Monday, December 31, 2007

January 1st---HOLY DAY OF
OBLIGATION...
Stop reading blog... Go to Mass...
Enough said...

Sunday, December 30, 2007


Time versus Eternity...


I recently attended a wonderful day retreat where we heard a talk about time versus eternity. When was the last time you thought about this? When was the last time you actually took a second to realize that we are going to live forEVER somewhere (Heaven or Hell), and that our time now is nothing more than a speck in the face of eternity. In the Bible it says: "What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." (James 4:14b)

How true that is! None of us knows if Jesus will return in our lifetime, or if our lives will end very soon. Although we don't know when our lives will end, we do know that they will end.

It is interesting when people find out that they have a terminal sickness and that they will die soon. The doctor tells them "Get your house in order!". Shouldn't we always have our 'house in order'? Thank God for the sacrament of confession where we have the opportunity to clean our souls of that sin and have the chance to try again (and again)! We must be careful though to not grow slack and think we have time. Our time is very short. I don't know how much time anyone has, but in the face of eternity, all the time in the world is short.

Then also, we shouldn't simply think that if I go to confession and stay out of mortal sin then I am okay. No! God has given us our lives and the little time we have for a reason! It is our duty to help our own soul first, yes, but then we must fight very hard to help bring all souls to Christ. Evangelization!!! We are the Church militant! It is our duty to work for Christ in the vocation and mission we are called to serve right now!

Remember the story Jesus told where the servants all got some talents and they were supposed to multiply those talents before the king returned? (Matthew 25:14-30) Remember how one servant who received one talent, buried his talent to keep it safe, and upon the king's return the servant gave the one talent back. The king was furious that the servant had not even put the talent in the bank to get interest---he had done absolutely nothing beneficial with his money.

Just so, we should think of those talents as our time, our vocation, and our mission. We cannot simply stay in our little shells and keep our souls "safe". We are called to go out and bring more back for Christ! We are called to use every second the way God intends for us to use it. Personally, not wasting time is an everyday challenge. However, we really should examine our conscience to see if we have done this sin and repent of it if we are guilty. Like Benjamin Franklin once said, "Lost time is never found again.".

LOTR Voice Over

This a very pointless video, but I thought it was really funny... Sorry!!

Tuesday, December 25, 2007


Merry Christmas!!!

I wish to officially say "Merry Christmas" to all my readers! I hope that you have had a blessed Christmas so far (remember there ARE 12 days of Christmas!). I have had a wonderful day with family and going to Holy Mass! I think I've learned a lot this Advent/Christmas season. If you like, please share what you've been learning spiritually this Advent/Christmas, or just how it was! God Bless!

Sunday, December 23, 2007


Time to Vote...


Just wanted to point out to everyone that the poll is back up and running! C'mon... I know you don't want to admit (or think about) how much money you spent this year---but fess up! Or I'll send a battalion of Swiss guards after ya!




Results from the last poll indicate that in the event of a plane crash most people would try to make sure their soul is ready to meet God (versus trying to raid the food section!). We should always try our best to be prepared to face the Judgement of God! The end for us is coming at an unknown hour---LET'S GET READY!!!

Friday, December 21, 2007

Meditation Before Christmas
Stressed out about finding a last minute gift? Still didn't send the Christmas cards? Ran out of tape for the wrapping? Still getting the house ready for the guests? Worried about bad weather for traveling? ?????
It seems that Christ's coming into our world and God giving us His Son has brought a lot of stress around this time of year! Actually, no, it's NOT God who is bringing this stress---it's ourselves---it's our culture and our materialism...
Isn't it ironic that the Savior and Lord of the World was born in a poor stable on a cold night, forgotten by all but a few angels and shepherds, when our children sit on "Santa's" lap and tell him what THEY WANT for Christmas! Instead of telling Santa how they have given THEMSELVES to the Baby Jesus through acts of charity and penance, they go say "I WANT...".
The giving of material gifts should NOT be our focus this Christmas. This Christmas let's meditate on how we can really give of ourselves to God, our family, and OTHERS! Let's not focus on ourselves and our personal desires but learn to mortify ourselves and to like Christ give what is most precious---OUR VERY LIFE!
Esther from A Catholic Mom in Hawaii has a good meditation from the Imitation of Christ that I highly suggest you read and meditate on. It is very powerful!
Another BIG "Thank You"
To all of those who prayed for me while I took my ACT test. I scored a 24 which is good enough to get me accepted into the seminary/college I am interested in. Thank you Lord! (And a "thank you" to my mother in Heaven---of course!!)
And This Year's Award Goes to:


Me. Thank you Carolina from The Crescat who graciously awarded me the Ugly Vestment picture award for the category of "Mitres, Stole and More". Posted below is the picture that voters voted the ugliest! I like the caption:


LITURGICAL TERRORIST DANCE TROUPE



Thanks Carolina! That was fun!

Praystation - Playstation

Friday, December 14, 2007

Your Christmas is Most Like: A Charlie Brown Christmas

Each year, you really get into the spirit of Christmas.
Which is much more important to you than nifty presents.

Thursday, December 13, 2007


Listen to your papa!!!


I thought I'd go ahead and post a couple of good talks from our wonderful pope, Benedict XVI. Some important truths we should keep in mind. I think that Relativism is the greatest "heresy" of modern times.



COUNTER RELATIVISM WITH FUNDAMENTAL TRUTHS



"At the same time, international discussions often seem marked by a relativistic logic which would consider as the sole guarantee of peaceful coexistence between peoples a refusal to admit the truth about man and his dignity, to say nothing of the possibility of ethics based on recognition of the natural moral law. This has led, in effect, to the imposition of a notion of law and politics which ultimately makes consensus between states, ... the only real basis of international norms."

Among "the bitter fruits of this relativistic logic," the Pope mentioned "the attempt to consider as human rights the consequences of certain self-centered lifestyles; a lack of concern for the economic and social needs of the poorer nations; contempt for humanitarian law, and a selective defense of human rights."

The Holy Father expressed the hope that the Church's social doctrine may become "better known and accepted on the international level" and encouraged his listeners "to counter relativism creatively by presenting the great truths about man's innate dignity and the rights which are derived from that dignity." This, he said, "will help to advance specific initiatives marked by a spirit of solidarity and freedom.

"What is needed," Pope Benedict added, "is a spirit of solidarity conducive for promoting as a body those ethical principles which, by their very nature and their role as the basis of social life, remain non-negotiable. A spirit of solidarity imbued with a strong sense of fraternal love leads to a better appreciation of the initiatives of others and a deeper desire to cooperate with them."

"An authentic spirit of freedom, lived in solidarity, will help the initiative of the members of non-governmental organization to create a broad gamut of new approaches and solutions with regard to those temporal affairs which God has left to the free and responsible judgement of every individual. When experienced in solidarity, legitimate pluralism and diversity will lead not to division and competition, but to ever greater effectiveness."
AC/CATHOLIC NGOS/... VIS 071203 (500)
THE WORLD NEEDS OUR COMMON WITNESS TO CHRIST

VATICAN CITY, DEC 6, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience members of the joint international commission sponsored by the Baptist World Alliance and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, who are currently meeting in Rome to ponder the theme: "The Word of God in the Life of the Church: Scripture, Tradition and Koinonia."

That theme, said the Pope in his English-language address to the delegates, "offers a promising context for the examination of such historically controverted issues as the relationship between Scripture and Tradition, the understanding of Baptism and the Sacraments, the place of Mary in the communion of the Church, and the nature of ... primacy in the Church's ministerial structure.

"If our hope for reconciliation and greater fellowship between Baptists and Catholics is to be realized," he added, "issues such as these need to be faced together, in a spirit of openness, mutual respect and fidelity to the liberating truth and saving power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

"Today, as ever, the world needs our common witness to Christ and to the hope brought by the Gospel," Pope Benedict concluded. "Obedience to the Lord's will should constantly spur us, then, to strive for that unity so movingly expressed in His priestly prayer: 'that they may all be one... so that the world may believe.' For the lack of unity between Christians 'openly contradicts the will of Christ, provides a stumbling block to the world, and harms the most holy cause of proclaiming the good news to every creature'."
AC/UNITY/CATHOLICS:BAPTISTS VIS 071206 (270)

Monday, December 10, 2007

Science and God...
Recently I've been spending a considerable (that means too much) amount of time on Facebook and my seemingly disastrous boycott of the Golden Compass stuff ect.. Anyhow, one bit of good coming from all this though is that I've received some interesting messages from Facebook members, and I thought I'd share with you one such message (keeping names anonymous of course) that I received today that was interesting: "Hi, I was wondering why you believe in God with such passion when all evdience points to the contrary?"
This message was so short and straightforward (quite unusual), and well, I thought it deserved a, well, not quite so short but hopefully straightforward answer. I am posting it below and hope that you will find it beneficial!

Hey thanks for the note! I'll try to answer your question of why I believe in God when, as you said, "all evidence points to the contrary".
First I must ask what "evidence" are you talking about? If you are talking about scientific evidence then I must say it is impossible scientifically to disprove the existence of God. Why? Well, first of all, if God is the Creator of the entire universe and all that exists then He has the power to reveal Himself as much or as little as He chooses. We can't expect to examine God under a microscope. Now, of course that is assuming He exists. But how would you go about scientifically to DISproving God? It is impossible. Science cannot disprove the Loch Ness monster for example (I'm not saying I believe in this creature). Let's take that example. If scientists wanted for all time to disprove the existence of this creature then they of course would have to search the waters. However if they made a search of the whole lake and found nothing, that would NOT disprove the existence of Nessy. Why? Unless they were able to search the entire area of water ALL AT ONCE and at THE SAME TIME then they could not even come close to saying that the creature doesn't exists, as the monster can move around and go to an area already searched before. Additionally they would have to take into account that this monster could be hiding in an underwater cave that is unknown to man or is somehow greatly camouflaged etc..
Anyways, why am I talking about the Loch Ness monster? I mean, our discussion is about GOD'S existence. Well, the reason I bring this up is that I am saying there is absolutely no way for science to disprove God's existence. It is extremely difficult and nigh impossible for scientists to disproof the Loch Ness monster, so do you think that it would be possible to DISprove God? It is not. So please tell what "evidence" you are talking about, as I firmly believe that there is no "EVIDENCE" to disprove God.
Anyway, so why do I believe in God? Well, first of all, my belief in God is based off of reason. Personally, I don't understand how it is possible that anything could exist without a being that created everything. There would be only two logical positions. Either A.) Everything always existed (which is beyond our comprehension as everything we know of in the scientific world has NOT always existed). Or B.) Something came from Nothing (which is just plain stupid).
I believe that if something always existed it had to be something greater than what we could ever possibly understand. I don't believe it is "something" though but SomeBODY----God. Only something greater than we have ever discovered or "known" scientifically could've existed forever (try thinking about that for a sec---something ALWAYS having been in existence).
Also, God has revealed Himself in so many different ways it would be impossible to count them all. He has worked so many spectacular miracles (if you like I'll give you some examples) and I have found fulfillment in my life through coming know of God and Who He is.
My belief in God is not something that is tested scientifically through trying to find "god particles" or something ridiculous like that, but it does require a certain amount of faith (belief in something that you cannot totally see or comprehend). Yet, if you think about it, no matter what position you take (whether you believe in God or not) it requires FAITH. If you do not believe in God, it takes FAITH that He doesn't exists as I just stated above it is impossible to disproof God. Likewise, it takes faith to believe in God, but my faith is based on reason and I cannot imagine that there could exist a world without God.
My faith in God, I believe, is not insignificant. In other words, we might be tempted to think that whether or not God exists doesn't really matter. One might think that it doesn't effect them. However, that is not the case. If God created everything and left it at that and never revealed Himself or interacted with man then sure--I would think that God doesn't care and we have no responsibility to follow Him. However, that is NOT the case. The point is is that God has revealed Himself to man (e.g. read the Bible to see what I mean) and has laid down laws for him to obey (e.g. Ten Commandments) and also has established the Church (Matthew 16) in which to guide those who wish to follow Him. He died for us to make reparation for the punishment earned for our sins and so that we may have eternal life IF we choose to follow this God Who is Love. This God has given us His very self in His Infinite Love and demands that we respond--either to except this relationship with Him, or to reject it. The choice is ours, but it is a decision that we all must make. To reject it is to reject true Love, happiness, and peace.

I understand that from your perspective this all may be difficult to comprehend, but I ask that you at least take some time to meditate on what I've said and think about it before you respond. I hope this response has helped you to understand better!
God Bless!
A Big "Thank You!"...
To all those who prayed for me as I took the ACT test. I won't know what my scores are for a couple of weeks, and then I'll know how I did. I felt like the first half went well, while the second half was quite challenging. However, I'm sure that God's Will will be accomplished no matter what the outcome. I hope I can get into seminary this fall though (*hint*! Hey did you hear that???).
God Bless!

Friday, December 07, 2007

Just one Hail Mary would be nice!


Hey everyone! Would you mind saying a quick prayer for me---that I'll do okay on my ACT test!? Thanks! I'll be taking it on December 8th from 8AM-12:15PM (MST).

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Blog Spotlight: One Came Back; Prayer Intentions
I've recently discovered a new blog called One Came Back which is a blog dedicated to prayers requests and reports of answers to prayer. I suggest you check it out regularly and take a little time to pray about the items mentioned there. I think it is a wonderful idea. I've joined this blog (and others are welcome as well) so that I can post the many prayer requests that come up in my life. Also, remember the Catholic Warrior has a place where you can post your prayer intentions here.
"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful." (James 5:16)

Monday, December 03, 2007

Time for some Advent Cheer!!!
Although Advent is a penitential season (meaning a time of repentance and cleaning up of the soul), I think I'll sneak in a few songs that I've been working on. Tell me what you think, or add some of your own in the comment box...
"We Wish you a Merry Advent!"
We wish you a merry Advent,
We wish you a merry Advent,
We wish you a merry Advent and a Holy Christmas!
Good tidings we bring to you and your friends:
We wish you a merry Advent and a Holy Christmas!
"Sanctus Bells"
Refrain: Sanctus bells,
Sanctus bells,
Sanctus all the way!
Oh what joy it is to ring in a Mass every day! (hey!)
Oh, what joy it is to ring in a Mass every day! (hey!) x2
Chanting through the Mass,
with the Angel choirs,
O'er the pray'rs we go,
Praising all the way (hey! hey! hey!)
Servers ring the the bells,
Making spirits bright,
O what joy it is to to pray and ring a bell of light! (Oh!---refrain)
"Deck the Church"
Deck the Church with lots of beauty,
fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la.
Tis the season to repent,
Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la la.
Confess we now our sins
Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la.
Do your penance,
Do it quick.
Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la.

Sunday, December 02, 2007


The "Peaceful Religion of Teddy Bear Lovers"
A British school teacher who is (was) a teacher in a Sudanese school is accused of "insulting Islam" for allowing her class of 7 year-olds name a teddy bear "Muhammad". Read the story here. Apparently to name an animal "Muhammad" is very disrespectful at best in the Islamic religion.
Okay, I understand that they could say naming an animal after their holiest prophet to be disrespectful, but we are dealing with a Teddy bear for Pete's sake. Also, it seems about every 1 in 4 guys in Islamic countries has the name "Muhammad" attached somewhere, which would explain why the kids would think of naming a teddy bear as such.
Additionally, the woman who permitted this "act" was a British woman who I believe is Episcopalian, and therefore cannot be expected to necessarily know that naming a teddy bear after the Islamic prophet would be disrespectful. If a group of little kids wanted to name their class teddy bear Jesus without meaning it as a joke, I would see this as innocence and not as an act of hatred of insult.
If this woman had been convicted of "inciting religious hatred" she would've received 40 "lashes" and would have to serve 6 months in prison if she received the maximum sentence. Now she only has to serve 15 days.
I'm glad I live in a country that isn't controlled by Muslims (yet). We can name our Teddy Bears without getting trouble!

Saturday, December 01, 2007


Emmanuel Award


The "God With Us" Award. I was nominated with this award by Kaila from Ego me bene habeo. A big thanks to Kaila who is so good at giving me awards!! You're really cool! Here is the discription of the award:


In a consumer society it is a blessing to read blogs where the writer's main focus is God. Where they express their love for their faith so visibly and joyfully. In a cynical world it is refreshing to see so many blogs which are generous, giving, who care about others and demonstrate what being a Christian is about, loving God and loving our neighbor. Through their faith, lives and spirituality, they bring God to us, they in essence make God visible, 'God with us.' This Award goes to all the faith filled blogs who make evident 'Emmanuel'- God with us, with Joy in their hearts. Please share this Award with Christian blogs that focus on the real meaning of Christmas, the birth of our Savior.


Here some blogs I'd like to give this award to: