Catholic Underground [dot] Com

This priest is so cool!! Check out the awesome high def videos he's doing.  I gotta get a program like that! And the exciting news of the Vatican going high def is cool too, but I'll believe it when I see it.

The Mirror of Man Reflecting a God

We are visited by God in a very special way at the Nativity. The 'Horn of Salvation' Lk1:69 and the 'Bringer of the Rising Sun' Lk1:78 is declared by Zechariah at the Presentation of the Lord, where a small child rests in the arms of a wondrous mother in the face of these words.

This visit by God, manifested in human form impacts creations' perception of philosophy, psychology and methodology.  When before there was complexity in gaining favor of the various gods or kings, Jesus is the simplicity of a child and exemplifies the love and innocence that a child is.  Jesus' thoughts, though divine, are mirrored to our own in life as shown by his thoughtfulness before beginning his public mission and thereafter in encounters with all others.  The approach he then takes to share the work of Salvation is methodical yet simple in procedure.  The actions he takes are the same that we try to mirror even through our weakness in setback and suffering.

What are we here for?  To practice a ritual worshiping a child born? The philosophies of man have developed over time, growing from a child-like questioning to a complexity of reason that borders beyond what is rational reason.  Christ verifies that we are here to live.  He comes into a 1st century world to exist, and here we are with essentially the same trivialities in the 21st century. Life and breathe happen in the dirty, poor manger where an infant Messiah makes his first pleading cry for the world.
In the years that follow and the decisions that are made, the 'Horn of Salvation' is  'filled with wisdom'. Lk2:40  Christ lives out the struggle of right and wrong, knowing of both, but always choosing the right.  The psychology of his actions are made in the heart of Jewish teaching and exhibit a tenacity to live past the deficit of the human form in his thoughts, words and deeds.

He broke that barrier of weakness of the flesh by the study of sacred scripture and the confirmed habit of prayer.  This method locked in place a simple but narrow path to follow for those who attempt it.  The very action of silent contemplation of God is the way to know and connect with one who made himself weakest of all in the hands of a sinless handmaiden.

Notations are from the 1966 Jerusalem Bible

Galactic Catholic Photo of the Day: Florida Natural Surrounds

On my way home to Louisiana from Florida.

The Solo Traveler

Gaudete Sunday is a day of hope in the Lord.  During this season many people experience depression and anxiety.  Whatever the reason, the way out is to recognize it is happening and to focus on the future joy that is promised.  Choose to rejoice and what you desire, will be.

"Say to those who are of a fearful heart, "Be strong, fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you." Isaiah 35:4

The Mother of us All

Mary was conceived without sin.



A little tune I wrote to honor Our Lady. I used to sing my favorite Christmas carols over and over again when I was a child. My favorites were of the Nativity. In a way, they both gave me peace and taught me the story of Christ. It's a shame we don't hear Christmas carols more often than not anymore.

The Music of the Season

The Father at my parish mentioned Handel in his homily Sunday. I was looking for my Handel's Messiah cd and found a gift from a friend a few years back. 'The Seven Signs' is from the Notre Dame Folk Choir. Thanks Meghan!

Galactic Catholic Photo of the Day: Florida Natural Surrounds

Happy Holidays from Lake Mirror, Florida

Galactic Catholic Photo of the Day: Florida Natural Surrounds

The First Sunday of Advent

First Sunday of Advent

Yesterday, a man enthusiastically told a clerk about his ‘Christian’ band. He said it was so great to be able to praise God in this way unlike his childhood upbringing in the Catholic Church. To which the clerk replied, “I know, the way they shove it down your throat!”

I sensed that hearts so closed off, will never know the full light of the Church Jesus Christ created, but they see a small part of what God has intended for their joy. The advantage of a childhood religion does not guarantee that a follower of Christ will ‘see’ the whole truth. We can say the words, ‘Lord, help me to see’, but this will not always open a darkened heart immediately to the light.

Saint Paul strikes at the heart of the matter in the Advent readings Sunday. The vision of the eye is that of the soul in his dialogue with the Roman faithful. He says “Let us give up all the things we prefer to do under cover of the dark.” Romans 13:12 He refers to physical actions but his intention is clearly for the spiritual matter caught in darkness. Scripture points to light as our beginning and our lamp. The simple concept of light is then used repeatedly as a concrete reflection of Christ in our life. God, in his perfect complexity creates light and darkness on the first day and Christ in his perfect divinity and humanity identifies himself as the Light of the World.

The Comparison of Light and Dark

“God said, ‘Let there be light’, and there was light. Go saw that light was good, and God divided light from darkness. God called light ‘day’, and darkness he called ‘night’. Evening came and morning came: the first day.” Genesis 1:3-5

There is no mention of the foulness of the dark in the very beginning. We can say that dark in the beginning was unfouled by twisted deeds. But God clearly feels that the light is good. We also have the words of Christ calling himself the light. “Anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark; he will have the light of life.” John 8:12 Walking in the dark is clearly meant as a path that leads away from the love of God. In the progression of the world from scripture, Christ’s time evidences that darkness has been abused. In this scripture passage Christ speaks of dark and light as what the eye can see. If we focus on the first light that God sees, and the light of Christ that we see, the value of good in light becomes exponential with the power it has over darkness. God and his Son have confirmed this power by the infallibility that light comes from them. Light thus becomes in God’s divine sight and our weak sight an illumination that can draw one from walking in the dark, now corrupted in our time, to a light that is good, the Light of Christ the Savior.

Salvation in Light

Saint Paul says in Sunday’s reading, “the time has come: you must wake up now, our salvation is even nearer than it was when we were converted. The night is almost over, it will be daylight soon” Romans 13:11 Saint Paul is alluding to the fruition of the story of salvation that he believes is coming very soon. His words refer to a physical state of waking, but his meaning is deeper and found in his mention of salvation and conversion. The time of Advent is the beginning of the calendar year for the Church and a time to ‘wake-up’ again and be prepared for the coming of the Light of the World. Saint Paul wants the newly converted followers of Christ to recognize Him in their being and avoid the darkness of night. He goes on to describe charity toward others in the next paragraph giving examples of what light is to others that may show that the Light of the World is upon Christ’s followers. The fruition of salvation for our souls is not the only duty that Saint Paul exhorts us too. It is that we are to shine as Christ did for others in our charity and actions in the light. In the physical and spiritual sense the light has a power greater than just illumination, it has the power to draw other souls, not just our own.

Choosing the Light

A darkened heart is only dark as long as the heart does not seek the light. The deepest areas of our souls cannot avoid the full light of Christ no matter if we choose to avoid him or not. That power that God has gifted light by His creation of it, is limited though, by our free will and the adherence to charity that Saint Paul describes as the plan of Christ for us. The two people I mentioned have chosen to seek Christ, but areas of darkness have closed parts of their hearts so that they may never fully be illuminated until they meet Christ. Sometimes the darkness that we in our weakness, have allowed to take over, cannot be banished so quickly as light moves in time and space. The spiritual elements of dark and light are fiercely battling for all areas of our hearts and souls. The preparing for Christ is the only true way to allow darkness within us to be annihilated because we will have exhibited by our will that we have sought the path of light.

Galactic Catholic Minute

A Minute of Thanksgiving

The Universe

 

A map of dark matter showing galaxies as small pink/purple squares. The center is supposed to be the cluster of galaxies. I don't exactly understand this, so I must read up. But in the mean time, on a smaller scale is the Apatite mineral.

This mineral was also found on the moon during one of the moon walks. Just recently in 2010, the specimens were tested and found to include more water than originally thought.  The estimate of encased water on the moon, if released, would cover the moon's surface in 1 meter of water.

God the Creator is Good in All Things, both great and small.  He is the Great Designer of the Universe.  While scientists do not understand dark energy, they seek to divine its mysteries.  Unfortunately, the same scientists may assume there is no Divine correlation between the specifics of a mineral to the immenseness of a universe of galaxies.

"Concepts can only acquire content when they are connected, however indirectly, with sensible experience. But no logical investigation can reveal this connection; it can only be experienced.  And yet it is this connection that determines the cognitive value of systems of concepts."

Albert Eistein in "The Problem of Space, Ether, and the Field in Physics"

The Art of Letter Writing

I have always enjoyed writing letters. They call it z-mail these days.  Sometimes I write to to people who will never really see the letters.  I find it comforting in a way that journal writing doesn't always hit.

 It helps to even put it in an envelope, seal it up and address it. Does the post office have the address for God these days?  You can always ask your guardian angel to deliver a message too.

My new writing buddy is John Paul II.  I have no idea how to properly address him in my salutations so I either refer to him as Fr. or his full name, Roman numerals included.  And I must say he has turned out to be a quite wonderful writing partner.  In fact, I realized from his responses(theoretical of course) that people didn't always understand him because he was so deep. I get that.

Pope John Paul II is the one saint I would really love to meet when I die.  I would ask him what kind of trees there are in the hills of Poland and what birds did he like the most to hear in the early morning while camping.  The naturalist in me relates to him in this way as well.

I know it may sound a little kooky, but I highly suggest a written letter to anyone you want, Saint or not. It's up to you if you send it via snail mail or angel mail!

And if you want to write the current Holy Father,

His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI
Apostolic Palace
00120 Vatican City


Taken from The US Embassy to the Holy See

The Act of Adoration

The monstrance a few blocks away from where I live.  Christ had a plan when He chose this place for me to live.  I had no idea where I could find a closer daily adoration spot.  I had researched it, but the only one was an hour away.  God has a good and perfect plan in all things.

The Blog to Read: Glory to God for All Things

This blog is not for the faint of heart.  The depth of the Holy Church is within this Father's writings.
The Holy Angels

The Deep Wide River

A thirteen year old was telling me today how she watches ‘Jersey Shore’ and ‘Bad Girls’. I said there’s only crap on television and that’s why I don’t watch it. She said, “But it’s fun to see other people’s lives!”

Maybe I am a little different, but I remember growing up, and I instinctively steered away from real-life girls that acted poorly like in the shows mentioned.  It seems kids are watching more garbage coming out of a surrealist world than Bart Simpson ever regurgitated.

I am a glass that can be all full if we add more to it, kind of girl, so I see the things that I surround myself with as an inspirational change in these times.

1. Pope Benedict XVI wrote a wonderful letter to seminarians saying, “God is Alive!”

2. The Holy Catholic Church is being purified from sinful and deceptive priests and religious.

3. More young people are instantly reaching out to Christ in praise and worship and finding that HE FILLS them up more than anything.

4. Those same young people are discerning vocations to the religious life and life in the Spirit in family life.

5. Our long ago brothers of the Anglican Church are seeking the TRUTH and finding it whole-heartedly in the Holy Catholic Church.

6. More masses are being celebrated in the traditional Latin manner and many have felt and experienced reverence for the first time in the celebration of the Calvary in those masses.

7. More Catholics in high places are speaking out and joining forces against calumny that threatens the spark of Love for the Sacred Heart in the Catholic Church.

8. Those that do not adhere to the full faith and guidance of the Catholic Church in all moral and ethical matters are outing themselves as non-believers in their determination to be tolerant.

9. Roman Catholic schools are still praying with students in primary, elementary, middle, secondary, and in university level schools.

10. The Roman Catholic Church is still deep and rich and wide enough for all who seek the full Truth of the Love of God the Father.

All Glory Be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the Beginning, is Now, and ever Shall Be. Amen

The Case for Cue Cards

I noticed the Ducks are using some fancy cue cards. Relates well to the Church I think, and some people think not all ideas are good ones!!



PLAY: No firing the Coach when yardage gets lost.

PLAY: Up the middle, down the aisle, TOUCHDOWN!!

PLAY: Need a turnover after the fumble.



Darkness and Light

Materialism today is the sign of a greater struggle of heart toward the heart of Christ. The struggle has manifested itself in every time of the existence of man.  G.K. Chesterton, of the early 20th century, speaks from a longing heart when in his younger years he wrote:

“What were heaven if ought we cherished, shall be wholly left behind?
Is it God’s bright house we dwell in, or a vault of dark confusion…?”

A 21st century Catholic speaker I heard once described her epiphany from sin as a literal transition from the dark places she was keeping herself in, to the light of the sun in the bright noon day. Life in the past or the present often leaves us groping in the dark through all of our Earthly possessions seeking something more.

Fear not. Materialism is only a cancer. Once found in an early state, it can be removed with careful operation, but we must always look for its return.

What forms does materialism take?

Remember first, that the flesh has a taste for pride, vanity and sensuality. Materialism is a small part of all of these main root sins.

If Christ calls man to “renounce all that [they have] for his sake and that of the Gospel.” Luke 14:33, then first we must look at how we are able to do all that God obliges us to do in the Spirit of the Scripture. If material possessions hinder the spread of the Gospel and of the charity that is our duty to express owing from the scripture, then there is a problem.

Second, Christ longs for your heart as much as your heart longs for him even though your mind is elsewhere trapped. The heart and soul are always longing for Christ because he is the key to the Father of love. When you find your mind is not in tune with what is truly best for your soul, then there is a problem. People want to adore something, but so often it becomes themselves, showing up in disordered tendencies such as tattooing, piercing and flesh modifications. Their sight has become sullied by the desire to own fame or entitlement. This love of sensuality rots the link to the true desire to adore the Creator of the Universe.

“Jesus celebrates the joy of the poor, to who the Kingdom already belongs.” CCC2546

Third, materialism is the opposite of the intention of Christ’s teachings for his true disciples. He teaches of the poor widow who exemplifies the standard of giving which he holds us too.CCC2544 This ‘poverty of spirit’ is the way of the cross and a way of detachment.

But I have so much! You say. Look at the life of Elizabeth of Hungary. She lived as a servant of God surrounded by riches and luxuries compared to her fellow man in the 13th century. She gave to the poor, even to the point of annoying her household. One day her husband came upon her in the castle road and asked what was in her apron. It was filled with bread from the keep, but roses appeared when she opened her apron.

The spirit of poverty is within, and it is built up with a treasure chest of piety and Earthly searching for the treasures of God the Father. Materialism is only a physical sign we create ourselves that pulls us away from spiritual treasure. Recognize it and combat it with full intentioned prayer.

“Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:21

The Fast of the Starving

Imagine you are very busy during the week. It's Tuesday already and you have forgotten to eat breakfast again as you rushed out of the house in the early dark hours of the morning.  You don't stop for coffee because you know there will be some made at work.

You get to work early to take a moment, but find that your boss or coworker has come too and wants to have an impromptu meeting. When you finally step out into the hallway again, you almost run into another person coming from the break room holding a steaming mug of coffee about to sip.  It is daylight outside now. You go to the break room and find the coffee has all been taken.  You think you'll make some more, but there is none left but the crumpled bag on top of the new plastic trash bag in the bin.

With a large sigh, you move to your office desk with the weight of your work brought home still hanging on your shoulder because you never got to put it down.  You remember you have a small bag of cereal in your bottom drawer for just such an occasion to perk you up when morning sustenence was forgotten.  When you open the drawer, you find a crushed ziploc bag that somehow has come open and has small ants making a beeline for the back of the drawer and up to the window near the bushes. Gross. Your stomach rumbles and you feel queasy because now your body really is waking up and wants energy.  Breath.

You tell yourself, breath. A loud sigh comes out as you check your calendar and you have that long morning meeting today.  Hopefully there will be danishes.

You walk in to a crowded room with two seats left. Searching for the pasteries, you crane your neck back and forth for a moment as if at a tennis match.  A chipper higher up comes in and says, "Happy Nutrition Month! We are skipping the goodies today, so I hope you all had breakfast!"  Several coworkers smile and lift their tall coffee thermos's in unison.

Actual pain creeps up your spine because not only did you not eat breakfast, you had a large lunch yesterday and went to workout after work, causing you to go to bed early without any dinner.  It feels as though you are in a dry, barren desert and are almost starving.

Starving.

This is the way of prayer. 

We are starved for it. 

God the Father longs to listen.

 Everything around is empty without prayer. 

Prayer is the intimate relationship that we nuture with our loved one, God the Father.  We are part of His whole family. He sent His Son to be with us and expected us to know Him.  He wants us as part of His family.  He wants to hear your joys and sufferings so that He may work in you and show His glory. 

When you have a doubt about yourself, It means you are starving for prayer.

When you feel disliked or even hated, It means you are starving for prayer.

When you realize you are in despair, It means you are starving for prayer.

When you feel no one will understand, It means you are starving for prayer.

No one can fill the void in man but God. Pray.

The Lottery Post from the Curt Jester

This is a great article.  I disagree that public schools can't engender right and wrong though. Many of them are filled with gun toters themselves, so the concept is easy for kids to grasp when faced with someone who tries to live in the right.

The Lottery