SUPPORT MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY

I believe that genuine marriage matters, and that my elected representatives should be working to strengthen marriage for the well-being of children and society. Authentic marriage and the nuclear family are the fundamental building blocks of our civilization.

Instead of Legislating the natural law that affirms and confirms that marriage is between a man and a woman, I would rather elected officials put our money and efforts and TIME into supporting and legislating to encourage men and woman to be married and to discourage them from just living together. The FAMILY in this country is in trouble! HISTORY has demonstrated repeatedly that when the family in a society is not supported and upheld... that civilization dies!

Additionally, I know that the State and the Federal Government have always supported marriage, because it is the building block of society. HOWEVER, neither the state nor the federal government INVENTED or LEGISLATED "Marriage” into existence! MARRAIGE and FAMILY cannot and should not be REDEFINED BY ANY BODY OF LAW OR COURT! IT IS NOT within the rights or JURISDICTION of any STATE or ANY NATION to do so! IN short ... you MUST NOT, SHOULD NOT, MAY NOT redefine marriage for all of humanity!

IF laws need to be changed so that people living together extended periods and wish to have legal permission to insure, visit in the hospital, etc… then change those laws. DO NOT Redefine the oldest institution known to man! If same sex marriage is legalized, where will it stop? I recently read that a man wanted to marry his DOG! WILL we next grant marriage to the likes of that too!

Quote for Today.

“If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful, and great. No! Only in this friendship are the doors of life opened wide. Only in this friendship is the great potential of human existence truly revealed.” – Pope Benedict XVI

Quote for Today

"We always find that those who walked closest to Christ were those who had to bear the greatest trials."
--St. Teresa of Avila

"Being Catholic is Smart" from RealCatholicTV.com by Michael Voris

This program is from RealCatholicTV.com

Happy Mother’s Day.

I wish to Thank God for my mother, M. Jeanette O’Brien.  At 81 years old she is still in good health and has a sharper mind than that of my own.  She lives with me now, and I cherish everyday that I have with her.  I am lucky to be able to spend this kind of quality time with her, as there are so many of us who don’t have such opportunities.  We have a lot of fun and we get along very well except for the occasional ‘fork’ she pokes me with as she threatens, “I’m gonna let some ‘hot air’ out‘a you!”  She makes me laugh every day.  Occasionally I may have to get vindication and or vengeance!

Happy Mother’s Day MOM!  God Bless you this day and ALWAYS! 
I Love You!

HOW SHOULD CATHOLICS FEEL?

One week after Easter, the Octave of Easter, the same day as the Beatification of John Paul II, and finally on DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY, the most wanted man in the world was killed in a raid In Pakistan.  Osama Bin Laden is dead.  One thing for sure he won’t be resurrecting right away.  There is a lot of bitterness, hatred, and cheering going on around the country and the world because this man has finally received ‘justice’; the justice of man that is.  Don’t get me wrong; I probably will not lose any sleep tonight when I go to bed, just because this man is no longer with us.  And, I too, feel the tug, to stand up and give a modest cheer, but I cannot bring myself to do so.  As Catholics, How should we ‘feel’ about this situation? 

Christ came to save the sinner.  He said that the ‘well’ do not need a doctor only the ‘sick’ do. I would put Bin Laden in the ‘sick’ category, for sure!  Jesus told us to love our enemies and to pray for them.  Have you ever prayed for Bin Laden?  I do confess that I have.  Anyway, although I am quite patriotic, I find it very hard to celebrate the demise of any man; even one who seems to be so EVIL.  I cannot say that I would be able to celebrate, because of the fact, that we are probably sending this man to the final judgment seat of Christ. 

I do confess it is very hard to sort out, even for myself.  Therefore, I guess I will error on the side of caution and not join in the celebration of his death.  I will pray that Al Qaida will fall apart in his absence, and terrorism of this nature, will once again die down for a millennium or two.

Until Next time May God Bless and Keep You.

BloggerBill

Qoute for the Day

"When freedom does not have a purpose, when it does not wish to know anything about the rule of law engraved in the hearts of men and women, when it does not listen to the voice of conscience, it turns against humanity and society."

                                                                          --Pope John Paul II

The Missing 'Cup'

This is the most somber Holy Day of the Year, Good Friday. At the Ninth hour much of Christendom will pause to commemorate the Hour at which our Lord Jesus Christ gave His own Life so that we might be reconciled to God the Father and share in the Eternal Life of the Trinity. One of my favorite Theologians in the United States is Dr. Scott Hahn. He is a brilliant theologian, writer, and speaker. If you have never listened to his talk on “the Fourth Cup” you are missing one of the best blow by blows, detailing the Lord’s Last Supper, Passion, and Death. He is able to look at Scripture and give all us regular Catholics in the pews, a down to earth explanation of what transpired some 2000 years ago. As a former Protestant Evangelical that has returned to the Church, I was absolutely amazed at what I did not see in Scripture as I read the Gospel accounts over and over and over these past 25 years.

In the Traditional Jewish Passover Meal, there are 4 cups of wine that are drunk, each with their own significance. However, the night Jesus instituted the New Covenant of the Passover in His Body and Blood; he did not drink the Fourth Cup. At the end of the Passover Celebration, normally they would sing a song called the ‘Great Hallel’ and drink the last cup ending the celebration. In the Gospel accounts, Jesus and his Disciples sang the hymn, but then left the upper room and went to the Garden to pray without drinking that last cup. SO at first glance, and as many of us regarded the Passover meal was over and done with; but was it? Was the New Covenant Passover complete at the end of that Meal? I am hesitant to give you then answer. You see, once I was disillusioned with the Protestant church and began to doubt the “once saved always saved” theology, I also began to question other doctrines as well. One of the largest differences comes to us in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist. MOST Protestants (not all), believe that the Lord’s Supper is just a Remembrance, a Memorial, a snapshot of the past. They believe it is more of a commemoration of the Meal, not a sacrifice that contains the REAL PRESENCE of our Lord Jesus Christ. We Catholics do believe that Jesus is Present in the consecrated Bread and Wine. Jesus is present to us… the same Jesus who was present at the Last Supper is being made present when the priest at mass calls upon the Holy Spirit to come down upon them. It in fact becomes the SAME Sacrifice that Jesus presented some 2000 years ago. He told us that he would NEVER LEAVE us. He has made this sacrifice to span both time and space so that HE is present to EVERY person who becomes a member of His Church; to nurish and feed us.

In Chapter 6 of John’s Gospel, Jesus tells everyone gathered, “I am the Bread of Life, that comes down from Heaven." He went on to tell them that if they did not eat his flesh and drink his blood, they would have no life in them. (Please read the bread of Life Discourse in the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel) Many present said they could not take that kind of talk. They said to themselves… HOW are we to eat his flesh… this is hard to take. As a result, many of his disciples left and no longer believed in him. Today, many Protestants think Jesus was speaking figuratively and did not mean we had to eat his flesh and drink his blood. They point to the fact that at the Last supper he only told us to do this in ‘remembrance of Me’… as a memorial and since it was a memorial… it was only symbolic. However, if Jesus only meant it symbolically, he would have called those disciples back and told them so. He did not. He even went further and asked the Apostles if they wanted to leave as well. They declined, saying that He was the son of God, and where else could they go? He was the one with the words of eternal life. The fact that Jesus did not correct them and given that he told them this 8 times… demonstrates that he meant what he was saying.

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” (John 6:51)

Whenever Jesus was teaching the crowds in the form of a parable or figuratively, later he would explain the meaning to the disciples… here he does NOT do that here. He meant that we were to eat his flesh and drink his blood. That is why at the Last Supper, when he said to the Apostles… “This is my body…” and “this is my blood…” they knew what He meant and they didn’t have to ask for clarification. My friends, JESUS is PRESENT under the appearance of bread and wine in the consecrated Eucharist. He is physically present Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. The early Christians believed it and so did the Christians at the Reformation. It was not until at or after the reformation that Protestants denied it. Luther himself and many of the reformers believed in it… even Henry the eighth did as well. That is why today Anglicans believe it.

In his talk about the 4^th cup, Scott Hahn reveals to us that the Passover meal that Jesus transformed into the NEW covenant of his Body and Blood, the Eucharist; in fact was not over until he was hanging on the Cross and said, “I thirst.” Then the soldiers gave him common wine from a sponge on a hyssop branch, and then he said, “IT IS FINISHED”… Protestants believe that Jesus finished the role he came to earth for. He finished and completed the mission of salvation and reconciled man with God Almighty. INDEED He did! Then he said. “Into thy hands I commend my spirit.” Then He died. It was done. But lets look back, do you remember what Christ said at the Last Supper? He said he would not drink of the fruit of the vine until he came in glory. He was offered common wine more than once on the way to the cross but he refused it. It wasn’t until God allowed him to “be lifted up from the earth…”, and hung on the Cross-that “he would draw all men unto me” (himself). The Father Glorified the Son at the Crucifixion. Jesus took the “last cup” of the Passover Meal while upon the Cross. Then he said “I Thirst” so that the scriptures would be fulfilled. He drank from the 'cup of blood', from a sponge on a hyssop branch…. The same branch that the Israelites used at the first Passover in Egypt when the sprinkled the blood upon the door posts and mantels so that they would be passed over when the Angel of Death ‘passed-over’ all of Egypt taking the first-born of every house. At His drinking of that wine from that sponge on a Hyssop branch, Jesus finished His mission and became the Passover Lamb for us all! Now, we too, can have death pass over us as we enter into Eternal Life. Thanks be to God!

May I ask you one question? What did the Israelites do with the Passover lamb? I’ll tell you…. They ATE It's FLESH! That is what Jesus meant for us to do as well. HE said… “Give us this day our daily bread” and in Chapter 6 of John’s Gospel…He said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” At the last supper He instituted the Eucharist so that he would be made present to us until the end of the Age; in the Eucharist where He would feed us and nourish us and give us the grace we need while on our journey to Eternal Life. EVERY time we share in His body and blood at the Eucharistic Meal, we proclaim his death until he comes again. Each time we take the Eucharist, we are having a personal encounter with the living Lord. We are personally welcoming Him into us, to change us so we become more like Him, as he unites us to Himself, God the Father, The Holy Spirit, and to one another; all Sharing in the Eternal Love of the Trinity.

I don’t know about you, but all I can say is…. WOW! Isn’t this AWESOME! Since I have discovered what the bible truly claims about the Eucharist… I am so OVERJOYED, so BLOWN AWAY! Whenever I humbly step forward I cannot help but bow before My Lord and My God as I graciously receive His Body and Blood present under the appearance of bread and wine at the Holy Sacrament of the Altar -The Eucharist. No wonder the Church calls the Eucharist the Sum and Summit of our Faith! All Praise and Glory be to God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! Amen? AMEN!

If you are interested, you can purchase a downloadable MP3 for $2 of Dr. Scott Hahn’s “the Fourth Cup” at the website of Lighthouse Catholic Media. Here is the link:

http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/the-fourth-cup

Until next time, May you and your families have a MOST BLESSED EASTER.

BloggerBill

Reverence in the Church and at Holy Communion

You all know that I have only just recently returned to the Catholic Church after 25 years in the Evangelical Church.  When I left the Church so many years ago… we (Catholics) were turning away from some traditions (with small t) and norms in the Mass.  Some of these changes were a very good thing, in my book, others I wondered and was quite puzzled about; I was a bit confused over them.

First, the Priest has turned around to enhance the idea that we are all gathering AROUND the ‘table of the Lord’.  We are drawn into the ‘conversation’ and Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  No longer is it just for the Priest and God, but now we are actually invited into the most Holy Sacrifice - more intimately.  THIS is TRULY a good thing!  One of the other good things was the language of the Mass.  As a child I had NO idea what was going on in the mass when it was in Latin, I never took Latin, so it was always foreign to me!  I am sure that I was not alone.  My older sister tells me that the missals contained both Latin and English on opposing pages.  I wouldn’t know.  Being one of eight children, my parents couldn’t afford missals for all of us.  Once the language went to English, I remember being IMMEDIATELY drawn into the Mass, and when the New Alter was turned around, I could not only hear in English but witness and participate with my own eyes, my ears, my heart, soul and spirit more FULLY in the Liturgy.

However, other changes puzzled me.  For example, ‘reverence’.  We no longer knelt when receiving Holy Communion.  Additionally, we were now receiving the Blessed Sacrament … the Eucharist in the Hand, then picking it up with our own fingers, and putting it in our mouth. I thought, wow, is the Eucharist no longer thought to be HOLY?  Again, I am sure that I was not alone.   I always liked receiving it on the tongue but I thought we should conform and be ‘progressive.’  Who am I to make the rules?  At first people bowed and/or genuflected before receiving standing in the hand, but that became less and less.  Receiving Communion started to become mundane and … seemed to me to be ‘cafeteria’ style communion.  Upon, returning after 25 years, I see more evidence of change. VERY few people genuflect or profoundly bow (if physically unable to genuflect) before entering the pew.  Nor do they genuflect when leaving or turning their back to the tabernacle where Jesus is present – Body, Blood, Soul, Spirit and Divinity in the Eucharist.  This truly made me sad.  I am especially sad when parents genuflect, but their children walk right by them as they do and slide into the pew.  They are not ‘training them in the way they should grow.’  Do not get me wrong… it is not everyone who does this… but it is becoming the norm.  I am sure; once the future gray heads replace the gray heads in the church today, I bet no one will be genuflecting at all.  This I do not think is good.  We are losing the sense of Holiness that was missing in the protestant churches I attended.

I DO NOT bring up this topic of reverence to start a movement and insist that everyone start Kneeling and receiving on the tongue; nor do I INSISTS you train your kids how I think you should.  I bring this up to create an awareness of what the SACRED TEACHING of the Church is - universally.  I have been told many times in the past that standing for Communion was the ‘new norm’.  Well, that is really just in the USA.  MOST of the rest of the Catholics in the world still receives Kneeling and on the Tongue.   I was astonished.  One of the reasons I was given for not kneeling to receive the Eucharist  and receiving in the hand, was that, In the Eucharist; we are transformed, made like Christ when we receive communion.  Therefore, we are all united in Christ and Christ is in us, Furthermore we, are all bringing Christ’s presence to all we meet.  I was given this reason, as to why we do not need to kneel, bow, or receive on the tongue.  It sounded ‘good’ but I was never comfortable with that stance.  For me, I know that Christ is IN ME.  AS I receive the Eucharist who is WHOLELY and COMPLETELY JESUS CHRIST PRESENT in the visible form of the Bread and Wine.  He changes me and makes me more Christ like.  Unlike a regular piece of bread that I eat where I take it in and make it a part of me… it is the opposite with Christ in the Eucharist.  As I take HIM in to me at communion, HE changes me… into HIM, not the other way around.  This makes me think that having reverence present in the Eucharist is just as much an obligation as it was in the 1950’s.  Even though Christ comes into me, and gives me the grace to be more CHRSIT-LIKE and welcomes me into communion with the TRINITY, I in fact still am the mortal person named ‘Bill’.  The EUCHARIST present in the Tabernacles of the World and right in my church is 100% JESUS CHRIST.  Therefore, when I face or come into the church that holds the tabernacle that holds the EUCHARIST, that Holds MY LORD AND MY GOD, I feel blessed and in AWE of Him so I will bow as I come into his presence, before sitting down.  I will bow before I turn my back to him, and I will bow to him before I leave and take Him in myself, after Holy Communion when I am sent forth at the end of Mass. 

May I suggest to you that below are two links of videos that I came across reinforcing my understanding of faith and the church’s teaching on these subjects.  I am glad the Church continues to hold high, her reverence for Christ Presence in the Eucharist.  I ask you as we are coming to changes in the Mass this Dec. 2011, should we consider some more Returning to the Primary Norms of the Mass found in the UNIVERSAL CATHOLIC CHRUCH.  I often wonder… did these changes contribute to the loss of so many Catholics like myself over the past 25-30 years?  Do we need to take a second look, admit our error, and return to the Norms of the Roman Rite currently being demonstrated in Rome today?  Again… I am NOT a revolutionist…  I just miss the reverence of the Churches of my youth that created an atmosphere at church that was DIFFERENT from any other place I visited.  This is a place where we come to be transformed… made HOLY… Set ASIDE… from the fancy-free and mundane nature of our society.  When I was in the Evangelical Church… there was no mystery, not reverence… no real sense of Holiness or of being set apart.  Upon my return, I still find that Holiness missing.  Think about it, wont’ you?  Pray about it?  Talk about it and give it some thought.

Here are the video blogs about the Eucharist and how it should be received and what ‘permissions’ have been granted in its distribution.  The first is form Cardinal Arenzie… a BRILLIANT CATHOLIC priest who is the Prefect of the Liturgy and Sacraments for Pope Benedict XVI.  Please review them… there are additional links on these sites to study and explore on this and many other subjects.

Cardinal Arinze on Eucharist on Tongue and Kneeling and Standing in the Hand.  Cardinal Arinze is the Apostolic Prefect for the Sacraments and Liturgy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap1KL2D5ae4&NR=1

The Vortex: ‘Kneel Before God” http://www.realcatholictv.com/free/index.php?vidID=vort-2011-04-19  

RE-POST of: The Sacrament of Reconciliation: Do You Dread It?

It is HOLY WEEK... Have you done the Lenten Requirement?  I re-post this Blog because it is not to late for ANYONE to go to CONFESSION and make this EASTER the BEST ONE IN YEARS!! 

Earlier i posted...
 ...This Lent the bishop of the Diocese of Ogdensburg, Bishop Terry R. LaValley has asked that parish priests set aside March 26, 2011 as a day for the Sacrament of Reconciliation /Penance. He has asked them to schedule additional time for the faithful to fulfill their yearly minimum requirement. As Catholics, we are required to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation at least once per year during the season of Lent.

Are you AFRAID to go to Confession? Are you SCARED what the priest might THINK about you? Well, I would like to share with you, my experience of going to “confession” for the first time in OVER 25 YEARS. I was born and raised Catholic but by the time I was 26, I had left the Church and joined a protestant evangelical church. Shamefully, I actually tried to get other Catholics to go with me; but that is another story for a later time. I must also admit that over the years I often confessed that I would NEVER, EVER, EVER, go back to the Catholic Church. Did I say ‘never’? Well, we have all heard that before… “Never say never.”… Right? After about 15 years in the protestant church, I began to have doubts about their beliefs and slowly attended church less and less until I just stopped going altogether. Then I had some life changing and dramatic events in my life. As you might expect, I looked to the only place that I knew I could find hope and help. I turned to God.

Although this process took a year or so, I ultimately found myself at
the doors of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Ogdensburg. BOY was I scared! I was shaking so, as I opened that door and went in. NO, the roof did not cave in… but I did look up to make sure. It was Saturday and I learned that confessions were being heard at this time. I approached the confessional; still shaking with my heart racing I entered the box. I was surprised when I saw that I had the option of sitting right in front of the priest. “OH NO! I’m DEAD!” I thought. “I gotta look him in the eye? OH GOD! WHAT have I done!?” I almost turned around and walked out I was so scared. “What is this man going to THINK of me when I tell him that I tried to lead Catholics away from the Church!?” Then, into my head popped… “JUST DO IT”… like Nike says, “JUST DO IT!” And I did. I sat down RIGHT in front of him.

He was reading a book and as he set it down, he lifted his eyes to me
with a wide and sincere smile. I immediately turned my eyes to the floor. I
just could not look at him. He extended his hand and I looked up at his eyes as we shook hands. I then introduced myself. Then I froze! I couldn’t speak. MY lips and mouth were like a parched desert! “HOW am I going to get through this?!” I thought. He sensed my anxiety and said in a soft voice, “It’s OK, just relax. Take a deep breath and relax.” I tried, but was not very successful. I tried to speak and uttered a few words stumbling over them. Then I finally got it out… “Bless me father for I have sinned, it has been over 25 years since my last confession...” He said with a great big smile… “WELLLLLLL….” (At that instant I thought, ‘OH GOD… here it comes!")…. WEL-COMMMME Back!” I was pleasantly surprised and so relieved. This priest was not like Monsignor Tierney whom I once feared as a child. Maybe this isn’t going to be as hard as I thought. I must say that as I began to share of my thoughts, my words and deeds of the last quarter century… he listened so intently. He was sincere, genuinely concerned, loving, and encouraged me as we talked. He made me feel so comfortable, and he even helped me with the prayers. He was truly lifting me up. The Love I felt was amazing. "This is what Church should be like" I thought to myself. After he shared the story of the prodigal son and we discussed it briefly. He then prayed the words of absolution and my eyes welled up with tears of joy. The BURDEN off my shoulders was enough to make me want to SOAR! It was then I remembered one of the best things about confession… the RELIEF of Guilt and the JOY of being reconciled to God and his Church. Once again, I was assured that I was once again in ‘right relationship” with my God. I saw Father chuckle, as he noticed me let out a HUGE sigh of relief. As I got up to leave, Father LaValley said to me. “Welcome home, we're SO glad to have you back.” I exited the confessional with tears in my eyes. I now go to confession at least once per month, whether I really need to or not. I sit before the Blessed Sacrament before I go, and pray, collecting my thoughts, and reviewing my sins ... as well as my sins of omission.


I was in that confessional no more than 5 minutes and I didn’t have to pay a dime. Going to confession regularly keeps me in right relationship with God, his Church, and especially with MYSELF! Now I go and CELEBRATE the Sacrament of Reconciliation regularly. The Sacrament is SOOOO precious to me ... "Priceless"! I think today, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is nothing like i remember. Sometimes I actually look forward to going. There is GENUS in CATHOLICISM! -- People just don't know what they are missing! It may be the best kept secret in the CHRUCH!!!

Please check your parish bulletin for the times when the Sacrament of
reconciliation is celebrated. During Lent I am sure you will find Penance Services, Parish Missions, Stations of the Cross, as well as extended times for confessions. I encourage you …. Please go and celebrate this wonderful Sacrament, and do it often. Jesus misses each one of us who are not in right relationship with him. He wants us ALL to be the VERY BEST person that we can be, and he wants to give us the grace to do so. One more thing... don’t worry about being embarrassed about your shortcomings. I have heard several priests say… “There is nothing that you might tell me that I haven’t heard many times before. You just aren’t that original!” I am also sure that over time those coming into the confessional are just like people you might meet at work. You know the face, but you don’t remember every detail of the conversations you’ve ever had with them. They all seem to just blend into obscurity. I truly beleive that God give his priests an additional special gift. The gift to forget the sins of many... including mine. Thank you Lord for the thought you put into the Sacraments... There is GENIUS in CATHOLOCISM! ( I know... i'm repeating myself again.)

Go and celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation this week. You KNOW that you will be glad you did. In addition, going to confession may just make THIS celebration of the Feast of Easter the best you’ve had in years!

Until next time,
May God Bless and Keep You.