Quote of the Week

"The only true riches are those that make us rich in virtue. Therefore, if you want to be rich, beloved, love true riches. If you aspire to the heights of real honor, strive to reach the kingdom of Heaven. If you value rank and renown, hasten to be enrolled in the heavenly court of the Angels."

- Pope Saint Gregory the Great

Monday Musings

 A few random thoughts and ponderings to start the week...

New translation was great this weekend. Of course there were a few glitches: slipping into the old responses out of habit. But with more practice we'll soon feel more comfortable with it. The overall effect was more reverent and solemn. The Eucharistic prayer had more "verbal weight" - if that makes sense. But one of my favorite parts of the Mass was when many people in the congregation struck there breasts three times during the words "...through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault..." It seems that changing the words has affected our actions as well. Overall, I am very pleased with the results. Hopefully, with time, it will only get better.

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Just discovered I received a comment on an older post about Mormonism. You can read the original post here, and then click below to see the comment. I don't know if it will spark a conversation, but I admire the person who made the comment. He is a 13 year old  LDS member who came to the defense of his church. Bravo!

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Advent has begun. Inevitably, our kids think of Christmas and Santa and presents. Our daughter (five years old) has the right idea though. She said, "I'm going to make a birthday card for Jesus every year for the rest of my life. Then when I get to heaven I can give him all of the cards."

Maybe we should all do that this Advent.

Quote of the Week

"Now concerning the Thanksgiving (Eucharist), thus give thanks. First, concerning the cup: We thank you, our Father, for the holy vine of David Your servant, which You made known to us through Jesus Your Servant; to You be the glory for ever. And concerning the broken bread: We thank You, our Father, for the life and knowledge which You made known to us through Jesus Your Servant; to You be the glory for ever. Even as this broken bread was scattered over the hills, and was gathered together and became one, so let Your Church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into Your kingdom; for Yours is the glory and the power through Jesus Christ for ever. But let no one eat or drink of your Thanksgiving (Eucharist), but they who have been baptized into the name of the Lord; for concerning this also the Lord has said, Give not that which is holy to the dogs."

- Didache [The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles]

This Week's Headlines

As another week comes to an end, this is your chance to top off your glass with a final helping of news, current events, and just plain interesting stuff that may not have made into the mainstream media. A chance to linger for a few more moments before we close the door on the week. Below are some links to articles, blogs, and miscellaneous happenings that caught my eye over the past few days. Sample what you like - I'll serve up more next Friday...

Busy week = short list...

What Makes Those “Conservative Catholics” Tick?

Does the Government Work for Us, or Do We Work for the Government? - "The government fears trade because it can’t control it. The feds would do well to remember the historical truth that where goods and services don’t move freely, armies will; and where goods and services do move freely, armies don’t."

Catholic Social Teaching: My Thoughts On The Preferential Option for the Poor and Vulnerable - "There are many ways to do good but we are never permitted to do evil."

Underpopulation—The Real Problem - "More and more Americans are waking up to the fact that the UN Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) is involved with some of the most horrific population control programs the world has ever seen."

Obama's Catholic Strategy in Shambles - "Broadly applied, the HHS policy would amount to systemic anti-Catholic bias in government programs. And the provocation is one in a series."

ObamaCare and the Limits of Government - "Under our Constitution's system of dual sovereignty, only states have the authority to impose health and safety regulations on individuals simply because they are present. The Supreme Court has ruled many times that the Constitution denies to the federal government this type of 'general police power.'"

How can I learn more about the early Christian Fathers? - [Two books for suggested reading]

Does coffee break the Eucharistic fast? - [Interesting question; interesting answer.]

That Big Catholic Family Circus - "The question that seems to have been left unanswered in so many of the obituaries for Keane is quite basic: If this man’s values were at the heart of his art, then where did these values come from?"

How Does The Secular World View God? Analyzing a Remarkable Movie Clip - "...they are not so much rejecting God, as a caricature of God, a false and distorted picture of God, gleaned from selective reading of Scripture, and a selective and a distorted notion of the life of faith."

Feel free to add other links in the Comments section below...

Monday Musings

A few random thoughts and ponderings to start the week...

The new musical arrangements for the Sanctus and the Gloria, which our parish has begun using in anticipation of the new Mass translation, are beginning to grow on me. But I'm afraid I still don't like them. For All Saints Day we simply chanted the Latin a cappella. As I said here previously, I really think we should try some kind of chant for the English... Just keep it simple. Why does everything we sing at Mass need musical accompaniment and clumsy melodies.

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Our son turned eight recently. A friendly older couple, who seem to have adopted our kids as surrogate grand-kids, gave him a card with five dollars in it. The following week, after Mass, they asked what he spent his money on. We told them that he had donated it to St. Jude's children's hospital. He said, "Those kids need it more than I do." It goes without saying that our friends were impressed and we had a proud parent moment. :)

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Apparently it has become fashionable in some circles to wear rosaries as jewelry, and I don't mean out of some sort of devotion, but as a fashion statement. I had read about this phenomenon recently, but over the weekend I saw some fashion "rosaries" for sale at the mall...tacky, gaudy, and in bad taste. I hope this fad passes quickly.

This Week's Headlines

As another week comes to an end, this is your chance to top off your glass with a final helping of news, current events, and just plain interesting stuff that may not have made into the mainstream media. A chance to linger for a few more moments before we close the door on the week. Below are some links to articles, blogs, and miscellaneous happenings that caught my eye over the past few days. Sample what you like - I'll serve up more next Friday...

What's So Great About Catholicism? - "...if we look on the world through truly Catholic eyes, we will find that the fog lifts, our perspectives grow deeper, and beauty and truth beckon above the puerility of mass popular culture."

God: The Shakedown Artist For The Welfare State? - "Concern for the poor permeates Scripture, but nowhere does God set forth the means to achieve this end.  There certainly is no directive to turn to the state.  The Good Samaritan didn’t lobby the Sanhedrin to create a public bureau to aid travelers waylaid by criminals; rather, he personally paid to care for the injured man."

Obama Couldn’t Wait: His New Christmas Tree Tax - "The economy is barely growing and nine percent of the American people have no jobs.  Is a new tax on Christmas trees the best President Obama can do?"

Why We Must Stop Liberal Catholics From Handing The Church Over To the State - "For orthodox Catholics, the Church (founded on Christ) is the ultimate moral and personal authority, it supersedes the State in every area where the Church has primacy, namely, faith and morals. For liberal Catholics, however, I see only increasing evidence that the State and the liberal view of the State are their ultimate authority."

A Majority of Democrats Seldom or Never Go to Church, Says Gallup - [Interesting...but not surprising.]

The Bible: Who Owns the Copyright? - "Look, there’s a reason why Catholics don’t read the bible in an exclusively literal sense, and haven’t since the time of Origen (+253). The Church looks at the books of scripture according to the genres in which they were written (history, allegory, wisdom, prophecy, and so on)."

Treating Jesus as a King Without a Kingdom - "Christ doesn't leave us as ecclesial consumers to choose our favorite flavor of Christianity.  He establishes Himself as the eternal Shepherd, guiding and guarding the Flock.  If we find ourselves going in a separate direction from the flock, we're going in a separate direction from the Shepherd."

Proportion, Integrity and Honesty: 3 Foundations for Church Architecture - "...a Catholic church should witness to the Catholic faith and that the Catholic faith is timeless; therefore, the church should be built to last 1,000 years."

Before and after: how to renovate a Catholic church [pictures of a beautiful renovation]

Joint ills prompt pope's use of mobile platform at St. Peter's - "Pope Benedict XVI has reached the age John Paul II was at his death in April 2005, and every stumble or step with a cane is watched for signs of impending doom."

How Catholics can reclaim the American feast of Thanksgiving

Feel free to add other links in the Comments section below...

Quote of the Week

"It is clear, therefore, that in the supremely wise arrangement of God, sacred Tradition, sacred Scripture and the Magisterium of the Church are so connected and associated that one of them cannot stand without the others. Working together, each in its own way under the action of the one Holy Spirit, they all contribute effectively to the salvation of souls…this Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant. It teaches only what has been handed on to it. At the divine command and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it listens to this devotedly, guards it with dedication and expounds it faithfully."

- Pope Paul VI, Dei Verbum