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.

There's Something About Catholicism #3

Questioning Years

Being gay of course, part of me felt that the Church was against me because of what I would see on the television, in the news etc; but another part of me didn't feel rejection from the Church, but nurture, love and care in the form of my school counsellor. In her office were posters to the effect of "Homophobia is NOT ACCEPTABLE" and "This school is a homophobic free-zone." Being a Catholic school, I suppose they could easily have taken the other approach, like many other schools, private, religious, secular or state do.

In a "gothed-up" CCW uniform at the college gates.
2001/02.

Still, religion wasn't an interest to me, but quite a drag. History was never one of my favourite subjects earlier on. I wanted practical things - subjects such as art. Being in high school, my parents also gave us the option to go with them to mass on Sunday's, so I rejected that offer and looked forward to my Sunday sleep-in's. Many of the kids at school didn't go to mass because of a similar arrangement but more commonly because their parents weren't particularly religious, if at all, but wanted a good education for their child. They knew Catholic College could provide like no other school in Albury/Wodonga at the time (even at the present time, in my own honest opinion) so being religious wasn't exactly "the in thing" either.

The friends I'd attended primary school with had ditched me for being gay, so I found new friends with a bunch of girls, and we became a small group of the bazaar, myself favouring the goth persuasion. With that I opened a whole bag of ideas when it came to God and religion, and I started looking into the more strange religions of the pagans, Wicca and even Satanism, before finally settling on atheism, with a dark-leaning, where I would occupy spare time writing essays comparing similarities with cannibalism, vampirism and Catholicism, or essays on how Satanism is a plausible and humane religion more-so than any of the traditional religions or the East or the West.

There's Something About Catholicism #2

Early High School and Loss of Faith

The year was 1999, I started Year 7 at Catholic College Wodonga, or CCW for short. It too was near my house, there was also a Coles Supermarket, a McDonald's, tavern and few small specialty stores that most students would visit before, after, and during when wagging. Right next door to CCW was at the time the most notorious of the Wodonga High Schools, Wodonga West Secondary College, the school that my best friend and boyfriend Kyle attended.

Most of the kids I went to St. Monica's Primary with also went on to attend CCW, as did most the students from the other Catholic primary school, St. Augustine's. There were other students from the various other state primary schools, as well as others from Albury who would come over the border preferring the education of Catholic College to the education of Albury's Xavier High School. Neither is better than the other, simply different Diocese's and State's making for different varieties of educational styles.

In Year 7 I was strongly questioning my sexuality, by Year 8 I knew for sure that "I was different" and thought my friends "had the right to know" and of course blabbed to everyone else. Word got around, before long my entire year level, then the entire school knew. Before long, everyone from neighbouring schools knew. That was the year 2000 - a year of change, of progression... of loneliness, emptiness, finding new friends and more importantly, finding myself - but not necessarily finding God!

There's Something About Catholicism #1

My early childhood and primary education.

I am the youngest of six to a Catholic Primary School teacher and motor-mechanic husband. We attended mass on a regular weekly basis, and attended one of the two Catholic primary schools just around the corner from our house.

There was one of two churches we would attend, the most regular one being Sacred Heart because of its size it could seat more people, but from time to time mum and dad would favour the tradition of St. Augustine's Church held at a different time on a Sunday.

My Confirmation/Communion day.
With Fr. Joe Taylor and my sister, Catherine.
November 1995.

I received the Sacrament of Penance in 1994, and the following year the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Eucharist, combined in the one ceremony which was a big occasion, my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and of course, Godparents, all coming up mostly from Melbourne, for the occasion.

As a child, I never really questioned God, faith, religion or any of that. I do remember when I first found out that not everyone believed in God, which threw me off and amazed me all at the same time. I guess, as a child, naturally one has child-like faith, thus they believe in God because He just is!!!

When learning about different things when preparing for different Sacraments of The Church, I was always fascinated, eager to learn, and I used to love visiting the Catholic Book Shop in Albury. I was also an altar boy for a few years, along with my sister who is two-years older, and enjoyed that, though I was never a "leader" as such but a follower.

By the end of my primary school years, things started to change a little as I started to form my own identity, and I hated going to mass, the only bonus to it was that we usually had McDonald's for breakfast afterwards. However, I'd made up my mind, that like my brothers and sisters before me, by the time I started high school, I too would make the decision not to go with mum and dad to mass each Sunday.

There's Something About Catholicism

It's not just a faith, it's a culture.

In this new series I call "There's Something About Catholicism" my aim is to tell a story and portray my experience and growth, loss and rediscovery of my Christian, particularly Catholic, faith.

I will set it out in a series of parts as follows:

1. My early childhood and primary education.
2. Early high school and loss of faith.
3. The questioning years of gothism, atheism, occultism and finally agnosticism.
4. My ultimate return of faith and testament to God, part 1 and part 2.
5. Soul searching and searching for a Church, part 1, part 2 and part 3.

I hope you enjoy reading and I trust you will gain an insight into my mind, my life!

GBU!

Davie.

Sacred Heart Wodonga

Looking down from the new alter.

In stark contrast to St. Patrick's, I will now share with you about Sacred Heart in Wodonga, my home town. This is a church built post Vatican II and since had major renovations and updates in the past five years.

This is the church I attended mostly growing up in a small-town Catholic family of eight. Almost without fail, we would be there ever Sunday with our own un-marked seat for our large family - several other big families would have their unofficial seat during a certain mass time also.

Church was once a big thing. We would have morning tea's after Sunday Mass, have "Family Group" meetings where families would get together and go on an outing as well as different youth groups. I loved my church, my family, my home. How things change, sometimes for the good but not always.

As Sacred Heart was built after Vatican II, it doesn't have the standard cruciform design that most other churches have. This is all to do with liturgical guidelines, customs, cultures and other differences which made the liturgy more in the mainstream in line with modern man.

The original altar wall.

The church building had thus changed, more so than any of the older traditional churches. After building them all to a set guide for so many years, it was hard for things to go wrong. When building a large, brick building, where does one place supporting beams and the like? Sacred Heart's original builders cut corners and certain things either weren't though through correctly, if at all.

Out front-side of original building.

By the mid-90's, the structure was showing too many signs of wear, tear and generally being built to a style that would change with the times, not a style that is timeless, like Traditional Catholicism. Changes were made within the Diocese of Sandhurst, including a vibrant young Bishop, now deceased, the Reverend Joseph Grech, and things started to change. After a series of priest changes, by mid-00's, things started to take place with restoration and renovation to both Sacred Heart and St. Augustine's Churches in Wodonga, part of a joint-parish combined of various other church parishes in small towns surrounding Wodonga.

After much help from the local parish community, the works were completed and the church officially reopened in 2010. It's great the sense of family that comes from people who truly do embrace the Catholic culture! It is one of the things I miss having not found a new parish, not knowing where I will be from month to month. I truly do miss the familiar faces, familiar names I used to see in Wodonga. After my car accident I would go to mass each Sunday with my parents which is how I got such a strong connection back to my God.

Out front of the new Sacred Heart Wodonga.

I was quite impressed by the outcome of Sacred Heart, which to me at least seems to incorporate design elements from an Eastern perspective, combining it with modern, contemporary Catholicism. A large cut-out circular design above the altar and the people and a wall-less feel with the whole main part of the church in a matching circular design, the computer and microphone cabling hidden behind the walls. Because of this new design, the supporting columns that one dotted around the main sanctuary could not be removed, creating a much cleaner look.

I don't expect Sacred Heart to change much now, though with time, with fashion, a new youthful church will one day take that opportunity to "renew the face of the earth" themselves! (Psalms 104:30)

Confession

I went to Saturday morning mass, received a blessing at communion, and went to confession after mass. I had time before and after mass to write in my journal a long, soul-searching inventory of the sins I have committed, even deciding to confess the things I, and many others, don't see as a sin, but The Church teaches is a sin, such as homosexual sex.

Anyhow, this was my first confession in about two years, first real in depth one in at least five years, during World Youth Day Week in Sydney 2008.

Now I have a clean slate, clear conscience, and open path to righteousness, for each sin I commit now I can confess straight away without it building up within me.

My penance was to visit the church at least once a day each day I would be in Albury, which I managed to do mostly, though I was only in Albury for three days... back up in Woodenbong near the Queensland border!

Back in Albury!

St. Patrick's, Albury.
The Oldest Church in the Diocese of Wagga Wagga.Opened 1872. Photo from 1940s © FotoSupplies.

After a long twenty-hour train trip, I am back in Albury. We arrived yesterday afternoon about fourty-minutes late. Because of the heat we had to go at a slower speed for a large part of the journey. All to do with the metal expanding in the extreme heat, thus the train needing to creep along slowly so as not to derail. To make the trip just that little bit more testing, not only was I craving a cigarette since 11am (the train wouldn't arrive in Albury until 3:20pm if it were running on time) but for the last three hours of the journey, the air-conditioning shut down and stopped working in the carriage we were in. We did however get a free bottle of water each, the least they could do until they could relocate the passengers to another carriage, which wasn't until Albury, thus by that time, we'd departed the train!

Anyhow, now I am here in Albury, I can visit MY CHURCH! And MY CATHOLIC SHOP! (Veritas Central) To make things even that bit sweeter, we're staying in South Albury, only a couple of blocks from the nearest Catholic Church, also my favourite - St. Patrick's Parish Church!

It is an extremely dedicated and lively parish, with a youth group and young adults group, as well as numerous other groups, including the Legion of Mary and connections to the Wodonga Parishes Micah CCR Prayer Group (Catholic Charismatic Renewal).

The Church and grounds are well maintained, especially with donations and bequests from wealthy current and past parishioners who have a strong connection and sense of home at St. Patrick's... much like myself. Even up in Woodenbong, 1286km away, I still call St. Pat's "My Parish" and will always have a strong connection to it. To put things into perspective, Albury is right on the NSW and Victoria border... Woodenbong is in NSW, ten minutes from the Queensland border - the opposite border!

I have an equally strong connection, perhaps more so, with the Wodonga Churches as they are the ones I attended growing up in Wodonga. The main church there, Sacred Heart, has since had major renovations and isn't recognisable of its former self.

From the large, brick monstrosity, what I would call an architectural disaster as a result of early design changed after Vatican II, losing the traditional cruciform design of old, it has morphed into a great example of contemporary modern Catholic Churches, transforming the entire outer and inner structure, banishing the many ugly supporting beams scattered throughout the church in favour for a totally new reinforced ceiling - with a circular window in the roof - and a new reinforced circular wall creating an edgeless wall effect. Sacred Heart, because of the sheer change of it, requires its own post, as does the original church in Wodonga, St. Augustines, which has also had just as much work, more so restoration as that is a traditional cruciform church. The new Presbytery is now on site at St. Augustine's in part of the old convent, and attached is a Primary School, one of the three Catholic ones of Wodonga Parishes, and where my mother works! So, two more posts of length will of length will be posted in the coming times, probably after I've taken some photos of both inside and outside.

St. Patrick's Albury.
Photo from November 2007.

Meanwhile in the neighbouring Diocese of Wagga Wagga, a stones throw over the Mighty Murray River in the State of New South Wales, at the oldest church in the diocese, St. Patrick's...

With St. Pat's being such a happening church, unlike many other inner-city churches, with exception of the Cathedral, or certain other "significant" churches, (thought all churches are significant in my book... but you know the ones I mean, the likes of St. Francis in the shadows of Melbourne Central on Lonsdale Street, or the ultra-modern St. Peter-Julian's in Haymarket Sydney.) there are services on everyday, sometimes more than once, and there is also regular Eucharistic Adoration on a Thursday and last time I was here (2months) they had Eucharistic Adoration on a Friday evening until late into the night, and once a month they would hold it all night until Saturday morning. A shame I never made more use of living only a block from the church when I lived here - I didn't utilise my church when I had it so close, and now that it is so far, and the church in Woodenbong being so small, being serviced by an out of town priest once a fortnight, I miss it, I want it, I crave it - I NEED IT!!!

So whilst in Albury, I will make use of my time, especially being so close to the church, and try to attend services much more often when available. I will definitely be going sometime over the weekend - there are plenty of times to choose from, even one in the Extraordinary Tridentine Rite! If I don't, I am a fool. The hardest thing will be planning to go certain days/times and then talking myself out of it due to another reason, such as the opportunity to party arises... I must be strong, and with the Grace of God I pray that I can be strong to say "No, I have other commitments" as they are that, not simply other plans, and "I can party afterwards, it will only take me 45 minutes at the absolute minimum, but preferably longer, perhaps in a just over an hour."

I better head over to the St. Patrick's website and download last weeks bulletin and have a read to see what is happening in the parish at the moment, in particular over the weekend.

And after a quick squiz at the bulletin, I can not only make it for 9:30am Saturday Mass in an hour, following mass is The Sacrament of Penance/Reconciliation. Provided I tie up this blog-entry pretty soon, I should have enough time to get ready and walk the few big blocks to the church, and hopefully I will have time before mass to examine my conscience - either briefly but preferably a thorough examination, one entailing a pen and paper. If not time before mass, then I will have time after mass when the first few people are in the confessional.

Well, it's 8:33am, must get changed and get my few books I need for church, and get on with what gets me around and along in life - my two feet and a heartbeat... a heartbeat "burning for Christ!"

Inspirational Art

Since finding God in my adult life (2005) I have been utilising my talent of drawing, making religious imagery and architecture. It has been over twelve months since I've picked up a pad and pencil, but I really want to get back into my artwork. It is a form of prayer and there is a real sense of achievement once I have finished a piece, particularly a really wonderful spiritual piece, or a tricky architectural one.

The styles, other than architecture, that I enjoy drawing, exploring and learning include, at this present moment, Coptic Iconography, Islamic geometry and modern/contemporary religious.

With God's grace may I begin to work on some new wonders!

I will leave you with one of my most recent pieces, a Coptic style of Jesus... I think I may work with this one to start with, try and perfect the head shape, or bring it more in line with the Copt style... A modern example of Coptic art is above and to the right. Another big problem is I now only have digital scans of my art now, some photos, no originals or hard copies (I left and thus lost them all in the move out of Albury).

St. Maximilian Kolbe

Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe, O.F.M. Conv., (Polish: Maksymilian Maria Kolbe; 8 January 1894 – 14 August 1941) was a PolishConventual Franciscan friar, who volunteered to die in place of a stranger in the Nazi German death camp of Auschwitz, located in German-occupied Poland during World War II.

Kolbe was canonized on 10 October 1982 by Pope John Paul II, and declared a martyr of charity. He is the patron saint of drug addicts,political prisoners, families, journalists, prisoners, and the pro-life movement.^[3] Pope John Paul II declared him "The Patron Saint of Our Difficult Century".^[4]

Due to Kolbe's efforts to promote consecration and entrustment to Mary, he is known as the Apostle of Consecration to Mary.

Melchizedek

Melchizedek or Malki Tzedek (pron.: /mɛl.ˈkɪz.ə.dɪk/^[1]); Hebrew: מַלְכִּי־צֶדֶֿק malḵ-i ṣédeq) translated as "my king (is) righteous(ness)") was a king and priest mentioned during the Abram narrative in the 14th chapter of the Book of Genesis.

He is introduced as the king of Salem, and priest of El Elyon ("God most high"). He brings out bread and wine and blesses Abram and El Elyon.^[2] Chazalic literature, specifically Targum Jonathan, Targum Yerushalmi, and the Babylonian Talmud, presents the name (מלכי־צדק) as a nickname title for Shem, the son of Noah.^[3]

In Christianity, according to the Letter to the Hebrews, Jesus Christ is identified as a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek, and so Jesus assumes the role of High Priest once and for all.

Sunday Snippets #01

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 is my new blog "Gloria in Excelsis Deo" which is Latin, the English translation is "Glory to God in the Highest" a common hymn we sing during Holy Mass.

I've been away from the blogosphere for over 12 months so I'm making up for it now!


As there are thirty-something posts so far, and most posts are equally important as the next, I will leave it up to you to navigate. There's some on Divine Mercy, others just rambling, even a post on the Qu'ran!

Enjoy my blog!
Davie.

The Golden Arrow

The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion is a prayer associated with a Roman Catholic devotion.^[1] The prayer and the devotion are based on reports of visions of by Jesus to Sr. Marie of St Peter, a Carmelite nun of Tours, in 1843.^[2][1] The prayer is an Act of Praise and Reparation for Blasphemy. It is also a reparation for the profanation of Sunday and the Holy Days of Obligation.

On March 16, 1844 Jesus reportedly told Sr. Marie:

"Oh if you only knew what great merit you acquire by saying even once, Admirable is the Name of God , in a spirit of reparation for blasphemy."

Sister Mary stated that Jesus told her that the two sins which offend him the most grievously are blasphemy and the profanation of Sunday. He called this prayer the "Golden Arrow", saying that those who would recite it would pierce Him delightfully, and also heal those other wounds inflicted on Him by the malice of sinners. Sr. Mary of St. Peter saw, "streaming from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, delightfully wounded by this 'Golden Arrow,' torrents of graces for the conversion of sinners.^[2][1][3]

Sister Marie of St Peter with the Golden Arrow. The three rings symbolize the Holy Trinity

This prayer is part of the Roman Catholic devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and appears in the book “The Golden Arrow”, the autobiography of Sr. Marie of St Peter. In her book she wrote that in her visions Jesus told her that an act of sacrilege or blasphemy is like a "poisoned arrow", hence the name “Golden Arrow” for this reparatory prayer. ^[1]

Words of the prayer:^[2][1]

May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable,

most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God

be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored

and glorified in Heaven, on earth,

and under the earth,

by all the creatures of God,

and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ,

in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.

Amen.

Morning Offering

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,

I offer you my prayers, works, joys, sufferings of this day,

in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.

I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart;

the salvation of souls, the reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians;

I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all members of the Apostleship of Prayer,

and in particular for those recommended by the Holy Father this month.

Amen.

Dialogue between Christ and a Muslim

SOURCE: The Catholic Thing 

Scene: Before the heavenly Throne.

 

Muslim (upon seeing Christ): “Is this a dream?”

 

Christ: “No. Something much better.”

 

Muslim: “I didn’t expect to see you here far above everyone. I thought you were coming back at the end of time to break the Cross, as we Muslims believe.”

 

Christ: “No, I’m not coming back to break the Cross. Rather, I was broken on the Cross, which is why you’re able to appear before me today.”

 

Muslim: “But we believe that the all-powerful God would not allow one of his prophets to be treated that way. That is why we refuse to believe you were crucified. It was some other man, or a shadow.”

 

Christ: “But I am not simply one of the prophets. I am God. I chose to allow myself to be treated this way to fulfill what the prophets foretold of the Suffering Servant.”

 

Muslim: “But God can’t do that! He can’t suffer and die.”

 

Christ: “Who are you to limit what God can do?”

 

Muslim: “But we are the true defenders of God’s absolute omnipotence. God is whoever is all powerful."

 

Christ: “So, right is the rule of the stronger?”

 

Muslim: “Yes. God decides because He is the strongest.”

 

Christ: “And He can decide anything?”

 

Muslim: “Yes, anything, and whatever He decides is just.”

 

Christ: “He is not bound even by His own word?”

 

Muslim: “No, not by anything.”

 

Christ: “But I am the Word. I am true to Myself. Pure will and power are arbitrary, tyrannical. I would be a despot.”

 

Muslim: “But we were taught that God cannot be confined by our human ideas of justice.”

 

Christ: “From where did you think you got those ideas of justice in the first place, if not from Me?”

 

Muslim: “I don’t know. Islam tells us to submit without questioning. The great al-Ghazali taught us that, ‘the mind. . .once it testifies to the truthfulness of the prophet, must cease to act.’”

Christ: “That it is a betrayal of Me. I seek rational consent, not cowering subjection. Tell me: can the all-powerful God enter his creation?”

 

Muslim: “Yes, but only through his word to his prophets to give us his commands.”

 

Christ: “But, as I said, I am the Word.”

 

Muslim: “But you are flesh.”

 

Christ: “Yes, the Word made flesh, because God is also Love and wishes to save you. Though I am the strongest, I made myself the weakest out of love for you.”

 

Muslim: “We are taught that God can only favor us (if we obey Him) because He is complete in Himself, and loving us would indicate some lack in Him. So, this kind of love cannot be. It is a forbidden thought.”

 

Christ: “You cannot forbid Me. I suffer no lack from this love. I do not need to complete myself, but to complete you. You have a hole in your soul. Only I can fill it. I became man for this purpose.”

 

Muslim: “Yes, we thought you were a man, certainly not the son of God. That would be blasphemy.”

 

Christ: “I know. You have a false idea of Me from the Qur’an, just as it mistakenly tells you that the Trinity is composed of Father, Son, and Mary. Neither did you believe that God is your Father, but some infinitely distant, unknowable Being, who could not possibly be in relation to you, except as a master to a slave.”

 

Muslim: “Yes, that is my name – Abdullah, ‘slave of God.’”

 

Christ: “But I am the Son of God, who made you my brother. I became human, so you could become divine. That’s how you became children of God. You have no idea how dear you are to me.”

 

Muslim: “But I can’t possibly be a child of God! God is infinitely above me.”

 

Christ: “But We made you in our own image and likeness.”

 

Muslim: “We say in Islam, ‘bila kayfa wala tashbih’ – which is: ‘without asking how and without comparing.’ It is forbidden for us to compare anything to God, much less ourselves. So, I find all this inconceivable.”

 

Christ: “I know. In fact, it required Conception – my Incarnation. But I am not telling you anything against your reason.”

 

Muslim: “We abandoned reason and submitted ourselves to the text of the Qur’an.”

 

Christ: “In doing that, you abandoned me, for I am Logos. I am Reason. That is why my pope, Benedict XVI, proclaimed that, ‘not acting reasonably is contrary to God's nature.’ This is why so many of you have behaved unreasonably, and why you could not find Me.”

 

Muslim: “Since we do not believe any of these things, how did I get here then?”

 

Christ: “You got here by the merits of the very things you deny, my Sonship and my sacrifice, because you had no chance to accept them. You knew nothing but Islam. And yet you lived a good and decent life by the lights you were given. I love you none the less for that. I died for you, too.”

 

Muslim: “I thought there would be only Muslims here, and that the Christians would be in Hell. But now that I see what the Christians said is true, why am I not in Hell?”

 

Christ: “I only send to Hell those who choose it. In fact, they send themselves.”

 

Muslim: “How can you forgive me for being so blind?”

 

Christ: “You knew not what you were doing.”

 

Muslim (falling on his knees, forehead to the ground): “My Lord and my God, how can I adore you now?”

 

Christ: “By loving me back. Now that you see me as I Am, you can do this. Welcome. One of my priests martyred in Algeria in 1998, Fr. Christian, prayed before his death that he ‘could contemplate with the Father his children of Islam as He sees them.’ He is with my Father doing that now. You may join him and see for your self. Then pray for your fellow Muslims that they, too, may see. I want them all for Myself.”

 

Robert Reilly is a former director of the Voice of America. He has taught at the National Defense University and served in the White House and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. His most recent book is The Closing of the Muslim Mind: How Intellectual Suicide Created the Modern Islamist.

 

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