1. Santorum
2. Gingrich
3. Paul
4. Romney
If Romney wins the Republican nomination I will probably vote for a third party.
Monthly Archives: January 2012
Data Elimination
In two weeks I am eligible for my final new-every-two upgrade from Verizon wireless. Two years ago, I used this promotion to upgrade to a Droid Incredible. I have really enjoyed my Droid and all of my friends can attest to the fact that they were unable to get my attention for at least a week after my Droid arrived. One of the amazing things about the Droid is the convenience of always having the internet at my fingertips. Want to know what the capital of the nation of Georgia is? I’ll look it up real quick on my Droid.
However, I’ve come to have a love-hate relationship with my Droid. Even when I’m not at the computer, I’m always on facebook or wikipedia or something. If someone texts me, I find myself on the internet on the phone. If I find my mind wandering and think of some question, I immediately begin googling the answer before I realize what I’m doing. Don’t get me wrong, I love technology, however, this is just a little insane I think. I don’t need the internet all the time. What’s more, I don’t need to pay $30 a month to have unlimited internet on my phone.
So I have come to the difficult conclusion that when I upgrade my phone I will be dropping my unlimited data plan.
“Are you insane!? Don’t you know that Verizon has discontinued unlimited plans and if you drop it you will lose your grandfather-status and will never ever ever be able to have an unlimited plan again?!”
Yes. I do. However, after looking at my data usage, I don’t use an infinite amount of data. In fact, I don’t even come close to using the 2 GB plan that is now the $30 data plan the Verizon offers. So if I do decide in the future to get a large data plan again, I will be getting 2 GB at the same price and still be able to use just as much as I do now, so it won’t really affect me. And until that time I will be saving $360 a year. That’s a lot of money!
It’s time to get my life back.
T minus 19 days until Operation Data Elimination commences.
The capital of Georgia is Tbilisi by the way.
Categories: Miscellanea
Tags: data, droid, new every 2, smartphone, unlimited, Verizon
Revelation and Manifestation
Christ’s whole earthly life—his words and deeds, his silences and sufferings, indeed his manner of being and speaking—is Revelation of the Father. Jesus can say: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father”, and the Father can say: “This is my Son, my Chosen, listen to him!” Because our Lord became man in order to do his Father’s will, even the least characteristics of his mysteries manifest God’s love…among us.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 516
Categories: Catechism
Tags: 526, catechism, Catholic, Christianity, God's love, Revelation
Questioning Orders
Sometimes I just don’t understand what God calls me to do. I don’t know why he asks of me the things he does. His plan can seem like it is pretty irrelevant to the world I live in, and the circumstances in my life. I question him and I second guess his wisdom. I was contemplating this during my Rosary a few minutes ago and I was reminded of a quote from my favorite show:
I trust him, and I trust Jacob. And the minute I start questioning orders, this whole thing, everything that we’re doing here, falls apart.
Bonnie, Through the Looking Glass, Part 2
Like Bonnie, I am called to a particular station in this life. Everybody else is called to their particular stations. I have my orders from Christ. They may not make sense to me, but that is only because I might not be aware of what is going on in every station, and I might not know what the big picture plan is and how the carrying out of my orders fits into the order of things. So I have to step out on a limb of faith and execute my orders without question. That’s what faith is, right? Having confidence in Jesus, right? The minute that I start to question Jesus everything falls apart. I lose faith, I lose hope, and I lose charity.
I’ve been watching Jericho this past week, and I realize that we are each fighting in the end of the world battle, right now, in this moment, and in this place. It doesn’t matter if the end of the world is 2 days away or 2 millenia away, the battle is here and now. Satan is fighting us today. We are soldiers today. And we have the orders from our commanding officer. To pray, to obey the commandments, and to love with the love of Christ. Within these orders are elements that each of us find difficult or even repugnant. But it doesn’t matter. We have to trust in our commander and we must obey the orders without question if we want to truly win our fight for freedom and defeat the grasp of evil and tyranny on our lives.
Bonnie and Greta following orders from Ben to hold Charlie captive.
Categories: Miscellanea
Five Things I Learned During the Rosary Today
I just got back from Eucharistic Adoration, and I wanted to share a few of the things I learned during the Rosary. They might seem obvious, given the nature of the Sorrowful mysteries, nevertheless, they are very important things to remember, especially in the current climate of the United States.
1. Pray diligently. Jesus gives us many great examples of prayer, culminating in the prayer in the garden of Gethsemane. It is here, prior to his tribulation and passion, here, as he enters into the supreme mystery of why he came to earth that he prays. He prays so hard that he starts sweating blood. We too are in the same exact battle as Christ: the battle to defeat evil. Every day we must fight the evil within, and we must fight the attacks of evil from without. In case you haven’t noticed, but lately, our President has zero respect for Christians, for true goodness. He has entered the war as an aggressor. We must pray. We must pray diligently, because this isn’t going away. It will probably get much more difficult before it gets easier.
2. We must stand up for the truth…no matter what. Are we ready to defy unjust laws? Are we ready to stand up for our beliefs and our rights? Are we willing to write letters to our Congressmen, our Senators, our President, the Secretary of the HHS? Are we ready to be imprisoned for standing strong? Are we ready to be beaten bloody? Are we ready to give up our dignity for the kingdom? This is the example that Jesus gave. Are we ready to follow it?
3. We must endure mockery. We have to realize that what we preach is at odds with the world. And the enmity that it creates is going to create hostility towards us. It will blind people to the love, the truth, and the joy that our Faith preaches. They will make fun of our “goofy” religious beliefs, of our “bigotry” and our “oppressive, primitive beliefs”. They are going to act like little punks on the playground. And we, we will take it. Look, they spit on Jesus. They mashed a crown of thorns into his head. And he sat there silently. He turned the other cheek. When they took his dignity beating him, he gave them still more, never seeking his own honor. We too must turn the other cheek. We endure because we cannot stoop to their level. Believe me, they will get what they have coming, and we will get the reward of a suffering servant.
4. We are called to carry a cross. Sometimes I get discouraged by the crosses I am asked to bear. I find it difficult to square it away with the whole “my yoke is easy and my burden is light” stuff. I look at Jesus carrying his cross, and I don’t see him floating along like a feather, I see him falling down, bloody, practically passed out, and none of it looks easy. But you know what, it was easy for him, because he had help and encouragement from Mary, from Simon, from Veronica, and from the women. He saw the faces of the people he had known during his lifetime, and he saw those whom were created through him and he knew the final outcome and that made it easy. We, too, know the final outcome. No, I don’t know if our nation will crumble or survive, but I know that at the end of time, Jesus wins. Knowing that makes my cross easy. And I know that Jesus will provide help and encouragement along the way.
5. Be willing to die. I always pray that it won’t come to this, not in America. But the truth is, this world is a ruthless place. We never know when we might be called to die for our faith. The Church is filled with martyrs. Look at the first centuries of Catholicism; most saints were killed for the faith, beheaded, stabbed, stoned, fed to lions, eyes poked out, cooked over a fire, these people were killed brutally because they would not renounce their faith in Jesus. We must have that kind of faith.
Our nation and our world is becoming increasingly hostile towards us. Now is more important than ever to suit up, to pray, and to be ready to endure anything for Christ, even death.
Categories: America
Tags: Catholicism, Christ, contraceptive mandate, HHS, Obama, Persecution, Rosary, Sebelius, sorrowful
One Term
That State of the Union simply reinforced the fact that Obama needs to be a one-term president. More spending proposals, new government agencies. We don’t need a government to supervise us, but one that serves us.
Gah, I don’t even know where to begin.
I hope Santorum is our next president.
Where Should Ecumenical Dialogue Begin?
I have a been a Catholic-Christian since April 11, 2009. That was 1,015 days ago. In all that time, many things about me have developed and changed. A thousand days ago I was ready to pick a fight with any post-Reformation heretic of my choosing and I was ready to win that fight. Each fight only ended in frustration because despite the reason behind my arguments, I won a total of zero of those fights.
My views have changed a lot in the last thousand days. Now I realize that just picking a fight is not enough. People won’t convert just like that with a well thought out, completely reasonable idea. I have discovered that the only place that true dialogue can begin is when certain basic truths are accepted and acknowledged.
1. That there is absolute truth
Unless one acknowledges the reality that there is an absolute truth, true dialogue cannot begin. The reason is that they are not interested in what is true, they are not interested in right or wrong, facts or fiction, because in their eyes, the facts are only opinions. Essentially they will argue all day that a fact is “just your own personal opinion.” These types of people are not seekers of truth or knowledge, but seekers of self and pleasure.
We can be confident, though, that there is absolute truth in this universe. For instance, either Paris, France exists or it doesn’t. It doesn’t exist for some people and not for others. Just by saying “Paris isn’t real” doesn’t make it so. Or what about something like 2+2 which equals 4. It isn’t 5. It isn’t 3. It isn’t 6.5. It is 4, and nobody who tries to say it is otherwise is not going to change it. It is always and forever absolutely 4.
This may seem like a “duh” moment, but you’d be surprised at how many people deny absolute truth, especially when it comes to God, who is, the only standard, undeviating being in existence.
2. That God is Knowable
One must be to the point where they acknowledge that God is knowable. It is not enough to acknowledge that there are absolute truths about God. We must also admit that these absolute truth are knowable. If they aren’t knowable, then we still must subject ourselves to a guessing game about what is true of God and his Will. That puts us in a place that is little better than relativism.
Non-Christian religions excluded, it is pretty easy to show, through Scripture that God has made himself knowable and that it is a gift he has given to mankind.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.
John 3:16
Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you have sent, Jesus Christ.
John 17:3
This serves to show the purpose of God’s mission earth. In his love he has sent his Son to give us eternal life and that eternal life is knowing God, the only true God. Substitute the second half of John 17:3 in for eternal life (since John 17:3 is the definition of eternal life):
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might know you, the only true God, and the one whom you have sent, Jesus Christ.
It is only when a heart admits that there is absolute truth, that morality and God’s character are not up for personal definitions, and that God, in his love has made it possible to know what is truth, that a heart can truly be open to true dialogue and begin seeking the truth. It is at this junction that God’s grace empowers us and enables us to converse and lead people to communion with reality, with the Bible, with the Church, and with God.
For those hearts that are not to the point of accepting these simple truths, we pray that God would grant them the grace to understand, and accept these truths and to act in the light of that revelation.
For those hearts that have reached this critical junction, we pray that they would receive the graces to discover who God is and what God’s will is and to move forward without any fear.
And for us, who have come to the full light of truth, we pray that we would be patient, encouraging, and wise when entering into dialogue with the souls that God is drawing to him, and has longed for since the pre-dawn of Creation.
Categories: Miscellanea
Tags: absolute truth, Anglican, Baptist, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Ecumenical, Evangelical, John 3:16, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Protestant
Year B: Year of Mark
The Church is wonderfully insightful and contemplative in the liturgical cycle that flowed from the Second Vatican Council. The Gospel cycle present in each of the three years is prepared to be a yearlong instruction in various aspects of the Faith. A large bulk of this year is spent preaching on the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God.
Part 1 Jesus as the Messiah
Sun. 1 The Baptism of Jesus Mk 1:7-11
Sun. 2 The Call of Andrew and His Friend Jn 1:35-42
Part 2 The Mysteries of the Kingdom of God
Phase 1 Jesus with the Pharisees and the Crowds
Sun. 3 The Call of the First Disciples Mk 1:14-20
Sun. 4 A Day in Capernaum 1 Mk 1:21-28
Sun. 5 A Day in Capernaum 2 Mk 1:29-39
Sun. 6 The Cure of a Leper Mk 1:40-45
Sun. 7 The Cure of a Paralytic Mk 2:1-12
Sun. 8 The Question of Fasting Mk 2:18-22
Sun. 9 Violation of the Sabbath Mk 2:23-3:6
Phase 2 Jesus with His Disciples
Sun. 10 Serious Criticism of Jesus Mk 3:20-35
Sun. 11 The Parables of the Kingdom Mk 4:26-34
Sun. 12 The Calming of the Storm Mk 4:35-41
Sun. 13 Jairus’ Daughter; the Woman in the Crowd Mk 5:21-43
Sun. 14 Jesus Rejected at Nazareth Mk 6:1-6
Phase 3 The Messianic Character of Jesus’ Mission
Sun. 15 The Mission of the Twelve Mk 6:7-13
Sun. 16 Jesus’ Concern for the Apostles Mk 6:30-34
Sun. 17 The Feeding of Five Thousand Jn 6:1-15
Sun. 18 The Bread of Life 1 Jn 6:24-35
Sun. 19 The Bread of Life 2 Jn 6:41-51
Sun. 20 The Eucharist Jn 6:51-58
Sun. 21 Incredulity and Faith Jn 6:60-69
Sun. 22 Jewish Customs Mk 7:8, 14-15, 21, 23
Sun. 23 The Cure of the Deaf-mute Mk 7:31-37
Part 3 The Revelation of the Savior
Phase 1 The Rules of the Kingdom of God
Sun. 24 Peter’s Confession of Faith Mk 8:27-35
Sun. 25 Passion and Resurrection Foretold Mk 9:30-37
Sun. 26 Instructions to the Disciples Mk 9:8-43, 45, 47-48
Sun. 27 The Question of Divorce Mk 10:2-16
Sun. 28 The Danger of Riches Mk 10:17-30
Sun. 29 The Sons of Zebedee Mk 10:35-45
Sun. 30 The Cure of Bartimaeus Mk 10:46-52
Phase 2 The Ministry in Jerusalem
Sun. 31 The First Commandment Mk 12:28-34
Sun. 32 The Widow’s Mite Mk 12:38-44
Sun. 33 The Last Things Mk 13:24-32
Phase 3 The Supernatural Character of God’s Kingdom
Sun. 34 Christ the King Jn 18:33-37
It’s difficult to see the “curriculum” the Church is giving us one Sunday at a time, but when the year is overviewed it is a great discourse through the Gospel as we learn important lessons about Christ, the Church, and Christian living.
What Goes on in the Mind of a College Student?
Sometimes I think it is nothing. Nothing at all.
Categories: Miscellanea
Saint Paul
ORA PRO NOBIS
Saint Kateri
ORA PRO NOBIS
Blessed Pier Giorgio
ORA PRO NOBIS
