Monthly Archives: August 2009

Some Catholic Humor

Posted on August 31, 2009 by DN

Joke #1

Back during Christ’s public ministry, a group of villagers were rallying together to stone an adulterous woman to death. Jesus walks into the middle of the village and yells “Stop! Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” After a pause, the sounds of rocks being dropped out of the villagers hands is heard. Suddenly one rock goes whizzing towards the adulteress from the back of the crowd. Everyone turns around and Jesus says, “Mom, you know I hate it when you do that.”

Joke #2

A priest, a Baptist preacher, and a rabbi go camping. As they are sitting around the fire, they decide to see which one can do the best at converting a bear to their respective religion. The priest goes out first and comes back a while later with a bear and says “Glory to God in the highest, this bear is taking his first Communion tomorrow.” Astonished, the Baptist preacher goes into the woods. A bit later he comes out with a soaking wet bear. “Hallelujah, this bear has just been baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Not wanting to be outdone, the rabbi walks into the woods.  A little while later, he comes screaming out of the woods being chased by a bear. “Maybe I shouldn’t have started with circumcision,” he shouts as he runs by!

Categories: Miscellanea

Penance

Posted on August 31, 2009 by DN

Sometimes I wish that the penance that our confessors gave us was a little more…difficult. I mean, back in the day, the penance often matched the sin, but today it seems like all penance is is saying a few prayers. Not that it’s all that it is. Prayer is very good, it is our communication with God. Concrete prayers like the Our Father, and the Hail Mary unite us as a Church around the world. But I think that sometimes it is easy to backslide into the same sins over and over because our penance means little to us. How easy is it us for us to leave the confessional, whip our five Hail Mary’s and walk out of the Church to not even think of our sin again, not worry about it and then fall back into it?

Today I went to confession and was pleasantly surprised that my penance was more than a few Hail Mary’s, but two whole decades of the Rosary. Sure, it was still a prayer, but it wasn’t something I could just rattle off. I had to sit there and as I meditated upon the first two joyous mysteries, I contemplated the coming of our Lord and his Divinity. I thought about how my sins had mocked his Holiness, and I felt penitent, which is how we are supposed to feel. I felt forgiven, I felt the grace, and that is something that I think that a good act of penance should do.

Do I think we need to go back to the days when it might take a year or more to work off your penance? Not necessarily, but I do think that our penances should be a little more time consuming, bring us more to our knees in thanksgiving for God’s Grace so that we can properly worship and truly feel the sting of our absolved sins so that we “sin no more” as Jesus commanded.

Categories: Miscellanea | Tags: , , , , , ,

The New Mass Translation

Posted on August 29, 2009 by DN

Here is a copy of the new Mass translation that will be approved sometime soonish.

Categories: Miscellanea | Tags: , , ,

Blood Money

Posted on August 29, 2009 by DN

I cannot wait to see this documentary.

It is ridiculous that in 2009, in the age of advancements in science and medicine that this is even still an unsettled issue. In an age of increased human rights awareness and advocation, that this atrocity is still legal. On the tail end of a century plaqued with more than one genocidal event, that the world looks on, even fights to protect these actions is an abomination to the human race, to our intelligence, to our consciences, and to the beauty of life.

Categories: America, Miscellanea | Tags: , , , ,

Me vs. The Baptist Preacher

Posted on August 29, 2009 by DN

So I got a new laptop today and it has a webcam, so I skyped my sister. Well my whole fam was there and it was kind of cool. Except my mom brought up what I’m going to do with my life after school. She’s pretty much convinced that I’m going to seminary, even though I haven’t really talked to her about it. She then told me that she was talking to a woman at my brother and sister’s church and she thinks I should talk to the pastor there because he used to be Catholic. My mom said it wouldn’t be too bad because I’m confident in my faith. She really wants me to do it. I think I might too. Something that Josh told me was that Catholics who do research on the faith, generally don’t walk away from the Church, typically its those who just don’t care or are misguided. So I am very curious as to why this pastor left the Church. I feel confident that I could defend most any doctrine at a basic level. I’m actually excited now to go home and take him on, to find out why he left, and to share why I came to the Church.

My mom also mentioned that she saw a documentary on Catholics on tv recently, and that the priest in the video said that Communion was symbolic, not literal. I don’t know if she is lying, if she misunderstood what was said, or if this priest really did say that. But it really grinds my gears when Catholics, especially a priest, does not believe the doctrine of the Real Presence. It is the summit and source of our faith, and to deny it is to truly cease to be Catholic. Anyways, that’s something that’s been bothering me ever since she told me.

Categories: Miscellanea

Organic Chemistry

Posted on August 26, 2009 by DN

Time: 8:00 am
Place: Steven’s Auditorium
Subject: Organic Chemistry

So I’m sitting there, listening to all that we will be learning about this semester. I think about the 50 ton textbook I had just bought for the class. I thought about how much I did not want to be there. Then I asked myself: why am I here? Why in the world am I here, in this classroom right now? This is not really what I want to do with my life. Why am I not at the seminary? Why did I not jump at Fr. Wilhem’s offer to get me into the seminary? If this is truly not where I am called, then what is the point? Sure, I have come to have an appreciative love for chemistry because to me it exhibits the splendor, wisdom, and glory of God. But…..outside of that, I have no use for chemistry if I am truly not called to be a zoologist. Lord, why am I still here?

And is this a concession? Is this the moment I am conceding to God? Am I feeling that the call to the priesthood is legit? Man I think about it ALL the time. Every day. I am constantly think about being a priest. Whether it is willful resistance to the idea, hesitant assent, or thinking to myself, “now I know a priest shouldn’t do that,” it is almost perpetually on my mind, even in my dreams. Two nights ago I had a dream. It was a weird dream, and I wasn’t sure what to think of it. It was kind of abstract in some ways, and filled with lots of symbolism. There were many instruments around me, I think I was in a music store. I picked out a cornet, which, if you don’t know, is very similar to a trumpet and played exactly the same. The trumpet just happens to be the instrument I used to play long ago, and happen to be very prevalent in Scripture. Anyways, I had to take a trumpet class so I could re-learn to play it. As we began I realized that this [being a musician] was not what I wanted to do with my life. This dream was so weird, I don’t understand it. My mom was there with me, and I broke down and told her I wanted to become a priest. Nobody who was in that room seemed surprised in the least, almost as if it was all orchestrated for the sole purpose of showing me that fact.

There is much I don’t understand about that dream, but I don’t doubt its significance in any way. God has been known to jump into my life in different and interesting ways before. All I know is that this is becoming more of a struggle, of a fight, something to wrestle with. I want to be absolutely sure that I am called before I make the decision. But how do I know if I am absolutely sure? Am I sure now? I guess you could say I am, but I still have lots of reservations? Will those reservations ever go away? If not, how do I know?!?! I need to talk to Fr. Wilhelm again soon.

Lord Jesus Christ,
Eternal High Priest, Head of the Priesthood, keep my heart open and my mind sharp as I continue to discern this vocation. My desire is to serve you in my calling because I know that it will bring you honor and glory and praise and that it will fulfill all my joys to do what you created me to do. Hear the intercession of the saints as they pray for me and for all the men and women discern vocations into religious life.

Blessed Mary,
Kneel before your Holy Son on my behalf. Ask him to keep me close to his Sacred Heart as I discern my vocation. Do not leave me unaided, but comfort me and defend me against attacks as I seek to enter into my calling.

God, Father of Light,
Through your goodness you have given us the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Help me Father, to seek him out, to follow him, to believe him, to obey him, your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Categories: Miscellanea | Tags: , , , ,

First Reading

Posted on August 24, 2009 by DN

The angel spoke to me, saying, “Come here. I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” He took me in spirit to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. It gleamed with the splendor of God. Its radiance was like that of a precious stone, like jasper, clear as crystal. It had a massive, high wall, with twelve gates where twelve angels were stationed and on which names were inscribed, the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. There were three gates facing east, three north, three south, and three west. The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation, on which were inscribed the twelve names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb.

Revelation 21:9b-14

I loved today’s first reading as it was read in Mass today. The Bride of Christ. The Bride of Christ is the Church, the children of God. And as St. John describes what he saw, we get a great glimpse of the nature of the Bride, both in her glorified, heavenly state, but in her earthly state as well. In the reading, the holy city of Jerusalem represents the Bride and it exhibits the splendor of God. It is beautiful, beyond compare of even the most precious and sought after stones of this world. That is because it was purchased with the precious blood of Christ, precious beyond compare. But the Church is not only about its beauty and splendor, but is about its foundation. Look at the twelve gates. Each one is guarded by an angel and inscribed with the twelve names of the tribes of Israel. I think that this shows the commitment to the Jewish roots of the faith. One of the great things about the Church, that is, the Catholic Church, is the very “Jewishness” to it. The obedience to the moral law, the rituals, the liturgy, some of the Gregorian chants. It is the Jewish faith glorified. But beneath the gates is the foundation of the city, of the Church. What is so important about this foundation is that upon it are inscribed the names of the twelve apostles. Certainly this emphasizes the authority which Christ gave them, and symbolizes that the Church is founded on them. Yet, their “foundation-ness” and their authority are only legitimate because they come from the Holy One, the Lord, the Most High, Jesus Christ. On earth the apostles are the head of the Church, they were given the authority to loose and bind, and this passage re-emphasizes that, which is probably why Luther wanted it gone. After all, he did say of the book:

“to my mind it bears upon it no marks of an apostolic or prophetic character…  Everyone may form his own judgment of this book; as for myself, I feel an aversion to it, and to me this is sufficient reason for rejecting it.”

Anyways, I just heard this and knew deep down that the decision to follow Christ into the Catholic Church was the most legitimate decision I have made, and I must keep following him, picking up my cross when I fail and follow him because I want to be in that holy city when Christ comes to dwell with his Bride, not because I dread the pains of Hell, but because I love Christ so much.

Categories: Miscellanea | Tags: , , , , , ,

Interesting

Posted on August 21, 2009 by DN

I find this interesting. If someone says they are a Christian, what does that mean? From that statement are you truly able to ascertain what their beliefs are?

I guess, that to me, the answer is ‘no’. And to me, that is a problem. Some might say that it is not, that the meaning of being a Christian will be shown in the way we live, not in the statement of faith we make. Yet, it is important, because I think that the term Christian has now lost all meaning. Many call ourselves Christians, but that means something drastically drastically different to each of us. To some it means that they believe that certain behaviors are Biblically immoral, while others believe them to be permissible, such as same-sex marriage, abortion, the death penalty, etc. The word no longer represents a radical lifestyle of committment to our God and Savior Jesus Christ. Pre-Reformation, if someone said they were a Christian, you were better able to know what that said about them because they were Roman Catholic and Catholic/Christian doctrine was solid and defined. That is no longer the case [not with Catholicism, but Christianity in general], because anyone can call themselves a Christian and it goes undisputed because who are we to tell them that their interpretation of Christ is wrong?

This must be so confusing to the lost, to those in the world who do not know Christ. Not only are they not able to see how Christ can transform one’s life, because some Christians believe that they do not have to abandon themselves, but they [the world] have a hard time knowing what to believe about Christ, salvation, truth, etc. And that is contrary to Christ’s intentions for the Church. How can the Church go and make disciples of all nations if there is no concrete truth? How in the world are the nations supposed to figure out which of the many versions of the truth that are being given to them is correct? And that is why Christ made his Church, one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. Four marks. That we be one in mind and spirit. We believe the same gospel, we preach the same gospel. That the Church be holy, that we are continually traveling on a path towards holiness, that the Church encourages and nurtures this journey. That we are catholic, again that we are one, that the Church is universal, transcendent of both time and space, that the Church exists in all ages and throughout the geographic locations on our planet. That we are apostolic. Christ did not appoint twelve apostles for no reason. They had, and still have, a  purpose in this world. Entrusted with the Gospel, they protect it and transmit both geographically through missionaries and presbyters, and temporally, through the laying on of hands in the ministry of the Bishops.

Apart from the Catholic Church, the term Christian becomes undefinable, and therefore useless to the mission of Christ. Thoughts?

Categories: Miscellanea | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Knowledge or Wisdom?

Posted on August 21, 2009 by DN

I think that when it comes to my faith, I have a lot of knowledge, but not much wisdom. I know exactly what I believe, what the Church teaches, and why. But, when it comes down to it, it usually doesn’t translate from my mind to my heart or the way that I live. I know, but I am not wise. Hopefully that changes.

Categories: Miscellanea | Tags:

NDSU Acknowledges That the Unborn Are People Too?

Posted on August 18, 2009 by DN

Today during training we had a presentation about human research. The reason that we go through that type of training is that we conduct a few surverys during the year for research purposes, and we need to know how our human subjects are to be treated. During the presentation, one slide was about vulnerable groups of people, including, prisoners, the handicapped, and pregnant women. The presenter then talked about each one and when she got to the pregnant women, she mentioned that they need extra protection due to vulnerability, because any decisions they make in regards to participating in research affects two people. You hear that? Two PEOPLE. And those were her words, not mine. The unborn are people too, and NDSU, in some capacity acknowledges that too, and affords them some sort of right, even if it is minimally.

When will the rest of the institutions in this country accept the fact that the unborn are people too, and deserve the same rights and protection, if not more, than you or me? We can’t really talk about equality for any other group, whether it be, GLBT, blacks, Muslims, etc., if the most vulnerable members of our society are subject to systematic genocide. What, you can’t get legally married? Boo-hoo, millions of your fellow Americans have been denied the right to even get the chance to live. Makes other issues seem pretty small and petty, right?

As much as this incident today is a positive one, it is still really small, and I am sure that if truly scrutinized, it does not truly represent how the majority of our campus feels. But I hold out hope that this is a small glimmer of light, illuminating a shift in our society towards a culture of life and away from the constant disrespect for the sanctity of life.

“There is no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.”

-Nelson Mandela

Categories: America, Miscellanea | Tags: , , ,

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