Discernment Blues

On Day 1 I posted that I am discerning a possible call to religious life and I heard about trials that come to people trying to discern God's will...and WHEW! They weren't kidding! And I KNOW that I have not even remotely begun to experience true spiritual battle

I know that I said too that I'd post my story, and maybe I'll get around to it. Or maybe not...because, you see, I am at occasional work on a novel loosely based upon my life, featuring a character like myself, but much better. So in essence, the novel is about a woman living my life...but doing it better than I am. I don't really want to give the story away, though because, of course, if I were to publish such a book, I would like to be able to sell it and not give it away for free on the internet.

But then again, the liklihood of my ever 1. finishing the book, or 2. publishing said hypothetical book, is next to nil so I don't imagine that my writing about some of it here would really mean anything in the long run.

On the "pro" side, though, maybe part of my story will be like someone else's story, and throug my telling I might offer some unknown person some needed support in the form of idenfication...in lending to them the knowledge that they are not alone.

I know I have read some of the stories of others and recognized similarities to my own experiences, and they have helped me greatly.

But I digress.

My story. My discernment. How many bloody times can I use the words "my" or "I" in one paragraph?

That's the first problem. I'm completely self-centered. Which leads to my first doubt that I'm "Called"...I can't even get over myself. Self-centered nuns aren't really following their "baptismal call"...and if I become a sister or a nun, I want to represent Christ...not myself.

Another problem...I think I've "lost" all my initial consolations, because God is weaning me from them...he got my attention, and got me listening to him...and now I can't even drag my sorry rear out of bed in the dark winter mornings to go to Mass. How would I do getting up so early or earlier most of the year to go pray in the chapel with other drowsy consecrated women? I think I'm addicted to God..but only if he gives me consolations.

But then again, I realize that faith is an act of the will and the intellect, not just a feeling.

And my faith was tested this last weekend, and I feared I lost it all...and had to make conscious effort to believe in God. I have read of Saints who experienced this trial...and Blessed Mother Theresa was one of them. Her life was barren of consolations.

I had to engage my intellect, not my emotions...and I think that trial has passed. I didn't do so well, but then again, I'm still here and I still love the Lord. I guess that's a passing grade. But my attitude isn't so great when I'm confronted by these trials....so how could I be called? I don't really have the temperment.

Some days and weeks and months (as current) are like this, and all I can think about is WHY would GOD want ME? I'm NOTHING! I'm the LAST PERSON ON EARTH who should even consider a life of sacrifice for the Church...and yet, whenever I feel or think this way, I happen upon a Bible verse talking about how Jesus came for the sinners.

Well, here I am. A sinner. An imperfect, struggling woman, sinning my way through life just trying to find the road to Heaven...and it's so hard to see in all this secular, worldly darkness.

Everyone, please pray for those who are discerning God's will in their lives. I'm not referring only to religious Vocations, but those discerning marriage, those living singly, those discerning God's will in their jobs, with their children, etc.

Discernment is a bear and a trial unto itself.

God Bless you all. I will offer prayers for all of my known and unknown readers, and ask only that you offer prayers for anyone you know who really needs you tonight.

Adoro Te Devote

God help this priest!

I decided to drop in and check on my favorite dissenting parish today...a sort of penance, I think. Or maybe just for morbid curiosity. I'll have to talk to my confessor about this. But in any case, I found some very encouraging news. Unfortunately I can provide only one link but I do encourage all readers to glance through this article.

In case you are timebound, I will summarize: St. Joan of Arc parish in Minneapolis, MN, has a new priest, Father Jim DeBruyker. The author of the article sat down with him and "got to know him". Most of it is pretty inane stuff, much of what you'd expect. I did find one quote worthy of this blog, however:

http://www.stjoan.com/thumb1fr.htm

As we were wrapping up our conversation, Jim shared with me one of the technicalities of becoming pastor. In order to become pastor, he was to take and sign the “Oath of Fidelity” and “Profession of Faith”. I found both of these to be interesting, and a bit disturbing, but it gives us an idea of what is expected of Fr. DeBruyker, and all other pastors, in this archdiocese.

Are you curious about what the author, Jeanne Schuam, found to be "disturbing" about the "Profession of Faith" and "Oath of Fidelity?"

As I cannot provide links, I will post the text of each:

OATH OF FIDELITY

I, Father James DeBruyker, in assuming the office of Pastor of Saint Joan of Arc, Minneapolis, Minnesota promise that both in my words and in my conduct I shall always preserve communion with the Catholic Church.

I shall carry out with greatest care and fidelity the duties incumbent on me toward both the universal Church and the particular Church in which, according to the provisions of the law, I have been called to exercise my services.

In fulfilling the charge entrusted to me in the name of the Church, I shall hold fast to the deposit of faith in its entirety, I shall faithfully hand it on and explain it, and I shall avoid any teachings opposed to that faith.

I shall follow and foster the common discipline of the whole Church and I shall observe all ecclesiastical laws, especially those which are contained in the Code of Canon Law.

In Christian obedience I shall unite myself with what is declared by the bishops as authentic doctors and teachers of the faith or established by them as those responsible for the governance of the Church, I shall also faithfully assist the diocesan bishops, in order that the apostolic activity exercised in the name and by mandate of the Church may be carried out in the communion of the same Church.

So help me God, and God’s holy Gospels, on which I place my hand


Hmmm...now, just try as I might, I just can't find ANYTHING troubling about the above text. Anyone else? It speaks of fidelity to the magesterium of the Church, Christian obedience, unity with the bishops, fostering the common discipline of ecclesiastical and canon law...etc. I have no problem with any of this. I just don't get it.

Well, for your furhter perusal, here is the Profession of Fait document:

, Father James DeBruycker, with firm faith believe and profess everything that is contained in the symbol of faith: namely,


I believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven: By the power of the Holy Spirit, he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered died and was buried. On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. I believe in the one holy catholic and apostolic church. I acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. I look for the resurrection of t he dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.


With firm faith I believe as well everything contained in God’s word, written or handed down in tradition and proposed by the church—whether in solemn judgment or in the ordinary and universal magisterium—as divinely revealed and calling for faith.

I also firmly accept and hold each and everything that is proposed by that same church definitively with regard to teaching concerning faith or morals.

What is more, I adhere with religious submission of will and intellect to the teaching which either the Roman pontiff or the college of bishops enunciate when they exercise the authentic magisterium even if they proclaim those teachings in an act that is not definitive.


Again, I find nothing wrong with the above. In fact, it looks suspiciously like the prayer we say every Sunday after the homily, and on solemnities, and with the Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy...oh, YEAH! It's the CREED!

Why would this be disturbing to a faithful Catholic? Why in the WORLD would the above disrupt the peaceful hues of the aura surrounding a prophetic parishioner of SJA? OH RIGHT! Because they have NEVER BEEN TAUGHT THE FAITH!

God BLESS this priest and God help him...he goes into battle. Let us not let him go alone. Start praying, everyone, for he celebrates his first Mass at hellbound SJA on December 4, next weekend.

Anyone care to meet for a rosary and chaplet prior to Mass? Anyone care to be on hand to give this brave priest the support he will need to uphold the oaths he signed?

Anyone care to offer their holy hours on his and this parish's behalf? I do believe this behemoth can be turned around...but not without prayer, not without penanance, and not without the strong guiding hand of a faithful priest.

Dear Lord, please don't call my name.....

Intro: I wrote this piece several years ago, ironically when mourning the death of the very career this work is about. I wrote it in reaction to the death of a police officer. I actually had a similar work published in a small book in early 2002. Please also keep in mind that this is not about "me", but about "every" police officer. Well...the beginning is my story. Please comment if you have questions about the fact vs fiction. This may be a little long, but I ask you to read through it and then write your own in a similar theme....we all have our stories.....
* * *


I decided a long time ago to become a police officer. My family was shocked and most of them decided that I was insane. They spoke to me as if I were an irrational child, and everyone, EVERYONE, asked me "WHY!?" I neither defended nor explained my choice. The simple reason was this: there was no rational or logical reason in the world for my desire to become a police officer. I knew the risks I'd be taking and I understood my family's concern.

So I prayed, "God, please don't call my name."

I went through the training where they made us run miles and hold the push-up position for what seemed like hours while we listened to our instructor give us his life story. They made us take our turns at leading calisthenics and if we didn't give it our all, they made us do extra. They stuck us in the "gas chamber" and gave us tear gas, CS gas, and pepper spray just to be sure we got our money's worth of education. They twisted our joints and shot at us, and throughout the training, they impressed on us that no matter what happened, no matter how serious the injury, how intense the fear, or how close the panic, we were always to be in control of ourselves and the situation. They taught us the mentality necessary for survival on the streets. And they told us story after story of heroes fallen in the line of duty. They taught us to learn from their mistakes as well as our own and how to not make the same mistake twice. We may never get a second chance.

Throughout it all, I prayed, "God, please don't call my name."

When I was hired with a department I raised my right hand to give my oath to God, my country, my state, city and department, to uphold the Constitution of the United States, enforce the laws, to serve and to protect.

In a room full of collegues, family, and superiors, I gave my oath and silently prayed, "God, please don't call my name."

I wore my brand-new uniform with pride, pinned on my badge, strapped on my vest, and holstered my loaded gun for the first time. As I did so, the full weight of my responsibility settled on my soul. I experienced for the first time the taste of the knowledge that accompanies fear; sometimes "serving and protecting" means taking a life or risking my own...so I prayed, "God, please don't call my name."

I rode in a squad car, patrolled the strets, stopped offenders, served warrants, subpoenas, and took reports. I turned in documents upon which I had written, "status/inactive", knowing that someone's home, life, and rights were somehow violated, but I was unable to provide the solution they needed me to offer. I realized that although I was young and inexperienced, I was suddenly "Authority", and I supposedly had "The Answer". I comforted the grieving, warned the disorderly, and stopped the assault. I restored safety, referred people to other agencies for problems I couldn't fix, and I tracked down runaways and returned them to "caring" parents. I held the hands of children trapped in twisted metal and I helped to save the life of someone's family member. Each and every day I saw both the best and the worst of human nature.

I always knew that I was not immune to the tragedies that strike unprovoked, so I prayed, "God, please don't call my name."

I learned early that because I wore a uniform and a badge, I was no longer my own person. My life was not mine: it belonged to the public and my reputation was relegated to the same. I became the target of hatred, unforgiving glares, an pointing fingers. Likewise I was seen as an expert in the law and the solution to life gone somehow awry. And I felt incredibly inept.

So I prayed, "God, please don't call my name."

I attended the funeral of a fellow officer who had fallen in the line of duty. I gave my condolences to his family and friends and I shared in their grief. As I paid my respects and said my goodbyes to the officer in the casket, I realized that his death was not personal. He was killed because he wore a uniform and a badge. He died for what he represented, not for who he really was. I knew that it could just as easily be any one of the thousands of officers that do the same job lying in that casket. I also knew that no matter who it was, the death would not be any easier to accept. And as the tears came to my eyes I understood the full impact of the identity I shared with this individual.


And I prayed, "God, please don't call my name."

When I flipped on the lights, switched on the siren and screamed through crowded intersections en route to a call of a "man with a gun," and as I risked my life to reach an unknown situation, I knew that I couldn't spend my career, and thus my life, fearing that my name would be called. So I put my life into the hands of the Creator and I did the job that no one else would.

I stood by the closed door, drawing my weapon as, from the other side, came the unmistakable sound of a live round striking the empty chamber of an unidentified gun. I didn't need to see the frightened eyes of the victim to know that I was living someone else's desperate prayer. I knew why I was there.

"God, you already called my name."

*


And so, dear readers....consider....is God calling your name?

Denial of Christ at Christmas

I went to my favorite store today, St. George's Christian Store in Blaine, MN, and one of the co-owner's brought up this very important issue. She was talking about Wal-Mart's website, in which a shopper could type in "Chaunikkah" (sorry, completely butchered the spelling), or "Kwaanza", or anything, and be taken directly to that page. But there was nothing for the keyword "Christmas".

And this is only one symptom, only one incident. Only one company. (A large one. With many influential Christian shoppers who are sick of being dissed.- HINT< HINT )

Amazing, that our culture works so hard to get Christian shoppers to big stores to buy millions of dollars worth of merchandise so that we can properly celebrate the arrival of our King, and yet they do this by trying to blindfold the very reason for the purchases!

Apparently the very name "Christ" must be suppressed at ALL COSTS for fear someone is reminded of the joy of his coming. Apparently the only acceptable usage of the name of "Christ" is in profane speech.

I remember having a conversation with a co-worker last year, claiming to be Christian yet she would not say "Merry Christmas" to someone for fear of offending them! RIDICULOUS! If someone is offended by "Merry Christmas" then they had better go underground for the next couple months. It is this fabled "offended" person who has the problem, not those of us who celebrate the dominant holiday.

Which one of you would be offended if a Jewish person wished you a happy festival of lights? Who would be offended if a Muslim offered you a sincere holiday greeting referencing one of the holy days they celebrate? Wouldn't you simply rejoice that they have the courage to share their faith and LIVE it lovingly? Who started all this "I'm offended" trash?

These secular idiots, though, really don't have a clue in reality. If they realized that the word "holiday" as in "Happy Holidays" comes from "Holy Day" they may turn inside out and spontaneously combust. I'd like to say "good riddance", but since even they are children of God, I suppose it's more charitable to simply spend this season in offering prayers and penance for their self-damned souls.

When I consider this, then I have no problem saying "Happy Holidays", but this year I think I may, just to be counter-cultural, start "mispronouncing" the phrase and wish everyone I meet a "Happy Holy-Days!".

If I get fired, so be it. If it is a crime to wish someone a happy holy season, then I guess I deserve punishment to the full extent of the law. I should be so blessed.

It's time for those of us who claim to be Christian to talk the talk and walk the walk. It's time to stand up for what is rightfully OUR culture, call Jesus the Christ Child our King, proclaim this at the top of our lungs, put the HOLY back into the Holy Days and remind the culture of death that only the light of Christ will lead us all home.

We live in a culture which touts "religious freedom", and sure, in comparison to China, we have "religious freedom". But I argue that any culture which suppresses the majority in their Christmas greetings suppresses God himself, and suppresses the very freedom they pretend to uphold. I would agree that we have MORE freedom than the martyrs in China and in other places aroudn the world, but slowly, slowly, our religious freedoms are being stripped away. It is taboo to wish someone "MERRY CHRISTMAS!" and subjects us to written discipline if a customer calls to complain to a manager that we did so. But I argue that this is my right to express my religious beliefe and proclaim the TRUTH of the season in sincerely wishing each and every person I meet a MERRY celebration of the birthday of the one who SAVED us. I argue that we are protected by the First Amendment just as much as the ultra-right-wing press, and we moreover have a GOD-GIVEN DUTY to spread the TRUTH AND LIGHT OF CHRIST!

This is a battle, my friends, and we are the chosen warriors. What we do individually may be small, but in the great battleground for God, the war is won through the perseverence of all.

It's a bit early for this, but just to make my final point, as we enter this blessed season, I wish you all, from the bottom of my heart and the center of my soul a HAPPY HOLY-DAYS SEASON AND A MERRY CHRIST-MAS!

May God Bless you and yours and may your Thanksgiving turkey and time with your loved ones ignite in you an awareness of every blessing you have ever and will ever receive.

In closing, let us remember the most holy name of our Savior:

Blessed be God
Blessed be his Holy Name
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man;
Blessed be the name of Jesus
Blessed be his most Sacred Heart
Blessed be his most Precious Blood
Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete

Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary Most Holy
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception
Blessed be God foreverBlessed be her glorious Assumption
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother
Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse
Blessed be God in his angels and in his saints


BLESSED BE GOD, NOW AND FOREVER!

Chronicles of Narnia

When I was a little girl, I remember reading these books. I was completely absorbed, and when they ended I had a sense of loss like no other...the story had ended and left me aching for more. I did not understand the Christian themes at the time, but I did know a good story when I read it. I was an avid reader and "Chronicles of Narnia" has always been one to remember.

Then I grew up, and I, too, forgot about the world on the other end of the wardrobe and the lantern in the snow. I forgot about the Lion. I forgot about the Witch, and through my years into adulthood, I forgot this beautiful world.

Then I saw the initial teasers for the movie, and I prayed, "Dear God, do not let Hollywood ruin this movie", and already, I fear that they have. I read an article in our local paper regarding this last week. They are taking a "neutral" viewpoint, and from what I read, they have completely discounted the obviously Christian themes and diminished them entirely. One of the producers said something to the effect that C.S.Lewis were not so much Christian writers as they were writers who were after a good story.

I nearly fell out of my chair and had a tantrum on the floor. But as that does not glorify God very well, I just remained where I was and for once, I kept my mouth shut. That does not happen very often as you can well imagine.

About a month ago I purchased a copy of the entire volume in one book unabridged. I have since lost myself in the pages, and when I have gone to my weekly (and even temporary) Eucharistic adoration visits, I have seen the Lion of Judah. I have also seen the Lamb, also shown very clearly in the books. I have come to better understand Jesus through the eyes of C.S. Lewis....his love, his unerring discipline, his faultless judgment, and ultimately, the salvation he so freely gave in spite of our own willfull dissentions.

I love this Magnum Opus and I will read it over and over even as an adult. It does us good to see the world through the eyes of a child...isn't that what the Lord told us to do? To become like children? C.S. Lewis is an extension of God in his epic work, and while I read his books and touched by the overt Christian themes, I approach the movie with trepidation. From the reports from the mouths of the producers themselves, they have done EXACTLY what C.S. Lewis feared...they have taken Christ out of the work and minimized the very symbols and themes the author emphasized the most.

And of all the underhanded things, they are marketing this secularized work specifically to Christians.

I will go see the movie, and I will be praying mightily that through their own misguided secularized minds they will have actually missed the most important symbols and they will have ended up, through thier babboon-like meanderings have actually brought the Truth to light.

I will reserve further commentary until I have seen the movie for fear I will spoil the story for those who either have forgotten what they once read, are reading it now, have never read it, or (God forbid) are waiting for the movie.

As always,

Catholic Identity

I went to Mass this evening, which is something I rarely do. I tend to prefer the Sunday morning Masses, and at my parish, there are 4.

Tonight, they played one of my favorites, "Blest Be the Lord", and I believe Schulte is the composer..I should look that up. I realized that in the great Haugen/Hass debates that this particular song is often credited (incorrectly) to them so many middle aged Catholics tend to abhor it. It has always been one of my favorites.

When I was a child, I attended St. Mary's Catholic Church in Byron, IL, the only Catholic Church in town. I will never forget the deep red carpeting, the beautiful stained glass windows or the large crucifix which characterized our little church. It was a small church building in a small town, and as such, we did not have a pipe organ. I didn't really care because there was a piano. I loved the hymns sung with piano the best.

Some days, though, a small group sang at Mass, and they used guitar and piano, and one of their favorites was also "Blest Be the Lord". I will never forget how their voices rang out in praise, in tune, and encouraged us all to sing. I would leave and sing this song all day long, praising God in my little girl's voice. My favorite line was "I shall not fear the dark of night nor the arrow that flies by day". (Psalm 91). I was of course, being a little girl, afraid of the dark and this song helped me feel unafraid.

In that little church, I recieved the Catholic rites of passage...the sacraments of Confession and First Communion. There was not a lot of fanfare with the first, but the latter sacrament, for all little boy and girl Catholics, this is akin to a "coming out party" or maybe a Bar Mitzvah (I think I spelled that wrong). It's A REALLY BIG DEAL. My godparents came all the way down from Minnesota and I got to wear my pretty white dress all day long. Unfortunately, Mom did not want me to wear the veil all day, nor did she want me to put it over my face like a bride, lest I get the meaning of the sacrament mixed up or something. (I still have no idea why she would not let me play a little...after all, both the dress and the veil have long since disappeared so I don't even have them as keepsakes anyway).

There is a cultural component to being Catholic...is that why dissidents find it so hard to leave? We grow up amidst the loving rituals and fanfare, and so as we grow and rebel, we tend to take our liturgy and worship for granted, and rather than focusing on the content, we identify more with the cosmetics. We remember the days and the attention and the first reception of sacraments, but we forget, over the years, the lessons which accompanied our rites of passage.

I love the Church and I love being Catholic. I have come to appreciate, in my reversions to the faith, the deep spirituality of the Catholic faith, and the infinite ways of expression. I love the Third Orders, the options in religious life, the opportunities for Perpetual Adoration, etc.

When I was a child, I behaved like a child and I grew up in the Church raised as a child should be raised. And when I became a teenager, I rebelled into young aduthood, becoming the prodigal daughter...but the cultural hold of my faith held on to me..there was an identiy there. So this prodigal daughter came home. And now that I am an adult, I have put away the childish things and I have come to find myself here within the fold of the Church Christ founded, within his sheepfold, an adult, and all the responsiblity upon my shoulders to proclaim and witness what the Lord has done.

Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever!

"Catholic" Feminists continue their spin. Mpls-St. Paul

Now it's in "The Catholic Spirit", our archdiocese newspaper. I wil not quote the whole thing this time as I believe it's tiresome for my 3 readers. I will respond to selected quotes...but there is so much wrong with this...where do I start?

I'll start with a few facts:

* The "Listening Sessions" are all about feminism and women looking for power and authority, not for service.
* The Archbishop, Harry Flynn, did not approve these sessions. (He told me this directly)
* Feminists ALWAYS operate with an agenda of power-seeking.

The gist is this: the feminists of the archdiocese set up "Listening sessions", better known as "public moderated power-seeking temper tantrums" which were not approved, nor did they ever seek approval. They went to different, mainly heterodox-leaning parishes to present their questions, and since there was no approval, not much publicity. The result was this: the only people to attend were the like-minded dissidents. Can you predict the result? Let me give you a few excerpts from the archdiocesan newspaper:

“Many people don’t know Catholic leadership that is not a priest,” one woman said. “We don’t know how to acknowledge anyone but the priesthood.”

First of all the priest is a servant by definition. He has the authority of God in his role and stands in the place of Christ...who was servant to all. "Leadership" in most parishes has to do more with the councils and commissions. My belief is that the person who made this comment is not very involved in his or her parish or she would know this and know the parties involved. Personally, I acknowlege the priest as "Father" and just say "Hello Mr. or Mrs. or First Name, how are you today?". It generally does much to break the ice.

“So even though we heard people tonight, and the results will be published,” he said, “there’s no guarantee that there will be some follow-up, or that there will be some acknowledgement that there’s pain.”

Do you know it doesn't hurt so much when you stop fighting God? I can almost guarantee that the Archbishop will acknowlege the results, but he is already aware that the "research" is skewed. Therefore, you are done before you begin. Of course, that has more to do with the Bible quote about the gates of Hell not overpowering the Church.

“Men are being cheated by the way women are being treated,” he said. “All I hear is men preach. It’s a disenfranchisement for women . . . the whole feminine perspective. It undermines what women have.”

I attended a dissenting parish for awhile and I ached to hear the priest talk about the readings of the day. I was so THIRSTY for the WORD! Yet this woman was up there, an Education Director and she would not SHUT UP! I didn't care about statistics...I read about those in the paper. I was there to hear the Word of God as told by one of his direct representatives on Earth, and instead I got a lesson in statistical sociology from a flapping feminist. We don't have religion for the purpose of sociology...we attend Mass for those few moments of Heaven on Earth when GOD himself comes to us as described in the book of Revelation.

In the final moments, the group at St. John dreamed of what roles they’d like to see women play.

“All roles — any roles that men have,” one woman said. She said she’d like to see the church function as “a circle with varying roles, rather than top-down.”


Hmmm...."a circle with varying roles". Hmm...this is a pagan symbol, not a Christian Symbol. God is the ultimate patriarch and he makes the rules. We all answer to him. So what this woman is saying is that she wants to be a pagan. Maybe the better answer would be to study Catholicism and understand the heirarchy. Or she could follow the made-up religion she already follows.

“Someday, I would like to see women priests because we are made in the likeness and image of God,” another woman said.

So are the men. What's your point? Are men made from swiss cheese and halibut? The MALE priests stand IN PERSONA CHRISTI, and a woman simply cannot do so...but we can stand in the place of Mary and point the way to Christ. I like that role. I don't think I'm good at it though. The Feminists keep standing in the way.

Added one of the men: “If I can dream, I would like to see our women administer all the sacraments as much as any of the men can.”

Do you understand the sacraments? Have you recieved them? Do you know that ANYONE can baptize a baby or someone in an emergency in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and this baptism is binding? This is a sacrament. A womman cannot consecrate the hosts...she does not have God-given authority. As a woman, I refuse to ever "confess" to a woman and would run far away. Women have not been given this authority and it does not come from man, but from God alone. Take it up with him and stop complaining.

I'll continue to follow this. Although I have to admit, I may need to start a new blog regarding Minneapolis-St. Paul dissent. It seems to be my recent pet-project.

Anne Rice Comes Home

www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/books/11/07/
books.anne.rice.ap/index.html

I've been watching this closely. I used to read ALL of Anne Rice's stuff...even the stuff she wrote under her other name. I no longer own those books. The writing was fine...but the content was actually just another facet of my sinful lifestyle and attitudes of the time.

I did especially love "Cry to Heaven" due to the vivid descriptions of life surrounding the operas, of the streets of Italy, of the culture, the music...so often I could almost hear the music. Beautifully written, captivating...but I digress. I did not love the flambouyant homosexuality woven throughout that book and most of her others, and while it disturbed me, I have to say that since I was surrounding by liberal Minneapolis "gay pride", it was somewhere along the lines of an itch I just couldn't reach. So I ignored it.

Finally, though I had to stop reading.

I was happy to read that Ms. Rice is coming home and is done with her "goth" work. As I've moved on, so have likely many readers, and we are happy to see this turn of events in her life. I do hope she does our Lord and Savior justice in this difficult and speculative topic regarding his unknown early life.

There are a few things that concern me, however...her use of the gnostic gospels, for one, and some of her "not quite home yet" attitudes.

I will get to that, but I would like to discuss her conversion a bit--that which she revealed a little.

Rice's new burst of creativity stems from her return to Roman Catholicism -- though she seems a most unlikely recruit. Leaving aside those past novels (the more erotic ones appeared under pseudonyms), she quit church as a teen and never looked back for decades. Her late husband was a convinced atheist; her son is a gay activist

Something similar happened to me. I had been experiencing writer's block, and then I rediscovered my faith...and all the projects I had been working on fell flat. Those that did not found a new "Genesis" with the addition of spiritual/ predominantly Catholic themes. I never "quit church" so much as "stopped going", in a similar manner of that mused by the character in "Office Space". I just decided "not to go anyomore" but I really didn't want to "quit".

But some critics thought her vampires' angst reflected the author's spiritual restlessness

I always thought the same thing and I think that Ms. Rice's work unwittingly helped me to identify some of my own spiritual longings and realize that I really did still believe and needed to return to my faith. I needed and really did believe in God and salvation. (Incidentally, I have to say that Memnoch the Devil offended my sensibilities somewhat).

Going back to the initial quote, I am not surprised to learn that Ms. Rice's (Stan, was it? God rest his soul) late husband was an athiest and her son is a gay activist. Clearly, she remains conflicted about her own return to her faith and the fate of her son. No mother wants to believe that her progeny are on a road to Hell paved by rainbow flags, and rather than to submit to God's authority on this, she is seeking reconciliation on behalf of her son.

"I'll do my best on the unresolved questions." Among these are her church's ban on women priests and opposition to gay sex. She's convinced both will vanish eventually.


I have to openly admit I understand Ms. Rice's concern with this, both due to her own background and that of her son's. Many women do not understand why women cannot be ordained. I would actually direct Ms. Rice to observe those who are attempting this and to note that those women are seeking power, not to serve. They are disobedient, not emulating the humility of Jesus or his Blessed Mother. Regarding opposition to gay sex, I would direct Ms. Rice to "Theology of the Body" by JPII or to Christopher West's simplified explanations of this great work. I am sure her eyes would be opened if she read it in detail and with an open mind.

Although, I have to say that if I were in her shoes I would be fearful of reading such a work. What if he is right? What if my son is wrong? What an agonizing position to be in. The Rock and a hard place, quite literally. My heart goes out to this woman, facing such a struggle. We can only place her and her family in the Lord's care and have confidance that he will overcome this great spiritual battle for her.

In returning to one of my opening concerns, I do worry a bit about Ms. Rice's dissenting opinions on Church teaching, and pray that they will not appear in her new line of work. She will quickly lose the majority of the faithful who may turn to her work if she goes off that very deep end. She really has an opportunity here, and hopefully a very blessed opportunity. I do look forward to reading her new work and hope that I will not be as disappointed in this as I was about a book about the life of Mary Magdalene which was wrought with Gnostic anti-theology.

We will see what she has in store for us and if this work is anything as vivid as her previous, we may find ourselves able to better understand and place ourselves into the world Jesus inhabited when he walked this earth.

Marked Money- another ploy by homosexual activists

I located this link today-the plans of our not-so-friendly homosexual activists:
http://www.kstp.com/article/stories/S11741.html?cat=1

Minnesota churches will soon see a sign of protest in collection plates.
Gay Catholics and their supporters plan to mark their donations to send a message to let the church know who exactly is giving them their money. Cash donations will be marked with a pink triangle around the pyramid on the back, while checks will have a notation in the memo field.
“If you want our money, then support us,” says parishioner Tom Degree. “They need to know how much they are receiving from GLBT congregants.”
Degree and others are concerned about several positions the Catholic church has taken recently, such as banning gay priests.
“I think that’s a bright idea,” says Rachel Dykosky. “I think they should let them know where the money is coming from. The church needs to know who is supporting them.”
Others think the protest is too political, and doesn’t belong in church. “It’s incomprehensible to me that they would do that. I don’t see any logic in it,” says Florence Pope.
Degree thinks the search for marked money will be similar to the church’s search for gay members in seminaries.
“This is gay money,” degree says. “If you don’t feel comfortable taking it, throw it away.”

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Unbelieveable. They really don't get it do, they? They apparently think that by a show of dead presidents they can change Truth.

"If you want our money, then support us".

Well, Mr. Degree... Um.....how 'bout...NOT! If you want to worship the Lord, then come to the Catholic Church. Turn away from your hedonistic desires. If you want support in turning away from sin, you can find the Confessional or make an appointment...usually recommended after living a life wallowing in sin. If you want "support" in the form of endorsement for your sexual practices contrary to consistent Church teaching, contrary to the teaching of Jesus Christ, then look towards Satan. He'll be glad to offer you all the support you want.

Oh, wait...he already did. That's why you're doing this. Instead of behaving like children of God, which you are, you are behaving like spawn of Satan...which spiritually, you have chose to become.

Funny how you think that the Church should change to accomodate your sinful ways. Your money cannot purchase your salvation. Your humility, as yet to be exercised, CAN.

Keep your money. The Church doesn't need it. The Church existed long before homosexual activism in the American arena. Mother Church existed long before the Rainbow Sash movement, and the Church existed long before you were even a twinkle in God's proverbial eye.

Mark your money. That will make it easier to return to you. You are not forced to come to Mass....you do this of your own free will and you are welcome. Hopefully you will allow the Lord to change your hardened heart. You engage in acceptance of disordered practices and possibly practice them yourself...and you do this also by your own free will.

The Church does not exist from your own overflated sense of pride in what you and your community do with your private parts. The Church does not define you by your practices. You have done this to yourselves, and even though salvation is offered to you freely, you spit upon the one who bought it for you.

You have chosen a sinful path, you have chosen a path to Hell, and now you are trying to make the Church lead you there. On Judgment day, you will stand alone and you will have to explain your actions...not the Church, not the Pope. You, alone will have to account for your persecution of the Church and of the Lord. You alone will have to defend your reasons for demanding the "right" to change Truth to fit your own personal desires.

Do not look to the Church to change Truth. It is you who needs to change. It is you who needs to turn from sin and embrace the love Christ is trying to give you. It is you who have turned from God and made sex and money your diety.

Do not expect the Chruch to lead you to Hell when you are already on that road.

The Church does not answer to the homosexual community...she answers ONLY to GOD. Have you met Him? Have you noticed his only begotten son, JESUS, who was born of a VIRGIN and died a horrible death on the cross for your sins? For all of our sins?

The Church was born out of the side of Christ, and she answers to Christ. She carries on the morality and Truth instituted by Christ over 2,000 years ago. She does not bow to the almighty dollar, marked or not marked.

People have and still are dying to uphold the teaching of the Church, all over the world. They are martyrs for God and the Truth of his Word. Yet you seriously think that your pittance of marked dollar bills is going to effect a change in moral law. Hilarious.

A vote does not determine Truth. The cool thing is that we don't have to vote on Truth...it IS, it WAS, and it will ALWAYS BE. Truth is ETERNAL. And in the good words of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, "Truth is not determined by a majority vote."

Truth is not determined by "gay money", either.

So put your "gay money" away, and if you don't accept the teachings of Jesus Christ, then walk away. Come back when you're ready to accept Truth Eternal.

Jesus is bleeding for you, for all of us. Won't you for once look at him, embrace him and do as he bids us all? "Go...and sin no more."