Howlin At That Old Full Moon

2009-02-06T23:37:00.002-05:00

Can he be trusted though?

Obama, in prepared remarks, said, "There is no God who condones taking the life of an innocent human being."

I can't get this to jive with the man's support of FOCA. Sorry Barry, anyone who supports the murder of unborn children has absolutely zero moral authority to speak like this on the subject of killing a human being. He speaks out of both sides of his face and apparently doesn't get why the smart people hearing it think he's full of bunk.

2008-12-05T21:00:00.000-05:00

From Yahoo

Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Alexy II dies

By JIM HEINTZ, Associated Press Writer

MOSCOW – In his nearly two decades at the head of the world's largest Orthodox church, Patriarch Alexy II oversaw a religious revivalin Russia and healed a major church rift, but his death leaves a long-running dispute with the Vatican unresolved.

Alexy's death Friday at age 79 deprives the Russian Orthodox Churchof its dominant figure, whose stern, bearded mien gave him an almost medieval aura of inflexible righteousness. He often complained thatRoman Catholics were poaching adherents among a people who traditionally would have been Orthodox if atheistic Soviet rule had not impeded them.

Yet he and the church held many discussions with the Vatican, aiming to reach an agreement that would allow the church to accept a papal visit to Russia.

Without Alexy at the helm, the church's initiatives on that question may go dormant for several months. The church's Holy Synod is to choose a placeholder leader on Saturday, but election of a new patriarch is likely to take six months. Metropolitan Kirill, the church's foreign relations chief who has had extensive contact with the Vatican, appears to be one of the top candidates.

The Moscow Patriarchate said Alexy died at his residence outsideMoscow, but did not give a cause of death. Alexy had long suffered from a heart ailment, although on Thursday he had appeared comparatively well while conducting services.

His funeral was tentatively slated for Tuesday, according to Russian news agency Interfax, which cited his spokesman Vladimir Vigilyansky.

Alexy became leader of the church in 1990, as the officially atheist Soviet Union was loosening its restrictions on religion. After the Soviet Union collapsed the following year, the church's popularity surged. Church domes that had been stripped of their gold under the Soviets were regilded, churches that had been converted into warehouses or left to rot in neglect were painstakingly restored, and hours-long services on major religious holidays were broadcast live on national television.

By the time of Alexy's death, the church's flock was estimated to include about two-thirds of Russia's 142 million people, making it the world's largest Orthodox church.

But Alexy often complained that Russia's new religious freedom put the church under severe pressure and he bitterly resented what he said were attempts by other Christian churches to build their flocks. These complaints focused on the Roman Catholic Church.

Those tensions aside, Pope Benedict XVI praised Alexy on Friday.

"I am pleased to recall the efforts of the late patriarch for the rebirth of the church after the severe ideological oppression which led to the martyrdom of so many witnesses to the Christian faith. I also recall his courageous battle for the defense of human and Gospel values," the pope said in a message of condolence to the Russian church.

Alexy lived long enough to see another major religious dispute resolved. In 2007, he signed a pact with Metropolitan Laurus, the leader of the breakaway Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, to bring the churches closer together. The U.S.-based Church Outside Russia had split off in 1927, after the Moscow church's leader declared loyalty to the Communist government.

Alexy successfully lobbied for the 1997 passage of a religion law that places restrictions on the activities of religions other than Orthodoxy, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism. Under his leadership, the church also vehemently opposed schismatic Orthodox churches in neighboring Ukraine, claiming the Ukrainian church should remain under Moscow's control.

A top representative of Russia's Muslims praised Alexy's efforts to restore religion's prominence in post-Soviet Russia.

"All the activities of this man were devoted to unifying our country, developing state-religion relations and the dialogue of Russia's traditional faiths," said Albir Krangov, a deputy chairman of the Muslim Central Spiritual Administration, according to the RIA-Novosti news agency.

In a demonstration of the close relations between church and state, President Dmitry Medvedev canceled plans to travel from India to Italy, so he can return for the funeral.

"He was a great citizen of Russia. A man in whose destiny the whole difficult experience of our country's changes in the 20th century are reflected," Medvedev said.

President George W. Bush offered his condolences, White House press secretary Dana Perino said.

"The president's heart is with the community of Russian believers as they continue to rebuild the rich spiritual traditions of Russia," Perino said.

Under Alexy, the church's influence grew strong enough that some public schools instituted mandatory religion courses — a move that human rights advocates criticized as likely to increase xenophobia.

"The church strengthened nationalism, without a doubt," said Alexander Verkhovsky of the Moscow human rights group SOVA. But he also gave the church under Alexy credit for speaking out against violent, radical nationalists.

The patriarch was born Alexei Mikhailovich Ridiger on Feb. 23, 1929 in Tallinn, Estonia. The son of a priest, Alexy often accompanied his parents on pilgrimages to churches and monasteries, and he helped his father minister to prisoners in Nazi concentration camps in Estonia. It was during those visits that Alexy decided to pursue a religious life.

Under Soviet rule, this was not an easy choice. Lenin and Stalin suppressed religion and thousands of churches were destroyed or converted to other uses, such as museums devoted to atheism or, in some cases, stables. Many priests and parishioners were persecuted for their beliefs.

The persecution eased somewhat during World War II, when Stalin discovered that the church could be used as a propaganda tool in the fight against the Nazis. But the Soviet authorities never fully loosened their grip, penetrating the church at the highest levels.

Alexy was ordained in 1950, progressed through the Orthodox hierarchy, and was consecrated Bishop of Tallinn and Estonia in 1961.

The British-based Keston Institute, which monitors religious freedom in former Communist countries, has cited research suggesting that Alexy's career may have been aided by assistance he gave the KGB while a young priest in Tallinn. Orthodox Church officials vehemently denied the allegations.

___

Correspondent Daniella Petroff in Rome contributed to this report.

2008-11-22T22:41:00.002-05:00

This week marked the 450th anniversary of the death of Queen Mary I (Mary Tudor), the only legitimate child of King Henry VIII and his his lawful wife, Queen Catherine of Aragon. Just stop and ponder the different path history would have taken had good old King Henry actually been a faithful Catholic.

2008-09-23T23:15:00.002-04:00

A Little Father Corapi for you all, enjoy!

2008-09-17T23:57:00.001-04:00

div>
Fulget Crucis mystérium….
Here shines the mystery of the cross, where Life has suffered death, and his death made life.
On the side, pierced by iron cruel spear, flow, to clear our crimes, blood and water.
So fulfilled the oracle of David saying the nations in his verses inspired: God reigns by The wood.
Tree precious and shining glory, dressed in the purple of the King, was called you in your noble trunk to reach members if saints.
Happy Cross! At your arm is suspended The ransom of the world! You're the scales where Corps was weighed , which has abducted from hell its prey.
-
this part is sung while kneeling
O Crux, ave, spes única…
Hail, O Cross, our only hope!

O Trinity ,principle of our salvation, that all Spirit glorifies You. You give us the victory by the Cross, add our reward.

2008-08-27T23:46:00.000-04:00

Today: The Feast of St. Monica

The circumstances of St. Monica’s life could have made her a nagging wife, a bitter daughter-in-law and a despairing parent, yet she did not give way to any of these temptations. Although she was a Christian, her parents gave her in marriage to a pagan, Patricius, who lived in her hometown of Tagaste in North Africa. Patricius had some redeeming features, but he had a violent temper and was licentious. Monica also had to bear with a cantankerous mother-in-law who lived in her home. Patricius criticized his wife because of her charity and piety, but always respected her. Monica’s prayers and example finally won her husband and mother-in-law to Christianity. Her husband died in 371, one year after his Baptism.

Monica had at least three children who survived infancy. The oldest, Augustine, is the most famous. At the time of his father’s death, Augustine was 17 and a rhetoric student in Carthage. Monica was distressed to learn that her son had accepted the Manichean heresy and was living an immoral life. For a while, she refused to let him eat or sleep in her house. Then one night she had a vision that assured her Augustine would return to the faith. From that time on she stayed close to her son, praying and fasting for him. In fact, she often stayed much closer than Augustine wanted.

When he was 29, Augustine decided to go to Rome to teach rhetoric. Monica was determined to go along. One night he told his mother that he was going to the dock to say goodbye to a friend. Instead, he set sail for Rome. Monica was heartbroken when she learned of Augustine’s trick, but she still followed him. She arrived in Rome only to find that he had left for Milan. Although travel was difficult, Monica pursued him to Milan.

In Milan Augustine came under the influence of the bishop, St. Ambrose, who also became Monica’s spiritual director. She accepted his advice in everything and had the humility to give up some practices that had become second nature to her (see Quote, below). Monica became a leader of the devout women in Milan as she had been in Tagaste.

She continued her prayers for Augustine during his years of instruction. At Easter, 387, St. Ambrose baptized Augustine and several of his friends. Soon after, his party left for Africa. Although no one else was aware of it, Monica knew her life was near the end. She told Augustine, “Son, nothing in this world now affords me delight. I do not know what there is now left for me to do or why I am still here, all my hopes in this world being now fulfilled.” She became ill shortly after and suffered severely for nine days before her death.

Almost all we know about St. Monica is in the writings of St. Augustine, especially his Confessions.

2008-08-09T15:21:00.002-04:00

Today, the Feast Day of St.Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

"We bow down before the testimony of the life and death of Edith Stein, an outstanding daughter of Israel and at the same time a daughter of the Carmelite Order, Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, a personality who united within her rich life a dramatic synthesis of our century. It was the synthesis of a history full of deep wounds that are still hurting ... and also the synthesis of the full truth about man. All this came together in a single heart that remained restless and unfulfilled until it finally found rest in God." These were the words of Pope John Paul II when he beatified Edith Stein in Cologne on 1 May 1987.

Who was this woman?

Edith Stein was born in Breslau on 12 October 1891, the youngest of 11, as her family were celebrating Yom Kippur, that most important Jewish festival, the Feast of Atonement. "More than anything else, this helped make the youngest child very precious to her mother." Being born on this day was like a foreshadowing to Edith, a future Carmelite nun.

Edith's father, who ran a timber business, died when she had only just turned two. Her mother, a very devout, hard-working, strong-willed and truly wonderful woman, now had to fend for herself and to look after the family and their large business. However, she did not succeed in keeping up a living faith in her children. Edith lost her faith in God. "I consciously decided, of my own volition, to give up praying," she said.

In 1911 she passed her school-leaving exam with flying colors and enrolled at the University of Breslau to study German and history, though this was a mere "bread-and-butter" choice. Her real interest was in philosophy and in women's issues. She became a member of the Prussian Society for Women's Franchise. "When I was at school and during my first years at university," she wrote later, "I was a radical suffragette. Then I lost interest in the whole issue. Now I am looking for purely pragmatic solutions."

In 1913, Edith Stein transferred to Göttingen University, to study under the mentorship of Edmund Husserl. She became his pupil and teaching assistant, and he later tutored her for a doctorate. At the time, anyone who was interested in philosophy was fascinated by Husserl's new view of reality, whereby the world as we perceive it does not merely exist in a Kantian way, in our subjective perception. His pupils saw his philosophy as a return to objects: "back to things". Husserl's phenomenology unwittingly led many of his pupils to the Christian faith. In Göttingen Edith Stein also met the philosopher Max Scheler, who directed her attention to Roman Catholicism. Nevertheless, she did not neglect her "bread-and-butter" studies and passed her degree with distinction in January 1915, though she did not follow it up with teacher training.

"I no longer have a life of my own," she wrote at the beginning of the First World War, having done a nursing course and gone to serve in an Austrian field hospital. This was a hard time for her, during which she looked after the sick in the typhus ward, worked in an operating theatre, and saw young people die. When the hospital was dissolved, in 1916, she followed Husserl as his assistant to the German city of Freiburg, where she passed her doctorate summa cum laude (with the utmost distinction) in 1917, after writing a thesis on "The Problem of Empathy."

During this period she went to Frankfurt Cathedral and saw a woman with a shopping basket going in to kneel for a brief prayer. "This was something totally new to me. In the synagogues and Protestant churches I had visited people simply went to the services. Here, however, I saw someone coming straight from the busy marketplace into this empty church, as if she was going to have an intimate conversation. It was something I never forgot. "Towards the end of her dissertation she wrote: "There have been people who believed that a sudden change had occurred within them and that this was a result of God's grace." How could she come to such a conclusion?
Edith Stein had been good friends with Husserl's Göttingen assistant, Adolf Reinach, and his wife.

When Reinach fell in Flanders in November 1917, Edith went to Göttingen to visit his widow. The Reinachs had converted to Protestantism. Edith felt uneasy about meeting the young widow at first, but was surprised when she actually met with a woman of faith. "This was my first encounter with the Cross and the divine power it imparts to those who bear it ... it was the moment when my unbelief collapsed and Christ began to shine his light on me - Christ in the mystery of the Cross."

Later, she wrote: "Things were in God's plan which I had not planned at all. I am coming to the living faith and conviction that - from God's point of view - there is no chance and that the whole of my life, down to every detail, has been mapped out in God's divine providence and makes complete and perfect sense in God's all-seeing eyes."

In Autumn 1918 Edith Stein gave up her job as Husserl's teaching assistant. She wanted to work independently. It was not until 1930 that she saw Husserl again after her conversion, and she shared with him about her faith, as she would have liked him to become a Christian, too. Then she wrote down the amazing words: "Every time I feel my powerlessness and inability to influence people directly, I become more keenly aware of the necessity of my own holocaust."

Edith Stein wanted to obtain a professorship, a goal that was impossible for a woman at the time. Husserl wrote the following reference: "Should academic careers be opened up to ladies, then I can recommend her whole-heartedly and as my first choice for admission to a professorship." Later, she was refused a professorship on account of her Jewishness.

Back in Breslau, Edith Stein began to write articles about the philosophical foundation of psychology. However, she also read the New Testament, Kierkegaard and Ignatius of Loyola's Spiritual Exercises. She felt that one could not just read a book like that, but had to put it into practice.

In the summer of 1921. she spent several weeks in Bergzabern (in the Palatinate) on the country estate of Hedwig Conrad-Martius, another pupil of Husserl's. Hedwig had converted to Protestantism with her husband. One evening Edith picked up an autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila and read this book all night. "When I had finished the book, I said to myself: This is the truth." Later, looking back on her life, she wrote: "My longing for truth was a single prayer."

On 1 January 1922 Edith Stein was baptized. It was the Feast of the Circumcision of Jesus, when Jesus entered into the covenant of Abraham. Edith Stein stood by the baptismal font, wearing Hedwig Conrad-Martius' white wedding cloak. Hedwig washer godmother. "I had given up practising my Jewish religion when I was a 14-year-old girl and did not begin to feel Jewish again until I had returned to God." From this moment on she was continually aware that she belonged to Christ not only spiritually, but also through her blood. At the Feast of the Purification of Mary - another day with an Old Testament reference - she was confirmed by the Bishop of Speyer in his private chapel.

After her conversion she went straight to Breslau: "Mother," she said, "I am a Catholic." The two women cried. Hedwig Conrad Martius wrote: "Behold, two Israelites indeed, in whom is no deceit!" (cf. John 1:47).

Immediately after her conversion she wanted to join a Carmelite convent. However, her spiritual mentors, Vicar-General Schwind of Speyer, and Erich Przywara SJ, stopped her from doing so. Until Easter 1931 she held a position teaching German and history at the Dominican Sisters' school and teacher training college of St. Magdalen's Convent in Speyer. At the same time she was encouraged by Arch-Abbot Raphael Walzer of Beuron Abbey to accept extensive speaking engagements, mainly on women's issues. "During the time immediately before and quite some time after my conversion I ... thought that leading a religious life meant giving up all earthly things and having one's mind fixed on divine things only. Gradually, however, I learnt that other things are expected of us in this world... I even believe that the deeper someone is drawn to God, the more he has to `get beyond himself' in this sense, that is, go into the world and carry divine life into it."

She worked enormously hard, translating the letters and diaries of Cardinal Newman from his pre-Catholic period as well as Thomas Aquinas' Quaestiones Disputatae de Veritate. The latter was a very free translation, for the sake of dialogue with modern philosophy. Erich Przywara also encouraged her to write her own philosophical works. She learnt that it was possible to "pursue scholarship as a service to God... It was not until I had understood this that I seriously began to approach academic work again." To gain strength for her life and work, she frequently went to the Benedictine Monastery of Beuron, to celebrate the great festivals of the Church year.

In 1931 Edith Stein left the convent school in Speyer and devoted herself to working for a professorship again, this time in Breslau and Freiburg, though her endeavours were in vain. It was then that she wrote Potency and Act, a study of the central concepts developed by Thomas Aquinas. Later, at the Carmelite Convent in Cologne, she rewrote this study to produce her main philosophical and theological oeuvre, Finite and Eternal Being. By then, however, it was no longer possible to print the book.

In 1932 she accepted a lectureship position at the Roman Catholic division of the German Institute for Educational Studies at the University of Munster, where she developed her anthropology. She successfully combined scholarship and faith in her work and her teaching, seeking to be a "tool of the Lord" in everything she taught. "If anyone comes to me, I want to lead them to Him."

In 1933 darkness broke out over Germany. "I had heard of severe measures against Jews before. But now it dawned on me that God had laid his hand heavily on His people, and that the destiny of these people would also be mine." The Aryan Law of the Nazis made it impossible for Edith Stein to continue teaching. "If I can't go on here, then there are no longer any opportunities for me in Germany," she wrote; "I had become a stranger in the world."

The Arch-Abbot of Beuron, Walzer, now no longer stopped her from entering a Carmelite convent. While in Speyer, she had already taken a vow of poverty, chastity and obedience. In 1933 she met with the prioress of the Carmelite Convent in Cologne. "Human activities cannot help us, but only the suffering of Christ. It is my desire to share in it."

Edith Stein went to Breslau for the last time, to say good-bye to her mother and her family. Her last day at home was her birthday, 12 October, which was also the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles. Edith went to the synagogue with her mother. It was a hard day for the two women. "Why did you get to know it [Christianity]?" her mother asked, "I don't want to say anything against him. He may have been a very good person. But why did he make himself God?" Edith's mother cried. The following day Edith was on the train to Cologne. "I did not feel any passionate joy. What I had just experienced was too terrible. But I felt a profound peace - in the safe haven of God's will." From now on she wrote to her mother every week, though she never received any replies. Instead, her sister Rosa sent her news from Breslau.

Edith joined the Carmelite Convent of Cologne on 14 October, and her investiture took place on 15 April, 1934. The mass was celebrated by the Arch-Abbot of Beuron. Edith Stein was now known as Sister Teresia Benedicta a Cruce - Teresa, Blessed of the Cross. In 1938 she wrote: "I understood the cross as the destiny of God's people, which was beginning to be apparent at the time (1933). I felt that those who understood the Cross of Christ should take it upon themselves on everybody's behalf. Of course, I know better now what it means to be wedded to the Lord in the sign of the cross. However, one can never comprehend it, because it is a mystery." On 21 April 1935 she took her temporary vows. On 14 September 1936, the renewal of her vows coincided with her mother's death in Breslau. "My mother held on to her faith to the last moment. But as her faith and her firm trust in her God ... were the last thing that was still alive in the throes of her death, I am confident that she will have met a very merciful judge and that she is now my most faithful helper, so that I can reach the goal as well."

When she made her eternal profession on 21 April 1938, she had the words of St. John of the Cross printed on her devotional picture: "Henceforth my only vocation is to love." Her final work was to be devoted to this author.

Edith Stein's entry into the Carmelite Order was not escapism. "Those who join the Carmelite Order are not lost to their near and dear ones, but have been won for them, because it is our vocation to intercede to God for everyone." In particular, she interceded to God for her people: "I keep thinking of Queen Esther who was taken away from her people precisely because God wanted her to plead with the king on behalf of her nation. I am a very poor and powerless little Esther, but the King who has chosen me is infinitely great and merciful. This is great comfort." (31 October 1938)

On 9 November 1938 the anti-Semitism of the Nazis became apparent to the whole world.

Synagogues were burnt, and the Jewish people were subjected to terror. The prioress of the Carmelite Convent in Cologne did her utmost to take Sister Teresia Benedicta a Cruce abroad. On New Year's Eve 1938 she was smuggled across the border into the Netherlands, to the Carmelite Convent in Echt in the Province of Limburg. This is where she wrote her will on 9 June 1939: "Even now I accept the death that God has prepared for me in complete submission and with joy as being his most holy will for me. I ask the Lord to accept my life and my death ... so that the Lord will be accepted by His people and that His Kingdom may come in glory, for the salvation of Germany and the peace of the world."

While in the Cologne convent, Edith Stein had been given permission to start her academic studies again. Among other things, she wrote about "The Life of a Jewish Family" (that is, her own family): "I simply want to report what I experienced as part of Jewish humanity," she said, pointing out that "we who grew up in Judaism have a duty to bear witness ... to the young generation who are brought up in racial hatred from early childhood."

In Echt, Edith Stein hurriedly completed her study of "The Church's Teacher of Mysticism and the Father of the Carmelites, John of the Cross, on the Occasion of the 400th Anniversary of His Birth, 1542-1942." In 1941 she wrote to a friend, who was also a member of her order: "One can only gain a scientia crucis (knowledge of the cross) if one has thoroughly experienced the cross. I have been convinced of this from the first moment onwards and have said with all my heart: 'Ave, Crux, Spes unica' (I welcome you, Cross, our only hope)." Her study on St. John of the Cross is entitled: "Kreuzeswissenschaft" (The Science of the Cross).

Edith Stein was arrested by the Gestapo on 2 August 1942, while she was in the chapel with the other sisters. She was to report within five minutes, together with her sister Rosa, who had also converted and was serving at the Echt Convent. Her last words to be heard in Echt were addressed to Rosa: "Come, we are going for our people."

Together with many other Jewish Christians, the two women were taken to a transit camp in Amersfoort and then to Westerbork. This was an act of retaliation against the letter of protest written by the Dutch Roman Catholic Bishops against the pogroms and deportations of Jews. Edith commented, "I never knew that people could be like this, neither did I know that my brothers and sisters would have to suffer like this. ... I pray for them every hour. Will God hear my prayers? He will certainly hear them in their distress." Prof. Jan Nota, who was greatly attached to her, wrote later: "She is a witness to God's presence in a world where God is absent."

On 7 August, early in the morning, 987 Jews were deported to Auschwitz. It was probably on 9 August that Sister Teresia Benedicta a Cruce, her sister and many other of her people were gassed.

When Edith Stein was beatified in Cologne on 1 May 1987, the Church honoured "a daughter of Israel", as Pope John Paul II put it, who, as a Catholic during Nazi persecution, remained faithful to the crucified Lord Jesus Christ and, as a Jew, to her people in loving faithfulness."

http://www.vatican.va

2008-07-24T21:54:00.002-04:00

Happy Anniversary! Go READ THIS NOW! (and take good notes)

The Vindication of Humanae Vitae

by Mary Eberstadt

Friday marks the 40th Anniversary of Humanae Vitae, such foresight is seldom seen in our times.

To read Humanae Vitae, click HERE.

Also while flipping through the TV tonight, VH1 is running a marathon of shows about the sexual revolution of the 60s and all the great things it did. Coinky Dink? I think not. I find it funny that no one on shows has been able to give a good definition of love save for some post modern relativist tripe.

Pray for those who don't get it, pray for a conversion of their hearts and thus their minds.

2008-07-22T23:54:00.002-04:00

So I turn 30 today, I could reflect on the last 30 years or I could look forward to the next 30. I shall do neither, but I will post a prayer about life and how we should all go about living it. Read, pray, take it to heart. God Bless my family and friends and may His Grace and Peace be with everyone.

Respect everyone - Christ resides in everyone. Be sensitive to others - they are your brothers and sisters.
Think well of everyone - think ill of no one. Try to find something good even in the worst of circumstances.
Always speak well of others - do not cast a slur on anyone. Repair any harm resulting from an uttered word. Do not provoke strife between people.
Speak to everyone in the language of love. Do not raise your voice. Do not swear. Do not vex others. Do not provoke tears. Reassure others. Show a kind heart.
Forgive everyone everything. Do not hold grudges. Always be the first to extend your hand as a sign of reconciliation.
Act always to your neighbor's advantage. Do good things to others, as you would like them done to you. Never give a thought to what others owe you, but always to what you owe them.
Be actively compassionate in time of suffering. Be quick to offer consolation, counsel, assistance, kindness.
Work conscientiously - others benefit from the fruits of your labor, just as you benefit from the labors of others.
Be active in your community. Be open to the poor and the sick. Share your goods. Try to see the needs of those around you.
Pray for everyone, even your enemies.

Stefan Cardinal Wyszynski

2008-07-21T23:52:00.001-04:00

I'll have something tomorrow, but for now this about sums it up:

2008-07-18T23:20:00.002-04:00

Why So Serious?

Dark, brooding and fun had by all. Is it possible to have a hero so dark that it becomes an almost impossibility to find a villain any darker? And is it possible for a villain to have no motive and still the best motive of all? Oh it most certainly is and the result is simply delicious. A film of epic proportions and perhaps the greatest performance by a screen villain of all time. Better than Vader in the memorable character department and dare I say more crazy and smart than Lechter.

I am of course talking about The Dark Knight, the new Batman film that opened today in theaters across the USA. I went and saw a matinee showing after work and am very tempted to go again tomorrow or Sunday. It was amazing. Christian Bale turned the dark and brooding Batman into an even darker more brooding character. We also catch glimpses of why Batman is often called the world's greatest detective, for he works in the gray of morality. Doing what the powers in charge can not or are unwilling to do.

Now, what did I think of Heath Ledger, the last role he completed before his untimely death last January. I was about 10 or 11 when Jack played the campy Joker... this is not Jack's Joker. This is the Joker of such a dark and crazy nature, you can't help but love. He even performs magic, making a pencil disappear with grotesque results. I like Ledger as an actor, The Patriot, A Knight's Tale, this was his break out role. If we never see him any more movies (there was some unfinished work left when he died), let this role stand as a monument to his great talents as an actor. He didn't just play the Joker, he was and will forever be the Joker. I know everyone seems to be saying the same thing, but yes it is OSCAR worthy. At least a nomination is in order, though I say he deserves to win one. He was amazing in the role and took it to a place that even I didn't think possible for an actor. Anthony Hopkins wishes he could take Lecter to where Ledger went in the role of the Joker.

I see no way the Joker could be given to another actor, it wouldn't be right. Johnny Depp may be a choice, but I say retire the Joker to the Narrows and Arkham for ever. The specter lurking in the shadows always teasing us around the corner, in another film, but just out of reach. Perhaps the Riddler or the Penguin is next. Maybe Catwoman. But you know, if they end the Batman series here, it is fine with me. I don't think any future films could even come up to the boot soles of the film.

Go see it... now! And why so serious?

2008-07-06T15:08:00.002-04:00

Happy Independence Weekend loyal readers! I am relaxing after playing four hockey games in the 39 hours at my rink's annual 4th of July Tournament. This year was a bit more hotly contested for various reason, a few fights sadly, but fun to play in again. Capped off with the ice cream sundae breakfast, so thank you Ben & Jerry's!

So here I sit realizing I haven't posted since last month, but I've been very busy. Work has me overseeing 7 projects which are taking up a lot of my energy. Which leads to longer hours. Granted I'm not hauling down the 70 hour weeks I used to pull when I worked in the Boston area, but just enough hours to be a bit of a pain. I find that I'm having to stay just late enough to be unable to make the daily 5:30 Mass in the evenings as frequently as I would prefer. It makes a noticeable difference in the day to day routine.

Now some of you are wondering, how can it be that big of deal? It's just 30 minutes out of the day? Why does it matter? Well, it's simple really. It all comes down to the Eucharist, the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ, the source and summit of the Christian faith. It is those moments of prayer before the tabernacle before and after Mass and the reception of the Eucharist during Mass that make all the difference. Entering into God's eternalness, into that mysterious way in which we are transported back to the foot of the cross and that moment is brought forward to us. It is not us who take Christ in, but rather He who takes us in and further conforms us as working parts of His body. I love that, I find a calming there when all the outside stuff that is just the fluff of life can be shaken off and we can realize that the most important thing we can do everyday is to be in His presence.

Anyway, I'm going to go lie down and read and pray that St. Thomas' website is correct with the 5:30 Mass tonight. If not, off to St. Mary's for the 7:30.

Have a great one!

2008-06-19T23:05:00.002-04:00

Hello world!

Simple Math of the Day: 131-92=17, How about them Boston Celtics...2008 NBA Champions with their 17th NBA CHampionship!

Secondly, added another icon on the left: St. Maximilian Kolbe for a quick summary:

St. Maximilian was born Raymond Kolbe in Poland, January 8, 1894. In 1910, he entered the Conventual Franciscan Order. He was sent to study in Rome where he was ordained a priest in 1918.

In 1941, the Nazis imprisoned Father Maximilian in the Auschwitz death camp. There he offered his life for another prisoner and was condemned to slow death in a starvation bunker. On August 14, 1941, his impatient captors ended his life with a fatal injection. Pope John Paul II canonized Maximilian as a "martyr of charity" in 1982. St. Maximilian Kolbe is considered a patron of journalists, families, prisoners, the pro-life movement and the chemically addicted.

2008-06-08T20:55:00.001-04:00

Jun 07 - Special Homily - Fr Ignatius: First Saturday, Immaculate Heart of Mary

2008-06-04T23:26:00.001-04:00

Pope Benedict reflecting on the closing of the month of May, a Marian Month:

2008-05-26T19:22:00.002-04:00

Democrats Give Discount to Planned Parenthood

Thanks to a Democrat maneuver, Planned Parenthood will receive a discount from drug manufacturers in a bill designed to fund our troops.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate voted on an amendment to the War Supplemental Appropriations Bill. Democrats, led by Sen. Barack Obama, had inserted language to help Planned Parenthood into the domestic-spending portion of this troop-funding bill. The Senate passed the amendment 75-22.

The provision allows for groups like Planned Parenthood and university health centers to receive discounted prices from drug manufacturers for drugs like the morning-after pill, which may cause an early abortion.

"Planned Parenthood should not be receiving any federal assistance, and certainly not in a bill that’s designed to help our troops," said Ashley Horne, federal policy analyst for Focus on the Family Action.

Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider, received $330 million in taxpayer money last year.

Yet another reason to not support the Democrats. It will be a great day when every last abortion mill in this country is finally closed down. It's a child, not a choice.

2008-04-16T23:07:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday Pope Benedict XVI and welcome to the United States of America!

Cheers!

2008-04-12T17:40:00.002-04:00

So the Frozen Four concludes tonight in Denver as the NCAA Men's Division I National Champion will be crowned. The only question I have is....can we invite Pope Benedict XVI?

VS.

2008-04-09T00:23:00.001-04:00

The Sox got their rings and finally returned to Fenway after being on a 3 country road trip of 16,000 miles since March 19.

And to top it off.....this uplifting moment for the first pitch:

2008-04-02T13:02:00.002-04:00

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul the Great.

A very great man of God and inspiration to many across the world.

2008-04-01T00:14:00.002-04:00

It is an interesting world we live in, we have gadgets and the internet that provide us with headaches, communication and even surprises. The last few days have been a surpise.

Facebook, a bane on life, but a great way for keeping in touch with friends dropped a present off the last two days. A reuniting of the band so to speak. Two every good friends popped back on the grid, as I am sure I popped back on theirs. Two of my best friends in high school, who I haven't talked to in years because we lost touch and our lives got busy resurfaced. Though I have not seen or talked to them in quite awhile I keep them in my prayers, along with other friends who have fallen off the radar, always. I have much love for these two ladies, and they are ladies in every sense of the word. The respect I have for them knows no limits. When you have almost every class with folks for 6 years you learn a lot about friendship and getting through the good and the bad. I am overjoyed to have beeen given some means of catching up after all this time.

Facebook you may be a bane, but you also bring joy when it is unexpected.

2008-03-23T17:13:00.002-04:00

Blurry Reflections of the Easter Vigil

So I came through my first eye surgery well. Now to wait for one eye to heal and to get the other eye operated upon. Right now I can see clearly out of one eye, but not the other. My left eye is amazingly clear, you don't know what you are missing until you get it back. My right eye, which is also my dominant eye, is even more fuzzy, or at least more noticeable. This means reading and typing are kind of strange for now.

However, I feel compelled to reflect a bit on last night's Easter Vigil, which started at 8:30 PM and ended at 11:55PM. That was then, this is now. We enter the Church for the vigil in much the same way the Mary's and the Apsotles entered the tomb. It was dark and Jesus was not there. We expect to find Him there in the taberacle when we enter, much as the those coming to the tomb expected to find His body. Like those coming to the tomb, we find the Body of Christ to not be present. Unexpected and unnerving in a sense. Everyday you can enter the Church, but on Good Friday and Holy Saturday, the Church is empty. Jesus is not there.

In this sense, the Church represents the tomb, we expect the Body to be there when we enter and yet it is not. What has happened? Where has it gone? Like those who came to the tomb, we don't quite get it, we're not used to it, something is out of place. It is dark, it is empty, and we await the sunrise to learn of the ressurection. Just like those who went to the tomb.

As Father David mentioned, that was then and this is now. And like God, it doesn't matter because He is outside time. So the feelings then and the feeling now are very much the same. Somehow I know there is a point to it being so. A continual link to the beginnings of the Church experienced by all then and now. An experience that will be had by all at the end of the world, something we can all look forward on that joyous day. This is now, that is then. When will then be now? Soon.

2008-03-16T19:31:00.004-04:00

Happy Belated St. Patrick's Day and St. Joseph's Day!

That's right folks, not only was yesterday St. Joseph's Day but it was also St. Patrick's Day! Due to March 17th, the traditional date of St. Patrick's Day falling during Holy Week, St. Patrick's Day was moved to the 15th. So all you fools drinking your green beer on the 17th are two days late to the feast.

Corn beef and cabbage, meatballs and pasta. Beer and red wine and zepole's for dessert with green cherries should have been on the menu.

So for the rest of you...sorry you missed all the fun!

2008-03-12T20:02:00.002-05:00

So, I have eye surgery next Tuesday. It turns out I have, somehow, developed cataracts in both eyes. Simply stated, I have a cloudy zone on the lens in both eyes that is right behind my pupil. This cloudiness has resulted in fuzzy vision, difficulty reading and the appearance of haziness/fog in brght light. Usually, folks don't develop these until their 50s and 60s, but they can happen younger than that. That's my case. So I go Tuesday, they'll drug me up, go into my left eyeball and remove my lens and replace it with an artificial one. It will put me out commission for for a day or so. Most unfortunately is no hockey for 10 days. Fortunately, my next league game is scheduled for day 13. I may get the right eye done on day 14. my next game being on day 28. So it may work out. Plus it gives me a chance to wait on and install my new face cage and shield before then. I am abandoning my cage for a cage/visor combo which will shield the eyes from anything that could get in them and irritate them while they heal. I can skate though, just no hockey practice or games.

I start eye drops Saturday and will find out tomorrow what time I am getting "cut on". I'm a bit nervous but excited that this eye trouble that's been bothering me for awhile will finally be cleared up (pun intended)!

Another great thing, I'll be out and about in time for Holy Thursday!

2008-03-09T22:47:00.003-05:00

Tonight I watched the sequel to Going My Way a film entitled The Bells of St. Mary's.

Another wonderful film and a piece of cinema history. Bing Crosby revives his role as Father Chuck O'Malley and was nominated for Best Actor, an award he won for playing the same character the year before. This marked the first, and I believe the only time, the same actor has been nominated for a Best Actor award for playing the same character. I found this little preview on youtube. Also, why didn't the nuns at my school growing up look like Ingrid Bergman? Even in a habit she's beautiful.

2008-03-08T19:23:00.002-05:00

I found this review of Going My Way, it was published in the New York Times way back when the film was released in 1944.

Having hit about as high in his profession as any average man would hope to hit—and that to say the top notes in the musical comedy league—Bing Crosby has switched his batting technique (or had it switched for him) in his latest film, "Going My Way." And—would you believe it?—old Bing is giving the best show of his career. That's saying a lot for a performer who has been one of the steadiest joys of the screen. But, in this Leo McCarey film, now at the Paramount, he has definitely found his sturdiest role to date.

For in this, Mr. Crosby's first picture with a comparatively serious dramatic theme—and also the first in which his singing is not heavily depended upon—he has been beautifully presented by Mr. McCarey, who produced and directed the film. And he has been stunningly supported by Barry Fitzgerald, who plays one of the warmest characters the screen has ever known. As a matter of fact, it is a cruel slight to suggest that this is Mr. Crosby's show. It is his and Mr. Fitzgerald's together. And they make it one of the rare delights of the year.

For "Going My Way" is the story—rich, warm and human to the core—of a progressive young Catholic priest who matches his wits and his ideas with those of the elderly pastor of a poor parish—a parish which the young priest is tacitly sent to conduct. It is the story of new versus old customs, of traditional age versus youth. And it is a story of human relations in a simple, sentimental, honest vein.

But it is far from a serious story—in the telling, anyhow. It is as humored and full of modern crackle as a Bing Crosby film has got to be. From the moment that Mr. Crosby shows up at St. Dominic's Church in a faded athletic costume to face the breathless skepticism of Mr. Fitzgerald until the final (and somewhat obvious) fadeout, when Mr. Crosby goes away in the night — the parish's treasury replenished and Mr. Fitzgerald comfortably wrapped in his old mother's arms—it is a delightful and witty case of sparring, with perfect dignity, between the two men.

There is the beautiful moment when Mr. Fitzgerald, while displaying his parish garden to the young priest, exclaims that it is a wonderful place to meditate and then adds, slyly, "You do—meditate?" There is the charming scene in which Mr. Crosby escorts the weary old gentleman to his bed, and then is surprised to discover that the reverent ancient likes "a drop of the craiture" now and then. And there is that simply exquisite sequence in which Mr. Fitzgerald goes off in a huff because Mr. Crosby is testing the neighborhood roughnecks in a vocal rendering of "Three Blind Mice."

Yes, there are musical passages in the picture. They come when Mr. Crosby occasionally sings a modern song bearing the title of the picture, another new air and a couple of old timers. They also come—and more magnificently—when Risé Stevens, who is trickily worked in, sings an aria from "Carmen," "Ave Maria" and the title song, too. And Mr. Crosby and the Robert Mitchell Boy Choir (dressed up like neighborhood kids) do very amusingly by a number called "Swinging on a Star."

The only criticism of the production—and of the excellent script which Frank Butler and Frank Cavett wrote—is that it runs to an excess. It is more than two hours long. And in that time there are certain stretches when the momentum somewhat lags. But otherwise no exceptions are taken. In addition to Mr. Crosby and Mr. Fitzgerald, Frank McHugh, Miss Stevens, Jean Heather and Stanley Clements—especially the latter as a genial tough — give thoroughly good performances. They enrich this already top-notch film with a vigorous glow of good spirit. "Going My Way" is a tonic delight.

GOING MY WAY, screen play by Frank Butler and Frank Cavett; from a story by Leo McCarey; produced and directed by Mr. McCarey for Paramount; songs by Johnny Burke and James Van Heusen. At the Paramount.
Father Chuck O'Malley . . . . . Bing Crosby
Jenny Linden . . . . . Rise Stevens
Father Fitzgibbon . . . . . Barry Fitzgerald
Ted Haines Jr . . . . . James Brown
Carol James . . . . . Jean Heather
Mrs. Carmody . . . . . Eily Malyon
Father O'Dowd . . . . . Frank McHugh
Tony Scaponi . . . . . Stanley Clements
Haines Sr. . . . . . Gene Lockhart
Mr. Belknap . . . . . Porter Hall
Tomaso Bozanni . . . . . Fortunio Bonanova
and
The Robert Mitchell Boy Choir

2008-03-06T23:22:00.002-05:00

Going My Way?

Tonight I watched a wonderful film. Winner of 7 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor (Bing Crosby) in 1944, Going My Way. They just don't make films like this anymore. Having never seen it all the way through, I loved it and the twist at the end of film was amazing. Foreshadowed throughout, but a wonderful surprise. In a very real sense, it was just what I needed tonight.

It's been a very long week for me, lot's of unknowns that were out there just hanging over me. Literally fuzzy and cloudy and not clearly seen. Questions, what if's, where to go from this point type stuff. Today some answers, a direction and a path laid out. I'll know a little more to be determined Monday. Now before you start asking, why am I being cryptic...well I don't know a whole heck of a lot at the moment either, just that it looks likely that I have become a rare medical anomally for my age and will probably have to undergo some routine surgery to correct a problem. I'll keep you updated as I can. In the meantime....who's "Going My Way?"

2008-02-22T22:05:00.002-05:00

Well it finally happened, for the first time since April 2002 I have been ill and had to miss work. Thursday morning at about 3AM I awoke to a mild fever, aches, chills and a cough that could and probably did wake the dead, given the direct line of sound now existing between my bedroom and a small graveyard. So I was out yesterday and again today. I'm at about 80% efficiency right now and I credit that will lot's of sleep, gatorade, water and of course great drugs. I don't like being ill. It makes me crankier than normal. I get into a really foul mood and am really unsufferable to be around. Luckily, I live alone.

While laying in bed, well medicated, in one of my more lucid moments I got a thought. It's not such a bad thing to be home sick. It's a short walk to the toilet to puke and take care of the other things that get taken care of there. It's a short walk to the kiitchen to reach my gatorade. It's a reminder that laying bed all day is not what humans are meant for due the pains in my back. It reminds me that I'm home, alone and can only on focus the moment. I have to be patient or end up worse off than when things started. I have to wait on God's timing to recover fully. In a sense I'm totally dependent on His work in the healing process.

See I hate being sick. But I guess I can learn from it and that isn't such a bad thing afterall.

2008-02-10T19:02:00.000-05:00

I don't really follow politics that much, though I try to stay aware of just what is going on around the country and around the world. I don't belong to any political party, but I do tend to lean one way. I find it difficult to support folks who favor killing the unborn, unfortunately many times the choices don't allow such a clear cut luxury. However, what about a canidate who supports murdering the unborn and also supports killing the born, if they are born during a state sanctioned murder. Wake up America, one of the four big Presidential canidates is such a person. He is a man who in the past has supported measures that hinder the rights of the born human person if they were born during a state sanctioned execution.

Tip of the Biretta to Gerald over at The Cafeteria is Closed. The story can be read here

Wake up America, the so called "golden boy" is very tarnished and not a man worthy of even being nominated for President, much less being President.

2008-02-04T00:02:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to the New York Giants for a great victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. It was a fantastic game and the Giants executed a great game plan to beat the previously undeafeated Patriots.

Pitchers and catchers report to Ft. Meyers in a few weeks and Lent begins on Wednesday. Yes folks, this Wednesday. Easter falls early this year.

I am prepared for ribbing in the office tomorrow, though I suspect Cowboy fans will understand the feeling of getting knocked off by the Giants.

That's all for now. Goodnight!

The Final Countdown

2008-01-26T13:03:00.001-05:00

2008-01-21T23:35:00.000-05:00

So it comes down to this, the road to a perfect season for New England runs through New York. For New York a shot at a championship runs through New England. Boston and New York again squaring off for a championship. All is right in the world.

And did anyone catch those girls at the Packers game wearing bikini tops? I want to but those girls some good jackets so they can dress properly for the frozen tundra in Green Bay.

2008-01-19T22:07:00.000-05:00

Must See Film

This evening I watched a nice film, note a film and not a movie, entitled Into Great Silence.
If you have about 3 hours to kill, I highly reccomend this film. Granted, the film could have easily just been 3 hours of the monks at the night office, but that would have been pretty dark with not much to see, but it is obvious that the night office is a centerpiece to their community.

"Nestled deep in the postcard-perfect French Alps, the Grande Chartreuse is considered one of the world’s most ascetic monasteries. In 1984, German filmmaker Philip Gröning wrote to the Carthusian order for permission to make a documentary about them. They said they would get back to him. Sixteen years later, they were ready. Gröning, sans crew or artificial lighting, lived in the monks’ quarters for six months—filming their daily prayers, tasks, rituals and rare outdoor excursions. This transcendent, closely observed film seeks to embody a monastery, rather than simply depict one—it has no score, no voiceover and no archival footage. What remains is stunningly elemental: time, space and light. One of the most mesmerizing and poetic chronicles of spirituality ever created, INTO GREAT SILENCE dissolves the border between screen and audience with a total immersion into the hush of monastic life. More meditation than documentary, it’s a rare, transformative theatrical experience for all."

2008-01-16T21:41:00.000-05:00

This week I have been enjoying the CBS miniseries, Comanche Moon, the final filming in the Lonesome Dove saga. Based on the book of the same name, Comanche Moon is the second film (timeline wise in the saga) following Dead Man's Walk and preceding the epic Lonesome Dove and the final chapter, Streets of Laredo.

Granted, it can't compare to Lonesome Dove, it is a good showing on its own.

2008-01-07T22:25:00.000-05:00

What is the method by which a Rocket blasts off?

The answer is a controlled explosion, if you buy that kind of oxymoron. I've kept silent on baseball's Mitchell Report. That tome that has made us aware of some evidence, some of it strong and some of it amazingly weak, that told us some athletes in the game of baseball used performance enhancing drugs to improve their careers, increase their paydays and perhaps shatter records.

Some former Red Sox were named in the report most note worthy were Mo Vaugh, Paxton Crawford and Roger Clemens.

It is the evidence presented surrounding Roger Clemens that I find weak and bordering on absurd. I don't think it holds up. Yet, I must ask myself is this my mind informing me based on what I have read or is it my heart. The heart of my childhood wanting to believe that one of my childhood heros who kind of continued as one into adulthood cheated.

Baseball players have always captured our imagination. Being paid large amounts of money to play a game loved by kids everywhere. In many cases making more than the President, but as Babe Ruth once said "I had a better a year than him."

I don't think the evidence offered against Clemens is reliable as of now. Could that change? Sure it could become worse or it could be blown up and the Rocket could clear his name. Innocent until PROVEN guilty. Besides, I caught a quote from The Rocket that makes me hope that one of the games toughest players of his generation is going to the mattresses to save his reputation and he doesn't give a damn what the press has to say about it:

"Do you think I played my career because I'm worried about the damn Hall of Fame?" he told a room filled with many potential voters. "You keep your vote. I don't need the Hall of Fame to justify that I put my butt on the line and I worked my tail off, and I defy anybody to say I did it by cheating or taking any shortcuts, OK?"

That's the competitor and the attitude I loved as a kid and still love today. Many times in life our heros let us down. They are afterall only human, only flesh and bone like ourselves. And maybe if anything, that's the lesson we all need to take away from this whole mess.

2008-01-05T17:33:00.000-05:00

EWTN has the short film "Fishers of Men" in their rotation lately. A film made to promote vocations to the priesthood. I saw if for the first time last night and it is very well done and a very powerful presentation. I found it online at gloria.tv and have imbedded it below for your viewing pleasure.

2007-12-31T22:48:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year!

That is all, carry on.

2007-12-30T23:47:00.000-05:00

John Tauler (c.1300-1361), Dominican at Strasbourg
Sermon 2, for the Eve of Epiphany

“Rise… for those who sought the child’s life are dead”

When Joseph was in exile with the child and his mother, he learnt from the angel while he was asleep that Herod was dead. But when he heard that his son, Archelaus, was reigning in that country, he nonetheless continued to be in great fear lest the child be killed. Herod, the one who pursued the child and wanted to kill him, represents the world which clearly kills off the child, the world that we must by all means flee if we want to save the child. Yet no sooner have we fled the world exteriorly… than Archelaus rises up and reigns: there is still a world within you, a world over which you will not triumph without a great deal of effort and by God’s help.

For there are three strong and bitter enemies that you have to overcome in you and it is with difficulty that we ever win the victory. You will be attacked by spiritual pride: you would like to be seen, taken note of, listened to… The second enemy is your own flesh, assailing you through bodily and spiritual impurity… The third enemy is the one that attacks by arousing malice in you, bitter thoughts, suspiciousness, ill will, hatred and the desire for revenge… Would you become ever more dear to God? You must completely forsake all such behaviour, for all this is the wicked Archelaus in person. Fear and be on your guard; he wants to kill the child indeed…

Joseph was warned by the angel and called back to the land of Israel. Israel means “land of vision”; Egypt means “darkness”… It is in sleep, it is only in genuine abandonment and true passivity that you will receive the invitation to come away, just as happened to Joseph… Then you can make your way back to Galilee, which means “way”. Here one is above all things; all has been passed through and one arrives at Nazareth, the “true flowering”, the country where the flowers of eternal life blossom. There one is sure of finding an authentic foretaste of eternal life; there is complete security, inexpressible peace, joy and rest. Only those who have abandoned themselves reach there, those who submit themselves to God until he has detached them and who make no attempt to free themselves by force. These are they who reach this peace, this flowering at Nazareth, and who there find those things that make for their eternal joy. May this be the lot of all of us. And may God, who is all worthy of love, be our helper!

----------------------------------------

How tough must it have been for St. Joseph? As the historical protrayl of Joseph as a much odler man (only recently have we seen depictions of him looking younger in "art") with Mary and Jesus entrusted to his care. His wife, immaculately conceived and without sin, gives birth to God made flesh. If anything went wrong in the home, guess who was to blame?

2007-12-25T01:45:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas to All!

"And the Word was made flesh"

2007-12-23T22:56:00.000-05:00

Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167), Cistercian monk
Sermon for the Annunciation

“They shall name him Emmanuel”

“Emmanuel, which means ‘God with us’.” Yes, God with us! Until now it was “God above us” or “God before us”, but today he is “Emmanuel”. Today he is God with us in our nature, with us in his grace; with us in our weakness, with us in his goodness; with us in our wretchedness, with us in his pity; with us through love, with us through familial tie, with us through tenderness, with us through compassion…

God with us! You were not able, O sons of Adam, to climb to heaven to be with God; it is God who descends from heaven to be our Emmanuel, God-with-us. He comes to us to be Emmanuel, God-with-us, yet we fail to go to God to be in him! “Men of rank, how long will you be dull of heart? Why do you love what is vain and seek after falsehood?” (Ps 4,3). Behold, the truth has come; “why love what is vain and seek after falsehood?” Behold, the true and unchanging word has come; “why seek after falsehood?” Behold Emmanuel, behold God-with-us.

How could he be with me any more than he is? Small as I am, weak as I am, naked as I am, poor as I am… he has become like me in all things, taking what is mine and giving me what is his. I was lying dead, without voice, without consciousness; not even the light of my eyes was with me any more. He came down today, this greatest of men, “this prophet mighty in deed and word,” (Lk 24,19). He placed his face on my face, his mouth on my mouth, his hands on my hands (cf. 2Kgs 4,34) and he became Emmanuel, God-with-us!

2007-12-22T22:21:00.000-05:00

Saint Ambrose (c.340-397), Bishop of Milan and Doctor of the Church
Commentary on St Luke’s Gospel, 2, 26-27 (SC 45)

“Glorify the Lord with me” (Ps 34 [33],4)

If only Mary’s soul might dwell in us all to praise the Lord; if only Mary’s spirit might dwell in us all to exult in God. If, physically speaking, there is only one Mother of Christ, Christ is the fruit of all of us through faith since every soul receives the Word of God provided it remains without fault, preserved from evil and sin, guarding its chastity in uncorrupted purity. For every soul to attain this state exalts the Lord just as Mary’s soul exalted the Lord and as her spirit rejoiced in God her Saviour.

The Lord is indeed glorified, as you have read elsewhere: “Glorify the Lord with me” (Ps 34 [33],4). Not that human words can add anything to the Lord but because he is growing greater in us. For “Christ is the image of God” (2Cor 4,4) and therefore the soul who does something righteous and holy glorifies that image of God in the likeness of which it has been created. Thus too, by glorifying it, the soul participates in a certain manner in its greatness and is raised up by it. It seems to reproduce this image in itself through the brilliant colours of its good works and to imitate it in a certain way by its virtues.

2007-12-13T21:41:00.000-05:00

Saint Ambrose (c.340-397), Bishop of Milan and Doctor of the Church
On Repentance, 1, 1 (SC 179)

Go out to others in the same way as the Lord draws near to us

Moderation is surely the most beautiful of virtues… It is to this alone that the Church, bought at the price of the Lord’s blood, owes its expansion. It mirrors the heavenly gift of universal redemption… From this it follows that whoever would apply themselves to correcting the faults of their human weakness must bear with and, in some sense, carry this weakness on their own shoulders, not rejecting it. For we read that the shepherd in the Gospel carried the exhausted sheep, not that he abandoned it (Lk 15,5)… Indeed, moderation ought to temper justice. Otherwise, how could someone towards whom you show distaste – someone who might think himself to be an object of contempt towards his doctor rather than compassion – how could such a one come to you to be healed?

That is why the Lord Jesus gave proof of his compassion towards us. What he wanted was to call us to himself and not send us flying in fear. Gentleness is the sign of his coming; his coming is marked by humility. Moreover, he has told us: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” So then, our Lord Jesus brings comfort; he does not exclude or reject. And it is with good reason that he chose as his disciples men who, as faithful interpreters of the Lord’s will, would gather together the People of God rather than turn them away.

2007-11-30T13:41:00.000-05:00

Issued today on the Feast of St. Andrew, the seeker who was a follower of John the Baptist who brought his brother Simon, later called Peter to Jesus. A man who hoped for the Christ's coming.

ENCYCLICAL LETTER

SPE SALVI

OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF

BENEDICT XVI

TO THE BISHOPS

PRIESTS AND DEACONS

MEN AND WOMEN RELIGIOUS

AND ALL THE LAY FAITHFUL

ON CHRISTIAN HOPE

2007-11-29T21:46:00.000-05:00

In Preparation For Advent

If Christ could see Christmas, He'd puke! I believe is the line written so long ago by JD Salinger. In truth, he's not far from the truth in my opinion. Even before Halloween had come and gone I observed Christmas decorations and Santa Claus images in various stores around town. Mail advertisements told me of needing to buy my loved one's iphones and laser guided missles (ok, so I'm stretching that one). Yet here we stand, on the threshold of Advent. The four weeks leading up to Christmas.

Advent, what does it mean?It comes from the Latin adventio -meaning to come to. It is here we prepare to celebrate God coming to the world and taking on human flesh in the divine personage of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ. Four weeks leading up to His coming and four weeks that allow us to prepare to come to Him in our collected memory as the infant born in a manger, most likely a cave amidst the barn animals when there was no room at the inn.
At the same time, we await His coming in glory. Yet given our busy lives that revolve around work, hobbies, schooling, sports, celebrity fallings, gossip, television, radio, music, games, game shows we lose ourselves. Our lives become cogs in something other, not of ourselves. Is there room for Him in our Inn? The Inn of our lives, the Inn of our hearts? Or are we still playing the inn keeper of our preschool Christmas plays, saying "we have no room" and pointing to the manger somewhere in the back of the school basement room. (Yes, I played the innkeeper...I remember it to this day. Also, my brother played the inn keeper 3 years later.)
Let us come to Advent to prepare for His coming. Oh come let us adore him. Adeste Fidelis.

2007-11-22T01:44:00.000-05:00

The Mayflower, Wampanoag's, Puritans, funny hats, funny shoe's, and a day of thanks in Plimoth Colony in what is now Massachusetts. The so called first Thanksgiving celebration in what has become the United States. As Lee Corso would say on Gameday....Not so fast my friend. The first Thanksgiving can actually be traced to America's oldest European settlement.... St. Augustine, Florida. I give you the following discourse for you to chew on that I got across my desk today:

When on September 8, 1565 Pedro Menéndez de Avilés and his 800 Spanish settlers founded the settlement of St. Augustine in La Florida, the landing party celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving, and, afterward, Menéndez laid out a meal to which he invited as guests the native Seloy tribe who occupied the site.
The celebrant of the Mass was St. Augustine’s first pastor, Father Francisco Lopez de Mendoza Grajales, and the feast day in the church calendar was that of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. What exactly the Seloy natives thought of those strange liturgical proceedings we do not know, except that, in his personal chronicle, Father Lopez wrote that “the Indians imitated all they saw done.”
What was the meal that followed? Again we do not know. But, from our knowledge of what the Spaniards had on board their five ships, we can surmise that it was cocido, a stew made from salted pork and garbanzo beans, laced with garlic seasoning, and accompanied by hard sea biscuits and red wine. If it happened that the Seloy contributed to the meal from their own food stores, fresh or smoked, then the menu could have included as well: turkey,venison, and gopher tortoise; seafood such as mullet, drum, and sea catfish; maize (corn),beans and squash.
What is important historically about that liturgy and meal was stated by me in a 1965 book entitled The Cross in the Sand: “It was the first community act of religion and thanksgiving in the first permanent [European] settlement in the land.” The keyword in that sentence was “permanent.” Numerous thanksgivings for a safe voyage and landing had been made before in Florida, by such explorers as Juan Ponce de León, in 1513 and 1521, Pánfilo de Narváez in 1528, Hernando de Soto in 1529, Father Luis Cáncer de Barbastro in 1549, and Tristán de Luna in 1559. Indeed French Calvinists (Huguenots) who came to the St. Johns River with Jean Ribault in 1562 and René de Laudonnière in 1564 similarly offered prayers of thanksgiving for their safe arrivals. But all of those ventures, Catholic and Calvinist, failed to put down permanent roots.
St. Augustine’s ceremonies were important historically in that they took place in what would develop into a permanently occupied European city, North America’s first. They were important culturally as well in that the religious observance was accompanied by a communal meal, to which Spaniards and natives alike were invited. The thanksgiving at St. Augustine, celebrated 56 years before the Puritan-Pilgrim thanksgiving at Plymouth Plantation (Massachusetts), did not, however, become the origin of a national annual tradition, as Plymouth would. The reason is that, as the maxim holds, it is the victors who write the histories.

During the 18th and 19th centuries British forces won out over those of Spain and France for mastery over the continent. Thus, British observances, such as the annual reenactment of the Pilgrims’ harvest festival in 1621, became a national practice and holiday in the new United States, and over time obliterated knowledge of the prior Spanish experiences in Florida, particularly at St. Augustine. Indeed, as the Pilgrims’ legend grew, people of Anglo-American descent in New England came to believe that Plymouth was the first European settlement in the country and that no other Europeans were here before the arrival of the Mayflower– beliefs that are still widespread in that region.
In recent years, Jamestown, Virginia has enjoyed some success in persuading its Anglo-American cousins in Plymouth that it was founded in 1607, thirteen years before the Pilgrims’ arrival, and that there were regular ship schedules from England to Jamestown before the Mayflower’s voyage of 1620. Furthermore, Berkeley Plantation near Charles City, Virginia, has convincingly demonstrated that it conducted a thanksgiving ceremony on December 4, 1619, nearly two years before the festival at Plymouth. Thought to have been on Berkeley’s menu were oysters, shad, rockfish, and perch. Along the old Spanish borderlands provinces from Florida to California an occasional voice is heard asserting that this site or that was the first permanent Spanish settlement in the United States – a claim often made in Santa Fe, New Mexico which was founded in 1610 – or that it was the place where the first thanksgiving took place. An example of the latter claim appeared last year in the New York Times, which, while recounting the colonizing expedition of Juan de Oñate from Mexico City into what became New Mexico, stated that celebrations of Oñate’s party in 1598 “are considered [the Times did not say by whom] the United States’ first Thanksgiving.”

The historical fact remains that St. Augustine’s thanksgiving not only came earlier; it was the first to take place in a permanent settlement. The Ancient City deserves national notice for that distinction.

Perhaps most of New England is now willing to concede as much, though that was not the case in November 1985, when an Associated Press reporter built a short Thanksgiving Day story around my aforesaid sentence of 20 years before in The Cross in the Sand. When his story appeared in Boston and other papers, New England went into shock. WBZ-TV in Boston interviewed me live by satellite for its 6:00 p.m. regional news
program.

The newsman told me that all of Massachusetts was “freaked out,” and that, as he spoke, “the Selectmen of Plymouth are holding an emergency meeting to contend with this new information that there were Spaniards in Florida before there were Englishmen in Massachusetts.”

I replied, “Fine. And you can tell them for me that, by the time the Pilgrims came to Plymouth, St. Augustine was up for urban renewal.”

The somewhat rattled chairman of the Selectmen was quoted as saying: “I hate to take the wind out of the professor’s sails, but there were no turkeys running around in Florida in the 1500s. But there may be a few loose ones down there now at the University of Florida.” So there! Within a few days of the tempest a reporter from the Boston Globe called to tell me that throughout Massachusetts I had become known as “The Grinch Who Stole Thanksgiving.” Well, let’s hope that everyone up north has settled down now. And let’s enjoy all our Thanksgivings whenever and wherever they first began.
Dr. Michael V. Gannon is a Distinguished Service Professor of History at the University of Florida. He has had a long interest in the early Spanish missions of Florida about which he has written extensively. Two of his books, Rebel Bishop (1964) and The Cross in the Sand (1965) treat of the early history of this state

2007-11-15T23:45:00.000-05:00

And the top spot if firmly cemented....for the past few years the top concerts I have seen have been a virtual tie between Garth Brooks and U2, let me clarify....arena concerts. Well tonight Garth cemented the top spot as I was able to join in with many from around the country in seeing his last Kansas City concert at the lcoal theatre. I was unable to go last night to the live show due to commitments at Church, so I went tonight.

I've still got Garthbumps. For the novices, those are goosebumps brought on by a Garth concert.

This is the wave of the future in order to reach more fans and I'm happy to have been there in the front row thanks to the magic of cameras and satellites.

And having left with much hope...the guantlet has been thrown down, the clock is counting down:

2007-11-13T00:44:00.000-05:00

Papal Trip to U.S. Confirmed for April '08

Pontiff to Stop in Washington and New York

BALTIMORE, Maryland, NOV. 12, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The dates for Benedict XVI's upcoming trip to the United States were confirmed today; the Pope's visit is scheduled for April 15-20.

Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States, confirmed the dates for the six-day trip when he participated in the opening of the U.S. episcopal conference's fall meeting under way in Baltimore.

Ban Ki-moon, U.N. secretary-general, last April officially asked the Pope to visit the United Nations.

The Holy Father will arrive in Washington on April 15. The next day, his 81st birthday, he will receive an official welcome at the White House. Later that afternoon, he will address the U.S. bishops' conference.

On April 17, after celebrating Mass at the Washington Nationals' stadium, the Pope will give an address at the Catholic University of America.

Benedict XVI will be in New York on April 18, for a visit to the United Nations in the morning and an ecumenical meeting in the afternoon. His time in New York will also include Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral on April 19, the anniversary of his papal election, and a meeting with youth. On April 20, the Holy Father will visit ground zero, where the twin towers stood. That afternoon, the trip will officially end with Mass at Yankee Stadium.

Anticipation

"This is a blessed moment for our nation," said Bishop William Skylstad of Spokane, president of the U.S. episcopal conference. "Pope Benedict is not just the leader of Catholics, he is also a man of inspiration for all those who work for peace."

Cardinal Edward Egan of New York said that the response of the people of his archdiocese "was both rejoicing and thanksgiving to the Lord for the great grace of the presence of the successor of St. Peter in our midst. I have assured the Holy Father of a warm and prayerful welcome. We all look forward to his visit with pleasure and anticipation."

Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington said, "Personally, and in the name of all of the clergy, religious and faithful of the archdiocese, I express our warmest welcome while renewing our sentiments of love and loyalty to our Holy Father. We all look forward to his visit as a time of renewal of our faith and pastoral ministry and an opportunity to confirm our solidarity with the Church universal made visible among us by the successor to Peter, Pope Benedict XVI."

2007-11-07T00:52:00.000-05:00

Below is a Youtube clip of my friend Bonnie playing piano for the first time ever in front of a live audience at the Bugle Boy in LaGrange, TX. She will be back there December 15ish.....rumor is more piano to be involved and maybe some Christmas songs.

2007-11-07T00:23:00.000-05:00

I wish I was in Kansas City this week. November 15th on the big screen though....Garthgantuan.

2007-11-05T23:45:00.000-05:00

Three For the Price of One

I just finished reading a truly good novel. Michael O'brien's novel: Father Elijah, An Apocalypse is one of the better works of fiction I have been able to read as of late. Father Elijah is Carmelite Monk in Jerusalem who is tapped by the Vatican to confront in love a man who may just be the harbinger of the end times. Along the way we learn about life, the world around us, and this man Father Elijah who's past is most complex indeed. Give it a read. I look forward to reading more of this author.

This Saturday I had the honor of being able to caravan down to Houston with some folks from Church to see a small indpendent film, Bella. A movie that is well made, well acted, well shot...just a simple movie driven by characters and not special effects. A family film with a great message about life and how precious it truly is. GO SEE IT! It was the winner at the Toronto Film Festival for People's Choice. It should get some Oscar buzz, but I don't know if Hollywood will accepting of it's message. Amazingly....it was shot in New York City in 24 days of filming Trailer below:

Thirdly, I played a grueling hockey game tonight. After 3 periods and a shootout that went through both benches and finally the goalies shooting on each other the final score was 0-0. What fun! I can not help but reflect on how sport can bring people of various backgrounds, faiths and anything else that can make us different together in the spirit of competition and sportmanship. The gaps this can bridge between us are huge. I can't be thankful enough for the chance to compete with these great men and women week in and week out.

Finally, I just want to wish you all a great week. God Bless!

2007-11-01T21:19:00.000-05:00

It's All Saints Day!

St. Benedict of Nursia

Pray for Us.

2007-10-30T21:30:00.000-05:00

Also....I must begin clearing the calendar:

June 27, 28, 29 2008 Red Sox at Houston Astros

September 5,6,7 2008 Red Sox at Texas Rangers

Pitchers and catchers report to camp in February.

Bring on the Colts.

2007-10-28T23:33:00.000-05:00

2007 World Series Champions

Boston Red Sox

2007-10-23T23:45:00.000-04:00

The Aggie Catholic Blog from St. Mary's here in College Station has a nice little write up about:

Condoms, AIDS, and Catholics. Give it a read.

In other news...Game 1 of the World Series tomorrow night at Fenway Park in Boston. Sox vs. Rock. Go Sox!

2007-10-20T01:01:00.000-04:00

Christ's Parable About the Need to Pray AlwaysGospel
Commentary for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Father Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap

ROME, OCT. 19, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Sunday’s Gospel begins thus: “Jesus told them a parable about the need to pray always and not to lose heart.” The parable is the one about the troublesome widow. In answer to the question “How often must we pray?” Jesus answers, “Always!” Prayer, like love, does not put up with calculation. Does a mother ask how often she should love her child, or a friend how often he should love a friend? There can be different levels of deliberateness in regard to love, but there are no more or less regular intervals in loving. It is the same way with prayer.

This ideal of constant prayer is realized in different forms in the East and West. Eastern Christianity practiced it with the “Jesus Prayer”: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me!” The West formulated the principle of constant prayer in a more flexible way so that it could also be proposed to those who do not lead a monastic life. St. Augustine teaches that the essence of prayer is desire. If the desire for God is constant, so also is prayer, but if there is no interior desire, then you can howl as much as you want -- to God you are mute.Now, this secret desire for God, a work of memory, of need for the infinite, of nostalgia for God, can remain alive, even when one has other things to do: “Praying for a long time is not the same thing as kneeling or folding your hands for a long time. In consists rather in awakening a constant and devout impulse of the heart toward him whom we invoke.”

Jesus himself gave us the example of unceasing prayer. Of him, it is said that he prayed during the day, in the evening, early in the morning, and sometimes he passed the whole night in prayer. Prayer was the connecting thread of his whole life.

But Christ’s example tells us something else important. We are deceiving ourselves if we think that we can pray always, make prayer a kind of respiration of the soul in the midst of daily activity, if we do not set aside fixed times for prayer, when we are free from every other preoccupation. The same Jesus who we see praying always, is also the one who, like every other Jew of his period, stopped and turned toward the temple in Jerusalem three times a day, at dawn, in the afternoon during the temple sacrifices, and at sundown, and recited ritual prayers, among which was the “Shema Yisrael!” -- “Hear, O Israel!” On the Sabbath he also participated, with his disciples, in the worship at the synagogue; different scenes in the Gospels take place precisely in this context.

The Church -- we can say, from its first moment of life -- has also set aside a special day dedicated to worship and prayer: Sunday. We all know what, unfortunately, has happened to Sunday in our society: Sports, from being something for diversion and relaxation, have often become something that poisons Sunday ... We must do whatever we can so that this day can return to being, as God intended it in commanding festive repose, a day of serene joy that strengthens our communion with God and with each other, in the family and in society.

We modern Christians should take our inspiration from the words that, in 305, St. Saturnius and his fellow martyrs addressed to the Roman judge who had them arrested for participating in the Sunday rite: “The Christian cannot live without the Sunday Eucharist. Do you not know that the Christian exists for the Eucharist and the Eucharist for the Christian?”

* * *Father Raniero Cantalamessa is the Pontifical Household preacher. The readings for this Sunday are Exodus 17:8-13a; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2; Luke 18:1-8.

2007-09-23T19:15:00.000-04:00

Hello world, how you doing?

Me? Well if you want to know, I have been busy. Work, hockey, Church stuff, life stuff...the usual. Then one day I look up and it's been almost a month since I posted something.

To start, I need to give a little public service announcement. September 26th through November 4th is the 40 Days for Life sponsored by the Brazos Valley Coalition for Life. More info can be found at their website: http://www.coalitionforlife.com/custom_page.cfm?category=3&page=169&active=169. Specifically though I would like to quote from their website:

For 40 days, 24-hours a day, Christians from across the Brazos Valley will be holding a peaceful prayer vigil outside of the Planned Parenthood abortion facility on East 29th Street in Bryan. The 40 day, 24-hour vigil brings prayer and hope to the place it is needed the most and gives witness that Christ is there for the least of our brethren. The 40 Days for Life campaign is designed to raise awareness about the abortion facility through constant prayer and awareness. The prayer presence has volunteers and a “Shift Leader” praying and holding pro-life signs (CFL does not use aborted baby signs). During many of the hours Sidewalk Counselors lovingly offer free medical alternatives and information to women entering the clinic. The “Shift Leader” keeps track of the 40 day, 960 hour prayer schedule and serves as the contact person if anyone is unavailable for their hour or wants to take on additional hours.

A wonderful thing to pray for change in the world and for the lives of the unborn.

Friday night I had two great honors. The first was attending the lecture given at the George Bush Library by Mr. George Weigel entitled "Pope Benedict XVI and the Future of the Catholic Church." which was excellent. The second happened later that evening when I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Ty England who came to the area to play his music. I've been a fan of his since his days with the Garth Brooks band, Stillwater. This was the first time I had ever had the chance to see and hear him play in concert and he is very much his own performer but he did learn many lessons at the feet of the great G.B.. Wonderful show and I was happy to let him know after the show how much I enjoyed his coming to the area and sharing his music with us.

Saturday the Red Sox clinched a playoff spot. Sunday the Pats rolled the Bills to go to 3-0 on the young season. Saturday night I hung out with some members of the St. Mary's RCIA team, in what was supposed to be a joint RCIA/Confirmation team members get together. For any Confirmation team members reading this.....you failed to represent..shame on you all!

Anyway, I'm going to get some reading in while waiting for the Sunday night NFL game.

2007-08-26T23:44:00.000-04:00

This is the great alternative that we must learn over and over again: to give priority to our own expectations, rejecting Jesus, or to accept Jesus in the truth of his mission and set aside all of our too human expectations.- Pope Benedict XVI

Do you know your New Testament? Or rather, do you know your Greek? Most English speakers don't know the play on words presented to Peter by the resurrected Jesus.

In Greek the word "fileo" means the love of friendship, tender but not total and all encompassing. The word "agapao" means love without reserve, unconditional and total.

The first time Jesus asks first " Simon...do you love me (agapas-me)?"
Peter resonds "Lord; you know I love you (filo-se).
Second time Jesus asks again with agapas-me.
Again Peter responds with the "Kyrie, filo-se"
The third time Jesus asks: "Fileis-me?"
And Peter responds "Filo-se"

Simon, Peter, now is brought to understand that his poor love is enough for Christ, it is the only love Peter is capable of, though he is grieved Christ speaks to him in this way. Jesus places himself on the level of Peter, we are not seeing Peter on the level of Jesus. It is this conformity by Christ that gives hope to the Apostle and still gives hope to us today. Our love of Christ is not perfect, but it is enough, for it is all we have.

2007-08-08T22:23:00.000-04:00

The man on the street stopped me today and told me that the anticiapted ZZ Top concert the Sunday night before labor day here in Aggieland is not going to happen. Sad. However, that does free up the day to head to Lake Bryan for the Ziegenbock Festival. For those wanting to go, the best band plays early....2:00 I believe.

Many of you also know that I have a great admiration and deep respect for St. Benedict of Nursia, the patron of civil engineers and the founder of western monasticism. I was reflecting this afternoon on a saying attributed to him "All are to be welcomed as Christ." Not all that deep, for we all in our humanity are created in the image of the divine, in the image of Christ. Thus it leads that any visitor, heck, anyone we encounter along our lives journey should be welcomed as if we are welcoming Christ. This is easier said than done with our prejudices and ill formed ideas gunking up the heart. Which lead me to ponder another quote of St. Benedict: "Listen with ear of your heart." If only it were so easy at times. We should strive for these ideals, though often we fall short.

Then as I was pondering these things, my phone rang. A different than normal ring, a ring I assigned to a friend of mine's number. Not a close friend who knows all my inner most thoughts or even my life story, nor I know theirs, but a friend none the less. A friend I admire for their strength, courage, and testicular fortitude in following their dreams against long odds. It was a rare call and this friend asked me for help, if I could do something that they did not have time to do that would help them in a very large way. In such instance, I do not think my pondering was randome, there was a reason for why those words were in my mind and thoughts just seconds before this phone call. It is not a big thing for me to do, but to this other it is very important. I could have said no, I could have made an excuse as to why I was a bad choice, but I did neither. I offered my time and my help much to my friends relief, because they did not know how they were going to be able to sell it to me if I balked. "Listen with the ear of you heart" and welcome all as if Christ. With friends it is easy, now if we could follow this with our so called "enemies' our non-friends. Try....and if you can't do it...fake it unti you're not faking anymore because it has become habit.

And a final thought, perhaps St. Benedict's most important rule for his rules of monastic life can be found in the first word of his Rule: Listen. With all the noise in the world, if we would stop and listen, we hear much and protest less.

2007-08-04T01:10:00.000-04:00

Well, we have I been lately. I've been around and around and around. Just been busy. Celebrated the last birthday of my 20's in very low key style. Though I did splurge for a big birthday gift to myself. It has 4 wheels and is big and silver. It has a towing package....maybe good enough to haul a small piano around. I've been playing hockey, 3 times a week, and with all the ice time have actually noticed a lot of improvement in some of the weaker areas of my game.

I've been reading. Just finished up Boys of Winter about the 1980 Olympic Hockey team. I'm also still working through Jesus of Nazareth and The Reagan Diaries. The former I should wrap up this weekend and highly reccomend to anyone.

I've also been spending my Saturday mornings seeing movies on the cheap, it's nice to save some bucks here and there.

Now, I am going to bed so I can go see a movie in the morning, do laundry, watch NASCAR, and just do some fun stuff tomorrow.

2007-07-11T22:49:00.000-04:00

Well, obviously I had no time to blog from the hockey tournament 2 weeks ago, which spared you all the accounts of the ass poundings we took all weekend and the news of my car breaking down, (it was a bad battery, we're rolling again). Before I forget....go see Transformers..I've seen it twice already and expect to see it at least one more time...maybe 2.

Well what to blog about....first a shout out across cyberspace to Kacy who is unhurt after an accident on I-35. Glad to know you are well my friend.

Congratulations to Andy who is off to Wisconsin for seminary, Godspeed my friend, enjoy the snow.

Now...there's the new word on the Tridentine Rite and then there is the document released by the CDF. The Tridentine Rite is now the extra-ordinary Mass in the Roman Rite and Priests may lead the faithful in this Rite as they see fit (except for Easter I believe if I have read everything right). The gift of this liturgy, which traces its roots back to the aftermath of the Council of Trent, is welcomed by many faithful.

But many of you may have read about the CDF release of a document summing up the unchanging stance of the Catholic Church on other Christian groups and their communities.

I link to it below for your reading so you can see what it says instead of these shoddy reports in secular media and the slanted reporting of non-Catholic groups who now think they have something new to attack. Oh and for the record.....it's dead on.

Responsa Ad Quaestiones de Aliquibus Sententiis Ad Doctrinam Ecclesia Pertinentibus

2007-06-24T17:40:00.000-04:00

"Let's go surfing now, everybody's learning how, come on a Safari with me"- The Beach Boys

Greetings readers. This is a historic posting as it begins a new era for me as I come to live from a new web browser....Apple's Safari. I've been busy, last weekend I spent Saturday at the City of Bryan's steak and wine festival and was able to see and hang out with my friend Bonnie Bishop and her band (and her dog...the polar bear with a pedigree, Emmy Lou). Also got to hang out with her brother and his dog Shelby and SkyWalker...who wants to go fishing. I may have to take him up on that one. Also, the Coach was present and was enjoying his Miller Lite.

So what do we have today. How about some symbolism in the Catholic calendar. Today is the Solemnity of the Nativity of John the Baptist. It comes shortly after the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, the day after which the amount of daylight begins to decrease. Now this solemnity is tied to this time of year for good reason. It also ties together with another birthday...that of the celebration of Jesus' birthday...Christmas, which occurs shortly after the winter solstice as day light increases after that event. In the words of John the Baptist, "I must decrease so He may increase." Symbolism....it's not just for drummers anymore!

Next weekend brings the Arctic Wolf Independence Day Tournament....Friday night thru Sunday morning...4 games and 4 teams. It is their thrid annual tournament and my second year to participate. I anticipate much fun to be had by all. Many of my small, nagging injuries are clearing up (bruised knee is healed, bruised shoulder healing, bruised hip is better, pulled hamstring should be fine by then, sore back in need of stretching, etc). My body is simply a SNAFU (Situation Normal: All "Fowled" Up). I love it!

Congratulations to Andy who will be heading off to Wisconsin, I believe it is, at the end of July!

Anywho, I'll try to post some next week and if I feel ambitious I will maybe even post live from the tournament next weekend.

Also please join me in the Free the 8 movement, the petition to DEI to free the number 8 so it may join Dale Jr. next year at Hendrick Motorsports.

2007-06-10T00:31:00.000-04:00

Former May or of New York and current Presidential Canidate, Rudy Giuliani became quite the lightning rod this past week. An article in the Rhode Island Catholic, the newspaper of the Diocese of Providence, written by Bishop Tobin challenged the moral reasoning of why Rudy is against abortion, a question he dodges better than a spry prize fighter.

During this past week's Republican Presidential Debate, Rudy was asked just that question. As he began his response a bolt of lightning struck near the building and his microphone was cut off, the answer or non answer being lost. Divine Providence or political genius or somewhere in between?

Who knows, but the article written by Bishop Tobin is a fantastic read.

The article can be found here.

2007-06-06T20:57:00.001-04:00

D-Day, the anniversary of the Allied Invasion of Normandy. The beginning of the end, or at least the end of the beginning for Nazi Germany. No one has been more maligned from the era of World War II than Pope Pius XII. Yesterday this speech from the Vatican:

Speech of Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Secretary of State at the presentation of the book by Andrea Tornielli“PIUS XII, EUGENIO PACELLI. A MAN ON THE THRONE OF PETER”June 5, 2007

1. A “Black Legend”
The figure of Eugenio Pacelli, Pope Pius XII, by now stands at the center of decades of very intense polemics. The Roman Pontiff who guided the Church in the terrible years of the Second World War, and afterwards the Cold War, is the victim of a “black legend” which is difficult to dislodge, even though documents and witnesses have amply established its incoherence. One of the unfortunate “secondary” consequences, so to speak, of this black legend – which falsely depicts Pope Pacelli as indulgent with respect to Nazism, and insensitive to the fate of the victims of persecution – is that it’s caused the extraordinary magisterium of this Pope, which was the precursor to the Second Vatican Council, to be completely forgotten. As has happened with the other two popes of the same name – Blessed Pius IX, who is spoken of solely in relation to issues connected to the politics of the Italian Risorgimento; and Pius X, often remembered solely for his strenuous battle against Modernism – also for Pacelli, there’s a risk of reducing his entire pontificate to the question of his presumed “silences.”

2. The Pastoral Activity of Pius XII
Thus I am here this evening to give a brief testimony to a man of the Church who, for his personal holiness, shines as a luminous witness to the Catholic priesthood and to the Supreme Pontificate. I have already read many interesting essays on the figure and the work of Pope Pius XII, from the well-known Actes et Documents du Saint Siège, to the biographies of Nazareno Padellaro, Sr. Marchione, Fr. Pierre Blet, among the first which come to mind. This is without speaking of the “Speeches on the War” of Pope Pacelli, which, if one desires, are available in electronic format, and which I find absolutely interesting even today for their doctrine, their pastoral inspiration, for their refined literary language, and for their human and civil strength. In sum, I already knew not a little with regard to the Pastor Angelicus et Defensor Civitatis. But one must be grateful to Andrea Tornielli, who in this full-bodied and well-documented biography, drawing on much previously unpublished material, restores to us the greatness and the fullness of the figure of Pius XII, deepening his humanity and allowing us to rediscover his magisterium. It reminds us, for example, of his encyclical on liturgy, his reform of the rites of Holy Week, his grand preparatory work which would unleash the council’s liturgical reforms. Pius XII opened the Church to the application of the historical-critical method in the study of Sacred Scripture, and in his encyclical Divino afflante Spiritu he established the doctrinal norms for the study of Sacred Scripture, emphasizing its importance and its role in the Christian life. It was also Pope Pacelli, in his encyclical Humani generis,who took into consideration, even if cautiously, evolutiionary theory. Pius XII also gave a notable impulse to missionary activity with the encyclicals Evangelii Praecones (1951) and Fidei donum (1957, which marks its 50th anniversary this year), emphasizing the duty of the Church to announce the gospel to all peoples, as Vatican II would do extensively. The Pope refused to make Christianity coextensive with Western culture, or a given political system. Even more, Pius XII remains the Pope who gave the greatest attention to women in his canonizations and beatifications: 54.4 percent of his canonizations, and fully 62.5 percent of his beatifications. For the rest, this Pontiff spoke many times about the rights of women, affirming, for example, in his radio message to the Congress of the Italian Women’s Center in Loretto in October 1957 that women are called to exercise “decisive action” in the political and legal field.

3. Unjustified Accusations
These are merely examples, which demonstrate how much there is yet to discover, indeed to rediscover, in the magisterium of the Servant of God Eugenio Pacelli. I was struck, moreover, by the many references in Tornielli’s book from which emerge both the lucidity and the wisdom of the future Pontiff in the years in which he was the Apostolic Nuncio in Munich, Bavaria, and then in Berlin, as well as the numerous instances of his humanity. Thanks to unpublished letters with his brother Francesco, we can obtain some sharp judgments from him regarding the National Socialist movement then taking shape, as well as the great and serious interior drama lived by the Pontiff during the period of the war regarding the right attitude to take about Nazi persecution. Pius XII spoke about it many times in the course of his radio messages – and therefore it’s completely out of place to accuse him of “silence” – though he chose a prudent profile. With regard to the “silences,” I willingly refer to a well-documented article by Professor Gian Maria Vian published in 2004 in the journal Archivum historiae pontificiae with the title “The Silence of Pius XII: At the Origins of the Black Legend.” In it, among other things, it’s said that the first to raise the question of the “silences of Pius XII” was Emmanuel Mournier, in 1939, just weeks after his election as Supreme Pontif, in relation to the Italian aggression in Albania. These questions gave rise to bitter polemics, later reprised in the Soviet and Communist context, as we will see, by exponents of the Russian Orthodox Church. Rolf Hocchuth, author of the drama “The Deputy,” the theatrical piece which contributed to spreading the “black legend” against Pius XII, in a recent interview defined Pope Pacelli as a man of “demonic cowardice,” while there are historians of an anti-Pius XII mindset who even regard anyone who does not think like them, who dares to express a different opinion on these events, as part of a “Pacelli brigade.” One cannot but denounce this attack on good sense and on rationality, which is often perpetrated in the pages of newspapers.

4. A Very Precise Historical Point
It seems useful to me to underline how the work of Tornielli brings to light facts already known to serious historians. One of the merits I regard as fundamental of the volume we’re discussing today, taking account of the very sad times in which Pope Pacelli lived, is that it shows how the Pope’s voice, in the turbine of the Second World War and the opposition which followed between two blocs, did not enjoy the favor of those in power. How many times was the elecriticty “missing” for Vatican Radio to make the words of the Pontiff heard; how many times was the paper “missing” to reproduce his thoughts and teachings, which made some uncomfortable; how many times did copies of L’Osservatore Romano end up “missing,” which reported his speeches, clarifications, updates, and political notes? Today, however, thanks to modern resources, these sources have been fully reproduced and are available. Tornielli has sought them out and found them, as witnessed by the large body of notes which go along with the book. In this regard, I’d like to draw attention to an important point. The figure and work of Pius XII, for which people gave praise and thanks during and after the Second World War, began to be scrutinized with a different eye in a very precise historical period, from August of 1946 to October of 1948. The desire of the martyred people of Israel to have their own land was understandable, their own secure refuge following “the persecutions of a fanatic anti-Semitism directed against the Jewish people” (allocution of August 3, 1946). But it was equally understandable that those who were already living in Palestine expected to see their rights respected, and to receive attention, justice and protection. The newspapers of the period refer amply to the state of tension which existed in the region, but because they did not want to consider the reasoning and proposals of Pope Pius XII, they began to take sides, some one one side and some on the other, thereby ideologizing a reflection that developed in a very articulated fashion, attentive to criteria of justice, equity, respect and legality. Pius XII was not only the Pope of the Second World War, but a pastor who, from March 2, 1939, to October 9, 1958, had before himself a world seduced by violent and irrational passions. From that point forward, an incomprehensible accusation began to take shape that this Pope had not intervened as he should have in favor of the persecuted Jews. In this regard, it seems important to me to recognize that anyone who is free of ideological interests and who loves the truth can understand more deeply, in full sincerity, a long, fruitful, and, in my view, heroic papacy. One example is the recent change in attitude in the great sanctuary of memory which is Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, to reconsider the figure and the work of Pope Pacelli not from a polemical point of view, but from an objective historical perspective. It’s my fervent hope that such good will, manifested publicly, can lead to an adequate outcome.

5. The Duty of Charity to All
On June 2, 1943, on the occassion of the Feast of St. Eugene, Pius XII publicly explained the reasons for his attitude. First of all, Pope Pacelli spoke again of the Jews: “The leaders of peoples must not forget that those who, to use the language of Sacred Scripture, ‘carry the sword,’ may not dispose of the life and death of human beings except according to the law of God, from whom all power comes.” Pius XII went on: “You might expect that we would describe here all that we have sought to do, and been able to do, to lessen their suffering, to improve their moral and legal conditions, to preserve their inalienable religious rights, and to meet their needs and their shortages. Every word addressed by us on these matters to the competent authorities and every one of our public references has to be pondered seriously by us, measured against the interests of the suffering people themselves, in order not to render their situation, without intending to, even more grave and intolerable. Sadly, the visible improvements obtained do not satisfy the maternal concern of the Church in favor of these particular groups, who are subject to the most bitter fate ... and the Vicar, though asking only compassion and a return to the elementary norms of law and of humanity, has found himself before a door that no key seems to open.” We therefore find here already presented, in the middle of 1943, the explanation for the prudence with which Pacelli moved in terms of public denunciations: “In the interests of the suffering people themselves, in order not to render their situation even worse.” These are words of which I seem to hear echoes in the brief speech of Paul VI on September 12, 1964, in the Catacombs of Saint Domitilla. On that occassion, Pope Montini said: “The Holy See abstains from raising the voice of legitimate protest and deploration with greater frequency and vehemence, not because it ignores or minimizes the reality of the situation, but out of Christian patience and for not provoking even worse evils.” Paul VI, in the middle of the 1960s, was referring to the countries behind the Iron Curtain, governed by Communist totalitarianism. Thus he, who was a close collaborator of Cardinal Pacelli and then of Pope Pius XII, gave the same explanation. When popes speak, they’re not thinking about assembling a positive image for posterity. They know that their every word could affect the destiny of millions of Christians, and they take to heart the welfare of men and women of flesh and bone, not the applause of historians. For the rest, Robert Kempner, a Jewish judge and a public minister for the Nuremberg Trials, wrote in January 1964, after the release of “the Deputy” by Hocchuth: “Any propagandistic position from the Church against the government of Hitler would not only have been a form of premeditated suicide ... but it would have accelerated the assassination of a greater number of Jews and priests.”

6. “Action, not Lament, is the Rule of the Hour”
This said, after having taken into view the 11 volumes (in 12 books) of the Actes et Documents du Saint Siège regarding the Second World War; having read dozens of folders with hundreds of documents regarding the thinking and the acts of the Apostolic See during the Second World War; and given the violent partisan polemics (expressed in innumerable volumes, full of violent and false ideology), it seems to me that the work of the Actes, published by order of Paul VI (the Substitute of the Secretary of State in the terrible circumstances of 1939-1945), could be usefully completed by the documents which are listed under the archival entry of “Stati Ecclesiastici,” which contain papers regarding the obligations of the Holy See and the Catholic Church to undertake the duty of charity towards all. It’s an archival sector not sufficiently explored, given that it’s a matter of thousands of personal cases. For each case, the smallest State in the world, neutral in an absolute sense, gave attention on an individual basis, hearing every voice that asked for help, even giving audiences. It’s an immense amount of documentation, unfortunately still not available because it hasn’t been put in order. Maybe it would be possible, with the ad hoc help of some charitable foundation, to catalogue in a brief amount of time these papers which are stored in the Archives of the Holy See! The directives given via radio, print, and diplomatic channels by Pope Pius XII in 1942 were clear. He said to everyone during the tragic year of 1942, that: “Action, not lament, is the rule of the hour.” The wisdom of that affirmation is attested to by myriad sources: diplomatic notes, urgent meetings, specific interbentions (for example, with Cardinal Bertram, Cardinal Innitzer, Cardinal Schuster, etc., etc.), all urging them to do everything possible to save people while preserving the neutrality of the Apostolic See.That situation of neutrality allowed the Pope to save not only Europeans, but also prisoners who were not part of the Axis. We think of the very sad situation in Poland, or the humanitarian interventions in Southeast Asia. Pius XII never signed circulars or proclamations. He said quietly what had to be done. Bishops, priests, religious and laity understood very well the mind of the Pope, and what was urgent to do. Among others, evidence of this are the innumerable records of audiences with Cardinals Maglione and Tardini, with their comments. Afterwards, protests and various “no’s” arrived in response to the humanitarian requests of the Holy See.

7. Denounce or Act?
Allow me to recount a small episode which took place in the Vatican in October of 1943. At the time, beyond the Gendarmes (around 150 people) and the Swiss Guard (about 110 people), there was also the Palatine Guard. In that period, beyond these roughly 300 people to protect the Vatican and its extraterritorial property, there were 575 Palatine Guards. Well then, the Secrtariat of State asked the occupying powers in Italy for permission to insert another 4,425 people into the Palatine Guard. The Jewish Ghetto was just two paces away ...The editors of the Actes et Documents could not print all the thousands of personal cases. The Pope, at that time, had other priorities: he could not make known his “desires”; he wanted to act, within the limits imposed upon him by the circumstances, according to a clear program. For honest people, however, legitimate questions arise: When did Pius XII meet Mussolini? He did so as the Cardinal Secretary of State in 1932, but never as pope! When did Cardinal Pacelli meet Chancellor Hitler? Never! When did the Pope meet Mussolini and Hitler together? Never! If that never happened, it could mean that the two states decided not to speak to the Pope, so what should the Pontiff have done: make declarations of denunciation, or act?Pius XII chose the second option, with is witnessed by many Jewish sources from all over Europe. Perhaps it would help to make copies of the abundant Jewish expressions of gratitude and esteem to the human and spiritual ministry of this great Pope. The book which we can read today adds some extra elements not only to the figure of a great Pontiff, but also to all the silent, but effective, work throughout the life of Eugenio Pacelli, a pastor who passed through the storms of two world wars (he had been the nuncio in Bavaria since 1917) and the tragic construction of the Iron Curtain, within which millions of children of God perished. Heir to the Church of the Apostles, the Church of Pius XII continued to work not only through a prophetic word, but above all through daily prophetic action.

8. A Concluding Note
Lastly, I would like to thank Andrea Tornielli for this work, which contributes to a better understanding of the luminous apostolic action and the figure of the Servant of God, Pius XII. This is a useful service to the Church, and a useful service to the truth. It’s proper to discuss it, to deepen it, to debate, and to exchange views. But it’s important to guard against the most grave error for the historian, which is anachronism, judging the reality of that time with the eyes and the mentality of today. Thus it’s profoundly unjust to judge the work of Pius XII during the war with a veil of prejudice, forgetting not only the historical context but also the enormous work of charity which the Pope promoted, opening the doors of seminaries and religious institutes, welcoming refugees and the persecuted, helping all.

2007-06-05T22:28:00.000-04:00

Apologies for the month off dear readers, I've been busy and have lost a few posts to the ravages of my internet connection with is less and less reliable. I have had the poor luck of hitting the post button a few times and then, I'm "Suddenly Dis-Connected".

I've been reading quite a bit. Just finished up reading Ratzinger's "God is Near Us" and just started in Pope Benedict XVI's " Jesus of Nazareth". Both are well written and naturally of the highest scholarship. The latter being a breath of fresh air in reading and learning.

I am also reading "The Reagan Diaries", another good read about the terms of President Ronald Reagan. Even early on, the complicated matters of today are foreshadowed (though hindsight is 20/20, things can be seen in their early stages.)

I'm also enjoying the Red Sox season so far as they are teasing the Sox Nation that they may runaway and hide from the AL East before the All Star Game.

Hockey is also going quite well. Summer season is here and at the end of the month, our rink is hosting the Independence Day Tournament....4 games in under 48 hours capped off with ice cream sundaes. Yummy!

I'm also working into the 3rd season of JAG on DVD. I love that show...well and Catherine Bell, who is now starring in "Army Wives" which I need to find on TV...if anyone can direct me to night and channel and time....I will be forever grateful.

Speaking of yummy, if you are in the Bryan/College Station area next Saturday, June 16th, swing by downtown Bryan for the Steak and Wine Festival capped off with a free concert by the Bellamy Brothers and Bonnie Bishop. Yummy indeed!

Oh and for the record....there are no spotted owls living in the Brazos Valley despite what some folks want you to believe.

Ta Ta for now....I'm back to reading.

2007-05-05T22:38:00.000-04:00

Breaking news this week in the blogosphere as word has spread that Frank Beckwith and his family have come home to the Catholic Church. Who is this? I am sure some of you are asking.
Mr. Beckwith is the President of the Evangelical Theological Society. The news ironically broke on the blog of Mr. James White. Yes, the Mr. White who spends a lot of his time trying to refute all things Catholic.

Mr. White's posting can be found here.
More informtion can be found on the blog of Jimmy Akin.
This also made the Aggie Catholic Blog, linked on the left of this blog.
It also brought a post from Kacy on her blog....which drew comments from Mr. White of all folks reading the blog of a soon to be graduating college senior in Texas.

Feel free to mosey on over to all these sites to read all the electrons on this news. Finally, I'd like to extend and Aggie Howdy and New England...welcahm hohm to the Beckwith's.

In other news, I was fortunate enough to go to Cypress last night and visited the Cypress saloon. A music venue that could be great, but that had one of the poorest and rudest audiences I have ever seen. Pay a 10 buck cover and just act like the band is the background music. That said, I did get a song dedicated to me. The leader of the band, who I had told a long time ago that I loved this song ever since I heard it on the radio during an interview in January of 2006, finally pulled it out and sang it...for me. It was a sweet though and was probably brought on by the fact that I was the only one really listening to the band, but still...it is a great song that I really relate to on a lot of levels even after not hearing it since that one time on the radio during Super Bowl XL. Thank you Bonnie!

Also, I don't plug to many things here, but this is an exception. Texas Burning will be happening Memorial Day weekend, on Thursday, May 24, 2007 at the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio at 7 PM. It will be an event honoring our Troops and their families and saluting those who have given their last full measure in service to our country. If you can make it, please go. Some great musicians doing a great thing for our boys and girls. More info can be found at the Texas Burning website.

2007-04-26T22:50:00.000-04:00

A Great Read!

Click the following link for a short (but great read):

End-of-life decisions require respect for human life by Bishop Gregory Aymond

Print it out and share it with your friend, family, and maybe even a random person you know who may be dealing with such issues.

2007-04-18T23:50:00.000-04:00

Lord, today we ask for you hold in your hands and draw closer to you our brothers and sisters at Virginia Tech. Hold fast to the families and friends of the students and faculty taken from this world and those injured in this shooting. We pray for healing, for kindness, and strength for all. Also, we pray for the family of the shooter, that they will find comfort, peace, and above all love in their time of despair. Finally dear Lord, we pray for the shooter, that at his last moment, he would have found some solace and seeked out to you for forgiveness and that his soul and all the souls of the departed, through your love and Divine Mercy, are at this hour either in or journeying towards your heavenly kingdom.

2007-03-25T19:38:00.000-04:00

Let us start of this post with some excellent news: Welcome home Kacy! Who was accepted into full communion with the Catholic Church this morning. I am sure she will have a post of her experience on her blog in the coming days, keep an eye out for it. Congratulations Kacy!

It is always warming to my heart and encouraging to my spirit to read and hear about the faith journey's of folks who come to the Catholic Church. The ways and means the Lord has used to bring them to that point are as varied as the journey's and yet they all share a common thread of God's grace being the means that the journey moves from one step to the next.

It is an interesting parallel in the Catholic faith that the faith journey's are so different-so many and so varied- yet lead to the same place, just as within the Church there are so many different models of spirituality (Marian, Dominican, Franciscan, Thomist, etc) and all are within the Catholic Church.

Please pray for all those on their journey and may they all one day find their way home. Either in this world, or the lfe to come.

2007-03-06T22:45:00.000-05:00

Lenten Reflection: The Doppelganger of Christ

As was the custom at Passover one prisoner was to be released and pardoned for his crimes. Pilate gave the assembled crowd a choice, Jesus Christ or Barabbas. The crowd chose Barabbas.
In reading Ratzinger's "On the Way to Christ" I found out an interesting historical twist on this moment that I never before knew about.

Some of the Syriac translation of Matthew's account Barrabas' first name is revealed to also be Jesus. So we have Jesus bar-abbas, or literally translated as Jesus Son of the Father being set up against Jesus Christ. John 18:40 refers to Barabbas as a lēstēs, "bandit;" Mark and Luke further refer to Barabbas as one involved in a stasis, a riot. Mark 15:7; Luke 23:19. Matthew refers to Barabbas only as a "notorious prisoner." Matthew 27:16. Some scholars have linked these notions to Barabbas was a member of the sicarii, a militant Jewish movement that sought to overthrow the Roman occupiers of their land by force, noting that Mark (15:7) mentions that he had committed murder in an insurrection. Though some historians do trace this uprising to the 40s-50s. Many though agree that evidence is strong to point to Barabbas being a terrorist pitted agains the Roman Empire, which in sense would make him popular amongst some of the populous for the ending of Roman occupation and reestablishing the Jewish Kingdom.

So we go back to the temptation in the dessert where the tempter takes Jesus Christ to a high mountain top and offers Christ rule over all the kingdoms of the Earth if He bows to the tempter. The illusion of ruling while submitting to the tempter offered to the one who rules the Kingdom of Heaven.

Back to the crowd...so we have the crowd choosing Barrabas. Jesus Son of the Father, who is apparently out to rid Israel of the Romans and reestablish the Jewish Kingdom on Earth. Jesus the Christ, Son of the Father in a very real way, King of the Heavenly Kingdom rejected as scripture foretold, lead to the cross.

This is a very interesting and new, to me anyways, look at this moment in the life of Christ and in it find a deeper meaning and something new to meditate upon. The doppelganger notion is quite profound, popular on modern tv, but right there in the ancient texts of the Bible.

2007-02-28T22:47:00.000-05:00

Update: Last Saturday my cousin was found dead on the floor of his apartment by my Aunt.
Pray for my family during this tough time, I am unable to make my way north for the wake and funeral. Pray that God would strengthen them in this time and for the repose of my cousin's soul.

He was only a few months older than me...it's kind of a shock.

The obit can be found here: http://www.legacy.com/providence/Obituaries.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=86649095

2007-02-24T23:16:00.000-05:00

Sad news came tonight....I will be holding off the details until I know everyone who needs to know has been contacted and I have some better info myself.

Life is short, to often we don't give thought to death, especially when we're young and thing we still have a lot of years ahead of us. But when someone is taken unexpectedly and young it gives us pause. For all we know today may be our last, tomorrow may never come. In that mind we should always be prepared to meet our maker, yet how often do we think that? How often do we start our day asking "What do I want to do today if this is to be my last?"

Think about it my friends and pray for the souls of the departed.

This will have to do for now....more when I have more to post:

O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful,

grant to the souls of Your servants departed full remission of all their sins,

that through our devout prayers,they may obtain the pardon,

which they have always desired.

Who live and reign, world without end.

Amen.

Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord.

(response) And let perpetual light shine upon them.

May they rest in peace.

(response) Amen.

2007-02-24T17:24:00.000-05:00

A House Divided

I've had the fortunate opportunity of late to be involved in two short survey courses focusing upon Catholicism in the United States. One a history of the Catholic Church in the United Stated and the other the history of antiCatholicism in the United States. Both, when taken together gave a very interesting picture of the Catholic experience in America. particularly in the United States during the early colonial through the Civil War period. As with all history, economic, social, political, and geographical reasons could be seen clearly. The height of Catholic migration to the United States and subsequently the height of antiCatholicism both can be traced to the Irish migration during the 1800s. If you've seen Gangs of New York, the Irish/Nativist (read White, Anglo-Saxon, Protestants) clashed throughout the country. Yet what piqued my interest was the Irish immigaration. All I could recall was a scene from the film, Gods and Generals, where the Southern Irish Brigade is firing upon the Union Irish brigade at Fredicksburg and the sadness they have of firing on their Irish brothers.

I think if one takes a step back, the Civil War can be viewed as more than a fight about slavery, more than states right, more than a country. I think a case can be made at it's core that the Civil War can be seen as a theological battle that found itself a battlefield. Quite simply, ministers disagreed about how to read the Bible—and as much as it was a result of fierce disagreements about slavery or Union, Noll says, the Civil War was a crisis over biblical interpretation. The Bible's apparent acceptance of slavery led Christians into bitter debates, with Southern proslavery theologians detailing an elaborate defense of the "peculiar institution" and Northern antislavery clerics arguing that the slavery found in the Old Testament bore no resemblance to the chattel slavery of Southern plantations. Toss into the mix the nativist mind set on both sides of the line, we find Catholics in the North and South having very different struggles to overcome. Despite being antislavery, very few Catholics are seen today as being prominent abolitionists because many of the Protestant abolitionists where also antiCatholic, to the point of not considering Catholics to be Christian. It's a very interesting time period

Still, we flash forward to today and look at the religious breakdown of this country in the realms of Christianity. By and large we see the major Catholic population centers (save for areas that were major Spanish and French colonial holdings) tend to be seen in states and territories that were loyal to the Union. The major Protestant population centers are seen in those states and territories that were aligned with the Confederacy. I find it fascinating that this breakdown exists. I wonder how much is fall out from the Civil War and how much is due to other factors. If any one out there has read anything on this subject that has some good detail. Feel free to let me know, I'd be interested in adding to my reading list.

2007-02-20T23:27:00.000-05:00

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI

FOR

LENT 2007

“They shall look on Him whom they have pierced” (Jn 19:37)

Dear Brothers and Sisters!
“They shall look on Him whom they have pierced” (Jn 19:37). This is the biblical theme that this year guides our Lenten reflection. Lent is a favourable time to learn to stay with Mary and John, the beloved disciple, close to Him who on the Cross, consummated for all mankind the sacrifice of His life (cf. Jn 19:25). With a more fervent participation let us direct our gaze, therefore, in this time of penance and prayer, at Christ crucified who, dying on Calvary, revealed fully for us the love of God. In the Encyclical Deus caritas est, I dwelt upon this theme of love, highlighting its two fundamental forms: agape and eros.

God’s love: agape and eros

The term agape, which appears many times in the New Testament, indicates the self-giving love of one who looks exclusively for the good of the other. The word eros, on the other hand, denotes the love of one who desires to possess what he or she lacks and yearns for union with the beloved. The love with which God surrounds us is undoubtedly agape. Indeed, can man give to God some good that He does not already possess? All that the human creature is and has is divine gift. It is the creature then, who is in need of God in everything. But God’s love is also eros. In the Old Testament, the Creator of the universe manifests toward the people whom He has chosen as His own a predilection that transcends every human motivation. The prophet Hosea expresses this divine passion with daring images such as the love of a man for an adulterous woman (cf. 3:1-3). For his part, Ezekiel, speaking of God’s relationship with the people of Israel, is not afraid to use strong and passionate language (cf. 16:1-22). These biblical texts indicate that eros is part of God’s very heart: the Almighty awaits the “yes” of His creatures as a young bridegroom that of his bride. Unfortunately, from its very origins, mankind, seduced by the lies of the Evil One, rejected God’s love in the illusion of a self-sufficiency that is impossible (cf. Gn 3:1-7). Turning in on himself, Adam withdrew from that source of life who is God Himself, and became the first of “those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage” (Heb 2:15). God, however, did not give up. On the contrary, man’s “no” was the decisive impulse that moved Him to manifest His love in all of its redeeming strength.

The Cross reveals the fullness of God’s love

It is in the mystery of the Cross that the overwhelming power of the heavenly Father’s mercy is revealed in all of its fullness. In order to win back the love of His creature, He accepted to pay a very high price: the blood of His only begotten Son. Death, which for the first Adam was an extreme sign of loneliness and powerlessness, was thus transformed in the supreme act of love and freedom of the new Adam. One could very well assert, therefore, together with Saint Maximus the Confessor, that Christ “died, if one could say so, divinely, because He died freely” (Ambigua, 91, 1956). On the Cross, God’s eros for us is made manifest. Eros is indeed – as Pseudo-Dionysius expresses it – that force “that does not allow the lover to remain in himself but moves him to become one with the beloved” (De divinis nominibus, IV, 13: PG 3, 712). Is there more “mad eros” (N. Cabasilas, Vita in Cristo, 648) than that which led the Son of God to make Himself one with us even to the point of suffering as His own the consequences of our offences?

“Him whom they have pierced”

Dear brothers and sisters, let us look at Christ pierced in the Cross! He is the unsurpassing revelation of God’s love, a love in which eros and agape, far from being opposed, enlighten each other. On the Cross, it is God Himself who begs the love of His creature: He is thirsty for the love of every one of us. The Apostle Thomas recognized Jesus as “Lord and God” when he put his hand into the wound of His side. Not surprisingly, many of the saints found in the Heart of Jesus the deepest expression of this mystery of love. One could rightly say that the revelation of God’s eros toward man is, in reality, the supreme expression of His agape. In all truth, only the love that unites the free gift of oneself with the impassioned desire for reciprocity instills a joy, which eases the heaviest of burdens. Jesus said: “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself” (Jn 12:32). The response the Lord ardently desires of us is above all that we welcome His love and allow ourselves to be drawn to Him. Accepting His love, however, is not enough. We need to respond to such love and devote ourselves to communicating it to others. Christ “draws me to Himself” in order to unite Himself to me, so that I learn to love the brothers with His own love.

Blood and water

“They shall look on Him whom they have pierced.” Let us look with trust at the pierced side of Jesus from which flow “blood and water” (Jn 19:34)! The Fathers of the Church considered these elements as symbols of the sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist. Through the water of Baptism, thanks to the action of the Holy Spirit, we are given access to the intimacy of Trinitarian love. In the Lenten journey, memorial of our Baptism, we are exhorted to come out of ourselves in order to open ourselves, in trustful abandonment, to the merciful embrace of the Father (cf. Saint John Chrysostom, Catecheses, 3,14ff). Blood, symbol of the love of the Good Shepherd, flows into us especially in the Eucharistic mystery: “The Eucharist draws us into Jesus’ act of self-oblation … we enter into the very dynamic of His self-giving” (Encyclical Deus caritas est, 13). Let us live Lent then, as a “Eucharistic” time in which, welcoming the love of Jesus, we learn to spread it around us with every word and deed. Contemplating “Him whom they have pierced” moves us in this way to open our hearts to others, recognizing the wounds inflicted upon the dignity of the human person; it moves us, in particular, to fight every form of contempt for life and human exploitation and to alleviate the tragedies of loneliness and abandonment of so many people. May Lent be for every Christian a renewed experience of God’s love given to us in Christ, a love that each day we, in turn, must “regive” to our neighbour, especially to the one who suffers most and is in need. Only in this way will we be able to participate fully in the joy of Easter. May Mary, Mother of Beautiful Love, guide us in this Lenten journey, a journey of authentic conversion to the love of Christ. I wish you, dear brothers and sisters, a fruitful Lenten journey, imparting with affection to all of you, a special Apostolic Blessing.

From the Vatican, 21 November 2006.
BENEDICTUS PP. XVI

2007-02-20T23:10:00.000-05:00

Let Us Begin Our Journey Towards Easter

"It is not possible to share in the mission of Jesus, in the mission of the Gospel, without sharing in the desert experience, its poverty, its hunger.... The desert is a place of silence, of solitude. It is the absence of the daily exchanges of daily life, its noise and its superficiality. The desert is the place of the absolute, the place of freedom.... It is a place of grace. In putting aside all preoccupations we encounter our Creator."

Pope Benedict XVI

2007-02-16T23:00:00.000-05:00

What can I say, I've been busy and I've been dealing with a lot of stuff that's cropped up in my life over the past few weeks. To say things have been all hugs and puppy dogs would be an understatement. However, it has included hugs and a puppy dog.

First off a warm Texas welcome to the newest member of the family, who I won't meet until Christmas, but welcome Cricket. A two year old wire hair fox terrier my Nana and Pa recently adopted from a rescue league.

For those wondering, Valentine's came and went, uneventfully. I did get one, yes one card, from a woman who was not family, so it's an infinite improvement over every other valentine's day. It's not as big a thing as you might think or want to think, but it was nice to be thought of.

I'm alive and kicking and skating. Things are rough in some areas and really great in others. It's life, what can ya do? Other than pray, constantly.

Prayer for Devoted Laity in the Church

- by Rev. Lawrence G. Lovasik, S.V.DO

Lord, our God, You called Your people to be Your Church. As they gather together in Your Name, may they love, honour, and follow Your Son to eternal life in the Kingdom He promised. Let their worship always be sincere, and help them to find Your saving Love in the Church and its Sacraments. Fill with the Spirit of Christ those whom You call to live in the midst of the world and its concern. Help them by their work on earth to build up Your eternal Kingdom. May they be effective witnesses to the Truth of the Gospel and make Your Church a living presence in the midst of the world.Increase the gifts You have given Your Church that Your faithful people may continue to grow in holiness and in imitation of Your Beloved Son.

2007-01-30T22:24:00.000-05:00

Two posts for the price of one.

First the not so good news. The Texas Board of Professional Engineers denied my application to take the PE exam, reason given that sunk it was that my work in and around Boston is considered technician work and not engineering. Am I upset about it? Your damn right I am, but there does not appear to be any appeals to be had. I'm pretty much caught in a legal problem between what one state says is acceptable and what another doesn't say is acceptable.
So, I am trying my hardest to not crack open my nice bottle of JD and finish it (it's unopened right now). So I've just done the only thing one can do in this situation, I've been praying, for calmness and understanding. This happened for a reason, so it's time to be patient and find out why. No one said life is fair, but I'm not going to worry about it. I'm reminded of the recent movie Rocky Balboa, I being the Rocky freak that I am would like to share a quote from that film that gives me a little inspiration, for I've been through rougher times than this.

Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done. Now, if you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you are because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain't you. You're better than that!

-Rocky Balboa

Ok second thing, less depressing. I found a copy of "The Jeweler's Shop" the other day in the local bookstore. It is a three act play written by a Polish man named, Karol Wojtyla. I've gotten through Act I, it is very much filled with many ideas that would later be expanded on when he became Pope John Paul the Great. If you get a chance, give it a read. I say this being only 1/3 of the way through, so it's good stuff.

Till next time, keep that right up and lead with the jab.

2007-01-23T22:54:00.000-05:00

Something to Make You Think

Often I am asked or come to ponder some of the differences between Catholics and nonCatholics. One of the more interesting aspects is the traditional Protestant denial of having crosses of any kind or more recently a bare cross versus the Corpus Christi displayed in Catholic Churches. The protestant will contend that the Corpus Christi on the cross is gloomy and that it should not be there. The contention of no cross or a bare cross is focused upon the resurrection and Christ enthroned now in heaven. The Catholic would point out that the crucifix is an important symbol and fixture of the paschal mystery.

However, the key idea there is "now". For what is "now" to God, the divine now as it were? Though Christ died on the cross, His divine nature, being eternal did not. Given the divine nature, would not every moment be the now for the divine? The crucifixtion is as much now to the divine at our current moment than it was 2,000 or so years ago. Same goes for the resurrection. So there really shouldn't be a problem between Catholics and traditional protestants over the crucifix or the bare cross (or no cross), all are part of the divine now, just viewed from a dfferent aspect of the human concept of time.

It is also this divine now that brings together the whole Catholic understanding of the sacrament of communion. It is how Christ can proclaim the bread and wine as His body and blood even though He has not, in human time, been put to death. It is a divine happening and at the moment of the Last Supper and the consecration, the sacrifice of the cross and the resurrection and even His whole life are as much a part of the moment as what is occurring and visible to the human's at the table. It is also that divine now that allows that sacrifice to re-presented in communion today as validly as it was then. It is not a re-crucifixition of Christ, because to the divine nature it is still then, now.

So when will then be now? Soon. Because we're at now, now. Hmmm, the Theology of Spaceballs...might be a good selling book?

2007-01-18T23:12:00.000-05:00

As tonight has proven hopeless at being able to study for the P.E. exam, for a few different reasons of life getting in the way. I want to take the few minutes I have before I head off to bed to ponder the need for a little gardening as it where, it may evolve into a few parts, but I'll just start with these thoughts.

I have a good number of friends who would call themselves Calvinists, which on the surface is a very logical approach to theology. One question that arises frequently is whether or not Calvinist soteriology actually says that God has created some people only to send them to hell. This is a clear teaching of Calvin and the only logical conclusion of reformed thought on predestination. In other words, there is no room for any other belief that God created some folks for heaven and others for hell.

Think about, if God is totally soveriegn, then it is safe to say He knew those whom He did not choose, because afterall He did create them and by not choosing them He made a choice concerning them. After all, from the reformed mindset, God could have saved them had He so chosen.

Yet, God did not so choose. Though we all dserve damnation since the Fall, the Fall itself did not take God by surprise. Man in a state of grace was either capable of rejecting grace or God predestined man's fall. The calvinist can not have it both ways, for if the fall was presdestined, God condemns to hell His own will by creating souls He will not save.

As is the case with most heresy, Scripture refutes this concept. How can man, made in the image and likeness of God, possesing intrinsic goodness be destined for hell from the moment God creates him/her (Gen1:26-31)?

Though there is much mystery involved in the relationship between God's gift of salvation and man's free will, the mystery is more prefectly understood when considered in the light of God as Love. Love, despite what modern culture tells us, is the willing to sacrifice self for the betterment of others. You know, "for God so loved the world..." and "greater love has no man than this", love is more than the twinge in the groinal region...that is nothing more than lust. I digress, I made my point. Love though always leaves the one loved free to accept or reject the love offered. The acceptance or rejection does not alter the love itself, but it does change the one loved. God can not alter His nature and thus can not create a human soul to which He can not offer His love. The Greek verb we translate in the notion the "God is love" actually means to be wholly and fully be. God being infinite must be infinite love. Thus when confronted with our questions of salvation, our reply should be simple and focused on God Himself, who is Love and calls all to love.

2007-01-18T19:29:00.000-05:00

Today begins an Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity. For ninety-nine years, an octave has been set apart for the precise purpose of prayer in the seeking of unity that was prayed by Jesus Christ himself.

Father Paul over at AtonementOnline has published some traditional prayers on his blog.
It's a nice little blog that I found through Kacy's blog, so a biretta tip to her. I'll copy and paste it here, but feel free to go take a look at his blog and also take a stop at Kacy's, who has her own link over there on the left handside of the page.

ANTIPHON: That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in me and I in Thee; that they also may be one in Us; that the world may believe that Thou hast sent me.

V. I say unto thee, thou art Peter;
R. And upon this rock I will build my Church.[Here is brought to mind the intention for the day's prayer.]

January 18: For the return of the "other sheep" to the One Fold of our Lord Jesus Christ.
January 19: For the return of the Eastern Orthodox Christians to communion with the Apostolic See.
January 20: For the return of the Anglicans to the authority of the Vicar of Christ.
January 21: For the return of all Protestants throughout the world to the unity of the Catholic Church.
January 22: That Christians in America may be one, in union with the Chair of Saint Peter.
January 23: That lapsed Catholics will return to the Sacraments of the Church.
January 24: That the Jewish people will be converted to the Catholic Faith.
January 25: That missionary zeal will conquer the world for Christ.

Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, who saidst unto Thine Apostles: Peace I leave you, My peace I give to you; regard not our sins, but the faith of Thy Church, and grant unto her that peace and unity which are agreeable to Thy Will; Who livest and reignest ever, one God, world without end. Amen.

When Catholics speak of unity, it is not an invisible unity but a visible unity. Part of the Church Militant (Ecclesia Militans) here on Earth, united with the Church Triumphant (Ecclesia Triumphans) in heaven, and the Church Suffering (Ecclesia Penitens). Now some of you are wondering what I am rambling on about...well though we are separated by death, the Apostolic teaching of the Catholic Church is that we are still united to one another in one Church, and support each other in prayer. This is summed up nicely as believing in the Communion of Saints.

So does this mean I don't respect other Christian sects? Of course not, they are brothers and sisters in Christ, but I will hold that the fullness of faith is found in the teachings of the Catholic Church. That does not mean that I contain it for I know many of Protestant brothers and siters who have a better understanding of some aspects of the faith that I do not. I also know that I probably have a better understanding in some areas that they don't. It washes out there, but according to the creed the Church is to be one. It can not be one if it is splintered. The concept of invisible and visible that some hold to, holds some weight, but even they must be one as I wrote of above. One Church, One Faith.

UT UNUN SINT

2007-01-15T17:28:00.000-05:00

People who change their way of life and begin to think about spiritual progress also begin to suffer from the tongues of detractors. Whoever has not yet suffered this trial has not yet made progress, and whoever is not ready to suffer it does not even endeavor to progress.

– St. Augustine

2007-01-11T00:07:00.000-05:00

Welcome to 2007 dear readers. I don't really know where this entry is going to go, I'm almost hesitant to go with it because it's so intensely personal, yet I think I can vague it enough to protect the innocent.

You ever have a dream that seemed to be more than a dream, that seemed to be a glimpse into something greater or something in the future? I have them from time to time. My whole life as far as I can remember I have had dreams that would actually happen a few weeks or months later and it's not until event's occurred down the road that the memory is triggered, it's very much a deja vu type deal. It's happened from everything from being on job sites and events playing out, to school, to sports, to social events. It's very strange. Some are pretty routine and others are very powerful. I had one last year about this time that only ne other person knows about and I'll probably take it to the grave with only a select few folks ever hearing of it.

Then there was last night. It was very Dickensesque and probably one of the most real and vivid dreams I'd ever had. It was absolutely amazing, I don't want to give details in a public forum, bit just trust me on this one. It was a glimpse at something in the future that I didn't ever forsee or think about, but being the outside observer, it sure made a lot of sense, though it was confusing. It was though very strange, very peaceful. It seemed too real to be dream, but a dream it was, but it fits the pattern of some past ones. Maybe this will be another case of deja vu, maybe I just had some bad food before bed. We'll see and I'll hope.

2006-12-31T22:46:00.000-05:00

Goodbye 2006, Hello 2007.

Congratulations all, we all now have official '007 status. Giving us liscense to make it a killer year. I am looking forward to another year and very grateful for the past year. I won't say 2006 has been all hugs and puppy dogs, in actuality it was probably one of the toughest and most challenging years of my short life. I can't remember any other year being so emotionally draining, so mentally challenging, and so filled with surprises. Yet at the same time, it was a year growth, discovery, learning, moving past big-make that ginormous obstacles, mistakes and lessons learned, and most of all seeing the distance between the boy I was (and sometimes still can be) and the man I have grown into and continue to become and realizing that perhaps the things most scoffed at in youth can also be the things of great importance and respect as I get older. I began playing ice hockey and have rediscovered my love of phyiscal sport, after to many years without it, my body is responding well, though more slowly than I like at times to healing from various injuries. 2007 looks to be a year of hope and promise and perhaps big changes, Lord willing. Yup, I can feel it...it's coming in the air tonight. '007...shaken, not stirred.

Oh, and by the way...as good of an engineer as I may be...can anyone read Russian? I have a Christmas present that has mainly Russian instruction. Though it does have pictures....which is how I usually put things together anyway.

God Bless You All, be safe tonight....I'll talk to y'all next year.

2006-12-25T23:07:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas to all and to all a blessed night!

2006-12-23T23:42:00.000-05:00

THE RULES: Each player of this game starts with the 6 weird things about you. People who get tagged need to write a blog post of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. (I'm not tagging 6 folks, I'm only going to tag 3..it is Christmas time, so my gift to the world will be having 3 folks not tell us stuff).
.--------------------------------------------------
1. I am in the College Football Hall of Fame, though I never played college football.
2. When I was very young, I wanted to be a fire truck when I grew up...that's right a fire TRUCK, you did not read that wrong.
3. I am distantly related to former Red Sox left fielder and Baseball Hall of Fame member, Carl Yastremski..
4. In high school two of my nicknames were "Special" and "Golden Boy".
5. I set my alarm clock to 1 minute later than I want to get up..6:31 AM, etc. Unfortunately, I usually am up before it goes off, so the extra minute sleep is wasted.
6. There are two degrees of separation between me and Garth Brooks and there is one degree of separation between me and Willie Nelson.
--------------------------------------------------
Tag:
Andy
Amanda
Alan

2006-12-22T22:49:00.000-05:00

Be patient with me dear readers. I'm stuck with a dial up connection for a few days, so blogging will be slow.

As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, let us remember the true meaning of Christmas has nothing to do with materialism, consumerism, or captialism. It's about the Light of the World being born in the City of David.

2006-12-17T12:42:00.000-05:00

Mary's Last Words

I was reading Cardinal O'Malley's blog today and came across something I had not thought of or pondered before. He mentioned Mary's last words in the Gospel. I think all Christians can take them to heart and realize the profound meaning behind them:

“Quodcumque dixerit facite”
or translated
“Do whatever He tells you.”

2006-12-16T23:19:00.000-05:00

John Paul the Great's Letter To Women

Tonight I was browsing the Vatican website. Particualry, I perused the Papal Archives and found John Paul the Great's Letter to Women. I read through it and could not help but be amazed at a man's insight into women. Quite amazing. I was struck by one part near the end which just hit me as great knowledge and great writing, even in the english translation it reads to me like poetry, which is not surprising seeing as John Paul the Great did enjoy writing poetry. The excerpt reads as follows

Necessary emphasis should be placed on the "genius of women", not only by
considering great and famous women of the past or present, but also those
ordinary women who reveal the gift of their womanhood by placing themselves at
the service of others in their everyday lives. For in giving themselves to
others each day women fulfil their deepest vocation. Perhaps more than men,
women acknowledge the person, because they see persons with their hearts. They
see them independently of various ideological or political systems. They see
others in their greatness and limitations; they try to go out to them and help
them. In this way the basic plan of the Creator takes flesh in the history of
humanity and there is constantly revealed, in the variety of vocations, that
beauty-not merely physical, but above all spiritual-which God bestowed from the
very beginning on all, and in a particular way on women.

The whole letter can be found here:

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_29061995_women_en.html

2006-12-10T00:02:00.000-05:00

Hopes and dreams. We all have them. Some large, some not so large. Some we will achieve and others we won't. Does not achieving some of our dreams makes us a failure? No, not at all. I once dreamt of being a professional baseball player. I spent hours upon hours perfecting and honing the skills I would need to make that happen. Then one day I realized, I was never talented enough to compete with those who went pro. Sure I hit them and could hold my own, but I was missing that something they had and I had to give up the dream. Didn't make me a failure, because I tried and for whatever reason it didn't work out.

Big dreams, I have them. Wife, kids, house, nice plot of land to ride my horse on (don't have a horse, though I'd like one), a job that places food on the table and pays the bills. Will I have all of that, it would be nice, but they all may not be in the cards.

Small dreams, pass the P.E., enjoy my job, live a life where I leave a legacy to my family in the way the live their lives. On my tombstone, I'd be happy with "He Lived".

However, what we're "supposed" to do often get's in the way. I moved here 4.5 years ago to do something bold, something unexpected, and something I have enjoyed since. I don't regret my decision one bit, it's been a grand adventure. However, when does adventure end and the "supposed" to do stuff start creeping back in? I don't know the answer to that, but I am having my suspicions which is kind of scary if you think about it. You see I'm a dreamer, and dreamers, well, we dream. And sometimes, those things we think are holding us somewhere, well, they're not holding us at all. We're holding us by being afraid of chasing the dream. We're not failures if we don't achieve them, we are chicken shit if we don't even try to chase them. Let the chase being, cause there ain't nothing holding me back. Second star on the right, and straight on till morning.

2006-12-03T16:52:00.000-05:00

Medical Lesson

So recently I've noticed that I must intake more fluids to ward off dehydration than I had to when I was younger. I find myself battling the symptoms for 2 to 3 days after playing hockey. Granted I skate and play hockey quite a bit, so I am battling dehydration most of the time. Which is why, I have cut back on alcholol conspumption to the very rare occasion.
Now I know all about the needs to hydrate properly. You see I've been through hell weeks in the August suns of two-a-days in football when the mercury topped 90 and humidity was at 90%, and I wrestled for a long time. Both scenarios taught the importance of proper hydration.
Back then water and Gatorade where the main staples and they still are. However, there is a ton research out there and a lot of other choices in the form of energy drinks, which though tasty, are pretty much liquid sugar and speed.
So what am I to do with all these choices. Do I grab water, gatorade, powerade, juice, milk, chocolate milk, energy drink, a certain mix of them all?
Well, lucky for me I just read something interesting. Chocolate milk when injested after a workout actually helps the body. So there is an option. Water is always good as are sports drinks like powerade and gatorade. Energy drinks, though giving a sugar boost, don't help the body recover or replenish fluids.
This leads to the Seven Rules of Hydration:
Seven Rules of Hydration

1. The rate of passage of water from your stomach into your small intestine depends on how much fluid is actually in your stomach. If there is lots of water there, fluid flow from stomach to intestine is like a springtime flood; if there is little water, the movement resembles a lightly dripping tap. Therefore, to increase stomach-intestinal flow (and overall absorption of water) you need to deposit a fair amount of liquid in your stomach just before you begin your exercise. In fact, 10-12 ounces of fluid is a good start. This will feel uncomfortable at first, so practise funneling this amount of beverage into your "tank" several times before an actual competition.

2. To sustain a rapid movement of fluid into your small intestine during your exertions, take three to four sips of beverage every 10 minutes if possible, or five to six swallows every 15 minutes.

3. If you are going to be exercising for less than 60 minutes, do not worry about including
carbohydrate in your drink; plain water is fine. For more prolonged efforts, however, you will want the carbohydrate.

4. Years of research have suggested that the correct concentration of carbohydrate in your drink is about 5 to 7%. Most commercial sports drinks fall within this range, and you can make your own 6% drink by mixing five tablespoons of table sugar with each litre of water that you use. A bit of sodium boosts absorption; one-third teaspoon of salt per litre of water is about right. Although 5 to 7% carbohydrate solutions seem to work best for most individuals, there is evidence that some endurance athletes can fare better with higher concentrations. In research carried out at Liverpool John Moores University, for example, cyclists who ingested a 15% maltodextrin solution improved their endurance by 30 per cent compared to individuals who used a 5% glucose drink. The 15% drink also drained from the stomach as quickly as the 5% one, though many other studies have linked such concentrated drinks with a slowdown in water movement.

5. A 6% "simple sugar" drink will empty from your stomach at about the same rate as a fancy 6% "glucose polymer" beverage, so don't fall for the idea that the latter can boost water absorption or enhance your performance more than the former, and don't pay more for the glucose-polymer concoction.

6. Contrary to what you've heard, cold drinks aren't absorbed into your body more quickly than warm ones. However, cold drinks are often more palatable than warm ones during exercise, so if coldness helps you to drink large quantities of fluid while you exert yourself, then keep your drinks cool.

7. Swilling drinks during exercise does NOT increase your risk of digestive-system problems. In actuality, most gut disorders that arise during exercise are caused by dehydration, not from taking in fluid. Dehydration induces nausea and discomfort by reducing blood flow to the digestive system, so by all means keep drinking!

It is funny, my hydration strategy isn't all that different than it was when I wrestled back in the day and was getting thrwon by Nate Carr and John Smith (they're Olympic medalists and both kicked my ass in high school...they had already won Olympics medals when I got thrown around by them). But it does differ quite a bit too. It's not a before, after, during practice thing anymore, it's a 24/7/365 thing now.

2006-11-26T15:56:00.000-05:00

Cuckholds in Austin

Ah the wonderful things I am reminded of when watching JAG. I just finished watching three episodes from season 1, and I must admit that I do find the character of Lt. JG. Meg Austin to be much better than than the early seasons of Mac. Anyway, I was reminded about what the hook'em horns hand sign means in Europe. How I had let this slip my mind is beyond me? It means that one is a cuckhold.

"Cuckold" is derived from the Old French for the Cuckoo bird, "Cocu" with the pejorative suffix -ald. The earliest written use of the Middle English derivation, “cokewold” occurs in 1250. The females of certain varieties of Cuckoo lay their eggs in other bird’s nests, freeing themselves from the need to nurture the eggs to hatching. In middle age Europe, the law, custom, and the church all defined married women as a category of property held by her husband. Although Christian marriage vows strictly enjoined sexual exclusivity in a marriage for both partners, custom and doctrine rarely enforced it on the husband. A married woman who was unfaithful to her vows made a “cuckoo” of the husband who unknowingly provided her, and potentially her illegitimate offspring, with shelter and protection as a tricked bird does to the cuckoo’s eggs.
A nuance of the word often overlooked in contemporary usage is that it refers to a man who, like the bird warming the cuckoo’s eggs, is unaware of his victimization. A man who knows and acquiesced, in his wife’s taking of another lover is called a “wittol,” itself a derivation from the Middle English for “willing (as in knowing) cuckold.” In recent years the word “cuckold,” and its 1589 verb form “cuckolding” have been used to describe various forms of “open” or non-monogamous marriage arrangements that include an element of sado-masochism. “Wittol,” which more exactly describes the males in these situations, has become increasingly rare, although it appears in American and English literature as recently as 1950s.

A currently popular slang extension of the definition of cuckold expands it from married men to any male in a dating or domestic relationship with a woman in which he remains exclusive and she does not. This is the result of the jocular extension of the word "married" to describe paired-up couples in general rather than just those who have official legal sanction. This new usage may also reflect the paucity of established words that describe the variety of alternative sexual and romantic arrangements that have proliferated in recent years.

Cuckolds are sometimes written of as "wearing the horns of a cuckold" or just "wearing the horns". This refers to a tradition claiming that in villages of unknown European location, the community would gather to collectively humiliate a man whose wife gives birth to a child recognizably not his own. According to this legend, a parade is held in which the hapless husband is forced to wear antlers on his head as a symbol of his wife’s infidelity. Whether this actually happened or not is irrelevant to the phrase, which survived.

Ca. 1815 French satire on cuckoldry, which shows both men and women wearing horns
The French equivalent of "wearing horns" is "porter des cornes" and is used by Molière to describe someone whose husband has been unfaithful. Moliere's L'École des Femmes (1662) is the story of a man who mocks cuckolds and becomes one at the end. In Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (c.1372-77), the Miller's Tale is a story that humorously examines the life of a cuckold. (It is a personal favorite of mine in that collection of short stories).

In Russia, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Brazil and Spanish-speaking countries, "horns" are a metaphor for suffering the infidelity of a partner, not limited to husbands in modern usage. However, the use of the term dates from the Roman empire, since legionaries returning from the war were given horns as a triumph or prize. So, the use of the term is a mockery of the husband, victorious in the battlefield, but defeated in his own bed. The gesture of the horned hand can be used to insult the cuckold; the Italian translation, cornuto literally means horned (This sometimes causes confusion in Italians who are learning English and encounter the word horny). The Spanish word for a consenting cuckold, cabrón, has such an offensive nuance that it is a taboo word rarely used with its original meaning, "he-goat". However, according to the tone and the relation to the addressed, it can be even laudatory.

So keep throwing up horns oh you folks in Austin and I'll keep this in mind and laughing my ass off at you bunch of cuckholds.

2006-11-25T19:13:00.000-05:00

2006-11-23T22:35:00.000-05:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

also...please join me in my protest against commercials that use the sound of an alarm clock at higher than normal volume to try to get my attention to go out shopping early tomorrow. I have a long weekend ahead of me, I DO NOT want to hear the sound of an alarm clock until Monday morning. It's uncouth to subject me to such things. Those companies using them are making my list and NOT getting my money.

2006-11-21T22:52:00.000-05:00

Call the men with the straight jackets, I think I've gone off the deep end. I have been lead to a decision that will shock those who know me best. I've gone an done the unthinkable action that will change my life immediately in the near future. I have no regrets, I know something better will come of this, I just hope you will all understand and help me get through the difficult times that lie ahead. I will be moody, emotional, and saddened, but extrememly joyful. I must move on to the next stage of my life. It's been great, it's been fun, and I will miss what I am leaving behind with a strong desire to return to it. Maybe someday I will, but now I must say goodbye.

Yes it's very true. I am moving on. I have decided to give up my Aggie baseball season tickets this spring. This will allow me to focus on more important things that need my attention. You see, there are more important things than baseball. Come now men with the straght jackets, I await you.

2006-11-18T21:05:00.000-05:00

Lot's of football today and there are still games being played. I could talk about the drama, I could talk about the BCS, I could talk about a lot of things in big games. However, it is something from a not so big game that I want to write about tonight. Notre Dame, national pwerhouse, played Army today. As expected the Fighting Irish prevailed as they tuned up for the game next week against USC.

The game itself is an afterthought tonight as I witnessed a great moment after the game. At the game's conclusions the Army football team went over to their student section (the game was at Notre Dame) and assembled for the singing of the West Point alma mater as they do after every game win or lose. Following the Army team over to that corned or the stadium was the entire Notre Dame football team. In a sign of great respect the Notre Dame team stood at attention behind the West Point team as the West Point alma mater was played. Notre Dame stadium was quiet as this happened. After the West Point band had finished the Irish went over to their student section for the Notre Dame fight song and the alma mater. The Black Knights of Army, followed them, repaying the sign of respect the Irish had shown.

It is in these moments that all the glitz and glamour are lost. It is in these moments that the big time bussiness that is Division I college football is forgotten. It is in these moments that the game becomes just that, a game. Young men who just moments earlier where competing in one of the most physicial sports their schools offer were showing their mutual respect for each other. As I understand it, Notre Dame did the same last year against Navy and Coach Weiss wishes to continue this tradition as long as he is coaching there. You see, the military academies are true teams of student athletes, none of them are on scholarship for athletics. All of them must go through the required training for their service academy and also balance football (or whatever sport they play) in addition to their studies.

What I saw tonight, were young men playing a game they love on both sides of the field. However, with Army it is special. I could not help but think that come May the seniors on the West Point squad will be joining the officer corps of the US Army as 2nd. Lts. Some of these kids will probably be sent to combat zones and some of those may not comeback alive. So for on a cool, crisp autumn night they played a game against the might Irish of Notre Dame and were soundly thumped yet were shown ultimate respect by their opponent and the Irish fans.

On a personal note, many of you may not know that West Point was one of a small list of schools that had mentioned giving me a shot to play football for them while I was doing the whole collge search thing back in high school (also on the list were Brown, Springfield, RPI, WPI, Cornell, and Richmond). I never played ball after high school and graduated with a B.S. in 2000. I somtimes in the years in between have wondered "what if I had gone to the Point?" I don't regret things, given the changes in the world, had I gone there I might not be writing this now, but I also know many of my peers have paid the ultimate price and I doubt they had regrets either. I respect the men and women from the Poin, all out services academies, and all who are in the military. Tonight, on a national stage, on live tv across the country and around the world, I was bursting with joy to see that respect, shared by others, shown to a special group of athletes. If only it were done more often at every venue the men and women of our service academies partake in sport.

Tonight on a crisp, fall night in South Bend, Indiana. The game took a back seat to something more important, and that my friends was a moment that was truly the best of the evening in all of college football.

By the way, if you all are wondering how close I was to going to the Point. My decision came down to Boston U and RPI, but the career test I took earlier in my college search for possible ways to go at the Point and in the Army, well the top 2 were Special Forces-Combat Engineer and Intelligence Analyst and for giggles I recently retook that test and added my educational info...same two topped the list. Go figure.

2006-11-14T22:29:00.000-05:00

Famous for popular songs like "Margaritaville," Jimmy Buffett, responded to the suggestion that he might be the world's greatest party person. "I was! I had a great time! Then people start dying, you know. And having nervous breakdowns. And then you go, 'Wait a minute here'" (Rolling Stone, 1996). His comments, of course, are familiar: death, disease and tragedy bring us all up short. But the timing is interesting. Suddenly, at this late date, we say to ourselves: "People are dying and having nervous breakdowns." "People" here seems to mean people I know, those close to me. People I went to school with or who were in my wedding or with whom I worked or played basketball. Death, disease and tragedy only really get to us when they hit close. Ultimately even these have a tough time competing with the impact of "my" death, "my" illness, "my" personal tragedy. These really get to us. They tell us as they told Buffett, "Wait a minute here." The lesson is obvious and old but here in mid-November is as good time as any to pause. After a summer that brought some relaxation, we're back rushing about, up to our ears in deadlines. Am I shortchanging these people around me who are or will be dying, getting sick, having breakdowns? Can I put aside my work, my worries, my ambitions enough to be with husband or wife, children, friends? "Be Here Now" was the title a sixties guru gave to his book celebrating an insight he derived from Buddhism. However we come to it, we need to "be here now."
-- Don Talafous OSB

To often I find myself wondering about things in the future. When will the Sox open the season and where (April, in Arlington), what can I anticpate to happen in the office tomorrow regarding my projects and how will I handle these situations (I actually do this almost every night and it is helpful), if I make this decision what will other think of me, what are the consequences of my actions, who are the Patriots playing this week...why is the defensive scheme not working, why do the Bruins suck, what time is the RPI hockey game scheduled for internet broadcast. So many thoughts, so many examples in my life of not being here now.

How can we refocus ourselves to shed off all these distractions and be here now? It is different for everyone and I can only speak for myself. I find prayer to be one of the simplest ways to acheive this goal. Whether it is praying the rosary and reflecting on it's mysteries of Christ's life, praying before the Blessed Sacrament in adoration of our Lord, or going to Mass on a regular basis and just reading Scripture and contemplating about what it is teaching and praying to the Holy Spirit for wisdom to incoporate more perfectly into my daily life. As a Catholic, I feel so blessed to be able to go Mass daily should I feel drawn to do so, being able to enter in heaven on earth is truly the center of the Catholic faith and to be able to that daily is simply awesome. One of the other great things about the Catholic faith is that(save for local feast days and priestly ordination anniversaries) I can know fully what readings from Scripture will be read and preached about and I know with confidence that even the leas educated, the illiterate, will here the whole of the Bible read in the Church over a three year cycle if they go everyday. I can't express the sadness I feel knowing that the same can not always be found in the church's of my nonCatholic brothers and sisters. Some of them my attend one church their entire life and never hear the whole of Scripture read (in that statement I do not include the books removed by the early "reformers" that are included in the "Catholic Bible"). Alas, though, I am off track.

Another way to be here now comes no further than looking at everyone I encounter. We are all made in God's image and because Christ is God we are all created in the image of Christ. In everyone we encounter, we must remember that in them we encounter a bit of Christ regardless of race, sex, or creed. Think about that. I know I struggle with remembering that and must constantly remind myself of such. Love thy neighbor as thyself, but we must remember that the answer to the question "Who is our neighbor?" is simply "Everyone."

So what do we do then? We go forth and we serve one another. If someone is an unbeliever, we serve them. If someone if gay, we serve them. If someone if a murderer, we serve them, if someone if a rapist, we serve them. We may not be able to serve them all the same way, but we serve them none the less. Not to convert them, not to do anything else other than serve the image of Christ within them. No one on this planet can convert anyone, that is the work of the Holy Spirit. As St. Francis of Assisi is quoted to have said "Let us preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words." So let us be here now, and leave the rest to God's hands and His plans.

Father, in your goodness grant me the intellect to comprehend you, the perception to discern you, and the reason to appreciate you. In your kindness endow me with the diligence to look for you, the wisdom to discover you, and the spirit to apprehend you. In your graciousness bestow on me a heart to contemplate you, ears to hear you, eyes to see you, and a tongue to speak of you. In your mercy confer on me a conversation pleasing to you, the patience to wait for you, and the perseverance to long for you. Grant me a perfect end - your holy presence. Amen.
Saint Benedict of Nursia

St. Benedict of Nursia and St. Francis of Assisi pray for us.

2006-11-11T03:00:00.000-05:00

"Here Rests In Honored Glory An American Soldier Known But To God"

2006-11-10T22:32:00.000-05:00

For What It's Worth

You know Bunky, the world has gone upside down when Rutgers is undefeated in football and just knocked off the number 3 team in the country.

So, is an undefeated football team from a so called "weaker" conference less deserving of a shot at the MNC than a one loss team from "strong" conference.

Five turnovers and only lose by 7. Don't tell me the Colts aren't worried about seeing New England again, even if it is in the dome.

Foulke you? We hardly knew ya. Enjoy working at Burger King Keith.

Dale Jr. has worked his way up to third in the Chase for the Nextel Cup. With 2 races to go he needs to make a move and be within 20 or 30 going to Miami.

Memo to RCR, now is not the time to be trying to get some extra hp out of your engines.

Note to RCR 2: retiring the colors or waiting for the son to come over and run them? The 29 will look funny in yellow.

I caught an old Star Trek episode the other night because I could not sleep, funny how much we've passed by even a 1960s version of the future in about 50 years.

The Dem's have Congress, the Republicans still have the White House. Stalemate and good government at it's best. Nothing can get done which means no one get's screwed.

Except the middle class of course.

Bunky, a certain hockey player had another goal last Monday and great looks at a few other shots. Should he send his game tapes to Mt. St. Charles or Catholic Memorial yet, or just BC High?

RPI Men's Hockey, 18th in the Nation. Haven't seen that in a long time.

So did you hear the one about the Halloween Mass in a certain Orange County Church, one of the ministers of communion was in costume as.....the Devil. Bishop Mahoney retires when?

Dr. Gates, we know where you'll work. Gig'em Gates!

Naked Gun 2 1/2, a classic movie I haven't seen in a long time. I don't speak French, but I do kiss that way.

Senator Chafee, Godspeed my friend. Run for governor in 2010.

He ain't Kinky and he's not our Governor!

"This food we call the Eucharist, of which no one is allowed to partake except one who believes that the things we teach are true, and has received the washing for forgiveness of sins and for rebirth, and who lives as Christ handed down to us. For we do not receive these things as common bread or common drink; but as Jesus Christ our Savior being incarnate by God's Word took flesh and blood for our salvation, so also we have been taught that the food consecrated by the Word of prayer which comes from him, from which our flesh and blood are nourished by transformation, is the flesh and blood of that incarnate Jesus."- St. Justin Martyr, 2nd Century

St. Francis de Sales pray for us.

2006-10-31T23:31:00.000-05:00

The Circle "g" Is Back

2006-10-31T20:51:00.000-05:00

November 1: The Solemnity of All Saints
November 2: The Solemnity of All Souls

Which means...dust off the Litany of the Saints! Probably the most beautiful hymn in all of Christendom. I actually have saved on my computer an 18 minute version of the Litany of the Saints. However, I will share another, shorter arrangement from Youtube of this wonderful Litany. Enjoy! And may all the Saints pray for the Church here on earth, that we may one day set aside our differences and once again be the physical oneness that we are called to be. May God's grace grant the soul's of the departed eternal rest.

2006-10-28T21:09:00.000-04:00

A Multitasking For What It's Worth

I'm multitasking this edtion of For What It's Worth. I have the radio tuned to the Texas A&M v. Baylor football game, the TV is on and muted with the Techtards v. t-sips game.

Congratulations to the St. Louis Cardinals, the 2006 World Champions of baseball.

No Excuses by Notre Dame Head Coach Charlie Weiss is a good read.

November 1....I'll be a Sam's Club for lunch..it's all about the circle g.

We're still winless this fall hockey season, but we're only losing by 1 or 2 goals. Last week was the first OT shootout in league history. We lost 5-4, losing the shootout 1-0.

I've got all my paperwork in order for the PE exam in April. Fun stuff I tell you!

I need a better hydration system for hockey, I spend the next two days after a game or after a Friday skate around being very dehydrated.

Starbucks Hot Caramel Apple Cider is a guilty pleasure and a low cal alternative to their hot chocolate.

I am also enjoying Season 1 of JAG on DVD.

Double B's new live album is fantastic. Her voice on JT's "Fire and Rain" is sweetness.

Don't look now the Patriots are 5-1 and the Ag's are already Bowl Eligible at 7-1 going into tonight's game.

USC lost today. Notre Dame won. And Boise St. got a boost in the BCS. Interesting that a 1 loss team may be voted to the National Championship game, or even more, an undefeated team from a weak conference may sneak in over a 1 lost team from a better conference.

Rutgers....where did they come from?

That's all I got for now. Ciao!