***Sigh*** As if I didn't miss it enough already....

So I used to oversee the Christendom College Rome Program, which one of my favorite reporters just encountered ... in Rome:


Way to Go CHRISTENDOM COLLEGE!!! Way to go....

Now why couldn't I be THAT articulate...

oh yeah.... different gifts for different parts of the body, Nevertheless, boy is he dead on this time:

What are you fully aware of?

I had never heard of this young boy until today... but this is worth a watch:



We must understand we are each very special to God...


In Christ, we find our lives, if we are willing to lose our life in Him who reveals the mystery of God's own love and life...

Heresy vs. the Faith Jesus taught?

It is a very uncomfortable reality, but it is reality nonetheless:

Hard to argue?

You have to admit.... he makes a good case...

Two weeks lost?!

I am sorry, dear readers that is has been a week or two since my last post. Unfortunately, I was recently rear-ended down on the 16th street mall while on my pedi-cab (a.k.a. bike taxi). It has cause some pain and anguish, as I was thrown backwards on to my cab. I have had a fairly funky bruise on my leg that continues to cycle through various colors of purple :( I had hit my head on the passenger seat of my bike, which I am claiming the reason I continue to be so scatterbrained :) (though it is actually padded leather!). I have not been on my bike since then, and I am not sure if it is because of emotional scarring :) or if it just that I haven't had the time. Likely the latter.... Though more importantly I have recently started my classes for RCIA at Notre Dame, am preparing for Catechist training for the Religious Education program, and just taught my first class with the Denver Catholic Biblical School in over two years. This year I am teaching the 3rd year on "The Prophets, Esther and Tobit." I am very thankful to the Lord for this opportunity. However, this has caused a pause in my writing for the last two weeks. Even now, I am only posting something which I hope you will consider, because it is of importance to consider which "crowd" we fall into. Significant, says I. What do you think? On my way to my class I was listening to a CD talk by Betty Drennan, put out by Lighthouse Catholic Media, which was entitled (or something to this effect) "A Former Satanist becomes Catholic." There were many things I found so impressive about this talk. The primary one being the focus she placed on the 7 Sacraments of the Catholic Church that she pointed out were the 7 WEAPONS left by Christ for us to defeat Satan. She noted, and she was speaking at a Charismatic Conference, that many Charismatics focus on the gifts of the Spirit, while ignoring the Sacraments. This is to their grave detriment. In particular, she noted how powerful the Sacrament of Reconciliation is; which I tried to sneak in before I taught this morning, unfortunately to no avail. She also noted how we must be very aware of ourselves, our strengths and our weaknesses, in order that we know where Satan will attack us. I find this to be true. As I continue to wage spiritual war in my job here at the Parish, I continue to find that old temptations are being revisited upon me. Nevertheless, it is important to have friends upon which we can rely. Thankfully, I have the great blessing of knowing a good friend in the New Director of Religious Education at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Fort Collins. which happens to be exactly where I will be teaching on Monday mornings for the Biblical School. As Sirach notes, in 6:6 (if I remember correctly), "A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter, and he that finds one is blessed." I think God for friends who are faithful, and for you dear readers who have visited this site to read this. Please know that my ear is yours if I can help in any way. Meanwhile, it is back to work tomorrow at Notre Dame, as I ended up taking most of the day off today (though I went into the office in the evening). I had thought that Friday would be my day off, but it looks like Monday is more likely. But, I suppose, that is neither here nor there. Until we meet again in this written experience of my life, may Christ by your light to shine in the darkness.

Oh... now it is getting good...

The secularists and atheists are now not just protesting but attacking World Youth day! "Blessed are you when they persecute you, and utter every kind of curse against you." Let the world battle with the Catholic Faith... it has already lost...

This weekend some protested the Pope , and the pilgrims who came to pray with him, for things that make no sense. But in spite of it all, an army of youth, dedicated and dedicating their lives to Christ has now been sent forth.

HOLY TOLEDO?!?!?!

Michael Voris, over at RealCatholicTV.com has been covering the World Youth Day celebrations in Spain. In the run-up to the Sunday Mass with the Pope, however, he has been doing some reporting on life and culture of the Catholic Church in Spain. I found this report about receiving the Holy Eucharist on the hands particularly interesting:

To be sure, this practice has been allowed for by the Vatican in the document Memoriale Domini. Of particular note, is that the Congregation makes quite clear that: "However, the Church's prescriptions and the evidence of the Fathers make it abundantly clear that the greatest reverence was shown the Blessed Sacrament, and that people acted with the greatest prudence." Given the crisis in faith in the Holy Eucharist today for many people, one wonders whether this might not be of concern again today in 2011. In general, there has been a desacralization of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, as one need only look at the attire that has changed and become the norm over the last 50 years. What was once shirt and tie for men has become shorts and a t-shirt/tank top many times.

Again, to be absolutely fair, in this document which is the basis for the Church allowing for Communion on the hands, the Congregation for Divine Worship also noted historically that:

Later, with a deepening understanding of the truth of the eucharistic mystery, of its power and of the presence of Christ in it, there came a greater feeling of reverence towards this sacrament and a deeper humility was felt to be demanded when receiving it. Thus the custom was established of the minister placing a particle of consecrated bread on the tongue of the communicant.

This method of distributing holy communion must be retained, taking the present situation of the Church in the entire world into account, not merely because it has many centuries of-tradition behind it, but especially because it expresses the faithful's reverence for the Eucharist.

Looking around today, one rarely sees people maintaining this practice, however. It is unfortunate, i think, because nature itself demonstrates the beauty of being fed by one's mother. Consider the little baby birds, before they can fly they merely open their mouth for their mother who has flown the heights and depths of the sky and has wisdom to share merely open their mouth to receive what is being offered to them so that they too can one day fly.

Fr. Z over at the blog called "What does the Prayer really say?" had an interesting article about his take on the allowance for Reception of Holy Communion on the tongue. To sum it up: he is against it. It is important to note that Communion on the hand is not an absolute right, and in fact, as the article Fr. Z is commenting on points out in the document Redemptionis Sacramentum the church made it clear that it is only allowed in places where the permission has been granted. We do live in a place (The good ole US of A) where this permission has been granted, by the way. Nevertheless, it is worth re-considering the weight of the Tradition and the significance of allowing ourselves to be taken care of by Holy Mother Church. To be fed by our Lord is always a good a thing, and never more excellent than at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with his own Body & Blood.

Perhaps, by our choice, we might consider receiving Holy Communion on the tongue as a sign of personal submission and humility to Christ and His Church which feeds us with the Sacrament of Redemption, the Holy Eucharist.

Assumption Novena 2011!

I am joining over 2800 Catholics to pray the Assumption Novena in preparation for the Feast of the Assumption.

I’m pretty excited to pray this with so many faithful Catholics around the world and I thought you’d like to join too!

There are thousands of people praying through this novena website and there will be millions praying around the world.
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+ Sign up for handy email reminders to get the the novena prayers here: http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifAssumption Novena
+ If you have a website, post about it there!
+ Email your friends and family and get them praying too!

Let’s get all the Catholics we know to pray this novena together for the Assumption!

The score: Sisters 1, sin 0!

And now a quick video from WYD!


You gotta love it when sisters enjoy themselves for the glory of God!

Knights, oh, Knights.... WHY!?!?!??!

I don't have much to say about this. I am disturbed by this reality, and will definitely be needing to reconsider my membership...

if you want the link to the article.. it is here.

Because we will spend eternity with them...

I thought, for those who have never read Modern Day Saints Part I or II by Ann Ball, that all of us could benefit from this video I found today while trying to find something else. It is a video of many of the modern saints, and most beautifully, it holds many of their actual photographs! I love that because Saints are no longer in the distant past, great though they were in their day (and really they still are today), but for all of us we can come to know their earthly faces and consider the story of their lives by more means than merely reading about them.

I hope you enjoyed this short montage of pictures, because one day, should we be obedient to God's grace, we too will meet these folks in heaven. May they pray for each of us!
By the way, this is a little bit out of date as I had the great blessing of being at the Canonization of both St. Damien of Molokai and St. Andre Bisette! Thanks be to God!

RATS!!! or ... not...

The funny thing about Michael Voris, if you haven't noticed yet, is that sometimes you secretly want him to be "too harsh" so that you can disagree with what he is saying. Praise God that those seem to be the times when he is dead on. Consider today's episode of The Vortex over at RealCatholicTv.com:

Are you and I one of those "contemporary Catholics" he is speaking about? Do you understand the difference between belief and acceptance by your experience of Jesus Christ?

In the Catholic Church today, one must wonder how we have got to a point today where only 25% (or so, depending who you ask) of self-identifying Catholics believe in the most fundamental of all Catholic teachings: the Real Presence of Jesus, body, blood, soul and divinity, in the Holy Eucharist. What many of our Protestant brothers and sisters exclaim about Catholics is that we worship "the bread god". Sadly, they don't seem to understand and/or believe the unity of the Gospels, since Jesus himself explained this both in John chapter 6 and then later at the Last Supper, when he prayed over the bread and wine and said, "this IS my body" and "this IS my blood." You can't argue it in the Greek in which the New Testament was written. Jesus is not explaining a symbol, but it is actually, substantially and really his own body and blood. We can know this from the fact that he did not dissuade some of his followers from leaving his company (including his own Apostles!!!) because they had difficulty accepting this teaching [see Jn 6:66 and following). It is important for us as Catholics, no matter where we are in our pilgrimage to Heaven to reassess whether we "BELIEVE" or whether we "accept" the Lord's teachings. Perhaps, we can remember this when a priest offers the Holy Eucharist to us. Instead of a half hearted or mumbled response, we can say with clarity and conviction: "AMEN!"

"Leah", what are you thinking?

So, as a part-time job, I drive a rickshaw downtown, also known as a pedi-cab. It is a great job, primarily because I get paid to excercise. It is also, however, a very tiring job. Often one works about 6 or more hours for the night as you peddle around downtown for most of that time. On the weekends you can go for as long as 10-12 hours, and if you are busy you don't really stop peddling too often. It is great excercise!

But what I find more exciting is meeting all sorts of different people. I had the pleasure of meeting a couple from Idaho who own their own business where the gentleman makes parts for rock crushing. They were a very kind and generous couple that I spent about 3 hours hanging around with - they even bought me dinner. That was a great evening. I also met a gentleman from Boulder who had gone to a rock concert and decided he was hungry at 2:00 in the morning and invited me to dine with him at the Denver Diner. That was an interesting night. Often people invite me for a drink, and that has always been a nice experience, which often leads to a discussion about what I do for my daytime "gig" here at Notre Dame. Sometimes people are open to hearing about what I do in teaching people how to become Catholic. Other times people get very annoyed that a Christian is talking to them about their faith at a bar/restaurant. Yet again another example of the crazy adventure that is the Catholic Faith lived!

Last Friday night, however, I was out late and giving people rides home from a night out. I happened to have two very interesting rides to end my night, which I found to be very indicative of our culture. First, I picked up a young man who had been drinking what seemed to be significant amounts, though he seemed coherent enough, as he had the wherewithal to have a bike-taxi take him home. However, he invited some young ladies to join him on the ride toward his home. I often tell people, "I am not there to judge anyone, I am just there to give rides." I always reflect on the Lord's admonition to "judge not lest you be judged (Mt 7:1)," whenever I say that. Nevertheless, I began to pray for these people. Interestingly, at a certain point the young man said, "I never said I would pay for you,... (for charity's sake, let's say he said "ladies")!" At which I point I took him to where he needed to go a few more blocks while the two young ladies berated him for his "change of heart" in having their company on the ride home. Luckily, they didn't live too far and I was sure they were just wanting to get the free ride home any way, as I believe they had been drinking slight amounts of alcohol, as well.

This for me was a great sign of the promiscuous activities of some people who frequent some of the downtown establishments. This quick loss of respect for the dignity of these two feminine persons was a profound one! I had no idea what caused this young man to suddenly find a deep disrespect for these young ladies! But it was both quick and significant dislike for these ladies. Interesting.

Immediately after this, I picked up four people who needed to get home: two men, and two young ladies. As I dropped them off, one young lady, whose name is "Leah" (let's say) decided to start asking me questions. Interestingly, she began to tell me the story of how she was now dating a married man who was cheating on his wife with her. She surprisingly noted how she was in a "full blown adulterous relationship." Initially, he didn't tell her, but she found out after a "rendezvous" or six. Her question to me, "What do you think I should do?" Naturally, I began to explain to her that she was worth so much more than being a mere "piece of meat" to this "guy" who was not living up to his commitments. I also noted how he was acting as a "mere child" who wanted to "have his cake and eat it too," so to speak. I recalled for her why do Americans like and celebrate Marines, or anyone in the military? It is because for us Americans, they symbolize commitment. They are willing to live and die for something! This is the stuff that "men" were once made of! Unfortunately, in our modern world, though, now so-called "gentlemen" go to "clubs" that somehow have been set aside to cater to their passions and illict desires. No wonder then this young man seemed to have no problem being with Leah and his wife. Sadly, she even explained how he even took her into public places and "displayed his affection for her." Nevertheless, Leah seemed to not get that there was even a problem with any of this behavior!

It seems to me that this is not unusual in our modern day. For Leah, as for many people, "marital relations" are not marital and barely are relations. So many people miss the profound beauty of withholding yourself until you commit to the joy of giving oneself entirely in service and receiving another of the opposite sex in Holy Matrimony. But how could we come to this point in our society? If you have kept up with my blog then you would know that Michael Voris has something to say about these things, especially his recent expose on "The Contraception Deception." Whatever was the cause, however, I would suggest to you, dear reader, that it is incumbent on each of us, as Catholics, to BE THE ANSWER! We must take the gospel to all places! From our workplaces, to the nightclubs, to the comedy clubs, to the bars all over the city of Denver. We can not think that we should be lax or comfortable with where our Lord's Kingdom is at the moment. It must be expanded!!! And we are the ones who must go into the world to proclaim the Good News of salvation and redemption in Jesus Christ. If we are not doing that, then we only have ourselves to blame for the Leah's of the of world, who enter into adulterous or promiscuous relationships and are aware something is wrong, but can't quite convince themselves of it. In fact, she seemed to know in her heart of hearts that she was in something bad, but was trying to convince me that it really wasn't that bad!


As for me, I had to be clear with Leah and invited her to stop this "affair" before she ruined a marriage and found herself heartbroken. I can't say that she definitely did, because moments after I finished my exhortation to her, the young husband, at 2:30 in the morning, showed up in front of her apartment. He introduced himself to me. I said, "Hello," casually and pedaled off into the night praying for Leah to have the grace to make the right decision. It was a great moment to reflect, it seems to me, that we are to be about the business of planting seeds in people's lives, it is up to God to water them with his grace. As for the other young man, I think we must understand how disposable people see their "love interests" these days, because it speaks to the lack of respect and cherishing the goodness of the opposite sex in a holy way. May you and I see our ambassadorship for Christ's kingdom more clearly, because the world is wallowing in sin and mankind awaits the healing of their hearts and fulfillment of their souls in Jesus Christ! By they way, please join me in praying for "Leah," as her soul was graced enough to see clearly that something was not right in her life. Let us pray she has the grace to act in repentance.

In case you haven't yet...

You may have noticed that I really enjoy the online webchannel known as RealCatholicTV.com. I definitely think it is worth the 5 minutes, if nothing else, to watch "Catholic News Roundup" to hear about some of the news from around the world that should be of concern to Catholics. Many of these stories the secular media wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole, or if they do, they will be skewed to a secular view. Please enjoy yesterday's epidode:

Hooray for Courage!

There is quite a story told over at RealCatholicTV.com at the beginning of this video:

One wonders why a parishoner would stand up to shout down the priest who is instructing him in the faith? Have we seriously lost the understanding of the priest as our "pastor"? Do Catholics no longer see the need to listen intently to the challenge of the Gospel and all that the Church has taught in support of it for centuries, I should add! If we believe in Jesus, then let us remember that God can speak to us through his priests and we should be open to the possibililty, especially when they are echoing the clear teaching of the Church!

"I set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life, therefore...."

Norway has seen the unfortunate consequence of our modern world that has rejected God. As St. Paul teaches, "the wages of sin is death." Over the weekend a lone gunman, in what appears was a decided mental state, chose to bomb innocent people and open fire on teens at a camp. This truly is a horrific act. But even more disturbing is that this young man, who opened fire, was doing this because he was concerned about Islam in his country in Norway. It has been said he was a "fundamentalist Christian," but it is becoming clear that that was not the case.

My dear reader, as I said, this is the consequence of rejecting Christ in once Christian Europe. It may be however, as with so many things, a demonic influence may have influenced this young man to try to play God by taking life by means of the death and destruction he caused. His idea, it seems, was to have Europe take up arms against Muslims and Marxists.

As horrid as his actions were, there is, however, something to his concern, one must admit. If one remembers the Muslim riots in France in 2005, then one might remember that they took place there because of a perceived police brutality. But such stories of muslim influence are popping up all over Europe, even in Rome. It is true that muslims are growing in number in Europe. Consider this:


It would seem that a big battle is brewing... or is it? What you will notice in the above video is also what many in the West are continuing to do; that is, to make this a socio-political dilemma. But is it? After all, St. John Chrysostom - a contemporary of Mohammed- noted that Mohammed was a heretic. Really? Then perhaps the one thing that could save the West is the one thing that the so-called Secular Humanism (and one might argue so-called Liberalism) of the West rejects whole heartedly: namely Christian Theology. How can I boldly state this?

Consider Fr. Zakaria Botros, "Islam's (so-called) Public Enemy #1" an Egyptian Coptic priest who boldly speaks out against Islam - not as so many in the West do with political and cultural arguments, but in theological terms [For the sake of full disclosure, this Coptic priest is Orthodox and thus not in full union with Rome - though we recognize their Sacraments as valid, and the Catholic Church is seeking reunification as we speak!]. He very sincerely and wisely asks of Muslims, especially scholars, to explain certain hard questions that confront Islam:


This priest is awesome! Talk about gutsy! He just goes straight to the heart of the Islamic system of belief and asks questions. Check this out:

A little education about these things go a long way! In another article I was reading (linked to above) the author noted that this priest regularly challenges the prominent Islamic scholars of past and present. In fact, over at Jihadwatch.org one can find a few of Fr. Zakaria's explanations of a number of "interesting" facts about Mohammed and Islam. One such article, and this is NOT FOR KIDS, is entitled "The Perverse sexual habits of the Prophet." It actually has a few parts: part II, part III, part IV, and part V are found here.

These are things that most practitioners of Islam, or Mohammedans (as Catholic Tradition has referred to them) have not considered. In fact, Fr. Zakaria regularly appears on the Arab television show called "Daring Questions." For example, here when he calls into question the reliability of Mohammed's wife, who is said to have been a witness of the prophet's revelation, even though Islam does not allow women to be witnesses today! In another segment, he posed the question "Was Mohammed a prophet of God or of Satan?" And, as a sign that these things are effective in pointing to the Truth of Jesus Christ, it is said that Magdi Alam, who was publicly baptized by the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI was influenced by Fr. Zakaria. In short, Our Lord Jesus Christ is the answer to the problem of so-called Muslim extremism. To find the Truth of Christ will transform our world, and help Muslims to find the Truth of God that came to us in Jesus Christ. May the Truth of Jesus Christ be made known by each of us who claim the glorious title of Catholic Christians so that all may "have life, and have it more abundantly" (Jn 10:10)!

Have the Knights been hijacked?

To be upfront, I am a Knight of Columbus - 3rd Degree. To be totally honest it has been some years since I have been seriously involved with a Council, though I maintain my membership. But this report from Michael Voris is fairly disturbing:



It is important, as Catholics, to constantly reassess our associations and perhaps it is time for me to reassess mine...

In these days of great financial turmoil, our country needs a good laugh. With the announcement that our beloved Archbishop is leaving, we need a laugh. With the challenge of finding work for many people, we need a laugh. Since the heat will be getting to us this week in Denver, we need a laugh. And finally, with the summer almost half over, we need to laugh.

My childhood was lived during the 80's so as we have so much in modern cinema that is trying to recapture those times, I think it is worth some satire. I accidentally stumbled upon these videos, and for those of you who already know about them, bear with me. I hope, if you are familiar with these "blockbuster" movies of recent years, that these spoofs will give you a laugh:











If you enjoy these, there are plenty more online that you can find here. I highly recommend the Lord of the Rings spoof (though there is a cartoon rear-end shown, so be aware). As well, others may not be suitable for children - I can't recommend all of them, but these were pretty funny. May we find the Joy of the Lord in the midst of our trials.

Poor St. Lawrence....

Today, sixty eight years ago, we lost one of the great jewels of Rome. On July 16th, 1943 the Patriarchal Basilica of Saint Lawrence Outside the Walls was destroyed by American bombers who were trying to bomb the nearby railyards. Sadly, our American bomber pilots missed with one serious bomb. There were, in fact, specific instructions for bombers to avoid any religious buildings in Rome, but one bomb strayed anyway. If you want to read more on this check this out. Here is what the devastation looked like:


Prior to that bombing, San Lorenzo was an ancient Church that was built above the tomb of St. Lawrence, one of the first seven Deacons of Rome. Originally, it was half the size it is today, because an entirely different Church was built over the original tomb. Then one was built next to it. Then, later, the two were conjoined. Even today, you can find a crick in the walls of the current Church were the two buildings were conjoined. For centuries, following a tradition propogated by St. Phillip Neri, it was one of seven Patriarchal Basilicas of Rome that people would often go to visit while in Rome. It houses a large cemetary just behind it as well, called in Italian the Campo Verano.

It was St. Lawrence who is famously shown with a grill, because it was reported that he had been put to death on a grill. He was so burned, that he exclaimed to his captors, "Turn me over, I am done on this side!" In fact, in the basement of that Basilica you can find, even today, the marble slab that was said to have been used to carry the Saint from his death to his tomb (perhaps I will post a picture of this slab on his Feast day). Upon the white marble slab, one finds blood stains that are said to have come from his back.

In short, the Church that was standing at the time it was bombed had a long and rich history. Unfortunately, when this Basilica was hit, some people who were nearby were wounded and some died. But the great pastoral heart of Pope Pius XII was shown when he immediately went out to visit the people. It is said that his cassock was stained with the blood of the victims, presumbly because he went to visit and/or pray over them - perhaps even offer Extreme Unction (Last Rites). This visit of the Holy Father to the bombed Church also preciptated one of my most favorite pictures of any Pope I have ever seen, because it bespeaks the heart of the Pope:

While we have lost the original Church, as it once stood, the Church that stands in its place today was restored from the original plans - and thankfully not ruined with weird modern art. While my post today is entitled "Poor St. Lawrence" I am certain that he didn't "sweat" (as the kids say) losing a Basilca named after him, nor even that its where his earthly remains are kept. I have a feeling he was more concerned for the poor souls who lost their lives that day that America bombed the city of St. Peter and St. Paul. It just goes to show you, you never know when God will call you home. Perhaps it is best that we each prepare our hearts, for we never know when we too will be asked to give account for our lives before the Lord. Like St. Lawrence, may we have the grace to die well... and even provide a lil' humor for centuries of martyrs to follow.

In case you have never seen it, let me leave you with this short video, the beginning 7 minutes of which shows the Basilica of St. Lawrence (the latter half shows the Basilica of Santa Prassede - but that is a blogpost for a different day):


UPDATE*** Here is a picture of the shell of the actual bomb! They kept it at St. Lawrence and you can see it there today:

OH NO!!!!

It is being reported over at the awesome Catholic website Newadvent.org (which links the Inquirer in Philadelphia) that we are about to lose our Archbishop to Philadelphia. While this should be sad for all those who care about the Archdiocese of Denver, it is important to remember that we should also have expectant hearts for what Jesus is about to do here in Denver! Let us pray begin to pray for our next Archbishop! At the same time, let us pray for our Archbishop that he will be blessed as he moves on to his new ministry at the service of Christ in his Holy Church. Thank you for your guidance of our Archdiocese, and we will miss you, your Excellency!

What many Americans could care less about...

This past weekend a profound moment in the history of the world and the Catholic Church happened. Many of us Americans had more important things to worry about from the economy, to Women's World Cup soccer, to baseball games. Nevertheless, a moment of great importance took place. To what do I refer? The funeral of Otto Von Habsburg. "Who was Otto?" an every day run of mill the modern American might ask? Among other things he was " Archduke of Austria, Crown Prince of Austro-Hungary, Royal Prince of Hungary and Bohemia, of Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia, Galicia, Lodomeria and Illyria." In short, he was the last pretender to the throne of the Austrio-Hungarian Empire, which has been defunct since the First World War. That's right, the one Our Blessed Mother warnned about at Fatima, Portugal.

This is the end of an era. Nevertheless, there are some great moments to be be seen from the funeral of the Archduke. Take for example the beginning of the ceremony:
What is happening here is described here:

The Master of Ceremonies knocks three times

Capuchin: "Who is there?"

Master of Ceremonies: "Otto of Austria,First Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary, Imperial Prince of Hungary and Bohemia, of Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia, Galicia, Londomeria and Illyria, Grand Duke of Toskana and Krakow, Duke of Lothringia, of Salzburg, Steria, Carinthia, Craina and the Bokowina, Grand Prince of Siebenburgen,
Count of Mähren, Duke of Upper and Lower Silesia, of Modena, Parma, Piacenza and
Guastalla, of Auschwitz and Zator, of Teschen, Friali, Ragusa, Zara, princely Count von Habsurg of Tirol, of Kyburg, Gorz and Gradisca, Prince of Trent and Brixen,
Count of Upper and Lower Lausitz and Istria, Count of Hoehenms, Feldkirch, Bregenz, Sonnenberg etc., Lord of Triest, of Cattaro and of the Windischen Mark,
Grand Voyod of the Voyodship of Serbia, etc., etc."

Capuchin: "We do not know him!"

MC knocks three times

Capuchin: "Who is there?"

Master of Ceremonies: "Dr. Otto von Habsburg, President and Honorary President of the Pan European Union, Member and Late President of the European Parliament, Honorary Doctor of numerous Universities and Honorary Citizen of many Societies in Central Europe, Member of honorable Academies and Institutes, Bearer of high and highest State and Church awards, orders and honors, which were bestowed upon him in recognition of his decades long fight for the freedom of peoples, for law and justice."

Capuchin: "We do not know him!“

MC knocks three times

Capuchin: "Who is there?"

Master of Ceremonies: "Otto -- a mortal and sinful man!"

Capuchin: "Come in."


That is pretty awesome you have to admit. Why? It is not our earthly achievements or titles that mean a thing in the life to come. It is merely our humble repentance before the Divine Majesty of Christ that allows for our entrance into the Church - our gateway into heaven. This is a beautiful example of the Church's wisdom in teaching us how to enter into eternity.

Sadly, it also leaves a definitive gap between the once Catholic Austro-Hungarian empire and the secular state of Austria. This funeral took place in St. Stephensdom (the Cathedral) in Vienna, where the Imperial crypt is housed. It has been the practice of the Emperors to have their hearts removed and buried next to them. However, His Royal Imperial Highness had his heart placed in Hungary. It is said this was because he spent time there while in exile and being educated by Benedictine Monks there.

In days gone by, the Emperor and Kings were meant to embody the people and to act on their behalf. While there were some who weren't so good, there were a good many that demonstrated for their people the need to follow Christ, the King of kings. In the United States, we don't have this tradition because our culture is based on rejecting the authority of a King, namely King George III of England. Nevertheless, to once Catholic Europe, the potential of a king or emperor was that they would be a holy and wise person whose service was seen as a regency for Christ. In fact, it could be argued that in America it was the influence of the Freemasonic tenet of not allowing men to have authority over others that caused the establishment of America as a Constitutional Republic to begin with.

At any rate, it was a historical moment for the Church since the last actual Emperor of Austria was not allowed to be buried in their ancestral tomb in Vienna, since he died in exile. This funeral allowed for the family to return to its imperial crypt and the centrality of the Catholic Faith to be restored, even if only momentarily, as the rightful cultural basis for the Austrian people. I leave you then with this lovely rendition of the Salve Regina as sung at the Archduke's funeral, Requiescat in Pace!

The modern man is not really all that modern.

Pope Paul VI once wrote, "The modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than he does to teachers; and if he listens to teachers then it is because they are witnesses." I have found that is true. And in this vein, listen to the witness of this man:

Its hard to argue with a witness of Christ's grace. Sin is nothing modern, it is the same as it has been since our first parents. Thankfully, Christ is the same yesterday, today and always - merciful.

The Vestal Couple?

In the ancient Roman religion, which our Lord Jesus conquered by bringing us the the Truth of the Triune God, the goddess Vesta was the goddess of the hearth & home. In those days, there was the belief that a sacred fire was meant to keep burning in honor of the goddess. If the fire went out then the city would fall, or calamity was believed to be imminent. This seems to have come from the mountains around Rome, in an area today called Albano, when King Numa (2nd King of Rome) established religious practices in early Rome.

At any rate, I was thinking about this story this morning as my wife and I prepare to go to the Rocky Mountain Catholic Home Educators Conference this afternoon. Unfortunately, in our day, there are many schools who have begun to implode morally and some even academically. In fact, you may be aware that in California just a few days ago the governor approved the forced instruction of students about gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender people. Moreover, you might also know about the scandal in Atlanta where teachers, of all people, were caught cheating on the reporting of standardized testing. This alleged crime caused these teachers and administrators to receive bonuses and honors that they did not deserve to receive. These same standardized tests are used throughout the entire nation, and it has renewed debate about pay for public school teachers, and standardized testing.

The point? Well, education, as we have come to know it is often symbolized with a lamp of learning:

This lamp comes from the annals of history and the philosopher Diogenes of Sinope. It is said that Diogenes would go around with a lamp in mid-day. When he was asked why, he said it was because he was looking for an honest man. Presumably, he wanted somebody to tell him how dumb he was for carrying a lit lamp! Diogenes was known more popularly as a "cynic" philosopher. This, in my opinion, speaks to what much of modern American public (read government funded and directed) education has become. It would not be inappropriate to suggest that the "fire" of the lamp of learning has become "the fire of cynicism." That is, children are taught that belief in anything Catholic is useless or just not that important, depending on the curriculum.

Thankfully, schools like Notre Dame and other Catholics Schools are integral to fighting the Secular Humanism that has become prevalent in the running of government-run schools. Not that all teachers are willfully teaching secular humanism, but the fact that public school teachers must be weary of speaking about their Catholic faith is itself a demonstration of the removal and non-equality of the Catholic Faith with other teachings in public schools.

That being said, even beyond Catholic schools, there is a small growing minority (though not as small as many would think!) of parents who have turned to homeschooling their children as a way to educate their children and integrate their Catholic faith into their education. While homeschooling is not for everyone, I think, as Americans, we should appreciate the freedom to teach our children as we see fit. It is not the place of the government to be the primary instructor (<--see #3 of that Declaration of Vatican II) of any child. Taken to an extreme, some places have even outlawed parents teaching their children!!! You think I am kidding? In Germany it is illegal for parents to teach their children! Consider this story. If we don't appreciate our liberties in this country, then we may find that we too will one day lose them.

While I am at work, my wife is at home busily helping our children to learn to read, to count, to explore the world. As a family, we are evangelizing our children to know our Lord Jesus Christ as the Lord of History and the Lord of Life. Again, homeschooling may not be for everyone, but it is a serious and tenable way of teaching children to enjoy their faith. True, homeschooling takes a lot of sacrifice. But with children, as I like to repeat to people, "No greater sacrifice, no greater joy."

The thing it seems that most people don't realize who flatly reject homeschool as an option is that every parent teaches their children already at home, only it is not formalized. Sadly, some children learn that their faith is just short of useless from their parents, but some children learn that it is integral but equal to other subjects they study. While still other children learn from their parents that the Catholic Faith is the most important thing they will ever learn. There are, of course, a great spectrum of these realities, but homeschooling is a great catalyst for this final mode of education.

The fire that kept burning in the city of Rome, and other places, dedicated to the goddess Vesta was meant to never go out. To tend to it, the high priest of Vesta chose certain virgin girls at around the age of 10 years old, yes 10! They were to live almost the rest of their lives tending to the fire (among other duties): 10 years to learn their duties, 10 to live their duties, and 10 training a younger Vestal virgin. If they were to be found to no longer be a virgin, then they were to be buried alive - killed, essentially.

In a similar manner, if our children do not learn to fully appreciate their Catholic Faith then the fire of the Holy Spirit may be extinguished in our family. This, I believe, is partially what we can understand St. Paul to mean when he exhorted St. Timothy, "stir into flame the gift of God bestowed when my hands were laid on you (2Tim 1:6)." Many of the Catholic Church's traditions were borrowed from pagan practices, and purified by being given a Catholic sense. In this way, it demonstrated to people what Christ desires from us and for us: to be transformed by grace. It seems to me that we Catholic parents can not neglect the idea behind the Vestal Virgins if we hope to keep our Catholic culture alive. Though, thanks be to Jesus, we get to do it in the Sacrament of Marriage!

The thing about humidity...

You know it is funny what humidity does to you. It can be uncomfortable, pervasive, and profusive. Even more striking, literally, is hail. I was caught in the hailstorm yesterday as I made my way home. As I walked from the bus to the place my family is living, and I was being pelted, I thought about many things; not the least of which was the death of Sherwood Schwartz, whom some of you may know as the creator of two great television shows of yesteryear, Gilligan's Island and the Brady Bunch. He was also known for his work with the Red Skeleton Hour and some other lesser known works.

I was struck yesterday as I listened to the radio by some hosts saying how when "The Brady Bunch Movie" came out in 1995, the script contained the children cussing. Schwartz, apparently so outraged at this, said that if this was filmed he would personally campaign against the movie. Decency... its a dying art, apparently. Even though the movie was a parody of his TV show, they changed it to honor him.

How is it a guy whose whole career was partially built upon this TV show could stand against that movie because of a few swear words? Standards. Its funny what we, as human beings, are willing to compromise on to get our name out, to get our 15 minutes of fame. Yet this man was willing to reject the movie based on his own TV show because it undermined what he had worked so hard to portray in the show - namely family life.

Today, what can we find on TV that compares to the Brady Bunch? Let alone the glory and comedic genius of Gilligan's Island. Think about, if you have seen either show: every character is still memorable in each of their own way. Both were ensemble casts that were brilliant, though, as I understand it, in their day they was not really all that popular - but enduring, nonetheless.

Not that I want to personally canonize Mr Schwartz or anything. But I do think that we could use more of his wit and creativity in show business today, especially a show where the only people who slept together were the married couple... and they had separate beds! AND on top of everything else... he had Mr. Magoo as Thurston Howell III!

But I digress, humidity... the thing about humidity and Gilligan's Island is that they both require perseverance. You ever notice that on Gilligan's Island they never give up trying to get off the Island? Even after they were rescued a few times in the reunion movies, they kept trying to get back off! Its kinda the same thing with humidity... you have to keep pushing through because it eventually rains.... and sometimes you get pelted with hail.

It's not like I own stock....

...but RealCatholicTV.com sure makes some good points now and then. Michael Voris tackles the effects of Contraception on our culture and the life of the Catholic Church today... and I have to say, he nails some serious points:



Luckily, for us in Denver, Archbishop Chaput is a Bishop who has made clear the Church's teaching on these things with great charity and pastoral care. Nevertheless, perhaps some priests don't hear or feel the challenge to tackle this pressing issue. It is significant that the homosexual community is moving further and further into the mainstream, and many catholics continue to come accept this "lifestyle" as a tenable one. It is true though that this only comes from the acceptance of cohabitation as well.

What it all boils down to is the desire of the flesh, which, it should be noted, is a wholesome and beautiful desire IF IT IS LIVED ACCORDING TO GOD'S DESIGN! I was listening to a radio talk show last night where the host was talking about a tribe in South America where the young men are taken into the jungle in nothing but a loincloth and stinging fire ants are set on them so that they will sting his entire body. This sting is so intense that one sting might send your average person to the hospital for the pain. During this "rite" the boy is not supposed to cry AT ALL - not even a whimper. In this manner, in that culture, he will become a man. Why? Because he was able to endure the pain that was necessary to go into the jungle and hunt for food, during which he may be stung by one or two ants. In going through this "rite" he has proven that he can endure the pains that will necessitate his silence when he or the tribe is on the hunt for a jaguar or other animal. He has demonstrated his ability to control his emotion, fear and pain. I found that very interesting, given that the host began to speak to the "partiers" listening. He berated them for their desire to seek comfort above many other things.

Think about it: in America, our right of passage, for many of our non-believing contemporaries, is to go to college and drink yourself into numerous stupors and engage in promiscuity. Yet, we are called as Catholics to call all mankind to understand that they are called to live in virtue with custody of their eyes and lust. Has the Church failed?! Hardly not! However, we sure as heck should get busy speaking in charity to the persons in our culture who continue to erode the boundries of decency. I heard it once said that this desire for sex and being drunk is a way for Satan to deceive people from receiving what their soul truly desires: namely, the body and blood of the Lord in the Holy Eucharist.

One wonders if the mainstream culture will continue to promote a hypersexualization of our culture, or whether a return to sanity in modesty will ever return? If it is to happen, it is clear that Christians must articulate and defend the joy and value of these things to the world. Perhaps, no greater witness can come than from Our Lady who is always shown in the most modest attire (not that everyone must dress like her), because she understood most fully that her body was meant to honor God. And so it did, by providing him with the flesh by which to come into the world. Thus, Christians, and more so Catholics, should feel the need to follow her example of modesty and of honoring God by means of our bodies.

Goodbye Fr. Hellstrom!

Its funny. The last time I was hired by Fr. Michael at St. Jude he himself left after one year of my being employed there. Now, another priest is leaving when I have just arrived at Notre Dame. Kind of disheartening to think that "I am chasing priests away"... if I didn't believe that Jesus holds the key to the meaning of all this.

Fr. Hellstrom himself noted that the Lord Jesus had surprised him with this move from Notre Dame, but that it was because he trusted in God that he knew there was a purpose. One never knows how one's life will turn when one least expects it. After my former position at St. Jude, I was blessed to have the opportunity to move to Virginia to work for Christendom College, directing their Study Abroad program with my wife. This entailed us traveling to Rome with our, then, two children. But, the Lord had a lil different plan. We found out, just after accepting the job, that we were to have our third child. This meant that sometime between flying back and forth to Italy and running a program while we were there, my wife was going to have a baby. In His Providence, it turned out that our third child was born in Virginia at the end of Decemeber - in between semesters. It was truly perfect timing! (well, sort of...) We had only 4 weeks before we returned to Rome for the Spring Semester... with three kids. While we lived in a one bedroom apartment in Rome, with 4 bunkbeds. I won't bore you with the details of all this, but suffice it to say it was a "challenge." In the end, in spite of the economy beginning to tank, we decided it was a better decision to move back to Denver and live with my parents than to stay in the position. In all honesty, I had no idea if I would find a job back in Denver... turns out I did. Nevertheless, it took a full 13 months to find this new position.

Thankfully, we had a substantial tax return because of our 3rd child and so we were able to survive alright until this job came along. In the midst of all of it, I kept wondering what God's plan was. I think I may have found quite a bit of fruit from that time of unemployment, and now continue to grow closer to my wife, in particular, because of it.

In the end, it was clear that Jesus had a plan, and in spite of my complaining, He knew and knows what is best for us. If you happened to have been at Fr. Hellstrom's final mass at Notre Dame he made the point of demonstrating the difference between "complaining" to God and "crying out to the Lord." I have to say, perhaps I need more work on that one. Nevertheless, as the Psalmist wrote, "the Lord hears the cry of the poor." May we turn our hearts to Him and cry out for our needs.

"Homosexual Juggernaut?"

Many times people push the homosexual agenda, in spite of their evident association with the Catholic Church. It is clear that the Church cares for all of humanity, and it is also clear that the Church has consistently taught for near 2000 years that homosexuality is not of benefit to the fulfillment of mankind or womankind, for that matter. Nevertheless, many supposed Catholics promote and seek to live in this lifestyle. The Catechism of the Catholic Church strikingly notes, "Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection (CCC #2359)."

In spite of this teaching, some have taken it upon themselves to continue to push the homosexual agenda, which includes the legalization of same-sex marriage. One can note this report from yesterday over at RealCatholicTV.com:

We must keep abreast of these proceedings as our very culture is based on the building block of marriage between one man and one woman. From this union of man and woman comes the birth of children who are able to grow and live in a stable family environment where the complementariy of mother and father demonstrate how society is supposed to live in harmony.

For many, this sounds like a "pipe dream". Many do not have the experience of a father and mother who are seeking to love and serve one another. Nevertheless, this is the great challenge for those of us who consider ourselves practicing Catholics: we must live the love of Christ in our marriages and our parentage. This includes the priesthood in those whom the priest "spiritually-fathers-in-Christ." Each of us who have come to know the sacrifce of Jesus and his love for humanity must see that our own lives are the witnesses for the world of how human love can establish a more just and caring society by the choice to love, NOT - it should be noted - by a government mandate.

While marriage continues to be attacked as an institution by the homosexual lobby and those who have been duped into believing that homosexual couples are equal to heterosexual couples - which ostensibly they are not - we Catholics must reflect on our witness of marriage in the world. We must reflect on our prudent choice to love in spite of our spouse's sinfulness and for the sake of the holiness of our spouse. I, for one, know that I am thankful for my wife who calls me to holiness daily.

Beyond that let us pray for both Britain who is "giving children away" and India "who is now trying to increase sterilziation procedures." I recommend that everyone who reads this sign up for RealCatholicTV.com as a free member - the news alone is worth it!

Hope... it springs eternal...

During the last presidential campaign, many people sought to have a man give them "hope" and change. I think that has arguably come to America. Nevertheless, the premise or idea remains wrong to begin with. No man can give us hope. Why? After all, man is created good. Look at the accomplisments which mankind has wrought. What, after all, hasn't man accomplished to do!?

Well... for one, man has not solved his own sin problem. Each of us Catholics are struggling to fight against sin, that is, if we take our faith seriously. There are, of course, a great many Catholics who don't even bother to fight sin. They chalk up the evil in the world to karma, or to other causes. But see no need for the reality of a personal battle against sin. Others try to explain away how serious this battle is. All of us, at some point, fall prey to the wiles of sin. Its too easy some times to take the sinful way out of a situation. Nevertheless, we must always remember that God has called and is calling each of us to holiness. We are called to fight and conquer sin in every way possible in our lives. We are called to live up to the full stature of Christ, because He has shared his very life with us and allows us to share in the grace that constituted his own life.

To be Catholic is to be a realist in many ways, because one must see the reality of sin in the world. It is like humidity in a way, because it all around us (at least in Denver in the days I wrote this). In spite of sin, Jesus is like that cool drink that satiates our thirst, that hydrates us, and fortifies us to continue to work in spite of the humidity.

We are called to know Jesus and our knowledge is not fruitless, but has the ability to transform our lives. It is not without reason that Jesus told his Apostles to teach others all that he had taught them. If there is a blueprint to a happy life, then a loving God would certainly want to communicate that to us and even give us the strength to live it. And so he did... This fact, though, hinges on how serious we are in turning to Christ and learning from him. May we never cease to desire him who knows the meaning of life and the means by which to find our greatest joy in it!!!

To the Irish: may America help restore your faith!

In recent years, it has been quite amazing to watch as the Catholic Faith has been attacked and reviled by the secular media and world. Perhaps there is no more prolific place for this attack than in Ireland, once the Bastion of all things Catholic - and arguably the one-time cradle of Western Civilization as Irish Monks stored the patrimony of western culture in their quills and parchments. One might look to the classic book by Thomas Cahill, "How the Irish saved civilization" as proof to this claim. Michael Voris, who heads up RealCatholicTV.com posted this report from Ireland today:

It seems that, nowadays, there is a profound move away from the Catholic Faith in Ireland, though there are those who fight for the Kingdom of Christ found within the joy of Catholic teaching. One might look to the newspaper, The Irish Catholic, which continues to fight for the Kingdom of Christ and to help the Irish restore and strengthen their faith.

It is important that we, here at Notre Dame, understand there are two types of faith that every one of us holds, as Catholics. There are both types of what the Catechism of the Catholic Church calls the "fides quae" and the "fides qua." That is, the faith by which we believe, and the faith THAT is believed. To put it into philosophical terms, it is the subjective faith that each of us has, and the objective faith that Jesus taught the apostles and which he enjoined to them to:

"go therefore and make disciples of all nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to carry out everything I have commanded you (Mt 28:19-20)."

This "everything I have commanded you" is the teaching of the Catholic Faith. To be truly Catholic is to have our personal, our subjective, our "fides quae" integrate with the teaching of the Holy Catholic Church. Certainly, all of us find ourselves struggling with sin - from the Pope down to each of us in the pews. Nevertheless, we have been baptized and called to holiness by Jesus Christ, Our Lord, in his Love and Mercy. He has given us the means to become saints, but we must learn that Way! We must come to understand what it means to belong to the Kingdom of Christ, and we must come to know what it means to live that faith out in our lives.

Let no one of us cease to "stir into flame the Gift of God bestowed (2 Tim 1:6)" within us! If the Catholic Church in Ireland is to be restored, then we Americans - having just celebrated our Independence to (in part) freely worship God - must raise a generation that will be witnesses to the Holy Catholic Faith and we must be the building block for that generation. May we and our next American generation be those "witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria... even to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8)" so that Ireland, and all the world be restored to Christ!

A New Era...

Dear Friends and Parishioners,

I am very thankful to begin my work for the good of the parish of Notre Dame. If there is anything I can do to help you, please let me know. I have begun today, July 5th, and am very excited to meet you and your families. May you have a blessed week, and I hope to talk to you soon.