"Open Wide The Doors..."

Some Clarification On Papal Infallibility

Many people have trouble with the concept of Papal Infallibility simply because they don't understand what it means, or they assume it means something it doesn't. Although Fr. Baron explains it fully in the video above from the Word On Fire's Catholicism series, I'd like to touch on a few points.

First, it's necessary to know what Infallibility (Pope-wise) doesn't mean. It doesn't mean he never sins. To never sin would be impeccability, which no Pope could claim. In fact some Popes in the Catholic Church's rich past sinned an awful lot, eg., Pope Alexander VI (Borgia), who led a rather immoral and lascivious lifestyle, and is considered by many to be the most corrupt man ever to hold the office.

What Infallibility means is that the Pope is never wrong when defining doctrine regarding faith and morals (when speaking ex cathedra). You can read a much longer definition by clicking HERE, where you will also find biblical scripture to back up the concept.

But what I do is simply look more closely at Alexander VI for proof. Because a man living such an evil life in a position of enormous power (much more so in those days) would seek to validate such lasciviousness by perverting Catholic dogma to his own selfish ends so he could live out his twisted desires openly and without scorn. So why didn't he do that? Because by virtue of his position, though God allowed him (and other Popes) free will to act badly, The Holy Spirit would not allow him to pervert doctrinal teaching on faith and morals, any more than the Pope could claim 2 + 2 = 5.

Visit the Word On Fire website by clicking HERE to stay updated on when the DVD's of this excellent series will be released.

Pilgrimage To Chicago 5: St. Mary Of The Lake

I lived in this Chicago neighborhood (Buena Park) from August '90 to February '95, only a block and a half from this church.  At the time I considered myself an agnostic and had little or no interest in attending Mass anywhere, let alone the church on my street.  I admired the architecture from the outside and found it a pleasant sight when I walked by toward my apartment, but never felt motivated enough or curious enough to enter through its doors to see if the inside did the outside its due.  So after more than 16 years I returned on Saturday to venture through its doors... and nearly wept, both at the beauty of what I saw and the fact that I missed out on it years ago...

The mural on the other side (not pictured) was used as a backdrop in a scene in the movie Flatliners, where a young Kevin Bacon's character picks on a little girl on the playground.  I saw the actor, among several movie set people scouting this location one day.  He looked different with his hair all matted down, but not unrecognizable.

The lights were off when I was allowed to tour after hours.  There is a link to a gallery of the church with lights on if you're interested. 

Pilgrimage To Chicago 4: Queen Of All Saints Basilica

Queen of All Saints Basilica, located near the Peterson exit off the Edens Expressway in the far northwest side of Chicago, has eight different shrines devoted to The Virgin Mary as well as seven display cabinets containing dozens of Holy Relics (bone fragments of The Apostles, bits of different saints, small piece of Jesus' clothing, etc...).  The style of this basilica is "modern gothic," and taken in altogether is breathtaking.  Again, the photos don't do it justice.  It has to be experienced.

What's a Catholic church without Knights?

This room contains the baptismal font and lots of Holy Relics

Holy Relics of The Apostles

Pilgrimage To Chicago 3: St. Hyacinth Basilica

What could very well be the most beautiful basilica in the US, other than the National Shrine in DC (if you don't mind that blond Jesus behind the alter), St. Hyacinth Basilica leaves one (at least me, anyway) spellbound.  From the ornate engravings on its large bronze doors depicting the history of the basilica, to the bronze statues outside of Jesus Christ (with Sacred Heart) and John Paul II,  the magnificent alter and inner dome, the building inside and out shows its Roman and Polish influences.  Here are my photos that cannot possibly do it justice.

Looking up from the pews

Some objected to the "modern art" style of this statue, but I think it grows on you.

Pilgrimage To Chicago 2: Holy Name Cathedral

My friend Kevin and I visited Holy Name Cathedral the other day at 735 N State St. in Chicago, after visiting St. Peter's in the Loop for Reconciliation, and were very impressed with its beauty.  Above the alter, if you look closely you will find five Galeros (Cardinal hats) symbolizing the five deceased Cardinals who served Chicago to date.  "Traditionally, this symbol of a Cardinal is raised to the ceiling of his cathedral upon his death. The hat hangs until it turns into dust, a reminder that all earthly glory is passing" 

Surprisingly, even though this is the Cathedral of the Chicago Archdiocese and looks impressive (as you can see in the pictures) it is not the largest nor the most magnificant of Chicago's catholic churches.  In addition to the Cathedral, there are THREE basilicas, each of which I visited.  But only two of which I can share pictures.  Sadly, Our Lady of Sorrows' Reverend asked me not to post online any of the pictures I took.  It seems that some photographers with bad intent were taking pictures of the shrines within the basilica and selling them for profit.  Even though I assured him I would do no such thing, he assured me that someone might swipe them off my blog and sell them.  So,...I promised.  The following pics are from Holy Name Cathedral only:

Hanging Galeros

Pilgrimage To Chicago

I suppose you can tell I've not been posting much, but politics, as fun as it can be to rant about, has been wearing thin for me lately.  This will change, I'm sure.  But in the mean time...

I'm on vacation from my job on a pilgrimage to a city I once lived in as an agnostic from the late '80's up to the mid '90's, surrounded by beautiful Catholic churches which I typically ignored.  Now with a fervent interest in Catholicism, I've returned to Chicago to photograph three basilicas, one cathedral, and a few beautiful churches --one from which I lived less than two blocks.

The first one visited today was St. Peter's in the Loop, which offers several Mass times daily along with Confession M-F, 7:30 to 6pm ALL DAY LONG.  I try to go as often as possible to Confession since I almost always have something to say.  This church is run by the Franciscans, who seem constantly available.

Note the cloisters at the top center of the photo.

MUST READ: Archbishop Chaput Addresses Notre Dame's "Right To Life" Student Group

From Archbishop Chaput on Facebook:

"Last Friday, I addressed the University of Notre Dame's 'Right to Life' student group.  I urged them to be courageous in fighting for their beliefs, and to always remember what being Catholic REALLY means." 

Here are excerpts from the speech called Politics And The Devil (I wanted to post the whole thing, it's THAT GOOD, but Witherspoon has a copywrite, so....:

...the idea that the “separation of Church and state” should force us to exclude our religious beliefs from guiding our political behavior makes no sense at all, even superficially. If we don’t remain true in our public actions to what we claim to believe in our personal lives, then we only deceive ourselves. Because God certainly isn’t fooled. He sees who and what we are. God sees that our duplicity is really a kind of cowardice, and our lack of courage does a lot more damage than simply wounding our own integrity. It also saps the courage of other good people who really do try to publicly witness what they believe. And that compounds a sin of dishonesty with a sin of injustice.

And this...

The moral and political struggle we face today in defending human dignity is becoming more complex. I believe that abortion is the foundational human rights issue of our lifetime. We can’t simultaneously serve the poor and accept the legal killing of unborn children. We can’t build a just society, and at the same time, legally sanctify the destruction of generations of unborn human life. The rights of the poor and the rights of the unborn child flow from exactly the same human dignity guaranteed by the God who created us.

And even THIS:

In Europe and the United States, our knowledge classes like to tell us that we live in an age of declining religious belief. But that isn’t quite true. A culture that rejects God always invents another, lesser godling to take His place. As a result, in the words of the great Jewish bioethicist Leon Kass, we live in an age of “salvific science.” In the place of the God who became man, “we have man become as god.” And in place “of a God who—it is said—sent his son who would, through his own suffering, take away the sins of the world, we have a scientific savior who would take away the sin of suffering altogether.”

There is so much more to this speech than what I've posted above, and it's very well worth spending a few minutes to read and ponder.  I've never read a speech of his that wasn't.  I'm just waiting for the day he's made Cardinal...or even...dare I say?

Come Home To Rome

The top video is an overview from Catholics Come Home on what we're all about, while the bottom one is a very incomplete list of famous Catholic converts, not including conservative radio talk show host Laura Ingraham, surprisingly, who converted from Protestant to Catholic nearly 8 years ago.  Check out these two videos  and see what the big attraction is...

Music At Mass: Sacred Vs. Secular

Can you tell the difference?? from Corpus Christi Watershed on Vimeo.

Some might say it all depends upon what floats your boat, and that's how I felt back in my non-denominational days with regards to the type of music played in church.  Back then I wasn't going to anything remotely referred to as MASS, but rather the occasionally attended, informal gathering of casually dressed Christians seeking that "spiritual feeling" that comes from... (dare I say?)  being entertained by contemporary, rock-n-roll worship music.

The Catholic Church has its own guidelines on the issue, and prefers to keep things as close to Gregorian melodic form as possible.  Cardinal Arinze puts it best:  "People don't come to Mass in order to be entertained.  They come to Mass to adore God, to thank Him, to ask pardon for sins, and to ask for other things that they need."  

Some will obviously see these guidelines as too rigid, but that's okay.  There are several Protestant denominations from which to choose...  Let the Catholic Church be Catholic, and the rest can choose to "float their boats."

Good Friday Means The Passion Of The Christ On DVD

The last time I went to a movie theater to see anything was back in 2004 for The Passion Of The Christ, which I felt was the most inspiring movie I had seen to date in the after-effect it had on me.  It deepened my faith and pushed past the point of no return ---no return to agnosticism, no sustained return to ways of the flesh (I'm not perfect and do slip at times, but have a great impetus to leave sin behind me), and no return to endless grudge-holding for the transgressions of others.  

I think it had to be the effect of observing the true harshness of the agony Jesus endured for our sake that got to me.  With all the horrific and unjust punishment He received at the hands of the Romans after being turned against by His own people, with his closest apostle turning his back on Him by denying Him three times, and while his human form was going into shock from blood-loss, exhaustion, and mutilation, He still managed to forgive his tormentors.  And before I saw this played out on screen, I thought I would never be able to  forgive people in my own life.  But the inspiration took hold and eventually I did; and I did it to a long list of people from my past.  Once I was a slave, but I am a slave no longer.  Thank God.

Each Good Friday I sit and watch it all played out again, thanks to Mel Gibson and to several good actors and actresses.  The story is timeless and now a tradition in my life.

Mel Gibson said in an interview that the painting to the left inspired his choice of Maia Morgenstern to play Mary, Mother of Christ.  You can see why in her final scene after Jesus is lowered from the cross.

Have a meaningful Good Friday and a great Easter!

Corruption In The Church Hard To Ignore...So Let's Not.

I found this year-old interview with Father Corapi on The Anchoress, so it must be good...and is so. Several topics are discussed, but the general theme is that things have gone in the wrong direction, that the Church has lost sight of The Cross and gotten too permissive over the past several decades, leading to widespread disobedience and diluted faith.

There are two reasons I post this now. One is upon reading a couple of very recent interviews HERE and HERE with Archbishop Timothy Dolan on his one year anniversary of being installed in New York ---he makes some very strong pro-life statements, which for some reason appear shocking to some. The other is due to some recent press attention given to the Pope's meeting with Irish Bishops on sexual abuse in that country, and what will or will not be done about it.

The Church is clearly ill and has been for some time. Too many catholics-in-name-only have attained leadership positions and don't share the Church's basic positions on life issues.  The leaders at the very top (Popes) seem to have the right idea. but I get the impression that they would take a much harder position if they had the backing of the vast majority of the bishops, which I believe they do not have.  

So with that thought in mind, we have an opening in the Harrisburg diocese for the position of BISHOP, and perhaps it's time for Father Corapi to get his long-deserved promotion.  I wonder if he's interested....

Additional source for material HERE.

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

The year 2009 was a lousy year economically for many, including myself.  And although I didn't lose my job (thank God!), the size of my wallet has shrunk considerably due to the overall economic slowdown in all major facets of the marketplace.  However, in spite of that and the increase in vulnerability of our nation to its foes,... it has been the best year of my life, spiritually speaking.

At Easter Vigil this past year I joined the Catholic Church and had true Communion with God for the first time in my life.  At Pentecost I was Confirmed by my Bishop and sealed in my faith.  It was a true gift for which I feel grateful each day, and look forward to the coming years and the spiritual blessings they may bring.  Read about my passage into the faith HERE, HERE, and HERE (if you haven't already).

It was a long road that included encounters with many different people who influenced the final decision.  One I have failed to mention in much detail was an amusing little incident at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan with a very old and tiny nun.

In one of my infrequent visits to New York City in 2006, out of curiosity, I stopped at the Cathedral on 5th Avenue just to see what it looked like on the inside.  I was still nondenominational, but Christian, and not without an interest in the path I refused to take as a child, that of the Catholic faith.  So I entered on a Friday afternoon and was knocked over by the beauty of the interior of this great church.  And while I sat and stared at the pillars, statues and paintings, the museum ropes were undone and a seemingly spontaneous Mass started.

I decided to stay in my seat and sit through it, and then figured on taking Communion with the rest of them, thinking that since I had already taken it in Episcopal, Baptist, and Methodist churches it might be okay.  And if I wasn't sure I could always ask, right?  But in order not to break the solemnity of the occasion I made sure I was last in line so as not to disrupt the order of things with my questions.

A priest and two nuns were giving out the Eucharist that day.  I approached the one that looked the easiest-- a tiny old nun with glasses and a large head.  When I got to her she picked up the Blessed Host  in the species of a bread disc with her swollen, arthritic hand  and raised it as high as she could  (I am  6'5", she was about 4'6"), as I explained my situation and asked her if it was okay for me to take Communion.

She leaned toward me and answered, "WHAT?"

I repeated my question, but half way through she interrupted me with "Never had first?.....NO" and shook her head as she looked down and returned the Eucharist to its chalice.  Being slightly OCD, I bent down toward her to finish my question, thinking she might change her mind if she heard me out.  But while still looking down, she raised up her hand as I bent down and accidentally, loudly smacked her fist against my forehead, stunning us both.

Then she gazed up at me with a huge smile and laughed as she gently patted my forehead and said "God bless you!"  I thanked her and returned to my seat, glowing from the blessing.  She could have reacted in so many different ways much less pleasant, but didn't.  The nun had Grace and it showed, but more importantly, she also had a strong devotion to the sanctity of the rules of her faith.  And the impression this encounter made on me was remembered when I finally decided to sign up for RCIA classes to join the church.

I think of her and the other nuns on this day, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God and the strong roles that women play in the Catholic Church, and feel gratitude for them all.

And by the way, have yourselves a very happy and blessed new year!

CCHD Collecting This Sunday ---Give Them A No-Thank-You Coupon Instead!

There isn't much time left to get the word out, but in the couple of days remaining we should all do what we can.  I am talking about the 2nd collection that will happen at this Sunday's Catholic Mass and Feast For Christ The King in many parishes across the country.  Though not in ours (we stopped collecting for this years ago), but in many other parishes, the Catholic Campaign For Human Development will be rattling the tin cup for some deserving charities.  And if it were limited to the deserving ones I would most certainly donate.  But the CCHD also funds Communist Groups, pro-abortion organizations, pro-gay marriage groups, and many others whose positions fly in the face of Catholic teaching and values.  It is time to put a stop to this!  It is time to REFORM the CCHD.  No more money until they clean up their act!

If you want to know more, click HERE and HERE for the details.  And click HERE for the coupon to drop in the plate or basket at Mass in lieu of cash, check, or money order to send the CCHD a message.  And by the way, watch the video above if you haven't already.  It is shocking, to say the least.

Archbishop Dolan Takes Issue With Catholic-Bashing, New York Times

In response to a Catholic-bashing column by Maureen Dowd which appeared in late October in the New York Times, New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan issued a slightly shorter version of his rebuttal seen below which the Times rejected. Like President Obama and other leftists, the Old Gray Lady cannot handle constructive criticism.

Here is the full article by Archbishop Dolan:


FOUL BALL!
By Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan
Archbishop of New York
 


October is the month we relish the highpoint of our national pastime, especially when one of our own New York teams is in the World Series!

Sadly, America has another national pastime, this one not pleasant at all: anti-catholicism.
        
It is not hyperbole to call prejudice against the Catholic Church a national pastime. Scholars such as Arthur Schlesinger Sr. referred to it as “the deepest bias in the history of the American people,” while John Higham described it as “the most luxuriant, tenacious tradition of paranoiac agitation in American history.” “The anti-semitism of the left,” is how Paul Viereck reads it, and Professor Philip Jenkins sub-titles his book on the topic “the last acceptable prejudice.”
        
If you want recent evidence of this unfairness against the Catholic Church, look no further than a few of these following examples of occurrences over the last couple weeks:

• On October 14, in the pages of the New York Times, reporter Paul Vitello exposed the sad extent of child sexual abuse in Brooklyn’s Orthodox Jewish community. According to the article, there were forty cases of such abuse in this tiny community last year alone. Yet the Times did not demand what it has called for incessantly when addressing the same kind of abuse by a tiny minority of priests: release of names of abusers, rollback of statute of limitations, external investigations, release of all records, and total transparency. Instead, an attorney is quoted urging law enforcement officials to recognize “religious sensitivities,” and no criticism was offered of the DA’s office for allowing Orthodox rabbis to settle these cases “internally.” Given the Catholic Church’s own recent horrible experience, I am hardly in any position to criticize our Orthodox Jewish neighbors, and have no wish to do so . . . but I can criticize this kind of “selective outrage.”

Of course, this selective outrage probably should not surprise us at all, as we have seen many other examples of the phenomenon in recent years when it comes to the issue of sexual abuse. To cite but two: In 2004, Professor Carol Shakeshaft documented the wide-spread problem of sexual abuse of minors in our nation’s public schools (the study can be found here). In 2007, the Associated Press issued a series of investigative reports that also showed the numerous examples of sexual abuse by educators against public school students. Both the Shakeshaft study and the AP reports were essentially ignored, as papers such as the New York Times only seem to have priests in their crosshairs.

• On October 16, Laurie Goodstein of the Times offered a front page, above-the-fold story on the sad episode of a Franciscan priest who had fathered a child. Even taking into account that the relationship with the mother was consensual and between two adults, and that the Franciscans have attempted to deal justly with the errant priest’s responsibilities to his son, this action is still sinful, scandalous, and indefensible. However, one still has to wonder why a quarter-century old story of a sin by a priest is now suddenly more pressing and newsworthy than the war in Afghanistan, health care, and starvation–genocide in Sudan. No other cleric from religions other than Catholic ever seems to merit such attention.

• Five days later, October 21, the Times gave its major headline to the decision by the Vatican to welcome Anglicans who had requested union with Rome. Fair enough. Unfair, though, was the article’s observation that the Holy See lured and bid for the Anglicans. Of course, the reality is simply that for years thousands of Anglicans have been asking Rome to be accepted into the Catholic Church with a special sensitivity for their own tradition. As Cardinal Walter Kasper, the Vatican’s chief ecumenist, observed, “We are not fishing in the Anglican pond.” Not enough for the Times; for them, this was another case of the conniving Vatican luring and bidding unsuspecting, good people, greedily capitalizing on the current internal tensions in Anglicanism.

• Finally, the most combustible example of all came Sunday with an intemperate and scurrilous piece by Maureen Dowd on the opinion pages of the Times. In a diatribe that rightly never would have passed muster with the editors had it so criticized an Islamic, Jewish, or African-American religious issue, she digs deep into the nativist handbook to use every anti-Catholic caricature possible, from the Inquisition to the Holocaust, condoms, obsession with sex, pedophile priests, and oppression of women, all the while slashing Pope Benedict XVI for his shoes, his forced conscription -- along with every other German teenage boy -- into the German army, his outreach to former Catholics, and his recent welcome to Anglicans.

True enough, the matter that triggered her spasm -- the current visitation of women religious by Vatican representatives -- is well-worth discussing, and hardly exempt from legitimate questioning. But her prejudice, while maybe appropriate for the Know-Nothing newspaper of the 1850’s, the Menace, has no place in a major publication today.

I do not mean to suggest that anti-catholicism is confined to the pages New York Times. Unfortunately, abundant examples can be found in many different venues. I will not even begin to try and list the many cases of anti-catholicism in the so-called entertainment media, as they are so prevalent they sometimes seem almost routine and obligatory. Elsewhere, last week, Representative Patrick Kennedy made some incredibly inaccurate and uncalled-for remarks concerning the Catholic bishops, as mentioned in this blog on Monday.   Also, the New York State Legislature has levied a special payroll tax to help the Metropolitan Transportation Authority fund its deficit. This legislation calls for the public schools to be reimbursed the cost of the tax; Catholic schools, and other private schools, will not receive the reimbursement, costing each of the schools thousands – in some cases tens of thousands – of dollars, money that the parents and schools can hardly afford. (Nor can the archdiocese, which already underwrites the schools by $30 million annually.) Is it not an issue of basic fairness for ALL school-children and their parents to be treated equally?


The Catholic Church is not above criticism. We Catholics do a fair amount of it ourselves. We welcome and expect it. All we ask is that such critique be fair, rational, and accurate, what we would expect for anybody. The suspicion and bias against the Church is a national pastime that should be “rained out” for good.


I guess my own background in American history should caution me not to hold my breath.


Then again, yesterday was the Feast of Saint Jude, the patron saint of impossible causes.

(h/t: Lisa Graas)

The 13th Day

This looks like it could be the most inspiring movie since Mel Gibson's The Passion Of The Christ.  It is called The 13th Day and is about the times Our Lady Of Fatima appeared to three children in apparitions .

The video above is merely the trailer of the film.  Unless you live in a large metro area you probably won't get to see it in a theater.  But there is always video...and Amazon.com, and I have no doubt it will be available to purchase by Easter or maybe Pentecost.

(h/t:  my RCIA director Patty as well as Joyful Catholics)

UPDATE: Now available on DVD

The 13th Day

Great Pro-Life Advocate Bishop Martino Resigns

The Diocese of Scranton, PA, and for that matter the rest of the nation as well, has lost a truly great advocate to the pro-life cause.  Joseph F. Martino, the Ninth Bishop of Scranton, has resigned from his office, citing poor health due to increasingly heavy stress over conflicts within the diocese.

From the Bishop:

"For some time now, there has not been a clear consensus among the clergy and people ... on my pastoral initiatives or my way of governance," said Bishop Martino. In addition to causing him "great sorrow," said the bishop, the stress from the friction caused him to suffer from insomnia and "crippling physical fatigue." 

There are so few bishops these days who are willing to deny pro-abortion politicians Holy Communion who publicly champion such causes.  Bishop Martino has held firmly on this issue with several politicians, most recently Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) who supported the current President's trashing of the Mexico City policy.  For that and many other reasons Bishop Martino earned a position on my left column under the heading "Catholic Leaders I Admire Most."

For the whole story, see Kathleen Gilbert's article in LifeSiteNews by clicking HERE.

First Communion Tonight

Holy Saturday is usually a day of silence in the Christian world, as it falls between a somber Good Friday and a celebratory Easter Sunday. Churches are usually quiet during the day on Saturday with no celebration of the Eucharist until the evening vigil. And at tonight's Easter Vigil, Catholic converts and reverts all over the world will celebrate Baptism, First Communion, and in most cases Confirmation (except for Catholic reverts like me who get confirmed at Pentecost).

It is expected to be a very emotional event with an indoor pillar of fire amidst a darkened church, followed by several readings from scripture, including psalms, followed by the Holy Sacraments. Most will be getting all three sacraments---the teenagers and a few of the adults. One of our couples renewed their wedding vows this morning, so that means four sacraments in one day for them! Since I have already been baptized in the Catholic faith I will be receiving only one, my first Communion.

I was actually set to have this done in the early 1970's, but for various reasons I did not. At least part of it has to do with my parents being of different denominations. One might think that sort of thing doesn't matter, but it usually means the whole family stays home on Sunday. Enough said on that.

My years in between then and the late 1990's were a journey not too unlike the years St. Augustine wrote about in his autobiography, The Confessions. Though I never joined up with any other religion, I did live according to my conscience only, as if Jiminy Cricket were my mentor. But what the morally relative folks at Disney never told us is that the human conscience becomes quite jaded over time as one ventures further and further into the abyss. In many instances the conscience becomes inverted so that wrong seems right and good seems bad, which is a typical result of gravitating toward what feels good rather than what IS good.

There were tragedies in my life and the lives around me for which I blamed God, and used them as excuses to avoid Him. When a person has little or no foundation in knowledge of The Lord, it becomes easy to blame all the world's troubles on him. And this I did, especially with my own issues.

During the 1990's God reached out to me several times to get my attention, most of which I ignored. But at a cousin's funeral in 2000 at an Episcopal church called St. Monica's (mother of St. Augustine), I took their version of communion which, although mere symbols of body and blood, reminded me of what I never received as a child ---The Holy Eucharist. It was then I decided to start patching things up with our most patient and merciful God.

With several stumbling blocks along the way (old habits die hard and sin does not fade easily), I made my way back into the fold that I walked away from decades ago. One of those blocks was my inability to join both my heart and mind in unison to believe in what the Bible teaches. So I dared to pray to God for a sign, in spite of the fact I was told how wrong it was to do so. I humbly pleaded with Him to help me with my skeptical pragmatism which plagued me from total commitment to Christ, and that with the sign I would doubt no more. Later that day I received a sign, then another two days later, and a third one three days after the second. I will not go into details as they are personal, but I am convinced as to what they were and doubt His existence no more.

To whom much is given, much is expected. So I decided to start evangelizing by creating this blog, and giving money to the poor by sponsoring three children through Compassion International. But I needed to do more than that. I needed to find a church to call home.

Joining a church seemed to be the hardest part of returning to God. First I had to pick a denomination and then a city and state to call home. Being a trucker often means you live out of a PO Box and stay in hotels wherever you take your break, which I did for 13 years. But now it was time to land somewhere. And before I chose a location and denomination, God sent several Catholics into my life, one of whom was an old college roommate named Kevin (his St. Ambrose to my St. Augustine) who had prayed for me to join up with the Catholic Church 20 years before. With their guidance (and many deeply satisfying discussions) my fate was sealed. This past November I started classes in my local church's RCIA program, and tonight I join the church with my First Communion. In the pews will be mostly converts attending what must feel like a class reunion of sorts, remembering their First Communion with the Eucharist and the Catholic Church. I will try to keep from breaking down.

May the Grace of God be with all of you always.

It Takes A Bishop

Many of you may have noticed that for some time now this blog has taken on a kind of...Catholic flavor to it. There is a very good reason for this: I'm in RCIA classes. That is, Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, for those joining the Catholic Church.

Although I was baptized Catholic years ago, I never received my first communion in a Catholic church, nor was I confirmed. For years my soul drifted aimlessly with no church and no real knowledge of God, nor did I have any real interest for a while. More details can be found HERE if you're at all interested.

In 2000 one of my cousins died at age 29, and I traveled 2 days by car to his funeral which was held at an Episcopal Church called St. Monica's. For those who don't know, St. Monica was the mother of St. Augustine and the person who brought him back to the church. The pastor invited all who had been baptized to come up to the alter to share in the Lord's supper, so I did just that --my first ever communion at any church. That was the moment that pointed me in the right direction, though I would have many more hurdles to jump before reaching the point of no return. That's the point at which you know you now-and-always-will belong to Christ.

Since then I could never quite get myself to join any church. I was then only shopping among the Protestant ones, and although I found many I liked, I never found one where I felt at home. Plus I still had the habit from my childhood of oftentimes making the sign of the cross before and after prayer which put some protestants off, especially the Baptists.

There were many influences which lead me back to the Catholic Church: my friend and blog partner, Kevin, whom I alienated years ago and who took me back as a friend in 2006 (God bless him); Laura Ingraham (whom I've bumped into a few times) and her radio show with frequent guest Ray Arroyo of EWTN; Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia whom I have also bumped into a few times with similar results (I don't believe in coincidental encounters); an encounter with a short, old, diminutive nun at St. Patrick's in Manhattan; and Pope Benedict XVI when he visited (no I didn't bump into him) and was impressed with what he had to say.

Mainly it was the position of the Catholic Church on the life issue that drew me in. Most of the Protestant churches consider themselves pro-life on abortion, but if you visit their websites and read their stand on the issue it's rather weakly supportive. Most say they are against abortion BUT refuse to call for an all out ban, or they say abortion is bad but also understand a woman's right to kill her unborn child. For these positions I believe organized christian religion is losing its cred. So I've never felt at home in protestant churches.

The tipping point came with this ad last November from CatholicVote.com:



I kept getting goosebumps every time I'd watch it (over and over again) and see the words: 67 million Catholics in America. Every time I saw those words I knew I was, always had been, and always would be a Catholic; so at the end of November I decided to stop putting off the inevitable and make it official --I started classes.

This Easter Vigil I will receive the Sacrament of the Eucherist for the first time in a Catholic Church, and at Pentecost I will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation which until now I have put off for three decades. I should point out that most RCIA candidates will be confirmed at Easter Vigil shortly after receiving the Eucherist. But since I am a prodigal sheep (a Catholic returning to the church), the Bishop himself will have to shepherd me back into the flock. My long time friend Kevin will be sponsoring me, and my confirmation name will be Augustine. At long last I will have returned home.

Pro-life Video From CatholicVote.org

This was sent to us via email from Paul. An excellent video in honor of both the Presidential Inauguration (which I somehow missed, though I didn't actually miss it) and today's March For Life.

Isn't it ironic that Obama, a man from meager beginnings and a broken home, seems to have no qualms about making abortion available to anyone at anytime for those very reasons. He wouldn't wish to "punish (his own) daughters with a baby," in spite of the fact that baby could grow up to be President like him.

Very sorry I could not get today off to attend the March For Life. Perhaps next year. I was, however, there in spirit. And so was our friend, Paul.

www.CatholicVote.org