Very Heavy Burtation...

Screwing with the language.
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It's hard to keep up with the same sex marriage debate.  One gay celebrity blogger from Australia says it's a civil issue, not a religious issue - civil as opposed to sacramental.  I don't want to get into it here except to say - it seems to be a really convincing argument that a lot of people can get on board with - especially Catholics who limit their practice of religion to Christmas and Easter, and maybe St. Patrick's day if they drink.  I'm not judging - just thinking of people like my mom and my sister who identify as Catholic but disagree with Catholic teaching and the need to go to Mass or receive the sacraments, much less take instruction.
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So any way - I noted on The Anchoress' blog that there is some sort of online symposium happening - I didn't read the details, but one contributor came out with something, as Elizabeth noted, that 'may turn a few heads.'  It turned mine - mainly because it fits right in with gay celebrity blogger's promotional rants in support of gay marriage legislation.  (I smell a conspiracy theory!)
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Fighting Gay Marriage is a Lost Cause:

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The American assumption is weak, though, from a philosophical and cultural perspective, and wrong from a Christian theological perspective. The weakness lies in the fact that this logic about marriage is divorced from a philosophical or theological anthropology, rooting itself more in a model of law known as social contract. A social contract is basically an agreement among people about how they as a society will act. According to an American version of this theory, law is good if it reflects the will of the majority. And since the majority of people are coming to embrace the economic partnership model, the law ought to reflect that model. Over time, that model will likely have to include all sorts of legal partnerships as public opinion continues to change. - Theologian Tim Muldoon found on Anchoress
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That's the argument.
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As for legal partnerships, same sex partners or couples or a man and his best friend can do that legally with a good attorney and never have to call it marriage.
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Regarding 'social contracts governing how people in society will act' - today such contracts are  easily dissolved (some prefer 'evolved') by whatever social construct is deemed trendy and fashionable. 
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The notion of 'governing by public/popular opinion' is just scary.
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The real news is that most, if not all of the bishops of this country do not see fighting gay marriage as a lost cause.
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I hope faithful Catholics will not give up the fight - even if the entire world seems to be against you and makes fun of your faith.


Disclaimer:  No Anchoresses, blogger celebrities, or theologians were under attack by this post - I'm  simply expressing an opinion.     

Priest-Martyr for our time.

Blessed Fr. Jerzy Poieluszko
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The offensive against priests and bishops of the Catholic Church who speak out against social issues such as same-sex marriage and abortion reminds me very much of how it must have been for priests such as Blessed Fr. Jerzy Popiełuszko, the Polish martyr associated with the Solidarity Union.  Fr. Jerzy was assassinated by three agents of the Polish Communist Government.  The were members of the internal intelligence agency.
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Fr. Jerzy spoke out against the Communist system, encouraging the people through his homilies with spiritual instruction, as well as moral and ethical teachings opposed to the repressive regime. 
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It seems to me that Blessed Fr. Popieluszko is an excellent model and patron for Catholics - especially priests - who must speak out against the anti-Christian social issues of our times.  Today, as in Popieluzko's day, immoral voices tell us religion and politics are not to be mixed.  Religious freedom is at stake when priests and bishops are mocked and told they cannot instruct and guide the faithful in matters of faith and morals.    

When blogger crashed.

I noted on a couple of blogs that my comments vanished - just mine curiously.  I'm sure it was just because blogger was down and took some comments with it in the crash; just as on this blog, comments from others disappeared on a few posts.  I believe most of the actual posts returned intact however. 
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While blogger was down I cleaned out my cache and cookies, as well as my email.  My inbox is totally empty.  After I dumped everything I realized I had some emails I wanted to keep but never filed, I also had some 'evidence' emails, as well as emails with addresses and phone numbers.  Too late - everything is gone now.
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I once had another blog with some really good posts, but I woke up one morning to discover all of my material got dumped by the webmaster. 
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Some good lessons I think... 
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You can lose everything and never miss it because you didn't know what you had. 
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And...
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Words are cheap, even though they may cost us in the end.
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Want to buy some cookies?

Terrorists, Homeland Security or the Gays?

What happened to blogger?
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The whole thing has been down for almost 24 hours.  I even lost my last post - and it was so insightful!  Another one got saved to draft - the post everyone is making fun of me for - so I just republished it.  Unfortunately the nice comments weren't saved for some reason - so I turned off the com box. 
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I wonder what happened?  My first thought was that terrorists brought down blogger in retaliation for bin Laden's accidental death.  I guess he wasn't shot after all but tripped on the rug in his bedroom and hit his head on his bed frame.
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Then I thought it might be homeland security and so I just took off all of my clothes and sat in front of my lap top with the camera running.  Nothing happened.
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But then after discovering that some of my anti gay marriage posts were gone I decided it must have been the gays.  I've been blacklisted by the gay-agenda personalities, movers and shakers of the movement and I'm sure they went after blogger  to intimidate them into removing my posts.  When blogger refused, they hit them with a blackout as a warning.  You think I'm making this up?  I even checked my house on Google Earth and it has a cross hairs on it.  Just today my cat got a death threat mixed in with her Meow-Mix. 
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So anyway - that's my theory and I'm sticking to it.  

"We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-Church, of the Gospel versus the anti-Gospel."

“We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has gone through. I do not think that wide circles of the American society or wide circles of the Christian community realize this fully. We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-Church, of the Gospel versus the anti-Gospel. This confrontation lies within the plans of divine Providence; it is a trial which the whole Church ... must take up.” - Bl. John Paul II, as Karol Cardinal Wojtyla, 1976, two years before he was elected Pope.

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To paraphrase John Mallon:  We are now reaping the rotten fruits of the “Sexual Revolution”: global legalized abortion, no-fault divorce, homosexuality and same-sex marriage, AIDS, pornography, pedophilia, gender confusion, and lonely, broken, alienated lives. We rejected the beautiful truth about the transmission of life and thus bequeathed to our surviving children a culture of death..
In Minnesota and elsewhere, activist personalities and organizations such as Michael Bayly and OutFront Minnesota are highly organized and trained.  These spokesmen can spin on a dime and come up with clever sounding, statistic-based replies to just about every single challenge they are presented with.
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Their propaganda cannot  change the mind of of the Church, nor faithful Catholics; nevertheless they've demonstrated the capability to influence the morally bankrupt, uniformed, and erroneously educated to accept what was heretofore unacceptable.  Promoting a culture of dissent, they have been especially persuasive amongst liberal Catholics and nominal Catholics - otherwise known as CINO's, Catholics in name only, to reject not only the teachings of the Church and the Gospel, but to reject the authority of the Church and the Gospel.

Minnesotans in favor of a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage: Call your State Representatives.

The Senate will vote at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow, Wednesday, May 11, on the final passage of the constitutional amendment that would ask voters to permanently ban marriage rights for same-sex couples in 2012. This vote cannot by vetoed by Governor Dayton.
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It may be important to call your senator and tell him/her to vote yes to the amendment! All you need to know is your zip code. Just dial this toll-free number:
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1.855.508.6473.  

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This number connects you to the gay activist organization, OutFront Minnesota.  Don't worry, their system will automatically connect you with your elected officials; after enduring a short pro-same-sex propaganda statement, you will be directed on how to contact your representative after keying in your zip code.  From thereon follow the the prompts and you will be conveniently connected directly to your Minnesota State Representative and Senator — all toll-free. You can call in more than once to reach both of your legislators.  I actually have 3 in my district and I was able to urge them to vote YES for passage of the amendment.  You need to give your full name, zip, address and I'd leave a call back number as well.
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If you're unable to speak with your senator, be sure to leave a voicemail. Tell them you're their constituent (which is why you must give your address) and leave them a brief message urging them to say YES to constitutional amendment which will protect Minnesota families, as well as religious freedom.

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It is vital that undecided and swing vote senators from the suburbs and greater Minnesota hear from their constituents favorable to the amendment. Tell your friends and family who live in these places to contact their senators to vote YES on the amendment! Have them call 1.855.508.6473 tonight and tomorrow morning.

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Please pray the prayers of the Holy Rosary with the intention the vote on the constitutional amendment is passed.
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Thanks to Michael Bayly for posting the contact information, although he posted to rally pro-gay marriage supporters and in hopes that the amendment would fail. 

Who painted this?

I hate it when people use art online without attribution.   Anyway - this is THE best rendering of Solanus Casey I have ever seen, as well as THE best composition I have ever seen.  Who is the artist?  Anyone know?  Source.
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I have to go out and mow the lawn.  I'll never paint again.

Sounds like restricting religious freedom to me: The Fr. JP Echert slapdown.

Support our priests.
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I would caution anyone against tangling with Fr. John Paul Echert, one of the 'best of the best' Catholic priests in the Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis.  Fr. Echert is a military chaplain and pastor of St. Augustine parish and Holy Trinity parish in South St. Paul, Minnesota.  He is a solid Roman Catholic priest, a biblical scholar, and a man without guile - a straight talker.  He is one of the few priests in the world I trust implicitly.
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That said, a local politician Fr. Echert obviously admires, insulted the priest in response to Father's respectful request for the state representative to reconsider giving his support to the efforts to legalize same-sex marriage in Minnesota.  Fr. Echert's email reprinted below:  Full text at parish website
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Dear Representative Kriesel:



Greetings from Father John Echert, Pastor of the Parishes of Holy


Trinity and St. Augustine in South St. Paul. I am writing to you


specifically in regards to the proposed Marriage Amendment under


consideration here in Minnesota in light of an email exchange which


you recently had with my Associate Pastor, Father Robert Grabner.


Within your response you wrote, “Unfortunately I do not support the


Marriage Amendment and will not be voting for it.” I am very


saddened to learn this, especially since I had encouraged one of our


parishioners, one of your campaign advocates, to have you come to


our parish Fall Festival last October so that parishioners could meet


you in the days leading up to the elections. Also, as a military


Chaplain here in the Minnesota Air National Guard I have been using


you as a heroic example of resiliency in our monthly Yellow Ribbon


Program for recently returned deployers.    
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I ask you to please reconsider your position on this critical matter.



While we can legitimately debate issues related to finances and


politics, those that are grounded upon basic moral principles and


family values are rooted in the laws of God. I am commencing this


week with a parish campaign to promote support for a Marriage


Amendment in Minnesota; I hope that you will be among those elected


officials upon whom we can count for your efforts at the leadership


level to protect traditional marriage in our state.


Sincerely,


Father John Echert
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The threat against religious freedom.
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Kriesel's response was not only insulting, but threatening in tone - typical of the intimidation associated with the efforts by politicians to restrict religious freedom and coerce religious leaders into silence regarding moral issues.
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Mr. Echert,



I would like to respectfully remind you that the Internal Revenue


Service frowns upon churches and religious organizations devoting


time to influencing legislation. Your admission of the commencement


of a politically involved "campaign" will probably violate several state


and federal tax provisions.


Tyler
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How to respond.
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I agree with Fr. Echert that it is a good idea to respectfully voice your concerns and objections to Rep. Kriesel:
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Representative John Kriesel know your views on the issue of



the protection of marriage and also let him know your opinion


of his attitude towards Church activism on moral issues, you


can email him at rep.john.kriesel@house.mn, call him at


651-297-9010, or send mail to 451 State Office Bldg, 100


Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155
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Photo:  Lieutenant Colonel Echert - I believe this photo is Fr. Echert during Desert Storm.  Source

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H/T Eponymous Flower blog
I've just been made aware that American Papist has posted on the issue as well.

Holy Poverty

"Poverty was not to be found in heaven ...Therefore the Son of God, longing after it, came down from heaven to choose it for Himself, and to make it precious to us" (St. Bernard).

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Fr. Hardon on poverty.
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There is no option. Either we practice poverty or we shall not only not be sanctified; we shall not even be saved. It was not a pious platitude but a sober truth when Jesus said how hard it is for the rich person to enter heaven.

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Certainly, the Gospels were meant to be lived not only in first century Palestine, but in twentieth century North America. The crucial question is how. The following are some directives. While referring directly to poverty, their underlying principles apply equally to the practice of Christian chastity and charity. Along with poverty, they form the triad of virtues that are mainly on trial in the affluent, sexual and self-preoccupied societies of our times.

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1) We must be convinced on faith that the First Beatitude of Christ's Sermon on the Mount is a divinely revealed truth. Only the poor in spirit will inherit the Kingdom of heaven. We shall be only as zealous about practicing poverty as we are convinced that our salvation depends on our being, and not merely professing to be, poor in spirit.
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2) It is not quite true to say that an abundance of worldly possessions is no hindrance to salvation. It is.
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3) We must pray to understand how we, in our state of life, with our possessions of money, property, living facilities, food, clothing, means of travel and entertainment are nevertheless to remain poor in spirit.
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4) We must be sincere with God in telling Him that we are interiorly detached from the material things we possess or have access to. Self-deception is easy when I have all that I want of earthly satisfactions and then verbally tell God that my heart is not addicted to what I enjoy.
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5) We should examine our conscience daily on this internal detachment from what may externally surround us like the air that we breathe. Poverty of spirit is not a figure of speech. It is a living reality. If I am truly practicing the First Beatitude, I will experience something of what it means to be poor.
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6) If I am practicing poverty of spirit, I will be industrious. Poor people have to work for a living. "To labor is to pray," says St. Benedict. And Thomas à Kempis asks, "Why do you want to rest, since you are born to labor."
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7) If I am practicing poverty of spirit, I will be sensitive to the material needs of others. Poverty of spirit means charity of spirit. I want to share what I have with others; and not only of my superfluities, but even of my necessities.
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8) A good index of how poor we are is how peaceful we are in spirit. Worry and anxiety about the things of this world are, on Christ's own testimony, signs of a lack of trust in God's providence. According to St. Alphonsus Liguori, this means detachment "not only from what is valuable, but also from what is trifling."
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9) Internal detachment from worldly things frees the human heart for attachment to heavenly things. The more time we have in our leisure society, the more time we should give to prayer.
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10) The world in which we live needs our witness of poverty. People who know what we believe should see our faith put into practice. It will take much light from God to live among the affluent and yet remain internally poor. We must call upon all the resources of grace to be patient and prudent and kind in our dealings with others without compromising our fidelity to Christ who became a poor Child to show us the way to heaven. - Source
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Art: Giotto: Allegory, St. Francis weds Lady Poverty.

The May Altar

Our Lady's Month
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When I was little I used to set up a May altar in my room.  We did the same thing in Catholic school classroom, as well as in the church.  At school the practice consisted of decorating the area around Our Lady's statue in the classroom with cut spring flowers in nice vases placed on doilies, the area thus properly prepared, the crowning of the Blessed Virgin's statue with a wreath of flowers - usually plastic - took place.  Kids do not care if the flowers are plastic.  Even the boys thought it was pretty and it not only inspired but instilled devotion.
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Likewise, in the church Our Lady's altar was decorated to the hilt, candles, flowers, linens, garland, and the Blessed Virgin was solemnly crowned.  In some parishes another statue of the Blessed Virgin was placed in front of the sanctuary, and similarly decorated and crowned.  Many parishes with schools continue this practice, while devout parents continue to erect May altars of some form in their homes.  The purpose is of course to honor Our Lady, Mother of God and our Mother, to recognize her queenship and exalted relationship to the most Holy Trinity, as well as to foster and deepen devotion to the Blessed Virgin - to thank her and to implore her protection and assistance.
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I personally do not do anything like this any more since I have a nice image and space dedicated to Our Lady already - and I'm not a flowery type of guy anyway - and I hate doilies and stuff like that.  Nevertheless, I think it is wonderful when people do such tributes to Our Lady, and I guarantee you - it makes a deep and lasting impression upon children.  I think a family should consider gathering to make a solemn consecration to the Blessed Virgin, accompanied by the May crowning in their home.  I think it would do wonders for the family - no matter how unconventional your family might be.  And don't forget to pray the rosary every day - the shrine to Our Lady functions as our reminder to do so.
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Origins of the May Altar.
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To the specific characteristics of the May devotion is to be counted the specially set up May altar - be it as an addition to or specially decorated altar in the church or as a "house altar" in the family circle. Like the May devotions themselves, the custom to highlight this type of May altar stems from southern European countries. A report from France in 1842 speaks of Our Lady's altar in May showing off in rich splendor, while the families also erected and decorated small home altars.
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All of nature awakened to new life in springtime is presented to honor Mary, who is herself "a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys" (Song of Songs 2,1). This form of devotion was influence and furthered, for example, in Treatise on True Devotion to Mary by Louis de Montfort, who, among other things, counted the decoration of Marian altars a chief exercise of Marian devotion. - Finish reading.
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Pagan origins?
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Not to worry.  Many like to claim the May celebrations are actually rooted in ancient pagan festivals such as the cult of the May Queen and Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers, commemorated with the Maypole decorated with flowers and garlands, originally the instrument used in ritual celebrations. 
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Be that as it may, these things have nothing in common with the veneration Catholics give to Our Lady during the month of May, as the author of the forward to Cardinal Newman's Extracts from "Meditations and Devotions" explains: "In ancient times, the month of May was dedicated to sexual love with its rites in honour of Pan. The Church has done an astonishing sublime deed in transforming these pagan and sensual rites into the cult of the Most Pure Virgin ! The month of May is the Spring of the year, and Mary is the Spring of Grace; the month of May is the month of flowers, and Mary is "The Flower," the Mystical Rose."
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Example of a home May Altar. (source)

Finally! Some respect.

Slut pride.
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BOSTON — An international series of protests known as SlutWalks, sparked by a Toronto police officer's flippant comment that women should avoid dressing like "sluts" to avoid being raped or victimized, is taking root in the United States.

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Some women and men who protest dress in nothing more remarkable than jeans and T-shirts, while others wear provocative or revealing outfits to bring attention to "slut-shaming," or shaming women for being sexual, and the treatment of sexual assault victims. - Source
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Gender-rama
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Did you know gender is only a social construct?  So I guess just forget about the feminization of men then, huh?
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In matters of human sexuality, there are male and female. It is an established biological fact. It is from this fact that comes the family which assures the continuity of the human race. From the family comes society and the State which works toward the common good and perfection of our nature. There is nothing complicated about this obvious fact. It is simply the way things are and always have been.
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However, there are those who claim this classification is completely and artificially constructed by society. Humans, they maintain, are not made male and female. Rather, in matters of sexuality, we should all be free to reject the “gender” identity forced upon us and adopt whatever “gender” we want. We are no longer male or female but can choose to be either one or the other, both, and/or neither.

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Thus, we have seen the proliferation of behaviors and conditions that now qualify as sexual categories. Gender identity now applies to how one perceives oneself or even how one can surgically change oneself to fit that perception.
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What began as a short list referring to homosexual, bisexual has now expanded to include a LGBTQI “community” – adding transgender, questioning and intersexed to the list. - Source
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Factoid:
.......Pride is a capital sin.

The feminization of men.

In men, the hormone testosterone guides behavior and reproduction. It controls growth and development of sex organs and other typically male characteristics, such as facial hair and a deep voice.

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Haven't you noticed how short a lot of young guys are today?  How- 'metrosexual' so many men have become?  They highlight their hair, dye their beards, shave their chests, wear really tight women's clothes and jewelry, and they are really, really sensitive.  Or haven't you wondered why there is an epidemic of gay men?  How about those stay at home dads?  Oh! Oh!  And the wife always drives the car now, and she's the one who mows the lawn and fixes the plumbing and stuff.  I know! 
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At first I thought it was because of no fault divorce - especially as to why there are so many gay people.  You know, no dads, single moms raising kids - that makes so much sense.  Then I thought, maybe it's the result of contraception - not that I believe gays are born that way - but because contracepting couples leveled the playing field on sexual behavior.  You don't see the connection?
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It's like this, heterosexual couples - straight singles - began to view sex as recreative instead of procreative; the next logical conclusion being that same sex couples having sex do nothing different from their promiscuous hetero counterparts?   Thus homosexuality soon gained a wider tolerance and acceptance socially, permitting even more homosexually inclined people to chose to come out and embrace gay culture.  Which also explains why the fashion and cosmetic industry, as well as the anti-depressant market soared!  But I digress.
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However, it looks as if I might have been mistaken.  Turns out testosterone may the problem.  The following from The Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolisticespialtbealadocious:
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In one of the largest study of its kind, Travison et al. report a population-wide decline in Massachusetts's men’s testosterone levels during the last 20 years that is not related to normal aging or to health and lifestyle factors known to influence testosterone levels.  They found that testosterone concentrations dropped about 1.2% per year, or about 17% overall, from 1987 to 2004. The downward trend was seen in both the population and in individuals over time. The decline is consistent with other long-term trends in male reproductive health, including decreases in sperm quality and increases in testicular cancer, hypospadias and cryptorchidism.
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The strongest association was observed in same-aged men from different sampling years. - Read more.
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Did you get that?  "Same aged men"! 
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What? 

Oh - I thought it said "same-sex men".  Never mind.


Photo:  Ryan Seacrest

More Mass Chat.

Anyway.
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After Mass I meekly stood my distance from the priest as he greeted the people leaving church, waiting patiently to ask him what he thought about the bin Laden deal.  I especially wanted to ask him since he is a former military chaplain. So he called to me, "Terry, What up?"  I went over to him and said, "I just have to ask what you thought about the bin Laden deal."
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"I rejoiced!  But of course I felt bad that a human being was killed."  he said beaming.
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"Me too!"  I said beaming.
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I love that priest.
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Ordinary people.
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There is something to be said about the greatness of ordinariness.  I find it interesting that the best of the best priests in this archdiocese celebrate Mass according to the Ordinary Form.  The bishops in Minnesota do likewise.  I never hear them speak against the new revised translation for the Mass, nor against the Extraordinary Form of Mass. 
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I think some readers think I dis the EF, but I'm not about doing that at all.  I was trained as an altar boy for the traditional Mass.  Nevertheless, when reading various websites one can get the impression that the Ordinary Form of Mass is less holy than the EF Mass, and as one guy once told me, "If you know the beauty and splendor of the EF Mass and continue to attend the Novus Ordo - which is the Ordinary Form, you may be endangering your immortal soul."  That's bull shit. 
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The miracle at Emmaus.
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In today's Gospel, the Risen Christ showed himself as an ordinary man as he walked along with the disciples - and they did not recognize him until the 'breaking of the bread'.  Ordinary people recognize Christ in the breaking of the bread - in the Eucharist, the Mass - no matter if it is the EF or OF, it is the Mass wherein the Eucharist is confected and Christ is amongst us.
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Liturgical abuse is a separate matter of course, and I am not talking that kind of stuff here.
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Mother's Day
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I thought about my mother and her 'happy death' and realized that when I finally see her in heaven I won't recognize her because she will actually be happy and kind and pure and radiantly on fire in charity and love - that is, in that light and glory that is God.  (When my mother finally died, I was very happy for her.  Rejoicing over some one's death is not always bad.)
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Happy Mother's day to all moms, but especially those with mental illness, addiction and other sufferings that may impair and distort their ability to love their children.

"Do what you are doing."

I'm told the saying 'do what you are doing' is a Jesuit maxim regarding the will of God. 
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I came upon the following quote from the Jesuit priest, Walter Ciszek which may help explain the matter a little better:
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 “God’s will was not hidden somewhere ‘out there’ . . . the situations [in which I found myself] were his will for me. What he wanted was for me to accept these situations as from his hands, to let go of the reins and place myself entirely at his disposal.” - Ciszek
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It is amazing what obstacles the Lord removes when we let go trying to control everything and everyone.
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Photo:  Fr. Walter Ciszek