Archive for the ‘catholic’ Category

Five Thoughts about The Chosen Under the Fedora

Posted: July 2, 2021 by datechguy in catholic, culture, entertainment

I’ve been watching the TV series “The Chosen” which incidentally is the only TV series I watch these days and have a few thoughts.

The latest episode is Episode seven, of season two and next to episode 2 of season 1 is likely the least biblical (that is the most dramatized) episode of the series. As we Catholics are not sola scripture this doesn’t offend me as much as it bothers some others but I found everything in the episode extremely plausible, particularly the idea that the local Roman authorities would have an interest in Christ when he’s drawing large crowds. The meeting between Jesus and Quintus is one of my favorite scenes in the entire series.

While some might disagree I as a daily Mass Catholic particularly like how Mary has been portrayed. She is very much humanized, which is important as is in fact human and did in fact live the life of a 1st century AD Jewish woman. What many likely do not catch is the idea that she would travel with the disciples makes a lot of sense as being a widow with no other children her son would be her only support and don’t think I didn’t notice that when Mary Magdalene fell and was afraid to face Jesus it was Mary the Mother of God who brought her in the tent and stood with her.

You don’t get more Catholic then that.

A lot of people apparently took issue with the fall and return of Mary Magdalene and it’s the one thing that the creator Dallas Jenkins really took issue with. He gives Jesus this classic line: “You thought you were never going to sin again?” As Father Z put it when talking about how to deal with a couple not married licitly:

Or course there may be times when they fail in their determination to live in continence and they have sexual relations.

What then?

Simple.  They go to confession and start over with a firm purpose of amendment.

That’s what we all do when we sin in any way.  We go to confession with a firm purpose of amendment and start over with God’s help.

Again this is very Catholic and is almost a dramatization of the first sacramental confession as there she was before Christ and receiving absolution

There is no release date for the season finale yet (at least not to my knowledge) but the thing I’m most waiting for is the introduction of Judas.

How they decide to play Judas is going to be I suspect the toughest thing they do because while John in his Gospel notes him as a thief he was still not just a disciple but an apostle in good standing right up until the last supper.

How he is portrayed and what kind of backstory they give him will be interesting. All the disciples have been humanized and in some ways sympathized but it will be very hard to do so with Judas when everyone knows what’s coming in the end. Furthermore in every scene that he’s in people will be looking for and seeing the signs of the betrayal.

Will we see Judas as the Betrayer from day one or Judas as the disciple who in the end doesn’t seek the forgiveness that Mary did in season two or that Simon Peter will have to in the final season?

That the big question mark for the remaining seasons to me.

The crowd funding for season three seems to be stuck at episode five, which is about a half million away from what they need to finish the season (They’re looking for 1.875 mill to cover all eight episodes). I suspect that it’s because this season we’re seeing more conflict both within and without and this might be turning off a few people. Still with an avg contribution of about $30 bucks a head the 1.3 mil they’ve raised isn’t chicken feed but it also means they need about 20K people to kick in to finish things off. While I recommend this show to others I’m holding off the cash spigot for two reasons:

  1. Money has been rather tight with DaWife’s illness this year
  2. I want to see what they do with John 6

It will be very interesting to see the conflict between a very devout Catholic actor who plays Jesus and a very Protestant team that’s writing and producing the series handles the bread of life discourses. Most biblical movies duck it. I don’t see how that’s done given the episodic nature of the series.

But what I think really hurts the fund raising are all the “chosen commentary” things on Youtube that are drawing potential “pay it forward” people away from the site and app that offers it free anyways.

The July Indulgence Calendars are now available for Download

Posted: June 27, 2021 by datechguy in catholic, Church doctrine
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This months indulgence calendars are now available for download.

As before we have both a full calendar with the names of people to gain indulgences for daily and a blank calendar so that you can fill in names yourself ready for download.

Both of these calendars will be shortly available at the WQPH radio website as well.

As before each day in the indulgence calendar is in the following format:

The blank calendar excludes the particular name.

If there is a person you want included in a future indulgence calendar feel free to leave their name in the comments. We always reserve some spaces for such requests every month.

Starting this month my home parish in Fitchburg MA is now participating in this ministry with its own indulgence calendar (I’m not including it here as printed copies are available at the parish) and I would encourage any other parish that wants to do this to download our blank calendar and fill it in for their parishioners and/or use it as a template for their own calendar (or calendars if they have a lot of people participating).

Remember praying for the dead is a spiritual work of mercy and don’t forget the words of Christ:

Blessed are the merciful for they shall be shown mercy.

Matthew 5:7

Remember when we show mercy to others we are also calling down God’s mercy on ourselves.

Here are the downloads

July Indulgence calendar wqphDownload
July Blank Indulgence CalendarDownload

For those who didn’t see our June Post here are the indulgence norms which are listed on the back of the sheet repeated.

Indulgence Norms and notes

  1. Communion on the day of an indulgence. This can be applied to any amount of indulgences that day.
  2. Confession within 20 days of the day of an indulgence. Applies to all indulgences during that period
  3. Prayers for the intentions of the Holy Father (an Our Father, Hail Mary or any appropriate prayer) once per day of indulgence.
  4. To earn an indulgence you must be in a state of grace (no unconfessed mortal sin) at the time of the indulgenced act.
  5. Indulgences can only be applied to the dead or to the person earning the indulgence. They can not be applied to any other living person.
  6. For a PLENARY indulgence you must have NO attachment to sin. If such an attachment exists the indulgence earned is only partial.
  7. A plenary indulgence can only be earned one a day (expect if death is imminent), there is no limits to partial indulgences daily.
  8. An indulgence attached to a feast day is still valid if the feast day is transferred lawfully.
  9. A specific day’s indulgence requiring a visit to a particular church or oratory can be made from noon the previous day to midnight on the actual day.
  10. No unbaptized person nor any Christian who is currently under the penalty of excommunication may earn an indulgence.
  11. You must ACTIVELY seek and or state your intention to obtain an indulgence for the act or prayer that carries it to be valid.

Prayers & Acts that carry an indulgence (Partial list) All indulgences partial unless BOLD

Prayers

The Actiones Nostras, Act of faith hope and Love, Any Devout Mental Prayer, Adsumus, Adoro te Devote, Prayer to St. Joseph, Prayer of Thanksgiving, The Angelus, Domine Deus Omnipotens, Spiritual Communion, The Apostles Creed, Angels Dei, The Niceane Creed, The office for the dead, Any approved Litanies, Psalm 130, Iesu Dulcissime Redemptor, Ave Maria Stella, Maria Mater Gratiae, Exaudi Nos, O Sacrum Convivium, Prayer for the Pope, Prayer for the Dead, Psalm 51, Sub tuum praesidium, Prayer for Benefactors, Angel of God Prayer, Te Deum, Public Novenas for Pentecost Christmas or the Feast or the Immaculate Conception, Tantum Ergo, Prayer for Vocations, The Sign of the Cross, Sancta Maria Succurre Miseris, The Magnificat, Vista Quaesumus Domine, Act of Contrition (expect during Sacramental Confession), Prayer to St Michael, Chaplet of St Michael, Come Holy Spirit, Prayer before a Crucifix Plenary if done after communion Friday in Lent, Five decades of the Rosary Plenary if done in a family, religious community or Pious association, The Stations of the Cross Moving from Station to Station (unless physically unable to do so)

Actions that carry an indulgence

  • Making a Pious invocation raising your mind to god while performing the duties of life
  • Devoting yourself or your goods in compassionate service to your brothers in need
  • Voluntarily abstaining from something that is licit & pleasing in the spirit of penitence
  • Adoration of the blessed Sacrament Plenary if done for a half hour or more
  • Reading the scriptures Plenary if done for a half hour or more
  • Teaching Christian Doctrine
  • Visiting a church on All Souls day (Nov 2)
  • Going on a religious retreat for 3 or more days
  • Use a blessed religious object Plenary if blessed by a Pope & used on the Feast of Sts Peter & Paul
  • Visiting a Parish Church on the Feast day of its Saint(s) or on Aug 2nd (say Our Father & Creed)
  • Attending the 1st Mass of a newly ordained priest or his jubilee mass (25th 50th or 60th anniversary)
  • Visiting a cemetery and praying for the dead (Plenary if done from Nov 1st through Nov 8th)

Going to Pot, Segregation Returns, Portland Suckers, Blacks Channeling a different Marx and Mass Rocks Under the Fedora

Posted: June 22, 2021 by datechguy in catholic, culture, News/opinion
Tags: , , , , , ,

How badly is California run? So badly that even Pot growers need a government bailout to survive.

There are those who think my statement that the goal of the purge of the military is to have one that will be willing to fire at US citizens without question is extreme. I offer this as more evidence to support this claim:

Adm. Michael M. Gilday, the chief of naval operations, did not answer questions Tuesday about whether author-activist Ibram X. Kendi’s opposition to interracial adoption and capitalism is extreme.

The smartest thing our enemies ever did was to start buying people rather than weapon systems.

This full page ad is being run in the NYT

Given the voting habits and news sources that NYT readers follow they might just be stupid enough to fall for it and will deserve all they get from going.

I’ve said it before I’ll say it again not moving to Portland after my Honeymoon based there was the best non-decision of my life.

It appears that Karl is not the only Marx that the black activists of the NAACP & Congressional Black Caucus mimic as they keep silent About Democrat Senator’s Sheldon Whitehouse Membership at All-White Club

Of course this is in keeping with DaTechguy’s laws of media outrage because their only principle is power.

Finally given the persecution and marginalization of Christianly in general and the Catholic Church in particular in modern society band by media in the west I find this most appropriate:

Mass Rocks, the clandestine churches of an age of persecution

In the 16th-18th centuries, during the period of the “Penal Laws” enforced by England, any public expression of the Catholic faith in Ireland was prohibited. Churches were closed, Catholics faced fines and imprisonment for practicing their faith, and priests were threatened with death for tending to to their flock.

In spite of the danger, Catholic priests continued to celebrate Mass, and held services in secluded outdoor locations, making use or large rocks or boulders as altars. These “Mass Rocks” are still in existence today, and since that difficult time, have served as a reminder of the hardships and the resolute faith of the Irish Catholics of the past.

Reviving the Mass Rocks

With the ACN Ireland Mass Rock Campaign, these boulders are more than just a symbol or interesting historical artifact. They are once again the sacred places where, acting in the person of Christ, priests celebrate the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, where, in the words of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “they make present again and apply, until the coming of the Lord, the unique sacrifice of the New Testament, that namely of Christ offering himself once for all a spotless victim to the Father.” 

I will not be shocked to find it necessary to celebrate the Mass in secret before I die

Biden, Lieu and Remembering the 18

Posted: June 21, 2021 by datechguy in catholic, Church doctrine
Tags: , , ,

Hell will be no more bearable and Heaven no less glorious if you find yourself there next to someone you hated in life

DaTechGuy

There was an article at the Daily Mail in England that talked about the Biden Eucharist business that had a headline that I thought missed the point completely:

Biden goes to Mass ignoring bishops’ move
that could BLOCK him and other Catholic
politicians from receiving Communion if
they support abortion

If you are a properly catechized Catholic your reaction to that headline would be: Of COURSE he went to Mass. he SHOULD go to mass. As a Catholic he is required to go to Mass weekly on pain of mortal sin and the solution to being in a state of mortal sin isn’t to add another one on top of what you have.

Now of course he like any other Catholic who is at Mass but not in a state of grace should not receive although he can go up to the priest at communion with his arms crossed to receive a priestly blessing but he should absolutely be going to mass.

The reaction of those thinking he should not illustrates the other half of this story, the other sin that the Devil is trying to foster in us: Spiritual Pride.

Pride is the deadliest of the deadly sins and Spiritual pride C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape calls it the: “strongest and most beautiful of the vices”

The danger of us looking at a Biden or a Lieu or anyone else who is committing public sin and boasting of it is that we look at such a person and grade ourselves on a curve based on their actions. The puffing of ourselves up is the temptation that is being played on us and we would be wise to remember this warning from Christ:

At that time some people who were present there told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. He said to them in reply, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!

Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them   – do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did

Luke 13:1-5

We can rightly call out this sin and hope to avoid it but let’s make sure that we don’t use it as a distraction from examining our own conscience.

That’s the trap, don’t fall into it

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