Namely a feast of a Catholic Saint
A post at Adrienne’s Corner.
Let’s get the Saint back into Saint Patrick’s day.
And why St. Patrick matters to everyone.
Posts Tagged ‘catholic’
St. Patrick’s Day as it is meant to be
Posted: March 17, 2011 by datechguy in catholicTags: catholic, saint patrick
There is a distinction
Posted: March 3, 2011 by datechguy in abortion, catholic, opinion/newsTags: abortion, catholic, death penalty, Dr. Kermit Gosnell, pro-life, the courts, theology
The Anchoress being a wholly more holy person than me talks about the death penalty and Kermet Gosnell and finds herself opposing it:
If you remain unaware of what investigators (who were actually looking for evidence related to drug trafficking) found when they entered Gosnell’s abattoir-for-humans, read the Grand Jury’s Report, if you can take it.
Nevertheless, I would defend this man’s right to live his life out in prison, rather than watch the state take his life. His life is not anyone else’s to take. For pro-lifers, this is a no-brainer.
And he may need many years and much time, in order to understand the enormity of what he has done, and allow his heart to be turned. He may need time for conversion and salvation.
I would have to disagree here, this is not a “no-brainer” for pro-life people.
Unlike the elderly who have committed no offense other than being old, the sick who have committed no offense other than being sick or the unborn who have committed no offense other than being conceived Kermet Gosnell has committed acts that under our laws can bring the death penalty.
She is absolutely right that his may need time for conversion, repentance and salvation and we are OBLIGATED as Christians to pray for this, but even if he is convicted, loses all appeals and the sentence carried out there will likely be many years of time to avail himself of the opportunity. As long as the process takes place before death it will be achieved, remember Timothy McVeigh a lapsed Catholic in fact received confession and absolution mere hours before his execution, saving his soul if not his life.
But there is a huge difference between protecting innocent life and life taken under due process in a free society. Even Ed is ambivalent.
I am totally indifferent in this matter. I have absolutely no problem with him (if convicted) being given life in jail and I also have no problem if he gets the death penalty. Neither Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI nor has any pope proclaimed ex cathedra the death penalty sinful or an intrinsic evil. Until and unless he does so then I submit that it is not a “no brainer” that we oppose the death penalty in this or any case and there is no obligation for us to think otherwise.
This is how the holy spirit works
Posted: February 27, 2011 by datechguy in catholic, personalTags: business, catholic, fr robert bruso, holy spirit, religion
As anyone in business can tell you one of the things you notice in hard times is that the bills you owe always tend to come on time but the checks that you have coming tend to lag a bit.
When your business is your primary source of income the cash flow issue is a source of a lot of worry and tension, particularly with a new business. It can eat you alive.
This morning when I got up more snow was falling, I just got a big batch of bills and was feeling very low. I headed to mass with my son to church and almost got stuck going up the hill. When we got to Mass today’s Gospel Was Matthew 6:24-34 where Jesus says:
No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat (or drink), or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single moment ton? Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?
So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom (of God) and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.
During his sermon after the Gospel Fr. Bob pointed out that this doesn’t mean do NOTHING, it means do instead of worrying when you can and when you can’t, put it in Christ’s hands. As he said in the Bulletin:
Worry is like a rocking chair–you pass the time but you don’t go anywhere. That was one of my grandmother’s favorite sayings. Those old folks had a lot of wisdom, you know.
Whenever we are faced with a dilemma and we find ourselves worrying, that’s the time to step back from the situation and ask ourselves: “Is there anything I can do about it right now?” If there is , do it. You’ll feel better. If there is nothing you can do, then what good will worrying do? Nothing at all.
“But I have to do something! I’m a nervous wreck!” So, that’s when we pray for serenity and peace. As Jesus taught, “Seek, first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you besides.” If our prayer life is in order, everything else will follow as God directs. “Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take are of itself.”
It’s quite a coincidence that this would be the Gospel today when I was even talking to my oldest about the family financial issues and wondering if the my own set of bills were going to be paid on time. Then again I would suggest it isn’t a coincidence. The Holy Spirit knows what you need and tends to put you in the right place at the right time, if we only have eyes to see it.
What I missed, what they missed
Posted: February 15, 2011 by datechguy in catholic, special eventsTags: catholic, cpac, cpac 2011, have fedora will travel, mass, national cathedral
Up early today and noticed Stacy McCain’s post on festivities at CPAC. There were an awful lot parties and I missed nearly all of them but Stacy has a ton of pictures.
Despite getting back to my Hotel in Largo at 3 a.m. one thing I didn’t miss was mass. The last time I was at one of these national events the next week I went to confession. I had been struggling with a particular sin and was rather pleased at my progress (spiritual pride, very dangerous) and was able to confess that my big sin was only missing mass.
Long shot National Cathedral
Fr.Bob looked at me and told me bluntly, “You had time for this event, that event, you made time to see the monuments and historical sites but you couldn’t find one hour for God?”.
I was deflated really fast and was determined that I would not make that mistake. My friend Steve who now lives in the area told me he would pick me up at 8 a.m. for at 9 a.m. Mass at the national cathedral.
If you’ve never been (and I hadn’t) you can’t imagine the place. By the time I was on the steps I could physically feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. Once I was inside my jaw spent the majority of its time on my chest.
One of the many sights above
By arriving early I had time to gape at the chapels inside the church where mass can be celebrated. I was very taken by the individual displays of the mysteries of the Rosary.
The Annunciation
The Mass itself had a dozen celebrants and the ushers were all members of the Knights of Columbus. The cantor was incredible and the sermon was pretty solid. I love to sing and I really let myself go but I also found myself choking up a bit.
After Mass we had breakfast downstairs (it was incidentally the best meal I had in DC) I was a bit surprised to see speaker Gingrich eating at the table next to mine and was also able to grab a replacement Angelus prayer card in the gift shop.
Steve and I after mass
One thing that struck me as important. Just before you get to the Cathedral there is a small church (St. Anthony’s). For all of the presence of the holy spirit for all of the emotional and spiritual reaction I had in the Cathedral one must never forget the mass down the street is the same mass, the presence of Christ in the blessed sacrament is no less holy. The difference between empathy and saintliness is the ability to feel the presence of the spirit in the small church like the still small voice. That is the goal.
If I can afford CPAC next year maybe I’ll see about getting making a regular trip and arranging a trip to Mass for Sunday Morning Mass for bloggers who want to come. I don’t know how many I’d get but it would be fun to find out.
Meanwhile here is a slideshow of all the shots there:
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