TRANSFIGURATION

Tomorrow is the Transfiguration of our Lord in front of the three Apostles. Can you imagine what that must have been like? Probably made them think that they were going to die at any moment. Having fears like this only to have Jesus say, "Do not be afraid." Only if we are under the influence of sin would we be shivering in our boots. I just hope that the end of my life, I can say, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the Faith."
Have you ever wondered why you keep committing the same faults over and over again? I do. I'm a repeater. It's very frustrating! It makes me think of the St. Augustine prayer for after Communion. Maybe it should be before Confession.

Before Thine eyes, O Lord, we bring our sins, and we compare them to the stripes we have received.
It we examine the evil we have wrought, what we suffer is little, what we deserve is great.
What we have committed is very grievous, what we have suffered is very slight.
We feel the punishment of sin, yet withdraw not from the obstinacy of sinning.
Under Thy lash our inconstancy is visited, but our neck is not bent.
Our life groans under sorrow, yet amends not in deed.
If Thou spare us, we correct not our ways; if Thou punish, we cannot endure it.
In time of correction we confess our wrongdoing; after Thy visitation we forget that we have wept.
if Thou stretchest forth Thy hand, we promise amendment; If Thou strikest, we cry out for mercy.
If Thou sparest, we again provoke Thee to strike.
Here we are before Thee, O Lord, confessedly guilty; we know that unless Thou pardon we shall deservedly perish.
Grant then, O almighty Father, without our deserving it, the pardon we ask; Thou Who madest out of nothing those who ask Thee.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

V. Deal not with us, O Lord, according to our sins.
R. Neither reward us according to our iniquities

Let us pray.

O God, Who by sin art offended and by penance pacified, mercifully regard the prayers of Thy suppliant people, and turn away the scourges of Thy wrath, which we deserve for our sins. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Smile

W.C. Fields said, "Begin every day with a smile, and get it out of the way."

I tried to do that today as I took both snowblowers, Big Red and his smaller brother, Little Red, to the repair shop. I am pretty upset about this, as we are to have 4-5 more inches tomorrow. Woo Woo! I even wore my "SARCASM, Just one more service I offer" t-shirt, but they apparently didn't get it. More shovelling on the horizon. I'm looking forward to that hot bath already!

Moving on, today I was reading in the 3rd volume of the Mystical City of God, and I found this very thought provoking. It says that after Jesus performed His first PUBLIC miracle in Cana, His Mother Mary followed Him like the other followers. It's not that she was just a mere woman, but she was The Woman who conceived Christ. The Woman in Genesis, The Woman in the Apocalypse, the one Jesus called "woman." She was and still is very important in the salvation of souls, just as her Son. She just can't forgive as He can. However, in the book it states that she was always helping others, and teaching others to help others. She was apart from Jesus at times, but "...always after a short time, she returned to her Lord and Master, following the Sun of justice until it sank into the abyss of death."

Isn't this what we are all supposed to be doing?

Winter Wonderland

I'm back. I haven't written lately because of that 4 letter word, S-N-O-W. My snow thrower is acting up and needs to go to the shop. My newer snow blower keeps dying and needs to go to the shop. I am left with my trusty shovel, and the snow is much heavier this time than last. I'm so sore it's not funny, at least not to me. Damn global warming. What a pantload that is, huh? If Al Gore was is front of me right now, I think I'd whoop his ass just for the fun of it.
I'm going to go to my heating pad now, but not before a couple of quotes which I think are worth writing.

Patrick Henry said, "Bad men cannot make good citizens. A vitiated (invalidated, perverted, sullied)state of morals, a corrupted public conscience is incompatible with freedom."
Another one. "For every action, there is an equal and opposite government program. Recession is when your neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours. Recovery is when Obama loses his job."

Begone Satan

Today in the Gospel Christ is tempted in the desert. If Satan is so bold as to tempt Him(even if he didn't know it was Him), how can we think that we won't get tempted? At the end, Jesus says, "Vade Satana", or "Begone Satan." If you read in the Apocalypse, chapter 12, the dragon has seven heads. These are the seven deadly sins which could send the soul to hell for eternity. Fortunately, we have seven virtues to follow to counteract these temptations. They are as follows:

SIN------ VIRTUE
1. Pride--- Humility
2. Covetousness--- Liberality/Charity
3. Lust--- Chastity
4. Anger--- Meekness
5. Gluttony--- Temperance
6. Envy--- Brotherly love
7. Sloth--- Diligence

We need to say "Begone Satan" often and invoke the names of Jesus and Mary to persevere.

Post Vatican II

I want to pass on a video which I saw tonight, which is very disturbing and encouraging at the same time. it is in regards to what has happened to the Catholic Church, which is barely recognizable these days, but will none-the-less go on til the end of time, just as Our Lord promised. The site is this:

http://paramedicgoldengirl.blogspot.com/2007/01/what-we-have-lost-and-road-to.html


It is 48:32min. but worth the sitting. It will enlighten you, especially if you haven't noticed what has happened around you.

In regards to one part of the film, mention was made concerning Holy Communion, and the abuses which have occurred during the past 40+ yrs. I know that the priest's intention is crucial to effect the Body and Blood at the consecration. Sometimes I myself wonder if the consecration is correct, whether Christ is really there this time. Let me go on.
After I converted in 1982, I was told that by my godmother that angels were present at the Consecration. Made sense to me. However, one Easter, something wonderful happened during Mass. In those days, I was commentator, on the altar, reading intentions, etc. I had just knelt and received Communion, and was kneeling there while everybody else received. This man came up to my left carrying a boy of about 3-4. When they were in the front of the line, the little boy points at the altar and says to his dad, "Who are all those people?". The dad says, "There's nobody there." Daddy apparently didn't have the Faith that the eyes of a child saw.
Now at that church, nothing was on the altar except the Tabernacle and the risen Christ. I truly believe that the little boy saw the angels adoring Christ in the Eucharist. They were there! Maybe these days they are guarding the tabernacle or waiting for the clergy to once again put Him back where He belongs. Mary Magdalene said, "They have taken Him..." How prophetic!
For all those who think that the churches are empty, maybe you need to rethink, just in case.

The Glorious St. Joseph

This year, I have made a vow to read the entire CITY OF GOD, by Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain in the course of this year. Reading in the 3rd volume, 16th chapter, St. Joseph has died, and our Blessed Mother made these statements regarding St. Joseph.
Because of the privileges bestowed upon St. Joseph, his intercession is most powerful, especially for these causes:
1. For attaining the virtue of purity and overcoming the sensual inclinations of the flesh;
2. For procuring powerful help to escape sin and return to the friendship of God;
3. For increasing the love and devotion to the Most Holy Mary;
4. For securing the grace of a happy death and protection against the demons in that hour;
5. For inspiring the demons with terror at the mere mention of his name by his clients;
6. For gaining health of body and assistance in all kinds of difficulties;
7. For securing issue of children in families.

May St. Joseph help us during this season of Lent and for the rest of our lives, so that hopefully we can be blessed at the hour of death with the heavenly vision for all eternity. St. Joseph, pray for us.

Beware

Today my wife and I went to confession at a local Church in Lansing, and imagine what I found. In the back there was a table set up with various things for Lent. One of these was a plain black book with meditations for Lent. When I opened it up, it said it was based on the writings of Bishop Kenneth Utener, now deceased, and formerly of the Saginaw diocese. The same was invited to speak one time at this same church.
Toward the end of his speech, there was a question and answer period, with cards to be filled out with the question or comment. Whenever I want to find out where someone is coming from in regards to Tradional Church teachings, I ask them the same question: "I am a convert to the Catholic Faith, and I heard from that the Catholic Church was the One founded by our Lord Jesus Christ. Is this true?"
His response was, "Absolutely not!" He went to add the same old tripe that all religions have a little bit truth and, when put together, add up to the entire truth. This is absolutely not true, because the Catholic Church is the center, with the others branching from it. The then pastor looked right at me because he knew that I was the one asking that question. He had heard it before. I looked at him and pointed at the Bishop and mouthed, "I got his number." He then somehow seem to be like a thermometer, with the mercury going up rapidly. He was busted.
This is the type of nonsense we have to put up with these days. These are the "wolves in sheep's clothing". We are to aware and on guard always, because we are surrounded. The line of defense is the Sacred Heart of Jesus and His Blessed Mother, Mary. They will protect us, but we need to ask.

LENT...A TIME FOR DISCIPLINE

I'm writing this blog today because Lent starts next week, and I think that we need these things to think about always, not just during Lent.
This was written by Fr. Raymond Zweber and taken from the St. Augustine bulletin. I don't know which St. Augustine bulletin, though.

A Christian is a follower of Christ. Christ left no doubt as to the one absolute condition required of His followers: "If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me."
During Lent we renew our commitment to Christ: to follow Him more closely. We renounce ourselves and take up our cross(or crosses if you ask me) and walk in His footsteps.
What makes up that cross? Immediately we think of sickness, misfortunes of all kinds, the burdens of work, bearing with one another's faults, the heat of summer, the cold of winter, etc... But seldom do we think of the most obvious crosses which arise from our human nature weakened by original sin.

There is the weakness of lust which is difficulty in ordering my sexuality as Godd intended and to practice the virtue of chastity.

There is the weakness of envy which brings sadness at the good fortune of others and jealousy that sees a threat to my own excellence in the blessings that come to others.

There is the weakness of gluttony which finds difficulty in disciplining appetites for food and drink and creature comforts.

There is the weakness of anger which is a rebellion against God and others because of circumstances or persons.

There is the weakness of sloth which is a distaste for spiritual things(prayer, Mass, confession,etc.), or an aversion for work, even essential work.

All these weaknesses need discipline and so involve the cross. All our penances of Lent, whether fasting, prayer or almsgiving have this discipline as an end. Unless they are directed to this end, we are just going through the motions of Lent and we are no more a "Christian" at Easter than we are now.

Examine yourself honestly. See where discipline is needed in your life. Then enter into the true spirit of Lent;denying yourself and taking up your cross to follow Christ.


Christe eleison

Keep the Faith

There is nothing more necessary to the Christian than confidence in God. Never lose it, and it will be with you all the days of your life.
St. Bernard



Here's a little poem I found tonight. It's addressed to St. Joan of Arc

O valiant maiden of Orleans,
Leader in armies, model for heroines,
Inspirer of kings and queens;
O heaven instructed shepherdess
detect the beastly faithlessness
in sheep's fleece and shepherds dress.
O gallant bearer in the field,
Of Mary's banner and Michael's shield;
teach us to fight and not to yield;
To stare beyond the passing cloud,
To dare the mighty and the proud,
To stand alone amidst the crowd.



KEEP THE FAITH! Do not lose heart! Fight as it your life depends on it, because your eternal one does. In these times, it doesn't just feel that we are outnumbered, we are. But we have God on our side, and He will NOT lose.

Think about it

"You are deceived if you think that a Christian can live without persecution. He suffers the greatest who lives under none. Nothing is more to be feared than too long a peace. A storm puts a man upon his guard, and obliges him to exert his utmost efforts to escape shipwreck." St. Jerome



When Christ said asked Peter if he loved Him, and receiving an affirmative answer, He told him to feed His lambs, meaning us. When He said to feed His sheep, He was referring to the older, wiser members, which are the clergy of the Church. Later on, he says to be aware of wolves in sheep's clothing. Do you think He was talking the problems in the Church these days?

One time I confronted the pastor of our parish, and told him that the truth didn't seem to be in him, and that we would be going elsewhere. He just shrugged. I proceeded to tell that I thought that Judas was a better person than he, his eyes just about bugged out of his head. "How so?', says he, to which I replied, "At least he admitted that he betrayed innocent blood".

God, please forgive me, but some times it's hard to bite your tongue, and you need to speak out to those in error.

Kyrie, eleison

Perservering

Pascal said, "Believing in God costs you nothing if you're wrong, and wins you everything if you're right."

Cradle Catholics need to do some studying in their lives. Most of them don't know the Faith very well, just believing what they're told without looking into the same. "The Pope, Bishop, or whoever" said this or that, so it must be true.
There is a crisis in the Church these days, and here's why. Most of the leaders, all the way up to the Pope, are supposed to deliver the DEPOSIT OF FAITH which was given to the Apostles, through the Fathers of the Church, and which will never change til the end of time. This is not what is happening these days. Things have been changed, even in Scripture, which has altered the meanings delivered by Christ. This is not right at all!
Take the Mass, for instance. During the last 40+ years, things have inserted into the Mass which are only kowtowing to non-Catholics. The Church has always stated, "Outside the Church there is no salvation." Strong words, huh? We are supposed to bring them into our Church, NOT water down our faith to suit them! This is the crux of the problem in the Church today.
At the Council of Trent in the 16th century was countering the movement by Luther and the other protesters. During it, St. Pope Pius V said that the Mass can NEVER be altered for all time, even adding that even if a Pope tried to, he would incur the wrath of God Almighty and the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul! What happened in the last 40+ years was exactly this. Mass in the vernacular, communion in the hand, etc. These things were exactly what Luther did during the deformation. If Christ Himself set up the Faith the way He wanted, what right do we have to change it? Answer, ....................we don't!
The way I look at this whole mess is this; If the Catholic Church is the one founded by Jesus Christ, Satan will do all in his power to try to wreck it, whatever it takes. The St. Michael prayer came about when Pope Leo XIII saw on the altar after Mass Satan and Jesus conversing. Satan said he could destroy Christ's Church. Christ ended up giving him 100 years to try to do this. This period ended in the late 1900's. Go figure. Do you think we're experiencing this turmoil? I do. Satan will tell 999 truths and 1 lie, and that lie makes all wrong(Medjugore). We need to be steadfast in the Faith, fight when we need to, ask Our Blessed Mother Mary for strength and perservance, and endure. Chin up, or maybe down in prayer.

Getting involved

The journey begins. One Sunday, while reading the newspaper, I saw an ad. It was asking if anyone out there wondered where the Catholic Church went. I told my wife, "Hey, here's someone that thinks like you." My wife had been away from the Church for some time, and didn't recognize what she saw, or didn't see. "The Church has been stripped," she said. I didn't know anything at this time. When we sang hymns, I'm singing along with everybody else. When asked how I knew these songs, I replied that I had grown up with them. Another change! What's going on, anyway?
Anyhow, we went to this meeting of confused and disgruntled Catholics. What were they going to do, anyway? These faithful Catholics brought me to an understanding as to what was going on, and helped me in learning the Faith that came to us from the Apostles. The truth NEVER changes. Jesus Christ set up His Church how He wanted it; how can those in charge even think they can make it better? Remember, Paul withstood Peter to his face concerning circumcision and won Peter over, once he realized his error. Salvation is for everyone.
After I was received into the Church, I started buying and reading everything I could concerning the Faith and about apologetics. I wanted stuff that would help me present this new-found Faith to others in a way they just might understand. I am not saying that I'm a great speaker(because I'm not), but I am willing to learn and share what I'm am learning. This was to come into play very shortly, when I started working in a factory. what a wild ride this was.
Fallen away Catholics are absolutely the worst critics when talking to them. Maybe they just don't understand(I hope). I had lots of these, along with those of other churches, pretty much attacking me about my faith. They would tell me I was going to hell if I didn't convert. I would tell them they shouldn't be doing Christ's job, and they will have to answer to that on their day of judgment.
All of this discussion made me learn, not just my faith, but WHY I believe the things I do. I am not a bible scholar by a long shot, but we don't have to be when dealing with non-Catholics. They know all the scripture, except for missing 7 books. This doesn't mean that we shouldn't read scripture, because we should. I even sold a Douay-Rheims bible to a Jehovah witness once. I must have learned something in my studies. We should present these truths in a way that they haven't heard before. Keep studying. If we know our faith, we can make it clearer to others. After all, it is simple if we just believe. More later.

My First

In my first blog, I would like to share some thoughts about being a Catholic. I have been one since 1982, and the way I became one is kind of humorous. I married a woman in 1978; she had 2 daughters; she wanted them to attend Catholic schools; I said "OK." I knew that the kids in the only Catholic family in my neighborhood were smarter than me, even the younger ones. One Sunday while we were attending Mass, the pastor reminded everyone to make sure to get their slip for their tuition discount. Wow! What a concept! I could go for this in a heartbeat. Then I found out that I had to be a Catholic. No problem, said I. I took the classes, using a book called CHRIST AMONG US, which I realized later is a pantload, if you know what I mean. (I will be using this term whenever referring to something that is). Anyway, during this time, I started attending Bible classes. Someone mentioned that the Catholic Church was the One founded by Jesus Christ Himself! What!!! I had never heard this before!
What I did then during the next week was to search at the public library about Christianity, and lo and behold, the Catholic Church is the OLDEST. This made sense to me then. Until anyone can prove to me any older church exists, I'm happy to be a Roman Catholic. And this is the Catholic Church that the Apostles started, being guided by Christ Himself, the Holy Ghost,His Mother Mary, and led by Peter(the Rock), and later Paul, to the Gentiles.
Since this revelation to me, much has happened that has only strengthened my faith, which I will relate in subsequent writings.
Thank you if you even take the time to read this. I hope you enjoy what comes later.