Friday, September 28, 2012

Motivation

Being a senior in high school, I often get this look of shock - everyone knows about it, but most people don't know how it really works. I explained to a guy at work last night, and he said, "Well, I would love to have been homeschooled, but I'm just not motivated enough."

The flaw in that reasoning should be evident: motivation is not inherent - it is externally influenced.

That doesn't mean that everything around you decides your "motivational status" - but it certainly influences it.

But motivation is not intrinsically externally influenced. The intrinsicness, or as a priest friend would say, the whatness of motivation is attitude. Attitudes are decisions. Decide to do your job. It's that easy.

This motivation, the decision to do your job, should be carried out everywhere in our lives. Our spiritual lives are the most important.

Just because I wake up and don't "feel" like making my morning  mental prayer does NOT mean I am not motivated. It means I am influenced to be unmotivated, or let's be honest, lazy (and in this case slothful), but I am not unmotivated.

The point that I decide, "You know, I don't feel like praying so I won't" is when I become demotivated. It's sort of like the idea of aridity - just because I am experiencing aridity in prayer does not mean I am not praying.

Which brings me to my point:

Always make your daily meditation - and the days you don't feel like doing it are the days you absolutely have to!

St. Francis de Sales would always make an hour of prayer every day, except for when he was pretty busy. On those days, he always spent at least two hours in prayer.It's kind of like a gas tank, if you'll excuse the crudeness of the metaphor. On the days you drive 100 miles you'll need eight gallons of gas, but on the days you drive 200 you'll need sixteen.

If you're "feeling" demotivated, don't be discouraged! You are not demotivated until the moment you decide to be demotivated. It's as simple as that.

Archdiocese of the Internet

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, on this 28th day of September, Anno Domini 2012, formally erects the Diocese of Internet. The seat of the Diocese is established at the site known as What Does the Prayer Really Say?

His Excellency, Archbishop of the Diocese of Internet - Fr. John Zuhlsdorf
Vicar General of the Diocese of Internet - Fr. Tim Finigan
Chancellor of the Diocese of Internet - Fr. Ray Blake


Secretary to the Bishop - (who should I put here? Supertradmum?)
Secretary to the Vicar General - Mac McLernon
Secretary to the Chancellor - Laurence England

Archdiocesan Spokesperson - Thomas Peters
Archdiocesan Canon Lawyer - Dr. Ed Peters
Archdiocesan Commentator/Comedian - The Curt Jester.
Archdiocesan Liturgist - Deacon John Giglio

Religious Vocations Contact - Fr. Michael Mary, FSSR (Redemptorists)

Archdiocesan Newspapers  -

Rorate Caeli
New Liturgical Movement

May God Bless the new diocese and may it bring many souls into the harbor of salvation.

*this is not intended to be serious*




Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Exploring the Blogosphere: Laurence England

There are many bloggers in the Catholic blogosphere; very, very many. It's always great to read other Catholic blogs - I make it a rule that if I have spare time I will check out one new one every day.


But there's still many more; I would love to read them all and generally try to drop a comment by when I do. It's impossible to read them all of course, so I have a small list of blogs that I check daily. One of them happens to be That The Bones You Have Crushed May Thrill.


I have always looked up to The Bones; he is a great Catholic role-model for youths everywhere. I contacted him and he very graciously agreed to allow me to interview him. Without further ado....


    Tell us a little bit about yourself. What made you start your blog, That the Bones You Have Crushed May Thrill?



At the time I started my blog, my flatmate was another Catholic who read blogs and had started one of her own. I started to read my parish priest's blog and also I started commenting on Damian Thompson's Holy Smoke blog. I could see that Catholics were really making an effort to evangelise through the new media and I found it very inspiring. So, I decided to start my own blog. I named it after a penitential psalm, psalm 51, one of my favourites. 

     From reading your blog, it is clear you have a lot of compassion for the homeless and really try to live out your Catholic life. How long have been doing this and what caused you start your ministry?

My favourite Saints, like Francis, Anthony of Padua, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta spent a great deal of time preaching repentance and showed that following Christ meant going really in the opposite direction to what the World expects of us and saw in the poor a very special presence of Christ.  To me these Saints are heroes and their lives are very inspiring. I think it is hard for us to offer an authentic vision of the Gospel if we are indifferent to the poor. I worked for some time at ATD Fourth World, a charity in London working with people in poverty and that was started by a Catholic priest in France. In Brighton my parish priest urged people to join the soup run so I got involved with that. I think as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta said, the poor give more to us than we give to them. There is spiritual joy to be found in serving the poor because we are serving Christ. Really, service to the poor is a commandment given us by the Lord. We'd be silly to ignore that.

    What can other Catholics do to help those who suffer from material hardship?

There are always local initiatives run by the Catholic Church such as the SVP. The main thing is that we try to give of ourselves and to be generous as the Lord is so generous to us. He holds nothing back from us of Himself. We should give of ourselves to the poor - in doing this we ourselves experience some kind of liberation from our self-centredness. We should try to be brave and reach out to others, with love and a measure of prudence of course.

   It is also clear music plays a large role in your blog. How important is music to you?


I used to be in a band but gave it up. I didn't like performing, really, in front of an audience. I think it brings out the worst in me. I feel more comfortable now writing songs about the Faith and posting them on YouTube. It's less direct. I like to busk every now and then, but even then, prefer to do it with others. I have a gift for lyrics and try to turn lyrics about matters to do with the Faith into songs. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I'd like to think that he who sings his blogposts blogs twice, but I'm unsure that others see it that way! On a more general note about music, I'd like to sing Gregorian Chant more, but I struggle to find the time and place for this.

     You also are a strong supporter of traditional marriage. What do you think of the situation in Britain right now?

I think it is not scaremongering to say we are on the cusp of another dramatic and damaging upheaval in society - another cultural revolution that could be the fatal blow to the family. The main problem, as I see it, is that such legislation for same sex marriage will have so many consequences beyond those couples who wish to marry who are of the same sex. What does this mean for religious freedom? What does this mean for democracy? How can the State redefine something that doesn't belong to it? What does this mean for a child's education and moral formation? Are parents unable to give a child a moral formation that doesn't involve destroying their innocence of a very adult subject? There are so many questions but few answers are given. I fear the worst for the future of the UK and for the family. We have to uphold the dignity of marriage because on it rests the future of society and even peace.

    What would you tell your fellow Catholics they can do to aid in the fight?


The main thing is that we must pray and find time to pray the Rosary. We can do nothing without the help of God and Our Lady's prayers. Our main weapon against the culture of death is prayer - hopefully prayer will lead to action on our part. The blogs are a good way to keep informed of the Faith. We should be familiar with the Church's teachings and accept them as from God. We should familiarise ourselves with the Catechism. We need to rediscover a deep love for the Faith and to share it with others. 

    Do you find that other people in the blogosphere are an important influence on your blog; that is, do you find the online community to be a good ally in fighting the good fight or do you feel like you are all alone?


I don't feel alone in blogging because it is obvious that there are so many people out there fighting the same fight to present the Faith to the World. I'm always reading other people's blogs and its a community that works in union with the Church to evangelise. It is one very positive aspect of the internet revolution - it has opened a door to Catholic opinion that is no longer confined to certain Catholic magazines or newspapers with a limited view or limited number of writers. 

     What blogs do you usually read; who would you recommend for further reading to your readers?


I avidly read my parish priest's blog, Fr Ray Blake. I also read A Reluctant Sinner and Fr Tim Finegan. I would certainly recommend these blogs but also a lot of the other blogs that appear in my sidebar. 

     What do you find the biggest challenge facing you as a blogger?


Knowing when to stop. It can become obsessive and a little unhealthy. It's important that blogging doesn't take over our lives entirely and that we still have time to pray and be human and interact with other people in a truly human setting. It is important we don't inhabit a fantasy world.   

  If you could only make one last blog post, what would it be?


There you go, there's your third miracle. (After my death) It's unlikely, but hope springs eternal!

Thank you so much, Mr. England! It was really a pleasure and I look forward to communicating with you again!





No Coincidences...

Libya's President says.

This was not about a YouTube video. When I first heard that it happened on 9/11 I had my suspicions. His statement that they used RPG'S and mortars confirms this.....mobs don't just spontaneously use those on the anniversary of the worst attack on US history in years. That was no coincidence.

Every terrorist's dream.



People often says something like "We shouldn't be in the Middle-East because blah bleh blue blah blah". OK, forget the rest of the Arab countries for a minute. This is Libya. Libya! Remember, the country that Obama sent aid to without Congressional approval? Whether or not that was a good decision is irrelevant in my case- why did they attack us since we pretty much saved them? That would be like us killing the French Ambassador to the US after the Revolutionary War! There are no words to describe this other than: ingratitude.

A planned terror attack on the country who was primarily responsible for their freedom. Especially after the country's leader broke laws to help them!

So it doesn't even matter whether or not we should be there in the first place- what matters is that we helped them at their request and now they're just paying us back. Hmm.

And this is an embassy, this is a diplomatic center- no violence about it's presence. What would happen if an American mob stormed into the Libyan Embassy in D.C.? Hmm? At least we'd call out our military to protect them or something.

This only proves what I have been saying for years: there is no such thing as radical Islam. This is normal Islam!

And if you don'r believe me, I highly recommend a book: Islam at the Gates by Diane Moczar.




St Francis of Assisi and St Charbel Markhouf, pray for us!



Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Adieu, pauvre France!

From Fox News comes disturbing reports....

France is set to ban the words "mother" and "father" from all official documents under new plans to legalize gay marriage and give equal adoption rights to homosexual and heterosexual couples.
Under the proposed law, only the word "parents" would be used in marriage ceremonies for all heterosexual and same-sex couples, a move that has sparked widespread outrage, The Telegraph reports.
                                    .....
Pope Benedict XVI urged French bishops to fight against the law, The Telegraph reports.
French Catholics also have published a 'Prayer for France,' which says, "Children should not be subjected to adults' desires and conflicts, so they can fully benefit from the love of their mother and father," according to the report.
So now Gaga's comments have been explained! 

I will simply say this:

1. Most gay folks would say that animals have the right to be left alone. 
2. This includes taking away one parent or the other.
3. So if humans are animals too, then why are they different?
4. And if humans are not animals but sentient creatures then don't they deserve a mother and a father all the more?

Lord, have mercy on us....and France!

Lady Who?

LADY GAGA? To start with that is no name that will immediately equate with talent in my mind.



 But regardless, she seems to be a sensation all over the world. But since the world is our enemy, there's that much more of a chance she's no good. So I would ordinarily ignore her until Fox reported her as saying...
“I think that gay marriage is going to happen. It must." she said.  "We are not actually equal—humanity—if we are not allowed to freely love one another."
“What the Pope thinks of being gay does not matter to the world. It matters to the people who like the Pope and follow the Pope. It is not a reflection of all religious people.”
So first of all, she is not even qualified to speak about the Pope. Gay "marriage" is a moral issue. She can not deny that, since her own "morals" uphold it's defense.

That said, it is in the Pope's job description to define "faith and morals". Not a pop singer's. Point made.

So now that we've seen that it's not even Lady Gaga's job to point out that somebody else is doing their job wrong [(that would be like me telling computer tech he's doing something wrong even though I know almost nothing about programming) that example makes it even funnier because Lady Gaga seems to know almost nothing about morals!], let's look at what she actually said:

"We are not actually equal—humanity—if we are not allowed to freely love one another."
That's not love. It will get you to Hell. 'Nuff said.

“What the Pope thinks of being gay does not matter to the world."
In a way, she is right. But in another sense, she is completely wrong.

She is right, because what the Pope says doesn't matter to the world. That may sound strange, but there are different ways of interpreting this. The world doesn't care what the Pope says, so in that sense she is right that it doesn't matter to the world.

But she is wrong in the implication of that statement. Why does what President Obama thinks of gay marriage matter, but not what Pope Benedict thinks? From a totally secular view, he is a head of state. Come on! Double standard, if I ever saw one.

And from a spiritual view, what he says does matter, because he is our spiritual Father. We have to listen to him. She also said....

“This is not what Christians believe, those who believe in something, that have a religion,” she clarified. “It is the point of view of one person.”
But what person is this? This is the Pope, the Vicar of Christ. He IS Christ.  It is the point of view of Jesus Christ. So if "Christians", as she says, don't even believe in the teachings of one whom they profess to believe....what have we? A personality cult following or something - "the guy is just awesome, but I don't agree with what he says" type religion. It is stupid.

Christians must believe in what Christ teaches. Christ teaches that gay "marriage" is wrong. A Christian who believes in gay "marriage" is wrong. Lady Gaga is wrong, whether she is a Christian or not.

If behavior shows anything, she is most certainly not. So much for convent schools.

Monday, September 24, 2012

The Collapse of the Platform

From the Democratic Party Platform:

We must keep moving forward and doing the hard work of rebuilding a strong economy by betting on the American worker and investing in a growing middle class. We need a government that stands up for the hopes, values, and interests of working people, and gives everyone willing to work hard the chance to make the most of their God-given potential.

From the Republican Party Platform:

May God continue to shed his grace on the United States of America.

Now, I didn't read the entire GOP Platform.....so there may be more references to God in it than this, but I know for certain that in the Dem's platform this is the only reference. Let's take a look.


make the most of their God-given potential.

The Democrats here admit that inherent abilities and talents are God-given. Whatever the implications of that, we know they at least believe in God. Yeah....so did Hitler, George Tiller, and Jim Jones, as does Fred Phelps. I am not comparing them to Democrats; I am merely proving that belief in God is not a qualification for being good enough to be elected. Lucifer would be the first to tell you that he sure does believe in God. 

May God continue to shed his grace on the United States of America.

In this statement, we not only have acknowledgment of God, but we also have acknowledgment of his greatness. He is greater than us; why else would we ask Him for grace? 

That brings u to point two: while the Democrats do not ask God for grace, the Republicans do. Are the Democrats too good for grace, did they forget, or did they just plain not want it? I mean, even Satan would say potential is God-given, because what else could he say? 

But the Republicans: a) acknowledge God, b) ask Him for grace, c) and necessarily put themselves under him.

I would rather be with the folks who are under God than with those who aren't clear one way or the other. 

And that's just from one statement. If the parties were exactly alike on all issues, and if they were both in complete accord with reason, natural law, and the Catholic Church, but their platforms were the same as they are now, my conscience would compel me to vote for the Republican.

If I was old enough to vote, of course. 

And I didn't even get into the fiasco of how the Democrats changed their platform, and then unchanged it! That'll have to be a topic for another day. :)



Reclaiming Our Culture


There has been an awful lot of discussion in recent times about the "Culture War". But what is the "Culture War"?

Let's define "culture". Merriam-Webster gives several definitions, and we'll look at some of those.

1. the act of developing the intellectual and moral faculties especially by education

2. the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; also : the characteristic features of everyday existence (as diversions or a way of life} shared by people in a place or time <popular culture> <southern culture>

3.  the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization

So, the culture is basically the environment around us. This is the beliefs, customs, traditions, and practices of everyone around us. So if there is a "culture war", there must be some kind of conflict. What is this conflict?

Well, it must be one or more sets of beliefs, customs, traditions, and practices against another. What sets are these?

The three great enemies are the World, the Flesh, and the Devil. All three of these have combined to make the culture of death: the spirit of the World, with the appeal of the Flesh, masterminded by the cunning of the Devil. That is the Culture of Death. All things contrary to God are part of that culture. There is no middle ground.

"No man can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one, and love the other: or he will sustain the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." (Matt. 6:24)

But not only mammon, but any other master puts on against God.

Then there is the Culture of Life.


The pinnacle of the Culture of Life


 This is pitted against the Culture of Death; they are at utter variance with each other.

This Culture is directly dependent on God. What is God's Will is it's command. And since only the One,  Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church can completely carry out God's Will,  it follows that the Culture of Life is intrinsically a Catholic culture. This does not mean that Protestants, or Mormons, or Jehovah's Witnesses can not aid in the battle. By all means, no. But if one really wishes to do their utmost, they must seek refuge in the only shelter which is completely set against the Culture of Death - there are no compromises with Death in the Church.

Ultimately, the "Culture War" is the battle between the Church and her enemies, as we have seen. It is not Big Government vs. small government, it is not Republican vs. Democrat, it is not conservative vs. liberals.

The only way to win the Culture War is to be Catholic.

Pray the Rosary.
Receive the Sacraments. 
Sacrifice.

We should all be doing those anyways just to save our souls. It necessarily follows that if we all save our souls we save the world. But that takes time - Why not jump start it?

Make a Holy Hour.
Join the Legion of Mary.
Sponsor a Seminarian. 
Say two Rosaries. 
Serve Mass.

The list goes on! But not until we are all doing everything in our power to reclaim our culture will we win. We may have victories, but the ultimate victory will not be until the entire world is Catholic.





Sunday, September 23, 2012

Fortis Gaudium

My "stage" name might seem a bit strange for something like this. Fortis Gaudium means "brave joy"  in Latin.

 I'll probably change it down the road, but for now it means a lot to me. In the culture war, we have to be brave, but joy is an even greater necessity. How else can we win others for Christ?

So go out and do something bravely with joy! Why not give a non-Catholic frined a medal? Or read a chapter of the Bible?

Say an extra rosary! Make a comment to a friend! Donate to charity! Volunteer time! Serve Mass! Sing in the choir! All of these will help us regain the culture.

Last Ounce of Courage

One of the biggest reasons I decided to begin blogging here was because of a film I saw the other night.

Last Ounce of Courage: it was a good movie, but not one I would see in theaters if given the choice again.

However, it did make me leave the theater knowing I have to do something.


It is essentially about the mayor of a small town who realizes that it is not against the law for the city to display Christmas decorations; it's a federal holiday after all. He does lots of research and decides to do it.

He is shut down by an organization which reminds me an awful lot of the ACLU.....but after being fired as mayor he decides he can do more. (I will not spoil it, however).

Later, at the school "Winter Play", the students hijack it and turn it into a Christmas play, but it is interrupted by the mayor's grandson. The boy, Christian, shows a short film of his father who was KIA before he even met him. In the film he shows, the father talks about how over there (Afghanistan I believe) people can not celebrate Christmas. It is a very moving scene and redeems the entire film which I thought was sort of disordered in its plot structure, but I digress.

Burt it did leave me with the feeling that we have to do something. Let's just hope we aren't too late.


Saturday, September 22, 2012

Welcome!

Hello, this is the first post on this blog!

I am a traditional, as in I-attend-the-Tridentine-Mass, Catholic guy who just wants to get the message out.

I've been considering starting something like this for almost four years now. In fact, I have, and I do a bit of work on a few other blogs but not a whole lot. I decided it's high time, however, for that to change.

Catholic Youths, Unite!

You see, we've been sitting around too long. I know, we all do things, like say our daily Rosary, attend Mass, pray outside abortion clinics...but is that our very best?

I intend this to be a place where support can be found among people like me; so it doesn't seem like we're alone out there.

So the goals of this blog are:

1. To find like-minded  Catholics who can gather for support, good news,  prayer requests, action alerts, etc.
2. To find good sources to make contacts throughout the world. Whether that be just handing a miraculous medal out to the cashier at the gas station, writing a book, living out our vocations, and even running a blog, is up to God. Let's just do it together, with good books, good movies, good music, good friendships, and holy liturgy.

Thanks, and God Bless!