Random Junk from an Intellectual Wannabe

A Scriptural Rosary continued: The Second Joyful Mystery.

2011-07-14T20:25:00.001-04:00

Review here and here. Another review here, along with the first Joyful mystery. Also, this picture will help us learn how to pray the rosary.

Let us pray the second Joyful Mystery: Mary visits Elizabeth.

If you were praying the second Joyful Mystery immediately after the first, you would move your fingers from position "21,22,23" to the bead marked "24", and you would say,

"The second Joyful Mystery."

Now, pray one Our Father with its Bible verse on bead 24, and pray one Hail Mary with its Bible verse(s) on each of the beads marked 25-34.

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, (Ephesians 5:18, 19 TMB)

Our Father…

And Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah, and entered into the house of Zechariah and saluted Elisabeth. (Luke 1:39, 40 TMB)

Hail Mary…

And it came to pass, when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost. (Luke 1:41 TMB)

Hail Mary…

And she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb. And why is it granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? (Luke 1:42, 43 TMB)

Hail Mary…

"For lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. (Luke 1:44 TMB)

Hail Mary…

"And blessed is she that believed; for there shall be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord." (Luke 1:45 TMB)

Hail Mary…

And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, (Luke 1:46, 47 ESV)

Hail Mary…

"for He has looked on the humble estate of His servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His Name. And His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation. (Luke 1:48, 49, 50 ESV)

Hail Mary…

"He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. (Luke 1:51 ESV)

Hail Mary…

"He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent empty away. (Luke 1:52, 53 ESV)

Hail Mary…

"He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring for ever." (Luke 1:54, 55 ESV)

Hail Mary…

After you've said the above, either keep your fingers on the last bead, or move them to the space between this and the next bead (#'s 35-37 in the picture), and pray the Glory Be:

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.

To close, make the sign of the cross. (In the future, I'll have the closing prayers of the rosary listed.)

A Scriptural Rosary continued: the First Joyful Mystery.

2011-07-10T18:40:00.005-04:00

Review here and here.

The mysteries of the rosary are different events in the lives of Jesus and Mary. They're divided into four different groups. Each group contains five mysteries.

The Joyful mysteries. These are about Jesus's birth and early life. We reflect on His First Advent while praying them. They are:

1) the angel Gabriel announces Jesus's birth.

2) Mary visits Elizabeth.

3) Jesus is born in Bethlehem.

4) Jesus is presented to the Lord at the Temple.

5) Jesus is found at 12 years old discussing God and His Law at the Temple.

The Luminous mysteries. These are about Jesus's earthly ministry. We reflect on some of His teachings and miracles while praying them. They are:

1) Jesus is baptized.

2) Jesus turns water into wine at the wedding in Cana.

3) Jesus preaches a message of repentance.

4) Jesus is transfigured on the mountain.

5) Jesus gives us His flesh and blood in the Eucharist.

The Sorrowful mysteries. We accompany Him from the Garden of Gethsemane to Golgotha in these mysteries.

1) Jesus prays in the garden.

2) Jesus is scourged.

3) Jesus is given a crown of thorns.

4) Jesus carries His cross to Calvary.

5) Jesus is crucified.

The Glorious mysteries. Jesus is our risen Lord, and His ministry is now in Heaven. We contemplate this in our prayers on these mysteries.

1) Jesus dies, but doesn't stay dead!

2) Jesus goes back to Heaven.

3) Jesus sends the Holy Spirit on the Church to empower and sanctify Her.

4) Jesus takes Mary to Heaven with Him (a picture of our own resurrection).

5) Jesus crowns Mary as the Queen-Mother (in the Middle East, the king's mother was the queen, not his wife. This is why Solomon gives his mother Bathsheba a throne. She was the queen. The Davidic kingdom is a picture of the Messianic kingdom, so Mary, being the Mother of King Jesus, is queen).

Here we begin praying the Joyful Mysteries of the rosary. This post will contain only the first decade, that is, the Annunciation.

Start with the Introductory prayers. (Here's the picture I linked to in that post. It may prove useful).

The Introductory prayers leave off at the space between the fourth bead (a.k.a. the third small bead, #6 in the picture) and the next bead. Now put your finger on that bead (#10) and say:

"The first Joyful mystery: the Annunciation."

Keeping your hand on that bead, recite the following Bible verse:

"Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:14 TMB*)

And then pray the Lord's Prayer (Our Father...) while meditating on that verse.

Move your fingers to the next bead (#11) and recite the following verse.

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, (Luke 1:26 TMB)

Then pray a Hail Mary while mediating on that verse:

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee;

blessed art thou among women,

and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

And continue until you get to the tenth bead.

to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. (Luke 1:27 TMB)

Hail Mary…

And the angel came in unto her and said, "Hail, Full of Grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women." (Luke 1:28 TMB)

Hail Mary…

And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying and cast about in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. (Luke 1:29 TMB)

Hail Mary…

And the angel said unto her, "Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor with God. (Luke 1:30 TMB)

Hail Mary…

"And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a Son; and shalt call His Name Jesus. (Luke 1:31 TMB)

Hail Mary…

"He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David; and He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His Kingdom there shall be no end." (Luke 1:32, 33 TMB)

Hail Mary…

Then said Mary unto the angel, "How shall this be, seeing I know not man?" And the angel answered and said unto her, "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee. Therefore also that Holy Being who shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:34, 35 TMB)

Hail Mary…

"And behold, thy cousin Elizabeth: she hath also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible." (Luke 1:36, 37 TMB)

Hail Mary…

And Mary said, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word." And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:38 TMB)

Hail Mary…

After you've said the above, either keep your fingers on the last bead, or move them to the space between this and the next bead (#'s 21-23 in the picture), and pray the Glory Be:

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.

To close, make the sign of the cross. (In the future, I'll have the closing prayers of the rosary listed.)

*I use the Third Millennium Bible and several other versions. Use your preferred version. And you needn't say the scripture reference, just the verse.

A Scriptural Rosary for my Catholic and Evangelical friends, the Introductory prayers.

2011-07-10T15:00:00.002-04:00

About the rosary at New Advent. And at the Vatican.

How to pray the rosary at New Advent [pdf] and at YouTube.

So how is this rosary for my Evangelical friends? This is a scriptural rosary. If you're not comfortable praying the Hail Mary, skip it! Just recite the Bible verse and pause to think about it. Indeed, even if one does pray the Hail Mary's, one should concentrate on the Scripture passage while one prays.

This post will have only the introductory prayers of the rosary. I'll add the rest in following posts.

First, some instruction not covered above. The point of the rosary is not to recite the prayers. The rosary is to help one meditate on certain events in the lives of Jesus and His Mother Mary. As one meditates on these events, one should determine how they apply to one's own life and become a better disciple of Jesus. If the rosary does not help you do so, stop doing it. The Church does not require anyone to pray the rosary. She encourages it only if it helps you "grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

The rosary is made up of a crucifix, a string of beads, and usually a medal. See this picture. It is divided into "sections". The first section consists of the crucifix and the first four beads. The remaining five sections consist of one large bead, on which one prays the Our Father, and ten small beads, on each of which is prayed a Hail Mary.

Some people pray the entire rosary for a specific prayer intention. Others have a prayer intention for each decade. Still others mention a specific prayer request on each bead of the rosary. You can do whatever you want to do as there is no official way to do this.

The rosary begins with the sign of the cross. Here's how our Eastern rite and Orthodox brethren make that sign: How to make the sign of the cross (note how the hand is held. Most Western rite Catholics don't hold their hands that way when making the sign of the cross, although I do). In the video, the guy is speaking the following in Arabic:

"In the Name of the Father" (fingers to forehead)

"and of the Son" (fingers to abdomen)

"and of the Holy" (fingers to one shoulder) "Spirit" (fingers to opposite shoulder).

"Amen."

(I've got to learn how to say this in Arabic!)

While saying the above, some people cross themselves with the crucifix. Others hold it in one hand while signing themselves with the other.

One then recites and meditates on the Apostle's Creed (numbers 1 and 2 in the picture):

I believe in God the Father Almighty,

Maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord;

Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, dead, and buried;

He descended into hell;

the third day He rose again from the dead;

He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;

from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost;

the holy catholic Church;

the communion of saints;

the forgiveness of sins;

the resurrection of the body;

and the life everlasting.

Amen.

Then one places one's fingers onto the first large bead* and prays the Our Father... (#3)

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be Thy name,

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil:

for Thine is the kingdom,

and the power,

and the glory for ever.

Amen.

A Hail Mary is said on each of the next three small beads. In the traditional rosary, one prays a Hail Mary on each of these beads. Some people offer prayers for the bishops of the church on the first of these beads, for priests on the next bead, and for deacons on the third. Some ask for an increase of faith, hope, and charity. This last is what we'll do, with a Bible verse and a phrase added to each Hail Mary.

Holding the first small bead (#4), ask God to increase your faith in Him. You can do so by simply saying "For an increase of faith", or you can make an Act of Faith, or make up your own prayer.

Then recite "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1 TMB^), and pray the following (by the way, we are asking Mary to pray to God with us):

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee;

blessed art thou among women,

and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus,

Who is the Author and Finisher of our faith.**

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

On the next small bead (#5), ask for an increase of hope (e.g. Act of Hope or etc.).

Recite "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (I Peter 1:3 TMB).

And pray:

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee;

blessed art thou among women,

and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus,

Whose death and resurrection have given hope to mankind.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

On the third small bead (#6), ask for an increase of charity (e.g. Act of Charity or etc.).

Recite "But God commendeth His love toward us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8 TMB).

And pray:

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee;

blessed art thou among women,

and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus,

Whom we love because He first loved us.^^

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Keep your hand on that bead, or move it to the space between it and the next large bead (#'s 7-9) and pray the following:

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.

This ends the Introductory prayers of the Rosary. I'll post more later.

*Many rosaries use a combination of large and small beads. The one in the picture doesn't.

^Use whatever Bible version you prefer.

**Hebrews 12:2

^^I John 4:19

The Rosary.

2011-07-10T13:24:00.000-04:00

The rosary: I have a difficult time praying it because I know one is supposed to concentrate on the mysteries, which is difficult for me, unless I use a guide of some sort. So, for those who face the same problem, I recommend two things. One is the book The Complete Rosary: A Guide to Praying the Mysteries and the other is a scriptural rosary.

The book The Complete Rosary has been quite a help to me in that the author, William George Storey, gives a brief history of the rosary, and instructs one on the meaning and purpose of it. The most helpful aspect aiding my meditation has been using the phrases he suggests as inserts into the Hail Mary's, between "Jesus" and "Holy Mary". For example, if one is praying the Joyful Mystery of the Annunciation, one might say the following:

"Hail Mary, Full of Grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus,
Who was conceived at the message of an angel.
Holy Mary, mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now, and at the hour of our death."

Check out the preview on Amazon. It's a great book, and I highly recommend it!

A scriptural rosary is a rosary prayed with both the traditional prayers of the rosary and Scripture verses. I have developed my own, and offer it to you, my reading public (assuming I still have one) beginning with my next blog post.

Father Corapi...

2011-07-05T17:58:00.001-04:00

...let us pray for him.

Kresta in the Afternoon blog on this situation: The Walls Come Tumbling Down on Corapi.

Jen Fulwiler's blog entry about the Father Corapi situation (probably the best one I've read). Read her blog. It's much better than mine. I work way too many hours to keep this thing updated like I should.

And to close: some comments I made on Kresta's blog...

"I have been praying for Fr. Corapi, and will continue to do so. In one of his recorded talks he asked that we pray for him constantly because, as he said, any of us can fall deeply into sin and lose our souls. But, to quote him, "It ain't over till it's over." He can still repent and be renewed! Let us pray for him, for all who are hurt by his fall, and that God will help each of us to guard our hearts and lives that we may attain eternal life!"

UPDATE: Wise words from Father Z.

Hat tip to Mark Shea (another blog that is much better than mine!).

Bullying!

2011-06-09T17:37:00.001-04:00

It's a shameful act for people to engage in. I found this anti-bullying video on YouTube, and want to post it. In elementary school I was rejected, made fun of, and called names, even though I went to a Christian school. It hurt. The most egregious example happened at a very bad time in my life. I don't remember how old I was; elementary age is the closest I can get. My great-grandmother, whom, according to my parents, I loved more than I loved them, was very sick. I was worried that she was going to die. At that time, I didn't quite know how my she was related to me, so I asked prayer "for my granny who is sick and might die." As soon as I'd said that, one of my classmates responded with "She's your great-grandmother, stupid!" I'm almost 37 years old, and I still feel a pang when I think about that. Sticks and stones can cause a lot of physical damage, but they can't accomplish the level of destruction words can bring about. I'm proud of this girl for admitting her hurt and reaching out for help, and I rejoice in the encouragement she's gotten from YouTubers and other sources!

CHRIST IS RISEN!

2011-04-24T16:33:00.002-04:00

He is risen indeed!

The Easter Sermon of Saint John Chrysostom

Whosoever is a devout lover of God, let him enjoy this beautiful bright Festival. And whosoever is a grateful servant, let him rejoice and enter into the joy of his Lord. And if any be weary with fasting, let him now receive his penny.

If any have toiled from the first hour, let him receive his due reward.

If any have come after the third hour, let him with gratitude join in the Feast.

And he that arrived after the sixth hour, let him not doubt; for he too shall sustain no loss.

And if any have delayed to the ninth hour, let him not hesitate, but let him come too.

And he that hath arrived only at the eleventh hour, let him not be afraid by reason of his delay; for the Lord is gracious and receiveth the last even as the first.

He giveth rest to him that cometh at the eleventh hour as well as to him that hath toiled from the first.

Yea, to this one, he giveth and upon that one, he bestoweth. He accepteth works, as he greeteth the endeavour. The dead he honoureth and the intention he commendeth.

Let all then enter into the joy of our Lord. Ye first and last receiving alike your reward; ye rich and poor, rejoice together. Ye sober and ye slothful, celebrate the day. Ye that have kept the fast, and ye that have not, rejoice today; for the Table is richly laden. Fare ye royally on it. The calf is a fatted one. Let no one go away hungry. Partake ye all of the cup of faith. Enjoy ye all the richness of His goodness. Let no one grieve at his poverty; for the universal kingdom hath been revealed.

Let no one mourn that he hath fallen again and again; for forgiveness hath risen from the grave. Let no one fear death; for the Death of our Savior hath set us free. He hath destroyed it by enduring it. He spoiled Hades when he descended thereto. He vexed it even as it tasted of his flesh. Isaiah foretold this when he cired, "Thou, O Hades, hast been vexed by encountering Him below."

It is vexed; for it is even done away with.

It is vexed; for it is made a mockery.

It is vexed; for it is destroyed.

It is vexed; for it is annihilated.

It is vexed; for it is now made captive.

It took a body, and, lo! it discovered God.

It took earth, and, behold! it encountered Heaven.

It took what it saw, and was overcome by what it did not see.

O death, where is thy sting? O Hades, where is thy victory?

Christ is risen, and thou art annihilated.

Christ is risen, and the evil ones are cast down.

Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice.

Christ is risen, and life is liberated.

Christ is risen, and the tomb is emptied of the dead; for Christ, having risen from the dead, is become the first-fruits of those that have fallen asleep.

To Him be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.

A Good Friday video I forgot to post yesterday.

2011-04-23T13:53:00.000-04:00

Catholic & Homosexual

2011-04-04T00:59:00.000-04:00

A great video from Michael Voris and RealCatholicTV!

Netflix...

2011-04-03T00:48:00.000-04:00

...what a great site! I'm using it to catch up on shows I missed in the mid- to late nineties and early 00's. Currently I'm watching Babylon 5.

I love this show! Talk about wheels within wheels. The plots can be very complicated because a small thing in one episode in one season can become a much larger thing in another season. There are all kinds of twists. They're not afraid to get rid of characters you've grown to like. And it's marvelous storytelling. I'm in the middle of the fourth season and have found the romance between Captain Sheridan and Ambassador Delenn worthy of an epic story. Tho' it's years late for this: great job, writers of Babylon 5!

Holy See statement on "sexual orientation".

2011-04-02T23:52:00.001-04:00

This address was given by Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi to the United Nations. It is a must-read!

Zenit reports it here.

It begins very well!

"The Holy See takes this opportunity to affirm the inherent dignity and worth of all human beings, and to condemn all violence that is targeted against people because of their sexual feelings and thoughts, or sexual behaviors. "

Indeed, this cannot be said too often!

The first point of the address discusses the meaning of the phrase sexual orientation, and points out that sexual orientation refers to attractions and feelings, not behavior. The Notes section following the address proper gives places where secular organizations define sexual orientation in this way. I've provided direct links here:

The UK's Equality and Human Rights Commission, "What does sexual orientation mean?"

PDF file of ABC of Women Workers' Rights and Gender Equality, second edition, page 167.

PDF file of Amnesty International's Crimes of Hate, Conspiracy of Silence: Torture and Ill-Treatment Based on Sexual Identity, from the preface on page 4 (unmarked, so the fourth page scrolling down).

PDF file of Asia Pacific Forum's "ACJ Report: Human Rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity" (15th Annual Meeting, Bali, 3-5 August, 2010), page 8, discussed under "Terminology".

I was pleasantly surprised to see sexual orientation described this way by three respected and public organizations! We need more level-headed discussions of sexual orientation like this, discussions in which the subject is treated rationally instead of emotionally. A web site designed to help towards that goal is Bridges Across the Divide.

Archbishop Tomasi apparently includes homosexuality in the list of sexual behaviors the state can and should regulate:

"But states can, and must, regulate behaviors, including various sexual behaviors. Throughout the world, there is a consensus between societies that certain kinds of sexual behaviors must be forbidden by law. Pedophilia and incest are two examples."

I think on this point I disagree with the good archbishop and agree with C.S. Lewis, and hope the Church does, as well:

"I quite agree with you about Homosexuals: to make the thing criminal cures nothing and only creates a blackmailers' paradise. Anyway, what business is it of the State?" (From a letter Lewis wrote to Delmar Banner, dated 27 May 1960, and quoted in The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume 3: Narnia, Cambridge, and Joy, 1950 - 1963.)

Happy Feast of Saint Joseph!

2011-03-19T13:07:00.001-04:00

It's too late to do a novena in his honor for his feast day this year, but here's one you can do next year:

O glorious descendant of the kings of Judah, Inheritor of the virtues of all the patriarchs. Just and happy St. Joseph, listen to my prayer. Thou art my glorious protector, and shall ever be, after Jesus and Mary the object of my most profound veneration and confidence. Thou art the most hidden, though the greatest Saint, and art particularly the patron of those who serve God with the greatest purity and fervor. In union with all those who have ever been most devoted to thee I now dedicate myself to thy service; beseeching thee, for the sake of Jesus Christ, who vouchsafed to love and obey thee as a son, to become a father to me; and to obtain for me the filial respect, confidence and love of a child towards thee.

O powerful advocate of all Christians, whose intercession, as St. Theresa assures us, has never been found to fail, deign to intercede for me now, and to implore for me the particular intention of this Novena.

(Mention your intentions here)

Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be.

Present me O great Saint to the adorable Trinity, with Whom thou hadst so glorious and so intimate a correspondence. Obtain that I may never efface by sin the Sacred Image according to the likeness of which, I was created. Beg for me that my divine Redeemer would enkindle in my heart and in all hearts, the fire of His Love, and infuse therein the virtues of His adorable infancy, His purity, simplicity, obedience, and humility.

Obtain for me likewise a lively devotion to thy virgin spouse, and protect me so powerfully in life and death, that I may have the happiness of dying as thou didst, in the friendship of my Creator, and under the immediate protection of the Mother of God. Amen.

It is apparently the custom to begin this prayer on March 10 and end it on the 18th, the eve of his feast.

Shrines of Saint Joseph you can make a pilgrimage to:

Shrine of Saint Joseph in Santa Cruz, CA (cared for by the Oblates of Saint Joseph)

Shrine of Saint Joseph in St. Louis, MO

Shrine of Saint Joseph in Stirling, NJ

Shrine of Saint Joseph in Yarnell, AZ

Shrine of Saint Joseph in Farnborough, UK

Shrine of Saint Joseph in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Shrine of Saint Joseph in Grass Lake, MI

Shrine of Saint Joseph in Pontiac, MI (in St. Damien of Molokai parish)

I have pets!

2011-03-12T20:21:00.002-05:00

For years I've been without any, but now I own five of the best pets God ever invented: hermit crabs!

Right now they live in a ten gallon aquarium, but I hope to move them into a 55 gallon home by the end of May. Here's there current home:

It's not very pretty yet, but I'm going to get more colorful things for their crabitat. And some live plants. By the way, the five shells up front: that's them. No one wanted to have their picture taken! Here's a closer look:

I enjoy these little creatures, and hope to increase their numbers to about a dozen when I get the larger aquarium.

A Prayer for Animals
by Saint Francis of Assisi

God our Heavenly Father, You created the world to serve humanity's needs and to lead them to You. By our own fault we have lost the beautiful relationship which we once had with all your creation. Help us to see that by restoring our relationship with You we will also restore it with all Your creation. Give us the grace to see all animals as gifts from You and to treat them with respect for they are Your creation. We pray for all animals who are suffering as a result of our neglect. May the order You originally established be once again restored to the whole world through the intercession of the Glorious Virgin Mary, the prayers of Saint Francis and the merits of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with You now and forever. Amen.

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday...

2011-03-10T22:07:00.000-05:00

...so I'm a day late with this post.

From the Book of Common Prayer*

The First day of Lent,

Commonly called Ash-Wednesday.

The Collect.

Almighty and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that Thou hast made and dost forgive the sins of all them that are penitent; Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins, and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of Thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

*I forget which year the wording is from. (The 1928 BCP?)

The Orthodox Churches have many rich prayers.

2011-01-19T20:46:00.000-05:00

Here's part of the Akathist to St. Joseph the Betrothed (Jesus's foster-father):

O holy, righteous Joseph!
Whilst still living on earth, thou hadst great boldness before the Son of God, Who was pleased to call thee His father, as thou wast betrothed to His Mother, and to obey thee: we believe that now, taking up thine abode with the choirs of the righteous in heavenly habitations, thou wilt be heard in thine every request to our God and Saviour.

Therefore, taking refuge in thy protection and help, we ask and humbly entreat thee, that as thou thyself wast delivered from the storm of doubtful thoughts, so too deliver us who are beset by the stormy waves of our troubles and passions; as thou didst guard the all-pure Virgin from human slander, guard us likewise from all false witness; as thou didst keep the incarnate Lord from all harm and evil intent, keep also His Orthodox Church and all of us from all malice and harm.

Thou knowest, O Saint of God, that the Son of God too in the days of His incarnation had need of bodily things, and thou didst serve Him; for this cause we pray thee: aid us in our temporal needs by thine intercession, granting us all good things needful unto us in this life: and especially we ask thee to pray Him Who was called thy son, Who is the Only-begotten Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, to grant us remission of our sins, that we may be worthy of inheritance in the kingdom of heaven, so that, taking up our abode in the higher habitations with thee, we may alway glorify the God Who is One in the Holy Trinity: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and unto ages of ages.

Amen.

Let us add the further petition:

"St. Joseph, pray for the unity of the Church. May the Armenian, Catholic, Coptic, Oriental Orthodox, and Orthodox Churches share the accord we had in the beginning of the Church. By your intercession, grant us that unity of life for which Jesus prayed, the unity of truth as God knows the truth to be, and eternal life with each other in Your Presence. Amen."

The Young Turks tend to hold views with which I strongly disagree...

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...but this video is certainly worth seeing, both because of the hilarious reasoning of "minister" Cindy Jacobs and the spot-on humorous response of the Young Turks hosts.

I don't have a problem with Cindy Jacobs preaching that homosexual acts are sinful, but I do have a problem with the fact that she's using stupid logic (Beebe, AK + Governor Mike Beebe + former Governor-turned-President-introducing-"Don't ask, don't tell" + repeal of "Don't ask, don't tell" = God's message by dying birds!), and the fact that if there are any people attending this "church" who experience homosexual attractions, they are not going to feel welcomed to share what they probably think of as a burden with the "pastors" or other "church" members because of the way in which she spoke during this talk.

When I used to attend Fundamental and Evangelical "churches", I rarely heard positive statements about persons who experienced same-sex attractions (I think I can recall two occasions in 23 years in which I heard statements of God's love for homosexuals. Also on both occasions, Christians were encouraged to love gay friends and relatives, even in spite of whether or not the gay friends were committing homosexual acts). I heard many stupid, homophobic,* and condemning statements, however. As a result, I wouldn't acknowledge that part of myself for many years, and to this day struggle with shame because of it.

I wish more Christian leaders would think before they speak!

*I mean literally homophobic. For example, an evangelist who preached at the Fundamental Baptist "church" I grew up in stated that he was afraid to let an obviously gay flight steward touch him lest he catch something. Puh-lease!

Letting people be.

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Back in the day, I used to think if I was talking to people about God, I had to try really hard to get them to ask Jesus into their hearts as their personal Savior. I'm glad I've grown out of that! God knows where people are, and He works with them there.

And I used to think I had to have all the answers for anyone who asked a question about God, or the Bible, or why evil exists, etc. But I don't. And I don't have to. And I don't know nearly as much as I thought I did then, nor as much as I think I do now, anyway. And that's okay.

And I used to think that my faith should be invincible because true faith is invincible--nothing can cause it to waver or be destroyed. But that's not reality. It's what we pray and hope and reach for, but it's not where we're at. Not most of us.

And I used to believe that I had to be the perfect Christian, never letting other's know I was less than perfect, and certainly not letting them know I have faults of character and faults of virtue. I'm glad I've grown out of that, too! It's okay for people to know my faults and sins. Many, perhaps most, of them are obvious, anyway!

And sometimes I don't whether God exists at all, and sometimes I don't know why I believe in Him, and right now I can't answer those questions, although it may be it's that I just can't find Him, or maybe I don't want to find Him. It's not a comfortable place to be. And that's okay because uncomfortable places in our lives make us move out to places we're afraid to go. Or to places we never thought of going. And we ask questions we never asked before. And God, if He exists, won't leave us to ourselves, if we really don't want Him to. And He will find us, and He will answer us, even if we cannot articulate the answers or even the questions we were asking.

The Doubter's Prayer

By Anne Bronte (1820-1849)

Eternal Power, of earth and air!
Unseen, yet seen in all around,
Remote, but dwelling everywhere,
Though silent, heard in every sound;

If e'er thine ear in mercy bent,
When wretched mortals cried to Thee,
And if, indeed, Thy Son was sent,
To save lost sinners such as me:

Then hear me now, while kneeling here,
I lift to thee my heart and eye,
And all my soul ascends in prayer,
OH, GIVE ME--GIVE ME FAITH! I cry.

Without some glimmering in my heart,
I could not raise this fervent prayer;
But, oh! a stronger light impart,
And in Thy mercy fix it there.

While Faith is with me, I am blest;
It turns my darkest night to day;
But while I clasp it to my breast,
I often feel it slide away.

Then, cold and dark, my spirit sinks,
To see my light of life depart;
And every fiend of Hell, methinks,
Enjoys the anguish of my heart.

What shall I do, if all my love,
My hopes, my toil, are cast away,
And if there be no God above,
To hear and bless me when I pray?

If this be vain delusion all,
If death be an eternal sleep,
And none can hear my secret call,
Or see the silent tears I weep!

Oh, help me, God! For thou alone
Canst my distracted soul relieve;
Forsake it not: it is thine own,
Though weak, yet longing to believe.

Oh, drive these cruel doubts away;
And make me know, that Thou art God!
A faith, that shines by night and day,
Will lighten every earthly load.

If I believe that Jesus died,
And waking, rose to reign above;
Then surely Sorrow, Sin, and Pride,
Must yield to Peace, and Hope, and Love.

And all the blessed words He said
Will strength and holy joy impart:
A shield of safety o'er my head,
A spring of comfort in my heart.

Father John Harvey, the priest who founded Courage, passed away on December 27th.

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I love Father Harvey. He was a good man. I miss him. I've cried several times thinking about his death. He signed my Bible at the 2007 Courage Conference. (I'll never get rid of that Bible!)

At the Courage 2008 Conference, he and I had the following conversation:

Me: "Father Harvey. My name is Woodrow. I'm a member of Courage."

Father Harvey (FH): "I'm glad to meet you!"

Me: "Thank you for forming Courage. It has meant a lot to me."

FH: (I don't remember his response to that.)

Me: "Father Harvey, may I give you a hug?"

FH: "Of course you can!"

We embraced.

Me: "Father Harvey, you're probably going to get to Heaven long before I do. I don't ask you to remember my name here on Earth, but remember to pray for Woodrow when you get there."

FH: "I will! I will!"

Then we hugged again.

I trust he is indeed praying for me and for all of us Earth-bound sinners!

Let us pray for the repose of his soul.

"Eternal rest grant unto Father John Harvey, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed through Thy mercy, O God, rest in peace. Amen."

And now, good news and bad news.

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Egypt's Muslims attend Coptic Christmas mass, serving as "human shields"

H/t: Mark Shea.

God bless these Muslims! May their example shine throughout the world and show terrorists the wrongs of terrorism!

Prayers for Egypt: New Years Massacre at Coptic Church

H/t: Just a Dude.

Let us pray:

A Prayer for Persecuted Christians

Thank You, O Lord, for redeeming us from the hand of the adversary and gathering us from the far corners of the earth. We bow before You now, asking that You have mercy on Your people who are persecuted and afflicted around the world – those who have heeded the call of Jesus to take up their Cross daily and follow Him. Their path has been difficult, full of trials and hardships. Yet they refuse to deny their Lord. As they partake of the sufferings of Christ, we know they are also partaking of the comfort You provide. Please work out Your will in their lives. Stand by them and strengthen them as You did Paul, so they can earnestly say, “Your will be done.”

We have read of the rescue of Peter from prison and know that You can turn the heart of any government official, including those with authority to release Your people from prison. Father, You rescued Peter in response to the prayers of the Church. We now ask You to do the same for Your disciples everywhere who have been imprisoned because they preach Christ. Deliver Your messengers from the hands of the executioners so that through them, Your message will be fully proclaimed to every people group on earth.

We have also read of Your servant, Stephen, who was stoned to death. We know that many others since that day have been executed because they would not deny their faith. For those in our generation who will suffer this same fate, we ask, Lord, that You will strengthen their faith so they can say with Paul, “To die is gain.” Expand their vision, O God, so that they see what Stephen saw: Jesus standing at Your right hand. Let those of us who now pray to You follow the lead of Your persecuted ones, pick up our Crosses daily, and follow Your Son, in Whose precious name we pray. Amen.

It's been awhile...

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...so let me catch up.

Merry Christmas!

The Nativity Story, from Luke chapter 2 (KJV):

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, everyone into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee,out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with Child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people! For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace good will toward men!"

Happy...

Feast of St. Stephen! (December 26, Latin calendar)

and Feast of St. Joseph the Betrothed! (December 26, Eastern calendar)

Happy Feast of the Holy Family!

Happy...

Solemnity of Mary Theotokos!

and New Year!

Happy Feast of the Epiphany!

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

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Performed by the Urbana 2000 Worship Team.

The Exodus International blog...

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...has an entry by Randy Thomas about the suicides.

I don't know if I like or dislike Exodus. They're not the evil that many homo-activists make them out to be, but Exodus does seem, like many evangelicals, to view chaste homosexuals as something of a menace. I like Randy, however, and don't believe he views chaste homosexuals that way.

UPDATE: The Sheepcat left me a comment on Facebook linking to this article! We must read the same sites! (His full comment added to my original post on this issue here.)

A Prayer for Terrorists.

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From EWTN.

H/t: Esther/A Catholic Mom in Hawaii

I've been wanting to say something about the recent spate of gay teens committing suicide...

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...especially regarding the reactions and what should be the reactions of those identifying themselves as Evangelicals. As usually happens with me, I found someone who said it better than I ever could have.

When Teen Suicide is a Mainstream Medium

H/t: ...as were some of you...

UPDATE: I also posted this on Facebook where the Ever-vigilant Sheepcat comments:

Woodrow, I like the italicized paragraph, which I imagine is what you agree with.

However, with respect, I think Marin (whose book attempts to justify gay sex) is setting himself up pretty disingenuously as a middle ground. I find his reading of Mohler tendentious. I don't see passing of the buck on Mohler's part. "Even long before [the Tylers and Ashers] may hear or respond to the gospel, they need to know that they are loved and cherished for who they are. They need to know that we stand between them and those who would harm them." That seems to me a pretty good statement.

And I thought Randy Thomas did well here too.http://blog.exodusinternational.org/2010/10/06/follow-up-reactions-to-tyler-clementi-and-the-september-suicides/

My thanks to Alan for the caution about Marin! My reply:

Alan, thanks for the info. on Marin. I placed too much trust in crosswalk.com, and didn't scrutinize him. However, I distrust Mohler and conservative Evangelicals generally to really speak against unjust discrimination against persons with SSA. I am reminded of the time when a few years ago the Southern Baptist Convention absolutely refused to speak out against the bullying of homosexuals*, presumably because they were afraid it would legitimize a sexually immoral lifestyle. Yeah, *now* Mohler is speaking out about the issue. What was he saying two, five, ten years ago? Nothing, as far as I can tell.

*The SBC would not say that gay-bashing was wrong, only that bashing anyone is wrong. I cannot document this because it was told me in a private conversation by a person who was a delegate to the SBC National Convention that year. (If anyone is interested, I will try to put you in contact with him in order to verify the accuracy of this claim.)

One of my great loves is world music.

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Not that I have much time to put into it.

Indeed, I have only just discovered, quite by accident, that there is an official 2010 FIFA song. I also like techno/dance/electronic music, so, for your listening and viewing pleasure, I present to you Shakira's official 2010 FIFA video and a re-make that's more dance-y (you should watch them both in the highest definition):

If you are a woman in the Atlanta area who is looking for a Courage group...

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...check out the Atlanta Women of Courage web site!

Information on Courage is here, and contact info for the Atlanta Women's group is here.

Courage is a Catholic apostolate (evangelicals would use the word "ministry"), but it is open to non-Catholics who are striving to live chaste lives while dealing with same-sex attractions.

It has been a great help to me and to some of my friends (the Catholic SSA ones, of course).

Living with SSA.

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It can be quite a challenge! I find myself in a back and forth between despair and hope. That is sometimes I despair that I'll never learn how to be chaste, that my sexual desires will rule me my entire life, that I'll always put myself in temptation's way, that I'll always use the fact that our entire culture is over-sexualized as an excuse to not take responsibility for my behaviors. Other times I have an exceeding great hope in God's infinite mercy, in His trustworthiness to give me every grace I need to overcome my unchastity, in the helps He gives me through Courage and Courage Online and similar support groups, and in the great priests, family, and friends He's blessed my life with.

For much of this year I've been away from the sacraments and Mass (and have kept up the appearance of it, even to the point of lying to inquirers), but have returned to them in the last month. I can see how much ground I've lost in my battles by not making use of the sacraments: lust is a habit, masturbation is now a more severe compulsion, telling the truth about my attitudes and behaviors is a more difficult thing to do. I know I have grieved the Holy Spirit. My spirit is grieved, too.

I have been to Confession four times in the last month, and I'm grateful for it. I went today. It makes a difference. I'm looking forward to the aggregate of sacramental grace I will receive from it and from the Mass through my frequent reception of them both. Today I also received the added graces of the Anointing of the Sick because, in addition to the spiritual sickness and weakness I experience, I have some physical problems, too: dystonia of the wrist, restless leg syndrome, a prostrate infection, and HPV. Part of the rite consists of praying for those who are sick in nursing homes, hospitals, and other care centers, and also for their caregivers. One thing that made that part particularly meaningful for me is that, because of my work, I was able to picture specific patients and nurses to pray for.

May God, in His infinite mercy and kindness grant me healing, especially healing of the spirit, and grant it to all who are in need of it!

The Anchoress has a great post about Confession.

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Read the entire thing here.

If you were to ask me my favorite sacrament, it would be a tie between Confession and the Eucharist!

Quoting the Anchoress's quote of David Mill's Inside Catholic article:

. . . we need to recover the use of the word “confession,” while quietly dropping “the sacrament of reconciliation.” We need to hear the blunt word, because, before everything else, we want to say, “I did this and I’m really sorry.” That’s the appeal of confession, the chance to get it all out in the open. To emphasize the result is a bit like renaming the emergency room the “healing center.” It’s true, but not as helpful or as encouraging as you’d think, particularly when you really have an emergency.

Christopher Hitchens discusses prayer in a recent article.

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Update, 9/5/10:
A great article about this situation (much better than mine which is just random thoughts that occurred to me during my reading of "Unanswerable Prayers") from Wesley J. Smith at First Things's Secondhand Smoke blog. I completely agree with this: "But I also think that to force prayers on an atheist is to not support the person as he or she is, but to be prideful, by using the ill person’s illness to make oneself feel virtuous. If one wishes to pray for such a person, by all means do, but in the closet. If God is there, he will hear the prayer."

Continuing my post:
Perhaps it would be better to say that he discusses people who are praying for him and their reasons for doing so. [Article here.]

I'm one of those people, although I'm not one of the many who have written or e-mailed him to inform him of that fact. So many people have such odd ideas about prayer. Despite the fact that I've been a Christian for 32 years now ("Saved at the age of four!" as the Baptists would say), I certainly don't think I know everything there is to know about prayer. It is a mystery. I hope I know enough to keep from making some of the mistakes reflected by people in Hitchens's article.

Not technically a prayer (posted on a presumably Christian web site:

"Who else feels Christopher Hitchens getting terminal throat cancer [sic] was God’s revenge for him using his voice to blaspheme him?"

Well, I don't. And I'm ashamed of you for doing so!

The post continues:

"Atheists like to ignore FACTS. They like to act like everything is a “coincidence”. Really? It’s just a “coincidence” [that] out of any part of his body, Christopher Hitchens got cancer in the one part of his body he used for blasphemy? Yea, keep believing that Atheists. He’s going to writhe in agony and pain and wither away to nothing and then die a horrible agonizing death, and THEN comes the real fun, when he’s sent to HELLFIRE forever to be tortured and set afire."

What is wrong with this idiot? Rejoicing in someone's (potential) eternal damnation? Somehow I missed that in the Gospels. Let us pray for that particular poster to have a change of heart, lest he/she "likewise perish".

Hitchens asks, "… would this anonymous author want his views to be read by my unoffending children, who are also being given a hard time in their way, and by the same god?"

Unfortunately, I can think of several people, all of whom, interestingly, are Fundamentalist Christians, who would indeed want his children to read that post because it might warn them of their presumable fate. I used to be one of them. Thankfully, because of God's grace, I know better now. Let us pray that Christians who hold this or similar views will repent, lest they "all likewise perish".

Hitchens writes: "Almost all men get cancer of the prostate if they live long enough: it’s an undignified thing but quite evenly distributed among saints and sinners, believers and unbelievers. If you maintain that god awards the appropriate cancers, you must also account for the numbers of infants who contract leukemia. Devout persons have died young and in pain. Bertrand Russell and Voltaire, by contrast, remained spry until the end, as many psychopathic criminals and tyrants have also done. These visitations, then, seem awfully random."

Indeed, who can know the mind of God? I wish some Christians would stop behaving as though they do. God allows good and bad things to happen to everyone. Let us pray for the grace to accept and endure the hardships that we either are experiencing or that we will experience.

"As with many of the Catholics who essentially pray for me to see the light as much as to get better, they were very honest. Salvation was the main point. 'We are, to be sure, concerned for your health, too, but that is a very secondary consideration. "For what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his own soul?" [Matthew 16:26.]' That was Larry Taunton. Pastor Wilson responded that when he heard the news he prayed for three things: that I would fight off the disease, that I would make myself right with eternity, and that the process would bring the two of us back into contact. He couldn’t resist adding rather puckishly that the third prayer had already been answered…"

Let us indeed pray for the healing and conversion of Christopher Hitchens, but let us not make the mistake of thinking "If Hitchens becomes a Christian, just think of all the atheists who will have to reexamine their beliefs and become Christians, too!" Very often, God does great works for the hidden sanctification of individual souls. We tend to think that a grand, public witness does great good for God's kingdom, but I think many of our attempts do great harm (televangelism, for example). The early Christians were known for their charity and their chastity. In America, Christians are known for being against abortion and against "gay rights". Perhaps the primary reason we're "losing the culture war" is that we are no longer known for our charity? How often do we talk about "loving the sinner and hating the sin" while demonstrating hate for the sin and no compassion for the sinner? I'm just as guilty. Let us pray that we all may grow in the virtues, lest we "all likewise perish."

This blog is becoming a repository of prayers, I think.

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Here are some more of them which I've been using quite often, of late. These are great prayers, and I'm glad I found them because I am a grievous sinner who needs God's grace every moment. When I was still an Evangelical, I was good at extemporaneous prayer, but no longer am. These prayers, however, are teaching me to pray again. I hope other people find them beneficial, too.

A Prayer for Others

Traditional Old English

Extend from on high, O Lord, the saving strength of Thy right hand to all Thy faithful people, to Bishops, Abbots, Canons, Monks, Kings, and Rulers ; to my kindred, and to all who have commended themselves to my prayers, or who have assisted me. By Thy help may they seek after Thee with all their strength, and obtain what they worthily desire. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Thy Son, who livest and reignest with Thee and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen.

A Prayer Against Evil Thoughts

Traditional Old English

O Almighty and most loving God, mercifully regard my prayer and free my heart from the temptation of evil thoughts, so that I may become the worthy dwelling-place of Thy Holy Spirit. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who livest and reignest with Thee and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen.

A Prayer to Saint Joseph the Worker

Pope Saint Pius X

Glorious Saint Joseph, model of all who are devoted to labor, obtain for me the grace to work in the spirit of penance in expiation of my many sins; to work conscientiously by placing love of duty above my inclinations; to gratefully and joyously deem it an honor to employ and to develop by labor the gifts I have received from God; to work methodically, peacefully, and in moderation and patience, without ever shrinking from it through weariness or difficulty to work; above all, with purity of intention and unselfishness, having unceasingly before my eyes death and the account I have to render to God of time lost, talents unused, good not done, and vain complacency in success, so baneful to the work of God. All for Jesus, all for Mary, all to imitate thee, O patriarch Saint Joseph! This shall be my motto for life and eternity.

A Prayer for Grace

Traditional Old English

In Thy loving kindness incline Thine ears to our supplications, we pray Thee, O Lord. Do Thou, who art mindful of the prayers of those who seek Thee in secret, hear us in Thy mercy, so that by Thy help we may attain to eternal life. Amen.

A Prayer of Thanksgiving

Traditional Old English

To Thee, my merciful God, do I offer my praise and thanks, who hast deigned to bring me to a knowledge of Thyself, and to admit me by the cleansing waters of holy baptism into the ranks of Thy adopted sons.

To Thee do I offer my praise and my thanks, who, in the inexhaustible patience of Thy mercy, hast waited from the earliest years of my youth unto this very hour, that I, who have swerved from Thy paths by my many vices, may amend my life.

I praise Thee and glorify Thee for that Thou hast oftentimes shielded me from calamity and misery by the right hand of Thy power, and hast saved me from eternal punishment and from the pains of this mortal body.

I praise and glorify Thee because Thou hast often helped me in much tribulation, in frequent dangers of death, and in deserved trouble.

I praise and glorify Thee because Thou hast deigned to bestow on me health of body, peace of life, with the love, affection, and charity of Thy faithful servants, and because whatsoever there be in me is the gift of Thy loving kindness. Amen.

*I added the phrase "to God" at this point.

A New Testament saint whom I've just learned more about.

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Saint Photini.

Prayer to Saint Photini:

Illuminated by the Holy Spirit, All-Glorious One,
from Christ the Saviour you drank the water of salvation.
With open hand you give it to those who thirst.
Great-Martyr Photini, Equal-to-the-Apostles,
pray to Christ for the salvation of our souls.

One of my favorite bloggers is back!

2010-06-13T15:12:00.002-04:00

Disputed Mutability is back with a powerful post, sharing her experiences of being bullied because of her sexual orientation.

Her blog is great because what she writes often causes me to re-think some of my attitudes and opinions. Before reading this post and the comments, I did not support the Day of Silence. I did not support the Day of Truth, either,* but liked the idea of the the Golden Rule Pledge. Indeed, in the future I will instruct my nieces and nephews to observe the Day of Silence in solidarity with those trying to end the bullying of those with homosexual orientations and to give out the Golden Rule Pledge card.

Now, having said all that, my experiences in school were different in that, while I was bullied, it wasn't because of sexual orientation, but just because the one bully at my elementary school was simply a little thug! He was mostly a problem in the 4th and 5th grades. I went to a new school in 6th grade, and yet another when that school closed down after I graduated 10th grade. The first two schools were Fundamental Baptist schools, while the third was an evangelical school with a fundamentalist twist. I was never bullied because I would never admit to my sexual orientation. This was because homosexuality was always presented to my churchmates, classmates, and me as the most disgusting sin ever! According to the teaching on homosexuality I received, I was gay because I chose to be gay! Although I could not ever remember making this choice, I believed it was true because the people whom I trusted to teach me God's truth were teaching this view of homosexuality to me as God's truth. Since I loved God and yet had a homosexual orientation, I decided not to admit my same-sex attractions to myself. I buried them as best I could, and "bullied" myself in that I loathed myself and felt worthless. I'm learning how to accept myself, but it's rough going! I enjoy reading Disputed Mutability, Dreadnought, Eve Tushnet, and Adventures of a Christian Collegian because they seem to have done quite well at accepting themselves. I learn much from them. Check out their blogs.

Here's my testimony as I gave it to the priests and seminarians of the Diocese of Lansing (I'm working on updating it):

The Realities of Same-Sex Attraction Conference.

Here's the "official" prayer of Courage (corrected for spelling and punctuation) as found on the Courage web site.

Heavenly Father, You sent us Your Son, Jesus. He died for our sins and rose from the dead demonstrating Your immense love for us. You also gave us Your mother Mary to be our mother. Thank You Father for Your love.

Lord, convince us of Your deep love for us, and help us to see the ways that we distance ourselves from You. Guide us towards making amends for these actions. Help us to love You more.

Father, we implore you to bless the Courage Apostolate. Grant them Your protection and guidance. Help them in their ministry to bring Your love, fellowship and direction to those experiencing same-sex attractions.

Please increase the numbers of those willing to bring this important message to those in need, and give them the courage and graces necessary to do so. Lord, so much work has yet to be done in this area. I commit to (express your commitment) for this intention.

Amen.

*I was unaware that it's toned down as of this year. That's good to see!

I bought a book about saints, back in December.

2010-06-12T14:38:00.000-04:00

It was on the clearance rack at Barnes and Noble. Occassionally, I'll pick it up and thumb through it. One day I might read through it, but not yet.

I was thumbing through it today, and came across what might be one of the reasons it was consigned to the clearance rack. In a section on the stigmata, it lists Blessed Lucy of Narnia as a stigmatist! I think the author meant Blessed Lucia of Narni. How funny!

If you're interested in the book, you can buy it at Amazon:

The Illustrated World Encyclopedia of Saints.

Blessed Lucia of Narni, pray for us!

A Prayer for Trinity Sunday

2010-05-28T22:40:00.000-04:00

Collect for Trinity Sunday from the Anglican Use Book of Hours.

Almighty and everlasting God, who hast given unto us Thy servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of Thy Divine Majesty to worship the Unity: We beseech Thee that Thou wouldst keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see Thee in Thy one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A Prayer for Pentecost

2010-05-23T03:40:00.002-04:00

Send Your Spirit
Father of light,
from whom every good gift comes,
send Your Spirit into our lives with the power of a mighty wind,
and by the flame of Your wisdom
open the horizons of our minds.
Loosen our tongues to sing Your praise
in words beyond the power of speech,
for without Your Spirit
man could never raise his voice in words of peace
or announce the truth that Jesus is Lord,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

Some prayers to pray before reading the Holy Scriptures

2010-05-23T02:29:00.008-04:00

From our Orthodox brethren:

Illumine our hearts, O Master who lovest mankind, with the pure light of Thy divine knowledge. Open the eyes of our mind to the understanding of Thy gospel teachings. Implant also in us the fear of Thy blessed commandments, that trampling down all carnal desires, we may enter upon a spiritual manner of living, both thinking and doing such things as are well-pleasing unto Thee. For Thou art the illumination of our souls and bodies, O Christ our God, and unto Thee we ascribe glory, together with Thy Father, who is from everlasting, and Thine all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

From The Catechism, or Christian Doctrine, by Way of Question and Answer

O Lord, through Thy great mercy, teach me all that is necessary for knowing Thee, for loving Thee, and for doing Thy holy will. Amen.

The collect for the Second Sunday of Advent from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer

Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of Thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which Thou hast given us in our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Long Live Pope Benedict XVI!

2010-05-13T23:00:00.005-04:00

On April 11th, the Knights of Columbus began a novena for Pope Benedict XVI* in honor of the fifth anniversary of his election. While the novena officially ended on April 19th, I'd like to suggest that we take it up again and make it a perpetual novena.

Novena for Pope Benedict XVI

Lord, Source of eternal life and truth,

give to Your shepherd, Benedict,

a spirit of courage and right judgment,

a spirit of knowledge and love.

By governing with fidelity those entrusted to his care,

may he, as successor to the Apostle Peter and Vicar of Christ,

build Your Church into a sacrament of unity, love, and peace for all the world.

Amen.

V. Let us pray for Benedict, the Pope.

R. May the Lord preserve him, give him a long life, make him blessed upon the earth, and not hand him over to the power of his enemies.

V. May Your hand be upon Your holy servant,

R. and upon Your son, whom You have anointed.

Our Father...

Hail, Mary...

Glory Be...

*PDF warning.

The Feast of St. Joseph the Worker

2010-05-01T13:41:00.008-04:00

I like this picture of Joseph: he doesn't look cherubic!

Ad te beate, Ioseph

by Pope Saint Leo XIII

To thee, O blessed Joseph, do we have recourse in our tribulation, and having implored the help of thy thrice holy Spouse, we confidently invoke thy patronage also. By that charity wherewith thou wast united to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God, and by that fatherly affection with which thou didst embrace the Child Jesus, we beseech thee and we humbly pray, that thou wouldst look graciously upon the inheritance which Jesus Christ hath purchased by His Blood, and assist us in our needs by thy power and strength.

Most watchful Guardian of the Holy Family, protect the chosen people of Jesus Christ; keep far from us, most loving father, all blight of error and corruption: mercifully assist us from heaven, most mighty defender, in this our conflict with the powers of darkness; and, even as of old thou didst rescue the Child Jesus from the supreme peril of his life, so now defend God's Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity; keep us one and all under thy continual protection, that we may be supported by thine example and thine assistance, may be enabled to lead a holy life, die a happy death and come at last to the possession of everlasting blessedness in heaven. Amen.

The Collect from the Mass of Saint Joseph the Worker

God our Father,

Creator and Ruler of the universe,

in every age You call man

to develop and use his gifts for the good of others.

With Saint Joseph as our example and guide,

help us to do the work You have asked

and come to the rewards you have promised.

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.

A Prayer to Saint Joseph by Pope Pius IX

Glorious Saint Joseph, model of all who are devoted to labor, obtain for me the grace to work in the spirit of penance in expiation of my many sins; to work conscientiously by placing love of duty above my inclinations; to gratefully and joyously deem it an honor to employ and to develop by labor the gifts I have received from God; to work methodically, peacefully, and in moderation and patience, without ever shrinking from it through weariness or difficulty to work; above all, with purity of intention and unselfishness, having unceasingly before my eyes death and the account I have to render of time lost, talents unused, good not done, and vain complacency in success, so baneful to the work of God. All for Jesus, all for Mary, all to imitate thee, O patriarch Saint Joseph! This shall be my motto for life and eternity.

After a long hiatus...

2010-04-11T16:07:00.003-04:00

...a new blog posting.

A quote I found years ago (in June of '97, to be exact).

"The goal of the Christian is not to please himself but to please his Lord. He does not wish to settle for that which is least harmful, but to reach for that which is highest and best. He is not seeking to avoid punishment but to bring joy to his Heavenly Father. He is not testing himself to see how much darkness he can stand, but striving to see how near he can get to the light.

"His is not a negative obedience demanded of him, but a positive eagerness to please God in every possible way."

Robertson McQuilken, An Introduction to Biblical Ethics, pg. 499

(I believe this is from the first edition of the book.)

I hardly ever post anymore...

2010-01-09T16:07:00.002-05:00

...and when I finally do so again, it's another book meme!

1) What author do you own the most books by?

Agatha Christie

2) What book do you own the most copies of?

In addition to the 12 versions of the Bible and one copy each of a Haitian Creole New Testament and and English/Arabic New Testament I own, the following 5 books are tied at two copies each: 1) Catholic Catechism on Consecrated Life, 2) The Brown Scapular of Carmel, 3) If by Amy Carmichael, 4) The Intellectual Life: Its Spirit, Conditions, Methods, and 5) Breaking Free: 12 Steps to Sexual Purity for Men.

3) Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?

Not in the slightest.

4) What fictional character are you secretly in love with?

Edmund Bertram in Mansfield Park and Dicken in The Secret Garden.

5) What book have you read the most times in your life?

Individual book of the Bible: Genesis, which I've read at least 12 times; non-biblical book: The Mysterious Affair at Styles which I've read at least 8 times.

6) What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?

I don't know which individual book it was, but I loved the Happy Hollisters series.

7) What is the worst book you’ve read in the past year?

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 10. It's a collection of short stories. Some were good.

8)What is the best book you’ve read in the past year?

The Habit of Being: The Letters of Flannery O'Connor. I will probably read this book once a year, every year.

9) If you could force everyone you know to read one book, what would it be?

Hmmm. There are so many good ones to choose from (not including the Bible): Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie, the above-mentioned The Habit of Being, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Eternity in Their Hearts by Don Richardson, Phantastes by George MacDonald, An Introduction to the Devout Life by Saint Frances de Sales, Amy Tan's The Hundred Secret Senses, A Student's Guide to Liberal Learning by Father James V. Schall, and many more. I wouldn't know how to choose!

10) Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for Literature?

Haven't the foggiest.

11) What book would you most like to see made into a movie?

Asimov's Foundation series. It would have to be a TV series, though, because it's too big to be a movie.

12) What book would you least like to see made into a movie?

Everybody Poops.

13) Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character.

Don't know that I've had one.

14) What is the most lowbrow book you’ve read as an adult?

Green Eggs and Ham and James Howe's Bunnicula series.

15) What is the most difficult book you’ve ever read?

Difficult as in hard to understand would be Epiphany: A Theological Introduction to Catholicism. It uses words my 1900 page dictionary cannot define. I have set it aside until I get either a better education or a better dictionary (preferably both).

Difficult as in emotional is Mysterious Skin.

16) What is the most obscure Shakespeare play you’ve seen?

Alas! I've never seen one! The closest I've come is Dickens A Christmas Carol put on at the Bonstelle at Wayne State.

17) Do you prefer the French or the Russians?

Haven't read the Russians at all, and the only French I've gotten to is Madame Bovary.

18) Roth or Updike?

Haven't read either.

19) David Sedaris or Dave Eggers?

Haven't read Eggers, but love Sedaris!

20) Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?

Once more, haven't read them. I just started working on the classics.

21) Austen or Eliot?

Austen!

22) What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?

I haven’t read a lot of the classics.

23) What is your favorite novel?

Pride and Prejudice.

24) Play?

Don't have one.

25) Poem?

Either Poe's "The Raven" or Carroll's "Jabberwocky".

26) Essay?

"Christians and Conspiracy Theories: A Call to Repentance."

27) Short story?

Don't have one.

28) Work of nonfiction?

A Student's Guide to Liberal Learning by Father James V. Schall.

29) Who is your favorite writer?

How about favorite authors? C.S. Lewis, Amy Tan, Agatha Christie, Jane Austen, Isaac Asimov, Flannery O'Connor, P.G. Wodehouse, and more.

30) Who is the most overrated writer alive today?

Don't know.

31) What is your desert island book?

How to Survive on a Desert Island while You're Working on Your Escape from Said Island.

32) And… what are you reading right now?

1) The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2) Mariannehill and Its Apostolate, 3) Memorize the Faith (and Almost Everything Else) by Kevin Vost, 4) the Gospel of Matthew, 5) the book Daniel (the biblical prophet), 6) The Divine Office for Dodos: A Step-by-Step Guide to Praying the Liturgy of the Hours by Madeline Pecora Nugent, 7) The Orthodox Church by Kallistos Ware, 8) the book of Psalms, 9) The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis, 10) The Complete Rosary by William G. Storey, 11) The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden, 12) the book of Proverbs, 13) David Copperfield, 14) The Path to Rome by Hilaire Belloc, 15) the book of Sirach, 16) Why Catholic Bibles are Bigger: The Untold Story of the Lost Books of the Protestant Bible by Gary G. Michuta, 17) The Search for Christian America by Mark A. Noll, Nathan O. Hatch, and George M. Marsden, 18) The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A.J. Jacobs, 19) The Question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud Debate God, Love, Sex, and the Meaning of Life by Armand Nicholi, Jr., and 20) Tom Brown's Body by Gladys Mitchell.

In honor of the Feast of All Saints:

2009-11-01T13:52:00.003-05:00

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.
(bow) Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; (end bow)
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.

Collects

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.

I haven't been very active with this blog for a while...

2009-10-28T22:56:00.007-04:00

...and have considered taking it down, but don't really want to, in large part because of some great friends I've made here.

Recently, I've been intensely struggling (and failing) with the chastity issue. I won't provide details, but lately I've been in grave sin a lot!

Today, I got a great encourgaement from Louise of Purcell's Chicken Voluntary. Earlier, she posted the following simple comment on the previous post: "Saying a prayer for you, Woodrow."

What a blessing to have met good people like her to pray at just the right times!

Thank you, Louise!

Yes, Virginia, there is...

2009-08-19T21:46:00.004-04:00

...still a blogger at this site. One, however, who stays too busy to post very often!

I break my fast of posts with a link to a much better resource than my own humble* blog: Eve Tushnet's latest at Inside Catholic.

************************************************************************************
The rest of this post doesn't really have anything to do with the above link.
************************************************************************************

One of the main reason's I started this blog was to publicly "talk through" what it means to be "gay" and Catholic. Much to my regret, I've never really used that blog for that purpose, however, partly because I didn't want to be too open about my thoughts and struggles as I learn how to deal with my same-sex attraction. As I've been sharing my story with other people, I've realized how powerful it can be to admit publicly, my sins, my need for accountability, the things that have helped me achieve the small victories I've won, etc.

I've also realized that my public speaking engagements, as well as the things I share with friends on Facebook, necessitate that I tell my family my full story. So far, they know only small parts of it. It's unthinkable that one of my Facebook friends should mention something about my unfortunately-not-yet-non-existant sex life to my parents and sisters who still believe I'm a virgin. Thry deserve to hear the truth from me, not from somebody who has heard me speak!

Perhaps, gentle readers, you will be so kind as to pray for the following:

1) that God will give me the courage to speak soon to my parents and siblings about this hidden (from them) part of my life;

2) that God will give me the grace to know what to say, how to say it, and that He will enable me to say it well, with charity^, grace, and humility;

3) that God will prepare their hearts to hear this shameful news that I have to tell them;

4) that somehow we will grow closer as a family, and that we will grow close as a Christian** family as a result of my openness with them.

*Humble, not as in the virtue of humility, but as in Merriam Webster's third definition of the word.

^I ask for charity because when I first outed myself to them, I didn't think about their feelings; my only concern was to unburden myself!

**We are all professing Christians, but some in my immediate family have separated themselves as far as they are able from all that would do them good. Pray for us!

The priest(s) over at...

2009-06-28T21:56:00.004-04:00

...Adam's Ale have a series explaining the Mass!

Here are thelinks to the first eight parts:

Mass Confusion Part One

Mass Confusion Part Two

Mass Confusion Part Three

Mass Confusion Part Four

Mass Confusion Part Five

Mass Confusion Part Six

Mass Confusion Part Seven

Mass Confusion Part Eight

Way cool!

"Gay rights advocates outraged..."*

2009-06-25T16:47:00.004-04:00

Read the story, by the Associated Press, here.

The church** that performed this "exorcism" is just silly (a not uncommon phenomenon in Pentecostal and Protestant-Charismatic circles). So is the fact that the "pastor" (or, at least, the article states the "pastor") "denied the ritual was an exorcism, describing it instead as a casting out of spirits."

One wonders what she thinks the difference is between an exorcism and a "casting out of spirits."

Whether there was any real abuse involved I don't know, but it seems extremely unlikely. My guess is that the gay rights groups are upset because this group looks on homosexuality as--gasp!-- an abnormal condition.

And watch out for those evil priests who go around throwing holy water on inanimate objects!

Oy vey!

And for the record, I regret that here is yet another example of a Christian group misunderstanding the nature of, causes of, and correct means of healing of homosexual attractions.

*A direct quote of Dara Brown on msnbc.com.

**I use "church" here in a loose sense. The appropriate term is "ecclesial community", if I'm not mistaken.

Vatican set to investigate "Miracle Man" in Kansas.

2009-06-25T00:41:00.004-04:00

Read about it at---

The Wichita Eagle.

The story is good, the comments not-so-much.

One commentor states:

"As a military person I am offended that people are using Father Kapaun's name in such a way. The man was a soldier doing his job, and I am sure if he was alive he would be saying the same thing. While I agree that he may deserve a Medal of Honor, sainthood is another story. Just because the church has people praying in his name does not mean that the spirit of the father saved Chase Kear. It means that they prayed, God heard and he answered. After all are you praying to father Kapaun or God? The man died serving his country, honor him if you want, but let the mans soul rest."

The last line is what caught my attention: "The man died serving his country, honor him if you want, but let the mans soul rest."

I take it this person is of the Protestant persuasion. Granted, in spite of the fact that I was too for about 30 years, I don't know everything about what all the Protestant sects teach regarding the soul after death, but I've never before encountered a Protestant who believed we can disturb the soul of a person who is in Glory. Strange.

Thanks be to God for Chase Kear's recovery.

Eternal rest grant unto Bob Frederick*, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. May his soul, and the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

And may all who have a hard time believing in God because of evil in the world, find Him in spite of the evil.*

*Both of these were mentioned in a comment given by "anonymousposter" on 6/24/2009 at 11:31:56pm.

A prayer for the Pope

2009-06-24T03:10:00.002-04:00

O God, the Shepherd and Ruler of all the faithful, look propitiously upon Thy servant, Benedict XVI, whom Thou hast been pleased to constitute pastor over Thy Church; grant him, we beseech Thee, that he may govern with advantage those over whom he presides, in word and example, that, together with the flock entrusted to him, he may come to life everlasting. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Our Lady of the Rosary

2009-06-24T02:39:00.003-04:00

Our Lady of the Rosary by Edith R. Wilson

Our Lady of the Rosary,
I seem to see her stand,
With prayerful eyes to Jesus raised,
Her chaplet in her hand.

Dear Lady of the Rosary,
How bright the vision grows!
How fair around thy virgin brow
The starry radiance glows.

Christ's sweet Evangelist art thou,
Bright harbinger of dawn;
The blessed day star from on high,
Fore heralding the morn.

When to the chaplet of thy joys
We make our glad replies,
We tell the tale of Jesus' life
As seen through Mary's eyes.

When in the dolors of our Lord
We bear our chastened part,
We see the glitter of the sword
Which pierced our Lady's heart.

But in the Glorious Mysteries,
His praises, with thine own,
Unite to form a path of light
Up to the Father's throne.

Our Lady leads us to our Lord
By gentle ways and tender,
Weaving of Jesus' Mysteries
A crown of woundrous splendor

The first bright link, the Angel laid
Upon our Lady's breast;
The last, is bound to Jesus' throne,
Where Mary found her rest.

And so we tell her chaplet o'er,
Passing from gem to gem,
Until there flashes on our sight
Faith's mystic diadem.

Iran...

2009-06-23T13:09:00.002-04:00

...Let us pray for the people of that nation.

Let us pray for peace.

Let us pray that the Iranians will have a government that respects human dignity and seeks what is truly good for the people.

Let us pray for the Christians in that nation to somehow exert a peaceful influence well beyond their small numbers.

Let us pray that the Iranian Muslims, Jews, Baha'is, nominal Christians, etc. will be open, because of their current circumstances, to the true peace that comes only from the Gospel.

Let us pray for our home nations and for Iran:

V. Show us Thy mercy, O Lord;
R. And grant us Thy salvation.
V. Endue Thy ministers with righteousness;
R. And make Thy chosen people joyful.
V. Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
R. For only in Thee can we live in safety.
V. Lord, keep this nation under Thy care;
R. And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
V. Let Thy way be known upon the earth;
R. Thy saving health among all nations.
V. Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
R. Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
V. Create in us clean hearts, O God;
R. And sustain us with Thy Holy Spirit.

Amen.

The death of George Tiller.

2009-06-07T17:32:00.002-04:00

It was a disgusting act of violence. Nobody should condone his killer's actions. At the same time...Well, I'll direct you to our friends at Ad Orientem who say it better than I can:

A Day of Violence

Let us continue to pray for our fallen world.

A few of my blog entries need updating...

2009-06-01T23:49:00.002-04:00

Wednesday, January 7, 2009:

"However, on January 28th, I hope to attend the installation Mass for Detroit's new Archbishop-elect, His Excellency Allen Henry Vigneron! I will have my new digital camera with me, and will take and post pictures."

We had a lot of snow on that day, so I missed the installation.

Friday, November 28, 2008

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.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

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.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

The problem with my wrist is dystonia. It's irreversible, and the only effective treatment is botox injections. These treatments are very expensive, expensive beyond my means, so, unless God performs a miracle, which I am praying for, my right hand is rather useless for writing and typing. I can type and write a little bit, but it's painful after just a minute or two. In fact, I am now learning how to write with my left hand.

That's all for now. I'm glad UoP turns out to be better than I thought.

It's been awhile since I've posted any videos to this blog.

2009-05-27T23:41:00.004-04:00

So here are several for you to enjoy:

A trailer for Mary Poppins, if it was a horrow show.

A kickin' song, the video for which was filmed in Toronto (hello, Alan!).

My favorite part of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.

A clip of Christian philosopher Ravi Zacharias at the University of Michigan.

Frozen Grand Central.

Let us never forget...

2009-05-19T22:28:00.007-04:00

...our brothers and sisters who suffer for the name of Christ in the Middle East.

National Geographic--Arab Christians. (H/t to Mark Shea).

Where God Weeps/Aid to the Church in Need

Voice of the Martyrs

Open Doors with Brother Andrew

"For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we are Jews or Gentiles, whether we are bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many…that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whenever one member suffer, all the members suffer with it…"

The First Epistle of the Apostle Saint Paul to the Church at Corinth
(I Corinthians 12:12-14, 25, 26a NAV)

"Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured."

The Epistle of Hebrews
(Hebrews 13:3 NRSV)

Prayer for the Persecuted

Father in Heaven, You make Your sun shine on bad and good alike. Your Son, Jesus Christ, died for us all and in His glorious Resurrection He still retains the five wounds of His Passion. With His divine power He now sustains all those who suffer persecution and martyrdom for the sake of their fidelity to the faith of the Church. Merciful and mighty Father, do not allow Cain to return again to murder helpless Abel, innocent Abel. May the persecuted Christians remain, like Mary, their Mother, together at the foot of the Cross of Christ the Martyr. Comfort those menaced by violence and those oppressed by uncertainty. May Your Holy Spirit of love make fruitful the witness and the blood of those who die forgiving. Amen.

Here's a game for you...

2009-05-18T22:30:00.003-04:00

You find a genie in a bottle. He will grant you three wishes with the following qualifications:

1) You may not wish for more wishes.
2) You may not wish for anything immoral.
3) You may not make a wish that would violate any person's free will, or that would result in another being coerced in any way to perform any action or act of the will that they would not freely choose.
4) You may not take moral shortcuts; that is, you may not wish you had a certain virtue or more of a certain virtue.

What would you wish for?

My wishes:

1) A photographic memory.
2) Fluency in all languages (past and present), in both their spoken and written forms.
3) Immunity to all sickness and disease. (That does not mean I'd live forever. I'd still be subject to aging, poison, the Mack truck driving down the street...)

In the Dearborn library system...

2009-05-11T20:56:00.002-04:00

...this would never happen!

That's because, as I had the misfortune to discover recently, if someone borrows a book way past the due date, the book is considered lost and the account is sent to a COLLECTION AGENCY!

I'm back!

2009-05-09T22:36:00.004-04:00

I have the internet again! You'd think I'd have a great many posts saved up in Microsoft Word, and would now be posting them. I don't, although there have been things I've wanted to write about. I will mention one of those things, however, no matter how long after the fact this is--

Susan Boyle, what a voice! I just heard her for the first time on YouTube, and I'm amazed! There are many, many videos of her on YouTube, but this is the absolutely best one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OcQ9A-5noM&feature=related

Sorry I can't imbed it. Watch it in high quality.

Steve Hayner, the former president of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, while speaking at Urbana 2000 talked to us about Heaven. We can't comprehend it fully in this life, but we get glimpses of it, sometimes through a lovely smell (lilacs come to mind), a moving bit of art, a great musical masterpiece, and sometimes simply by a humble, church-attending woman near London just doing something she enjoys.

No internet after all!

2009-03-15T12:31:00.004-04:00

The cable company never showed up, and they didn't call to say they wouldn't be at my house, either.

Their lack of good customer service has lost them my business.

My internet activity will continue to be spotty still.

I'm still around...

2009-03-07T09:10:00.003-05:00

...and will have internet access as of March 13!

Lent has been awesome, so far. Daily Mass, more time in prayer, etc.: I can feel the effects!

Arabic classes have been okay. There are three letters of the alphabet I cannot pronounce correctly, neither can I have a meaningful conversation with anyone. I hope to continue studying Arabic in the future, however, and perhaps become fluent in it.

Next month, I'll be visiting the Oblates of Saint Joseph again, to discuss joining them.

I'll give a better update on next Friday or Saturday.

Still have only limited web access...

2009-01-20T10:10:00.002-05:00

...but a quick update:

I start classes at a brick-and-morter (and whatever else the building is made of) school tomorrow!

I can only do one class this semester, so I settled on Beginning Arabic.

I can't wait!

My friends...

2009-01-07T23:45:00.003-05:00

...blogging has been and will continue to be non-existant (well, maybe extremely sporadic) for awhile due to the fact that I have recently moved and thusly have extremely limited internet access: no internet at home, very little time to visit the library, and sometimes have access to the web at work, but not always.

However, on January 28th, I hope to attend the installation Mass for Detroit's new Archbishop-elect, His Excellency Allen Henry Vigneron! I will have my new digital camera with me, and will take and post pictures.

Update: added Monday, June 1, 2009

We had a lot of snow that day, so I missed the installation. [Insert frowny face here.]

We've lost a great man!

2008-12-13T06:40:00.001-05:00

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.

2008-11-28T09:17:00.007-05:00

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

2008-11-28T08:20:00.015-05:00

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!

2008-11-27T06:32:00.002-05:00

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...

2008-11-26T23:23:00.006-05:00

...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!

2008-11-15T11:45:00.007-05:00

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...

2008-11-07T18:36:00.002-05:00

Book Meme! Book Meme!

2008-11-07T16:34:00.005-05:00

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!

2008-11-07T15:22:00.002-05:00

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!

2008-11-01T07:10:00.002-04:00

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...

2008-10-28T17:53:00.002-04:00

...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...

2008-10-28T16:59:00.003-04:00

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

2008-10-28T16:38:00.003-04:00

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...

2008-10-27T20:52:00.006-04:00

...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...

2008-10-17T18:43:00.004-04:00

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

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

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...

2008-10-04T04:32:00.003-04:00

...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...

2008-09-29T07:33:00.002-04:00

...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!

2008-09-28T01:36:00.002-04:00

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.