Posts Tagged ‘catholic’

Confession good for the… Business?

Posted: March 21, 2011 by datechguy in business, catholic, oddities
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One of the side effects of the move of my show to Saturday Mornings has been a disruption in my faith life.

My parish has confession at noon on Saturdays. Since the show moved to 10 to noon I haven’t had the chance to go to confession there or at my normal backup confession spot.

During the time I missed confession I was in a car accident, I lost almost two weeks of door to door and ad sales for the show slumped despite the station’s acquisition of the Boston Red Sox and the fact that my show will be leading into it.

This week due to BC Basketball the show was preempted for one hour. Because of this I got home just before noon and decided to go to confession while I had the chance.

Since that day my car turned up ready 4 days early, my wife picked up a full-time job and I’m had more sales today than I had the entire month of March.

Make of that what you will.

St. Patrick’s Day as it is meant to be

Posted: March 17, 2011 by datechguy in catholic
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Namely a feast of a Catholic Saint

A link to a devotional pdf

A post at Adrienne’s Corner.

Let’s get the Saint back into Saint Patrick’s day.

And why St. Patrick matters to everyone.

There is a distinction

Posted: March 3, 2011 by datechguy in abortion, catholic, opinion/news
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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, personal
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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.

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