Monday, June 29, 2009

The Hands of Humility


Recently, I moved back to the city. The one thing I will miss about my former home is one of the priests at the church parish I attended. I remember when I first saw him give a homily. His sincerity struck me more than any homilist I have seen.

This priest is from Vietnam and was sent to the parish as an associate pastor. He barely spoke english, and still forgets to pronounce the 'th' sound when reading the gospel. After I heard that first homily, I found myself listening intently everytime I next heard him in masses.

The most humble aspect shown through when he spoke of his home in Vietnam and the many Catholics there that need good priests. He is older now and was a priest who escaped the communist regime. But his sincerity shines through as he asks the body of parishoners to pray for him.

One last thing, I don't mention his name, because I don't want to massacre the spelling. But I also noticed his hands and the way they were shaped like those on the Shroud of Turin. I will miss hearing his enthusiam and sincerity for the Gospel.

Friday, June 26, 2009

The Sacred Heart

Dinoscopus has a short article on the Sacred Heart and Josefa Menendez. Please read it. I discovered this blog on the Catholic New Media Awards website in Best Blog by a Cleric.

When I look upon the Sacred Heart, sometimes it is hard to understand the capacity of Christ's mercy. I'll pray to try, and give the same mercy to others.

Monday, June 22, 2009

The Science of Scarcity and the Will of God

Manically thumbing through the pages of an economics college textbook before my recent ‘materials interpretation’ certification test, I came to the conclusion that economics is yet another science that expresses the infinite beauty of God’s creation.

The physical and spiritual aspects of man directly relate to micro and macroeconomics. Microeconomics has a singularity that is most involved with the affective nature of man, whereas macroeconomics encompasses the effect of the world community upon standards set for man. The micro economy of a man’s spirituality is his company that can be run down or become amazingly successful. The macro economy is the level of spirituality that man is held too according to God’s law.

Scarcity, in particular, is the mover and shaker of the science of economics. Scarcity is when our wants are greater than the resources available to satisfy them. (Microeconomics 7th ed., Arnold) The science of scarcity is then broken down into: infinite want versus finite means and how the individual and community deal with it.

Imagine then, that the will of man is a desire to attain perfection. Men desire at different levels, but all to the same end. The imitation of human saints is a finite resource, where the imitation of Christ is infinite with God’s will. The infinite desire and will of God, who satisfies completely, has no ceiling as far as human knowledge extends. But, God has set the high standard for the community of man as the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Using our definition of scarcity, man’s desire to be like Christ, is limited by his formed will and knowledge, both finite resources. After God’s grace takes over, man’s will meets at a higher place with God’s will. Fig. 1 is an imagined attainable region and slope of desire for man to succeed in his endeavor to be holy.



Unfortunately, man does not always know his true wants, knowledge of God.
Consider a quote from Tanquerey’s The Spiritual Life that examines the value of the knowledge of God. “All creatures, according to their degree of perfection, are an image, a likeness of God; all proclaim God for their Maker and bid us join in praise of Him, since their own being, all their beauty and goodness, is but a created and finite participation in the divine essence.”

Man’s participation, or desire to participate, is limiting to himself. Thus he defines his slope to perfection pre-empted by Jesus Christ. The weakly formed will of man is a slower slope to the full will of God for man to seek Christ. Where the greater will, or desire to be like Christ is the faster slope to attain saintly perfection. Fig. 2 is too simple to show that God’s will is ingrained in men no matter if they acknowledge Him or not. But it does allow for varying degrees of man’s desire.



This is only a limited interpretation of an exact science with abstract infinites. But God’s complex creation of man and Earth, for me, is easily seen in various forms of science that reflect physical attributes of perfection and organization. In the same way that economics depends on scarcity, God’s 'Kingdom Come' is seen in man’s desires. We are limited so far as what grace God provides and what level of desire we have for God's grace.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

The Rights of Man and Media Inter-woven

Who says media is living in the past? Don't blink, you may miss the next internet trend as media is transitioning into a dynamic force for America's Freedom of Speech. This is clearly seen in the individuals who are rallied by social networks and instant feed sites in other countries who are beginning to share the basic 'rights of man' mentality.

Media, though currently evolving, has become the moniker for people's rights. Around the world we see that an electronic rally has complex effects on the society. People, governments, land, language and economies are effected to name a few examples. Where do people get such ideas?

Rights of the rational man, stemming from Locke, Hobbes, & Paine have long been parts of a more complete truth that Man has free will. Thus ideas become cross-cultural in an inter-society where mutual understanding of freedom of voice has become the the momentum for a new definition of civilized.

Media has become the 'new' definition of civilized. Ideal rights of man are the underpinnings of this freedom of voice which all classes of society seek. This is exciting news, because any advocate of the un-thought-of peoples of the world may make a way for them.

One small voice is multiplied if it is spoken for the Truth. I pray that more people use the current media to speak for freedom and the dignity of man. If we wouldn't have had muckrakers such as Ida Tarbell and Upton Sinclair, the truth may have continued to be smeared over. Media is a means of communication for the masses and hopefully it will continue to find ways to show truth in content from the many individuals that explore it's past and future.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

The Arc of the Covenant

I took pictures for a friend's wedding. I like this one the best, probably because Our Lady rocks.



So then, the great Mother of God, so mysteriously united to Jesus Christ from all eternity by the same decree of predestination, immaculately conceived, an intact virgin throughout her divine motherhood, a noble associate of our Redeemer as he defeated sin and its consequences, received, as it were, the final crowning privilege of being preserved from the corruption of the grave and, following her Son in his victory over death, was brought, body and soul, to the highest glory of heaven, to shine as Queen at the right hand of that same Son, the immortal King of Ages.

-- St. Pope Pius XII

Monday, June 15, 2009

The Call to Vocation

Vocation is a call that every person hears in different ways. I always find it a little funny that I feel called, compelled to prayer for priestly vocations. Funny, because I am a single young woman and "God gets the best, women get the rest!" That's what the guys like to say in Louisiana.

If you haven't seen the full video, make sure to order it from Grassroots Films. I got five copies when they came out a couple years ago and passed them out! It's a really awesome video to show upper level high school students, men and women to help understand the Holy Catholic Priesthood.

Fishers of Men - United State Conference of Catholic Bishops

Saturday, June 13, 2009

The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

It isn't a complex Science to love the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I pray for fidelity to the Sacred Heart when I remember.

Fill in the blank for yourself:

Lord, please allow me the grace of _________ the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
A. supernatural love for
B. acknowledging my sins to
C. reverant praise for
D. complete trust in

Thank you EWTN for posting such a great
SACRED HEART NOVENA

Sunday, June 7, 2009

The Journey

I like to think I am poet sometimes. Here is a sample, good or not.

The Journey

My journey is weak like a twig.
It bends and wants to grow.
My journey is strong like a rock.
Faith shining with an igneous glow.

There is undiscovered beauty, unfathomable depths,
of Mother Church at Christ's behest.
Now I wade in a shallow stream
While ahead the deepness gleams.

She is gentle as leaves
gathering the sun's life.
She is the living Earth,
Inside burning bright.

Let me float on this journey,
Let me swim for the deep.
My vocation pulls onward,
Father, what you will, will be.

Saturday, June 6, 2009

The Fight Against Cloning

An email from the Louisiana Right to Life Federation brought exciting news.Senator Danny Martiny of Louisiana wrote a bill to ban human animal hybrids. The bill is called SB 115 Human Animal Hybrid Ban.

The bill uses key terms
to establish various scenarios. Terms such as fertilization, introduction, engineered, and nonhuman are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to ways these types of scientists might manipulate an embryo or embryonic cells. It may seem like the movies when you have to prevent someone from inserting human brain matter into a rat.

Hands down, my favorite part of the bill is straight forward and says the following:

(2)Human embryo means an organism of the species Homo sapiens during the earliest stages of development, from one cell up to eight weeks.


The Bioethics Defense Fund is naturally following this bill closely which only has to pass the hands of the Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. The Bioethics Defense Fund is a pro-life organization governed by local leaders from across the United States from various areas of study. You can read their information here. Two of the points their website makes is that this bill does not prevent federal funding or use of animals in research or for parts for valves or organs for human transplant.

Louisiana is clearly ahead of the game when it comes to fighting sick and twisted science. I hope that our governor signs this bill and that our state continues to be a leader in life legislation.

Friday, June 5, 2009

The Exciting Realm of Science!

Nominations are up at www.catholicnewmediaawards.com and I just cast my vote! Finding great Catholic blogs to read is almost as good as finding new music!

If you read this, definitely check out the interesting blogs, my daily favorites are under my Web Nebulas section. I originally started my blog just so I could have a great homepage with great links, and it's working great for me. I am just about to add a couple more cool sites. I did notice there were none about science.

Science is very cool people. I look at Natural Science, Social Science and Formal Sciences. They are all interesting and all created by the omnipotent Father God.

So take a moment and read, and I bet you'll wish like me that blogs would have been invented before television!

Thursday, June 4, 2009

The Most Interesting Foods Designed by God

Nutrition as a science continues to evolve and demand to be noticed.I was delighted to see calories on the side of my McDonald’s box the other day! Mainstream has started to act on a problem after the burgers have been eaten. So while the topic is fresh, here are a few wonderful foods designed by God not sold at fast food chains. The nutritional information comes from www.whfoods.com

Quinoa
One of the crops grown by the Incans is a grain called quinoa, pronounced ‘keen-wah.’ Quinoa is high in manganese. Many people don’t realize that there is a desert area surrounding some of the mountains near Bolivia and Peru. The native peoples valued it as food of the gods. This wonderfully designed grain was the main food before the Spanish conquistadors phased it out as they also phased out the native peoples there.



If you ever get to visit anywhere near the equator, you will realize how hot it is. It’s not just hot, but one hour out in the sun will make you melt if you aren’t native. Quinoa provides the vitamins to counteract the effects of the heat draining the energy.

Miso
Miso is a type of paste that can be made from many types of beans and rices mixed together and fermented. Soy and adzuki beans are only two of the types but are a great example of how God has created for all the needs of man. Adzuki beans are high in protein and come from around the ancient kingdom of Persia. Soy beans are an ancient crop of the Chinese civilization. Both can be fermented into the mainstay of miso paste that is used plainly as soup and as a seasoning. The fermenting creates good enzymes for digestion.



Today miso is served in palaces and on street-side curbs. This simple soup sustains many in a country of many.

God provides for all the needs of man in small details like magnesium and protein. The science of nutrition is worth studying to be healthy and discover the greatness of God's design.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

The Logical Argument