This Is My Body

Listen to Journey of Hope Radio, Thursdays at noon EST.

This week's topic: "An Impossible Choice... Talking with Spouses Who Left the Marriage."

In the sacrament of marriage, spouses give themselves totally to each other and become one heart, one mind, one flesh. This is a beautiful reflection of what Christ does for us in the Eucharist. He gives himself totally to us so we can be one with Him; one heart, one mind, one flesh. What an incredible sign of love for you, that even though your spouse is gone, Christ will never leave you. Unlike the imperfect love of your spouse, Christ gives you his passionate, unconditional love because his greatest desire is for you to spend eternity with Him in heaven. The gift of himself that He gives to you will strengthen you for the long haul and gives you the graces you need during this terribly difficult time you are experiencing.

"He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in Him. As I, who am sent by the living Father, myself draw life from the Father, so whoever eats me will draw life from me. This is the bread come down from heaven; not like the bread our ancestors ate. They are dead, but anyone who eats this bread will live forever." John 6: 53-58

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Mary Is All About Honoring Christ

“Mary was born to bring Jesus into the world. God, who we believe knows all things from before the beginning of time, knew when he created her what role she would play in salvation history. And when she uttered her yes to the angel Gabriel, she began that work he predestined for her. Catholics believe she continues that work even today, bringing Christ to souls and souls to Christ. And so it really is all about him. All the Rosaries, all the statues, all the Mary Margarets running about in Catholic-school jumpers—they are, ultimately, all about honoring Christ.”




Mark Miravalle

Meet Mary: Getting to Know the Mother of God, Sophia Institute Press

Intercession and Mediation by David Obeid

A Discussion on Justification

I found this little video on Francis Beckwith's blog and thought it was a great little tool for explaining the differences between the Catholic and Protestant view of justification. 

Wellesley, Massachusetts Public School Students Learn to Pray to Allah

Obama at the Bat

It Is What It Is

"'It is important to recognize dissent for what it is, and not to mistake it for a mature contribution to a balanced and wide-ranging debate. It is the truth revealed through Scripture and Tradition and articulated by the Church’s Magisterium that sets us free." B16

Message To My Brother

Yo, Jim.  I've been reading a book on the Theology of the Body by JP2.  JP2 writes on a level I can't even hope to understand.  I'm really glad folks like West and Zeno predigested it for me!

 But!  I dare you . . . no, I double dog dare you to read his Theology of the Body. Come on.  Seriously.  I bet he leaves you scratching you head.  But don't worry, you won't mess your hair.  ;)

A Renewed Mind

"“A renewed mind is not necessarily one that is trained in philosophy and theology, has mastered Christian doctrine, or can debate effectively with unbelievers. Rather a renewed mind is one that allows a few simple ideas from the gospel to transform its sense of what is important and what is real.”

Michael Scanlan, T.O.R.
Let the Fire Fall, Franciscan University Press"

Banned in Ireland

Banned in Ireland

God's Plan Will Make You Happy.

There comes a time in your life when you have to take a step out in faith and really believe that God has a plan for your life. Believe that when you love God and place your trust in Him, your life is not just a bunch of unrelated circumstances that happen by accident. Everyone you know and everything that happens is God's hand trying to bring you closer to Him.

God's plan will make you happy. While this may seem contradictory in your situation, remember, things are not always what they seem. You are in the thick of the situation and filled with anger, resentment, grief and loneliness. But if you allow God access to your life, He will take it and make something wonderful. He will make you happier than you could ever imagine!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Daily Journey of Hope messages are brought to you by DivorcedCatholic.org

Masturbation - A Satanic Stronghold - Part 3

I apologize for the long stretch between articles on this topic.  I also want to express thanks for my tireless research assistant who supplied me with articles to read and digest.  Actually, this subject is going to lead into a series on the answer to the sexual sins that are destroying this nation from its core, which is the Theology of the Body.

Among the very educational articles I received was one on how the Talmud, or the written discussion of Jewish ethics and Law, viewed masturbation.  I found it interesting that Protestants often speak of the scriptures as being silent about the subject of masturbation, fail to recognize that the Jews whose roots they share have seen it as a forbidden practice for centuries. 

Then I received an article on the Muslim view on masturbation which sent me on a googlefest to other sites which discussed incest in the Muslim world which, if you want to lose your lunch, just go to YouTube and look up Islam and incest.  Oh my goodness.  So how did I get from masturbation to incest you might ask?  Well, because in the Islamic world, sexual morality is a whole different thing than in the JudeoChristian world.  While is it considered forbidden to engage in masturbation, it is suggested that a man use his wives and slave girls instead.  Then there are the wives they can marry outside of the Muslim faith in kind of a sub-official sort of way and those wives and their daughters, which may of course be the man's own daughters, are also usable as substitutes for masturbation.  Oh gag.

There are some good suggestions in the Islamic writings for avoiding masturbation.  Don't lay around in bed alone, get good exercise, associate yourself with people who don't encourage such behavior, memorize scriptures (which to them is the Koran of course).  Those are all good, practical tips that do help in the breaking of an addiction to masturbation. 

I even found a rather good Protestant source of information that comes so close to Catholic teaching that it's quite refreshing. It also uses New Testament scripture to show how masturbation is contrary to the law of Christ. It comes from Liberty Ministries.  I was delighted to read this article because it looks at masturbation from the perspective of a disciple of Christ who must seek to serve others rather than self.  It also makes clear that masturbation, like a gateway drug that leads to heroin, leads the addicted soul into deeper and deeper sexual sin. 

While I was addicted to masturbation I found that in order to achieve the same level of arousal, my fantasies had to be increasingly depraved. The danger of this thing is that you can appear to others to be a faithful spouse, a decent family man (or woman), even a minister of the gospel in some cases and carry within you the most depraved of sinful appetites that find their fulfillment in the deep recesses of the mind in the privacy of the shower or private moments.  The ability to live a double life is seductively easy.  We see it all the time.  Ministers caught with pornography or child pornography or gay pornography on their laptops.  Or the even sadder cases of those who get tired of living our their fantasies in their own minds, and begin to live them out with or against others.  But the beginning was that private thought and that decision to gratify ones own lust.

But none of the sources I found could explain what was really wrong with masturbation.  The real, theological reason why self gratification is so disordered as to be repugnant to God.  Then I picked up a book by Katrina Zeno entitled, "The Body Reveals God."  Wow!  What a book.  I'm going to spend more time on it in coming weeks, but I will insert a passage here where Katrina addresses masturbation directly.

"Increasingly society (both Christian and secular) promotes self-stimulation as normal and natural.  The Catholic Church continues to view this behavior as a grave sin because it objectifies one's own body.  Instead of bonding two persons together in a communion of love, self-stimulation appropriates the intense pleasure of the sexual act and directs it toward oneself.  It can also establish a habitual pattern and the expectation that sexual gratification/release should be available "on demand" whether one is married, single, or celibate.  As a result of this bodily conditioning, abstinence - whether periodic (as in marriage) or constant (as in celibacy and single life) - becomes a flashpoint of resentment and bodily tension."

Thank you, Katrina!  I agree completely!  I would also add one thing that I have never heard anyone address anywhere:  Masturbation is a far more intense experience technically than intercourse because there is only one brain involved.  Even when stimulation is a voluntary action on the part of someone who loves you, it is still done by a body who cannot feel what you feel.  Therefore their actions cannot be directed solely for your own complete satisfaction.  Masturbation is the ultimate idolatry.  I serve as my own lover and I serve perfectly.  But in a marriage the actions of each are to be directed toward the service of the other.  A person who is addicted to masturbation makes a poor spouse.  They are in fact, an unfaithful spouse every bit as much as if they were carrying on a clandestine affair.  In reality, they are!

If you find yourself a slave to your own self-satisfaction, come clean with your Priest first of all.  Let him know that you intend to do battle with this habit and then try to see the same confessor as you continue this process.  Accountability is absolutely necessary.  I have shared my own battle with this in the Out of Darkness series here.  Know that you are not alone.  I will be praying that the Holy Spirit will bring freedom as you bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

Saint Michael the Archangel

Religion My Eye

OK, I saw this one as I signed in this morning and just had to vent my annoyance at what passes as a religion these days.  While Christians and especially Catholics are persecuted by the politically correct media without raising an eyebrow at the ACLU, this group gets off passing body piercing and tattoos as a religion.  Gag me! 

Now, before you get all hyper conservative one me, I have to tell you that I have pierced ears and three tattoos to date.  I'm completely conservative politically and in religious matters, but I have no problem with a few piercings and some body art.  Don't throw Leviticus 19 at me.  You have to read those verses in context.  If you want to complain about my Christian tatts you have to grow a beard and not trim it like the pagans do. Pagans don't have tatts that symbolize their Patron Saint, their allegiance to Christ and the gospel, or their love for and sorrow over losing their mothers. 

Anyway, I don't have a problem with this girls cute little nose ring.  Nose rings, as in real rings run through the nose, were common among the Israelites.  In fact one of the Patriarchs, I believe Isaac, gifted his bride to be with gold nose rings.  But to make such a thing as body modification a religion?  Aaaaack!  It's mind boggling. 

Basically, if you want to protect your activities, just call it a religion, while the true religion is mocked, persecuted and increasingly restricted by secularism.  Is anyone else as scandalized as I am at this?  Do people really buy this kind of thinking?  Satan must have really blinded our society as a whole for this kind of nonsense to be even possible.

Mary, Untier of Knots

"“Just as Eve, wife of Adam, yet still a virgin, became, by her disobedience, the cause of death for herself and the whole human race, so, too, Mary, espoused but yet a virgin, became, by her obedience, the cause of salvation for herself and the whole human race…And so it was that the knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed by Mary’s obedience. For what the virgin Eve bound fast by her refusal to believe, this the Virgin Mary unbound by her belief (St. Irenaeus of Lyons).”

Mark Miravalle
Meet Mary: Getting to Know the Mother of God, Sophia Institute Press"

This World Is Not Enough

"“What is meant by faith? It is to feel in good earnest that we are creatures of God; it is a practical perception of the unseen world; it is to understand that this world is not enough for our happiness, to look beyond it on towards God, to realize His presence, to wait upon Him, to endeavor to learn and to do His will, and to seek our good from Him” (John Henry Cardinal Newman).

Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel, C.F.R.
The Journey of Faith, Our Sunday Visitor"

The Forgotten Man - Jon McNaughton

Interior Castle

St. Teresa of Avila, one of the greatest saints of the Catholic Church, had a beautiful way of praying. She referred to it as the "interior castle" and described it as her innermost self. Her method of praying was this: off the many rooms in the castle, there was one particular room reserved for meeting with God. When she entered the room, she would be alone with Christ and felt free to tell him everything, hold back nothing, and receive all that he gave her. She would go to that room often to meet with Christ and there, she would find all the strength and hope she needed to continue her work.


If you're a visual person, this is an effective form of prayer, especially during times of great distress. Simply imagine God with you, walking beside you, listening to you. He will meet you wherever you are.

"Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

Daily Journey of Hope messages are brought to you by DivorcedCatholic.org.

Only Love Redeems

"“Thus enlightened and comforted by these words of life, let us lift up our invocation: Come, Holy Spirit! Enkindle in us the fire of your love! We know that this is a bold prayer, with which we ask to be touched by the flame of God; but we know above all that this flame -- and only it -- has the power to save us. We do not want, in defending our life, to lose the eternal life that God wants to give us. We need the fire of the Holy Spirit, because only Love redeems.”

Pope Benedict XVI
Homily of Pentecost 2010"

Hail Mary - Latin - Rosary

Forgiveness

"Forgiveness" is a powerful word and in the height of anger, many people choke on it. Why? Because a crime deserves a punishment? Well, yes. But primarily because forgiveness is hard. We don't want to let the offender off the hook! We want justice! Make them pay!! Some days, we feel so beaten down, we just want justice; we just want someone to say, "I'm sorry." But no one does, and forgiveness becomes even harder.

When you learn how to forgive, you will begin to heal. There will be times when we don't want to forgive. That's when God's grace takes over. God will fill in what we are lacking. He loves to do this for us. He waits for the opportunity to help. We simply need to give Him the authority to take over our hearts.

"For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little". Luke 7:47.

Daily Journey of Hope messages are brought to you by DivorcedCatholic.org.

Tradition!

"“T(he) Church has a memory, an oral tradition reliably passed on from one generation to the next. It is expressed in her liturgy, the writings of her earliest saints and theologians, her calendar, her piety, her devotion, her doctrinal development and the dogmatic decisions of her popes, bishops and councils.”

David Mills
Discovering Mary: Answers to Questions About the Mother of God, Servant Books"

Fla. minister determined to hold 9/11 Quran burn

Fla. minister determined to hold 9/11 Quran burn

This guy is going to get people killed. Muslims don't turn the other cheek or forgive seventy times seven Reverend! I hope you and your folks are prayed up. But the things is that they don't care if they get you or some other American that disagrees with your actions. An American is an American and they plan to kill a bunch of us if you do this.

When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me...

Your daily Journey of Hope message for Wednesday, September 8, 2010.

Happy Birthday Mother Mary!

True story: A British soldier who was serving in Iraq was out in the field one day and his rosary beads fell off his neck onto the ground. As he leaned over to pick them up he noticed that he was standing directly on a land mine. With intense fear, he called to his fellow soldiers to come to his aid. After about 45 minutes, they had secured the land mine and he was safe. This soldier, named Glenn, was wearing this rosary because his parents had given it to him for protection. The rosary originally belonged to Glenn's grandfather who claims Mary saved him in the same way during WWII when a blast killed six of his platoon members and he survived. You can read the full article here at Fox News.

Going through a divorce can certainly seem like you are standing on a land mine that is ready to explode (and then does). During this time of suffering and searching, I encourage you to rely on Mary, my mother and yours, to help you. Her sole purpose is to lead you to her Son so you can find healing. In a world of disappointments and betrayals, Mary is a woman you can count on. She will guide you and petition her Son on your behalf.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Daily Journey of Hope messages are brought to you by DivorcedCatholic.org.

Knots and Tangles

"“There’s a woman who is embroidering. Her son, seated on a low stool, sees her work, but in reverse. He sees the knots of the embroidery, the tangled threads. He says, ‘Mother, what are you doing? I can’t make out what you are doing!’ Then the mother lowers the embroidery hoop and shows the good part of the work. Each color is in place and the various threads form a harmonious design. So, we see the reverse side of the embroidery because we are seated on the low stool.” –Padre Pio

Mike Aquilina
Why Me? When Bad Things Happen, Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division"

A Question

Here's a question for all you Mamas and Nanas out there:  What do you do with a naughty dinosaur? Feel free to use the comment box for your answers. :)

You all guessed it!  Dinos in time out!

Isaac comes to me with this little finger up and says "Dinosaur bit my finger!"  Which of course means the little finger gets a kiss.  Then it's off to time out for those bad dinos.  It's become a sort of ritual lately.  I rather enjoy it.

A Brief Tour of my Room

I'm kind of a Catholic art nut.  I'm also a book worm.  I have a very small room so as you can imagine, I don't have the luxury of minimalism.  Here is a brief tour of my room, at least three walls.  Notice that the pictures and statues are organized by Saint. 

Time To Let Go

I am hoping to get the final touches done on this manuscript that is my past here real soon.  Maybe even today.  I have really been overwhelmed by the realization that working on this thing has really been a drain.  It's a labor of love in that it is the telling of a story of redemption and of hope that I pray will become contagious in the lives of other victims. But in the wake of recent events, I'm really ready to be done with it.

I've also realized lately that I carry around a sense of burden over the destruction of my birth family.  My mother gone, my father remarried and not speaking to me, my brother recently telling me to stay away from him, his family and his home, I have this sense of sadness at how the whole family structure, like a broken dish, just lies wasted in the dirt, an inglorious failure in the call to glorify God through the human family.

But as a confessor told me a couple of years ago, we flatter ourselves if we think that our worry or sadness over a situation "helps" God handle it.  It's not like His arm will be shortened if I let it all go and leave it to Him.  In fact, if I don't let it go soon, I feel it will take a toll on my own life, soul and health. 

So soon, very soon, I plan to get back to what really makes me tick:  Lay Monasticism, teaching the Catholic faith (especially to my Grandchildren) and my own recovery.  I have been diagnosed several times over the past ten years as  having PTSD.  I would like to be a godly influence on my precious daughters and Grandchildren for years to come.  So it's time to bask in His mercies which are new every day.

But don't worry, I'll be around to kick some political booty and be one of those outspoken Catholic converts. 

OK, back to work. 

Viva Cristo Rey!

I just spent an hour listening to Patrick Madrid's CD entitled, "Viva Cristo Rey, Battle for the Faith in Mexico."  I had no idea that there had been such a persecution of the Catholic faithful in Mexico.  I had heard bits and pieces of these events, but had no concept of the blood shed that happened there and the bravery of the Mexican faithful.  This CD strikes me as an ominous warning of things to come in our own country.  As you go off to Mass this morning unopposed be aware o!f the fact that our present freedoms are in jeopardy.  If we don't use our votes and our voices soon and loudly, we may face the same kind of persecution here.  Viva Cristo Rey!

BREAKING! SHOCKER! MILITARY JUDGE says evidence could be an "EMBARRASSME...

Perfect Peace

Facebook: "Lord, I pray that you may grant me freedom from the shackles of other people's expectations so that I may only ever focus on being where you are. For in that place, lies perfect peace." ~ Esther Bonds

Nana and Jacob

I got a chance to spend some time with Jacob last evening.  We hung out, talked and played with his toys.  It was grand.

Ray Stevens - God Save Arizona

God's Passionate Love

Your daily Journey of Hope message for Thursday, September 2, 2010.

Do you find it hard to celebrate love? Friends become engaged, but you just don't feel the love. Your brother and sister-in-law celebrate an anniversary, but you can't share in their joy. It's hard to feel the joy of another's love when you're not feeling worthy of being loved yourself. Try to imagine being passionately loved... the most wildly passionate love you have ever dreamed of! Now realize that this is how God loves you. You are worth everything to Him and He demonstrated that when He hung on the cross and gave you everything He had to give. You are the one He wants and He pursues you at every moment of the day. He wants to give you the love, peace and happiness you've been waiting for.

"Can a woman forget her nursing child And have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you." Isaiah 49:15.

Daily Journey of Hope messages are brought to you by DivorcedCatholic.org.

Deep In Scripture

Click here to see my "appearance" on Deep In Scripture this morning.