Wednesday, March 28, 2007

A Catholic Life: Mexico City: Will it allow abortion?

A Catholic Life: Mexico City: Will it allow abortion?

Well, it looks like we have to bring another terrible situation to prayer again as right after Portugal is legalizing abortion, now Mexico City is in the race. A sickening 14 week allowance for abortion! Please, if your reading this I beg you to take a moment right now and pray that God would not allow for Mexico City to legalize the killing of innocent children! Evil will prevail if good men do nothing!

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on us, and on the whole world!
Our Lady of Guadalupe pray for us!

You may be Suffering from Pride if at least one of the following apply to you...


1. To think that what one says or does is better than what others say or do

2. To always to want to get your own way

3. To argue with stubbornness and bad manners whether you are right or wrong

4. To give your opinion when it has not been requested or when charity does not demand it

5. To look down on another's point of view

6. Not to look on your gifts and abilities as lent

7. Not to recognize that you are unworthy of all honors and esteem, not even of the earth you walk on and things you possess

8. To use yourself as an example in conversations

9. To speak badly of yourself so that others will think well of you or contradict you

10. To excuse yourself when you are corrected

11. To hide humiliating faults from your spiritual director, so that he will not change the impression he has of you

12. To take pleasure in praise and compliments

13. To be saddened because others are held in higher esteem

14. To refuse to perform inferior tasks

15. To seek to stand out

16. To refer in conversation to your honesty, genius, dexterity, or professional prestige

17. To be ashamed because you lack certain goods


From the Writings of Bl. Josemaria Escriva

Movie Review: Facing the Giants


Now that First Communion class is over, I am back helping at St. Micheal's boy's club which is a club for young men (ages about 7-15). Tonight, after praying the Holy Rosary we watched a movie called "Facing the Giants". Although this movie is Protestant, it has a great message and it is well done. The movie is about a football coach who is committed to God although financially poor, and is determined to help his team not only progress in football, but in the their relationship with God. He is tough but encouraging. As a side to the story, him and his wife wish dearly to be blessed with a child but they have not been able conceive. Watch as this coach draws these young athletes to Christ and to victory. This movie is inspiring and is a great movie for a family time and discussion.

5 Star match up...

Acting: 4 stars

Entertainment: 3 stars

Sexual content: None. 5 stars

Violent content: None. 5 stars

Language content: None. 5 stars

Other immoral content: None. 5 stars

Overall impression: Although Protestant, I found nothing anti-Catholic, but it does have an inspiring message and is a must see!

Overall rating: 4.5 stars


BTW, a site I use to find what movies are good enough to watch is Plugged In run by Focus on the Family. This site is a Protestant site, but is generally not anti-Catholic and lays down great standards for the movies. It will tell you exactly the bad stuff found in films and also an overall impression. Check it out!

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Dear Catholic Warrior...

Q. "My daughter is 18 and just now graduating from High school. In her junior year she had a confirmation sponsor who was male and 6 yrs her senior (she was 17 and he was 23. He is a devout and wonderful Catholic who taught apologetics at our Church. During that year they fell in love. They did not date then, but when she turned 18 they did. Her father and I and both of them had a long talk (they asked permission) and since he had had such a profound spirtual influence on her and I trusted him, we said yes. He has just graduated from college and lives in another town but visits frequently. The problem is that his family is totally against this. (one of his sisters is in my daughter's class and hates it) His mother thinks that I am awful for allowing them to date and I know that he must not tell them when he sees my daughter. The age doesn't bother me so much because I know and trust him so well, but his family believes that this is wrong. He says there is nothing in Catholic theology that prevents this because of age as long as both are adults. Like I said, they didn't "date" during the confirmation process.Is it wrong and what should he do?"

A. I want to start out by saying that I don't feel very qualified to answer this question as it doesn't have much to do with Catholic teaching per say, and that I don't have more information, but I'll do my best to answer.
First of all, I must agree with the young man involved here that there is nothing in Catholic teaching that opposes marriage just because he is six years older. In fact, I happen to know one good Catholic family where the couple is ten years apart.
So let's look at the pros and cons of this situation. First the pros: Both the young lady (your daughter) and young man appear to be in good Catholic standing and since they are both Catholic, should they marry, they would be able to support each other in their Faith and be in the same boat. This is a healthy situation. Another pro seems to be that this young man was responsible in starting this relationship by asking his girlfriend's parents permission to date. That is a rare and responsible action that is not normally seen today. Also, now that your daughter is 18, she is considered a young adult and is responsible for her actions, though that doesn't mean you parents don't have any say--especially while she is living at home.
Let's look at the cons now--really, I see only one. That is the situation with the man's family not being accepting of this relationship. It seems to me that they consider it wrong because of age, or perhaps of personal dislike, or wishing their son to pursue a different lady. I am guessing it's mostly the first. In that case, though I don't know if they're Catholic, it is necessary that there be communication between this young man and his parents. Let him talk to them if he has not already, and try to explain to them why he is pursuing this relationship and also that the Church doesn't forbid it. Also, if this man is living at home in his parents house, he should should be honoring of their wishes, and be communicative as to his happenings. The fourth commandment of "honor thy father and mother" here seems to be the issue. Although, his parents cannot decide what his vocation is (only God can), he should to the best of his ability be honoring towards them and to try to bring reconciliation and peace in the relationship.
What is important in any vocation is an openness to the Will of God. What does God want me to do? Does God want me in this situation? These are the questions that must be prayed through and each one in the relationship must make sure they are totally unselfish and open to what God wants for them.
I suggest getting a spiritual director if you don't already have one and you can discuss this situation with him more and give some more specifics. I hope my two cent worth was helpful! God Bless! ---The Catholic Warrior

Monday, March 19, 2007

Dear Catholic Warrior....
Q. "I have been told that since we are absolved of our sins during the mass that one may always go to communion (if you are a Catholic in good standing of course) So I wonder what is the need for personal confession if one does not have mortal sin on their soul?"
A. Although it is true that within the Mass, if we are sorry for our sins, then our venial sins are forgiven, mortal sins can only be forgiven within the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) or with a perfect act of contrition. A perfect act of contrition is where we are sorry for our sins because the sin offends God, Whom we love above all things for His own sake, and not because we fear punishment (e.g. Hell). However, even if we make a perfect act of contrition it is necessary for us to go to Confession as soon as possible so as to obey Christ by confessing our sins, and to ensure that we have been forgiven. So, mortal sins are not absolved during the Mass, and one cannot receive Holy Communion until all mortal sins have been confessed, to the best of the individual's knowledge. So let's get to your question: "what is the need for personal confession if one does not have mortal sin on their soul?"
To understand this you must know that Confession serves more than just the function of forgiving sins. Yes, that is the fundamental and most important part of the Sacrament, but it is not the only result that will occur from receiving it. When we go to Confession, not only are our sins forgiven, but we receive help to overcome those sins, to keep in a state of grace, and to grow in virtue. In a word it's called grace. Confession therefore is twofold---it forgives (helping us get up), and it helps us to sin no more (helps us to move forward in our life with Christ).
So, we go to Confession not only to receive the forgiveness that Christ offers us, but to help us to follow Christ more closely. That is one reason it is important to go to Confession frequently even if you only have "small" sins.
Here's another reason. We tend to not understand how dangerous venial sins are. Satan will generally always start small in a person's life to corrupt him. Usually you don't see children committing huge sins but rather small ones. But that is the way the big sins can enter eventually. We do a small sin enough times and eventually it becomes quite easy for us to do bigger and bigger sins, until we finally give into the mortal (deadly) sins. They are called mortal sins because we no longer have life with Christ until they are forgiven.
Perhaps the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains it best as to the value of confessing even our venial sins:
"Without being strictly necessary, confession of everyday faults (venial sins) is nevertheless strongly recommended by the Church. Indeed the regular confession of our venial sins helps us form our conscience, fight against evil tendencies, let ourselves be healed by Christ and progress in the life of the Spirit. By receiving more frequently through this sacrament the gift of the Father's mercy, we are spurred to be merciful as he is merciful:" (CCC #1458)
Hope that helped!
---The Catholic Warrior (PBXVI)

Sunday, March 18, 2007


There's no such thing as a stupid question....


Have you also heard: "Don't believe everything you read."? Yeah, believe me, you could ask some dumb questions. But if you are asking about something related to the Catholic Faith, then please ask away. I have seen a number of Google searches that have had questions about the Catholic Faith, but please feel free if you ever have a question come up, to ask me. If I don't know the answer off hand I will go to other trustworthy sources for the answer. I want the comment box below to be dedicated to ANY QUESTIONS you have ABOUT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH or anything related with religion. Answers will be posted on the blog usually within 48 hours. Remember you can always comment as anonymous. God Bless!
It all started with a prayer book request....

And it turned into a new apostolate! I am so excited! Today I called the lady who is the head of the Altar Servers, and is the lady that asked me to get some prayer books. I told her that they arrived and that I thought it would be a good idea to have a meeting with the servers to tell them how we are going to use these. She agreed, and is allowing me to organize this meeting. More importantly, she is allowing me to meet monthly if desired with the Altar Servers to have meetings discussing changes in serving the Mass, religious education, and just having some fun (which will get them to come.)! This is exciting as this is a great way to catechize the youth beyond just First Confession and First Communion classes! Please pray for me as I try to head and organize this, as there will eminent obstacles. Also, if any of you guys have suggestions as to making this a success, or have been involved with an Altar Boy society or something please drop a note in the comment box! Thanks!


Thursday, March 15, 2007


Via A Catholic Life


Portugal Legalizes Abortion



Portugal's Parliament has just voted and liberalized the abortion law: now "the new law will set no restrictions on women seeking to end their pregnancies up until the 10th week, though it does require a mandatory three-day reflection period before an abortion will be performed" (Christian Post)


I didn't hear that this already took place. My heart weeps for the unborn children that will never be born, for those lives which will end only too soon, and for those left behind. Continue to pray for and end to abortion and for the repentance and healing of all who have committed this sin! Lord deliver us from all evil and forgive us for the sins we have committed against You!


C'mon Eve! You can't say the apple's bad until you've had it!


Many people today believe that to judge something to be good or bad they must try it for themselves first. After doing the action they can then decide weather it was good or bad and weather it is worth doing over again. I told someone once that marijuana was wrong, for example, yet they told me that I could not know since I had not tried it before. Hmmm. An interesting perspective, yet definitely a wrong mindset and philosophy. We must be willing to listen to others and the knowledge they have obtained previously. Though man may sometimes be wrong, we must listen to what God tells us and TRUST in Him that whatever He is telling us is for the better. God is all knowing, and therefore we have nothing to fear.

Think about it this way. Someone dares you to pick up a king cobra snake and play with it for awhile. Would you do it? Probably not (though I now there's a few stupid folks that would!). Why wouldn't you do this? Because you know that this snake is poisonous and dangerous and could kill you. How do you know this? Have you handled a cobra before? Probably not, yet you know it is Poisonous and dangerous because scientist have done research and people know who have gotten bit know that this snake is deadly. You trust them. Why? Because mentally sane people can trust trustworthy people.

This applies to many things in life. A priest or counselor, for example, can counsel people getting married even though he is not and never was married, because he has studied marriage and understands human principals. He doesn't need to experience it. How about someone that says you should see a certain movie you have read negative reviews about. They tell you that you can't say it's bad because you haven't seen it. But they're wrong because you can trust other trustworthy sources without experiencing it yourself.

Now sometimes we come to crossroads in our lives where we must decide to do things our way or God's way. We have not done our way before so we think we should at least try it to decide. But remember, God already knows what's down that road and doesn't want you to go down that road for a reason. Wow! When it comes to trusting in God it can really be difficult! Can you trust anyone besides yourself?

Wednesday, March 14, 2007


Urgent Prayer Request!


I ask that if you are reading this right now to please pause in a moment of prayer to pray for my uncle Lynn (my mom's brother) who has recently suffered a heart attack. He is not a Christian and he needs your prayers. My mom was quite upset to hear the news obviously as she has already had one brother die. Pray that he would recover completely and for his conversion.

Monday, March 12, 2007


CONCLUSION OF DIOCESAN STAGE OF JOHN PAUL II'S CAUSE

VATICAN CITY, MAR 10, 2007 (VIS) - In the basilica of St. John Lateran, on Monday April 2, the second anniversary of the death of John Paul II, the closing session will be held of the diocesan investigation into the life, virtues and fame of sanctity of the late pontiff.

Having received notification from the postulator of John Paul II's cause of beatification and canonization, Fr. Slawomir Oder, Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the Holy Father's vicar general for the diocese of Rome, announced the news in a letter addressed to the priests, deacons, male and female religious and laity of the city.

The opening session of the diocesan investigation was held in the same basilica on June 28, 2005, less than three months after John Paul II's death, after Benedict XVI waived the normal waiting period of five years after the death of a Servant of God.

The diocesan investigation over, the acts and documents will now pass to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, where all the material will be studied.
.../BEATIFICATION JOHN PAUL II/... VIS 070312 (190)

Here it is!!!


Thanks to Esther, I went to Fatima Family Apostolate's website and found this wonderful prayer book for young Catholics that I mentioned I need earlier for our Altar Servers. I ordered five of these books and they arrived today. They are filled with tons of wonderful prayers and extra things like an Examination of Conscious, How to Pray the Rosary, a section on the basics of the Catholic Faith and much more! I plan on having meetings with the Altar Servers to discuss the use of these prayer books for after Holy Communion and to start catechizing these children. I think this book is a perfect way to do that! This prayer book is a MUST for every Catholic child!

Get your own here.
Prayer for After Holy Communion/to convert Poor Sinners
Jesus, You are with me. You are in me. My soul is now Your home. How can I ever love You enough for coming to me like this? I want to love You and everyone. I want always to be holy like You. I want to ask the Immaculate Heart of Your Mother, Mary, and my spiritual Mother, to pray for poor sinners. Convert them and save them from hell. Amen.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

After seeing some blogs that have signs saying they love the Traditional Latin Mass I thought it would be good to have one saying something positive about the "Novus Ordo" Mass, or the Mass of Paul VI. Now please don't get me wrong--- I do love the Tridentine Mass, but I also love the Novus Ordo because in this Mass is the same awesome Sacrifice and the same Christ made present to us in the Most Holy Eucharist! But there is a pressing and valid question that many have asked--- If the Novus Ordo Mass is good, then why is the Church in such a state of chaos? Why are there so many abuses that take place in so many of the Masses?
Many people have tried to answer these questions, and some have decided that the Novus Ordo is evil and should be completely avoided. They have broken away from the Church and try to term themselves "Traditional" Catholics, when in reality they are not even fit to call themselves Catholic and should rather be called "Protestant" (From the word 'Protesting"). This is a wrong approach to the recognized state of chaos the Church is presently in.
Other people have have taken the opposite road and are really one of the major cause of the present state in the Church. These are the people who would like to live a certain way and therefore push their religion to fit their life styles. They want abortion and contraceptives so they convince people that these are OK things and that you can still be Catholic. They try to make the Mass more of a "performance" rather than a Sacrifice and ceremony as it is in reality. They draw emphasize away from God and onto the people so they do not have to come to terms with their Creator and Judge. This is also a wrong approach as it is a rebellion to the Church and to God. It is placing worship on "me" rather than on Him.
So what approach should we take? And how do we answer that original question as to why the Church and many Masses taking place are in a state of confusion? First of all, since the Novus Ordo Mass was instituted by Pope Paul VI, and the Magisterium has put forth the Mass in this form of Ceremony, then it cannot be said to be false or wrong by Catholics. The simple matter of fact is that unless you deny the authority that Christ gave to Peter and that has been Apostolically passed down from Pope to Pope, then you must believe that the Novus Ordo is OK. Now, you don't have to like it. I sympathize with those people who have been so worn out from the abuse done at Novus Ordo Masses that they only wish to attend the Tridentine Mass. I understand how sickening it is. But the Novus Ordo is NOT evil. The abuse done to it is evil! I think that so many people have not seen a Novus Ordo Mass done without abuse and therefore they cannot appreciate the beauty that it truly possesses. I highly recommend going to a Mass said by the Legionaries of Christ, or watching EWTN to see how beautiful the Novus Ordo Mass really is. The Novus Ordo is not evil, but the abuse is!!! Please pray that the Church would be rid of the terrible abuses man has put into the Holy Mass!

Monday, March 05, 2007


Lenten Tip #2


Don't just preach your Faith, but practice it!!! This is especially true for us bloggers! Our life of Faith is dead without our works to testify to it. Remember that when we practice our Faith we proclaim and witness to the Gospel loudly. Actions speak louder than words (though sometimes words are necessary)...


"My brothers, what good is it to profess faith without practicing it? Such faith has no power to save one, has it? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and no food for the day, and you say to them, 'Good-bye and good luck! Keep warm and well fed,' but do not meet their bodily needs, what good is that? So it is with the faith that does nothing in practice. It is thoroughly lifeless. To such a person one might say, 'You have faith and I have works-is that it?' Show me your faith without works, and I will show you the faith that underlies my works!" (James 2:14-18, taken from Christian Prayer pg.276)

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Coming This April........
Not wishing to put out the discussion on marijuana, and yet my life being very busy, I will on April 1st (God willing) blog another post on marijuana and open the comment box for a discussion/debate on the topic. Read my previous posts to start thinking and getting ready!!!
God Bless the Curt Jester
Check out his banner!!! His site is getting better all the time!

Saturday, March 03, 2007


If He's Good Enough for Jesus, Then He's Good Enough for Me!


March is traditionally dedicated to St. Joseph the foster father of Jesus. I have recently come across the Seven Sorrows/Joys of St. Joseph which I had never heard of before, but have found very beautiful. Perhaps you can increase your devotion in some way to this saint that is so often forgotten but is not unimportant. He is the patron saint of the Universal Church and workers among many other things.


The Seven Sorrows/Joys of St. Joseph

(Directed in prayer to St. Joseph)

1. The sorrow of your heart to find Mary with Child / the Joy as the Mystery made known by the Angel.

2. The sorrow of not finding a suitable birthplace / The Joy as you beheld the Glories of Angels.

3. Your sorrow as you shed the First Blood of the Savior / the quiet Joy as you announced The Holy Name of Jesus to the world.

4. The prophecy of Simeon did cause you to shudder with dread / yet the Joy of the Resurrection and Salvation he also foretold.

5. The sorrow of leaving home and the fright of being pursued by those who wished Jesus dead / the Joy of having (near thee) The Savior (God Incarnate)

6. The sorrow and trepidation of returning to a land and people who would reject this Son of God (and Son of man) / the assurance of the Angel you would dwell in joy and gladness at Nazareth with Jesus and Mary.

7. The sorrow in the seeking of Jesus for three days / the Joy in finding Him teaching in the Temple.


St. Joseph, pray for us in our sorrows / in our Joys. Amen.