Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est.

Where charity and love are, God is there or as early transcripts show, "Ubi caritas est veras, Deus ibi est." Where charity is true, God is there. Source

Where does this leave us in today's world? Do we truly exemplify charity in our daily lives? We live in a world where a steady decline in population growth exists although we have more resources, longer lives, and longer retirement periods. As our holy father, Pope Benedict XVII, states:

This situation is the result of multiple and complex causes – often of an economic, social and cultural character – which you have proposed to study. But its ultimate roots can be seen as moral and spiritual; they are linked to a disturbing deficit of faith, hope and, indeed, love. To bring children into the world calls for self-centred eros to be fulfilled in a creative agape rooted in generosity and marked by trust and hope in the future. By its nature, love looks to the eternal (cf. Deus Caritas Est, 6). Perhaps the lack of such creative and forward-looking love is the reason why many couples today choose not to marry, why so many marriages fail, and why birth rates have significantly diminished.

It is children and young people who are often the first to experience the consequences of this eclipse of love and hope. Often, instead of feeling loved and cherished, they appear to be merely tolerated. In "an age of turbulence" they frequently lack adequate moral guidance from the adult world, to the serious detriment of their intellectual and spiritual development. Many children now grow up in a society which is forgetful of God and of the innate dignity of the human person made in God’s image. In a world shaped by the accelerating processes of globalization, they are often exposed solely to materialistic visions of the universe, of life and human fulfillment. Source

This can be a hard pill for each of us to swallow considering we live in a society where birth control is the norm, large families are frowned upon and viewed a sign of irresponsibility, and couples often forego having children to ensure their freedom. A society that holds abortion and the death penalty as equals, treats animals more humanely than the unborn, elderly, and disabled, and discourages women who want to follow the age old calling to motherhood. Some how we have lost sight of the fact our children are our future and we are destroying our future. Many children brought into this world are often not being shown the love and encouragement they deserve, because they are a mistake, an inconvenience, or a trophy.

On the flip side of this topic, when we evangelize, are we demonstrating the charity Christ demands of us or do we fail to respect those we disagree with us? While we are supposed to take a stand for Christianity, are we demonstrating true Charity while speaking the truths of our faith? No matter how wrong the other side is, nothing excuses us from treating them with true charity. We cannot disregard the main commands given us by Christ, to love God with our whole heart and soul, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. This means we must love those who persecute us and handle tough issues with delicacy. Remember, it is easy to demonstrate love and charity for those we love, but to love our enemy is the true test of our faith. When we are viciously attacked as Christians or as Catholic Christians, we are not excused from our duty to be charitable. In honesty, being charitable will reach someone quicker than proclaiming the truth with disregard for charity. As the old saying goes, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. I forget who said it, but someone said no one truly hates the Catholic Church; they hate what they think the Catholic Church stands for. Those unwilling to listen and discuss teachings in charity are not going to be reached through our attempts to adamantly proclaim doctrine without a charitable explanation or the flaunting of doctrine in their faces. People viciously against Christianity or Catholic Christianity can only be reached through the power of the Holy Spirit and for any of us to believe we can reach these people through a lack of charity is an attack on Christ himself. When we return their spiteful teachings with spite and disrespect, we will adversely impact the witnesses of our uncharitable actions who are seeking answers and we also risk permanently pushing someone away from the Church who might have eventually listened to us or someone else. Do we really want to be responsible for the loss of even one person’s immortal soul due to our uncharitable actions? I know I don't.

As St. Francis of Assisi tells us, “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words." Source

Quotes of the day

Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.

While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart.

St. Francis of Assissi

Source

Be gentle to all and stern with yourself.

St. Teresa of Avila

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Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.

Abraham Lincoln

Source

Upcoming Posts

Recent topics on the internet prompted a dear friend of mine to ask me two questions. I plan on posting my answers here, because they answer important questions regarding the Catholic faith. I am 'slow' answering these questions, because 1) I want to ensure I get my facts and references completely correct and 2) I want to ensure I am charitable and compassionate in my answers. Here are the questions:

1) What are the differences between the additional seven books of found in the Catholic Old Testament and the Gnostic Gospels?

2) What does the One True Church doctrine of the Catholic Church mean?

I am going to add a third issue to this list that has come to my heart due to several recent incidents.

3) How do we appropriately defend our faith? Is it possible to go too far when trying to combine the truth with charity and compassion? If we endanger even one soul due to our lack of charity, is that a serious problem?

Modesty, an issue that crosses all boundaries.

Modesty is an issue that seems to impact women strongly from all walks of life. Religious boundaries - Christians - Catholic and Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim women - struggle with modesty in their daily lives. It appears unfair from time to time that women are held to a higher standard than men and their dress. I found an interesting article regarding modesty from the Jewish stand point and I believe this article can relate to every woman's path to modesty. The following is an excerpt that really touched me:

Women, according to Judaism, share a special trait called binah, loosely translated as "deep understanding." In the Torah, women are exemplified as having a rich inner world, possessing a unique power to influence people's character; they are described as having insight and perception beyond logic, external facts and superficial facades.

If women are viewed externally, devoid of internal character and spirituality, they are stripped of their unique gift and strength. A danger exists that they will be objectified and degraded.

In fact, we see that cultures which admire women primarily for their physical characteristics, ultimately degrade them and take advantage of them.

In view of this dangerous possibility -- coupled with a strong tendency among males to notice the physical and external and be stimulated visually -- women would do well to de-emphasize their bodies in order to emphasize that which is their real beauty: their inner strengths, their souls.

All of the honor of the daughter of the King is within. (Tehillim 45:14)

Of course, none of this implies that women shouldn't look beautiful.

In fact once the physicality is not distracting, and the internal holiness is realized, it is a mitzvah to glorify the vessel for holiness, that representation of spirituality.

Just as the Tabernacle was stunningly attractive, and a Torah scholar is commanded to accord his physical appearance major priority, so too a woman, an obvious vessel for a rich and potent inner essence, is further enhanced by a beautiful exterior. One which is infused with spiritual content. Not an empty shell.

The last two paragraphs speak loudly to me and reassert my definition of modesty. In fact, the site that it appears originally posted this article, has this saying at the top of the article:

Modesty is as much about revealing as it is covering.

I have stated to various people, I believe modesty is as much about what you wear as it is the state of your inner heart and is the ultimate express of a lady's feminity. Yes, it puts a heavier burden on her and is not one every woman is ready or able to under take spiritually. While this flies in the face of many women who believe in modesty, I do not believe in forcing or mandating modesty, because I believe God will eventually lead every woman who is devoted to him to modesty. Women who feel the tug at their heart for greater modesty will be a silent witness to others. She need not say a single word. Her actions and attire speak volumes. She loves everyone around her and most of all her LORD. She will bring other people to the Lord and modesty without a word. Her number one tool is her silence and when people are ready to hear about why the changes took place in her life they will ask her. Does this mean I am not saddened when I notice the way the modern woman dresses? No, it does not. However, it does mean I do not publicize her attire by telling other people about it or approach someone without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, because God is probably working with that woman an on issue we are not aware of. Yes, modesty is important, but sometimes there are other - more important - spiritual issues that need to be addressed before she can open her heart to full modesty.

Yes, as a Catholic, this is especially difficult at Mass, because we believe Christ is truly present in the Eucharist and it does bother me. However, over time I have come to realize that it is 1) not my place to judge that person's heart and 2) at least she is making steps towards our Lord. All I can do is pray that she will grow closer to Christ and listen to him when he speaks to her. I have NO way of knowing that she is not listening so I must assume she is listening and letting him lead her down the path he has planned for her.

Quotes of the day

Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility.

St. Augustine
Source

When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. That's relativity.

By Albert Einstein
Source

Proof the Moussaoui is about Vengence.

Telling jurors "there is no place on this good Earth for Zacarias Moussaoui," prosecutors asked the jury Monday to sentence the Sept. 11, 2001, conspirator to death.
"It is time to put an end to all this," said prosecutor David Raskin. "It is time to put an end to his hatred and venom."
Raskin pointed out how Moussaoui mocked the testimony of Sept. 11 victims and their families throughout the trial.
"The defendant rejoices in all that pain. He told you that himself," Raskin said. "He loved it because he was responsible for it. He loved it because it meant to him, mission accomplished."

Although it breaks my heart that any person would have the amount of hatred, venom, and love of pain that Moussaoui has, it is not the government's place to judge this man's heart and it breaks my heart to hear anyone say there is "no place on this good Earth" for anyone. As scripture reminds us, "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." While we believe we are innocent when compared to Moussaoui, are we harboring anger towards someone and refusing to let it go. Most of us are - even if this person is Moussaoui and need to forgive him so that we can be forgiven. Prove to me he is a CONTINUED THREAT to society not that he is a bad person and I could accept the death penalty in this case. The government needs to amend the penalty request in this case and ask for life in prison instead of the death penalty.

Source

Martha VS Mary

Father Jonathan's recent post regarding busyness and college students generated this post by my friend Gigs.

So, I thought I would post something I wrote a couple of years ago about Mary and Martha. So, here it is:

Martha or Mary ?

“Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her”

(Luke 10: 38 – 42 Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary time)

The first impression some develop when they read today’s gospel is that our Lord was implying serving others and completing our assigned duties are unnecessary. When we read today’s Gospel in light of the rest of the Gospels we know this cannot be, because Christ constantly calls us to a life of duty that includes charity and serving others. As a result, a closer look at this Gospel is needed. “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing.” Upon examination of these words we realize that service is not the issue at stake. He said, ‘… you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing.’ He did not say, “… you are doing too much. There is only one thing you need to do.” In simpler terms, Christ is saying our only concern should be listening to Him instead of worrying about the things of this world. If we listen to our Lord and keep him in our hearts through out the day we will not be worried about the things of this world. This does not mean we will not be busy with our various obligations and duties, but it means we will not be overly worried about them.

When we are focused on Christ while we go about our duties we will not be concerned about unnecessary issues that make our day harder such as why others are doing something else, am I going to get the recognition I desire, or am I pleasing everyone. Instead we will be focused on our Lord and he will aid us in completing all of our duties without concern for the things of this world. For example, when we tithe our financial worries lessened and our finances become easier to handle, because He ensures those who give faithfully to him do not want. He does the same thing in our daily lives when we make Him the primary focus of our day through prayer, meditation, spiritual readings, Eucharistic adoration and attending Mass. When we focus on Him and keep Him in our hearts at all times He ensures the things of this world do not tear us down and we are able to accomplish everything required of us.

I want to speak from personal experience for a moment. The thought of praying the Divine Liturgy, spending time in meditation, and praying the Rosary daily was over whelming for me at first. I was petrified about how I was going to have time to attend to my daily duties and spend so much time in prayer, but by putting my faith in Christ I have found I still have time to complete all of my duties and have time for recreation. My daily schedule isn’t what I originally planned, but everything gets done. Now, if I skip even one liturgical hour or a decade of the Rosary suddenly my day feels more pressured and rushed. I find myself jealously guarding my time with Jesus in order to ensure I am not hindered from spending time in prayer even if it means sacrificing something I may want to do. The days haven’t lengthened, but by putting my burdens at the foot of the cross I don’t have the worries of this world and as a result my duties become easier to complete. When I do not put my burdens at the foot of the cross regularly through out the day and keep Christ at the center of my heart all day long I become over whelmed by the worries of this world instead of the will of Christ.

Our Lord promises us “my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30 ) when we allow him to be the center of our lives.

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.” (Matthew 11:28, 29)

This is a solid promise that he stands behind thus allowing us to be Martha like in that we fulfill our duties along with serving serve others, but most importantly we are Mary by keeping our hearts open to Christ all day long and complete our obligations without the concerns of this world. “Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

Men are easily distracted by revealing clothing

When faced with women attired in "sexy" attire, men are likely to become distracted and willing to accept irrational offers. Interesting... If anything, I believe this strongly demonstrates the need women have to dress and behave appropriately. Men are easily distracted by our attired and actions especially when they are of a "sexy" nature. This is why women are the keepers of morality and society.

Source

Hat tip to Southern Appeal

Something special that happened to me

Yesterday I attended daily Mass at the Church where I was baptized and confirmed nine years ago, Divine Redeemer Catholic Church. Although I am not Divine Redeemer parishioner, I attend Mass or adoration a couple of times a month and know many of the parishioners by sight, if not name. So, attending Mass was not the extra special event although it Mass is the most wonderful event of every day.

The special event occurred when I was leaving, the altar server, whom I know by sight, but not name, approached me and not me not to leave right away. He came right back to me with a seven day votive candle in his hand saying he would light the candle for me and place it at the statue of St. Joseph on the altar when the current votive light burns out Wednesday or Thursday. So, I lit the candle, prayed for my intentions, and then blew the flame out until he relights it later this week for me. As I got in my car, I felt like I was leaving something behind. I am unsure of what I left behind, but I could feel the door closing behind me and the knowledge it would not reopen.

Since my prayer was two fold, I do not know what I am leaving behind and pray for Christ to show me through solid confirmations what His will is in my life. Right now, I am very confused and feel a little lost. I know where my prayers have led me over the past couple of years and it scares me to an extent, but I know my heart feels torn right now. I know Christ will lead me down His path as long as I stay focused on him.

I hope everyone will join in praying for these special intentions.

More on St. Joseph found here.

The world's oldest block of ice?

Scientists believe they have a sample of ice that is 1-million-years old. Possible? Maybe, maybe not.

Source

May they rest in peace

I rest the right of those who oppose the war to protest or for people to speak out about the war as God's punishment, but certain times need to be held sacred - funerals for example. Unfortunately, there is a right winged group who believes:

The church group has traveled to military funerals over the past year, waving signs and chanting offensive slogans. The church frequently claims that God is killing U.S. soldiers who fight for a country that tolerates homosexuality.

No matter your opinion of the war or this country for that matter, people should be able to bury their dead and mourn in peace. Thankfully, a law was passed by the state requiring protesters to stay at least 500 feet away from funerals. Shame that a law had to be passed to enforce common decency.

Source

Pet Peeve of the Day

Bulk emails and SMS messages from people who never bother to call or send a how are you doing email. Come on, if you don't want to talk to me, stop sending me the if you're my friend you'll send this email back to me or IMing to tell me it is nice out - I can look out the window to figure that one out. If you call or email me, I don't mind those things, but come on... when that is a primary form of 'communication' it gets old and annoying... I detest spam and that is what it feels like on this end.

The Computer is Here!!

Yippee! My new laptop is here and being used.... now I can get back into some serious blogging about current events, pro-life issues, and my faith journey. It is nice to be on my personal computer and not want to toss it out the window! I'll post a little later this evening. Take care and have a wonderful evening.

The Holy Triduum Begins

Tonight the Triduum began with the celebration of the Mass of the Lord's Supper and the paschal fast which will continue until the Easter Vigil Mass Saturday night. Out of respect for the paschal fast, I will fast from blogging through Saturday and then in honor of the Resurrection of Christ I will refrain from posting on Sunday. I will resume posting Monday. I pray everyone has a wonderful, holy Triduum and Easter. May the peace and grace of our Lord be with you through out these holy days that bring Lent to a close.

Quote of the Day - especially for cat lovers!

Never wear anything that panics the cat.

P. J. O'Rourke

Time to do the HAPPY Dance!

I bought a new computer - a laptop at that! Finally! and it should be delivered next week. I am on cloud nine, because this means I can finally toss my old, annoying computer that is old as a dinosaur - at least in computer years. This means I will be able to finally get back to my writings and other interests, because I can be at peace while working on my computer.

What kind of world do we live in?

Okay, this isn't a question that I want an answer to, but the first thought that came to mind when I read this. How can any person, much less a woman, murder an innocent baby out of revenge? Probably due to fact society as a whole is numb to the idea of innocence and protecting life.

Enough is Enough

It is becoming more and more apparent that the reason for the death penalty in the case against Moussaoui is driven out of retaliation and vengeance than to protect society. The penalty trial case is emotionally driven and does not serve to protect society in any form.

Source

Recommended Blogs

"Idol" thoughts that cross my mind and won't leave

This lady is a friend in real life and I enjoy her blog although we may not always see eye to eye.

Vita Mea

The blog of a seminarian who has support and encouraged my blog.

Father Jonathan

A Legionaries of Christ priest who contributes significantly at Fox News. His commentaries are thoughtful and address issues from a personal and Catholic view. In my opinion, he deals with the struggle each of us face as we intergrate Church teaching into the handling of current events.

My Favorite Lenten Music

Vinea Mea Electa by Francis Poulenc

Original Latin text:

Vinea mea electa, ego te plantavi: quomodo conversa es in amaritudinem, ut me crucifigures et Barrabam dimitteres.Sepivi te, et lapides elegi ex te, et ædificavi turrim.

English Translatin:

O vineyard, my chosen one! I planted you: how are you changed from sweet to bitter, to have crucified me and released Barrabas?I protected you; I have removed stones that could bother youand built a tower for your defense.

Source

The tune is haunting in a positive and prayerful manner that sticks with you long after the piece is finished.

Kudos to Fox News and Rev. Jonathan Morris

This morning I stopped by my Father's house for a cup of coffee before heading into work and I caught a brief snippet of Father Morris speaking on the Fox News Television Channel regarding the Gnostic Gospel of Judas. Thank God for priests like Father Morris who are willing and able to take a public stance regarding Gnostic writing that modern scholars try to use as tools against Christianity. These writings were heresy when originally written and continues to be heresy in modern day.

Originally, I decided to ignore the 'find' of the Gospel of Judas, because this heresy does not deserve notice. However, I feel that it is noteworthy that a priest publicly and firmly took a stand against this writing.

Thank you to Father Morris for speaking out and to Fox News for hosting this faithful priest.

The Da Vinci Code, Fact or Fiction? Does it Matter?

The short answer to is The Da Vinci Code is a poor excuse for fictional writing and it does matter – unfortunately. Why does it matter you ask. It matters, because people in modern society tend to be uninformed and desire the easy path when it comes to spirituality. The Christ portrayed in The Da Vinci Code is “easy” for people to relate to, because he is not demanding conversion or anything else from people and feeds the conspiracy theories that the liberals of the world like to throw around about the Church – especially the Catholic Church. Acceptance by the Christ in books like The Da Vinci Code, and modern society, is easy, because anything goes and one only has to look to their improperly formed conscience to know what is right or wrong. In fact, little and often nothing is wrong or sinful. All we have to do is turn on our televisions or stereos to have the anything goes attitude shoved in our face and Christianity is evil or oppressive.

Personally, I do not care about the book, because it is a poorly written and developed without true historical backing. I do not believe in censorship, because censoring authors is the beginning of a path I do not care to see our society go down although certain American cities are already trying to censor Christians. I do care about the impact this book has on society and the questions that arise due to the printing of a historically inaccurate book that’s self portray leaves an uninformed reader believing what the ideas presented could actually be factual. As Amy Welborn mentioned in her presentation at the Citadel Thursday night, this book is not the basis for true dialogue, because it treats Christianity, history, and art as gimmicks. Unfortunately, I have met too many people that accept the Gnostic “Gospels” as the missing part of Christianity and “proof” the Church has deceived people. The failure of Christians to be properly prepared – especially when they come face to face with the ruins left by The Da Vinci Code storm - and an acceptance of blatant attacks on the Catholic Church create significant problems, because the perception that Catholics are brainwashed and do not think critically persists. In addition, writers who create a perception of reality create problems in the realm of history and art when readers of fiction begin accept the story as fact instead of as fiction. One statistic Amy mentioned in her presentation is that according to a Canadian poll one third of those who read The Da Vinci Code believe that book could be true although filled with historical inaccuracies refuted even among liberal historians.

I have seen people fall away from the Church after reading works like The Da Vinci Code, because the people they approached did not have the desire or ability to address their concerns. Therefore, informing people how to respond to attacks on Christianity and the Catholic Church due to bad fiction or the general state of modern society is important to me, because we will answer for souls lost due to our refusal to refute falsehoods and defend the truth. Additionally, I am concerned about the gullibility of people to accept fiction (or theories) as fact instead of being willing to research the issues and think critically.

I am not advocating the type of behavior exhibited by Muslims in Europe over the defamation of Mohammed. However, Christians are remaining too silent and too many are accepting the beliefs put forward by Dan Brown and others that the Church is suppressing women or otherwise engaged in a form of conspiracy to ensure the laity remains ignorant.

I am still sorting through my pages of notes from Amy’s presentation and putting together my post regarding it.

I hope everyone has a good weekend and returns soon for more of Southern Catholic Convert

de-coding Da Vinci

I was able to attend a presentation by Amy Welborn regarding the infamous book The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown last night at The Citadel in Charleston, SC. In addition to the pleasure of being in her presence I was able to speak with her at the book signing and have two of her books autographed. Please stay tuned for an upcoming post regarding her wonderful presentation.

Should Moussaoui face death?

In my opinion, absolutely NOT! This man wants to die a death of martyrdom and we should not give him this ability. He should have to rot in a jail cell where he will live with the fact he did not obtain martyrdom and is viewed as a common criminal. The other issue I believe society and the jurors must consider is can the government PROVE executing this man will truly protect society on a level that a maximum security prison cell will not or is this a case of revenge. If, as I suspect, this is a case of revenge it is wrong for our society to use the death penalty as a tool for revenge. God and only God is the only ultimate judge of the heart and revenge is His not ours. This is a bitter pill to swallow for many, but an important issue. When we allow our hearts to be hardened by the need for revenge we prevent ourselves from continuing to live and love.

Blog Admin

I do not know what is happening, but the links to the right of the page are not showing. I hope to resolve this situation in the near future. Hope everyone is having a wonderful day.