct. 8, their seventh child, John Paul, was born with a rare chromosomal disorder called Trisomy 13, which doctors consider incompatible with life. Despite the bleak diagnosis, the Hausers are praying for their son's healing through the intercession of the late Pope John Paul II, their son's namesake.
The Omaha couple wants to spread a devotion to the late Pope's beatification and canonization prayer in hopes that he will intercede for them and grant them one of the three miracles needed for his canonization."Every day is a miracle and even if John Paul should end up dying and going to heaven, it's still a great thing for this devotion for Pope John Paul to be spread," Tami Hauser said. "I am confident and believe that he loves this baby and will intercede for us. I have just felt compelled to spread this devotion to him."The couple, whose children range in age from 21 years to 12 weeks, said their goal is to get 1,000 people praying the beatification prayer daily with them.They have already distributed nearly 400 prayer cards within their parish community at St. Margaret Mary Church, as well as to their neighbors, family and friends. They even dropped off a few prayer cards to the chancery.In response, the family has received prepared meals and letters telling of prayers for their son, including one from Omaha Archbishop Elden Francis Curtiss."I was praying last night on how to get more people praying with us and it occurred to me that Pope John Paul II really believed in utilizing the media to spread devotion, and that I should contact the Catholic Voice to help me spread a devotion to this prayer and cause," Tami Hauser said. "It must be the Holy Spirit." The Catholic Voice is the newspaper for the Archdiocese of Omaha.
Already John Paul has experienced small miracles.Most children born with the disease die before birth and the few that survive usually do not come home from the hospital, Tami Hauser said. The ones who do come home have a 50 percent chance of dying within the first six months of life and 91 percent chance of dying within the first year, she said.John Paul already has overcome two episodes where he stopped breathing and recovered on his own, and he has no external or internal malformations, she said. Many babies born with Trisomy 13, which occurs when extra DNA from chromosome 13 appears in some or all of the body's cells, have multiple abnormalities.His breathing seems to have improved and strengthened with time, Tami Hauser said. He has hit his developmental goals so far, and he can hear and see. Last week he smiled at his grandmother, she said.The couple found out about John Paul's illness six months into the pregnancy."I named him John Paul because I loved Pope John Paul and I just knew that's what I should name him after I found out about this," Tami Hauser said. "I really didn't think we were going to bring him home so I thought, 'Wouldn't that be a good person to look out for him in heaven?'"She said John Paul's situation is a perfect opportunity for a miracle."There are so many people who are interested in him in our community and praying for him already that he could just have a big impact if he was able to overcome this. He really has the ability to reflect the Lord's glory," she said. "When you have a diagnosis that's so bleak, there's just no medically explaining it away."Tami Hauser said John Paul's life has strengthened her family's faith and has brought great blessings."Every day really is a miracle," she said. "I just look for little things every day to rejoice in."
The Beatification Prayer:
O Blessed Trinity, we thank you for having graced the church with Pope John Paul II and for allowing the tenderness of your fatherly care, the glory of the cross of Christ, and the splendor of the Holy Spirit, to shine through him. Trusting fully in your infinite mercy and in the maternal intercession of Mary, he has given us a living image of Jesus the Good Shepherd, and has shown us that holiness is the necessary measure of ordinary Christian life and is the way of achieving eternal communion with you. Grant us, by his intercession, and according to your will, the graces we implore, hoping that he will soon be numbered among your saints. Amen. John Paul II, intercede for us!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Mother Teresa: Wisdom of Faith
I haven't posted anything on Mother Teresa in a while and I felt overdue! I loved when she talks about JOY! Enjoy!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Money, Banking and the Federal Reserve
This video was very informative... Watch and learn how we got in the economic mess we are in!
God is Good: The San Juan Range of SW Colorado
time gone by from todd mathews on Vimeo.
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think I am following
your will does not mean
that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that my desire to please you
does in fact please you.
And I hope that I have that desire
in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything
apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this
you will lead me by the right road
though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust you always
though I may seem to be lost
and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear,
for you are ever with me,
and you will never leave me
to face my perils alone.
Thomas Merton (1915-1968)
Saturday, February 7, 2009
A Football Game Gives Hope!
This is an amazing story of a Christian community that gave some young people hope!
Friday, February 6, 2009
John McCain calls it like it is!
I found this at Gateway Pundit today and was so happy to see the Maverick standing up for us on the Senate floor:"I'll tell you how we got here, Mr. President. We got here here by the Speaker of the House saying, "We won, so we wrote the bill." That's not what the years I've been here is called bipartisanship. So without the votes of 11 democrats and without the votes of a single Republican the bill emerged from the other body and came over here... The bill was written with negligible input from this side of the aisle.
So what are we up to now? We are up to approximately one trillion dollars... The Congressional Budget Office yesterday said that this legislation would increase employment by the end of the 4th quarter of 2010 by 1.3 million to 3.9 million jobs... I did the math. 1.2 trillion dollar bill, 3 million jobs, is $923,997 for each job."
You can find video at Gateway Pundit.
Milton Friedman was a genius!
Milton Friedman was a genius and a guy we could use today! We need more common sense and less fear out there to get back to the basics of a solid and productive economy. That's just my humble opinion!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
State of the States: Importance of Religion
I found this link on Spirit Daily today and thought it was pretty interesting. Overall, 65% of Americans say religion is an important part of their daily lives. Where does your state fit in? Where do you fit in? See the study by clicking here.
LSU draws the best recruiting class of the year!
LSU and Coach Les Miles had a fantastic day and the team looks to have some great talent for the next 4 years!
G-E-A-U-X, Tigers, G-E-A-U-X! Opinionated Catholic reminded me that today was National Signing Day!
First Profession in Summit, NJ
Congratulations to Sr. Diane Maria of the Most Blessed Sacrament! She made her first profession on February 2 at the Domincan Sisters Convent in Summit, NJ. The sisters live a cloistered Dominican life that you can follow on their Moniales Blog. They are only about 20 minutes from us here in Orange. Let's pray for more and more good and holy vocations to the Church!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Support Pope Benedict!
The Holy Father has received a lot of criticism of late and I think we need to pray for him and support him all we can. I found this on Fr. Z's site! Click here to send a letter of support to our Holy Father!
Monday, February 2, 2009
God is Good: Sycamore Basin and a Psalm
Sycamore Basin from todd mathews on Vimeo.
Psalm 15
Yahweh, who shall dwell in your sanctuary?
Who shall live on your holy hill?
He who walks blamelessly does what is right,
and speaks truth in his heart;
He who doesn’t slander with his tongue,
nor does evil to his friend,
nor casts slurs against his fellow man;
In whose eyes a vile man is despised,
but who honors those who fear Yahweh;
he who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and doesn’t change;
he who doesn’t lend out his money for usury,
nor take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things shall never be shaken.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Faith and the Super Bowl!
I found the following article from National Post to be very cool! I am going to enjoy the Super Bowl this year and am ok with both teams... no team to really route against this year! Go Saints Go!This was not the Super Bowl. It was not even the Grey Cup championship game. It was a Hamilton Tiger-Cats training camp in 1985, and Steve Kearns, a Canadian receiver with modest skills and an unwavering faith in God, was wrestling with some inner demons. Football was what he wanted to do. He did not want to get cut by Hamilton. He did not want to see his CFL dream come to an end.
But the son of Christian missionaries was not afraid of disappointment, because for him, failing to make the team would not really be a failure at all. The good book had taught him that all God wanted was for him to do his best, and so that is exactly what he did.
"It is kind of cliche, but for me my faith gave me the freedom to go out and play hard, and do the best I could, and that ultimately, I was responsible to God, and so even if I got released, it was OK," Mr. Kearns says, and begins to laugh. "And I did get released, probably about two weeks later. But I just had this peace. It's hard for me to explain."
Mr. Kearns' football career was over, but the born-again Christian's life mission was about to begin, and within a few years, he was ministering to the players' spiritual needs as team chaplain. Tomorrow, the former-player-turned-pastor will join millions of believers and non-believers alike in watching the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals play Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, Fla.
The Cardinals' star is quarterback Kurt Warner, an evangelical who mentions God in almost every interview and is often seen with a Bible in hand. Mr. Warner, a rags-to-riches character, was bagging groceries before his NFL career began. He conducts weekly Bible-study sessions during the season, and as many as 20 of his teammates attend.
Pittsburgh has Troy Polamalu, an All-Pro safety with flowing black hair and a reputation for delivering savage hits on enemy players. Mr. Polamalu is an Eastern Orthodox Christian. His voice is little more than a whisper, when he actually speaks. "I feel like faith is the foundation of everything I do on and off the field," he said this week in Tampa. "It determines how you live your life when you love God."
God, it seems, is everywhere at the Super Bowl: in the players' words, in the Bible Mr. Warner carries, in the athlete prayer circles commonplace at NFL games, and on the giant "Super Bowl Champion is Jesus" banner that a retired Tampa pastor has hired a plane to pull across the Florida skies later today.
But what about God? Will He be paying attention to the big game, and does He care who wins? And what about Mr. Warner's in-your-face brand of faith, versus Mr. Polamalu's quiet devotion? Does it count once the game begins, and does a religious player have the edge over a less devout opponent when it matters most?
"I don't think a player's faith is going to make him jump any higher, or run any faster, but hopefully, it will give him an attitude of unselfishness," pastor Kearns says. "Faith gives you more of a freedom to do the best you can, and to be satisfied with it --even if you lose."
Kerry Joseph finds "peace of mind" through his faith. The Toronto Argonauts starting quarterback points to the heavens every time he throws a touchdown pass. It is his way of giving thanks. Mr. Joseph has scripture inscribed on his practice towels, and before each season he chooses a different biblical verse. Last year, it was Jeremiah 29, 11-13: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future ..."
Mr. Joseph was traded to Toronto from Saskatchewan in March, 2008, and was troubled by the move to the Argos, who already had a quarterback, in Michael Bishop. Controversy ensued. Toronto had a miserable season. Mr. Joseph struggled on the field. But those words -- about the Lord having a plan -- helped. His faith helped. It had before.
Mr. Joseph played against Kurt Warner in college and, in a story not completely dissimilar from Mr. Warner's rise from grocery-bagger to NFL star, the Argo pivot was out of an NFL job and playing flag football in his home state of Louisiana when the Ottawa Renegades called in 2003. The NFL cast-off eventually found his way to Saskatchewan in 2006, and won a Grey Cup and the CFL's most outstanding player award with the Roughriders in 2007.
"Everything is not always going to go your way in football, and everything is not always going to go your way in life," Mr. Joseph says. "Faith gives you a sense of hope."
More than 50% of the population in Southern states such as Louisiana -- where Mr. Joseph was raised a southern Baptist --attend religious services at least once a week, according to the Pew Research Center. Football is the South's secular religion. College programs churn out NFL players, and 35-40% of them identify as evangelical Christians, who pray regularly.
In Canada, there are no prayer circles after a good old hockey game. But in the United States, a football player bowing his head is part of the sport's pageantry.
"I am not so sure ice hockey players want to kneel on the ice, as though it is some kind of Dante's icy districts of hell," Dr. Joe Price says with a delighted cackle. Professor Price teaches religious studies at Whittier College in California. He is an ordained Baptist minister, a football fan and has written extensively on the subject of athletes and faith.
For him, the Super Bowl is a spectacular quasi-religious festival, a giant Sunday Mass that, like Christmas and Easter, only comes around once a year. Devout and lay football fans watching this year's service in Tampa will bear witness to an ecstatic celebration of American free enterprise. Beer, razor blades, potato chips and babes in bikinis will be featured in slickly produced 30-second television commercials, which sell for US$3-million a pop, and encourage the faithful consumer to spend.
At halftime, Bruce Springsteen, an ageing rocker, who was born in the U. S. A., will sing some hits and pay tribute to another sacred American cow: the entertainment industry. After halftime, there will be more football, and more athletic feats by prayerful player-warriors who earn an emperors' wage and walk the American landscape like demigods.
And when it is over, and a winner decided, the star performer will be selected as the game's most valuable player. Super Bowl ritual calls for the MVP to utter the famous commercial verse -- "I am going to Disneyland" -- before dashing to the locker room and the sweet hereafter reserved for NFL heroes.
Should Arizona triumph and Mr. Warner, the Bible-toting quarterback, get the MVP nod, what might he say? Will Mickey Mouse take a back seat to Jesus Christ? And will God be listening?
"If God does care about football, then God probably cares more about the Super Bowl losers, because God is usually on the side of those who are suffering," says professor Price. "Rather than caring about who wins, God befriends those who lose."
Saint of the day: Bridget of Ireland
Today is the feast of St. Bridget of Ireland! The following comes from the Catholic.org website:St. Bridget arrived in Ireland a few years after St. Patrick. Her father was an Irish lord named Duptace.
As Bridget grew up, she became holier and more pious each day. She loved the poor and would often bring food and clothing to them. One day she gave away a whole pail of milk, and then began to worry about what her mother would say. She prayed to the Lord to make up for what she had given away. When she got home, her pail was full! Bridget was a very pretty young girl, and her father thought that it was time for her to marry. She, however, had given herself entirely to God when she was very small, and she would not think of marrying anyone. When she learned that her beauty was the reason for the attentions of so many young men, she prayed fervently to God to take it from her. She wanted to belong to Him alone. God granted her prayer. Seeing that his daughter was no longer pretty, her father gladly agreed when Bridget asked to become a Nun. She became the first Religious in Ireland and founded a convent so that other young girls might become Nuns. When she consecrated herself to God, a miracle happened. She became very beautiful again! Bridget made people think of the Blessed Mother because she was so pure and sweet, so lovely and gentle. They called her the "Mary of the Irish."
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