Bocelli's Little Story

Andrea Bocelli tells a little story about a mother who chose to give her baby life:

If you really LOVE one another...

The following is a reflection by Mother Teresa of Calcutta - Sunday May 2, 2010, The Magnificat.


“The less we have, the more we give. Seems absurd, but it’s the logic of love.”…

True love causes pain. Jesus, in order to give us the proof of his love, died on the cross. A mother, in order to give birth to her baby, has to suffer. If you really love one another, you will not be able to avoid making sacrifices.

The poor do not need our condescending attitude or our pity. They only need our love and our tenderness.

To me, Jesus is the Life I want to life, the Light I want to reflect, the Way to the Father, the Love I want to express, the joy I want to share, the Peace I want to sow around me. Jesus is everything to me.

Faith is scarce, it is because there is too much selfishness in the world, too much egoism. Faith, in order to be authentic, has to be generous and giving. Love and faith go hand in hand…

God has created us so we do small things with great love. I believe in that great love, that comes, or should come from our heart, should start at home: with my family, my neighbors across the street, house right next door. And this love should then reach to everyone.

(Magnificat, from Mother Teresa: In My Own Words, compiled by Jose Luis Gonzales-Balado)



To expound on the underlined portion above, Jesus didn’t give us a list of do’s and don’ts in the Gospels. Rather, he gave us a way of life. (Another good reflection here.)
 
I also go back to yesterday and the idea of "work" as the "Gospel of Work" or our work lived as vocation.  All this provides us a glimpse into God's gift of HIS LOVE and what we are to imitate.

The Feast of Joseph the Worker: The 'Gospel of Work' and our Contemporary Challenge

The following is a reflection from Deacon Keith Rournier as well as a good rebuttal to the worship of the things of man.

On this Feast of Joseph the Worker, let us seek the intercession of the Patron of the Universal Church and follow his example, recognizing that all human work participates in the workshop of Nazareth...

Sharing Faith with Family - FIRST: Be Conformed to God

I personally am not a real big fan of these Catholic "Theology on Tap" meetings, but what do I know?  NOT MUCH!  The topic of this article reporting on one such Theology on Tap here in my area struck accord with me PLUS you will see, the Father nailed the big one when he tells of the importance of mimesis:

“The more we are conformed to God, the more attractive we will be” in witnessing to our faith, said Father Henehan.

“Evangelization is not about winning arguments,” Father Henehan told about 50 young adults attending a Theology on Tap evening at The Medici restaurant and bar near Illinois State University. “The goal of evangelization is winning souls.”

Virtue of Patience

ht: Sean @ Blue Boar

Munson - I'm Not Buying It

If you or any one you know is thinking of separation or divorce, slip him (or her) Laura Munson's superb Those Aren’t Fighting Words, Dear.

BXVI - Adult Faith

Breathe some fresh air wafted from the high regions of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.

Yesterday evening Pope Benedict XVI said,

"Speaking against the Magisterium of the Church is presented as courageous. In reality, however, it does not take courage for this, since you can always be sure of audience applause."

"Rather it takes courage to adhere to the faith of the Church, even if it contradicts the 'scheme' of the contemporary world," said the Pope. "It is this non-conformism of the faith that Paul calls an 'adult faith.'"

Read all of It is a Childish Faith to Oppose the Church Teaching on Life and Family.

Marriage and Family - First Things

I posted a longer essay on the Public Square blog, the front window of the First Things site. Marriage, I contend is not a “right,” but a condition, an “estate,” as the Book of Common Prayer says it is: a human mating pair attains the condition of marriage by entering a holy congregation as bridge and groom, uniting the reproductive activity of man and woman with the eschatological hope for eternal life of the faith community. We fight off death in two ways: by raising children, and by expectation of salvation. Marriage unites both of these into a single condition. It uniquely fulfills our human nature, our need for eternal life. Without holy matrimony the human race will die, as portions of it already are dying in countries whence faith has been banished.

[ ... ]

This may be the first time in Western history in which the sacred foundation of society, whose irreducible fundamental unit is the family, faces explicit opposition. If militant secularism succeeds in banishing the sacred from social life, we will lose heart and perish, as the tragic victims of communism are perishing. There is nothing to be done for the infertile, aging peoples of the former Soviet empire. The best thing one can do for them is not to be like them. Secular Western Europe already has one foot in the demographic grave. If we lose the sacred in the United States, we will follow them into Sheol. We might as well make a stand now over the sacred character of marriage, because there is nowhere to fall back from here.

- David P. Goldman is associate editor of First Things.

Fathers Day - Haul Him to Church

The New York Times had a nice, though odd, story the other day on a 13-year-old boy who's been dragging his dad to church. The father, Bob Sweeney, is a former Catholic monk who left the Xavierian order in the 1970s and later stopped attending church altogether.

"He probably just one day was watching a Mets game, said ‘I don't want to go to church' and just stopped going," his son, Ryan, says.

Ryan, on the other hand, "is a big reader, enjoys fantasy literature and has seen theories suggesting the world may end in 2013 due to the configuration of magnetic forces. In that case, he said, it would be nice to be on good terms with God."

Read all of Drag your Dad to church day.

God provides the opportunities...

If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?

From the movie Evan Almighty.

Fr. Richard Neuhaus - Having The Courage to Decide

How is it that we have so many people, generation or 2 or 3, who simply have not the courage to decide?

Fr. Richard Neuhaus - Having the Courage to Be Manly

Their father ...

... behind this apparently so unapproachable farmer's son, who sent his children to daily Mass, lay concealed a frequently lonely yet basically always soft heart. He was a nourishing father in a double sense. For the primary spiritual care from which the children's vocations developed was his own; we may say today, it was a historic contribution.

"My brother was a server in the church," recounts Georg, "and I played the organ." They experienced all that as "quite normal, healthy, robust religious piety." Because of their father's seriousness and strictness, of course, the intimate relationship with God and Mother Church was not something considered secondary; rather, it was the central thing, the lifeblood of the family. Parents' notions of bringing up children frequently produce the opposite effect when they are applied with too great a rigor. It is obviously the secret of a loving heart when the father's attitude does not frighten off the children or nearly drive God right out of them but, rather, is attractive and constructive. "Religion was in a very manly and absolute way the fundamental theme of his life", is how his son describes him. And he adds, "We always sensed the goodness behind his strictness."

...

Their father made books available to his youngest child, too, first a child's prayerbook, then a children's missal, then a German-Latin "Schott" for children (song book), finally the Sunday "Schott", and eventually a complete daily missal. Joseph now saw worship as a "celebration." There were especially the "angel offices" on the cold, snowy winter days, which he loved. Or the Gethsemane devotions and the celebration of the Resurrection, with all the embellishments, the pictures, the music, the special drama, which made it possible to open the door to a world that usually remains hidden from man, hurried and distracted as he is.

Peter Seewald captivates the reader on many different levels in his book Benedict XVI - An Intimate Portrait.

His portrayal of Joseph Ratzinger, Sr., Pope Benedict XVI's father I found most interesting and since we often talk about fatherhood I thought I would share a little of Seewald's research.

Lady Aramis gave the book to me for Christmas however I was unable to start in on it till after she read it for she became so taken by Pope Benedict XVI's story that she couldn't put it down - she has grown 100% in her admiration of him since reading the book. Those of the Roman Catholic faith will like it but those not may actually get more out of it. His is a great story.

7 Things Teenage Boys Need

WASHINGTON, D.C., JAN. 13, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Being the parent of an adolescent boy is legendary for its difficulty. But according to one priest who acts as a spiritual director and confessor for high school boys, just keeping in mind seven points can make for a better relationship with adolescent sons.

Legionary of Christ Father Michael Sliney suggests the following seven necessities for parents of adolescent boys:

1. Clear guidelines with reasonable consequences from a unified front; cutting slack but also holding boys accountable for their actions.
2. Reasonable explanations for the criteria, guidelines and decisions made by parents.
3. Avoiding hyper-analysis of boys' emotions and states of mind: avoiding "taking their temperature" too often.
4. Unconditional love with an emphasis on character and effort more than outcome: Encourage boys to live up to their potential while having reasonable expectations. To love them regardless of whether they make it into Harvard or become a star quarterback.
5. Authenticity, faith and fidelity should be reflected in parent's lifestyles.
6. Qualities of a dad: Manliness, temperance, making significant time for family, putting aside work, and being a reliable source of guidance.
7. Qualities of a mom: Emotional stability, selflessness, loving service and extreme patience.

Read the interview with Father Michael Sliney here.

Joseph of Nazareth Is a Single-Issue Evangelical -- It is Our Call To Be Like Joseph NOW!

tip to Justin Taylor

Russell Moore delivered a most prophetic messages on Joseph, the demon-fighter and patron saint of the Mass'keteers on October 16, 2008 at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. You can download it here. The title of the sermon was, "Joseph of Nazareth Is a Single-Issue Evangelical: The Father of Jesus, the Cries of the Helpless, and Change You Can Believe In" (Matt 2:13-23).

THIS IS A MUST HEAR SERMON - SORRY IT IS NOT IN HOMILY LENGTH, BUT IT IS AN AWESOME MESSAGE ON SAINT JOSEPH AND ALL FATHERS.

One of the most poignant sections of the sermon comes when Moore makes a comparison between “Christians” of a former generation who tolerated the lynching of African-Americans and “Christians” of this generation who tolerate the atrocity of abortion:

And many of them believe that it is missional to speak to people while blunting or silencing a witness about the life of children so that you can reach them with the gospel. . . Some will tell us there are many other issues: economics, global warming—issues I’m very concerned about too. Previous generations have said that as well. Previous generations of preachers have stood in the pulpit and preached until they were red in the face about card-playing and movie-going and tax-policy and personal morality and tobacco-smoking and a thousand other issues, but would not speak to the fact that there were African-American brothers and sisters of the Lord Jesus swinging in the trees! And there is judgment of God upon that. And there is here too.

Read more on the fruits of the Democratic candidate to understand what we are voting for in this upcoming election.

Remember it is all about LIFE! Don't get caught thinking overwise.

Maybe it is the Question, 'What is Love?' that has us all stumped

How about we start with married love?

POPE PAUL VI Humanae Vitae July 25, 1968

Married Love

(Married) love is above all fully human, a compound of sense and spirit. It is not, then, merely a question of natural instinct or emotional drive. It is also, and above all, an act of the free will, whose trust is such that it is meant not only to survive the joys and sorrows of daily life, but also to grow, so that husband and wife become in a way one heart and one soul, and together attain their human fulfillment.

It is a love which is total—that very special form of personal friendship in which husband and wife generously share everything, allowing no unreasonable exceptions and not thinking solely of their own convenience. Whoever really loves his partner loves not only for what he receives, but loves that partner for the partner's own sake, content to be able to enrich the other with the gift of himself.

Married love is also faithful and exclusive of all other, and this until death. This is how husband and wife understood it on the day on which, fully aware of what they were doing, they freely vowed themselves to one another in marriage. Though this fidelity of husband and wife sometimes presents difficulties, no one has the right to assert that it is impossible; it is, on the contrary, always honorable and meritorious. The example of countless married couples proves not only that fidelity is in accord with the nature of marriage, but also that it is the source of profound and enduring happiness.

Finally, this love is fecund. It is not confined wholly to the loving interchange of husband and wife; it also contrives to go beyond this to bring new life into being. "Marriage and conjugal love are by their nature ordained toward the procreation and education of children. Children are really the supreme gift of marriage and contribute in the highest degree to their parents' welfare."

Tip from Dawn Eden

You Drive Us Crazy - You Are Germany

From the ladies at The Pious Sodality of Church Ladies.

Team Hoyt - Happy Father's Day

h/t: Dirty Harry's Place

Joseph the Worker

From Catholic Culture

The feast of St. Joseph the Worker was established by Pope Pius XII in 1955 in order to Christianize the concept of labor and give to all workmen a model and a protector. By the daily labor in his shop, offered to God with patience and joy, St. Joseph provided for the necessities of his holy spouse and of the Incarnate Son of God, and thus became an example to all laborers. "Workman and all those laboring in conditions of poverty will have reasons to rejoice rather than grieve, since they have in common with the Holy Family daily preoccupations and cares (Leo XIII)."

Demographic Winter: the decline of the human family

h/t to fellow Mass'keteer Athos at Chronicles of Atlantis.


From the mission of Demographic Winter:

Of all of the causes we have in the world today, many of which particularly capture the time and space of the media and academia, it is singularly peculiar that the disintegration of an institution as important as the human family should want for attention. Perhaps it is because the family is made up of individual people, and we have become a society obsessed with a focus on the self...

From CNA (Catholic News Agency) is the following article.

Washington DC, Feb 13, 2008 / 01:25 am (CNA).- Filmmakers announced at a National Press Club press conference on Tuesday a “groundbreaking” documentary that addresses the problems of population decline and predicts a coming “demographic winter” that will result from weakened families.

The documentary, titled "Demographic Winter: the decline of the human family,” was written and directed by Rick Stout to examine developed countries that are below population replacement rates. The film brings together demographers, economists, sociologists, and civic and religious leaders to explore problems present generations will soon face due to shrinking and aging populations.

According to a press release for the film, the global birthrate has declined by 50 percent over the past half-century. Fifty nine nations, containing 44 percent of the world’s population, have birthrates below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman.

The filmmakers report that the European birthrate is 1.3 children per woman. This dearth of children is expected to cause Europe to have a shortfall of 20 million workers by 2030, while Russia could lose one-third of its population by 2050. The chilling effect this decline is projected to have on economics and culture has led some to dub the phenomenon a “demographic winter,” a phrase from which the documentary takes its title.

Speakers at the press conference included Dr. Allan Carlson, the International Secretary of the World Council of Families; Maria Sophia Aguirre, a professor of economics at Catholic University; Patrick Fagan, a Senior Fellow at the Family Research Council; and Phillip Longman, author of “The Empty Cradle: How Falling Birthrates Threaten World Prosperity And What To Do About It.”

To see a trailer and information regarding this project link on to Demographic Winter.

Here is a little more on the creators of this documentary:
Family First Foundation
The Howard Center
World Congress of Families