'Not So Quiet' Catholic CornerThursday, December 30, 2004
The UNTOLD STORIES: Iraqi girl saves troops!
"As you know, I asked for toys for the Iraqi children over here and several people (Americans that support us) sent them over by the box. On each patrol we take through the city, we take as many toys as will fit in our pockets and hand them out as we can. The kids take the toys and run to show them off as if they were worth a million bucks. We are as friendly as we can be to everyone we see, but especially so with the kids. Most of them don't have any idea what is going on and are completely innocent in all of this. On one such patrol, our lead security vehicle stopped in the middle of the street. This is not normal and is very unsafe, so the following vehicles began to inquire over the radio. The lead vehicle reported a little girl sitting in the road and said she just would not budge. The command vehicle told the lead to simply go around her and to be kind as they did. The street was wide enough to allow this maneuver and so they waved to her as they drove around. As the vehicles went around her, I soon saw her sitting there and in her arms she was clutching a little bear that we had handed her a few patrols back. Feeling an immediate connection to the girl, I radioed that we were going to stop. The rest of the convoy paused and I got out the make sure she was OK. The little girl looked scared and concerned, but there was a warmth in her eyes toward me. As I knelt down to talk to her, she moved over and pointed to a mine in the road. Immediately a cordon was set as the Marine convoy assumed a defensive posture around the site. The mine was destroyed in place. It was the heart of an American that sent that toy. It was the heart of an American that gave that toy to that little girl. It was the heart of an American that protected that convoy from that mine. Sure, she was a little Iraqi girl and she had no knowledge of purple mountain's majesty or fruited plains. It was a heart of acceptance, of tolerance, of peace and grace, even through the inconveniences of conflict that saved that convoy from hitting that mine. Those attributes are what keep Americans' hearts beating. She may have no affiliation at all with the United States, but she knows what it is to be brave and if we can continue to support her and her new government, she will know what it is to be free....Mark J. Francis (GySgt / USMC)"
"As you know, I asked for toys for the Iraqi children over here and several people (Americans that support us) sent them over by the box. On each patrol we take through the city, we take as many toys as will fit in our pockets and hand them out as we can. The kids take the toys and run to show them off as if they were worth a million bucks. We are as friendly as we can be to everyone we see, but especially so with the kids. Most of them don't have any idea what is going on and are completely innocent in all of this. On one such patrol, our lead security vehicle stopped in the middle of the street. This is not normal and is very unsafe, so the following vehicles began to inquire over the radio. The lead vehicle reported a little girl sitting in the road and said she just would not budge. The command vehicle told the lead to simply go around her and to be kind as they did. The street was wide enough to allow this maneuver and so they waved to her as they drove around. As the vehicles went around her, I soon saw her sitting there and in her arms she was clutching a little bear that we had handed her a few patrols back. Feeling an immediate connection to the girl, I radioed that we were going to stop. The rest of the convoy paused and I got out the make sure she was OK. The little girl looked scared and concerned, but there was a warmth in her eyes toward me. As I knelt down to talk to her, she moved over and pointed to a mine in the road. Immediately a cordon was set as the Marine convoy assumed a defensive posture around the site. The mine was destroyed in place. It was the heart of an American that sent that toy. It was the heart of an American that gave that toy to that little girl. It was the heart of an American that protected that convoy from that mine. Sure, she was a little Iraqi girl and she had no knowledge of purple mountain's majesty or fruited plains. It was a heart of acceptance, of tolerance, of peace and grace, even through the inconveniences of conflict that saved that convoy from hitting that mine. Those attributes are what keep Americans' hearts beating. She may have no affiliation at all with the United States, but she knows what it is to be brave and if we can continue to support her and her new government, she will know what it is to be free....Mark J. Francis (GySgt / USMC)"
Saturday, December 25, 2004
Thursday, December 23, 2004
Boy in a Santa suit asked to quit dance
Not only is Christ uninvited to Christmas but so is Santa!
(You think the world realized Santa is St. Nicholas?...a Catholic saint!)
Not only is Christ uninvited to Christmas but so is Santa!
(You think the world realized Santa is St. Nicholas?...a Catholic saint!)
Saturday, December 18, 2004
The Culture of Death just got uglier!!!
''MARYVILLE, Mo. (AP) - A baby girl who had been cut out of her mother's womb was found after a frantic search, and authorities arrested the woman they say strangled the mother and stole the child. The baby was in good condition Saturday."
''MARYVILLE, Mo. (AP) - A baby girl who had been cut out of her mother's womb was found after a frantic search, and authorities arrested the woman they say strangled the mother and stole the child. The baby was in good condition Saturday."
Friday, December 17, 2004
'O' Antiphons: Interesting insight
"...According to Professor Robert Greenberg of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Benedictine monks arranged these antiphons with a definite purpose. If one starts with the last title and takes the first letter of each one — Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia — the Latin words ero cras are formed, meaning, "Tomorrow, I will come." Therefore, the Lord Jesus, whose coming we have prepared for in Advent and whom we have addressed in these seven messianic titles, now speaks to us, "Tomorrow, I will come." So the "O Antiphons" not only bring intensity to our Advent preparation but bring it to a joyful conclusion."
"...According to Professor Robert Greenberg of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Benedictine monks arranged these antiphons with a definite purpose. If one starts with the last title and takes the first letter of each one — Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia — the Latin words ero cras are formed, meaning, "Tomorrow, I will come." Therefore, the Lord Jesus, whose coming we have prepared for in Advent and whom we have addressed in these seven messianic titles, now speaks to us, "Tomorrow, I will come." So the "O Antiphons" not only bring intensity to our Advent preparation but bring it to a joyful conclusion."
Thursday, December 16, 2004
Not Possible To Take Christ From Christmas: GREAT ARTICLE!!!
"...You may not want to put up any stars, though, because they symbolize the star that led men to the Christ child in Bethlehem. You probably should forgo angels, too. They announced his birth to the shepherds. And why on Earth are you filling the malls buying presents that represent the gifts the wise men brought to the newborn king? And St. Nicholas (AKA Santa Claus) while secularized today, still represents the sharing of ourselves as God shared his son, the perfect gift, at Christmastime.
By the way, you don't put a date on your checks to the credit card companies for all those gifts, do you? That is akin to acknowledging that someone was born 2004 years ago is the reason for all this celebrating. How politically incorrect can you get?" (The Day, by Janice Eccleston, Groton, CT)
FULL ARTICLE: HERE
"...You may not want to put up any stars, though, because they symbolize the star that led men to the Christ child in Bethlehem. You probably should forgo angels, too. They announced his birth to the shepherds. And why on Earth are you filling the malls buying presents that represent the gifts the wise men brought to the newborn king? And St. Nicholas (AKA Santa Claus) while secularized today, still represents the sharing of ourselves as God shared his son, the perfect gift, at Christmastime.
By the way, you don't put a date on your checks to the credit card companies for all those gifts, do you? That is akin to acknowledging that someone was born 2004 years ago is the reason for all this celebrating. How politically incorrect can you get?" (The Day, by Janice Eccleston, Groton, CT)
FULL ARTICLE: HERE
Bulletproof monks!
"A 35-year-old thief, posing as a beggar looking for a place to stay at a Zagreb monastery, broke into an office and stole almost R17 000 that had been donated by locals, newspapers reported.
However, monks Pejo Orkic, 40, and Ivan Pajtak, 51, cornered him and used karate to first fend off his attacks and then force him to the ground where they held him until police arrived."
"A 35-year-old thief, posing as a beggar looking for a place to stay at a Zagreb monastery, broke into an office and stole almost R17 000 that had been donated by locals, newspapers reported.
However, monks Pejo Orkic, 40, and Ivan Pajtak, 51, cornered him and used karate to first fend off his attacks and then force him to the ground where they held him until police arrived."
Saturday, December 11, 2004
GIBSON's ISLAND
Mel Gibson bought a private Pacific island for $US15 million. Gibson flew to Fiji earlier this month where he bought the 2,160 hectare island of Mago from a Japanese hotel chain, People magazine reported.
...Gibson plans to turn the Pacific paradise, that is home to 40 residents, mostly coconut farmers and their families, into his own personal retreat, the US magazine said.
PADRE POINT: Anyone know if needs a chaplain out there??? I'm on the next plane!
Mel Gibson bought a private Pacific island for $US15 million. Gibson flew to Fiji earlier this month where he bought the 2,160 hectare island of Mago from a Japanese hotel chain, People magazine reported.
...Gibson plans to turn the Pacific paradise, that is home to 40 residents, mostly coconut farmers and their families, into his own personal retreat, the US magazine said.
PADRE POINT: Anyone know if needs a chaplain out there??? I'm on the next plane!
'W.' Takes STEP IN RIGHT DIRECTION
"(Zenit.org).- President George Bush signed into law a spending bill which also bans discrimination against hospitals and health care providers who choose not to provide or participate in abortions. The provision banning the discrimination is known as the Hyde-Weldon Conscience Protection Amendment. The Hyde-Weldon Amendment was needed so that individual physicians, hospitals, health plans, nurses, and other health care participants who choose not to do abortions would also be protected."
"(Zenit.org).- President George Bush signed into law a spending bill which also bans discrimination against hospitals and health care providers who choose not to provide or participate in abortions. The provision banning the discrimination is known as the Hyde-Weldon Conscience Protection Amendment. The Hyde-Weldon Amendment was needed so that individual physicians, hospitals, health plans, nurses, and other health care participants who choose not to do abortions would also be protected."
Thursday, December 09, 2004
"...A high school principal canceled a dramatic performance of Charles Dicken's classic "A Christmas Carol," partly because he feared it would raise questions about the place of religion in public schools.
When schools in the Lake Washington School District include religion in their curriculum, they must present a balance of many religions, Assistant Superintendent Cindy Meilleur explained to the paper.
"Teaching about religious holidays is permissible, but celebrating them is not,'' Meilleur said. "You can teach about a variety of religions, but should not emphasize a particular one."
PADRE POINT: So I would presume that same high school will also not have a Christmas vacation...after all, isn't that emphasizing one religion...SECULARISTS are totally clueless about the first 6 letters of CHRIST-MAS!!! Jesus is the reason for the season.
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
OK...DEEP BREATHE, COUNT TO 10...Nope, that didn't work!
A Brief, Liberal, Catholic Defense of Abortion, authors Daniel Dombrowski and Robert Deltete present themselves as Catholics. They are both professors of philosophy at Seattle University, a Jesuit institution.
"The authors make a sharp distinction between the unborn child being "merely human" (i.e., having human parents and genes) and being "a human person in some morally relevant sense." Their most striking and pervasive analogy in support of this distinction is the one between an unborn child and vegetation, as when they say, "The early fetus is obviously alive, as is grass."
"...It is unclear to us, however, why killing a nonsentient being is rash or precipitous. We do it all the time with equanimity when we mow the grass."
PADRE POINT: My only question is whether Dombrowski and Deltete are human or vegetables? Maybe there will be a lawnmower waiting for them on judgement day!!!
You have to love the people the Jesuits find to teach in their Universities!!!
A Brief, Liberal, Catholic Defense of Abortion, authors Daniel Dombrowski and Robert Deltete present themselves as Catholics. They are both professors of philosophy at Seattle University, a Jesuit institution.
"The authors make a sharp distinction between the unborn child being "merely human" (i.e., having human parents and genes) and being "a human person in some morally relevant sense." Their most striking and pervasive analogy in support of this distinction is the one between an unborn child and vegetation, as when they say, "The early fetus is obviously alive, as is grass."
"...It is unclear to us, however, why killing a nonsentient being is rash or precipitous. We do it all the time with equanimity when we mow the grass."
PADRE POINT: My only question is whether Dombrowski and Deltete are human or vegetables? Maybe there will be a lawnmower waiting for them on judgement day!!!
You have to love the people the Jesuits find to teach in their Universities!!!
Monday, December 06, 2004
BLUE during ADVENT for MARY sounds so pious....BUT MARY WAS ALWAYS OBEDIENT!
GIRM #346. "As to the color of sacred vestments, the traditional usage is to be retained: namely...Violet or purple is used in Advent and of Lent. It may also be worn in Offices and Masses for the Dead. (Blue is never mentioned as a liturgical color for the US).
The USCCB hasn't made any provisions for blue during Advent so WHY are priests using blue vestments and blue candles? OBEDIENCE is such a hard promise to keep for some!
(Could it be we don't want to be reminded of the penance that purple/violet symbolizes?)
GIRM #346. "As to the color of sacred vestments, the traditional usage is to be retained: namely...Violet or purple is used in Advent and of Lent. It may also be worn in Offices and Masses for the Dead. (Blue is never mentioned as a liturgical color for the US).
The USCCB hasn't made any provisions for blue during Advent so WHY are priests using blue vestments and blue candles? OBEDIENCE is such a hard promise to keep for some!
(Could it be we don't want to be reminded of the penance that purple/violet symbolizes?)
Pittsburgh Quarterback stands strong for Jesus
"Pittsburgh (AP) The National Football League is telling Steelers Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger that he can't have the letters P-F-J -- meaning play for Jesus -- on his shoes."
PADRE POINT: As a Dallas Cowboy fan it is tough to report good news on the Steelers, but I have to give credit where credit is due...Ben Roethlisberger is da man!
"Pittsburgh (AP) The National Football League is telling Steelers Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger that he can't have the letters P-F-J -- meaning play for Jesus -- on his shoes."
PADRE POINT: As a Dallas Cowboy fan it is tough to report good news on the Steelers, but I have to give credit where credit is due...Ben Roethlisberger is da man!
Sunday, December 05, 2004
REPEAT AFTER ME: Latae Sententiae!
"15 years after clashing with the Catholic Church over her support for abortion rights, the newly appointed president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, Nancy Keenan (appointed on Nov. 19, 2004) boasts of the incident in her biography, claiming "she stood up to a public effort to excommunicate her." But a spokesman for the Catholic diocese of Helena, Mont., denies there was any attempt to kick Nancy Keenan out of the Church."
PADRE POINT: Canon 2272: "Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life. ‘A person who procures a completed abortion incurs excommunication latae sententiae."
In the words of John the Baptist: REPENT...Brood of vipers!
"15 years after clashing with the Catholic Church over her support for abortion rights, the newly appointed president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, Nancy Keenan (appointed on Nov. 19, 2004) boasts of the incident in her biography, claiming "she stood up to a public effort to excommunicate her." But a spokesman for the Catholic diocese of Helena, Mont., denies there was any attempt to kick Nancy Keenan out of the Church."
PADRE POINT: Canon 2272: "Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life. ‘A person who procures a completed abortion incurs excommunication latae sententiae."
In the words of John the Baptist: REPENT...Brood of vipers!
Thursday, December 02, 2004
Fr. Roger Landry on the New Liturgical Year....Good article: READ IT HERE
"...It’s supposed to be more like the way Red Sox fans and players alike are looking forward to spring training next year. Even though there will be 162 games next season just like this one, even though the squad will for the most part face the same opponents in the same cities, even though the games will still be nine innings long and the diamond will have the same dimensions, there will be a whole new drama. The drama will involve how they rise to meet the challenges that will come to them within the structure of the new season.
Similarly, there’s meant to be a whole new drama for us in this new liturgical season in which we, with Christ’s help, rise to meet the challenges he puts before us. Every liturgical cycle is supposed to be a liturgical spiral: we are not meant to repeat last year’s steps but rather to retrace their direction at a higher and more intense level. The experience of last year is meant to help us to have a better season this year. God the Father shouts to us from heaven, “play ball!,” and he wants us to do so with enthusiasm."
"...It’s supposed to be more like the way Red Sox fans and players alike are looking forward to spring training next year. Even though there will be 162 games next season just like this one, even though the squad will for the most part face the same opponents in the same cities, even though the games will still be nine innings long and the diamond will have the same dimensions, there will be a whole new drama. The drama will involve how they rise to meet the challenges that will come to them within the structure of the new season.
Similarly, there’s meant to be a whole new drama for us in this new liturgical season in which we, with Christ’s help, rise to meet the challenges he puts before us. Every liturgical cycle is supposed to be a liturgical spiral: we are not meant to repeat last year’s steps but rather to retrace their direction at a higher and more intense level. The experience of last year is meant to help us to have a better season this year. God the Father shouts to us from heaven, “play ball!,” and he wants us to do so with enthusiasm."
