Flash back to the 80's

Kyrie Eleison by Mr. Mister brings back fond childhood memories and a smile to my face. Amazing, I loved this song without knowing the meaning of Kyrie Eleison. As a child, I always thought this song was extremely romantic... a man asking his woman to stay with him through it all. I have a good excuse for thinking that, because I wasn't raised Catholic and had little exposure to religious terms. Until today, I did not give this song much thought... didn't listen to the lyrics closely, because I figured I already knew them.

Now it brings me a level of peace when I contemplate the actual meaning of the lyrics. It is still a love song, but of on a much higher level.

Kyrie eleison - down the road that I must travel
Kyrie eleison - through the darkness of the night
Kyrie eleison - where I'm going will you follow
Kyrie eleison - on a highway in the light. Source

Lord Have Mercy... the prayer of the repentant publican... the prayer of each of us...

Latest Project

I have piano again! It needs to be refinished, but it sounds pretty good - it needs a slight tuneup. Has anyone heard of Farrand Co.? My recollection is that it was a first rate piano and organ company.

Mandatory Death Penalty

There are few cases where I support the death penalty, because of the manner in which our government tends to address the death penalty. As a result, state laws that state the following anger me to no end:

The law says that juries should sentence a defendant to die - rather than serve life in prison - when the evidence for and against imposing death is equal.

When and if our government uses the death penalty it should be overwhelming evidence showing that the death penalty is needed instead of life in prison without parole. Sadly, our Supreme Court does not agree with me and sided with the state governments.

Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for the conservative majority, said, "our precedents establish that a state enjoys a range of discretion in imposing the death penalty."

The ruling overturns a Kansas Supreme Court decision that found the law violated the Eighth Amendment's protection against cruel and unusual punishment. Supporting Thomas, in addition to Alito, were Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Antonio Scalia and Anthony M. Kennedy. Source

Frankly, the death penalty is being used as a form of retribution not to protect society and this should offend our since of justice especially given the number of cases where the defendant was eventually exonerated among other issues.

No Air Conditioning and I'm miserable!

I'm going to take just a moment to say I AM HOT! Our central a/c is not working at work and we are waiting for repairman to show. Given it is over 90 outside and just as hot inside, I feel like I am about to die!

The Lord's Prayer - the original corporate prayer

Everytime we go to Mass or say the Liturgy of the Hours, we pray the Lord's prayer which, as we all know, begins with Our Father and we probably don't give the rest of the prayer that much thought. However, today's Office of Readings points out something very important. We do not stop with Our Father, we go on and say forgive us our sins, give us our daily bread, deliver us from temptation. Never do we say me or I when praying the prayer handed down to us by Christ himself. We pray as a community for the entire community not for particular individuals or ourselves. This means the prayer takes on an added dimention when we pray "forgive us our sins as we forgive those who trespass against us."

Although we are encouraged by Christ to not to be boastful in our prayers, He also teaches us that we cannot remove ourselves from the community of believers and the way to true peace is through corporate prayer and forgiveness.

I'll return to the Cardinal Virtue posts tomorrow.

Happy Father's Day

To my beloved Father who has always been there - even if it is in the shadows - and the two priests who have been instrumental in guiding my spiritual growth.

This day is your day in a very special way.

Blog Purpose

Let your words be for the improvement of others, as occasion offers, and do good to your listeners. Eph. 4:29 (NJB)

This is the tactic I want to take for this blog. I want to help draw others to Christ by helping them find a deeper understanding of our faith and how it relates to current events.

The end of Ephesians 4 goes on to say,

Any bitterness or bad temper or anger or shouting or abuse must be far removed from you - as must every kind of malice. Be generous to one another, sympathetic, forgiving each other as readily as God forgave you in Christ. (NJB)

The wave of the future?

Zip Car

Fox TV had a piece on these cars this morning. Apparently they are already available in select large cities such as New York City. Sounds interesting.

Cardinal Virtues

Most of us know what the four cardinal virtues are prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude. However, do we know why they are the cardinal virtues and how they truly impact our spiritual lives on a daily basis? Let's begin by looking at the word cardinal in this relationship.

The term cardo means a hinge, that on which a thing turns, its principal point; and from this St. Thomas derives the various significations of the virtues as cardinal, whether in the generic sense, inasmuch as they are the common qualities of all other moral virtues, or in the specific sense, inasmuch as each has a distinct formal object determining its nature. Every moral virtue fulfils the conditions of being well judged, subserving the common good, being restrained within measure, and having firmness; and these four conditions also yield four distinct virtues.

Now the question that arises is why do we list prudence at the beginning of this list? We can find our answer in the doctrine of St. Thomas as shown below.

The cardinal virtues unite the intellectual element and the affective. Much has been said recently of heart going beyond intellect in virtue; but the cardinal virtues, while concerned with the appetitive or affective parts, place prudence as the judge over all. Similarly the theological virtues place faith as the foundation of hope and charity. There is thus a completeness about the system which may be asserted without the pretence that essentially these four virtues must be marked off as a quartet among virtues. Source

More on prudence

without prudence bravery becomes foolhardiness; mercy sinks into weakness, and temperance into fanaticism. But it must not be forgotten that prudence is a virtue adequately distinct from the others, and not simply a condition attendant upon their operation. Its office is to determine for each in practice those circumstances of time, place, manner, etc. which should be observed, and which the Scholastics comprise under the term medium rationis. So it is that whilst it qualifies immediately the intellect and not the will, it is nevertheless rightly styled a moral virtue.

This is because the moral agent finds in it, if not the eliciting, at any rate the directive principle of virtuous actions. According to St. Thomas (II-II, Q. xlvii, a. 8) it is its function to do three things: to take counsel, i.e. to cast about for the means suited in the particular case under consideration to reach the end of any one moral virtue; to judge soundly of the fitness of the means suggested; and, finally, to command their employment. If these are to be done well they necessarily exclude remissness and lack of concern; they demand the use of such diligence and care that the resultant act can be described as prudent, in spite of whatever speculative error may have been at the bottom of the process. Readiness in finding out and ability in adapting means to an end does not always imply prudence. Source

I'll cover the remaining cardinal virtues later in the day or over the weekend and add a few personal comments.

Reality Television at its finest

Reality television is the most recent turn for the worst that primetime television has taken. While shows like American Idol and Hell's Kitchen are relatively tame and entertaining, MTV's Real World is a prime example of what reality television should not be. Now, we have Meow Mix House, which appears to be a turn for the best. The grand prizewinner will receive

In addition to winning a new life with a new family, the last cat standing will also receive a job working for The Meow Mix Company as Feline Vice President of Research and Development. He or she will be responsible for taste testing and offering valuable feedback on new Meow Mix product launches and line extensions.

and the losers aren't really losers, because

whichever puss gets the boot will then be adopted into a permanent home, and receive a one-year supply of Meow Mix as a consolation prize.

and for all of you animal lovers out there, rest assured these loving felines will be in good hands

Dr. Lewis Berman, one of the country’s best-known and most-respected animal practitioners, will examine all of the cats before they come to live in the house. In addition, he and his associates at Park East Animal Hospital will be on call 24 hours a day in the event that any of the cats need medical assistance. In addition, a representative from the American Humane Association will be present at all times during filming to ensure the well being of the cats. Source

Of course, in addition to finding homes for kitties in need of GOOD homes, Meow Mix will use the program as a showcase for its products.

Upcoming Changes

I'll be making changes to my blog and website over the next couple of days. Thank you for you patience as these changes take place - especially if you notice particular items edited or removed.

Life's a puzzle

In order for the pieces of the puzzle to fit together correctly, we must start by building the four corners of the puzzle. The corners should be living the Ten Commandments and Beatitudes and study of Holy Scripture and the Catechism.

Corrected June 9, 2006 10:40 AM.

Peace in the modern world

How do we maintain peace continually? The words are easy to say -- stay focused on Christ, surrender his Divine Will in our lives, and welcome suffering. However, this is easier said than done. How do we stay focused on Him in the midst of this crazy world that continually throws everything not of God at us? A world where fitting in is expected and walking to the beat of a different drummer is frowned upon. Sometimes I want to say it is harder today than in the times of great saints like St. Augustine, Francis of Assisi or Teresa of Avila. But is it? My tentative reply is no. Maybe our struggles are different, but careful reflection of history shows nothing under the sun is new. We are more aware of our surroundings and global events thanks to modern technology, but there is nothing new about wars, famine, "modernism," the rejection of Christianity (or God's chosen people), heresy, murder, abortion, or immorality. Granted, we have more choices, but we do not face new challenges. The challenges before us may have different names or appearances, but we continue to grapple age-old issues. The classic stumbling block is our failure to focus and rely on our God - who is older than time and history. The God who loves us beyond our imaginings and desires only what is best for our immortal souls.

For the sake of time, I am ending this post with this, but I will continue this train of thought later.

Spiritual Peace According to the Saints

One of the best but least recognized guides is Saint Leonard of Port Maurice (1676-1751), a Franciscan friar known for his preaching in defense of the Immaculate Conception. He offered four “rules” to help achieve peace of soul.

1. To be attached only to God. Status and wealth may be beneficial, but to be overly concerned about them is to invite inner spiritual havoc. The soul’s primary need is communication with its Creator. One needs to view objects and persons in reference to God and His will if peace is to reign. To be “dead” to the world and creatures is paramount.

2. To surrender to Divine Providence. All Catholic spiritual writers are unanimous on this point: Sanctity and inner peace are attained only when God’s will holds sway. The Lord knows best. Humbly accepting His will is vastly different from reluctantly putting up with it. When a person yields to the divine plan, he demonstrates a belief that God will sustain him—come what may.

3. To welcome suffering and hardship. Human nature tends to resist difficulties. Yet, spiritual perfection entails carrying the cross of Jesus. Scorn and rejection from others—while hardly pleasant—must be seen as an opportunity to experience solidarity with the suffering Christ.

4. To undertake only that which our situation in life demands. Often a person takes upon himself too many activities at once. “The more, the better” does not necessarily apply in the realm of good works. Prudence dictates what one can accomplish. Inner turmoil may spring from a plethora of activities, even when they are morally good acts. Prayer and counsel will determine what to undertake and what to forego. Source

Papal Prayer Intention

"that Christian families may lovingly welcome every child who comes into existence, and surround the sick and the aged, who need care and assistance, with affection." His missionary prayer intention is "that pastors and the Christian faithful may consider inter-religious dialogue and the work of acculturation of the Gospel as a daily service to promote the cause of the evangelization of peoples." Source