God's Presence Is Our True Refuge!

We do not know perhaps, what or where our pain is; we are so used to it that we do not call it pain. Still so it is; we need a relief to our hearts that they may be dark and sullen no longer, or that they may not go on feeding upon themselves.

We need to escape from ourselves to something beyond. And much as we may wish it otherwise and may try to make idols to ourselves, nothing short of God's presence is our true refuge!

Lead Kindly Light, Cardinal Newman

What Is A Catholic?

A while back I got one of those lovely emails I get from folks who would rather argue than listen. He wanted me to write about what a Catholic is since I had written about what a Reformed Baptist is.

Well, I was sitting and listening to Fr. John's homily this Sunday and resisting the urge to jump onto the pew and give him a round of applause for again having the intestinal fortitude to tell the truth without flinching. Thank you, God, for real men in the Priesthood who tell it like it is!

So to my curious friend out there who wants to know what a Catholic is, I offer you Fr. John's sermons in the margin of this blog. This past week's sermon is a barn burner and I thought of you while I was praising God for our faithful Priest.

Have you got the guts to listen to it? I dare ya!

Catholics Need Jesus As Their Personal Savior

“Sacred Scripture tells us clearly that God, in making us his children through Jesus, wants us to know his love and to know that he lives in us and we live in him. God desires us to know that Jesus is the Word, the Son of God, the Savior of the world. And he wants each person to be able to say that Jesus is his or her own personal Savior. And once we know all of this, God desires us to love him in return and to pray to him with deep personal faith and trust.”

Alan Schreck, Your Life in the Holy Spirit: What Every Catholic Needs To Know and Experience, The Word Among Us Press

I offer this little quote from the Franciscan University as just one of many evidences that Catholic do indeed call people to personal conversion.

Seeking Happiness Correctly

Left to ourselves, we seek good from the world, but cannot find it; in youth we look forward, and in age we look back. Seek we great things? We must seek them where they really are to be found, and in the way in which they are to be found.

We must seek them as He has set them before us, Who came into the world to enable us to gain them. We must be willing to give up present hope for future enjoyment, this world for the unseen.

Lead Kindly Light, Cardnal Newman

Unfathomable

“But then the Word became flesh! God became man, in Jesus Christ, so that He Himself could take up the covenant oath for us. Christ assumed human nature with all debts, obligations, and weaknesses. Then He perfected that human nature in Himself, with Himself, with His divine life and power as He lived it out- as an infant, as a child, as a teenager, as a young adult, and as a mature adult. As a son and as a man, He perfected all human life and all human relations. Finally He established a New Covenant by becoming a cosigner to the Old Covenant. He instituted in His own body and blood the sacrament by which the New Covenant is constituted.”

Scott Hahn
Swear To God: The Promise and Power of the Sacraments, Doubleday Press

Fish

Obama Thinks He's God

My friend, Steve Ray, has some great things to say and some good links on the subject of Mr. Obama and his supposed partnership with God in matters of life and death. Check it out.

Isaac is 20 Months Today!

The little King on his throne with my hairbrush as his scepter! What a cutie!

Like Living In The USSR!

Yes, this is an anonymous email I received, but it is an eye witness statement from a woman in Montana who witness the shenanigans in Montana last week when Obama brought his smoke and mirrors magic show to town to try to convince the rest of us that the American people love his socialistic health care program. Yeah right. It's time the American people stopped being "nice" and started showing up at their legislators offices to have a heart to heart talk about what freedom is all about before it is a faint memory in the minds of the gray haired folks.

Read this and realize we are being threatened by a smooth tongued, politically savvy showman who has an agenda and is not going to take no for an answer.


Hello All,

By now you have probably heard that President Obama came to Montana last
Friday. However, there are many things that the major news has not covered. I
feel that since Joe and I live here and we were at the airport on Friday I
should share some facts with you. Whatever you decide to do with the
information is up to you. If you chose to share this email with others I do
ask that you DELETE my email address before you forward this on.

On Wednesday, August 5th it was announced locally that the President would be
coming here. There are many groups here that are against his healthcare and
huge spending so those groups began talking and deciding on what they were
going to do. The White House would not release ANY details other than the
date.

On about Tuesday Joe found out that they would be holding the "Town Hall" at
the airport. (This is only because Joe knows EVERYONE at the airport) Our
airport is actually located outside of Belgrade (tiny town) in a very remote
location. Nothing is around there. They chose to use a hangar that is the
most remotely located hangar. You could not pick a more remote location, and
you can not get to it easily. It is totally secluded from the public.
FYI: We have many areas in Belgrade and Bozeman which could have held a large
amount of folks with sufficient parking. (gymnasiums/auditoriums). All of
which have chairs and tables, and would not have to be SHIPPED IN!! $$$$$
During the week, cargo by the TONS was being shipped in constantly. Airport
employees could not believe how it just kept coming. Though it was our
President coming several expressed how excessive it was, especially during a
recession. $$$$$

Late Tuesday/early Wednesday the 12th, they said that tickets would be handed
out on Thursday 9am at two locations and the president would be arriving
around 12:30 Friday.

Thursday morning about 600 tickets were passed out. However, 1500 were printed
at a Local printing shop per White House request. Hmmmm......900 tickets just
DISAPPEARED.
This same morning someone called into the radio from the local UPS branch and
said that THOUSANDS of Dollars of Lobster were shipped in for Obama. Montana
has some of the best beef in the nation!!! And it would have been really
wonderful to help out the local economy. Anyone heard of the Recession?? Just
think...with all of the traveling the White House is doing. $$$$$ One can
only imagine what else we are paying for.

On Friday Joe and I got out to the airport about 10:45am. The groups that
wanted to protest Obama's spending and healthcare had gotten a permit to
protest and that area was roped off. But that was not to be. A large bus
carrying SEIU (Service Employees International Union) members drove up onto
the area (illegal)and unloaded right there. It was quite a commotion and
there were specifically 2 SEIU men trying to make trouble and start a fight.
Police did get involved and arrested the one man but they said they did not
have the manpower to remove the SEIU crowd.
The SEIU crowd was very organized and young. About 99% were under the age of
30 and they were not locals! They had bullhorns and PROFESSIONALLY made
signs. Some even wore preprinted T-shirts. Oh, and Planned Parenthood folks
were with them.....professing abortion rights with their T-shirts and
preprinted signs. (BTW, all these folks did have a permit to protest in
ANOTHER area)

Those against healthcare/spending moved away from the SEIU crowd to avoid
confrontation. They were orderly and respectful. Even though SEIU kept coming
over and walking through, continuing to be very intimidating and aggressive
at the direction of the one SEIU man.

So we had Montana folks from ALL OVER the state with their homemade signs and
their DOGS with homemade signs. We had cowboys, nurses, doctors you name it.
There was even a guy from Texas who had been driving through. He found out
about the occasion, went to the store, made a sign, and came to protest.

If you are wondering about the press.....Well, all of the major networks were
over by that remote hangar I mentioned. They were conveniently parked on the
other side of the buildings FAR away. None of these crowds were even visible
to them. I have my doubts that they knew anything about the crowds.
We did have some local news media around us from this state and Idaho .
Speaking of the local media...they were invited. However, all questions were
to be turned into the White House in advance of the event. Wouldn't want
anyone to have to think off the top of their head.

It was very obvious that it was meant to be totally controlled by the White
House. Everything was orchestrated down to the last detail to make it appear
that Montana is just crazy for Obama and government healthcare. Even those
people that talked about their insurance woes........the White House called
our local HRDC (Human Resource and Development Committee) and asked for
names. Then the White House asked those folks to come. Smoke and
mirrors...EVERYTHING was staged!!!!!!!!!!!

I am very dismayed about what I learned about our current White House. The
amount of control and manipulation was unbelievable. I felt I was not living
in the United States of America , more like the USSR !! I was physically
nauseous. Joe and I have been around when Presidents or Heads of State visit.
It has NEVER been like this. I am truly very frightened for our country.
America needs your prayers and your voices. If you care about our country
please get involved. Know the issues. And let Congress hear your voices again
and again!! If they are willing to put forth so much effort to BULLY a small
town one can only imagine what is going on in Washington DC . Scary!!

Barak Obama - You Are No Partner With God

My friend, Mike, just informed me that Mr. Obama thinks he is a partner with God in the matter of life and death. I don't know how else to express how I feel except to say I'd like to SCREAM AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS IN UTTER DISGUST that this guy thinks that it is up to him or any one other than God Himself to decide when life begins or ends. Does any one else smell trouble? Does anyone else want this guy deciding when their life is over???

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CRUCIFIX

I wrote an article on the crucifix a long time ago. The power of the crucifix to change lives is one of our greatest untapped resources as Catholics. We shy away from them because our society is very squeamish about the obvious violence inflicted on Christ and our Protestant siblings disapprove of the fact that we display Christ on the Cross rather then in resurrected splendor (which we also do).

I have a huge crucifix that hangs on the wall above my bed. The last thing I see every night is the face of Jesus, Who loves me enough to give His last drop of blood for me.

A friend sent me this by email and I am not sure what the source actually is, but I felt it deserved to be circulated as much as possible.

Catholics are often asked why we have crucifixes and not just the plain cross? A crucifix is a cross which has the crucified body (the corpus) of Christ. The answer comes from Scripture:

"But we preach Christ crucified: unto the Jews indeed a stumbling block, and unto the Gentiles foolishness: But unto them that are called ... Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God." ( I Corinthians 1:23-24)
The presence of Christ's body on the cross does not mean that we ignore the Resurrection. Instead, it is a reminder to us that the bonds of sin were broken by Christ's suffering and death
(1 Peter 2:24).
The crucifix is a sign of Christ's unconditional love for us, a reminder of the hope we have for a life united to Him, and an outward expression of our Faith as Catholic Christians.

For these reasons, the Catholic Church encourages the faithful to place crucifixes and other sacramentals in their churches, institutions, and homes. A sacramental is an object such as a crucifix, rosary, statue, or artwork which helps us grow in our faith and open our hearts to God's graces. (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1677)




WHY CRUCIFIXES SHOULD BE IN OUR HOMES
The tradition of hanging crucifixes in homes has been handed down from generation to generation of Catholics. It is not uncommon to see a crucifix in every room of the house - especially family rooms and bedrooms. The presence of crucifixes offers four important benefits:

1. A Sign of our Faith - Crucifixes proudly proclaim our Christian faith to all who come into our homes. This silent, but powerful sign of Christ's love serves as a witness to visiting family members, our children's guests, and anyone who may do repair work in our home.

2. Comfort in times of need - When hard or sad times come to our families the crucifix is a vivid reminder that suffering has a purpose and a value. As Christians we are called to pick up our cross and follow in Christ's footsteps, uniting our suffering to His. With Christ, no suffering is in vain.

3. An aid to prayer - It is human nature for our minds to wander during prayer. Distractions, interruptions, and our busy schedules often pull us away from our intentions for a good prayer life. Quiet contemplation of a crucifix helps us refocus and go deeper in prayer.
The crucifix is not what you will pray to or pray about. Instead, it is just a visual reminder and a starting point for conversation with God. Here are some examples: thank Christ for the suffering He endured for you; thank God for sending Christ into the world for us; meditate on Scripture passages about Christ's teachings.



4. Spiritual protection - Not just something you see in movies, crucifixes really are a protection against evil spirits. Crucifixes proclaim for all to see the triumph of Jesus over sin and death. Evil has no power in the presence of Christ.
"At the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth" (Philipians 2:8-10).

Intelligence Is Not Enough

“Jesus is still transfigured today in the Scripture, and in order to make his garments white, that is, to make his words clear and understandable, intelligence is not enough. No launderer on earth, says the evangelist Mark, would have been able to make clothes as white as those of Jesus on Tabor (see Mark 9:3). No scholarly reading in and of itself, then, can illuminate the mystery contained in Scripture – in this case, in the Transfiguration. Only the Holy Spirit can do that.”

Raniero Cantalamesa, O.F.M. CapThe Mystery of the Transfiguration, St. Anthony Messenger Press - Servant Books

Socialist Before We Know It

Why Forgive?

It’s nearly impossible to love Jesus Christ and hate someone. When I first forgave my parents, I did so on the basis of an awareness that God was willing to make sense of my suffering if I would cooperate and obey Him. I was beginning to separate my image of God from my image of my father and I trusted God just enough to step out in faith and attempt to do what seemed impossible: release my parents to the justice of God (which is always dominated by His mercy) and seek to learn to live according to His ways rather than by my own self-protective devises.

But as I took those first few steps of faith and obedience (two things that are inseparable) God proved His faithfulness (John 14:21) and disclosed His true nature to me. Over the next several years, and especially as I became a Catholic, I fell completely in love with the person of Jesus Christ. Every time I looked on a crucifix I was reminded of the love of all loves Who gave Himself for me and Who continually gives Himself to me in the Eucharist. No one loves me more; no one is more concerned for my well being. No one else has promised that He will give me a home in heaven for all eternity. And above all, no one else has returned blessedness for all my years of rebellion and spiritual adultery. I am His Gomer, and He has redeemed me out of the pit and set me on high for His own Name sake. No one and nothing this earth has to offer can hold a candle to His love.

Now, when someone sins against me, I know that forgiving them is what keeps my precious relationship with Christ in tact and alive. When I look at the crucifix, I see the amazing love that enabled Him to endure His Sorrowful Passion, and out of love for Him, I can release an offender. No amount of revenge could compare with union with Him. I am also reminded that my own sin put Him there as well. He would have suffered and died if I had been the only sinner in need of redemption.

And as I submit my human frailty to Him and allow Him to transform me through the Sacraments and through His Word, I learn to see others, even those who sin against me, as He sees them. I begin to see their sin as a sickness that mares the image of Christ in which they were created. I see how they have been sinned against by others and how they are a victim of the fall of man like I am; like we all are. I’m willing to beg God’s mercy on them as I ask it for myself and the whole world. For the love of You, Jesus, and for the sake of Your sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Our Religious Freedom In Jeopardy Again!

Belmont Abbey College is under attack for its refusal to offer medical coverage for abortion.

Insecurity

Insecurity seeks fault in others, while true security is in the knowing that one's virtues are not their own...

Conversion To The Catholic Church

It has been a while since Dr. Francis Beckwith returned to the Catholic Church from Protestantism. There was quite a ruckus about his return, most of which came from my little brother. I was focused on other things at the time of his reversion and was only vaguely aware that some other lucky person was the target my Jim's attention for a time. Several months ago, I finally got around to reading Dr. Beckwith's book about his reasons for returning to the One Church. It was a great read and helped me put into words several of my own reasons for becoming Catholic. About the time I read his book, I did some Internet searching as well and came upon this comment on a blog. I asked permission to use it, but had not gotten around to it since I've been up to my neck in working on "Out of Darkness" and teaching my Grandson how eat with a spoon.

So at long last I'd like to offer this piece to answer those old worn out objections to why so many people of sincerity and integrity are choosing to leave the Protestant wilderness and become Catholic. I thought it was a well put and charitable expression that spoke for all of us converts.

Francis Beckwith, president of the Evangelical Theological Society, has become Catholic. Please read the link for information from Kacy Sandidge, convert to Catholicism and student at Baylor, where Beckwith teaches. As Kacy has seen his reception into the Church firsthand (and Dr. Beckwith was gracious enough to comment on her blog), I think we can assume that Beckwith becoming Catholic is fact and not rumor.
Kacy does a good job explaining why Beckwith became Catholic, fending off James Whites accusations. White seems to dismiss those strong evangelicals who become Catholic. He says:
As any review of the current body of Roman Catholic “conversion stories” will bear out, fair, balanced, insightful representation of the facts related to sola scriptura, Papal primacy, the Mass, the Marian dogmas, purgatory, etc., is utterly lacking. Emotional appeals to “the ancient church,” mythical references to the “unity” of Rome (those actually inside the communion and familiar with its rancorous disputes cannot help but chuckle at those blissfully naive, breathless commentaries), and the warm feeling of “coming home” to the Church (almost never anything about conversion to Christ) are the keys to successful conversioneering.
Of course, White misses the point. White assumes that everyone who converts is going to do so the way he would, which is to turn matters of faith into a point-by-point system of pluses and minuses. Besides, even if a convert laid out excellent reasons why he accepted purgatory or the Marian dogmas, I doubt White would consider them “fair, balanced [or] insightful,” because if the arguments were so great, the person likely wouldn’t have ever converted to Catholicism to begin with. When I became Catholic, I admit the reason I explored Catholicism was because of the utter failure of Anglicanism to have any authority whatsoever. Joining one of the myriad Protestant denominations I encountered on the internet wasn’t exactly the solution to this crisis of authority. In fact, only two churches were on my “short list” at this point, Catholic and Orthodox, because both had two things going for them: they existed before the Protestant reformation, and both made the claim that they had authority through Apostolic Succession, and my studies of history convinced me these were legitimate claims. As an Anglican, I already believed in 95% of the Catholic Marian dogmas, and in purgatory (thanks to C.S. Lewis). The biggest issue really was papal infallibility, and after I studied the actual dogma and what John Paul II said on the matter, I became convinced I could handle that.
Yes, we converts like the idea of an ancient church. I mean, who wouldn’t? After all, Jesus lived on earth 2000 years ago, and it makes sense that if the gates of Hades would not prevail over his Church, he would have insightful and devoted followers in the many centuries following his ascension. And yes, we converts like “coming home,” but White forgets that evangelicals becoming Catholic have already converted to Christ! While some evangelicals believe that when a person goes from Catholic to Protestant, he becomes “saved” from a pagan religion, Catholics do not believe this. Converts understand that they were saved in their evangelical churches, and that they met Jesus there, but they believe they have come to something deeper and more full when becoming Catholic. Yes it is a process of continued conversion, but I am not sure many evangelicals agree with the idea that conversion is an ongoing process.
So, many evangelicals become Catholic for a variety of reasons, some intellectual, some emotional, some purely spiritual. Perhaps Catholicism, because of its spiritual diversity, touches people on so many levels (as opposed to just intellectual). This is part of Catholicism’s appeal really. We have our intellectual and systematic theologians (St. Thomas), we have our mystics and contemplatives (St. John of the Cross), we have our strong leaders (John Paul II), we have our workers among the poor (Mother Teresa), and we have saints and sinners from all regions, races, time periods, and states of life. It makes sense that those becoming Catholic would do so in a holistic way, but I assure you, the thoughtful evangelicals I know who have become Catholic have done so with a strong intellectual understanding of controversial Catholic dogmas. Welcome to the Catholic Church Dr. Francis Beckwith.

Obama Stamp :)

The Postal Services created a stamp with a picture of President Obama. The stamp was not sticking to envelopes. This enraged the President, who demanded a full investigation. After a month of testing and $1.73 million in congressional spending, a special Presidential commission presented the following findings: The stamp is in perfect order. There is nothing wrong with the adhesive. People are spitting on the wrong side.

New Ultra Sound Picture of My Third Grandchild!

Sarah is 12 weeks along and the doctor says the baby is a big one!

Bush Administration Fortelling This Financial Crisis

Watch it before it gets taken off. YouTube already dumped it!

Gun Confiscation Has Begun

I've always said that guns don't commit crimes, criminals do. I don't own a gun, but I have in the past. I believe that if government takes our second amendment rights away the only people who will be able to get guns are the criminals. They don't care about regulations and laws, that's why we call them criminals.

I am posting this because I am virulent opposed to the loss of any of our constitutional rights. While my greatest concerns are for our rights to freedom of speech and freedom of religion, I don't want government treading on any of our rights.

We are watching extremists twist and bend the confines of democracy to achieve their own goals. We have judges legislating same sex marriage all over the place. We have Obamacare trying to tell Christian medical professionals that they must lay down their religious rights in order to murder the unborn. Now we have the IRS getting into our gun cabinets and deciding what guns we can own and making us pay to own them.

Check out these links for more on the subject and tell your Representatives that if they like their cozy little office in Washington, they better stand up for our rights.

Here is the link to the Senate site:

http://www.senate.gov/

Here is the document:

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h45/text

Brains

The truth is out.

Ordering Pizza In 2012

This is funny but then maybe it's not.

When The Foundation of a Denomination is Adultery, It's All Down Hill From There

The Episcopal Church continues to slide down the slippery slope of absurdity in the name of Christianity. In all charity I'd like to remind our Episcopal siblings that right is still right and wrong is still wrong over on this side of the Tiber and we would love to have you join us.

Alright, That Does It

From now on, when I find perverts arriving on my site looking for child pornography (which is frequent because of the title of my blog) I'm going to post your IP address and city. I've already gone to the FBI about some of the horrible things I get on here. Don't think for a minute that they can't figure out who you are. This site is for the healing of those who have been a victim of your sinful behavior. Repent and seek help while you can. God takes offenses against children very seriously.

August 1st

Forteen years ago this Saturday, I celebrated the anniversary of the day the Lord drew a line in the sand and then gave me the grace to step over the line and continue walking in His way. August 1st is kind of my own personal Thanksgiving Day.

Father John Does It Again

If you heard a watered down, powerless homily this morning, never fear; Father John is here. Rather his homily from this morning, which I was very tempted to give a standing ovation, is available for your spiritual well being in the margin of this blog. I am so thankful for a Priest who is dedicated to preching the truth, whether it is popular or not.