INFERNO by Dan Brown

My parents bought me the book "Inferno" by Dan Brown, and in just over one week I've finished it already. It's another book with the famed Professor Robert Langdon as the star of this story full of mystery, artwork and religious themes like "Angels & Demon's" and "The Da Vinci Code."

Reading the story prompts many thoughts from the reader, picturing the world in its last spins before all humanity is lost... unless the characters in the story can find a way to make our humanly lives lengthened.

In a world that's overpopulated, we are destined to be an extinct race within 100-years unless a new "black death" or "AIDS" plague ravishes the world community, bringing world population to one-third of its current number.

Because of the stress humans have on natural resources - waterways, forrest-chopping and more, we will all strive to be in existence no matter the costs. We will steal to feed ourselves and kill to defend in humanities strive to exist.

The book got its name as it centres around Dante's "The Divine Comedy". Though it may sound strange, the story is a stark reminder of how we cope in times of trial, one man for himself - it's almost apocalyptic!

Not very often do I find a story, particulary one of 500-pages, that I can read so quick! Usually a book that size I lose interest quite frequently and it would take me 6-months to finish reading, if at all. But a book full of historical facts, artwork and real-life corporations makes it a fully involved book one can barely put down!

As "Angels & Demons" and "The Da Vinci Code" readers will know, it is a book that makes one question aspects of their faith, which can only be a good thing if you believe MORE once finished... though it can make one think too much at times, and some people may feel threatened by subjects questioning ones faith and beliefs.

A great book, one of the best I've read... now I just sit and pray some great director will take this novel on as a movie.

Same-Sex Marriage and Change

SOURCE: New Ways Ministry

Same-Sex Marriage and Change

By Jeannine Gramick, SL

In 1971, while I was a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania, I met a young gay man and his friends who turned my thinking around. I remember a young woman who was intelligent, socially responsible, had a healthy sense of self-esteem, and was working for her rights at the ACLU. I was impressed by a lesbian couple who cared lovingly for their two children.

I believed that I had never met a homosexual in my entire life although, of course, I unknowingly had. Some years later I remade the acquaintance of a high school friend who discovered her lesbianism when she fell in love with a woman in medical school. She then understood her feelings toward the boys at the Saturday night dances we attended at a local parish. I remember her saying, "They're really nice guys, but I feel for them like I feel about my brother."

My personal experiences began to clash with what I had been told—not by the Church (for I don’t remember ever hearing the word “homosexual” as I was growing up in the 1950s in Philadelphia)—but by society. Society told me that gay people were sick and perverted. But most of the homosexual people I encountered seemed as well-balanced psychologically as the heterosexual people I knew. The term “disorder” just did not fit. Except for the fact of their sexual orientation, my new friends seemed no more different from my heterosexual ones.

U.S. Catholics

Just as my personal views changed, I noticed change among Catholics in the pew regarding their attitudes about lesbian and gay people. Like me, Catholics were reading newspaper and magazine articles about research that showed that a large percentage of people have same-sex feelings. In fact, professionals told us that homosexual feelings and attractions are perfectly natural for anyone. Catholics heard about the judgments of the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association that homosexuality was not an emotional disorder. While they were learning all this new information, they were discovering that their sons or daughters, their brothers or sisters, their aunts or uncles, and their friends, were lesbian or gay. Like me, Catholics listened to the stories of the people they loved. Hearts, as well as minds, started to change.

In the 1990s, I began a more formal pastoral ministry with parents who have lesbian or gay children. During retreat weekends, I heard grief in their voices as they told me how sad they felt because their children no longer went to church. Over the years, I noticed that the sorrow and anguish were replaced by bewilderment and anger at the institutional church. They now ask me, “Why doesn’t the Church accept my child? I want the same happiness for my gay son as for my heterosexual daughter. I want them both to be able to share a life with someone they love.”

I have tracked public opinion polls on Catholic attitudes toward same-sex marriage since the early 1990s. At that time, about 20% of Catholics were in favor of same-sex marriage. By 2003, the percentage had doubled. A decade later, the percentage had risen to 59%. If same-sex marriage is specifically defined as civil marriage, the level of Catholic acceptance jumps to 71%. (These polls were commissioned by ABC News andThe Washington Post.)

Catholics have indeed changed their opinions about homosexuality. In fact, 56% believe sexual relations between two people of the same gender is not a sin, according to thePublic Religion Research Institute.

The Hierarchy

While the Catholic faithful now generally accept same-sex marriage, the Catholic hierarchy has not, although there is recently an openness to accept civil unions for lesbian and gay couples. Most prominent among these Church leaders, of course, is Pope Francis.

Before he became pope, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio publicly condemned a proposed same-sex marriage law in 2010 in Argentina as the work of the devil. We now know that, in heated, closed-door debates, he advocated civil unions as a compromise position. In the end, because he was President of the Bishops’ Conference, his public remarks reflected the views of the majority of the Argentine bishops, not his own views. During the political debate, a gay rights leader and theologian wrote a pointed letter to Cardinal Bergoglio. Shortly thereafter the man received a phone call and met twice with the Cardinal, who reaffirmed his support for civil unions and legal rights for lesbian and gay persons.

Six other cardinals have advocated civil unions for same-sex couples: Theodore McCarrick, retired Archbishop of Washington, DC; Carlo Martini (now deceased) of Milan; Christoph Schonborn of Vienna; Ruben Salazar of Colombia; Cardinal Godfried Danneels, Archbishop Emeritus of Brussels; and Rainer Maria Woelki of Berlin.

For example, last year at a major Church sponsored conference in Mannheim, Germany, that drew more than 50,000 Catholics, Cardinal Woelki told the assembly, “When two homosexuals take responsibility for one another, if they deal with each other in a faithful and long-term way, you have to see it in the same way as heterosexual relationships.” His statement recognizes and affirms the qualities of care, trust, commitment, and fidelity that are marks of a marriage. Of course, Cardinal Woelki did not use the word marriage. He stated that the relationship between a man and a woman was the basis for creation. Nevertheless, his words of support for civil unions amazed the crowd of assembly participants.

Also last year, a parish priest denied a gay man in a partnered relationship his elected seat on the parish council. The man asked to meet with Cardinal Schonborn, the influential Archbishop of Vienna. After inviting the man and his partner for lunch, the Cardinal stated that he was impressed by the gay couple’s commitment to living a life of faith, humility, and dedication to the Church. Commenting that the lifestyles of many parish council members do not conform to the ideals of the Church, the Cardinal reinstated the man to the parish council. This year at a lecture in London, Cardinal Schonborn reiterated that same-sex relationships need respect and civil protection.

Two national Bishops’ conferences and about a dozen bishops and archbishops throughout the world have likewise given public support to civil unions. Two of these prelates are Vatican officials. In February of this year, Archbishop Vincent Paglia, head of the Pontifical Council of the Family, said that the Church could recognize private law solutions for same-gender couples to prevent injustice. He condemned discrimination against gay and lesbian people because of their dignity as children of God. He said he would like Church officials to oppose bills that would make homosexuality a crime.

These remarks were followed by those of Archbishop Piero Marini, President of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses, who said, “In these discussions, it’s necessary, for instance, to recognize the union of persons of the same sex, because there are many couples that suffer because their civil rights aren’t recognized.” In his press interview, Archbishop Marini also said that the election of Francis has generated an air of freedom and a window of springtime and hope.

The most substantial challenge to official Church teaching comes from Bishop Geoffrey Robinson, a retired bishop from Australia. In his current book, For Christ’s Sake, and in a previous book, Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church, Bishop Robinson calls for a radical reexamination of the Church’s teaching on all sexual issues, which would affect both homosexual and heterosexual relationships. He believes that sexual morality should be based not on authority, but on people taking responsibility for their actions and their lives. Bishop Robinson is asking Catholics all over the world to sign a petition for a third Vatican Council to begin worldwide discussions not only among the bishops, but also among all the members of the Church. See “For Christ’s Sake! Stop Sexual Abuse for good!” or http://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/pope-francis-the-vatican-for-christ-s-sake-stop-sexual-abuse-for-good

These actions and comments indicate that the official Church is beginning to acknowledge a need to rethink homosexual relationships and, according to some bishops, its theology of sexuality.

How can we explain these changes in attitude among Catholics? Why have Catholics’ views altered or been modified to be more accepting of lesbian and gay persons and their love relationships? I believe that part of the explanation in understanding any complex issue rests in obtaining correct information. Historians, anthropologists, biological and social scientists, and other professionals have helped us grow in our awareness of the nature of homosexuality in general, and of same-sex marriage in particular.

Marriage

The meaning and rituals of marriage have varied over time and culture. The Israelites held no belief that marriage was between one man and one woman. In that patriarchal society, a man could have more than one wife if he could afford it. The great kings David and Solomon attested to the practice of multiple wives. The story of Adam and Eve was not an endorsement of monogamy among the Hebrews; monogamy became an ideal of prophets, such as Ezekiel and Hosea.

In the early Christian church, marriage had no religious significance. Christians merely adopted the customs of the culture. Marriages were arrangements made by the civil government of Rome that defined rights and responsibilities, provided continuity in society, and facilitated the inheritance of property. Weddings were private ceremonies, with no official sanction from church or state. None of the liturgical books in the early Church mention wedding ceremonies.

In the late 4^th century in some parts of the Christian East, it was considered an honor if a priest or bishop blessed the couple during the wedding feast. A century later, the priest participated in the ceremony by joining the couples’ hands or putting a garland over their hands. This ritual may be the origin of the expression, “to tie the knot.” By the 8^th century, marriage ceremonies were commonly held in a church, with legal recognition. By the 11^th century, church officials required that marriages at least be blessed by a priest. With the fall of the Roman Empire in the West in the 5^th century and the decline of the Empire in the East from the 11^th century, the institutional church exerted more and more legal control over marriage. By the 12^th century, a priest was obliged to conduct the ritual.

By the late 12^th and 13^th centuries, marriage began to be regarded as a sacrament to be regulated by church officials. Many theologians of the time objected to this sacramental view of marriage because marriages involved financial arrangements. It thus appeared as though grace, which comes from the sacraments, could be bought and sold. Furthermore, the institution of marriage existed before Christ, but if the sacraments were instituted by Christ to give grace, how could Christ have instituted marriage? Thirdly, marriage involved sex, which was considered polluted in some way.

Same-Sex Unions

In his book, Same-Sex Unions in Pre-modern Europe, the medieval historian, John Boswell, presents numerous ceremonies that celebrate same-sex unions. Boswell found and translated more than 60 manuscripts of such ceremonies between the 8^thand 16^th centuries. These ceremonies had striking word and visual parallels to ceremonies of heterosexual unions. For example, both kinds of ceremonies commonly included the joining or tying of right hands with a stole. Both kinds included a binding with a stole or veil, or the imposition of crowns, or making circles around the altar.

Boswell claims that Church authorities accepted these same-sex ceremonies prior to the 13^th century, after which they were considered illicit. Almost all historians agree that the late 11^th and early 12^th centuries were periods of openness & tolerance, and that the social and ecclesiastical climate became less tolerant in the 13^th & 14^th centuries, as inquisitions to investigate unorthodoxy began to appear. Scholars have generally accepted the authenticity of the manuscripts Boswell unearthed and the accuracy of his translations, but they have largely disagreed with his interpretations of the facts. Many claim these same sex unions were celebrating brotherly love, not marriage; however, the striking similarities to heterosexual marriage ceremonies cannot be denied. Many question whether Church authorities endorsed these ceremonies, but their existence indicates that they were approved in at least some parts of the Christian world where they were celebrated.

Personal Experiences

Same-sex unions are being sanctioned today in the United States by large segments of the Catholic community. I believe that another explanation for this acceptance, more important than the additional knowledge we have about marriage, is the personal experience of knowing friends, neighbors, relatives, or co-workers who are lesbian or gay. Lesbian and gay people have come out in record numbers in recent years. Their personal testimonies are affecting the hearts and minds of Catholics because our most profound beliefs are shaped by personal experience.

A number of years ago, I had a providential meeting on a plane with Benedict XVI before he was elected pope. I was making a pilgrimage to Munich and we both happened to be on the same flight from Rome. In our 20- minute discussion about lesbian and gay people, I asked him if he had ever met any gay people. “Yes, in Germany,” he said. “In Berlin, they were demonstrating against the pope.” This was his experience of gay people—in a conflict situation. Apparently, he had not heard the personal stories of lesbian or gay people and how they feel about their lives, their beliefs, and the struggles they have encountered from society and the church. I explained to him that lesbian and gay Catholics are often ridiculed by those who ask, “How can you stay with a Church that oppresses you?” “They stay,” I said, “because they love God and their Christian faith.”

Only when we meet lesbian and gay people in the ordinary circumstances of life, will we see them as the normal human beings they are. Only then will we begin to question our notions about same-sex marriage. We then ask the central question: What is the essence of marriage? What did marriage mean before the Christian era? What did it mean in pre-modern Europe? What does marriage mean today? In 2004, the board of the National Coalition of American Nuns answered the question this way: “Love, care, and commitment to another human being, not gender or procreation, form the essence or meaning of marriage.”

The Church’s Teaching

How can Catholics reconcile this new view of marriage with the traditional teachings of the Church? How can Catholics, who love the Church as their spiritual family, formulate a framework in which lesbian and gay people can live justly and wholly within the tradition of the faith community they love? Too often the application of the church’s teaching on social justice toward lesbian and gay persons seems to be thwarted or usurped by the official teaching on sexual ethics. What is needed is a continued development of sexual ethics by the Christian community.

In the first centuries of the Christian era, sexual ethics was not wedded to procreation. This came only with the early Church Fathers, particularly Augustine, who believed that procreation was the only justification for sexual pleasure and marriage. After many centuries, the official Church acknowledged that the love of the couple was a secondary purpose of sexuality and marriage. Vatican II taught that procreation and mutual love were equally important. Contemporary moral theologians have developed the teaching still further. They maintain that the procreative purpose can be broadened and described as creativity for the community. Using traditional Catholic theology based on natural law, this approach acknowledges that our appreciation of what is natural for the human person has also developed.

Change

The thread woven throughout these remarks is change: change in my personal opinions, change in the attitudes of U. S. Catholics, change in the public statements of some high ranking church officials, change in our understanding of marriage, change in our personal experiences, and change in the Church’s official teaching on sexual ethics. Too often we are frightened by change because we are comfortable with the status quo and are skeptical that one change will lead down a slippery slope of still more changes with which we cannot cope. When I fear change, I remind myself of the words of Cardinal John Henry Newman, who said in his Development of Christian Doctrine, “To live is to change and to be perfect is to have changed often.” Let us pray to Blessed John Henry Newman to help us accept the changes needed in our Church.

Sunday Snippets: #04

A Catholic Carnival

Hello, and welcome to Sunday Snippets - A Catholic Carnival. We are a group of Catholic bloggers who gather weekly to share our best posts with each other.

To signal a change of style, this year I created this blog, "Gloria in Excelsis Deo" to replace my older, somewhat darker style of "Darkness draws closer". Not long after creating the new blog, I went to hospital with a blood infection, ultimately requiring heart surgery, thus I only ever wrote three editions of "Sunday Snippets".

My latest edition will cover a range of stories since February - from the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI through the period of "Sede Vacante", plus much more!

Starting off, this year I have committed myself to daily spiritual reading of the Bible, a little Catholic practice known as "Lectio Divina".

A nice, short, sweet poem on Rosary Beads.

Last year my parents went on a tour of The Holy Land. They sent this link to me where you can walk around and view a range of Holy Sites - from behind your computer!

A brief introduction to the church here in Woodenbong NSW.

A poem written on the back of a Holy Card I received from a lady whilst in hospital as well as one I found on the "Eureka Street" website.

A Saint's guide to praying in times of affliction and to celebrate the Feast of St. Benedict, some handy info on his medal.

Handy looking website that encourages civil discussion between Catholic's and Athiests for the knowledge of TRUTH! Finally, some short thoughts on heading back to Albury.

TWEET'ed: #01

One thing I plan on doing this year is refresh my faith life, which will be easer living in Albury/Wodonga! I've started by starting a Catholic Daily Bible plan - which I am in front - as well as general spiritual reading/writing/drawing.

Another thing I plan on trying to do is life a more active and obvious Catholic life - ONLINE. A new form of evangelisation, and it's the net! Not that new though... XT3 is already five-years old!!!

Following in my footsteps of the past, in my old blog ("Darkness Draws closer") I was posting a weekly edition with links to my favourite written pieces for that period, and I also had another one, just going through my weekly Tweet's - there's a lot of news pieces I post here, not having personally written anything, but well worth a read, from a number of different news sources, some bias others not so much.

I hope you enjoy reading my news story Tweet's, hopefully next edition shall be shorter... all depends on what's happening in the news that week, and if I'm on top of it all!

NEWS

ABC: Saint JP2MAIL ONLINE: JP2 Miracle WomanXT3: Fifth Birthday!EQUALLY BLESSED: If the Church is Serious About Welcoming GaysHUFF-POST: Just Because He Lives: Learning to truly love our gay sonHUFF-POST: I didn't want to be Pope

WEB

WEBSITE: Jason Bach Cartoons
WEBSITE: Gay Passion of the Christ

PICTURES

PHOTO: Saint and sinner

EUREKA STREET: Kevin the Messiah
PEANUTS/CHARLIE BROWN: An Abortion

End of The World
Satan Uses You!
Buddha sock in it
Gun's n Roses
Noah kidding!
Knee Mail

VIDEOS

YOU TUBE: Leviticus and Homosexuality
YOU TUBE: Romans and Homosexuality
PHOTO: Funky, modern - Cathedral in Rio, Brazil.

OTHER

PRAYING: In times of affliction
ONE-YEAR BIBLE: Half-way!

Moving back to Albury!

After about ten-months, I find myself moving back to Albury which is exciting. I will be able to live a life somewhat - friends, family, things to do and see... and of course I will be able to get in touch with my religion. Since being up here, I have been to mass two or three times. It's up a big hill, only on every fortnight (which one I never know!) thus haven't made much an effort to get there. A little hard when one is hungry, no?

During my two-month stay in Brisbane (at Princess Alexendra Hospital) I gained much more touch of my faith - and religion. I was going to the Worship Hall every Sunday and Tuesday for Catholic Mass, meeting new people - other regular hospital parishioners, Sisters, and Priests. I got to know the Hospital Chaplain, though I do not remember his name, he was a great help during my long stay. One of the regular parishioners, not a patient but who lives nearby, an older lady, even came up to the Cardio Ward to visit me! She asked if there was anything I needed, or wanted, and she could buy it. Though there were quite a few things I may have wanted, I wouldn't take her offer up. She was just too nice, I didn't want to send her round the country side LOL. She left me with a few $2 scratches.... don't think that's classified as gambling... but it's a bit of fun, even if you don't win anything, like me!

So back to Albury/Wodonga, I will be able to go to mass, get driven no doubt, going with the parents. Be nice to go back to my home church, which I've been to once or twice since the major renovations. More places to pray, more places for space. It will be nice to get back home, finally put my past behind me, and look forward to building a positive relationship with my parents.

Strange Notions - new website!

Reading through todays weekly email from XT3, I found a new Catholic website for dialogue between Christian's (particularly Catholic's) and Atheists, for the ultimate knowledge of TRUTH!

Not a page to beat up on Atheists/Atheism, or likewise, beating up Catholicism, it seems like a page to use to gain more knowledge on Christianity, and God.

Check it out here!

St. Benedict's Medal

Front of the St. Benedict Medal.

Reverse of the St. Benedict Medal.

Yesterday was the feast day of St. Benedict: the Father of Western Monasticism. Check out this page for info on this popular Sacramental. I once had a crucifix with the Benedict Medal on both sides of it. The cross was wood, and a small Jesus poking off of it... don't have it any more, but I do have a Benedict Medal attached to a string, with various other medals, including the Mirculous Medal and my Patron Saint, St. Stanislaus Kostka.

Here's the link to read more on this medal!

A Saint’s Guide to Praying in Time of Affliction

“In time of affliction and, above all bodily sickness [depression is in the body], when the heart is often much weakened and without power of prayer, we must not oblige ourselves to try to pray, because simple acts of consent to the will of God, from time to time, are quite enough.  In any case, suffering which is borne by the will, with patience and gentleness, forms an unending and all-powerful prayer in the sight of God, in spite of the complaining and anxiety, which may be felt in our lower nature.” 

 — St. Jane Francis de Chantal 

The Twilight of Autumn

FROM: @EurekaStreet - www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=36744#.UdZfvRZql4E

The twilight of autumn

First rains wash:
a ritual, cleansing residues
from clothes lines, fences, roofs and roads.
Domestic spirituality.

Clouds filter sunlight
relaxing eyesight.
A meditation.

Rains polish almond-shaped, olive-coloured leaves
and blushing berries of the Japanese Pepper,
or Jesuits Balsam
that frames the church car-park.

The oil a cure-all:
anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral
cleansing wounds.

Analgesic,
pain relief.

Aperient (a mild laxative),
purgative holiness.

Like a tourniquet it reduces bleeding,
promoting healing.

Anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic, anti-depressant,
relaxant.

Hypotensive, cardiotonic,
heart health.

The essential oils found in Chilean wines.
Communion.

Like juniper sweet and aromatic:
with tears that washed the feet
of Jesus.

First rains.

Deanne Davies

WHAT MATTER THE ROAD IF HEAVEN BE AT END

One of the lovely older ladies, a regular parishioner at the Princess Alexandra Hospital worship centre, gave me a prayer card as a goodbye gift, written by her sister back when she was sixteen, which she won a competition with. I love it and thought I would share it with you all :-)

"THE WAY OF THE CROSS"

What matter the road if Heaven be at the end
What matter the road when round the farther bend
There shines a soft sweet glow of Heavenly light
Blest coming home from exile's painful night

What matter the road if Heaven be at the end
What matter the road, when Christ, our dearest friend
Waits at the gate to call us home from pain
And clasp us to His Sacred Heart again

Mary Our Mother, Queen of Heaven above
Fill thou our hearts with flames of purest love
Teach us to bear the crosses Christ may send
For they are the fairest gift of Him our Friend

What matter the labours, sorrows and the pain
We tread the path Christ trod yet once again
He will reward us when our life is done
And we shall enjoy repose when victory's won

What matter the thorns, the scorn, the loss
The path that leads to Heaven is the Cross
What matter the pains and the anguish He may send
What matter the road if Heaven be at the end

By Patricia Mary Martin

Sede Vacante: Conclave to begin this week!

On Tuesday 12th March 2013, the College of Cardinals will enter the Sistine Chapel, not to emerge until a new Pope, the Successor to Saint Peter, has been chosen. Let's pray for a speedy election, but also that a deep and holy man right for the Church during the churches scandals and "dark years".

Sacred Heart, Woodenbong

A COUNTRY CHURCH: Sacred Heart Church, Woodenbong NSW.

Today is when services are held at Woodenbong, though as there is no resident priest and must travel here, there is only mass every fourtnight, on the off weeks they hold their own liturgy amongst the laity.

Going from a city such as Albury where there's daily mass, the church is open during business hours to the public, even the Tridentine Rite or Latin Mass - to a small place such as Woodenbong where I hardly know a soul, the church isn't left open and very rare to have mass there - it really is a shock to the soul!

Today I plan on going and hopefully meet some people. I made contact via email with the Kyogle Parish, and in turn got in contact with someone here in Woodenbong that has access to the church keys etc;.

Things are slowly starting to look up on the spiritual front... I hope to one day gain enough trust to be able to borrow a set of keys for my own private prayer space.

Holy Land Virtual Tour | Leen Thobias| p4panoramaThe

Holy Land Virtual Tour | Leen Thobias| p4panoramaThe

Pope Benedict XVI Resigns

Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter's Square, 2010.

Pope Benedict XVI has announced he will retire due to health reasons at the end of February 2013. The College of Cardinals will meet to elect the successor to St. Peter, who the worlds 1-billion Catholic faithful will hope to have a new Pope by Easter - the end of March 2013.

With the current Pope's papacy shrouded in scandal - paedophilia priests, insulting Islam, homophobia etc; I hope that the next Pope will be a younger, if not a youthful, more progressive Pope on issues especially such as homosexuality and marriage.

My Rosary Beads

My prayer table circa 2011.

A little pair of Rosary Beads

As plain as plain can be.

But only God in Heaven knows

How dear they are to me.

I have them always with me

At every step I take.

At evening when I slumber,

At morn when I awake.

In bright and cloudy weather,

In sunshine or in rain,

happiness or sorrow,

In pleasure or in pain.

It helps me in my struggle,

It reproves me when in sin,

Its look of gentle patience

Rebukes the strife within.

In days of pain and anguish

The greatest help I knew

Was to hold my Rosary Beads

Until I calmer grew.

So when the time approaches

When I will have to die,

I hope my little Rosary Beads

Will close beside me lie.

That the holy name of Jesus

May be the last I say,

And kissing my sweet Rosary Beads,

My soul may pass away.

By Anonymous.

One Year Plan

Read The Bible and Catechism in One Year!

A few years ago I found on the net this "One Year" Bible and Catechism reading plan from the "Coming Home Network". I started using it that year (I think it was 2010) but didn't get far through it... wasn't disciplined enough and had too many distractions in life.

This being the "Year of Faith" in the Church Universal, and the "Year of Grace" in the Australian Church as well. One of the main focal points for this church year is to become more familiar with the "Catechism of The Catholic Church" (CCC).

Having recently been gifted a copy of the "YouCat" from my Canberran sister in Christ, already owning a copy of the "CCC" as well as a small copy of the "Compendium of The Catechism of The Catholic Church" that we were given as part of our WYD2008 pack. I also have a small "pocket size" they call it, copy of the Douay-Rheims Bible (DR) and the same friend I spoke of earlier sent me another Bible, the "Catholic Student Bible" NAB translation... so I guess you could say I am set! I wish I still had my "pocket size" New Jerusalem Bible with zip... I love the NJB translation, so poetic, but so is the DR, just more old fashioned language than the NJB.

Check out the downloadable PDF reading plan from the "Coming Home Network" here!

Sunday Snippets #03

A Catholic Carnival

Hello, and welcome to Sunday Snippets - A Catholic Carnival. We are a group of Catholic bloggers who gather weekly to share our best posts with each other.

A friend I met on XT3 five years ago during World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney sent me a parcel full of goodies, and ordered two books from The Mustard Seed bookshop - "YouCat" and the "Daily Missal", though a "Sunday Missal" was ordered, so I will have to post that one back for an exchange.

We went back to Albury about a month ago, so I had time to visit my favourite church, St. Patrick's in the Albury CBD. I also went to confession and also took the time to write about my original parish church in Wodonga - Sacred Heart. One on St. Augustine's to come soon!

It has been far too long since I've picked up a pencil and paper to draw, so I am determined to start doing more art - rough sketches and eventually, masterpieces... or my idea and style of a masterpiece anyhow! Besides, art is personal, subjective...

During my daily web-surfing, I found a really handy website "Hidden Treasures" - one in the jokes category I found quite amusing, and true!

Another one is a bit of humour about if Noah had been commanded to build an ark... in Australia!

Last but not least, I talk about certain Saints and people from the Bible, including: St. Maximilian Kolbe, Ss. Sergius and Bacchus and Melchizedek.

If Noah lived in Australia

Great little bit of humour I found on the website "Hidden Treasure". 
Check their other jokes as well as blog, iPhone Apps and more theological things.

And the Lord spoke to Noah and said, "In one year, I am going to make it rain and cover the whole Earth with water until all flesh is destroyed. I want you to save the righteous people and two of every kind of living thing on the Earth. Therefore, I am commanding you to build an Ark."

In a flash of lightning, God delivered the specifications for an Ark. In fear and trembling, Noah took the plans and agreed to build the Ark. "Remember," said the Lord, "You must complete the Ark and bring everything aboard in one year."

Exactly one year later, fierce storm clouds covered the Earth and all the seas of the Earth went into a tumult. The Lord saw Noah was sitting in his front yard weeping.

"Noah!" he shouted. "Where is your Ark?" 

"Lord, you must forgive me!" cried Noah.

"I did my best, but there were big problems. First, I had to get a permit for construction and your plans did not comply with the codes. I had to hire an engineering firm and re-draw the plans. Then I got into a fight with the occupational Health & Safety Commission over whether or not the Ark needed a fire sprinkler system and flotation devices.

"Then my neighbour objected, claiming I was violating zoning ordinances by building the Ark in my front yard, so I had to lodge a Rezoning Application with the City Council & it is now with the Land & Environment Court.

"I had problems getting enough wood for the Ark, because there was a ban on cutting trees to protect the Kookaburra.

"I finally convinced the Dept of Conservation & Land Management that I needed the wood to save the kookaburras. However, National Parks & Wildlife won't let me catch any kookaburras; so, no kookaburras.

"The carpenters soon formed a union and went out on strike. I had to negotiate a settlement with the Dept of Industrial Relations before anyone would pick up a saw or a hammer. Now, I have 16 carpenters on the Ark, but still no kookaburras.

"When I started rounding up the other animals, I got sued by the RSPCA. They objected to me only taking two of each kind aboard. Just when I got the suit dismissed, the EPA notified me that I could not complete the Ark without filing an environmental impact statement on Your proposed flood.

They didn't take very kindly to the idea that they had no jurisdiction over the conduct of the Creator of the universe. Thought it was a bit much.

"Then the Dept of Land and Water Conservation demanded a map of the proposed new flood plain. I sent them a complete set of UBDs, Melways & a Gregory's.

"Right now, I am trying to resolve a complaint filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that I am practising discrimination by not taking godless, unbelieving people aboard!

"The Australian Tax Office has seized my assets, claiming that I'm building the Ark in preparation to flee the country to avoid paying taxes. I also have to wait for the registration of my ABN for the GST.

"I just got a notice from the Waterways Authority that I owe them some kind of user tax and failed to register the Ark as a 'recreational water craft'.

"I also need a Boat Drivers Licence but they are debating about how to classify the craft. I am getting continual visits from Greenpeace, the RSPCA, Work Cover, the Sheriff's Office & numerous other government departments.

"Finally, the Australian Council for Civil Liberties got the courts to issue an injunction against further construction of the Ark, saying that since God is flooding the Earth, it is a religious event and therefore unconstitutional.

"God, I really don't think I can finish the Ark for another 5 or 6 years!" Noah wailed.

The sky began to clear, the sun began to shine and the seas began to calm. A rainbow arched across the sky. Noah looked up hopefully.

"You mean you are no longer going to destroy the Earth, Lord?" 

"No," said the Lord sadly. "I don't have to. The bureaucracy has beaten me to it. I think I'll just send a drought instead!"

The Bible in 50 Words

Great little bit of humour I found on the website "Hidden Treasure". 
Check their other jokes as well as blog, iPhone Apps and more theological things.

God made.

Adam bit.

Noah arked; Abraham split;

Joseph ruled; Jacob fooled.

Bush talked; Moses balked;

Pharaoh plagued; People walked;

Sea divided.

Tablets guided; Promise landed;

Saul freaked; David peeked.

Prophets warned; Jesus born.

God Walked; Love talked.

Anger crucified; Hope died.

Love rose; Spirit flamed;

Word spread; God remained.

Sunday Snippets #02

A Catholic Carnival

Hello, and welcome to Sunday Snippets - A Catholic Carnival. We are a group of Catholic bloggers who gather weekly to share our best posts with each other.

This week I've focused on telling a story of my spiritual life, to the loss of innocence and God, to the ultimate renewing of a relationship in adult life.

Check it out here!

YouCat

Youcat is a 2011 publication, named by its authors as: "Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church", because it aims to be an aid for youth to better understand the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The book, drafted in the form of a conversation, is intended for use by Catholic youths around the world and is available in 25 languages, including Arabic and Chinese. Youcat is based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992) and the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (2005). The Catechism has 304 pages and consists of four chapters with 527 questions and answers.

The foreword was written by Pope Benedict XVI. Approximately 700,000 copies of Youcat were distributed in thirteen different languages on behalf of the Pope during World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid.^[1]

New Spiritual Books!

I was talking to my big-sister in Christ as I call her and she ordered me a copy of "YouCat" and St. Paul's "Daily Missal". Can't wait for the mail to come... she's sending some other tid-bits like a rosary etc;.

LOVE YOU BIG SIS!!!

St. Mary's Catholic Church, Warwick QLD

On Wednesday we went for a drive to go shopping in Warwick, Queensland. It was the first time I'd crossed the NSW border into Queensland - a quick trip, didn't have time to do much which was a shame... would have liked to have a whole afternoon there to look at the nice old buildings!

One building I sighted in the distance which I fell in love with was the church. Sure enough I looked it up online and it's none other than the Catholic Church - St. Mary's.

There's Something About Catholicism #8

Soul Searching

Part Three

Knowing there was an obvious loss of liturgy and religious artwork/iconography, I didn't last too long on my quest to find God outside of the Catholic Church. I would spend many days in Albury and thus became familiar with St. Patrick's Church, slowly starting to meet different people of different ages, finding out about the many different groups they have, not to mention the young adults group.

St. Patrick's Church, Albury.
One of my favourite and closest churches.
2007.

By the year 2008, the youth coordinator for the Diocese of Wagga Wagga was a girl who was one-year above me at CCW. I had hoped to attend World Youth Day that year, however I didn't have the funds so it didn't look likely, looking less likely when I had to move out of the caravan park I was staying in at the time and lived on the streets before going back to mum and dad's temporarily.

I met a few new people at the Wodonga parish and before long, I was set for a place going to Sydney for the week of World Youth Day with St. Patrick's Parish in Albury. It was paid for with funds left over from the Canberra Archdiocese WYD Fund, one of the ladies I met in Wodonga got me through as her daughter lives in the Canberra Archdiocese.

Middle of the year, 2008, I found myself along with some other half-a-million young Catholic's painting Sydney with the Holy Spirit and truly was an experience. Just the experience I needed I guess as I had a huge sense of belonging, met many other young people and basically stood my place in the ground saying, "I'm Catholic and not ashamed to admit it!"

After that, I would still search in different churches, but all of the Catholic Church, none of the other denominations. I came to the conclusion that I agreed with more of Catholic doctrine than I rejected. Things such as the Catholic thoughts on the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Saints of The Church, The Bible - many different aspects.

With issues where some may find I would be deeply troubled over, such as gay issues with marriage and sex, I simply acknowledge the Churches official teachings and positions, while I respect their right to their interpretation, I would prefer to believe that God loves more than He hates, love will overcome all in the end. Why not leave the Catholic Church over the issue in favour for a more accepting one? Simply put, the reason is because all denominations have faults, some more serious than others, because they are human invention.

Yes, Jesus Christ established the Church on earth with St. Peter, the Pope being the successor to St. Peter meaning the Catholic Church is His Church. However, because all men are just that, men and not God, they can err and if there have been schisms and splits in the Church, it is a fragmented Christian community overall. No one denomination has it 100% correct and probably ever will, as will any human, until the glorious return of Jesus Christ.

The wheels of the Church turn slowly, but they surely turn. With hope I look to the future and believe that in my lifetime, us LGBT people will be fully accepted and have our place within the church - marriage and all.

There's Something About Catholicism #7

Soul Searching

Part Two

When I was a teenager growing up in Wodonga, one of the popular churches amongst the youth, young adults and young-at-heart was a place called "Faith City" a Pentecostal Church quite similar to "Hillsong" based in Sydney and various other locations over the nation. Now you can see the attraction to this brand of Christianity particularly amongst the young, so I decided to go along and check out Faith City one day and I was quite surprised, as I will explain further.

Growing up in a Catholic family, being educated at Catholic schools, I'd never known any other form of worship than that of what I was taught. I'd never even been to an old Latin Tridentine Rite mass as my parents, and the Diocese of Sandhurst where we resided, were fairly progressive Catholic's, Vatican II Catholic's who embraced the changes in tradition.

Up until about year 3 I wasn't aware that not every Christian is also a Catholic, I thought the two went hand in hand, and I learnt of "other denominations" but always saw them as similar worship to the Catholic Church like that of many Anglican Churches.

So you can imagine my surprise at a building with no obvious crosses, crucifixes, stained-glass windows, statues, saints - ANYTHING remotely religious, and a large room set up with a stage as opposed to a room centered around Christ in the Tabernacle beyond the altar.

I was also surprised and dismayed at the lack of liturgy - not sharing the one cup, not singing traditional hymns I knew, not even any reading from the Bible at length, but a series of long sermons with the Pastor taking small quotes from the Bible, with Christian rock music intercessions. At the end of the festivities, I met the Pastor and everyone else stayed around drinking coffee and catching up. Equipped with their own espresso machine and kids playground, they were set for the afternoon. Or so I thought... instead they all head home for a while then most come back and do it all again for some "city-wide worship" at 5pm (I believe it is still inside their building though not across the entire city).

I'd met a guy there and we talked, he drove me home, we had coffee, exchanged numbers and met up several more times over the course of a couple of years. He was full of zeal and passion for the Lord, wasn't too happy with me being Catholic, but accepted me as I was when I decided not to go back to Faith City... he was pretty pushy and had too much anti-Catholic sentiment in the end so I finally got rid of him.

In the meantime whilst searching for God in various different denominations, I still attended Sacred Heart Catholic Church with my parents in Wodonga, also going on my own at times to St. Patrick's in Albury where I found a church I had never really been to or experienced, a much more welcoming and varied, organised group than Wodonga. This is where I would soon find my place and a sense of belonging in God's Church.

There's Something About Catholicism #6

Soul Searching

Part One

After my accident, I became increasingly aware of my interest in the afterlife, and seeking comfort for Samantha's death, I fell back onto the roots of my Catholic faith which I was very grateful to have. One Sunday morning, out of the blue, my mother asked if I wanted to come with them to mass. Very strange as I had not shown any interest in God, or at least I hadn't shown it, or thought I had. I'd been reading different things on the internet however, not exclusively Catholic things or sites, predominately Evangelical Christian but not fundamental.

One Catholic site I found however, and still use to this day - Saints.SQPN - features an alphabetised list of Saints and Blesseds of the Catholic Church. I looked up many of the commonly known Saints, reacquainted myself with them and their stories. One of the Saints I looked up perhaps to have had the biggest impact on my life wasn't one of the common Saints, but my chosen Confirmation Saint, my Patron Saint, Saint Stanislaus Kostka. I could tell you all about this wonderful Saint that isn't as well known as the Saint's Augustine or Francis, but that is not the aim of this post, so I shall just briefly touch on his life and legacy so as to make sense of my continuing story.

Stanislaus is known as "the boy saint", born to Polish nobility in the 1500's. He is the Patron Saint of last sacraments and broken bones. Now understand this, that I have never broken a bone in my body in my entire life. Kids are always climbing trees, falling over and commonly breaking arms, sometimes legs and other bones, but not I. Now here I was, flat on my back most the time having broken a major bone noone wants to fiddle around with - the spine. Almost miraculously I am walking and without noticeable signs of having been in a car accident, even the scars on my back are quite neat, minimalistic and faded with time. Being the Patron Saint of last sacraments as well, I could see that somehow, I would like to think in some way, a link into Samantha's death.

Back to my mother on Sunday morning, I did end up taking up her offer and went along. This was the first time I'd been to mass since I'd left Catholic College, which was in the start of 2002. I found it quite easy and familiar remembering most of the layout of the liturgy, even remembering many of the responses and most of The Creed.

Still, I felt I was missing something. The congregation were made up almost entirely of older people my parents age and older. Very few young families, rarely a young couple or individual young person like myself with their parents or on their own. I decided to go searching for a younger, vibrant crowd, outside and away from the Catholic Church. I knew what it was that I was missing, and it was soul and passion, but with time it would reveal itself, make itself known to me.

There's Something About Catholicism #5

Return of Faith

Part 2

Samantha died two-weeks after the accident, I sustained a back injury requiring two separate operations. I had to learn to walk and do a range of different things, it was a very testing time for me physically and mentally. To make things harder, Samantha was across the other side of the city in a different hospital to me, and because I wasn't in the best condition, I couldn't see her, nor even attend her funeral.

One forever changing moment occurred within the walls of the Royal Melbourne Hospital, however, and several others would come to be known to me later on down the track. The scene was in my hospital room, with everything as it was in reality, from the drawings my nieces had made for me to the bright yellow fellow-boa, bright pink dolphin birthday ballon and several other things, right down to my hospital bed and the one chair next to my bed for a visitor. The only thing out of place was Samantha sitting on that chair, yet we seemed to talk endlessly, knowing what had happened, yet neither of us being phased that Samantha was seemingly unaffected and sitting with me!

The next day when our best friend came in to visit, I told her about my dream and how great it was, how great I felt afterwards. She just smiled kindly, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. A couple of days later, she told me that Samantha had passed away that night, probably about the same time I had this dream! WOW - Samantha's spirit came across the city and visited me!

Certain other small happenings occurred whilst I was in that hospital room that I couldn't just dismiss as mere coincidences. Coincidences in my experience are generally quite rare, not quite frequent and pronounced. Whichever way I looked at it, things just didn't seem the same to me anymore, and I made an unconscious decision to follow God, though I would not know this until several months later.

There's Something About Catholicism #4

Return of Faith

Part 1

This is where my story gets very interesting...

By the age of 18 I had been living out of home for a few years, one or two of those years in Southbank, Melbourne. I was living the high life - a life of drinking, drugs and partying whilst studying during the days. I was living the fast life, reckless with little thought of consequence.

One night, my girlfriend Samantha called me and said she was coming to pick me up and we were going for a night on the town. It was a Tuesday night, and by this time I was living in the Eastern Suburbs. We drove into the city as nothing was open in the 'burbs and we found ourselves at Crown Casino. I remember thinking, as we drove around the city looking for an open bar, "Why don't we call into the 24 hour liquor-store and go back to yours?" but I decided against raising the issue as Sam really wanted to go out that night, I could tell it in her voice, in the way the acted - everything.

Samantha and I in Melbourne, August 2005.

Once at Crown we went upstairs to the nightclubs and went into Club Odeon. It was rather busy for a Tuesday night, the music was pretty shitty though, but we had fun. Out over the dance floor, Sam spotted a cute guy and pointed him out to me. Later in the night, we ended up dancing and talking to him and his friend.

After partying for a couple of hours, Sam and I decided to go get something to eat from McDonald's in the food-court. By this stage we had lost sight of the cute guy, Mark, and his friend, but surprise surprise we met up with them at McDonald's! We all ordered then sat together to eat and talk where we could actually hear one another, all decided to go with Mark in his car to a bar in Hawthorn as Odeon was pretty average. Sam and I were talking about getting a cab, leaving her car in the Crown carpark and collecting it later than day, but seeing as Mark was driving and was offering a lift, we decided on that. Little would we know that would be a fatal, life-changing mistake.

Driving from Southbank, over the Yarra River then up Flinders Street, we had a two-car collision at the King Street intersection... the main road that goes over Crown Casino and into their carpark. Mark was in the wrong, running a red light and speeding at 90kmp/hour in a 50km zone, we were T-boned by another car coming down Kingsway and ultimately we crashed into the wall of a pub that was just near the corner.