Wednesday Wordsmithing: What it means to be "Catholic"

THE PROBLEM

Every Sunday we profess in the Creed the mysteries of our faith that all Catholics must believe for all time. One of these mysteries is we believe the Church is "Catholic." We all have been taught in our childhood catechesis the word "catholic" means "universal." But, with the way things are going in the Catholic Church in America, I wonder if any our catechesis has sunk in. Do we fully grasp how important this word means to us? Why does it matter to be Catholic?

The benefits of knowing this allow us to discern what is true or false, good and evil, to know God's will more fully in our lives and how to be intensional disciples in a world that utterly hates Christ. Remove or confuse the meaning of "Catholic" from our minds, and we struggle to know who we are or what we are to do. We become tossed to and fro with every wave of doctrine.

There are forces at work inside the Catholic Church that have been trying to modify the identity of the Church according to a different idea of "universal." These "reformers" are trying to create a type of ecumenism, really a false ecumenism, that is essentially seeking a lowest common denominator among religions, Christian or non-Christian. The standards or principles that mark these differences are made irrelevant for the greater good of "unity", and when this occurs, according to them, we'll achieve this "unity." To do this, certain beliefs and practices existing in the Church stand in the way of these "reforms." These barriers, the orthodox teachings of the Church, and more particularly, our faith in them, is what's keeping the Church from achieving this utopian ideal.

To see this more clearly, I recommend author Allen Bloom's "The Closing of the American Mind," where he describes the modern liberal as one who operates within a "cult of indescriminate-ness." If you ask a liberal what is the chief cause of all the injustices and wars we humans suffer, he would say it is in our belief in the existence of capital "T" Truth, mainly religious Truth, and our use of it to discriminate between it and what is false. The modern liberal sees no black or white, only shades of gray. Liberals believe that most wars that have been fought have been fought over the difference in religious ideas, over what is capital "T" Truth. Cease this arrogant and meaningless pursuit of Truth, according to the liberal, and the infinitely higher value of "unity" will end all wars. We will achieve a peace never know before.

See how "wonderful" this works! If Truth is relative, then I cannot condemn you for being in error, nor can you condemn me. You can have your truth; I can have mine, and we can have peace and harmony. No one can claim superiority--no one can feel inferior. Feelings reign supreme at the expense of reason and the Truth. Conversely, look at how the liberal gets angry at anyone who makes a Truth claim. When a Catholic Christian argues that a pre-born infant is a human being, Liberals condemn this person as arrogant and narrow-minded. "Who do you Christians think you are pushing your religious truth down other people's throats?"

As you have observed, and probably experienced, the modern Liberal is not as tolerant and nice as they would like you think. Plus, the absolutism they condemn in others, they do themselves! For them to say and believe that "truth is relative" is NOT a relative truth. And notice also, they apply this universally; it is a truth not just for themselves. No, we, who hold to capital "T" Truth must give in to their ideas. Why? Because they have the capital "T" Truth! Liberals condemn the existence of all captical "T" Truth except their own. Their sophistry hides the double standard so well, that they don't see themselves as arrogant! Everyone who makes truth claims is arrogant except the liberal.

This type of non-thinking has slithered into the Church under the name of ecumenism. So called "Catholics" attack the Church's principles from within, vilifying established teaching as divisive and uncharitable. This is not all.

There is something more insidious happening here in America. With a large number of Catholics who have been on the liberal bandwagon for quite some time, theologians see the need to identify this 'phenomena" as evidence of the Holy Spirit leading the Church, and thus there is a call to develop her doctrine. Imagine...using a pincers movement to manipulate the Church's sacred deposit of doctrine, get a majority of people to believe a certain way and then show this as fulfilling one of the criteria of the infallibility of the Church. In other words, allow for the faithful to be bamboozled with liberal doctrines; show that because this is what the faithful "have always believed" show this to be the work of the Holy Spirit, and because the Church is infallible; then make the case that the current teachings need to be modified to fit what the infallible Church believes. Very ingenious...and very deadly. I wonder...since the majority rules, so to speak, one could have made the same case for Arianism back at the Council of Nicea, right?

This philosophy has damaged the thinking of many professing Catholics. Ever hear things like, "Yeah, I'm a Catholic, but I disagree with what the Pope says about contraception and homosexuality. The Church has no right to tell married couples what to do in bed; they should stop making people feel guilty for a sexual preference that God gave them." Really? If that is the case, then why condemn priests and call them pedophiles when they were acting on the homosexual impulses God gave them. Notice the double standard again?

When people say what we have just describe, they are rejecting the Creed and embracing private interpretation. It is a crisis of faith. People, who call themselves Catholic, have taken charge of their own "truth." They love privately interpreting what is true; and, they hate having to answer to any Pope besides themselves. They become self-interpreting little deities who will not allow their authority to be challenged. Something must change to stop this, or we may lose the Catholic Church in America.

WHAT IS NEEDED

In the face of threat of liberalism, we need to know what it means to be Catholic if we are going to remain Catholic. We can no longer let liberalism define the terms of battle. The quarrel is really about WHO says what is True--the Liberal, or Christ? And if it is Christ who defines what is True, how do we know it is Christ who is defining Himself?

AN ANALOGY OF "CATHOLIC"

As we said before, the word "Catholic" means "universal", but our current understanding of universal doesn't accurately describe it and leaves itself open to more "subtle" variations of the liberal kind. More accurately "catholic" means "pertaining to the whole." Here's a good analogy that will help us understand the term better.

"Friendship bread" is a type of sourdough recipe that you can distribute to friends so that everyone of your friends can actually eat of the "same bread." In its raw state, the initial batch of "starter", which is a yeasty activator, allows the combined ingredients of the bread to rise. Portions of this starter can be given to other people, whereby they can use it to make their own starter to make their own bread, and divide their starter again and share it with others. With this passing of starter from people to people, it's possible for one single batch of starter to be multiplied and spread to millions of households all over the world if its integrity is maintained.

This analogy works for our purpose; all of these millions of hypothetical loaves of bread come from the one same starter---they are all in essence, "one loaf." Thus, all these loaves are "catholic." It doesn't matter if they are thousands of miles away, or if the starter lives on until the year 2235 A.D.; they all "pertain to the whole."

So let's apply this analogy to our situation. The Holy Trinity, shares Jesus with the world by coming into union with the Church, whereby the "starter", Jesus Christ, is fully alive and living in His Church. This same Church, with the living Christ, passes through all of history up until now, spreading through different lands, impacting different people groups and ethnicities up to and including us today. We are in a true unity with the entire Church, no matter what time or place, from the very beginning with the same "starter", Jesus!

THE CHURCH DEFINES ITS IDENTITY

Here's what the Church has to say about her catholicity. In RESPONSES TO SOME QUESTIONS REGARDING CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THE DOCTRINE ON THE CHURCH, the CDC, with the Holy Father approval, repeats what the Second Vatican Council stated, that the Church of Jesus Christ subsists in the Catholic Church. For something "to subsist" means that this something is present fully and completely. So this document states, "‘subsistence’ means this perduring, historical continuity and the permanence of all the elements instituted by Christ in the Catholic Church, in which the Church of Christ is concretely found on this earth." In layman's terms, in all that Christ intended for the Church from the very beginning, in His union with Her, in Her mission to humankind, in Her doctrines, in Her sacraments, in Her liturgies, in Her life-giving Gospel, in Her morals--in Her entirety, no matter where or when, throughout all of history, even unto today, has been present in our world and is fully present in the Catholic Church.

So let's develop this. There never has been a time on earth when the Catholicity of the Church had been lost or violated. There has NEVER been a time when Jesus Christ was not in the Church! People cannot destroy this catholicity; they can only remove themselves from it. Professing Catholics, by their own sins or false beliefs, exclude themselves from the catholicity that is in Christ and His Church. Heretics, who call themselves "Catholic" may come to lead people astray, but the catholicity of the Church is retained. It is the heretic who abandons the Church's catholicity. There is NOTHING, I mean NOTHING that can destroy the Church's catholicity. Jesus is here to stay! Man, oh, MAN, what a Truth!!

Now if the Liberal wants you to "prove" this, don't get flustered. This is not provable by logic, for the Catholic or for the Liberal. It is a matter of faith...the Catholic and the Liberal. To the Liberal, their belief is in the individual's right to privately determine what is true. There is no way that they can prove their own beliefs as true. The Liberal's "truth" is a matter of faith in the individual. And, it must be automatically accepted as True, becoming what is described in the language of logic an a priori. It is self-evident; it needs no proof.

The Catholic, on the other hand, sees the Catholicity of the Church as a mystery; it is a truth from revelation which has no proof nor need of it. There is no logical proof for it. It is a matter of faith. It comes from Christ, and we accept that.

So if the Liberal calls for you to prove the truthfulness of what we believe, tell him to go first, since proof of a belief is so important. And then watch him struggle. Point to the author of his faith, himself, and watch him struggle some more. Show him that his faith is really in himself, and that your faith is in Jesus Christ, who is fully in the Catholic Church. And don't fall for the ploy that if you cannot convince him that what you believe is true, then you have failed to show that what you believe is true. Watch out here. Convincing a liberal of the truthfulness our Catholic faith is not a proof of truthfulness. This is just another schem they use to set themselves up as the final arbitors of truth. They think that they are our judges. Don't waste your time; expose their hypocrisy.

So you see, the clash between the ideologies of Liberalism and Catholicism is and always has been a matter of faith. And when you state this to a liberal, be prepared for a fight. They hate being exposed as dogmatic. They love to condemn US as dogmatists; they are the objective ones! They hide their dogmatism in their sophistry, and when exposed, they turn into vicious animals with no defense against except personal attack. But, that's okay! We fear Christ's final judgment of us more than their judgment. We won't die if they don't like us. We need to be more concerned for their spiritual welfare than whether or not they like us.

So stand fast, my brothers and sisters! BE PROUD OF THE NAME CATHOLIC. It is not the name of a denomination, but it is a characteristic of our Church who is in complete union with her Lord, Jesus Christ from the very beginning. "Catholic" is the characteristic of Christ! And if anyone says they have a "better way" to interpret Christ, or suggest that we deviate from the Pope, the magesterium or any of the counsels, including the dreaded "spirit of Vatican II," know that they are offering you bread from an entirely different loaf.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008 Reflection: The Cross and Spiritual Communion

On this day, we meditate on the sorrowful mysteries as we pray the Holy Rosary. As you have seen on this blogsite, I love the way music makes the mysteries of God so vivid and meaningful. The following video clip is no exception as the sorrowful mysteries are put to sacred music. Behold the beauty of the Lord!

As you watch, listen, pray and weep, enter into the love of Christ by praying the prayer of Spiritual Communion of St. Francis:

I believe that you, O Jesus,
are in the most holy Sacrament.
I love you and desire you.
Come into my heart.
I embrace you.
Oh, never leave me.
May the burning and most sweet power of your love,
O Lord Jesus Christ,
I beseech you,
absorb my mind that I may die through love of your love,
who were graciously pleased to die through love of my love.



Open our hearts Lord Jesus. Remove from my heart that which prevents
your life and your love from living fully in me. Amen.

The Beauty of Litanies

We can never go this road of the cross alone. Never. We need Christ, and we need the prayers of all the faithful, including those of the Church Triumphant. If you read the post below, you may be feeling down and needing some moral support. Call on the intercession of our brothers and sister in heaven, beginning with the chief intercessor that makes all intercession possible...Jesus Christ, and close beside Him our Blessed Mother. They all form the "great cloud of witnesses" of whom the scriptures speak who support us, love us, cheer us and pray for us and for our endeavors according to the will of God. Let the healing of Christ flow to you through their prayers, and let Matt Maher give you some assistance:

Monday's Reflection, July 28, 2008: The Need for a Balanced Diet

Today's readings are from Jeremiah 13: 1-11; Deuteronomy 32: 17-19, 20, 21; and Matthew 13: 31-35.

Interesting set of passages, don't you think? Definitely not the ones you choose yourself to cheer you up or give that positive mental attitude. Thank God for Mother Church, though, who has the wisdom to know the balanced diet we need to live a life of continuous faith.

In Jeremiah, the Lord shows his displeasure in Israel by comparing them in their arrogant unbelief to rotting underwear...completely useless. In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus teaches in parables so that those who hear these parables, will not understand what they mean; what a horrific judgment! The passage in Deuteronomy is interesting as well, and serves to glue the Old Testament reading to the reading in today's Gospel. This passage is a lament by the Lord given to the people of Israel prior to their entering the promised land for the first time. The Lord's lament is in response to an oath Israel made to the Lord, promising that they would always obey His law and serve Him and Him alone. In response, the Lord told them that He knows they will forget Him and His law and seek other gods instead. And as it played out, Jeremiah was just one of many prophets who condemned Israel's constant unbelief and idolatry.

Today's readings can be a bit unsettling, but serves to warn us of the immoral nature of unbelief. This is really healthy for us to be warned. Unbelief is not just a simple act of not believing something. It is immoral; a corruption of trust; it absolutely has no justification at all. Unbelief is a refusal to accept the possibility that God exists and that He has any claim on us. Unbelief is really belief in reverse...in something contrary to what God has revealed. In all cases, we value our own judgments or judgments of others over the the judgments and declarations by God. We become gods and believe our interpretations against the interpretations of God.

We all have a natural inclination to LOVE self-interpretation; we LOVE the final say of what is; we love to determine what is good, true and beautiful. We love to rule ourselves. If we relinquish our supposed "right" to self-interpret, we can no longer rule ourselves. Because of this, we will adopt any belief or fallacious reasoning just to maintain this self-interpretation/self-rule. We will even invent a Jesus who "promotes and protects" self-interpretation! To break free from this type of unbelief requires an act nothing short of conversion.

Another scripture that comes to mind is from St. Paul, who says to us in Romans 11: 22: 'See, then, the kindness and severity of God: severity toward those who fell, but kindness to you, provided you remain in His kindness; otherwise, you too will be be cut off." We? Cut off? gulp.

Some anti-Catholic Christians I run into are usually Calvinists who see our salvation in terms of an event or decision made in the past. According to them, the effects of this "salvation event", or becoming "born again", is irreversible and remains so unto eternity. To them, there is really no "cutting off." This is only for those who are not "saved." When reading the above passages, it is impossible to think that this "once saved always saved" notion is true unless we deliberately ignore the above passages. As my brother-in-law says, there is such a thing as a "Sharpie Bible:" you know, the one that allows you use a "Sharpie" pen to blacken the scriptures you disagree with.

The Catholic Church's teaching on salvation values conversion, and even presses us in our evangelization to promote the conversion of others. However, She never emphasizes the date and time of one's conversion over and above completing our conversion to the time of our death. We still have free will. Of course, the scriptures state that when we believe, we will be saved. However, we are provisionally saved, meaning there is criteria that must be fulfilled to attain salvation. We must continue to grow in the grace of Christ and build Christ's virtues into our lives unto the very end. The Catholic Church from the beginning never taught "once saved always saved." This is counter-intuitive, counter traditional, counter-scriptural, counter-Word of God. Knowing the goodness and severity of God motivates us to this end.

In light of this, hold fast, my dear family, and do not let the arrogance of unbelief capture your souls. Keep holding and nurturing Catholic faith, the faith that "believes all that the Catholic Church teaches without doubt. For it is impossible for God to be deceived or deceive." Avoid self-interpretation like the plague. It is a sophisticated and deadly form of unbelief that can go undetected. See, then, the goodness and severity of God!

A Parable for Evangelization

My brothers and sisters:

Having been to Mass as a Catholic, I've just received the body and blood, soul and divinity of our dear Lord Jesus Christ! I with countless other Catholics around the world have just taken into our hearts, souls, minds and bodies the very substance of Jesus Himself. We are made to partake of his Divine nature, and the sacraments, primarily the Eucharist, are designed so that very thing occurs in our lives. We are to become like our Savior Jesus.

However, we Catholics don't share this infinitely overwhelming gift. We receive the greatest Gift in the universe, and we stifle and keep it to ourselves. With our Protestant brothers and sisters, we receive the grace of God, the greatest possible gift, the gift with the price of the death of the Son of God Himself, and we stifle it. We keep it to ourselves.

Well, have I got a story for you. It's a parable that I first discovered way back in 1983 when I was working with highschool youth...over 25 years ago! I found it again on Youtube.com and am overjoyed! Please, if you have about 30 minutes, watch how this story plays out in each of the four parts. The music is done by the Sensational Nightengales, and they perform wonderfully! Both old and young will enjoy this flick!

It's a story of a man who lives a very drab life in a VERY dull and drab city where no joy is found. Everything is pure drudgery, no joy, no purpose, no meaning at all. Then this man unexpectedly discovers something that changes his life!

See if there is any application of this to your own life. At the end, PLEASE, share your comments and see if we can apply the principles given in this story for our own edification. I now give you Part I...The Music Box:



What is...it? Now Part II



Let's see...hide in the bathroom...NO! Part III



What will he do with his wife? See the finale of Part IV of The Music Box!



We who have Jesus in our hearts and souls...let the joy out! If we truly are in love with Love Himself, then let us love others by letting Jesus shine in us! Let the world hear your music box. Play Jesus!!!! Allelujah!

Saturday Reflection: Assisting at Mass

As a wordsmith, I notice how certain words that have specific meaning sometimes drop out of our vocabulary, either individually or collectively. One such word is "assist" when speaking of the Mass. Many people speak of "going" to Mass describing their destination, or they'll "be" at a certain Mass at a certain time. But I don't hear the phrase, "I'll be assisting at Mass." My ears perk up if I hear it because it is so unusual.

But, what we "do" at Mass is assist. And why is this so? Because Jesus Christ, when he bore our sufferings and sins on the Via Dolorosa, bore our current sufferings, future sufferings and included all of us, warts and all, in the great offering of Love to the Father. The crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus is a participatory sacrifice.

Protestantism seeks to describe Christ's death on the cross as a substitutionary atonement, which it is. But, it is more than just that. Reducing it to merely substitutionary is to distort it...make it something that only Jesus goes through. The phrase "Jesus suffered so that I don't have to" is an unfortunate interpretation of Christ's death at Calvary. It makes our cross bearing as a criteria for discipleship meaningless or at best optional. This is a gross distortion.

When we come to Mass, we enter the great Portal into eternity and come to the one great eternal sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We bring ourselves to the Father through Jesus because Jesus has already included us in the Beloved. We cannot add anything to the Mass...add anything to the sacrifice of Jesus, or even add ourselves as if we are an after thought. We are NOT an afterthought. Christ included you and me in His sacrifice of Love to the Father, which makes assisting such an infinite priviledge and responsibility. This is why we assist at Mass. We have been called into it. We cannot deny it or refuse it without damage to our souls. Plus Sunday assisting at Mass is not some pesky law created by men to keep the Church coffers full. This is a ludicrous statement that deserves no more mention.

Prepare for Mass tomorrow by praying before a crucifix, or spend time in Eucharistic adoration; contemplate this unfailing Truth: Christ died for you so that you could participate in his sufferings, death, burial and resurrection. You have been baptized into his death. You therefore, must participate with Him in His life.

Don't just go to Mass on Sunday, ASSIST our Lord and Christ in the offering of Himself in the ultimate Love Gift to the Father. He's already included you, loved one! Don't take this lightly. Pax!

Friday Reflection: Hating Sin

Every Friday is a day of penance that commemorates the Passion and Death of Jesus for our sins. I've been meditating on something that I want to share with you all. Let me begin with a question: How much do you hate sin? Do you have "pet" sins that you continuously commit and quickly justify as "venial?" Is it possible these sins are your pets because you like them? If this is the case, then let me ask...When did you lose your first love for Jesus, and why?

From a logical stand point, If you love God, I mean really love Him with everything you have within you, then you are completely opposed to all that is not Him, that is against Him, that hates Him. You will hate sin with a passion, as Christ does. St. John the Beloved taught in his first epistle that no one can both love God and the world. It's impossible...the two are in complete opposition.

So, from a theological standpoint, what is the net result of sin? Death. And what is the cost to undo such a consequence? The death of the Son of God...a death that is inconceivable, though we try. Is this reason enough for us to hate sin? I think so. But for us to truly hate sin, we must be in love with God, with Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit. WE MUST FALL IN LOVE WITH JESUS CHRIST ALL OVER AGAIN.

We meditate on the crucifixion death of Jesus on Tuesdays and Fridays and all during Lent because we will never know how much it cost to see our sins upon the cross. Worship Him this day and give thanks. Let's see how far we have fallen and return to our first Love, Jesus. I've included a song from Hillsong to bless you with a beautiful worship song that accompanies the visuals of Christ's passion from Mel Gibson's "Passion of the Christ." Behold the truth, the goodness and the beauty of the Lord. Let His Holy Spirit draw you to Himself. My prayer for myself, for you, and for all this day of penance is that we fall in love with Jesus all over again, I'm mean really fall in love with Him.



Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved!

Say "So Long" to Self

It's Thursday, and we're nearing the end of the week. Perhaps your week has been good and you are riding a wave of encouragement. Thanks be to God! However, if not, let me encourage you to do something...

Every day, as Catholics, we offer ourselves to the Lord in a morning offering, a commitment to do God's will, to deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow Christ, offering all our faith, prayers, good works and sufferings as fellow cross-bearers with Jesus. Do something today...make a definitive denial and rejection of self, of Satan, and all his pomps and works. Give yourself to Jesus and say "So Long, Self." And let Mercyme help you!

Music To Get You Over the Hump

We all need a lift every now and then. Below I have three music videos for you.

The phrase "reckless abandon" was used by Vince Lombardi to describe how Hall of Fame fullback, Jim Taylor ran the football. He was the type of running back who ran over and through people. He didn't care how big or mean the human obstacle was, or what pain and exhaustion he would endure. He simply punished himself as he ran with "reckless abandon" to the goal of getting a touchdown.

This phrase stuck in my head while I was still a Protestant minister and still describes to me Jesus' commitment to love His father and do His will. Now as a Catholic, this phrase has even greater meaning. Whenever I see the crucifix, whenever I assist at Mass, whenever I say the name "Jesus" or think of Him, I see in Him an example of love that loves the Father and us with "reckless abandon."

I want to share a few songs with you today that speak of this "reckless abandon" in our response to Jesus. It is to be our love in "reckless abandon" in response to our Lord. My prayer is that you don't hold back, but love our Jesus with everything "you got."

And now, Steven Curtis Chapman in "For the Sake of the Call."



And with "reckless abandon, go ahead and "Dive" in. The water's great!



You may be thirsty, weary, lonely, battered, and need encouragement. Don't hesitate...RUN TO THE LORD! He waits for you, dear Christian! Here's Matt Maher's "Come to the Water."



God bless you!

Wednesday Meditation: Watch out for Truth mixed with Error!

Periodically, I will alert you to ideas and practices taught as Catholic that are heretical and a danger to the precious gift of faith given to us. This week, my concern is towards those who embrace a syncretism of Catholicism and the New Age. The New Age is not new but very old. It is Gnosticism revisited which has been thoroughly condemned by the Church for over 1900 years. The danger is found in the New Age practitioners' ability to cloak its false teachings in Catholic lingo, mixing its false principles with the true. At best it causes confusion; at worst--a loss of Catholic faith. To embrace the New Age is a sin against Faith. As the Church teaches, any sin against faith is grave matter. Whether it be a mortal sin or not depends on two other components: whether the one embracing the New Age is doing it with full knowledge of its gravity and whether it is believed freely and without coercion.

A particular author whom I find very popular here in Oshkosh and in the Diocese of Green Bay is Sr. Joyce Rupp, whose popularity as an author and retreat master is second to none. And before I continue, I need you to consider what I say before you react. I mean no disrespect to Sr. Rupp, but our allegiance is only to Jesus and the full Gospel taught by the Magesterium or the teaching authority of the Catholic Church. Where Sr. Rupp and the Catholic Church deviate, our responsibility is to the Church, bar none.

Sr. Rupp, who holds a Master's Degree in Religious Studies also holds a Master's Degree in Transpersonal Psychology (TP), which is troublesome when you see what a degree in TP contains. The coursework offered in this degree includes shamanism, eastern spirituality, Jungian Psychology, the goddess, and others which make for a deadly New Age concoction. For the sake of time, please read Ginger Hutton's expose of Sr. Rupp in Transpersonal Psychology in the New Oxford Review. It's vitally important that we understand the language and tactics employed by practitioners in this very popular movement.

If you want to think Catholicly about this subject, or about any topic offered by the New Age, please go to the Vatican's publication from the Pontifical Councils of Culture and Interreligious Dialogue called: Christ the Water Bearer of Life. You will understand why the Church concludes that the New Age is incompatible with Christianity. You'll never go wrong when you think like the Church.

And by all means, pray for sister Rupp and those like her who have great influence on the faithful. In desiring to do good, she is opening a Pandora's Box of dangers for those who indiscriminately heed her teachings and ideas. Please feel free to respond to this post if you have more to add, or if you have particular questions about the New Age. If you hold to the New Age along with Catholicism, you need to be made aware of this truth: you are embracing a false doctrine that is incompatible with Catholic faith. Run, dear one, run from this deadly influence.

Post Script: World Youth Day 2008

From Asian-Pacific News: Pope Voted Top Bloke!

Read this article! You'll enjoy how our Holy Father impacted Australia from a secular viewpoint. One particular story worth pursuing, is the story of police officer Gary Hill, who was visited by the Pope days before his death:

Speaking before the pope boarded a chartered Qantas plane for the 23-hour flight back to Rome, Rudd related how Benedict had gone out of his way to give comfort to Constable Gary Hill, a 22-year veteran of the police force, just days before he died.

The pope, believing the stricken officer was giving him his officer's hat as a gift, obligingly wore it briefly and then kept it as a memento of their unscripted meeting.

'Your Holiness, in Australia we are a relatively informal lot and we like that approach,' the prime minister said. 'We like it very much and you should now see yourself as the honorary chaplain of the NSW Police Force.'

I love our Pope! Makes you want to be more like him, doesn't it? God bless, and keep praying for our Holy Father, and also the Green Bay Diocese new Bishop, Most Reverend David Ricken. Lord hear our prayer! Amen.

Monday Reflection: Go Now the Mass is Ended!

At the end of Mass, the priest says these final words: "The Mass is ended; go now in peace to love and serve the Lord." It is because of this we can say that ALL of life outside of Mass is woven into the worship, praise, thanksgiving and prayer of the Mass. This is why we cannot be fair weather Christians. For how we live outside the walls is brought back to the Mass and mingled with the eternal sacrifice of Jesus.

Matt Maher has a wonderful song that I love to play over and over and over and over and over and over and...well, you get the picture. It's called "The End and the Beginning" on his "Alpha and Omega" album. The Eucharist is the very end by which we live, move and have our being. It is Jesus, the ever living Sacrifice Lamb who is before the thrown of the Father, as described in the book of Revelation. Yet He is the beginning of a new life! We can start again, fresh, with no mistakes! I've posted Matt's song below. Crank up the speakers on your computer and enjoy, worship and give thanks to the Father, who invented the Mass in the first place!!! Solo Gloria Deo!

And now, Matt Maher:

Sunday Meditation

This being the 16th Sunday in ordinary time, we focus on the parables Jesus taught, especially the "Parable of the Wheat Field." I can't help but think of God's mercy displayed in this parable and the long-suffering we must exhibit while the Lord tarries in His coming.

If the Kingdom of God is like a wheat field, we are reminded that the "weeds" that are in our midst are in our midst for our sakes. Somehow, God permits the existence of evil with us and will not remove them less we are harmed. Paradoxically evil exists for our good. Difficult to imagine and accept, but we must nonetheless accept it.

For those whose purist mentalities cannot attend parishes where evil exists, human weaknesses or errors to be among us in our parishes or local churches find themselves in a difficult situation. Where will they go? I'm thinking specifically of those Catholics who are looking for the perfect parish or Protestant Christians moving from church to church looking for the "right" church. I'm sorry, the Church is human and there is no getting away from it. Scandals will come, scandals will go. Heresies will pop up, and then they'll dissipate only to reappear in another form a generation or so later.

This is why we MUST NEVER waste our time lamenting the flaws and foibles of Catholics, priests, theologians, or even some Bishops. Certainly we must identify that which isn't Christ among us; we must continuously face off against evil to defeat it. But, we must never over-spend our time whining over the ills and evils among us. Let us pray that we are not those weeds! Let us run to Christ in the Mass and prayer. Let us bear patiently those sufferings that which He bears. Let us commit to joining with Christ in His atonement and suffer with Him for the good of others. Jesus has triumphed in His resurrection. Thus, the Church has triumphed as well. The Church has faced and survived difficult times in the past. Saints have been raised up by the Lord in extrememly dark times. One question is: "Could you yield to God's will and be part of a new generation of saints for our times?" Another question, more important than the first is: "God wills that you become a saint...do you?"

Saturday Mass Preparation

Every Saturday, we prepare for the Lord's Day which honors both his sacrificial death and exults in His resurrection from the dead. He is truly risen!

However, unless we see the Mass for what it is, we may rush to quickly and miss its meaning and impact in our lives. The Mass is this: the re-presenting of Calvary; the sacrificial death of Jesus in an unbloodied manner, BUT THE SELF-SAME SACRIFICE. Now what I've just said is very conceptual and may not sink into your minds and hearts. This is why God gives us music.

God has given us Catholics the gift of music not only from notable Catholic musicians, but moreso from our Protestant brothers and sisters who love Jesus dearly and seek all means possible to worship Christ in spirit and truth. Below is a video which melds the music of Michael W. Smith's Agnus Dei underscoring the crucifixion in Mel Gibon's The Passion of the Christ. It is a masterful blend of talents from both sides of the wall of division which blesses me beyond words. I desire to share this with you all as well

As you view the video, I want you to do a couple of things:

1. Let the Holy Spirit prepare you to receive our matchless Savior in the Mass by focusing on the visual of the Agnus Dei.

2. Give thanks to Him, now, today, for His love for you, your loved ones, and all humankind!

3. Give thanks to Him for allowing the music of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ from beyond the divide to minister to your souls. Thank the Lord for the ministry of Michael W. Smith.

And now, Agnus Dei...

World Youth Day Updates

The Opening Mass:



The Cross of Conversion:



A revival of faith in Australia:



The Popes Arrival and Opening Remarks in Sydney:

Friday: Commemorating Christ's Sacrifice for Us

Let us draw near to Jesus today, the prototype for all martyrs. Let us make St. Francis' prayer our prayer today on this day of penance:

O Lord, we beseech you,
That the sweet and firey strength of your love
So absorb our souls from all things under heaven,
That we might die for love of Your love,
As You didst deign to die
For love of our love. Amen.

Scott Hahn: The Authority of the Catholic Church--part 2

Since the latest posts are above, you'll notice that "Part 1" of "The Authority of the Catholic Church is below. View part 1 below. Blessings!

Scott Hahn: The Authority of the Catholic Church--Part 1

Fr. Corapi: "Wake Up America!"

Since I'm still experimenting, we might as well be blessed by our dear Father Corapi. Watch, listen, and be blessed!

Pax!

Welcome to Our New Website!

Just what you've been waiting for... a site that is committed to serious discussion on the Catholic faith for those who desire to be disciples of Jesus Christ! As a tool to use with your study of the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, we post weekly summaries of lessons from the USCCA with subsequent postings and relevant articles to aid you in your faith journey.

We'll be starting full swing by September of 2008, but look for "practice runs" on important articles we find important to the Catholic Faith. Peace to all who come through this cyber-door. May God enrich and bless you on your faith journey!

For starters, click on Sherry Weddell's Intentional Disciples for a look at a site that deals with issues of intentional discipleship. It would seem strange to use the term "intentional" with discipleship, but as you will see from Sherry's perspective, all discipleship with the Lord Jesus is intentional. There is no "grandfathering in" disciples, or a passive sliding into discipleship mode. All who name themselves with the name of Christ as "Christian" must choose...choose to follow in the footsteps of the Greatest Teacher and Model of Life in the history of mankind.

Feel free to check some of the links as well. We'll be adding links as we go, plus adding other blog writers to the site. We welcome you and wish you the best in blessings!

Sam