Nevertheless, I felt it would be appropriate to write a brief update on where I am for those who follow this blog. I am very thankful for all the sweet emails and new Facebook friends. I have really enjoyed peering into your lives, and pray for God’s blessing for you everyday.

Yes, I am still in formation. You will know if I ever am not, as this blog will be removed from the web in that circumstance. Our class is running a little bit longer than most, so we are still about three and a half years from ordination. (Personally, I think we are running long because I’m not all that bright, but they are charitable enough to tell me it’s because of administrative stuff) If nothing else, I am certainly learning patience.

My biggest challenge has been one of worth. I know that no one can be worthy or God’s blessings, but in my own eyes, I feel incredibly unworthy. I don’t know, I guess I had hoped that this formation process would make me a better person somehow, and when I look in the mirror, I am still shocked by the glaring faults that look back at me.

The loss of my father in law has been the hallmark moment of this year. He was a very dear friend, and I pray for him every day, even now. While it has been very hard not listening to his Santa Claus-like laugh, he gave me a great gift with his passing. He let me know that I really believe all I say I believe. I was actually happy he had died, because I knew what kind of man he was, and I could not help but feel his moment of triumph. I don’t know that I really had any proof of my faith that would pass my interior eyes until he gave me this gift. Thanks to him, I finally know I am not (entirely) full of crap.

Just for you to know, it’s driving me crazy to not comment on Benedict’s resignation and the eminent conclave. Absolutely bonkers.

So there you are, brief update. Just to let you know I’m not dead or anything.

I had the good fortune of having my formation director over for dinner a couple months ago, and I shared the fact that I had started this blog, and of the wonderful community of people it was creating. While he very much respected the endeavor, he shared some very valid concerns over its existence. After much thought and musing, I felt his concerns were quite valid.

So I have taken the summer to really think it over, and decide if it is really worth the risk for me to have this blog before my ordination. I have come to the conclusion that this is not the right time. It is my full intention to come back and rebuild this site after my ordination, but that is years down the road, and you know how that can go.

I have loved all of those who have been dedicated to this blog, and have really enjoyed corresponding with you. Please, feel free to shoot me a line anytime, you can find my contact information on my about me page. You can also find me on Facebook, I’d love to be your friend.

God bless you all, and please continue to keep me in your prayers, as I keep you in mine!

Dance

Anyways, when we got home, our first priority was to have the house blessed so that we could move in. I feel it is important to set Christ as my priority in all things, and simply refused to move a single plate from the kitchen until I had thanked the Lord for His blessing, and protected my home from any evil influence. So I called up a good friend of mine, (one of the deacons that talked me into entering formation) and he was kind enough to come over the day after we got home.

It was not a long, drawn out affair, we simply prayed a bit, read some scripture, and then we went around splashing holy water all over the place. There was however something that my friend said that really grabbed me, and I wanted to share it with you.

He said that our new home was now protected from all evil, except the evil we brought or invited into the house. That’s right, the blessing of the Church can only keep away the evil we do not invite in ourselves. He encouraged us to never invite evil into the house, but I wonder how easy a task that really is.

The internet for example, is such an easy way to invite evil into your home. Whether it be pornography, racism, gossip or hate speech, it is terrible easy to find evil online. We are literally just a few clicks away from bringing in the most evil images and ideas into our home that exist in the entire world. Yes, the internet has been a wonderful blessing, giving us the ability to connect with billions of other people around the world, but that comes at a cost. Just the stats for porn alone is rather surprising, but it is easy to forget that Facebook has more gossip than a southern beauty salon. We must be vigilant to not let ourselves fall down that slippery slope.

What about our friends? Who do we invite into our home? Do we invite people into our home just to sit around and talk badly about other people? Do we track in the evils we encounter at work and in the public sphere like mud on our shoes, letting our families be affected by it?

The truth is, in our modern world, we swim in an ocean of evil. There is nowhere you can go to escape it’s influence. Satan’s influence in this world is immense, and it takes hyper-vigilance to keep that evil at arms length. But at the very least, we can endeavor not to invite it in.

There is however something deeply comforting about the south, and that is the simple, decent respect that everyone gives one another. They may call it “Southern Hospitatiy”, but I prefer to think of it as human decency. You see, where I am from, it is perfectly acceptable to completely ignore the gas station attendant. Here, it is far more normal to begin a conversation with them. This small change is not so small at all.

 Human decency is not so much about the big issues like abortion or euthanasia. It is about the reality that every human person is just that, a person. It is accepting the reality that though you may not know the person standing in front of you, that person has a life and being that is all his own, and given him or her by the grace of God. It is about seeing the divine spark in every single person you cross paths with.

This is the difference I feel in the south. Yes, there are still class barriers, just like everywhere else. Yes, racism may still be an issue sometimes. Yes, there are the haves and the have nots. Under no circumstances however is it socially appropriate to deny the humanity of another human being. It may not be enough, but I think it is a great step indeed.

 We could all use this lesson, especially those of us who populate cites, where this seems to be the first nicety to go. I am the first one to say that being “nice” is not always a good thing, but for most of our daily interactions, it sure would be a great start.

What does this mean in our lives in faith? How deeply do we really see into the humanity of other people? It is a question that plagues me often, and worries me greatly.

I have an exercise I often do when I’m out driving around, or walking in the mall to help me with this. I try to mentally delete everything I see but the people. So if I’m walking down a city street, or shopping in a store, I try in my mind’s eye to make everything but the people disappear. We small beings are truly beings of light, and so I invision everyone around me this way. I try to delete their cars, their houses, their clothing. I try to delete every single thing that could get in the way of their basic humanity, until all I can envision is the bright light that every human being is, walking around. It’s kindof like the movie “the Matrix”, and it makes me a little dizzy.

This little exercise of mine is to illustrate a single point. Our nature as spiritual beings, made in the image and likeness of God is the only true reality we have. It is so easy for all of us to see only our masks, and never actually look into our true natures. We see only our likes and dislikes instead of seeing our brothers and sisters.

So all told, maybe I’m not an alien down here. In fact, I’m fixin to grab myself some ham and black eyed peas, so ya’ll come on down and fix some up for you too.

All levity aside, today is a very special day for me. It seems my entire life as a Catholic has revolved around our Lady under the title of Mt Carmel. You see, I was born on the feast day of St John of the Cross, and my patron saint is St Therese of Lisieux. I even began formation as a Secular Carmelite for a few years before I decided that road was not mine to travel. Truly, I deeply love Our Lady of Mt Carmel.

So today on her feast day, as I was preparing my reflection for a communion service I have today, I could not help but feel sad when I remember how few Catholics wear her scapular, sad to think of the many who do not even know of this powerful prayer. Rather than go through the trouble of explaining what the scapular is, if you are not familiar with it, I suggest you look here to find out all you need to know.

Now wearing the scapular is not really supposed to be just an act we perform, neither is it a mere devotion. While there are also promises of our Lady attached to the scapular, it is not a “get out of hell free” card either. The scapular, above all, is a prayer.

This can often be hard to understand at first. How can just wearing a couple silly little pieces of cloth be a prayer? I mean, we are used to thinking of prayer as a conversation, often one sided, between us an God. We think of prayer as our endless rattling off of words and requests. This is not untrue, but this form of prayer is just one kind of prayer, the prayer of our active mind. Just as we are more than a collection of thoughts though, so should our prayer be.

A great example of this is the Sign of the Cross that we make as we begin every prayer in our daily lives. This is a prayer of the body, a prayer of identification with the Holy Trinity, and even though it’s words are few, its meaning is very deep and profound. When we make the Sign of the Cross, we are professing symbolically our very identity, marking ourselves as Christians, taking the cross of our Lord upon ourselves, and submitting ourselves to His rule in the Kingdom of God. Yes it is short, but its meaning transcends its mere words and gestures.

In a similar way, wearing the Scapular is like wrapping yourself in Mary’s garments. It is accepting that you are a child, and not just any child, but HER child. It is physically taking a submissive role to our mother, and physically feeling her protective mantle around you. So it is less a prayer of words, and more a prayer of emotion, a prayer of solidarity.

As I go about my day, my scapular often gets in my way. I can feel it riding up towards my neck, or it will get twisted around. As I fix it, I remember that it is there, and that she is there, watching over me. When I take it off to hop in the shower, I again feel myself tugging at her skirts like a needy two year old as I put it back on, and know that she is my Lady. These little actions, these little heartfelt remembrances call me home, and remind me of who I am. Not every prayer has to be wordy you see.

If you wear the brown scapular of Carmel, wear it a little prouder today. Take the time to remember what it means in your life. If you don’t wear it, learn more about it, and see if this devotion is one for you. After all, one can never have enough connection to our Blessed Mother.

Also, today, say a special prayer for those who spend their lives praying for us, most especially that most blessed order of Carmelites.

Insert Jennifer at Crafolic.com. She has so many ideas over there for kids that it will make your head spin. I have told her repeatedly that she needs to write a book, and if she doesn’t then many families will simply miss out on her, and I don’t want that to happen. Not only that, but her husband has a beard, and I respect any woman who loves a man with a solid beard.

So if you have kids and are looking for something special and fun to do, check her out. If you are a grandparent, always check her page when you know the kids are coming over to stay. I can think of few better ways to have fun with them that so clearly helps to solidify the faith of children.

So, to the award. I am supposed to nominate some other bloggers for this “Versatile Blogger Award”, as well as tell you seven things about myself that I haven’t mentioned already. Well, I’m not sure who I would nominate for this award, I would just take the time to go through my blogroll. Most of those blogs are written by solid Catholics, and are all worthy of some notice. That is of course why I put them there. To be honest, most of the blogs I follow would not be all that interested in a small little blog like mine taking notice of them, I am after all, a very small bug in the world of blogging.

That being said, I’d love to pass the award to other blogs that follow me, I’ll link them as I get word:

TJBurdick – Adorationality.wordpress.com Check out his title, it’s hilarious. Definitely check out his article on Confusing White People. I do this too, just with Latin.

Now, seven things about me.

1. I failed skipping in kindergarten. All I could do is gallop. This would be the only test I have ever failed in my life. My kids love to make fun of me for this.

2. I’m deeply interesting in native cultures, regardless of the nationality. I always wanted to be a cultural anthropologist, specializing in native cultures. I am simply interested in how people lived when they lived as naturally and close to the earth as possible. I often sit back and dream of fishing and hunting all day, and I’m sure my prayer life would be a lot better if that was all I had on my plate!

3. My sister is also my cousin. Dead serious. No incest here, so I’ll have to explain. When my mother divorced my father, her next husband was his cousin. So she’s my half sister through my mother, and my cousin through my father. I still think that’s funny every time I say it.

4. I love watermelon. When I was a little boy, I would go and visit my father in the south every couple years. Every time I went, it was summer, and my grandfather would take me out on the farm in his tractor first thing, so that I could get my watermelon. We would roll through the oppressive heat to find the perfect one, and then he would toss it on the ground to break it open, and I would eat the whole thing right there. We would of course grab another to bring home, but he always said he loved watching me eat that watermelon.

5. Bald is sexy. (At least that’s what my wife keeps telling me!)

6. I can play almost any instrument you put in front of me. I can play the didgeridoo, the ukulele, the Irish flute, you name it. I come from a musical family, my parents even have a rock band!

7. I don’t like reading the bible. I know, that’s just stupid. I love to quote it, and I love what it teaches me, but every time I sit down to read it, my eyes glaze over. Don’t get me wrong, I have forced myself through every book, but I’m actually better at reading books about the bible, than reading the bible itself. The office of readings is about all I can handle in a day. Go figure.

And there you go. Seven random things about me for your amusement.

(Just a note for any bloggers that follow me, if you would like me to link you on this page and send you this award, let me know, and I’ll hop right on it.)

I do however feel it is my duty to write something about the decision rendered by the Supreme Court on the HHS mandate. That is not however a very simple task. I’m not a lawyer you see, and neither am I a political man. In honesty, I never really see myself as having an option to be politically minded due to the great evils in our nation that I am required by my conscience to vote against. I can’t really sit back and be thoughtful about the economic recession for example, because I have to vote against the holocaust of abortion. This puts me well out of practice for this kind of task.

I should say right up front that I do not believe the federal government should have this power. I hold to the idea the founding fathers had that no greater power should do what a lessor power can do for itself. I feel the Supreme Court was designed to protect the people from a large federal government, and that it has failed miserably in that duty, especially by allowing so much law to be passed under the commerce clause. In fact I find it shameful they have allowed so much power from the states and counties of this country to be handed to the larger and less trustworthy federal government.

All that baggage aside though, I realize that this Supreme Court decision is a landmark one, and as it directly deal with Catholic issues, I know that I must weigh in with my small voice. I have purposefully not read any other opinions on this matter, so any similarity with other thoughts is not intended.

I think there is no job in this country I would like less that to be on the Supreme Court. It is such a bad job, that I think I would actually prefer even being President to being on the Court. And that is really saying something, because I would never, ever want to be President. Let’s take a serious look at what the Court actually has to do here. Their task is to lay aside any and all personal reservations, and do their absolute best to follow the letter of the law as it relates to the Constitution. I’m not saying that’s what they do, but that is what they are supposed to do.

That is why I’m not disappointed in Roberts here. At first blush, I admit I was really pissed off, I had really hoped that this would just end this problem once and for all. All the other conservatives on the Court voted against it. And then I had the sense of betrayal as I found out that it was Roberts that was the swing vote here. Dangit, I thought this one was going to be on our side, and I felt he flat out left me hanging.

Then I actually took the time to read what he said. Check this out.

“Because the Constitution permits such a tax, it is not our role to forbid it, or to pass upon its wisdom or fairness.”

In other words, “America, this is your idea. It’s not my job to tell you you aren’t allowed to push your car off a cliff if that’s what you really want to do.” So while at first I was downright ticked off that this decision didn’t go my way, I have to admit, he’s right. It isn’t the Court’s job to protect us from our own stupid mistakes.

Now I’m going to pass on whether or not this is an issue against religious liberty, as that was not what was brought to the bench. Neither am I going to get all pissy because the Court decided that since the law called it a “penalty” and not a “tax” that it doesn’t go against the Anti-Injunction Act, yet at the same time the Court held up the power of mandate because it WAS a tax, and Congress has taxation rights. Yes, only a lawyer could get away with such double talk, and I’m sure in their minds that makes perfect sense. (It of course, makes no sense at all.)

The real issue here is we have made our bed, and we have to sleep in it. We can’t really expect to allow this kind of nonsense pass through Congress and expect the courts to save our tush for our stupid mistakes. We have to fight this from the ground, and fight it with all of our might, at the very least, until we are allowed to follow our Catholic consciences within our Catholic institutions.

Personally, I would like to see the whole health care plan go out the window, but that is because I just don’t see health care listed in the constitution as a federal responsibility. (Remember? No greater power should do what a lessor power can do for itself?) If such laws are needed, I just don’t feel it’s the federal government’s responsibility to enact those laws. I do however take great issue with the idea that they can sweepingly violate so deeply the 2000 year old moral conscience of the Catholic Church. I think it is flat out evil. So we must continue to fight this, continue to write letters, continue to make this the main issue. We can’t let this just slide by, as it the first step of many, that must necessarily end with Catholics being martyred in the public square.

I wasn’t bawling or anything, I just got really teary eyed, and couldn’t help myself.  I was just too affected.

This weekend, we had a Mass for a congregation of sisters. It was their 100th year Jubilee, and so was a very big deal. It was amazing to see so many women who have given up their lives to serve Christ, and Him alone. It was truly an awesome experience. To be honest though, I am a sensual being, and while I was intellectually touched by their service and commitment, their lack of habits did not pull at my heart strings.

I’m not saying I don’t honor and respect them, I do, and very much so. I’m just saying that fifty or sixty sisters in normal clothing honestly just look like the rest of the congregation, and so it did not have an emotional impact on me. In that way, it just felt normal. Had they been in habits that made their vows obvious to me, I might have felt differently, I’m not sure. I spent most of the time trying to figure out who was a sister, and who was not. I felt rather silly about it to be honest.

This was a big celebration however, and so our bishop took it upon himself to drive the five hours to our parish to preside.

Dangit, I cry every time the bishop comes. I’ve started remembering to bring a handkerchief.

It’s not so much that our bishop is a swell guy, though he is. It’s not because he holds a similar ideology to me either, which he does. I am the same way any time I get to go to an episcopal Mass, I just can’t help it. It’s not the man that so deeply effects me, it is his office.

The power of the apostles overwhelms me. When I stand in a Mass where the bishop is presiding, I feel so deeply connected that I cannot bear it. I cannot help but see the unbroken chain back to Christ Himself. As he proceeds into the sanctuary, crosier in hand, I can feel his shepherding power. As he blesses the altar, that connection is so tight in my mind, that it is simply overwhelming for me.

I know I should feel this way at every Eucharist, and I know that the fact that I don’t means I have work to do on my faith. But for now, I am content to stand next to my apostle. I admit it, I’m a cheesy guy. But I’m not alone.

“In like manner let everyone respect the deacons as they would respect Jesus Christ, and just as they respect the bishop as a type of the Father, and the presbyters as the council of God and college of the apostles. Without these, it cannot be called a Church. I am confident that you accept this, for I have received the exemplar of your love and have it with me in the person of your bishop. His very demeanor is a great lesson and his meekness is his strength. I believe that even the godless do respect him” (St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Trallians 3:1-2 [A. D. 110])

“In order to commit a mortal sin, a sin that severs one’s relationship to God, one must have sufficient knowledge that what they are doing is mortally sinful. Our kids come to Catholic schools and religious education where, presumably, they learn that it is a mortal sin to skip Sunday Mass without a serious reason, such as illness or inability to travel. That means that by allowing children to come to religious education or to enroll in Catholic schools when their parents don’t come to Mass, we are enabling them to commit a mortal sin by giving them the sufficient knowledge to damn their eternal souls.That’s a plan.”

Right on Father Simon. The system we are using is flat out broken, it is doing nothing for our young faithful, in fact it puts them at great risk, and it needs to be fixed pronto.

Read the entire article on Reverend Know-It-All, “We Are Starting Over”

(HT Creative Minority Report)

“I so deeply appreciate your openness and sensibility in your discussion. I can see very clearly how deep your faith in Christ is, and I am edifiied by it. It is so easy to get caught in the “I’m right and you’re wrong” mentality, and I am impressed that you haven’t fallen into that trap. May God contiune to bless you.

The trouble is, the doctrine of Sola Scriptura does not do what you describe. It does not check our teaching against a solid norm. Let me explain.

Here are you and I, two intellegent people, who are in awe of God, and in love with Jesus Christ. We both have every desire to remain faithful to Him, and want to live our lives as closely to His directions as possible. And yet, when we look to the scriptures to guide our conversation, instead of whole hearted agreement, we find dissention. Instead of clasping each others palms, and calling each other to head out and spread the Gospel with the same acccord, we instead end up in petty squabbles.

This cannot be what Christ intended. Christ earnestly prayed that we would be one, undivided. And for 1500 years, that is exactly how it was, until Luther nailed his protest to the church door. For 1500 years, the Church preserved its tradition, and with that tradition, the scriptures that supported it and edified that belief.

Look again at your quote from Galatians 1:8-9. Paul calls us to not depart from the gospel he had preached to them. And yet, no Gospel had yet been written. That is because the gospel is not words on a page, but a living, breathing faith handed down from one man to another, kept in line by the living memory of its collective people, most especially in the apostles and their successors. The bible is more precious than gold, but only when held in tandem with the tradition of that people, the Church.

You see, this Church was and is the vehicle for the gospel to move throughout the world. It was so in the first centuries before the bible came to be, and it is so now. This “Church of the living God, the Pillar, and Foundation of Truth” (1 Tim 3:15) is where we must bring our questions about scripture, lest we fall away from that gospel into dissention.

Look at the history of the protestant church since this division, and what you see is divison and dissagreement spreading like wildfire. Thousands of churches have cropped up all around, each with their own take on just what the scriptures mean. This is not the “oneness” that Christ asked of us, and it is born of not having that sure norm that Galatians speaks of.

Notice that I am not saying that the Church is perfect, far from it. Jesus said the Kingdom would be like a field of wheat, with weeds sown into it in the night. Clearly, this is not heaven He is speaking of, as there can be no weeds in heaven. Yes, there have been bad leaders, and many of them have done bad things. There are weeds in the wheat, but that will be separted by Christ at the end, so we need not be too concerned with that now. What is important, is while many in the Church have been unfaithful, the teaching of the Church has never been. Now I’m not talking about a idioic pronouncment here, or a pope saying something stupid there, but the functional dogma of the Church has remained unchanged, clarified at times (Trinity doctrine for example), but unchanged.

Nowhere in all of the first 1500 years of our faith in Christ has there been the idea that the scripture has everything we need to know. This is frankly, a brand new idea in the larger scheme of things, and all I have to do is look at the results of that belief, to know the fruit it bears is the fruit of division.”

Phew, I clearly talk too much.