Some random thoughts or bits of information are worthy of sharing but don’t warrant their own full post. This idea was started by Jennifer Fulwiler at Conversion Diary to address this blogging need. So, some Fridays I too participate when I have accumulated 7 worthy items. Without further ado:

— 1 —

Elizabeth Esther kindly hosts a feature she calls The Saturday Evening Blog Post. Published monthly every first Saturday, it features the best post in the preceding month on each of a few dozen Christian blogs. The “best” entries are chosen by the authors themselves (so they should know!).

It is a great way to discover new blogs. Be sure to check-it out. My entry last month was the burden of hate.

— 2 —

Catholics Come Home produces powerful television and web spots explaining the Catholic faith. I am a big fan and include 4 of their pieces on my Favorite Videos page (see the button in the blog header). Here is their latest:

— 3 —

The men and women of our Armed Forces sacrifice a lot to serve their country. They don’t all come home. Every minute they are gone and in harms way, their loving families carry a heavy burden. Imagine how they feel when unexpectedly, they are reunited with their soldier. That moment when the fears and worry can at last be put aside and they can pull their loved one close.

Thanks to Marcel over at Aggie Catholics for finding this.

— 4 —

Following in the ways of Saint John Bosco (19th century Italian Priest), Father Zoltan Lendvai (45) reaches Hungarian youth through his skateboarding skills. You don’t see this every day…

Thanks to Tom Peters over at CatholicVoteAction.org for this one.

— 5 —

Why do men choose to become priests? Watch…

(click here for part 1)

— 6 —

Pray for our Protestant brothers and sisters. All of their main denominations are facing internal struggles between progressive and orthodox (liberal vs. conservative, if you prefer) divisions. The ELCA (the largest US Lutheran denomination) tilted last year in the strongly “progressive” direction. Listen to Lutheran Pastor Tom Brock’s explanation in this video (and part two). May the Holy Spirit guide them to the truth.

— 7 —

Today’s quote:

All the good works in the world are not equal to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass because they are the works of men; but the Mass is the work of God. Martyrdom is nothing in comparison for it is but the sacrifice of man to God; but the Mass is the sacrifice of God for man.

Saint John Vianney

Some random thoughts or bits of information are worthy of sharing but don’t warrant their own full post. This idea was started by Jennifer Fulwiler at Conversion Diary to address this blogging need. So, some Fridays I too participate when I have accumulated 7 worthy items. Without further ado:

— 1 —

Gary Zimak put together Ten Facts Most Catholics Don’t Know (But Should!). I was surprised to see that I already covered more than half of them at least partially (the links below point to my essays).

1. Women Will Never Be Priests
2. Fridays Are Still Days Of Penance
3. The Bible Is A Catholic Book
4. The Mass Is The Same Sacrifice As Calvary
5. Annulments Are Not Catholic Divorces
6. In Vitro Fertilization Is Morally Unacceptable
7. There Is No Salvation Outside Of The Catholic Church
   (please see clarification in Ute’s excellent comment below!)
8. In An Emergency, Anyone Can Baptize
9. Hell And Purgatory Still Exist
10. Catholics Don’t Worship Mary And The Saints

— 2 —

Not long ago in Argentina, a consecrated host fell to the floor. The priest put it into water so it would dissolve then be returned to the earth. Instead of dissolving, red stains formed. Watch this video (in Spanish, but with passable subtitles) which presents the scientific investigation that followed.

— 3 —

The powers that be (Marcel) over at the Aggie Catholics blog are the salt of the earth assembling the top 50 popular biblical phrases. My cup runneth over reading this list of forbidden fruit produced by the sweat of (his) brow. Read it all Out of the mouths of babes.

— 4 —

Father John Corapi is a popular Catholic speaker. This is his conversion story:

— 5 —

I have been giving a lot of thought to the phrase “good Catholic.” Who exactly qualifies? How do you recognize them? Are you one?

My conclusion is that a good Catholic is anyone who recognizes they are not one, but struggles to be.

— 6 —

OK, don’t watch this if you are easily offended. I found Ignatius the Ultimate Youth Pastor to be hilarious. To me it is funny because it exaggerated the kind of stuff some think are necessary to engage youth. They are much, much smarter than that! Thanks to Mark Shea for finding this oddity. This one won’t be making the cut for my new favorite videos tab!

— 7 —

I have added a new feature to this blog, a compilation of my original essays – 44 in total (so far). The entries are listed in chronological order including their title and a key paragraph from the piece. They may be reached by clicking the Essays button at the top (or clicking here).

Some random thoughts or bits of information are worthy of sharing but don’t warrant their own full post. This idea was started by Jennifer Fulwiler at Conversion Diary to address this blogging need. So, some Fridays I too participate when I have accumulated 7 worthy items. Without further ado:

— 1 —

I am back from a wonderful vacation and got to attend Mass at 2 churches in Hawaii, far away from home: Christ the King and St. Philomena. Both parishes were very warm and welcoming. The Catholic sense of community is so much larger than your home parish…

— 2 —

Some people have it hard. Some want to give-up life (or abort one). Not Nick Vujicic. Thanks to Kathleen (Kathleen’s Catholic) for finding this life-affirming gem.

— 3 —

The Aggie Catholics blog has an extensive series of posts in question and answer format, one question each. They just published a post linking all 172 questions broken down into 17 general topics. Very well done.

— 4 —

Last year the Archdiocese of New York’s Office of Vocations put together an impressive website to promote the priesthood. They feature the moving video below. Thanks go to The Anchoress for finding this one.

— 5 —

I saw a news piece on Brazilian bishops meeting with the Holy See. Pope Benedict XVI had a message for them on the liturgy, but I wonder if they heard it – at least then. Imagine their excitement, being at the Vatican, meeting the pope. Could his words really sink in then? I doubt it. I know it would be overwhelming for me. They probably only got the message later by reading the transcripts.

— 6 —

Clint Webb for Senate. One of the very, very few honest political ads.

— 7 —

Today’s quote:

The Second Vatican Council wasn’t called to turn Catholics into Protestants. It was called to ask God to bring all Christ’s followers into unity of faith so that the world would believe who Christ is and live with him in his Body, the Church.

Cardinal Francis George

Some random thoughts or bits of information are worthy of sharing but don’t warrant their own full post. This idea was started by Jennifer Fulwiler at Conversion Diary to address this blogging need. So, some Fridays I too participate when I have accumulated 7 worthy items. Without further ado:

— 1 —

I have this idea for a new project – to visit all the Catholic Churches in my area for daily Mass, one per week (schedule permitting). I checked MassTimes.org looking for those within a 20 mile driving distance. There are 40, including a Cathedral, a Shrine and a (minor) Basilica! On second thought, I am redefining the project to visit the 10 closest ones over the summer with the others possibly later.

One interesting thing I also noticed is that within this set of churches, Mass is available in Latin plus Creole, Haitian, Indonesian, Korean, Nigerian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish and Ukrainian. Sign language is available. Also represented are Byzantine, Melkite, Maronite and Greek Catholic. Wow!

— 2 —

Sometimes I go to an afternoon / early evening Mass. When it is time to greet each other, more often than not, I will say “good morning.” Is it just me, or does this happen to other people?

— 3 —

I have just discovered this beautiful video from gloria.tv. By “discovered” I mean “found it featured aspect at Kathleen’s Catholic.” If you have not yet discovered Kathleen’s blog, be sure to visit it too.

— 4 —

Sometimes guardian angels act in very real, very physical ways. Read this story about a US Marine who was saved in Korea by Saint Michael.

— 5 —

How do we get people to use their seat belts? Blood and gore is one approach. A full explanation of the risks with supporting statistics is another. Then there is this approach from the UK:

— 6 —

A return to orthodoxy, at last! In several ways this has already began. Look for more over the next decade or so. From last weekend:

The Church too must use the shepherd’s rod. The rod with which he protects the Faith against those who falsify it, against currents which lead the flock astray.

The use of the rod can actually be a service of love. Today we can see that it has nothing to do with love when conduct unworthy of the priestly life is tolerated.

Nor does it have to do with love if heresy is allowed to spread and the Faith twisted and chipped away, as if it were something that we ourselves had invented.

Pope Benedict XVI

— 7 —

Need an affordable, beautiful Rosary for yourself or as a gift? Hailey, a friend from my RCIA class, makes them by hand and offers them online. She has setup an online store called Beads of Heaven.

Some random thoughts or bits of information are worthy of sharing but don’t warrant their own full post. This idea was started by Jennifer Fulwiler at Conversion Diary to address this blogging need. So, some Fridays I too participate when I have accumulated 7 worthy items. Without further ado:

— 1 —

It is often difficult for most people to attend daily Mass with jobs and family obligations. I highly recommend it when you can, perhaps when you are taking a vacation day. One thing you will notice is there are far fewer people present than on Sunday. That does not mean the church is any less full. Mass brings heaven and earth together, so fewer people simply makes more room for the angels and saints!

— 2 —

Along the same lines, when was the last time you went to Adoration? If the answer is “never,” why not consider spending some quality time with your Lord and Savior? You can spend as little or as much time as you like, but I recommend that you put aside at least 30 minutes as it will go very quickly. MassTimes.org lists churches in your area and which ones have adoration (if yours does not).

— 3 —

Which brings me to today’s quote:

In a world where there is so much noise, so much bewilderment, there is a need for silent adoration of Jesus concealed in the Host. Be assiduous in the prayer of adoration and teach it to the faithful. It is a source of comfort and light, particularly to those who are suffering.

Pope Benedict XVI

— 4 —

As the true nature of the sex scandal in society is realized – teachers, coaches, scout masters and others will be more and more prejudged much as our priests have been. The perverted, criminal sins of a few will also reflect poorly upon their entire organizations. It will similarly be unfair to what priests and the Church have suffered. The vast majority of these people are providing selfless services to our children. Let’s pray that the bad apples are quickly found and removed, but also remember to honor the organizations and individuals who provide selfless services for the benefit of our children.

— 5 —

Deacon John reminded me that Latin is a dead language and that is a good thing! Latin is no longer developed or evolved so it is a great language to express something that should never change. The truth never changes so Latin is a great means of documenting it.

— 6 —

I write on topics that pique my interest more or less at random. What would you like to see covered? Is there some area of Catholic beliefs that you would like a short, straightforward piece on? It doesn’t matter to me if you are Catholic or not! Drop me a note.

— 7 —

You have seen this on bumper stickers:

God is my co-Pilot.

A good “answer” to it is the following bumper sticker:

If God is your co-pilot, you’re in the wrong seat!