This is My Country

The Country I Knew

The country I grew up in was an idyllic place; people cared about each other, and even though we all had differences, they took a back seat to simply being human.

The country I grew up in was deeply religious, and while those without religion were looked upon with a little suspicion, when their homes burned down or if they had an accident and needed help and support in the days, weeks, or even months following, everyone was there to lend a hand with casseroles, hotdishes, housework,  yard work, or just a listening ear. Even more so, people got together to make sure Emergency Services could get to them more quickly if such a tragedy happened again, to anyone.

The country I grew up in had its problems, but those problems were not inflicted upon the children; things that belonged to the world of adulthood were relegated to adults, and those things that belonged to childhood were relegated to children, and the lines did not cross.

The country I grew up in was deeply Patriotic and flags flew from most homes, without harassment from anyone except the local neighborhood ragtag group of delinquents. Whom were always known to be from certain families and tolerated, still treated with respect and told where to go when they needed to be told where to go. They also knew they were under surveillance by pretty much everyone and that kept them in line until they got older, and then they went to California and did what they wanted to do and got murdered. True story.

The country I grew up in had respect for other countries and other beliefs, looked well upon people of good will and encouraged learning languages for the purpose of friendship and communication. Racism was not tolerated in my redneck corner of the world, and although it might have been a very "white" place, certain words were never used and we were taught to treat EVERYONE with respect, no matter how different they were. That went for babies, people of few means, people with "mental retardation" (one of whom actually helped me learn how to ride a bike), those of other races, and those who simply were mean old ladies who regarded everyone around her with suspicion. Respect. Always. Respect and kindness were the keys to the world; the Golden Rule:  "Treat others as you would like to be treated."  Pithy saying, but hard truth. Even if treated badly, don't lose that adage.

The country I grew up in had a spine; our past leaders spoke of "Walking softly but carrying a big stick."  Kindness and respect were important, but that did not mean lying down and allowing oneself to be treated like a doormat. Not personally, not professionally, not in terms of sovereignty

The country I grew up in respected Veterans, celebrated our Patriotism, knew our enemies and made no apologies about it.

The country I grew up in had good education that focused on the foundations of knowledge and prepared students for the real world in matters of reason, language, history, science, reading, music....and many other matters. Even though I grew up in a time of transition, I'm glad to have been there then, when education hadn't been taken over by immoral hacks and the foundation was maybe cracked but still intact. That education gave me a respect for my country and the ability to strive for more.

The country I grew up in encouraged subsidiarity along with solidarity so that no one ever had to fight their battles alone, but could do so with their peers.

The country I grew up in believed in the right to free speech, the right to religious observance, and the right to bear arms....all fundamental rights belonging to the human person under Natural Law and basic common sense, and coherent with the ability to live life, freedom, and pursue happiness.

My Country Now

 The country I live in now is comprised of people who are isolated from each other and even in tight quarters, don't interact very much and differences reign supreme and separate us all.

The country I live in now attacks religion (except for Islam, which it idealizes, which even Muslims think is weird especially given what their terrorist factions have done to this country and the people of the world on our soil.). And now if someone's home burns down or someone suffers a tragedy, no one notices or if they do, they go on record to talk to reporters about the person involved, just to be on TV. Not that they ever knew the person to begin with; and if the person involved was "religious" they are painted as a fanatic of some sort because "that kind of devotion is just not normal."

The country I live in now actively inflicts its problems upon our children, and socially indoctrinates the children in adult issues without the knowledge or permission of the parents, inflicting tough moral inconsistencies upon them while refusing to allow the parents to "opt their children out" of such psychological engineering.

The country I live in now actively works to remove the American flag from the homes of disabled Veterans who gave their hearts, souls, and limbs to protect the freedoms we no longer enjoy.

The country I live in now pampers delinquents and criminals while systematically disarming her legal, law-abiding citizens in the name of "public safety".

The country I live in now looks to the worst decisions and practices of other countries and inflicts it through illegal means upon our sovereignty, against the will of We the People, bringing tyranny to our States while telling us we need to be "tolerant", all while refusing to tolerate our very foundations as a country and the right of the People to be heard, to overcome, and to be save in our homes from the tyranny of the government.

The country I live in now creates situations designed to bring division, instigated by the government, fueled by the biased media, and tolerates no dissent against enforced racism and political division.

The country I live in now advocates the outright legally-imposed slaughter of the most innocent among us; unborn children. Especially those belonging to minorities, evidenced by the fact Planned Parenthood abortion clinics are mostly found in neighborhoods with a high demographic of races who are not white, all planned by racist Gloria Steinem, and our government is still saying that this is a good idea and even with an African president, killing his own children, he is being adored. This is the country I live in, killing her children in the name of...what?

The country I live in now is bereft of proper discourse and any disagreement descends into a political and  personal attack, so issues are never properly discussed, but only deflected in hostility. You can see it live on C-SPAN in Congressional hearings right along bi-partisan lines.

The country I live in now pays those serving in the military so little that their families have to live on food stamps in spite of the fact they are serving our country with their very LIVES.  At the same time, "elected" officials are pulling off triple digits FOR LIFE. With no actual risk to themselves other than political lampooning on Saturday Night Live, unless they're Obama Democrats, in which case they're safe from any actual insult.

The country I live in now sells weapons to terrorist nations to be used to murder Christians live on TV, like in Egypt and Syria, just for example. At the same time, my country actively works to disarm loyal citizens who want only to protect themselves and their families from the wolves, yet can't get ammo since it's been confiscated to be sent to Syria to kill Christians.

I live in a country where maybe we can still get guns, but the ammo that makes them useful against home invaders? In Syria and Egypt.

The country I live in now has a very strong citizen population; those of us who have not been compromised by the gospel of obedience to government overlords are wide awake and the knowledge of what's coming makes us lose sleep at night because we know we are no longer protected from the enemy, for the enemy is WITHIN our borders, and has been actively ELECTED in a fraudulent vote by stymied voters. Twice.

The country I live in now looks for handouts instead of looking for a way to work for a living, looking instead for the government to "save" us, even though we're now a sinking ship in an ocean of immorality and deception.

The country I live in now stymies free speech in the name of "tolerance", stymies the free practice of religion in the name of "birth control" and "tolerance", and stymies the right to bear arms in the name of "public safety" even though lawful citizens are already sacrificing for the safety of all, all ready to put themselves in harm's way in order to protect their own family or any innocent person.

The country I live in has criminalized the People and has made us all an enemy of the State, simply for being...Citizens of These United States.

We the People may still be Citizens, and this may still be the Home of the Brave, but we are no longer the Land of the Free.

The country I live in now hasn't geographically changed, but this country is no longer the one to which I was born. And it's time for We the People to take it back. 

Mere Politics?

Recently I had a conversation with a friend who lamented her father leaving the Church because the Pastor in question had gotten too involved in "politics", and he didn't intend on going back until the Pastor in question left.

Interestingly enough, he went to the Lutheran Community down the road, who didn't avoid "politics" but who, it just so happens, had a platform with which my friend's father happened to agree.

Methinks that if one is following a Faith based on politics, one's relationship with God is inherently disordered.

What, you may ask, were the political issues in question?  

 Abortion and Gay "Marriage" of course!

So many people accuse Catholics of bringing Faith into the public square, and condemn us for it. They try to shut us up and send around Facebook Memes designed to shame us into silence. Shame us with profanity into keeping "our beliefs to ourselves."

To those I respond blatantly that since they who are trying to shame us are clearly living their lack of faith so publicly, it gives equal license to we who believe to do the same. We will not be silenced simply because a few people want us to shut up. In fact, we will be more vibrant still, for we CANNOT be silent in the face of injustice.

On the issue of "Abortion", it belongs to the deposit of the Catholic Faith that life is sacred. It belongs to God alone and always has, from the beginning of time. The fact that this issue has for several years now come into the political sphere does not render it political property. We as Catholics believed and advocated the sanctity of life from the very beginning and this is present in the writings of even pagans in observance of the early  Christians (who were only Catholic as there were no other Christian denominations until 1500).

The Other "Political" Issue?

Thanks for asking!

The other "political" issue at hand, at least here in MN, is the push to re-define "Marriage" to include same-sex  couples.

Once again, people of Faith are not being allowed to comment without being shouted down by all sorts of vile accusations.

Why? Because we have logic on our side. The arguments from those who oppose the MN Marriage Amendment argue from emotion, not logic. They argue from mere "feeling" and a fundamental misunderstanding about the nature of marriage and the nature of love.

You see, their argument goes something like this (and I used to fall within this belief myself, until I woke up and began questioning the status quo):

* "People should be allowed to love whom they want. No one has the right to tell them they cannot love someone."
*  "How dare someone tell me I cannot be happy?"
* "Telling me I can't marry my same-sex partner is relegating me to second-class citizenship."
*  "You hate me! You're a hater! You're a homophobe!" 

You get the idea. It gets tiresome.

The reality is this: "love" according to cultural definition has NOTHING to do with the nature of marriage. What our culture calls "love" is, in reality, mere lust, mere superficial desire and attraction. It does not desire the eternal good of the other. It does not look beyond this world.

So, to address the first point, people can "love" whom they want. This amendment does not limit freedom of consortium or association. It simply states that such association or consortium does not match the definition of "marriage", which is a union of one man and one woman who are bonded for the ultimate reason of the foundation of society and the upbringing of children in a stable relationship and for the common good.

On the second point, regarding "Happiness", well, don't get me going on that definition. How do you define "happiness"?  I seriously doubt that redefining Marriage to match the definition of "Anything Goes" would really give "happiness" to anyone. No one is being denied "happiness" but for their own personal definition that happens to be temporal and quite transitional. Given the state of "gay marriage" in other states, and the rate of divorce and infidelity, I seriously doubt the MN amendment would do anything other than render more people miserable by definition and give divorce attorneys more of your money.

The charge of relegating same-sex partners to "second-class citizenship" is just plain silly. You see, when compared to slavery and REAL Civil Rights issues, the question was not about the DEFINITION OF MARRIAGE. It was about WHOM was allowed to Marry, and yes, it WAS, back then, a civil rights issue as people were actually not allowed to marry even though under Biblical and natural law it was clearly permitted. Same sex "marriage" on the other hand, simply doesn't exist as it does not meet the basic nature of what marriage has always been and what it intends. A man and a man and a woman and a woman cannot between themselves be fruitful without unnatural intervention. And that unnatural intervention actually opens a whole other Pandora's box as it necessitates the death of many children in vitro. In natural marriage, the miscarriage of a child is a tragedy. In Same-Sex "Marriage" the death of many children is part and parcel to create from a dish, only one child.

On the final inflammatory point, no, I don't hate anyone. I do hate temper tantrums though, and find them to be far less dignified when put on by full grown adults who know better, and I'll treat them in the same way as I treat a child: by ignoring him or maybe, in severe cases, by throwing a glass of ice water on him when he gets to be too loud and tiresome.

I am quite tired of being "hated", however, because I'm Catholic. I'm tired of people accusing me of "not respecting" them. I'm tired of people doing to me what they accuse me of doing to them when I've done no such thing.

I'm tired of the heterophobics and the Catholophobics and am tired of being treated as a second class citizen because I am Catholic. But then again, that's our lot, isn't it? Because we have a LOT to live up to and here is an examination of conscience for all of us who claim to be Christian, no matter what our Faith or Denomination:

FROM A LETTER TO DIOGNETUS

From a letter to Diognetus (Nn. 5-6; Funk, 397-401)

"Christians are indistinguishable from other men either by nationality, language or customs. They do not inhabit separate cities of their own, or speak a strange dialect, or follow some outlandish way of life. Their teaching is not based upon reveries inspired by the curiosity of men. Unlike some other people, they champion no purely human doctrine. With regard to dress, food and manner of life in general, they follow the customs of whatever city they happen to be living in, whether it is Greek or foreign.

And yet there is something extraordinary about their lives. They live in their own countries as though they were only passing through. They play their full role as citizens, but labor under all the disabilities of aliens. Any country can be their homeland, but for them their homeland, wherever it may be, is a foreign country. Like others, they marry and have children, but they do not expose them. They share their meals, but not their wives.

They live in the flesh, but they are not governed by the desires of the flesh. They pass their days upon earth, but they are citizens of heaven. Obedient to the laws, they yet live on a level that transcends the law. Christians love all men, but all men persecute them. Condemned because they are not understood, they are put to death, but raised to life again. They live in poverty, but enrich many; they are totally destitute, but possess an abundance of everything. They suffer dishonor, but that is their glory. They are defamed, but vindicated. A blessing is their answer to abuse, deference their response to insult. For the good they do they receive the punishment of malefactors, but even then they, rejoice, as though receiving the gift of life. They are attacked by the Jews as aliens, they are persecuted by the Greeks, yet no one can explain the reason for this hatred.

To speak in general terms, we may say that the Christian is to the world what the soul is to the body. As the soul is present in every part of the body, while remaining distinct from it, so Christians are found in all the cities of the world, but cannot be identified with the world. As the visible body contains the invisible soul, so Christians are seen living in the world, but their religious life remains unseen. The body hates the soul and wars against it, not because of any injury the soul has done it, but because of the restriction the soul places on its pleasures. Similarly, the world hates the Christians, not because they have done it any wrong, but because they are opposed to its enjoyments.

Christians love those who hate them just as the soul loves the body and all its members despite the body's hatred. It is by the soul, enclosed within the body, that the body is held together, and similarly, it is by the Christians, detained in the world as in a prison, that the world is held together. The soul, though immortal, has a mortal dwelling place; and Christians also live for a time amidst perishable things, while awaiting the freedom from change and decay that will be theirs in heaven. As the soul benefits from the deprivation of food and drink, so Christians flourish under persecution. Such is the Christian’s lofty and divinely appointed function, from which he is not permitted to excuse himself."

A Prayer For the Government

Last week I was on retreat and as Mass was in the Extraordinary Form most days, I  used me St. Andrew Daily Missal.

It was quite providential, then, to discover on page 562, a prayer I'd never heard or seen before, but is so needed in our times. It is abridged from a prayer composed by Archbishop Carroll circa 1800. We should all be praying this every single day and after every single Mass.

PRAYER FOR THE GOVERNMENT

We pray Thee, O almighty and eternal God, who through Jesus Christ hast revealed Thy glory to all nations, to preserve the works of Thy mercy; that Thy Church, being spread through the whole world, may continue, with unchanging faith, in the confession of Thy name. 


We pray Thee, O God of might, wisdom, and justice, through whom authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgment decreed, assist, with Thy Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude, the President of these United States, that his administration may be conducted in righteousness, and be eminently useful to Thy people over whom he presides, by encouraging due respect for virtue and religion; by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; and by restraining vice and immorality. Let the light of Thy divine wisdom direct the deliberations of the Congress, and shine forth in all the proceedings and laws framed for our rule and government; so that they may tend to the preservation of peace, the promotion of national happiness, the increase of industry, sobriety, and useful knowledge, and may perpetuate to us the blessings of equal liberty. 


We pray for his Excellency the Governor of this State, for the members of the Assembly, for all judges, magistrates, and other officers who are appointed to guard our political welfare; that they may be enabled, by Thy powerful protection, to discharge the duties of their respective stations with honesty and ability. 


We recommend likewise to Thy unbounded mercy all our brethren and fellow-citizens, throughout the United States, that they may be blessed in the knowledge, and sanctified in the observance of Thy most holy law; that they may be preserved in union and in that peace which the world cannot give; and, after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted to those which are eternal. 


Amen

Outright Propaganda

You know what I'm talking about. Obama's speech tomorrow.

I've read the text. It seems innocent enough, doesn't it? He's telling kids to be good and study hard and not give up. Those are good things, I'll admit.

But there's a problem with this entire thing.

Firstly, what Obama is doing is actually illegal; it is an action that violates Federal statutes, which is a fancy way of saying Federal Law.

Secondly, it's been clear for a long time that Obama has an agenda. Although he controlls the media and they're all at his beck and call, even some of the more liberal columnists have cited his ruthlessness, and not in complimentary terms. I sense fear among those who are coming out in his support. They are guarded in what they say, but it's clear the "O" has lost his shine in their eyes.

Thirdly...this is outright propaganda. This is how it starts, at least in how it applies to the children. It's a perfect strategy that couldn't be better written by the con artist baiting his prey.

Start with a simple greeting. Kids are raised to respect the President, and after all, he's arguably the "most powerful man in the world." It's a big deal for anyone to meet the President, and suddenly he wants to talk to KIDS? Kids go nuts over stuff like that because, well, let's face it; powerful people usually don't give a rat's petard for kids, especially in this culture.

So what he is doing is trying to elicit TRUST from these children and in so doing, soften up their parents who may be against him. Because his message is innocent and it's what parents tell their kids, too, and of course, Obama has a couple daughters and we all know it.

I don't know if his message will be seen in Minnesota; I'm cringing as I consider work tomorrow, for I work in a Catholic school and am pretty sure the principal and many, if not all of the

teachers, were O supporters (although I am not sure of this. We don't discuss politics there.)

I do know that our Governor Pawlenty has come out against Obama's indoctrination speech and calls it "uninvited." God bless him.

So yes, the text seems pretty innocent, but then again, the serpent in the Garden of Eden seemed pretty innocent at first, too, didn't he?

Partisan Paranoid Protester

1. I am not partisan.

I can't be "partisan", for I claim no allegiance to any political ideology.

I vote with the issues and happen to find that currently, the Democratic Party LEAST represents me, or, at best, it MISREPRESENTS what I believe while working hard to convince me and other people who are more gullible that they actually follow Catholic teaching on Social Justice.

Um...no, they don't. They INCORPORATE some portions of Catholic Social teaching, but any idiot can do that by accident. Unfortunately in the case of our government, a LOT of idiots are actively working to deceive the people in this country and I refuse to be one of their Stepford Wives.

2. I am not paranoid

It is NOT "paranoid" to recognize that our own Government is trying to force something upon the American people, and in so doing, outright condemns and works hard to quash legitimate protest.

Can protests get out of hand? Certainly!

But since when is it proper for proud liberals to protest their pet projects (immigration, the war), while proud conservatives (pro-life, health care "reform" requiring tax-payer funded abortion "rights") are publicly villified, arrested, and denounced for exercising their same rights in the same way? Both have peaceful protests protected by our Constitution.

Personally, I find many protesters to be inane, tiresome, aggravating and often idiotic (no matter WHAT their belief.)

I ALSO am grateful to live in a country where we CAN have those protests, I am happy those protesters remind our government that we are a more-or-less Democratic country...especially when one agrees with the reigning regime.

Oh, wait!

...does anyone see anything wrong with my last sentence?

In this, I blame the media even more than I blame our government because...our government got their power through the media. And keeps it.

It's not "paranoia" to be upset that you really DO recognize unfairness in how legitimate concerns are being addressed.

And it's not "paranoia" to draw very clear parallels between what's happening now to what happened in the past in other countries with far more history and suffering...and wisdom...and who STILL voted in evil dictators such as Hitler and Stalin.

You may disagree, but you don't have the right to trample on the reality of history or what people of those countries have faced...and are watching happen in America now.

The Arrogance of American politics will be our destruction unless we are willing to face history!

It's not a matter of political leanings...it's a matter of knowing history and recognizing TRUTH.

I'm not paranoid because I'm expressing an opinion that goes against the current flow. It means I actually have a brain and am engaging it rather than swallowing without question the current mantra of 'HEALTH CARE REFORM!" I'm not seeing how this is any kind of a "reform" at all.

Protester

Yes, I'm protesting. That part is correct.

I have been AMAZED at the vitriol and outright, hostile accusations made against people who have been speaking out against the "Health Care Reform" being shoved down America's collective throat.

I've been called all sorts of things, even in my minimal commentary on social networking. I've been villified and blocked by people who responded to an innocuous "RT" (retweet) on Twitter, people who CLAIM to be good Catholics. I've been accused of being PARTISAN but I wonder where anyone saw that I claimed allegiance to ANY party?

No. I respond to what is in front of me. I refuse to sell my soul to something of the world that can be voted out. My interest is in eternity, and in that interest, I want our government to be interested in Truth, which truly benefits us all.

Let me tell you the truth...

I grew up on welfare, so as a child, we received Medical Assistance. (MA). I think they covered everything we needed, actually, but if they didn't, I didn't hear about it or didn't understand.

When I was in college, I no longer qualified under Mom's MA coverage. I found that I MIGHT qualify for MinnesotaCare, and so I went to speak with a really condescending social worker in Steele County, and went through the humiliation of what they call a "spend down". It was a term I'd often heard Mom use growing up, but until I was there, myself, I hadn't the foggiest idea of what it meant.

I had to go through hours of this analysis, as a solid COLLEGE STUDENT, because we were homeless, Mom was in the hospital and on MA, and as a student, I wasn't making any money. As it was, there were two possible options for me. I could go through one plan that would cost me $6.00 per month, or I would be on MA.

Sure! I could afford that! $6.00! A ridiculously cheap amount! I WASTED more than that each week! And I liked the idea of contributing, after many years of being on welfare. I knew it was cheap because I'd researched the cost of health insurance for an independent college student.

But no...the State decided that $6.00 per month for me was too much, and that's why I had to go through the humiliating "Spend down". And it was made even MORE humiliating by the obvious condescending attitude of the social worker who assumed that because I was from a welfare family and lifestyle, I'd be on her desk forever.

And this is exactly the kind of person throwing their lot in with Obamacare and the "Reform".

So it was that I actually chose not to attend my next "spend down" and spent my college years without health insurance. I found the system ridiculous, illogical, and I refused to be a dead weight on society when it was clear that I could pay SOMETHING into my own medical care, even if it was minimal. I refused to endorse the system with my participation in a dehumanizing acquiescence given my own viability of being a productive member of society.

After all, if the outcome for one who went through the "spendown" every so many months was the same as someone who was introduced to the system through an emergency and humiliated there instead, I figured I'd wait and deal with the probem if it was needed instead of subjecting myself to it without need.

It was clear I wasn't wanted and I wasn't human...why put myself into that position? (And dare I say it? That attitude is probably why I never sought treatment and almost died in 1996 when I woke up unable to breathe. I'd rather die than be so dehumanized ever again. What's the difference?)

Since then I've been paying taxes into things for which I will never reap benefits. (Social Security, anyone?) Maybe that is Just. Maybe I'm just paying pack what I took from our country while growing up. Let's call it even now. I've more than paid back what I owed.

Now, leave me alone. And if you want to kill your infants, do it on your own dime. I want no part of that and refuse to pay it.

It's not paranoid to protest against rampant murder. Ask anyone in Nazi Germany or Stalin's Russia. Or current day India.

Let's be honest

The "health care crisis" in this country has everything to do with politics and nothing to do with reality.

I've seen many uninsured people go into the hospital and receive excellent care, for the people actually doing the work of caring are very good at it. They go into the medical field because they actually *gasp* want to HELP people!

My Dad was one of the people whose life was saved by this "awful health care system". He didn't have a job. Mom brought him to the hospital. They were long divorced but she was concerned about a physical problem he was having. He didn't want to go. As it was, he had dead bone removed from his foot in an emergency surgery which saved him from death by septic shock, and he spent a few months in a local nursing home.

I'm not sure who paid the bill, but no one told him "no".

Medical Debt isn't real debt

When I worked as a claims investigator, as a matter of course, we gathered financial records and credit reports. I learned quickly that medical debt meant NOTHING.

No one burned their car or arranged for their truck to be "stolen" in order to pay off medical debt. Even though it showed on a credit report that they had thousands in "collections", no one was pursuing them on those bills.

My manager told me early on to ignore medical debt in my assesments of potential fraud. Over time, I saw why: nearly EVERYONE had some kind of medical debt in collections. And their claim weren't fraudulent.

If they were, it was for a financial reason OTHER THAN past medical problems.

Now, don't use this to go out and get that plastic surgery you've always wanted. These people probably had medical emergencies and problems they couldn't control. Could happen to any of us.

At that time, I had good insurance and everything I needed was covered but for the copay.

Now, though, as I work for the Church, our insurance is outright crap, we have no choice, and quite honestly, I've avoided going to the doctor for over a year or so because I can't afford the bills that will come.

For you see, I have this reason of integrity of wanting to pay my bills if I can. I will go back to the doctor only if I think I'm dying.

The climate now actually makes medical debt more collectible, and everything...billable.

All we're paying for is administration of the paperwork...not our own care.

So yes, I believe reform is needed.

But not what's being shoved down our throats.

Reform needs RESEARCH. That's not an unreasonable demand to make.

It needs to be taken out of the government's hands and handled in a way that prevents partisan lines.

It needs to recognize the dignity of each and every human being from conception to natural death.

True reform isn't about politics; it's about people.

I see nothing in Obama's "reform" that has anything to do with humanity at all.

I refuse to ever be so dehumanized again as I was under the government system that ruled my health care as a child and a young adult.

You can argue politics all you want. But I lived the reality and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

*

B.U.L.L. (censored)

Everyone, put down whatever you are drinking and go immediately to the following post.  

Acts of the Apostasy: The 3 R's - Reading, 'Riting & Restrictions

Both he and I refuse to be responsible for your choking/drowning death and/or keyboard or monitor. 

Mantilla twitch to Adrienne for directing my mouthful of water...uh...attention...to this post.   My dear, you didn't have a proper disclaimer.  YOU owe me a new monitor! 

"Liberal" Catholics

This is one of my "musing out loud" posts, so please bear with me. I'm not really sure where it's going but I've got the itch to write and the itch to muse, so it's better to let this tiger from its cage. 

The more I learn about the Church (via Ecclesiology), the more the political terms "Conservative" and "Liberal" become like spiritual nails on a chalkboard. They're completely inappropriate, for one can only fall into two categories as a Catholic:  Faithful (Orthodox) or Unfaithful (Heterodox).  Period. One is either in line with Church teachings, or one is not.  

That's not to say that one cannot ask questions or have personal reservations arising from a lack of understanding, so long as that person, with integrity, remains obedient to the teachings and truly seeks to understand them.  

What does "Liberal" mean?  

Recently I've spoken with a few people who claim to be "Liberal Catholics", and because of some interactions and definitions I've seen by commenters online or in real life, before I leap onto the "You're a Heretic!" bandwagon that seems to be so popular among certain groups of Catholics, I think it might be important to figure out what the term "Liberal" really means. 

One person was a commenter on another blog, and took the blog author to task on his own ground. The blog's author claims to be a "Liberal" and a "Progressive", while denouncing pretty much EVERYTHING that makes up the Church.  The "Liberal Catholic" commenter took care to define his terms, explaining that he was all the things personally that the blog's author claimed to be, but the commenter said he was faithful to the Church, respected the teaching authority of the Magisterium on faith and morals, the importance of the sacraments, the respective positions of the clergy and laity, etc.  I was amazed.  In what he was saying, he was obviously very...orthodox!  I wanted to meet that man and shake his hand for what he said, which he stated firmly, in charity, and through logical definition of terms.   

I've met other people who claim to be "Liberal" but haven't been so forthcoming on their definition of what that means. Some people define themselves as "Liberal" not in relation to the teachings of the Church, but in relation to the Liturgy.  These people would take the place of a child about to be aborted, they are supportive of their clergy, they live and breathe Catholicism and can pray circles around people who claim to be holy and devoted but are actually just mean and spiteful in their otherwise solid knowledge of the Church.  These "Liturgical Liberals" are "liberal" in only one area, in that they have an allergy to anything remotely Latin, although they'll fall all over themselves to attend and support Masses in every other language under the sun, even Klingon.  

The liturgical liberals  have no problem, for example,  with the Mass at the LA Educational Conference (the videos of which send the rest of us into paroxysms of a thousand brutal deaths), for they don't see a problem with songs that glorify the people while ignoring God. They don't see a problem with liturgical dancers in a culture in which this is not the norm (and is actually not permitted).  They've never actually READ the Vatican II documents, especially the one on the Liturgy, preferring to allow themselves to be deceived by people who gleefully tell them what the documents said. 

Never mind that the Novus Ordo as it is celebrated today doesn't even REMOTELY look like the Mass called for in Sacrosanctum Concilium.  But I digress.  Other documents have come along that have permitted most of what we see, and thus, Rome has spoken. But the, those changes should not be blamed on Vatican II, if we are to be truthful. 

And above all, we need to be truthful.  

Liberal is as liberal does

These examples have revealed to me a certain dichotomy in those to whom the label is often applied.  It seems that many who consider themselves to be "liberal" are actually faithful Catholics with questionable taste.  The last time I checked, bad taste isn't a sin.  And in fact, bad taste can be corrected, albeit in charity.

How does a wine snob help a redneck to appreciate anything other than Almaden White Zinfandel?  Through careful steps, one sweet wine to the next.  Perhaps to a better Rose', then to a Gwertztraminer, a Riesling, to a Chardonnay, to a Pinot Grigiot or Sauvignon Blanc. Then on to the Reds!  Start with light-bodied like a good Pinot Noir, moving through the Merlots to the Zins to the Cabs.      (Speaking through experience on this one..I was the redneck who had never had wine that didn't come from a box.)  

How does a Matador help a PETA  activist appreciate the art of bullfighting?   

Um...actually, I haven't figured that one out yet.  Yet the above is a bit more of the image of the infighting in the Church today, isn't it?    

Ahem.... 

A lot of these liturgical liberals aren't aware of the GIRM or the fact that the GIRM is, in fact, Canon Law, and MUST be obeyed.  If they KNEW something objectively defined was wrong, they'd be first in line to come into obedience, even if they disliked the facts.  

There is a downright nasty idea out there that anyone who claims to be a "Liberal Catholic" is willfully disobedient, willfully ignorant, mean, and out to wreck the Church.   That idea is completely unfair, completely uncharitable, and fully out of bounds for anyone claiming to be seeking holiness.  

As I've discovered, and cited above, many who claim to be "Liberal Catholics" are actually fully faithful to what the Church is and what she teaches, and perhaps is actually a bit more open than the rest of us about their favorite sins.  And about their confusion on what the Church is, and what she teaches.  

A Foot in Both Worlds

It is the general faithfulness of many of these "Liberal Catholics" that is a bit of a mystery to me, for on one hand, they profess what I profess and believe what I believe, bowing and kneeling to the same Jesus Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament.  They agree that contraception is wrong, they agree abortion is evil, they agree that the Church has no authority to ordain women, they agree that obedience to the Magisterium is important and more importantly, that Christ gave that authority to the Church. We agree that the Pope is the Vicar of Christ, that the Holy Spirit guides and protects us, and that our Bishops are successors to the Apostles.  

Yet invariably, through conversation, their views come into expression and I've found that although they are faithful, they've been secularized, and thus...all of their views, even with regard to Faith, have been warped such that they can ONLY see through the glasses of democratic politics.  

THAT'S how they think they could vote for Obama with a clear conscience. For in their minds, they are rendering unto Caesar while rendering unto God what is God's. To them, it's perfectly logical.   

They stand with a foot in both worlds, leaning more on the secular side. Seeing the Church not through the eyes of the Church and the eyes of objective Truth, but through the eyes of the world.  In short...they are worldly.  

This is recognized in several ways, although I'll only mention a few here:

*  They believe that abortion is the brutal murder of an unborn child and believe that it is an objective evil.  However, because there are people of other beliefs in the world, they do not see that they have the right AND duty to state across the board that it is wrong, for doing so "offends" other beliefs.  They are so ad extra that they see the immoral beliefs of others as being superior to their own.  

*  They do not believe that we have the right and duty to bring our faith into the public square, for there are those who would disagree, and to state the objective Truth which we firmly believe is a scourge to others who do not share that belief and might be "harmed" in their own positions. Thus, preaching Christ to anyone who is not Christian, to them, is not in keeping with the virtue of charity.   They have true love confused with permissiveness. 

* Vocations - this one has me scratching my head a bit, so I'll have to explain this one in more depth in another post.  Suffice to say that just as they don't understand what the Church really IS because they won't take their foot out of the world long enough to find out, so they see ALL of the Sacraments, and Vocations as well.  Their fix for more Vocations is the position they insist on holding:  a foot belonging to Caesar, defining themselves as primarily political, and a foot belonging to the Church, to whom they claim they want to be faithful. 

And in the end, they are torn to pieces because neither position makes sense to either side. 

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Now, this is one of those topics that can be inflammatory, and I'm not claiming to be objective about it;  this is my blog and I get to hold my own opinion, my own bias.  If you want biased objectivity, then go to MSM and let them lie to you.  I won't do that; I'm not a journalist and I think journalism as it's practiced today is soulless, cruel, and deceptive. 

That said, I'd be interested in hearing about my readers' observations on this issue, for clearly, the term "Liberal Catholic" even though it's improper, has to be understood from the perspective of the ones claiming the title.  We have to come to understand why they claim to be such, and if possible, if we can understand them, maybe we can help them shed the glasses of the world and see clearly the spikes on the fence they straddle.  

Draft of my commenting policy:  

If you comment, please keep your comments charitable. Humor is fine, no matter what your position, but I reserve the right to decide if someone is crossing a line.  You can even criticize me, for no doubt I've badly phrased something, and fully expect that even in writing this post I'm offending people.  I accept that.  That doesn't mean I'll change my position or wording because the fact is that some people are so thin-skinned a spring breeze is nearly a mortal wound to them. 

MIND YOU!  There are people who profess to be "Liberal Catholics" and are actually outright dissidents for they don't agree with ANYTHING the Church teaches, and in fact, their beliefs are outright heretical. For the purposes of this post, please ignore the Dissidents and in charity, please read what I'm actually stating about those who fit the definitions I am providing. Thank you. 

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Separation of Church and State

It's really not shocking that in the state of Connecticut the Legislature is proposing a bill that imposes the state's control over the finances of Catholic parishes. This is a bill that SINGLES OUT the "Roman Catholic Church".  

It's not shocking at all. Because we live in opposite-world, here in America, where "Separation of Church and State", a clause which is cited as being a part of our Constitution but ISN'T THERE actually means that the Church can't speak up in defense of life or marriage, but apparently DOES mean that the State can insert itself into our own hierarchy and affairs. 

This bill is VERY dangerous; it separates the parishes from the bishop. It takes the authority away from the Pastor and puts it in the hands of state-approved "trustees".  Sound familiar?

China, anyone?  Anyone?  Connecticut will be the first state to enter into full-fledged communism, and their first victim, as usual, is the Catholic Church.  Why?  Because the Church is a threat to the regime.  How?  Because the Church stands for Truth, morality, and TRANSCENDS any earthly government.  Because we are Catholic first and American second and as a sovereign entity we are NOT subject to earthly authority and CANNOT be controlled by any government.  

Canonically, [According to Canon Law, the internal legal system of the Church] the Pastor is the person with executive authority in the parish;  he is required to LISTEN to his parish council, but is under no obligation to follow what they recommend;  the Pastor has the authority of the Church, under his Bishop.  

The State is trying to change this;  and wants to place the financial affairs of the Church into the hands of the laity, completely contrary to Canon Law and Divine Law.   Mind you...the State has NO RIGHT to enter into the Church's affairs!  

Here is the wording of the First Amendment which allegedly gives us "freedom of religion", one of the main premises upon which this country was formed: 

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Here's what shocks me...that NO ONE is picking up this story!  I read it yesterday, and have YET to see  it on other blogs even by this evening!  (with the exception of one)  It seems this story is remaining with news sources, but is not being picked up by the larger Catholic public...where it NEEDS to be!  

People...if this law passes in Connecticut, it will be introduced into other states.  Your diocese could be next. Maybe similar bills are already in the works in your own state.  

If you are not Catholic...beware!  They'll come after you next, and my prediction is that it'll be our Evangelical brothers and sisters, who are as outspoken in defense of human life and the sanctity of marriage as we are.  

For more information, visit the web page of the Diocese of Bridgeport, CT, take a look at the video as the Bishop explains what is at stake.  You can also read a summary below the video. 

You can read the chilling and Communist China-like language of the proposed bill here. 

My fellow Americans, our religious freedoms are at stake.  Under the First Amendment, the Government does NOT have the right to infringe upon the financial affairs of ANY religion.  However, we have a legal system which is based upon interpretation, a mix of positive law and social contract.  Basically, that means that the law can be interpreted at the whim of our dominant Judicial wing and the set precedent reigns supreme.  Our laws are not read according to the letter of the law, but according to a faulty philosophy which renders the original language powerless. 

We don't all have the right to vote in Connecticut, but we DO have the ability to pray.  I don't care about your religious affiliation; what I care about is that although we are being targeted, it won't end with us.  If this bill passes, the government will take control over every church community possible...just like China.  Oh, sure, they'll "allow" a Catholic Church to exist, and "tolerate" us, but only if we preach what they approve. 

If we are truly faithful, we'll be underground, and we'll officially be criminals.  

My friends...pray.  Watch what happens in that state, and be prepared for it to happen in your own. 

This proposed bill is an OUTRAGEOUS violation of our First Amendment protections and we CANNOT allow it to pass!  Voters in Connecticut, contact your legislators and judiciary committee members.  DEMAND that this bill be shut down!

ALL of us need to be certain that a new precident is NOT set! 

Even those of you who do not follow a particular religion must recognize the outright and objective violation of our civil rights.  PLEASE make your displeasure known to your elected representatives! 

UPDATE! 3/10/09 ======>> The Anti-Catholic bill has been PULLED!

The sad news is that it was advanced by Tom Gallagher, a contributor to left-wing unfaithful National "Catholic" Register, and by Voice of the Faithful. ALL of whom, including the 2 legislators, Rep. Michael Lawlor and Sen. Andrew McDonald, underestimated the average Catholic! Enjoy your walk of shame, folks!

The Arrogance of Evil

I've been pondering this thought quite a bit of late. 

We look around us, and it seems the world is falling apart. And it is.  Our very country is frayed at the seams, our neighbors are suffering everywhere we look, and our government has sold us out even before the ink has a chance to touch the paper. 

Those who speak for Christ in calm, quiet tones are shouted down by multitudes. People are defending outright infanticide and claim foul in the most irrational terms when someone dares to point out that an infant born alive, then killed, is, in fact, a victim of infanticide.  Never mind the fact that the baby was born as a result of a chemical abortion and born alive in spite of the intent to kill the dear child in the womb. (Moloch doesn't really like to make these distinctions; it's bad PR for him.)  

Desecration of the Body and Blood of our Lord abounds from all corners, and those who stand up to defend our faith are accused of being "superstitious" and, oddly, "evil," or "narrow-minded" among other obtuse things.  

It would be easy to become discouraged, but to do so would be to dishonor God. 

Things really aren't any worse now than they were 2,000 years ago when Christians were a regular part of the lion's diet or supplemented Nero's greyhounds.  

The manifestation of evil has changed with the times, but the reality has not, and the arrogance is the same. 

This morning, after Confession, I was in the chapel and took some time to look over a booklet I received this week from a religious community I'm discerning.  Upon opening the cover, I found a poem by St. Bernard of Clairvaux, and here is the line that brought me to my knees in gratitude:

"Do not let the consciousness of your sins hold you back, 

for where they abound, grace always abounds more." 

So true. Sin is everywhere. Our own, the sins of others, and we give into that darkness if we despair and become discouraged in the face of evil.  We know we sin, and we know, then, we contribute to the whole around us.  We give participation in evil. 

And yet, we need to take courage and be comforted, because, where there is sin, there is grace...even MORE grace!  

We look around our evil world, and we should take extra care to look for grace. For while evil in its arrogance is loud and offends all the senses, Grace comes quietly, a subtle, gentle infiltration, giving calm, loving directions in the face of fury. 

The Martyrs understood this effect of Grace; it is what gave them courage in the face of evil.

I think back to my dabblings in the occult, and most specifically, the night of the Tarot reading that nearly had real-life consequences.  

I remember facing my interlocutor, and recognizing, without a doubt, who he really was.  I remember his arrogance, and in his arrogance, he didn't realize he'd lost me entirely.  Grace abounded, and surrounded me, creating a buffer from the enemy's temptations.  

That night, I learned several things about true, pure evil, and those are things that I've seen repeated in many ways since then. They play out differently, but follow the same pattern, and it's the same pattern we witness in Genesis. 

For you see, evil does not grow; its growth is stunted.  Evil cannot move on from the Fall; it is forever attached to that moment of Original Sin;  Evil is like a living "Caddyshack from the Dark Side". 

The Beautiful Enticements of Evil

Consider Genesis; the serpent must have been quite beautiful and pleasing to the eye.  We know, indeed from scripture, that Lucifer was amazing to behold.  It would make sense, then, that in the Garden of Eden, before there was sin, the beauty of creation was even more beautiful, and a serpent, having never caused harm before, would be pleasing to Eve's eye.  His voice must have been quite soothing, and quite natural, in order for her to enter into conversation with this particular manifestation of evil.  

Pure evil is usually quite pleasing to the eye and to the other senses.  That's what opens the door.  The one through which Eve entered, and then Adam.  It gave the serpent the chance to offer Eve the forbidden fruit. 

In Genesis, the Fall seems to happen very quickly.  In our lives today, it might take a little longer for the final scene to occur.  There is so much that takes place to build up to that final offering, but it's always there, in one form or another; deception can be simple or complicated, depending on the desired outcome and what is necessary to stymie the victim.  

In my case, it was a friend who brought me into the Tarot readings, he was my personal serpent; what a lucky girl I was! Another warped Eve.  

His enticements were attractive, but superficial.  He tried to cast doubt on things I knew to be true because they had been revealed, and even though I had fallen away from the Church, I still believed them.  But he was interesting, and I wanted to know more. Enticement. 

In the end, he quite literally used the imagery from Genesis; he offered me the proverbial apple in the form of the last Tarot card. He couldn't turn it over; only I could.  I had to choose to take that step. 

Just as Eve's final step was to bite the apple, he said, I had to turn over the card to reveal everything.  It's not enough to just hold the forbidden fruit, for then it can still be dashed to the ground and refused.  Evil has to be SWALLOWED, it has to be taken INTERNALLY before it is "effective".  In other words, it has to be consummated.   Spiritual adultery. 

Everything else is just a series of little things that lead up to the Big One.  (Sounds a lot like venial sins that lead to mortal sin, doesn't it?)  

I knew then that Free Will was an escape from the trap into which I'd so willingly walked.  I looked Satan in the eye and understood that in his arrogance, he could not see that I was not hungry for what he was trying to offer.  And yet, he, too, was bound by Free Will;  he could not overcome this fail-safe provided by God, this fail-safe that empowers our dignity as human beings. 

It was this gift, this wonderful part of my God-given humanity, this Grace that allowed me to see the Ace I held so deeply that it could never be wrenched from my hand:   Free Will.  God's grenade.  

And in exercising this one weapon I had left, there in Satan's lair, I was freed; he was rendered powerless.  Grace abounding shrivels Satan and turns him to dust. 

The same pattern is something we see today.  We see evil everywhere, and many speak for Evil Incarnate, some more so than others. 

But they are just noise. When their voices arise, we must become more quiet in the cacophony.  Not that we stop our defense, rather, that we imitate God more perfectly, that we become more conformed to Christ.  

We maybe cannot fight the masses that arise like sharks with the scent of the blood of the innocents in their nostrils;  but we can let Christ shine through us to those in our presence, and allow HIM to change their hearts.  

We can have courage in the face of Evil, because Evil doesn't even have the ability to mature beyond original sin.  Evil cannot comprehend that Christ has paid the debt and that nothing can overcome the power of the Precious Blood of Our Lord.  

Today, in our country, in our world, we are being wooed by the beauty of evil. We look upon the face of evil, and many have been taken in by the shallow words and the shining countenance.  

We are all like Adam and Eve in the Garden, as the story plays out yet again, this time before our very eyes.  Yet we HAVE grown, we HAVE become more mature, through the Grace of Jesus Christ and His Sacrifice on our behalf.  His very real Love reveals the epitome of hate that speaks pretty words of destruction, beautiful words that make the darkness seem like light.  

Arrogance is Glorified Stupidity

Mark my words now...it won't be long before an "apple" is extended to one and all, and we're told that if we take a "bite", all will be well.  

I don't know the form this will take, and it may take many forms, all at once.  

I have seen Evil personified, and this pattern will NEVER change because it can't. It knows nothing else, even with all its mad intelligence, it can't break the cycle it began, because it cannot be redeemed.  

Have no fear;  the arrogance of evil is also its downfall, for it underestimates those it seeks to destroy.  Read Genesis. Study the signs. Consider the patterns you've witnessed in your own life. And come back...is my experience unique, or have you see it, too?  Have you seen the pattern, and have you eaten of the offered fruit?  Or did God's Grace help you to turn it down?  

Evil is arrogant, and arrogance is only glorified stupidity. It has no common sense, and it knows no law but the one of Free Will, and that one, it cannot violate for it is bound by this as well.  

In summary, here is the lesson we need to learn:  as we witness the evil around us, we need to be watchful, but still take heart.  Grace abounds in these times, and it's Grace that is important, for THAT is what reveals God's plan, and His hand, His defense, and the shelter He provides for us in every single moment.  Arrogance will destroy itself.  Humility is what wins battles, for humility sees Truth and responds. 

As Padre Pio admonished, "Pray. Hope. Don't worry."  

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To What Do We Agree?

In the last couple years, I have received a great deal of help in both large and small things, from both people I know and people I've never met.

And in that time, I've reflected on the generosity and love of such people, which has made me also reflect on my own lack of generosity, or my own lack of helpfulness to others. I've mentioned before that I'm often lacking in the "hands-on" form of charity, at least, in my estimation. I also realize we are all called to different things at different times. As members of the Mystical Body of Christ, we all must fulfill our roles, none of which excludes the others, but rather, incorporates them while maybe one particular portion is what we have been designed to complete.

Lately this has been my struggle. I have one co-worker who is very service-oriented, and I used to be as well. But my life has pulled me into more of a contemplative stream, one involving more prayer and study than actual hands-on service. It makes me feel guilty. I have to keep reminding myself that the time may come where literally feeding the poor in homeless shelters might be my role, and of course, I would love it. Or maybe it'll be caring for the sick and injured.

Or maybe I'm already fulfilling that role, in caring for the spiritually poor, which is the REAL deficit of our nation. Of all nations. Ever since I added the widget to my sidebar and have seen all the people from all the different nations who have passed through my blog at one point or another, I've realized that I'm fulfilling the command of Christ as He ascended into Heaven: to preach the Gospel to all Nations.

As Catholics, that is our command, and we all do this in different ways, according to the gifts we have been given. Everything we do should be ordered towards spreading the Gospel. Perhaps we're not well versed in the Faith, but know Christ enough to act in love and maintain a strong moral stance as an example to others. Maybe we don't have the words to preach, but we have the hands, and we have our very lives to lay down as an example to others who may ridicule what we say, but can't ridicule the joy of our lives and our hopes. And in that, there is a door opened through which they may enter.

Several years ago, a friend of mine and I were discussing the lack of morality around us. Neither of us were exactly living moral lives ourselves, and we regretted our actions. My friend, after a long pause in our conversation, said to me, "Once you've said "yes" to one guy, it's harder to say "no" to someone else."

It had to do with a loss of moral ground. A loss of dignity. From the other side, a judgment of a lack of fairness: "You're not a virgin. You slept with that other guy, what's wrong with me that you won't do the same thing with me? It's not like it means anything!"

And yet, it does, and we all know it. My friend knew it, and she carried her warning with her. Once we've compromised by saying "yes" to the wrong thing, it's harder to fight in the right battle. One becomes disoriented, unable to truly discern any longer, especially when the culture around us all defines certain behaviors as proper, even as our souls scream at us to stop for a moment and reconsider. To use our intellect and wills, to look upwards towards what is good, to flee from what is only debasement and injury.

Jesus Himself tells us to make our "yes" mean "yes", and our "no" mean "no". There is no middle ground; not in oaths, not in our moral choices. In everything we do, even in the small things, there's an absolute. A small compromise here leads to a larger compromise there. A strong stance here becomes a stronger, more fortified stance there.

We see this in many ways. Recently I observed to a friend that sometimes it's hard to step out and help another person, especially a stranger. But we can be safe about it, and truly, once we are willing to break out of our self-absorbed bubble on behalf of someone else, it is easier the next time. Once we say "yes" to the right things, it's as though the wind fills our sails and helps us to engage more quickly, and with more confidence the next time someone around us needs our charity.

The converse is also true; when we say "no" to someone, it becomes easier to say "no" again and again to the needs of others, and in that process, our hearts become more hardened. That's what happened to the Israelites in Isaiah; they said "no" to God, and as a consequence, their hearts were hardened. They had free will; they chose to disengage from their relationship with The Lord. And because of their willing rejection, they continued to reject all the blessings that came their way.

Nothing has changed; we still have this same nature. We tend to say "yes" to the things that debase us, and "no" to the things that make us holy. We are prideful if we go about "helping" others, but don't see the moral poverty that we must address, and so what do our good works mean if they are divorced from the morality and holiness that should be driving all of it?

So it happens that when we give our acquiescence to the wrong things, we end up giving obesience to even more things, until we are slaves of the world rather than lovers of God.

But when we give our obedience and love to our Lord, we are lead into active accord with not only charity to our neighbor in whatever form is needed, but to a higher morality that seeks to elevate the sinner towards God and out of the mire rather than to tell the sinner (ourselves, mostly) that the mire is actually a "good".

God is not a gray object. He desires that we are clear in our intent, one way or another. A "yes" to Him is a clear "no" to the winds of fickle popular culture. A "no" to an immoral act is automatically a "yes" to the Most High and His love.

We must be clear in everything that we do, at every moment, surrendering to God in even the smallest things. It is the smallest sins that lead us to the bigger ones that rupture our relationship with God.

To what, then, are we giving our agreement every day? To things that are holy, or to things that debase us?

We must choose. We must examine ourselves.

What do YOU choose today?
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Life in a Box

It's been a strange day. Today, my friend Sr. Mary's Investiture took place, and as she died to the world, I was attending a funeral Mass for someone who had physically left the world. It was a beautiful parallel, and one maybe only another Catholic could understand.

Boxes are such a symbol...caskets are boxes, even if really fancy and expensive ones. The Pope...wasn't he buried in a pine box? A pauper's box? For he had nothing of his own...he belonged entirely to Christ.

Several years ago, when I was on light duty and working "Downtown", I was sent into the file room with some papers. I had names, and knew that I could find that name in one of the many boxes the filled the room.

It didn't take long for me to be saddened. Maybe because one of the things I was filing away had the name of a Firefighter who had died on the job; in fact, it was his last day on the Job. And in fact, he'd extended that day to cover for another Firefighter. And was killed. My hand shook a little as I found his file and put it away, wanting to offer some sort of reverence, realizing what this "name" had done.

None of what I knew was written on the page I filed. In fact, the page was something administrative that really had nothing to do with anything. But I put it away, and looked at some of the other names in the same dusty brown box. I looked around the room at all the boxes, realizing that they were FILLED with names, and stupid information about random career events.

But NONE of those boxes and files would tell us who those people were. I thought of one of the guys on light duty with me; he was a driver, was close to retirement but wanting to hang on for another couple years before he finally accepted his pension. He was sacrificing himself to help his children pay their own bills and get a better start in life. He had just adopted a small dog, whom his dear grandchildren loved, but the greatest reward of his life was really those children. He'd do anything for them. Even if it meant staying on the Job forever to help his adult children provide for them...he'd do it. His was a life of sacrifice, and even then, he knew that it was a life that might be given for even the least among us.

I wished I could go through the files and open them not to see useless insurance or random information, but stories of their lives. Of who they were, who they loved, and who loved them.

The memory of that file room has never left me, and I hope it never does.

Living to Work, or Working to Live?

Before I went to Mexico, we were introduced to the Mexican answer of the question, "What do you do?"

In America, if someone asks us that, we offer our careers. We tend to define ourselves by our work, what we have studied or apprenticed to become. In essence, we hand someone a dusty old box filled with random dry documents that really offers nothing.

In Mexico, and, I suspect, other parts of the world, the answer no matter what the career, would be, "I am a mother". "I am a father, and devoted to my family."

They define themselves not by what they do...but who they are. In a short conversation, you can come away knowing something about them as human beings. Their great gift is that of building relationships. I've never met someone from Latin America who was not like this.

One of the custodians in my last position used to spend time in my "cube" telling me, in Spanish, of his country, his people, his family. My Spanish was very bad, but he was patient and helped me to make connections, find words, and in this, he introduced me to his own struggles. He told me of El Salvador, how Christmas isn't joyous because of the violence that takes place there. He lamented about his family, still in that country.

And we spoke of Catholicism and religion. His family was being evangelized by Jehovah's Witnesses, and he didn't see the difference between our faith and theirs. Even in my forgotten, rusty Spanish, I tried to convey our belief in the Trinity and the reality of Christ as both God and Man...and the JW's denial of these truths. He had to know that our religions are NOT the same and their understanding of Christ was not the same. Even though they were nice and meant well.

In the end, I gave him a few Miraculous Medals blessed by Pope John Paul II, asked him to pray to Our Lady for her intercession, and to remain faithful. He was amazed at the gift, and when I've handed those over many people have been amazed. But he didn't come talk to me because I gave him sacramentals...he spent time talking to me because he wanted SOMEONE here to know his family, to know him through his Vocation, not by his job. His job didn't define him.

I'll never forget Jose. (That was his real name. Please pray for Jose and his family in El Salvador).

The Problem with America

We have all heard the catch-phrase "American Dream". This varies, but it has to do with materialism to some degree which leads to a house with a stereotypical Art-Deco white picket fence and a limited number of children, or none at all. We learn of the sacrifice of our ancestors who came here, but in riding on their coattails, we aren't expected to have to offer any sacrifice for ourselves. We are a country of plenty and with that plenty, we have lots o' criticism for people who don't agree with our ethnocentric ideals.

We've gone from being separatist and racist to "tolerant", which, in current American parlance is actually a more extreme and diversified form of separatism, racism, and discrimination guided by elitist relativistic principles.

Our ancestors were staunchly nationalistic in their hope in America, even while they clung to their ethnic identities. Their sufferings were things we can't imagine, but today, we persecute the mirrors of our own grandparents. Today, they come from different countries arising from different conflicts. And in 30 years, their children will be lamenting our generation for the treatment of their own parents.

In the end, none of that matters, for we don't define ourselves according to our ancestral hopes; we define ourselves by the silver platters that have been handed to us. We are guided by "careers", not the idea of "Vocation", and we look to our own invented yardstick and timeline for definition in our lives, never bothering to ask how God defines us and what He has called us to become.

What happiness He has in store for us, if only we would be willing to divest ourselves of the culture of plenty long enough to see how poverty-stricken we really are.

American culture is like the dusty file room downtown, and we are all choosing to define ourselves only by dry details that belong only on the peripheral.

We place our lives in boxes, and when it contains what we think it ought, we brush our hands together, but can't understand why the dust won't go away, or from whence the musty scent arises.

We need a new perspective. We need to see ourselves not in terms of career, but vocation. We need to first understand to what we have been Called, and only from that point can we ever discern what to do with our gifts.

We are not the boxes we create for ourselves. But if we can't see what God has designed for us, that is the location to which we will be relegated, left only to gather dust and be forgotten unless someone has another document to file away.

*

Freedom

I just heard a random comment from a reporter speaking her giddy piece from the Obama soiree.

"I'm not going to have a voice tomorrow!"


No truer words were ever spoken. And she's celebrating the fact.


As I listen to the voters who have apparently elected a socialist government into being, screaming, toasting enjoying their moment, I realize that we now know the sound of liberty dying.

No, I didn't vote for Obama: Because he doesn't represent me. He doesn't represent my values, and he certainly doesn't represent my need for financial well-being; for under his leadership I will not just fear losing my house; I'll end up in a box on the corner. Even further, by his politics he has revealed that my parents shouldn't exist and I shouldn't exist. He has betrayed not just this country through his liberal policies, but he has betrayed in thought and deed the very people who have already elected him into power.

I'm listening to Senator McCain's humble concession speech; you'll find no animosity from the Republican side. One of the reasons I voted for McCain was that he knows suffering and he knows obedience, and he knows the value of blood and guts. Obama and his camp, for the most part, does not. McCain has quite literally and visibly spilled his own blood for this country; Obama has not.

McCain knows humility, and that this humiliation doesn't even come CLOSE to what he has experienced in the past.

And so, with McCain, the leader I have chosen, I know I must congratulate our new President Barak Obama.

Yes, it makes us an Obamanation, so be it. We knew it was coming, and it only means we must pray harder, especially for the unborn.

On the News, they are saying history is being made. Indeed. And history is being lost. Much is being made of a Black President (he's actually Bi-racial). But nothing is being made of the fact that the race is being lost by a potential female Vice President.

Goodbye America. So long, Freedom.

My friends....are you ready for what is to come?

God's will be done.

To my friends in other countries....don't look to America as shores of refuge any longer. We've just elected a government just like yours. To my Canadian friends....our countries are now the same. If you have any wisdom, please offer it to your southern sister. We've always been friends, and to us in Minnesota, you're like an extension of our hunting and fishing grounds. And dang! It's COLD up there!

While praying this afternoon, I knew this moment would come so offered: God's will be done. This is not like other elections; there were some major issues at stake, things the media has directly hidden. Things some voters thought were just "Republican propaganda" but they will soon learn that THEY were the victims of propaganda. Stuff even some in the Democratic party might be shocked to know.

So...God's will be done. So be it. Our Churches will lose our tax-exempt status, and we are going to lose our right to "free speech"...it'll go the way of the Canadians. Speaking out against homosexual behavior and homosexual marriage will be considered to be "hate speech", and just as Catholic organizations have been forced to close down adoption agencies rather than send dear chldren to homosexual couples, so will churches close for priests refusing to perform homosexual "marriages."

And the children....Obama has promised to sign FOCA. Get ready to clean up the mess, for the women and children to be harmed by this act will be something that has never been seen before in our history.

No, we won't go the way of Hollywood and declare that we are defecting in some kind of temper tantrum. We will remember that for now, we still have a voice, we will exercise it as long as wel can, we are citizens of this country, and if our new President does something well, we will be behind him, and if he does not..we will vote. It's all we have.

People have suffered at the hands of bad government from the beginning of time. Why should America be any different? This just makes the point; politics aren't here to save us. We already HAVE a messiah; no matter where we live, the land we inhabit and which holds us as "citizens" is not our home.

So....are we ready for the next couple years? So let it be...

Don't forget to pray.

Dwelling in the Shelter of the Most High

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High,
who abides in the
shadow of the Almighty,
will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress,
my God in whom I trust"

~ Psalm 91

Who do you trust? As we approach Election Day from Hell, who do you trust? Where is your faith? In the smiling face of the Obamessiah, or the sorrowful, bleeding visage of Christ? Are you of this world? Or are you just in it? Do you find your glory in the Cross, or do you find your glory in political assassins of the unborn?

It might be a temptation to vote for the candidate who SEEMS to be winning, but really, it ain't over 'till it's over. We are called to vote for LIFE. No, none of the options truly fit that, but it is clear that we as Catholics CANNOT vote for Obama, for he has vowed to make abortion a "right" in this country, which will not only make life impossible for babies yet to be born, but will overwhelmingly harm women as they won't even have to go to a licensed doctor to butcher their children! Yes, we do need to consider the poor, but if the poor are not first considered through their right to live, how can any program flourish? All natural rights arrive from the basic one...the right to life. And NO WAR in PRESENT or HISTORY has taken as many lives as those taken by abortion. And don't even suggest that those who vote for life don't provide for those who have it. I grew up on welfare, and Obama's tax increases will likely put me there again. He has denigrated we, the working class, for being such, for being less educated, and for not having been born on the coasts and into the elite class. He has denigrated the kind of woman I would be if I were a mother; a hockey mom who would not only HAVE a child with developmental disabilities, but would consider ADOPTING one. (I am the product of two "defective" parents). And do NOT get in between me and the moose or caribou in my gunsights! Or the elk! Do you know how many people you can feed (and keep warm) through those animals? Pioneer women UNITE!

Any vote for Obama is a personal affront to me and all I stand for. And I believe I was raised in a Democratic family, as was common to Catholics. I don't care what your political allegiance happens to be these days; open your eyes and vote a well-formed conscience, consistent with GOD'S laws...not the winds of "change".

Sacred or Secular?

The image above is a photograph I took just this last Monday, in Cincinnati. I was standing under the shelter of and among the columns of the Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains, looking towards City Hall.

See how tall the tower of City Hall looms? It is a beautiful building, revealing incredible architecture, a representation of secular Government, and there, high above, we see a ticking clock. Ironic, isn't it, that the towers are all under a cross? And yet, our politicians seem to know nothing of the Cross, but see it only as an adornment to be used or tossed aside at will.

See also the tall Greek columns, which hold the roof of the Cathedral under which I stood, only one Cathedra, representative of many more, and a power much higher than ANY secular government. In St. Paul, the Cathedral of St. Paul is built upon a hill which overlooks the State Capitol; symbolic of God's Dominance of all government.

So we must all remember, even as we think that the outcome of this election is obvious, that God is in charge, and even if we feel small in the face of great odds, we remain in the shelter of the Almighty. No matter what comes our way, we MUST remember that we are citizens of Heaven, not of this earth, and this is something to consider as we head to the polls.

Below is the Letter to Diognetus (source linked in the title), a fairly short work written in early Church history; and even though Christianity has been fractured over time, I do believe that the message contained is one that all who claim to be Christian is bound to recognize. Use it to examine your conscience and examine your vote; if you aren't going to the polls considering yourself to be doing so as a child of God and citizen of Heaven, you ought not go to the polls at all. If you can't define yourself according to the article below, you most certainly can't claim to be a Christian.

LETTER TO DIOGNETUS

"Christians are indistinguishable from other men either by nationality, language or customs. They do not inhabit separate cities of their own, or speak a strange dialect, or follow some outlandish way of life. Their teaching is not based upon reveries inspired by the curiosity of men. Unlike some other people, they champion no purely human doctrine. With regard to dress, food and manner of life in general, they follow the customs of whatever city they happen to be living in, whether it is Greek or foreign.

And yet there is something extraordinary about their lives. They live in their own countries as though they were only passing through. They play their full role as citizens, but labor under all the disabilities of aliens. Any country can be their homeland, but for them their homeland, wherever it may be, is a foreign country. Like others, they marry and have children, but they do not expose them. They share their meals, but not their wives.

[Note: "They do not expose them" refers to the common practice of killing "defective children" by leaving them on a hillside, allowing them to die "naturally" if they do not meet their society's standard of normality.]

They live in the flesh, but they are not governed by the desires of the flesh. They pass their days upon earth, but they are citizens of heaven. Obedient to the laws, they yet live on a level that transcends the law. Christians love all men, but all men persecute them. Condemned because they are not understood, they are put to death, but raised to life again. They live in poverty, but enrich many; they are totally destitute, but possess an abundance of everything. They suffer dishonor, but that is their glory. They are defamed, but vindicated. A blessing is their answer to abuse, deference their response to insult. For the good they do they receive the punishment of malefactors, but even then they, rejoice, as though receiving the gift of life. They are attacked by the Jews as aliens, they are persecuted by the Greeks, yet no one can explain the reason for this hatred.

To speak in general terms, we may say that the Christian is to the world what the soul is to the body. As the soul is present in every part of the body, while remaining distinct from it, so Christians are found in all the cities of the world, but cannot be identified with the world. As the visible body contains the invisible soul, so Christians are seen living in the world, but their religious life remains unseen. The body hates the soul and wars against it, not because of any injury the soul has done it, but because of the restriction the soul places on its pleasures. Similarly, the world hates the Christians, not because they have done it any wrong, but because they are opposed to its enjoyments.

Christians love those who hate them just as the soul loves the body and all its members despite the body's hatred. It is by the soul, enclosed within the body, that the body is held together, and similarly, it is by the Christians, detained in the world as in a prison, that the world is held together. The soul, though immortal, has a mortal dwelling place; and Christians also live for a time amidst perishable things, while awaiting the freedom from change and decay that will be theirs in heaven. As the soul benefits from the deprivation of food and drink, so Christians flourish under persecution. Such is the Christian’s lofty and divinely appointed function, from which he is not permitted to excuse himself."