We've lost a great man!

I just learned the news from Mark Shea's site:

Avery Cardinal Dulles, Rest in Peace!

A few months ago I toyed around with the idea of asking Cardinal Dulles if I could meet him and have him sign my Bible. I never did, but wish I had, now.

Avery Cardinal Dulles, pray for us.

India, our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Victims speak of night of terror in Mumbai

U.S., U.K., Pakistan Leaders Condemn Mumbai Attacks

UPDATE: Siege in India ends.

The University of Phoenix revisited

Update on Monday, June 1, 2009:

A gentleman from UoP called me last week to see if I was still interested in classes. I made him aware of my concerns about the school, especially COM 140, and he explained to me that the purpose of COM 140 is to introduce one to how online classes work at UoP. He also apologized that no one had explained this to me before. While I still am not interested in taking online classes with UoP (too expensive, and they don't have a philosophy major), I feel much better about the school, and am grateful to this gentleman for listening to my concerns and responding to them with grace and intelligence. He's a real asset to UoP.

A person choosing to remain anonymous, but who I think is the Admissions Counselor I was working with at the University of Phoenix (I'll be responding under that assumption) left this comment on the first post about UoP:

The first class is more than the projects. It teaches you to navigate and use the university services. The total curriculum gets you to your goal. You must realize that general education is a requirement of accreditation bodies throughout the US.

It is too bad your path to a degree ended after one day. It would seem you lack enough evidence to make a worthwhile judgment about the value of the school.

Good luck.

First, I appreciate the good luck wish, especially after the e-mail I sent which showed a great deal of irritation on my part regarding UoP.

Second, I need to point out to my reading public, that I was complaining about one of the two classes that are required as prerequisites. The other class, the one I wasn't complaining about, is "Skills for Learning in an Information Age" (GEN 105). As you can tell from the course description, it is a brilliant idea to have this class as a prerequisite:

GEN 105
Skills for Learning in an Information Age
This course introduces students to learning in an information-rich society. Students will develop strategies for successful distance learning, time management, and for managing the abundance of information available in today's society. Students will also explore the appropriate use of information in an academic environment. Specific topics for the course include computing skills for distance learning, online library use, academic honesty, and the development of effective study skills.

Third, the first paragraph of the first post didn't make it clear that there are actually two prerequisites, and that you do not need to take COM 140 before you can take GEN 105. I have emended the first post accordingly.

Fourth, responding to the comment "You must realize that general education is a requirement of accreditation bodies throughout the US." Yeah, actually I do realize that. I also realize that at the vast majority of colleges and universities out there (and perhaps only at UoP), would I be required to take a writing class as a prerequisite to a math class.

Fifth, as I said on several occasions: I'm not necessarily on a path to a degree. A degree is secondary to my interest in pursuing formal education. My primary goals are to gain more knowledge, become a more critical thinker, learn how to research, interact with other people and their ideas, etc.

Sixth, my goal in taking a writing class is to learn how to write a paper, not how to think of, as part of the final project for that same (apparently misnamed) writing class, "how the business will work, cost, number of employees, etc." Maybe I'm missing something, but I fail to see how those considerations have any part in a writing class.

Seventh, while I appreciate the help and encouragement I got from the people at UoP, I think I've garnered "enough evidence to make a worthwhile judgment about the (silliness) of the" school's prerequisite COM 140 class.

Thanks, and...

...my second UoP rant is now over.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Collect for the day:

"Father all-powerful, Your gifts of love are countless and Your goodness infinite. On Thanksgiving Day, we come before You with gratitude for Your kindness: open our hearts to concern for our fellow men and women, so that we may share Your gifts in loving service. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."

The readings for the day (taken from the New Authorized Version/Third Millennium Bible).
Click here for the readings at the USCCB.

Sirach 50:22-24
Now therefore bless ye the God of all, who alone doeth wondrous things every where, who exalteth our days from the womb, and dealeth with us according to His mercy. May He grant us joyfulness of heart, and that peace may be in our days in Israel for ever, that He would confirm His mercy with us, and deliver us at His time!


Psalm 138 (responsorial format given at above USCCB link)

A Psalm of David

I will praise Thee with my whole heart;
before the gods will I sing praise unto Thee.
I will worship toward Thy holy temple,
and praise Thy name for Thy lovingkindness and for Thy truth,
for Thou hast magnified Thy word
above all Thy name.
In the day when I cried, Thou answered me,
and strengthened me with strength in my soul.

All the kings of the earth shall praise Thee, O LORD,
when they hear the words of Thy mouth.
Yea, they shall sing of the ways of the LORD,
for great is the glory of the LORD.
Though the LORD be high, yet hath He respect unto the lowly,
but the proud He knoweth afar off.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
Thou wilt revive me;
Thou shalt stretch forth Thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies,
and Thy right hand shall save me.
The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me;
Thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever;
forsake not the works of Thine own hands.


I Corinthians 1:3-9
Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always on your behalf for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; that in every thing ye are enriched by Him, in all utterance and in all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that ye fall behind in no gift, waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the Day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.


Luke 1:11-19
And it came to pass as [Jesus] went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as He entered into a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" And when He saw them, He said unto them, "Go, show yourselves unto the priests." And it came to pass that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them when he saw that he was healed, turned back and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks; and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? There are none found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger." And He said unto him, "Arise; go thy way. Thy faith hath made thee whole."

The University of Phoenix online classes...

...a stupid curriculum!

Update: The school did not stick me with a $2,000.00 bill (a concern I expressed in the e-mail near the end of this post). Indeed, they were very good at helping me not face any financial difficulties.

I signed up for classes at UoP last week, had my first class on Monday of this week (11/24), and promptly dropped the class yesterday because of UoP's idiotic ideas about one of it's two prerequisite classes. You have to take Contemporary Business Communication (COM 140), before you can take any other class†, including Effective Essay Writing (COM 150)! How can you write effectively for business, if you don't know how to write effectively? Effective Essay Writing teaches the proper use of grammar, punctuation, etc., whereas the proper use of these things accounts for only about 20% of your grade in COM 140 (at least for the final project). And you cannot take even a Math class without COM 140! Another stupid idea: you must take COM 140 before you take World Literature (LIT 210), but you don't have to take COM 150 before that same class, even though writing is (or at least should be) very important to the World Literature class. COM 140 is not even entirely about writing. You have to have at least a basic knowledge of business development and management for the final project.

Here's the e-mail I sent to the Admissions Counselor who worked with me.

[Name of Admissions Counselor],

I am rather disappointed at not having received a phone call from you at 5pm earlier today (11/25), although you said yesterday that you would call at that time. I do appreciate the call I received at 4:30pm from the Education Counselor gentleman whose name I don't remember. As I said in the voicemail I left for you at 4:43pm, the call dropped when he tried to transfer me over to you.

Certainly you know by now that I've decided not to take classes through the University of Phoenix (UoP). It wasn't until I saw the COM 140 final project guidelines and realized that COM 140 is absolutely required as a prerequisite for every single other class, GEN 105 excepted, that I knew UoP is not for me. Both COM 140 as a class and its status as an absolute required prerequisite are highly frustrating. Purportedly, COM 140 is about learning to write a paper. Based on the "final topic additional guidelines", it seems that in reality COM 140 is much more about business than about writing. Here's one quote [from those guidelines] that leads me to that conclusion: "You may want to think about how the business will work, cost, number of employees, etc." What does this have to do with learning how to write a good paper? These are considerations for business development and management.* One earns only 2 points [out of 10] for following "[r]ules of grammar, usage, and punctuation". Only 2 points for grammar, usage, and punctuation in what is supposed to be a writing class? Either the instructor is unaware that she is supposed to be teaching us how to write a good paper, or UoP is offering a business class disguised as a writing class, or UoP is unaware that the instructor has turned a writing class into a business class. One cannot even take COM 150 "Effective Essay Writing", which is apparently the real writing class, unless one goes through the silliness of COM 140 first. I don't understand why and how it is that one must take a (purportedly) business writing class before one can take a class on writing effectively. How COM 140 alone is the prerequisite for the Humanities classes instead of COM 150 is beyond me, and why COM 140 is a prerequisite for math classes.

Now that you're aware of why I'm dropping UoP from my consideration as a viable (and trustworthy, I might add) institution of study, I'd like to know how this affects my finances. [Name of Academic Advisor] indicated that because I've only "attended" class the first day, I haven't really met any attendance requirements, and therefore will owe nothing...If this is not the case, and UoP will be keeping the money and thereby sticking me with a $2,000 bill for classes never taken, I'd like to know so I can chalk this up to an expensive lesson learned and start paying...as soon as possible.

I should add that if it turns out that the instructor is abusing the purpose of COM 140, and UoP corrects it so that I would actually learn how to write well (even if it would be for business), I'd consider taking the class. It would primarily have to teach writing, of course.

I had high hopes of continuing my education through UoP, and am disappointed that it has turned out to be such an utter failure from the first day of class. I do appreciate the encouragement you gave me, and will pursue other avenues of learning. In the future, however, you may want to talk more fully with someone like me who expresses reservations about UoP before you get them to sign up for classes, and so avoid situations like this.

Sincerely,
[Woodrow]

P.S. I know many businesses are very interested in social media, so I will alert you to the fact that I'll be discussing this situation on my blog. I won't mention anyone by name, but will post this e-mail message as a warning to other people who may be considering UoP.

*And since I've never had classes to teach me how to develop and/or manage a business, how am I supposed to take these things into consideration? Are we going to learn these business skills in this, once more, purported writing class?

Reader, beware! Online classes are not as good as they sound! At least, not at the University of Phoenix.

Some other frustrations I had: the Academic Advisor was not as knowledgable as she should have been regarding my question about whether or not financial aid would pay for classes that would give me extra credits not needed toward a degree. She apparently didn't kow the answer to that question, althouh the Education Counselor did. (What the difference between an Academic Advisor and an Education Counselor is, I have no idea.) The Education Counselor kept insisting that Contemporary Business Communication is a writing class, although the final project guidelines indicated differently. There was no way to take COM 150 followed by COM 140.

I guess I'm done with my rant now.

†With the exception of a class called GEN 105 which is an introduction to learning online, among other things.

Fight FOCA!

The Freedom of Choice Act has got to be one of the most deplorable Acts ever imagined by anyone in this nation. We need to fight it with every legitmate means we have and with all our strength.

I was going to refer you to Jimmy Akin's web site for the best links, but, unfortunately, my porn filter won't allow me to access the permanent entry for the post. On his site, it's the entry of November 13. Please read about the story there.

The links provided are-

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on FOCA

An article on the Americans United for Life web site

(Main AUL web site here)

A petition sponsored by AUL Act

An article of FOCA at the National Catholic Register

the AUL blog

and other links.

Once more, visit Jimmy's site, visit the other sights, sign the petition, and consider writing your own letter to President-elect Obama, and those who represent you in government.

And don't forget:

Pray for an end to abortion

Give time and/or money to your local Crisis Pregnancy Center(s)

Help take care of the unwed and single mothers in your neighborhood, parish, city, etc.

One more thing before I take my nap...

Book Meme! Book Meme!

Nobody ever tags me with these things, so I tag myself.

HT to JJ of Christian, Gay, and Confused (whose blog I read occassionally, but have never commented on).

The rules are as follows:
Look at the list of books and bold those we have read.
Italicize those we intend to read.
Underline the books we LOVE. (I don't know how to underline with blogger, so I'm changing the color to blue.)
Put an asterisk (*) next to those that you hated.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 1984 - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame (I was at Barnes and Noble and almost bought this!)
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 The Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
36 A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle (origianlly # 36 was listed as The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis, but since the whole Chronicles are listed at # 34, I took the liberty of changin this one)
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far from the Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett (I have a crush on Dicken!)
74 Notes From a Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens (I plan to buy and read this around the third Sunday of Advent)
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 The War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells (originally Hamlet - William Shakespeare was listed here, but since the Complete Works of Shakespeare are listed as # 14, I took the liberty of changing it).
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Wow! I've only read 20 out of these 100 books, although I do own 10 of the other titles on this list, as well as over 1,000 others. And since March of 2004 I've read 354 books and am in the middle of reading 12 others.

I think I might read the ones I didn't italicize, too.

(As you can see, my nap is working out very well!)

Hello, World!

I'm still alive!

And getting healthy again.

I got sick on Tuesday. Nothing caused by or related to the election. It was some infection I picked up from somewhere (probably one of the many hospitals I visit during my nightly delivery runs) that wiped me out! Actually, I started feeling less than healthy on Monday night/Tuesday morning (remember, I work the midnight shift). I left work an hour early because I was so tired, I didn't think I could make it for that last hour. I went home and went to sleep. I woke up a couple of hours early for work on Tuesday afternoon, and felt okay when I first got up, but after being awake for about twenty minutes, my head ached and my body was sore all over. I went to work, ran a delivery to one of the hospitals, and then, before leaving for the next one, called my boss to tell him how I felt. He told me I should probably go home, but I had some important things to address at the next hospital so I told him I'd make the next run and see how I felt.

Well, it turns out I felt pretty bad! I got back to the warehouse/service center by 1:30am, clocked out immediately, lay down on one of our clean beds, slept until 5am when the morning guy came in, cleaned the bed I had been laying on (so nobody would get sick or sicker by using it), and left. By the way, I was so tired, that I got up to go pee sometime between 2:30 and 3, and nearly fell asleep at the urinal! I almost fell asleep on the drive home, too. And then I slept until about 12:30am on Wednesday. I've never been so sick that I've slept for nearly 24 hours, or almost fallen asleep while standing at the urinal peeing! My throat was sore and I was miserable. And it took all my energy to urinate during the time I was sleeping. The bathroom is only a few steps from my bed, wait...

...I counted. My bed is near the door of the bedroom which is right next to the bathroom, so it takes 11 steps to reach the toilet. The trips I took to the bathroom drained me. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Well, my doctor saw me the next day (yesterday), and I have an infection of some sort. It made me lose my voice and caused my throat to swell and block my airway a little bit. She (I have a female doctor) gave me a couple of shots "in my buh'tawks" as Forest Gump would say and told me I was to go straight to the emergency room immediately if I had even the tiniest bit more difficulty in breathing. Fortunately that did not happen!

I'm feeling better today. My voice is coming and going and I'm napping off and on. But I can breathe better!

And I wanted to do a post about the election, and another one about me starting online college classes, but I'm writing this run-on sentence and then laying down for another nap.

So good-night for now.

Happy All Saints' Day!

New Advent on the Litany of the Saints.

The Litany of the Saints

V. Lord, have mercy upon us.
R. Christ, have mercy upon us.
V. Lord, have mercy upon us.

V. O Christ, hear us.
R. O Christ, graciously hear us.

V. O God the Father of heaven.
R. Have mercy upon us.

V. O God the Son, Redeemer of the world.
R. Have mercy upon us.

V. O God the Holy Ghost.
R. Have mercy upon us.

V. O Holy Trinity, one God.
R. Have mercy upon us.

V. Holy Mary.
R. Pray for us.

V. Holy Mother of God.
R. Pray for us.

V. Holy Virgin of virgins.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Michael.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Gabriel.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Raphael.
R. Pray for us.

V. All ye holy Angels and Archangels.
R. Pray for us.

V. All ye holy orders of blessed Spirits.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint John Baptist.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Joseph.
R. Pray for us.

V. All ye holy Patriarchs and Prophets.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Peter.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Paul.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Andrew.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint James.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint John.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Thomas.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint James.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Philip.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Bartholomew.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Matthew.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Simon.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Jude.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Matthias.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Barnabas.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Luke.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Mark.
R. Pray for us.

V. All ye holy Apostles and Evangelists.
R. Pray for us.

V. All ye holy Disciples of the Lord.
R. Pray for us.

V. All ye Holy Innocents.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Stephen.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Lawrence.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Vincent.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Fabian and Saint Sebastian.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint John and Saint Paul.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Gervasius and Saint Protasius..
R. Pray for us.

V. All ye holy Martyrs.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Sylvester.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Gregory.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Ambrose.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Augustine.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Jerome.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Martin.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Nicholas.
R. Pray for us.

V. All ye holy Bishops and Confessors.
R. Pray for us.

V. All ye holy Doctors.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Anthony.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Benedict.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Bernard.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Dominic.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Francis.
R. Pray for us.

V. All ye holy Priests and Levites.
R. Pray for us.

V. All ye holy Monks and Hermits.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Mary Magdalene.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Agatha.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Lucy.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Agnes.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Cecilia.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Catherine.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Anastasia.
R. Pray for us.

V. All ye holy Virgins and Widows.
R. Pray for us.

V. All ye Holy, Righteous, and Elect of God.
R. Intercede for us.

V. Be Thou merciful.
R. Spare us, good Lord.

V. Be Thou merciful.
R. Graciously hear us, good Lord.

V. From all evil.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. From all deadly sin.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. From Thine anger.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. From sudden and unrepentant death.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. From the crafts and assaults of the devil.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. From anger, and hatred, and all uncharitableness.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. From the spirit of fornication.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. From lightning and tempest.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. From the peril of earthquake, fire, and flood.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. From pestilence, famine, and battle.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. From everlasting damnation.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. By the mystery of Thy holy Incarnation.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. By Thine Advent.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. By Thy Nativity.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. By Thy Baptism and holy Fasting.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. By Thy Cross and Passion.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. By Thy precious Death and Burial.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. By Thy holy Resurrection.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. By Thy glorious Ascension.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. By the coming of the Holy Ghost the Comforter.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. In the day of judgment.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. Even though we be sinners.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee to spare us.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee to pity and pardon us.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee to give us true repentance.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee to rule and govern Thy holy Church.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee to preserve the household of the Apostles, and to keep all orders in the Church in Thy true religion.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee to overthrow the enemies of Thy holy Church.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee to bestow on all Christian kings and princes true peace and concord.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee to give to all Christian nations both peace and unity.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee to restore unity to Thy Church, and to lead all unbelievers into the light of Thy holy Gospel.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee to strengthen and preserve us in true worshipping of Thee.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee to endue our hearts with heavenly desires.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee to bestow on all our benefactors Thine everlasting benefits.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee to deliver from eternal damnation our souls, and those of our brethren, kindred, and benefactors.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee to give and preserve to our use the kindly fruits of the earth.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee to bestow upon all Thy faithful departed rest eternal.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee graciously to hear our prayer.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. O Son of God.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world.
R. Spare us, good Lord.

V. O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world.
R. Graciously hear us, good Lord.

V. O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world.
R. Have mercy upon us.

V. O Christ, hear us.
R. O Christ, graciously hear us.

V. Lord, have mercy upon us.
R. Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.

Our Father…
Which words are said aloud, and the rest secretly to:
V. And lead us not into temptation.
R. But deliver us from evil.

Psalm 70. Deus, in adjutorium.

To the Chief Musician: A Psalm of David. To Bring to Remembrance.

O God, come to my assistance;
O Lord, make haste to help me.

Let them be ashamed and confounded
that seek after my soul;
let them be turned backward and put to confusion
that desire my hurt.
Let them be turned back
as a reward for their shame
that say, "Aha, aha!"
Let all those that seek Thee
rejoice and be glad in Thee;
and let such as love Thy salvation
say continually,
"Let God be magnified!"
But I am poor and needy;
make haste unto me, O God.
Thou art my help and my deliverer;
O Lord, make no tarrying.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.

V. O God, save Thy servants.
R. That put their trust in Thee.

V. Be unto us, O Lord, a tower of strength.
R. From the face of the enemy.

V. Let the enemy prevail nothing against us.
R. Nor the son of wickedness approach to afflict us.

V. O Lord, deal not with us after our sins.
R. Neither reward us according to our iniquities.

V. Let us pray for our Pope N.
R. The Lord preserve him and grant him life, and make him blessed upon earth; and deliver him not unto the will of his enemies.

V. Let us pray for our benefactors.
R. Vouchsafe, O Lord, for Thy Name's sake, to reward with eternal life all them that do us good. Amen.

V. Let us pray for the faithful departed.
R. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them.

V. May they rest in peace.
R. Amen.

V. Let us pray for our absent brethren.
R. Save Thy servants, O my God, that put their trust in Thee.

V. Send them help, O Lord, from Thy holy place.
R. And from Zion deliver them.

V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.

V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.

Let us pray.

O God, whose nature and property is ever to have mercy and to forgive: receive our humble petitions; and though we be tied and bound by the chain of our sins, yet let the pitifulness of Thy great mercy loose us.

We beseech Thee, O Lord, mercifully to hear the prayers of Thy humble servants, and to forgive the sins of them that confess the same unto Thee: that they may obtain of Thy loving-kindness pardon and peace.

O Lord, we pray Thee, show forth upon us Thy servants the abundance of Thy unspeakable mercy: that we may be delivered from the chain of our sins, and from the punishment which for the same we have most righteously deserved.

O God, who art wroth with them that sin against Thee, and sparest them that are penitent: we beseech Thee to hear the prayers of Thy people that call upon Thee; that we, which have most justly deserved the scourges of Thine anger, may by Thy great mercy be delivered from the same.

Almighty and everlasting God, we beseech Thee to have compassion upon N., our Pope, and by Thy mercy govern him in the way of everlasting life: that, being endued with Thy grace, he may ever seek those things that are pleasing unto Thee, and with his whole strength perform the same.

O God, from whom all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works do proceed: give unto Thy servants that peace which the world cannot give; that our hearts may be set to obey Thy commandments, and also that by Thee we being defended from the fear of our enemies may pass our time in rest and quietness.

Grant, O Lord, we pray Thee, that the fire of Thy Holy Spirit may in such wise cleanse our reins and our hearts: that we serving Thee in pureness both of body and soul may be found an acceptable people in Thy sight.

O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all them that believe: grant unto the souls of Thy servants and handmaidens the remission of all their sins; that, as they have ever desired Thy merciful pardon, so by the supplications of their brethren they may receive the same.

Prevent us, O Lord, in all our doings with Thy most gracious favor, and further us with Thy continual help: that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in Thee, we may glorify Thy holy Name, and finally by Thy mercy obtain everlasting life.

Almighty and everlasting God, who hast dominion both of the quick and the dead, who likewise hast mercy upon all men, whom by reason of their faith and works Thou hast foreknown: we commend unto Thee all those for whom we now do offer our prayers, whether in this world they still be held in the bonds of the flesh, or being delivered therefrom have passed into that which is to come; beseeching Thee that at the intercession of all Thy Saints they may of Thy bountiful goodness obtain the remission of all their sins. Through Jesus Christ Thy Son our Lord: Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
R. Amen.

V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.

V. May the Almighty and Merciful Lord graciously hear us.
R. Amen.

V. And may the souls of the faithful departed, † through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
R. Amen.

After the spurt of postings I've had in the last two days...

...this may be a minor surprise to some.

I haven't been able to blog much lately because my wrist has some sort of problem. I'm not exactly sure what. I've spoken to my doctor about it, and I go on Friday to get some tests done. It seems there's definitely have some nerve damage, and the tests on Friday will determine exactly what kind and what the extent is. I'm right-handed and it's my right wrist that's acting up. It worries me because I'm losing function in the wrist. It's difficult and a little painful to type. It's difficult and very painful to write because I have to hold my pen in such an odd way (strangely enough, I have to hold my pen so strongly and exert so much control that my handwriting has improved even as I'm less able to hold the pen comfortably). Sometimes, I even have difficulty feeding myself because of how my wrist behaves when putting a cup or utensil to my mouth. One can teach oneself to become ambidextrous, which I'm willing to do, but I miss being able to write and type well. I used to be able to type at 8100+ sph with a one percent error rate (data entry), but cannot come anywhere near that now.

I would appreciate any prayers you could offer for this situation.

Thanks.

And speaking of The Sheepcat...

Way back on Sunday, July 27th, I got to meet Alan live and in person at Lakeshore-St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church where he debated the Reverend Martha Daniels of Metropolitan Community Church Windsor on the topic of "[I]s homosexual practice 'contrary to the [G]ospel and inconsistent with a Christian lifestyle?'"

You can read about it at Alan's blog here and here.

I just want to add a few comments.

First, it was the most un-Presbyterian Presbyterian church I've ever been to, all seeker-sensitive and stuff (deplorable!), but the people, especially the pastor and his wife, were very good.

Second, it was great to meet Alan. I've enjoyed his blog ever since I first discovered it two years ago. He's as great a guy in person as you'd think from reading his blog. That was certainly the highlight of July.

Third, I also got to meet Dale and Heather Price of Dyspeptic Mutterings and Domestic Bliss Report, as well as the Price children, or, as CourageMan calls them, the Pricelets. Dale and Heather seem to be very fun people, and their children shocked me by actually eating food at the Mongolian BBQ. I cannot imagine my nieces and nephew being so not-picky! Dale also promised to remind CourageMan that I too live in the Detroit area when he (CM) visits them (Prices) this Christmas.

Fourth, the debate. Alan was stronger in the first debate than the second, but he was good in both. Here's a quote from his blog to demonstrate how good he was in the first:

"I can't resist recounting one anecdote: in the first debate Martha argued that homosexuality couldn't be against nature, as it had been documented in hundreds of animal species. Well, I responded, cannibalism is found in the animal kingdom, but we don't take that as a model of appropriate human behaviour. She didn't use that line of reasoning the second time."

I have to remember that one.

His limmerick at the end cracks me up! In both debates, he ended with it and then simply said "Martha?" as a way of handing it over to her. It's funny because this is how it went:

"Second Peter and Jude are akin
as they warn against libertine spin,
'Sodom's toast*, so beware
of the prophets who dare
to treat grace as a license to sin'...Martha?"

I'm not sure Martha liked being linked with the daring prophets.

You can get copies of both debates by contacting Lakeshore-St. Andrews. I don't know what the prices are. There's a free MP3 download of the first debate here.

*A contraction for "Sodom is".

Election Prayers

The Sheepcat offers some prayers for the US election.

First, an "approved prayer given by Our Lord to Sister Marie de St. Pierre (in the 19th century) against 'revolutionary men.'"

"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and all the instruments of His Holy Passion that Thou mayest put division in the camp of Thine enemies, for as Thy beloved Son hath said, "a kingdom divided against itself shall fail."

Second, he reminds us of Father Corapi's call for a rosary novena (PDF warning).

Third, he slightly re-writes a prayer for those outside the US to pray.

Original version:

Almighty God, all things are in your hands: our nation, our communities, our families, our lives.

In this time of great decision, bless our country and its people. Prosper the efforts of the just and true, and thwart the purposes of the unjust and dishonest. Preserve our land from violence and turmoil, and keep our relationships decent and respectful.

Inspire voters, legislators, executives, and judges so our country may be a land where morality is furthered by law and authority; where life is protected, marriage is respected, and family is supported; where the innocent are spared, and the guilty are punished; where justice is tempered by mercy, and mercy fortified by justice.

Help us to keep the United States of America a land where the rule of law and respect for individual dignity are the legal foundation of a just order.

Amen.

Lane Core Jr. CIW P

The Sheepcat's re-write:

Almighty God, all things are in your hands: our nation, our communities, our families, our lives. So too the United States of America.

In this time of great decision, bless that country and its people. Prosper the efforts of the just and true, and thwart the purposes of the unjust and dishonest. Preserve their land from violence and turmoil, and keep their relationships decent and respectful.

Inspire voters, legislators, executives, and judges so their country may be a land where morality is furthered by law and authority; where life is protected, marriage is respected, and family is supported; where the innocent are spared, and the guilty are punished; where justice is tempered by mercy, and mercy fortified by justice.

Help them to keep the United States of America a land where the rule of law and respect for individual dignity are the legal foundation of a just order.

Amen.

The Realities of Same-Sex Attraction Conference...

...went very well on Friday and Saturday!

We had about 40 clergy on Friday and about the same number of laity on Saturday, including a few of my friends who came for moral support. I was very glad to see them.

I learned something about myself at the conference: I enjoy public speaking! And I seem to be good at it! Up till now, the only talent I knew I had was reading, which is kind of a useless skill in that one cannot really serve other people just by reading lots of books. Now I know I can do something else that can affect other people. Giving my testimony was fun, and I still can't believe how much I enjoyed it.

The best part was my opening on clergy day because I got to thank them for all they do for us. It was good to be able to be a blessing to them.




I would first like to thank His Excellency Bishop Boyea, Catholic Charities, and particularly Rory Hoipkemeier, for giving me this opportunity to share my story with you this afternoon.

While my primary purpose here is to share with you my testimony and some of what Courage has meant for me, I cannot pass up this chance to express thanks to you for two things. I've never before been able to speak to a large group of Catholics, let alone clergy, and I must do this while I have the opportunity.

First: I thank you as fellow Catholics. I'm a convert to Catholicism, received at the Easter Vigil of 2004, and am grateful for your faithfulness to the Church, preserving the Church through the years, so that She was there for me when I was ready to join Her.

Second: I wish to thank you as clergy, for giving your lives to Christ and His Church, serving the people of God in this most special way. You probably hear more complaints from the laity than anything else, and don't hear thanks from us often enough, but we do thank you. We need you and we love you. We appreciate all you do for us.

Seminarians, thank you for taking time to discern whether or not God is calling you to Holy Orders. We're grateful for your willingness to stop and listen to what the Spirit is saying to you, and we're praying for you during your discernment.

There may be some here who are suspicious of, or who do not support the Courage Apostolate, its goals, or its message. There may be some here who don't know what Courage is, or only have vague ideas of its mission. I'm pleased to explain what Courage is and what it means to its members. As stated on the Courage website:

"Courage is an apostolate of the Roman Catholic Church that ministers to those with same-sex attractions and their loved ones. It has been endorsed by the Pontifical Council for the Family and our beloved John Paul II said of this ministry, 'Courage is doing the work of God!' Courage also has an outreach called Encourage which ministers to relatives and friends of persons with same-sex attractions.

"Courage has five goals which were created by the members themselves, when the apostolate was founded. Each member is called to practice them in daily life.

1) Live chaste lives in accordance with the Roman Catholic Church's teaching on homosexuality. (Chastity)
2) Dedicate one's life to Christ through service to others, spiritual reading, prayer, meditation, individual spiritual direction, frequent attendance at Mass, and the frequent reception of the sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Eucharist. (Prayer and Dedication)
3) Foster a spirit of fellowship in which all may share thoughts and experiences, and so ensure that no one will have to face the problems of homosexuality alone. (Fellowship)
4) Be mindful of the truth that chaste friendships are not only possible but necessary in a chaste Christian life and in doing so provide encouragement to one another in forming and sustaining them. (Support)
5) Live lives that may serve as good examples to others. (Good Example)"

Courage member David Morrison wrote a book called Beyond Gay, in which he listed some things that Courage is not.

" Courage is not an orientation change group. Courage does not require anyone coming to its meetings or getting support to commit to diminishing [his or her] same-sex attraction or changing it to a more heterosexual focus. If individual members wish to try such a course their Courage groups will support them, but it's not a requirement.

"Courage is not an organization of perfectionists! The first men that Father Harvey helped to form Courage did not do so to create a society of the folks who had already made it. Courage members are not required to be living chastely when they arrive[,] and some may never arrive at that point. All Courage requires is that its members commits to trying to live the goals. The goals are goals, after all, things people aim toward and for. They are not grades for work already done.

" Courage is not 'rigid'. Courage is faithful to the teaching of the Catholic Church, but Courage is not only about living chastely. Courage is about becoming better Christians. Courage is about growth, integration, and joy and about using the teaching of the Church to help get there.

"Courage is not anti-gay. In fact, Courage is not particularly anti-anything in the sense of feeling the need to denounce things or continually address the 'issue' of same-sex attraction. Courage remains intensely personal. Members have included former gay activists and married men for whom the support groups for whom the support groups are the only people on earth who know their struggle to live chastely. It is true that Courage is about choices, and in that sense one course of action has to win out over another. Encouraging members to choose Mass or prayer over gay bars and one-night-stands might be seen by some as 'anti-gay', but it's not as though, in an abstract sense, Courage formally goes out and denounces patrons of gay bars or people who have one night stands."

I want you to know that I don't stand before you as the poster-child of Courage. I'm one of those trying to live the goals, and identify more with what Courage is not than with what it is. I have many failings with chastity and need to go to Confession often. My heart still repeats after Saint Augustine, "Lord, make me chaste, but not yet." The Courage Apostolate and the teaching of the Church have helped me face both my sexual sin and my sexuality, and to face them with hope, knowing that God loves me.

My story begins with my parents who became committed Christians shortly before I was born, during the Jesus Movement in the 70s. They attended a small Fundamental, Baptist church because that's where their friends went. They sacrificed to send my sisters and me to private, Baptist schools, and until my junior year of high school, I'd never met another Christian who was not Baptist, and I was shocked at how many non-Baptist Christians there were!

My pastors and the private school and Sunday school teachers would sometimes tell us about other Christians and what they believed, but, as I learned later, they gave us a lot of misinformation, especially regarding Pentecostals and the Catholic Church.

Nevertheless, in this environment, I came to faith in Christ at a very young age. One day, when I was four years old, I was playing with my toys in my bedroom, thinking about what my parents told me about Jesus, and I decided I wanted to ask Him into my heart. So I got up, walked over to the bathroom door (because my dad was in there), knocked, and said, "Daddy, I want to ask Jesus into my heart!" My dad said, "Right now!?" I said "Yes", so he opened the door, let me in, asked me some questions to see if I understood what I was doing, then, while he was still sitting on the toilet, he led me in a prayer asking Jesus to forgive me of my sins and to come live in my heart. I was baptized, in a baptismal font, a few months later.

From the beginning, I loved Jesus! And my faith in Him grew. But in my early teen years, my faith began to stagnate, until, at the age of sixteen, I went to summer camp with my church and the Lord touched me there. I saw my faith in a whole new way, and fell in love with Christ all over again.

At this point I should mention that the Fundamental Baptists taught me that those who experience homosexual attractions choose to be this way. There was no understanding of the psychological dimension or other possible causes for it. Because of this worldview of homosexuality, even though I had same-sex attractions from the beginning of my puberty, I wouldn't acknowledge these feelings and so buried them. However, we know all too well, that doesn’t work for very long! I never told my friends or family about these feelings, and when I got my own car and was able to go anywhere I wanted, all my suppressed feelings and buried sexual desires came out.

My first sexual experience with another person was at 19. I wasn't very promiscuous to begin with; I'd have anonymous sexual encounters a few times a year, picking up guys at various places gay men were known to cruise.

This pattern went on for about seven years, and I had more sexual encounters and had them more often. I felt torn in two different directions. My faith life was best described as up and down. When I spent time with my Christian friends, I would feel encouraged and loved. Other times I felt isolated, discouraged, and rejected by God.

By the end of the year 2000, my discouragement and disappointment in myself made me feel like a failure. I stopped going to church, reading the Bible, or even praying. I really didn't want anything to do with God. I thought He saw me as worthless, and I felt abandoned.

I made plans to move across the country, away from my family and Christian friends, and start a whole new life, becoming part of the gay scene, making gay friends, and openly living a lifestyle that was contrary to my faith.

From my late teens until about this point, I had wanted to be a missionary. I dreamed of taking the Gospel to tribes that had never heard it before. The only thing that stopped me from moving across the country was that I had been telling my friends since early '97 about a missions conference that I planned to attend in late December of 2000. InterVarsity Christian Fellowship holds this conference every three years. It's called Urbana. My best friend Dan, who knew nothing about my sexual issues and who had moved to Alaska a couple of years before, was flying down to Detroit to go to the conference with me.

I was pretty miserable the whole time I was there. On the one hand, I felt hopelessly abandoned by God, but on the other, I knew that what I was hearing and experiencing at Urbana was good and holy.

I said and did all the proper Christian things at Urbana in order to blend in with the crowd, even though I didn’t feel like much of a Christian. On the last day of the conference, I attended a workshop that addressed same-sex attraction. I went with mixed feelings, unsure of what I would find there.

The main point of the seminar was that there was hope for those who had these feelings. The workshop leader told us that the answer did not lie in hiding our feelings, running off, giving up, and giving in to a lifestyle that we knew in our hearts was wrong. In fact, he said something that explicitly addressed the dilemma I was facing: "If you're experiencing these feelings, don't "out" yourself to the gay community and lead a sexually immoral life. "Out" yourself to the Christian community and let the Body of Christ love you and help you deal with these feelings."

I nearly fell out of my chair! There were over 20,000 people at Urbana, and yet, God had a message specifically for me! I felt hope again, and my heart was filled with joy!

I went home and, on January 2 of 2001, did the scariest thing I have ever done in my life: I told my parents about my homosexual inclinations. This was such a huge step of spiritual victory and emotional release for me that I'm afraid I didn't really think about the impact on them. Even though they told me right away that they loved me, at first they had a hard time dealing with this revelation. My mom cried a lot, and my dad got mad at God for quite awhile. He told God, "I know You didn't make my son gay, but You could have stopped it!" They accepted it, eventually, but no wonder people want to avoid talking about these things with their families!

I knew I needed to get back into church, and began attending an Evangelical Southern Baptist church near my home. I didn't want to hide anything any longer, so I told my pastor and Sunday School class about my orientation and sexual struggles. Everyone took it quite well, and nobody condemned me nor was anyone freaked out even though I was still struggling with chastity and failing a lot.

I also attended an Evangelical-Christian support group called ' Reconciliation Ministries', which dealt with same-sex attraction, but they held to the view that if your orientation did not change, you weren't doing something right.

I attended both the Baptist Church and the support group regularly, and kept learning more about the Christian faith. I started a new job and began speaking with a co-worker, Michael Chesley, who was in formation at Sacred Heart Major Seminary for the permanent deaconate. We began sharing our faith, and he gave me literature about the Church after I expressed an interest in Catholicism. I eventually decided to convert, and, as stated before, was received into the Church on the Easter Vigil of 2004.

I'd heard about Courage through a friend at the Evangelical support group, and when I joined the Church, I looked for a Courage chapter near me.

At this point, I was under the impression that the Catholic Church held to the same position that the support group did, namely that my orientation had to change. I was worried because I had been trying for several years now to become heterosexual, and it wasn't working.

When I learned the Church's teaching on homosexuality, it was a great comfort to me. The Church tells me I might not change, but that's okay; change is not a requirement. The Church realizes that the human condition is complicated. There are many reasons for one having a same-sex attraction, and the Church leaves it up to science and medicine to figure out why. I'm called to follow Christ, and, like every other single, unmarried man, live a life of chaste celibacy. The Church tells us that no matter what our sexual inclinations are, we are all made in God's image and likeness and can all grow in holiness. The Church offers me forgiveness when I sin, and hope in God's grace and mercy. She tells me I am not worthless and abandoned, but that God loves me with an everlasting love. I joined the Church because I was convinced that the doctrines of the Church are true in theological matters, but never expected to find the peace of mind and heart I now have because of what the Church teaches about human sexuality! Praised be Jesus Christ!

I want to encourage you to let people know about the Courage Apostolate. If people come to you who are same-sex attracted, especially if they feel like I did—hopeless, worthless, rejected—let them know they will find love and support at Courage. Don't be afraid to tell them what the Church teaches about sexuality: there is peace and joy and healing and life in the truth! And please let them know how much God loves them. Let them know they are dear to His heart. Let them know that God loved them so much, that He gave His only-begotten Son so that they might not perish but have everlasting life.

You do so much for the people of God already, but I do ask that you do this one thing more: support Courage in this diocese. Tell people about it. People need to hear this message. People are waiting to hear this message.

Thank you all, again, for your faithfulness as Catholics, for your ministry to the people of God, and for listening to my story. God be with you.

You are Belatedly but Cordially Invited...

The Life Justice Ministry

and

Departments of Catholic Charities and Formation

of the

Diocese of Lansing Michigan

present

"The Realities of Same-Sex Attraction"

Friday, October 24 (clergy only)

and

Saturday, October 25 (everyone welcome).

10:00am to 3:00pm

at

St. Joseph Parish, Howell, MI.

Presenters:

Richard Fitzgibbons, MD, PC

Director, Comprehensive Counseling Services, PA

International Institute of Forgiveness, WI

and

Rev. Paul Check

Diocese of Bridgeport, CT

Director of Courage

Lunch Provided, RSVP Required.

Contact:

Catholic Charities

(517) 342-2465

or

lkolanowski@dioceseoflansing.org

Yours truly will be sharing his testimony as a memeber of Courage. It's my first public speaking engagement. It's a little frightening!

One of the best things the Fundamental Baptists gave me...

...is a great respect and a great love for Holy Scripture. I just finished reading part one of an article at Zenit called "What is needed for a Bible Comeback?" It's an interview with Cardinal Albert Vanhoye. Here are some quotes that struck me:

"In particular, I studied the theme of faith in John's Gospel, an obviously basic theme. For John faith consists in believing in the Son of God. This is not just adherence to revealed truth, but it is above all adherence to a person, a person who is the Son of God, who does the work of the Father, in union with the Father and who also invites us to do his work."

"My assumptions [in my study of the Bible] are clearly assumptions of faith. The Bible is a text that expresses the faith. To receive it in a serious and profound way it is necessary to be in the current that produced it. So, it is essential to approach the inspired text with an attitude of faith. On the other hand, there is also the conviction that the Bible is a historical book and not simply theoretical. It is a revelation with facts, with events; it is an existential historical reality that must be accepted as such."

"...sacred Scripture is essential for knowing Christ, for conforming to Christ..."

"[The Church needs to educate] the faithful to receive the word of God completely not only in their mind but in their heart and in their life. This is clear. The faithful need to be educated to do this. And on the other hand, in order that this be truly effective, it is indispensable that the faithful meditate on the word of God, reconsider it, reflect on it. And in this way their life will be transformed little by little by the power of the word of God."

"...'lectio divina' is a very serious method of entering into inspired Scripture. But in order for it to have an impact on life it is necessary that the last step be an application to life. It is possible to do a 'lectio divina' that stops at an attentive consideration of the text, and then a meditation. But it must be completed by an effort of the believer to apply it to life, to truly receive the word of God in his life, to make it not only present but operative."

In the last few years I've gotten out of the habit of regular, daily Bible reading, but have taken steps recently to change that by developing a Three Year Plan that will have me read the Gospels four times every year, the Psalms twice every year, and the rest of the Bible once in three years. The Psalms and Gospels have been weak areas for me, but I've gotten much better with the Psalms thanks to the Liturgy of the Hours! I'm looking forward to getting better acquainted with the Gospels.

Here's a link the Coming Home Network's reader's guide to read through the Bible and Catechism in a year (PDF file).

Some other links that may be of interest:

The Early Church Fathers on the Scriptures (small selection)

From the Congregation for the Clergy at the Holy See: Biblia Clerus, Reading the Word of God with the Church

Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859 edition. A Catholic Bible Commentary compiled by the late Reverend Father George Leo Haydock, following the Douay-Rheims Bible. (This is the commentary only, not the Biblical text. Bible link here: the Bible at this link has commentary by Bishop Richard Challoner, 1691-1781)

The Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition Bible online.

A short list of Major Church Pronouncements on the Bible.

The final two days of prayer for Ramadan 2008...

...today's link:
Caribbean Suriname = 20% Muslim

...tomorrow's link:
Ahmedabad India: Economically marginalized Muslims in Gujarat State

You know, these may not be the final prayers. The 30 Day organization may post follow-ups. I'll link to them, if so.

Thanks to all who are praying/have prayed.

I am very bad at updating the prayer links!

I hope everyone is following along at the home page for the prayer effort.

Prayer for September 26--Oops! I made a mistake! The prayer I listed for day 25 was for day 26! So, in place of the proper day 26 prayer, I substitute the skipped day 25 prayer:
Modern Tanzania: Changing Times among the Rangi People

Day 27 -- this is yesterday's prayer. And this is prayer for the day I really, really hoped people would pray because the 27th day of Ramadan is the Night of Power. I'm sorry I forgot to post the link (AND I forgot to pray myself!)
SAT-7 Kids: A new TV channel for the children of the Arab world

And for Sunday, September 28:
Outreach forbidden in Africa's Comoros Islands -- 98% Muslim

One of the things I like about prayer is that, even if we forget or are unable to pray about something before or during the time it is happening, we can always pray about it later. We are limited by time and space, but God is not.

"To be Somali is to be Muslim."

Life in Somalia: Day 24 of Ramadan (yesterday's Ramadan prayer).

One Language, Many Tribes: Pakistan's Hindko Speakers (today's Ramadan prayer).

Ramadan Day 23

Praying for Men in Somalia.

Prayers for Day 22 of Ramadan 2008

Nagpur, India: The City of Snakes

A Game Father Jim Tucker used to play...

...at his now defunct blog, Dappled Things.

Random iPod Playlist.

1. (We Like the) Cars that Go Boom - Old School Players
2. I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) - The Proclaimers
3. Wannabe - Spice Girls
4. Animaniacs Main Theme Title
5. God Is In Control - Twila Paris
6. One Man Gets Around - Charlie Peacock
7. The Marriage of Figaro Overture - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
8. Star Trek: Voyager Main Theme
9. O For a Thousand Tongues - Urbana '96 Worship Team
10. Short Skirt/Long Jacket - Cake

The rules, for bloggers who want to play:

Get your iPod or media-player of choice, select your whole music collection, set the thing to shuffle (i.e., randomized playback), then post the first ten songs that come out. No cheating, no matter how stupid it makes you feel!

Also, as a courtesy, you may want to provide links to a place where the songs can be downloaded. The Urbana '96 CD is no longer available from InterVarsity Christian Fellowship :-(

I have been very bad at updating the Ramadan prayers!

Wednesday, September 17:
The Mazandarani Muslims of Iran

Thursday, September 18:
Aleppo, the Second Largest City in Syria

Friday, September 19:
Indonesia's Minangkabau Peoples

Saturday, September 20:
Murshidabad, India: The land of the Nawabs

And, because my Courage group meets tomorrow and I won't have time to update my blog--

Sunday, September 21
Islam in Dearborn, Michigan (my home city!)

Watch the video about Dearborn near the bottom of the page. It's so cool to see places in that video that I drive by quite often! If anyone reading this blog is ever in the Detroit area (Dearborn is a suburb of Detroit), drop me a line and I'll be happy to show you around and take you to the best Middle Eastern restaurants. Al Ameer, shown in the video is one of them. They bring you fresh pita bread right out of the oven...mmm, delicious! And the pickled turnips! My mouth is watering right now. In fact, there are two such restaurants within a five minute walk of my house. I think I'll go to one of them for dinner later!

I have internet access again!

Here are yesterday's and today's Ramadan 2008 prayer links:

Tuesday, September 16:
The Massalit in Darfur.

Wednesday, September 17:
Iran's MazandaraniPeople.

A Recent Conversation

At one of the hospitals I deliver to, I recently ran into two guys and a girl, all three apparently Christians, discussing their romantic lives.

First guy: "Yeah, I still haven't found the right woman. Looks are important, but I'm really looking for someone with good character."

Girl: "I always tell God I just want the man He wants me to have."

Me, butting in: "I always tell God, 'It doesn't matter if she's ugly and really fat as long as she's rich!"

Third guy, without missing a beat: "Yeah, 'cause 'Prosperity shall cover the multitude of chins!'"

Theory confirmed!

Near one of the hospitals I deliver to frequently is a Big Boy restaurant. It's in a college town, and so has lots of college-age employees. Lots of college-age male employees. Lots of good-looking, college-age male employees.

I developed a theory about their hiring manager, and tested it out on a recent trip to that restaurant.

Me, to my waiter: "This is an odd question, but is your hiring manager a divorced woman or gay man?"

Waiter, laughing: "He's a gay man. That's pretty good insight."

Me: "Not really. There ain't a lot of women working here."

Yes, theory confirmed.

My ISP is down for a few days.

I'm posting this from my parents' computer. Since the ISP might be down until early next week, I'm updating the prayer links through

Prayers for Day 12 of Ramadan.
Kairouan, Tunisia: Oldest Islamic City of Northwest Africa

Prayers for Day 13.
The Aimaq of Afghanistan and Iran

Prayers for Day 14.
A Great Opportunity in Bangkok

Prayer for Day 15.
The Kanuir, living in Nigeria, Niger, and Chad

And lest we forget:

Day Eleven of Ramadan 2008

The Ismailis and their Leader.

Today We Remember...

Today, We Remember…


I still remember vividly the attacks of September 11, 2001. I was at work, not listening to NPR, or any radio show/station, which was very unusual for me at that time of day. Someone from the office came out into the warehouse and told us about the first plane hit. I didn't realize even then how serious the situation was, and delayed turning on the radio until the second plane hit. I don't remember which came first, the plane crashing in Pennsylvania or the Pentagon attack, but I called my mom after they both occurred. She was still sleeping at the time. After she said "Hello", I told her what was happening and to turn on the television. I kept listening to the radio all day. My dad went home from his job to be with my mom, and my sister and her three children went over there, too. I wish I had joined them, but nobody from my workplace went home, and, even though I really wanted to be with my family, I stayed at work, not that we got very much done that day.

I remember thinking, "The World Trade Center is hit, two planes crashed into it and the towers are burning, some people have already died, but they're evacuating and it will turn out okay for most of the people today."

Then the towers fell.

I don't even know how to describe the sinking feeling I got in my gut when that happened. There was a Lutheran church not far from my workplace, so I called their office and asked if they were open for people to come pray. The lady on the phone told me that they had just decided one minute before I called to open the church up for prayer. So I went for a while. When I got back to the warehouse, my boss told me he was surprised that I came back. I'm not sure why my co-workers were not as affected as I was by what happened, but it hit me hard. My boss took it better than any of us did, but he'd spent twenty years in the navy and had been in combat. Some of my co-workers, and I must admit that I'm still somewhat upset over this, decided that their news source for the day was Howard Stern!

Many Christians, myself included, hoped that America would wake up and turn back to God, but that didn't really happen. Many New Yorkers have been affected and have re-prioritized their lives, concentrating more on God, friends, and family, but there wasn't a wide-spread spiritual renewal in that city, either. Our churches were packed for only a few weeks.

It seems that God intended through this tragedy, not a loud and general triumphant "revival" for the United States of America, but "the hidden sanctification" of a few souls. Of course, we see only a small portion of what goes on, and we cannot know whom God changed through that event, or for what purpose. Sometimes, it takes a generation or two for God's plan to become evident. I think of Mr. Edward D. Kimball, a Sunday School teacher at Mount Vernon Congregational Church in Boston, Massachusetts, I believe. Mr. Kimball never did any thing "extraordinary" in his life, but one day he led D.L. Moody to Christ. And look at Louie and Zélie Martin – ordinary Christian parents who gave birth to a Saint (and whose cause for sainthood is being explored). Perhaps something like that will come from the 9/11 tragedy. Who knows?

In the meantime, let us pray for the United States.

O God, I ask, in the Holy and Powerful Name of Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, that You will bless America by bringing the Christians in Her to repentance for our sins. May we reject and renounce the materialism in our lives, the selfishness, greed, and gluttony with which we fill our days. May we seek to know and love You, and seek to know and love our neighbors, and welcome them into Your family. May we remember that true riches are found in virtuous lives lived for Your glory, and that the riches of this world are given to our stewardship to further Your kingdom. And that even being good stewards builds Your kingdom. May we live courageous lives of charity and chastity in the public square, and, lest people think that we are so great and not You, may we be unafraid to speak of Jesus, His death, burial, and resurrection, what He means to us, how He changes us, how He loves u, and how He loves our fellow-citizens.

As we approach this election, may You guide our hearts and minds that we may vote for people and policies that are in accord with Your eternal and unchanging law. And may we remember that our hope does not lie in who our President is and which political party controls the Congress and what judges are on the Supreme Court, but our hope is in Jesus Christ and in Your promises to us through Him. May we remember that, in addition to voting into government men and women of character and integrity who will support the passing of good laws, that we must serve our family, friends, and neighbors. May we remember that it is more important for us to support crisis pregnancy centers than it is to protest public funding of Planned Parenthood. May we remember that is more important to befriend the men at the gay bar down the street than it is to boycott companies with domestic partner policies. May we remember that it is more important to visit the abandoned persons in nursing homes than it is to ensure adequate government oversight of the facilities they live in. May we remember that people are much more important than politics (but may we never forget that politics is important, too).

As we pray for America, asking that Your kingdom be furthered in Her, may we remember that Your kingdom will last for ever, whereas our nation will endure but for a time. May we remember that Your kingdom transcends all earthly kingdoms, and may we therefore pray for all people in all nations on earth. May we remember our brethren in Iraq who suffer at the hands of the Muslim majority of their country because of their witness to You. May we remember that Iraqi Muslims are not our enemy, but are prisoners of war; indeed, prisoners of THE Enemy, casualties in THE War. May we remember those who are oppressed by wicked rulers, those who are exploited by uncaring employers, those who are slaves, those women and children subjugated by the sex industry, those suffering from AIDS and other incurable diseases, any person who is in any situation that makes it difficult for them to believe that a good God exists. And, as we fight oppression, exploitation, slavery, the sex trade, disease, and darkness, may we remember, once more, that those who are guilty of these crimes are prisoners of THE Enemy and casualties of THE War. And may we remember that the darkness and evil in their hearts is in ours, too.

O God, fill us with Your love and grace that we may be concerned with Your glory. Change us that we may be fit instruments to spread Your kingdom. May Your Spirit fill us over and over, again and again because we are leaky vessels. May we love and respect and cherish Your Name, and may our hearts be consumed by You.

Amen.

Today's Prayer Focus...

...for Ramadan 2008 is...

Beijing, China -- Muslims in the Ancient Capital of China.

Day Nine of Ramadan 2008

Muslims in Hong Kong.

Oops! I forgot to update the prayer links yesterday.

Here's the prayer link for Sunday, September 7:

What are the Challenges for New Believers?


And for today, Monday the 8th:

Division in Ghana

Also, please pray for my dad as he is attempting to win a Muslim gentleman to Christ. The Muslim man is trying to convert my dad at the same time to Islam. There's no danger of my dad renouncing his faith in Jesus Christ, but he does want wisdom in how to proceed with this situation.

Pray for the Suffering Church...

...and the Oppressed Peoples of Turkmenistan.

Day Six of Ramadan 2008

The Day Five Challenge...

...Winning the Bugis (people groups) of Indonesia (for Christ).

Still working on Catholic missions sources. I had two disappointing and three delightful conversations in the last two days as I've researched this topic. More on that later.

Ramadan 2008, Day Four

Muslims in Spain

No commentary/addenda today because I'm late getting to bed!

Let us keep bombarding the Throne of Grace...

...on behalf of our Muslim brethren.

Wednesday, September 3, Day Three of Ramadan 2008.

Let us pray for the Bakhtiari people of Iran.

Dear Readers, have you ever thought about "adopting" someone, like St. Therese of Lisieux did? She decided to pray for a convicted killer named Henri Pranzini, sentenced to death by beheading. Not only did she pray for this man's soul, she offered sacrifices to God for a move of His grace in Pranzini's life so that he would not enter Eternity outside of Christ. When Therese heard that Pranzini kissed the crucifix before he died, she knew God had granted her request.

We, too, can adopt individuals, praying for their salvation. And we can adopt entire people groups! There are thousands of people groups in this world that have little or no Christian outreach among them. Perhaps you cannot go to them and tell them about Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection and what those things mean to them and for all of humanity, but you can learn about and pray and sacrifice for these peoples. Here are some web sites to help you*:

Joshua Project

People Groups

Caleb Project

I'm researching Catholic resources and will post them when I get them.


*Sadly, these are all Evangelical web sites. Let us also pray that many Catholic religious orders and lay apostolates will catch at least as great a vision for missions as our Evangelical brethren have!

Today is the second day of Ramadan

30 Days of Prayer focuses prayer on Saudi Arabian Tribes.

Specifically, the Shahran tribe, one of the largest tribes in Arabia.

Follow the above link to learn more and to pray for the intentions given. [Catholics use the term "prayer intention(s); Evangelicals use the term "prayer request(s).]

By the way, you can get the booklets 30 Days Hindu Prayer Focus and 30 Days of Prayer for the Voiceless at this web site: http://30daysprayer.com/.

Ramadan begin's today.

As promised, here is the first of the daily posts for the 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim world.

Please follow the link for the Day One Prayers--Marriage in Tajikistan

Also, on the main 30 Days page, I found a link to this site: 30daysfire.net. It has great articles like

God's Love in the Qur'an (PDF) and some other articles in both PDF and RTF form (I don't know how to use RTF, so I didn't link to any of those articles).

And on the 21st Day of Prayer, millions of people around the world will be praying for my city!

Pray for our Muslim brothers and sisters to find the love of God through Jesus Christ. Pray for God to send more laborers into the harvest of Muslim lands; especially that more religious and lay Catholic missionaries will go to serve in creative ways. Muslims have a great respect for the Blessed Virgin. Pray that they will have visions of her and that they will see her pointing to Christ, saying, "Do whatever He tells you."

Dear Readers, Ramadan begins in September.

On September 1, to be exact. If you've been reading this blog since last year, you remember, I hope, what that means:

The 30 Days International prayer initiative begins soon. This blog will provide daily updates during the month of Ramadan so that we as Christians can pray for Muslims to come to a living faith in Jesus Christ. "For God so loved the world that He gave His Only-Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16 NAV)

My dear readers, as Catholics and other Christians we should remember that God "...will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." (I Timothy 2:4 NAV) Perhaps during this month of Ramadan you would also consider whether or not God may be calling you to be a missionary or evangelist to Muslims in this world? It is difficult to reach Muslims with the Gospel, but it is not impossible. Let us spend this month in prayer asking God "to send forth" more "laborers into His harvest" in Muslim lands.

Resources to help you:

Order the 30 Days prayer booklet

Download the PDF version

Subscribe to the e-mail list

Other things Catholics can do:

Find out the names of Muslim religious leaders in your city and have Masses said for their conversion.

Make a Holy Hour for Muslim neighbors.

Pray a rosary for the conversion of Muslims on one day, and the next day pray a rosary for those who are working to win them to Christ. Ask especially for the intercession of Our Lady of Fatima.

Buy the book Inside Islam: A Guide for Catholics. Read it. Let it inform your prayer life. Learn about Islam, and learn more about your faith, too. Consider passing this book along to other people in your parsih, especially teens and twenty-somethings.

Ask God to burden your heart for Muslims.

Encourage others to pray, read, have Masses said, etc.

And don't forget:

You'll learn more about Islam and how to reach Muslims for Christ from Abu Daoud than you will from me. Visit his site often!