Catholic Podcasts

I read an excellent post today over at the Swallowed Scroll blog. All about using technology to learn more about the One True faith.

The article talks about using iPod and iTunes to download podcasts and listen to them, and goes on to list a good selection of sources for material. Podcasts are great, and you don't need an iPod, pretty much any MP3 player will do. For example, I listen to my downloads on my mobile phone. You don't necessarily need iTunes either, although the software is free. Very often you can download the Podcasts direct from the website.

I also burn the MP3 files I download to CD, so I can listen to them in the car. The best thing is, all this material is available on the internet, for free. Where possible though, I always look to make a donation where I can, to help ensure these services are around for others to enjoy too.

Take a look, and give it a go.

Water is not a commercial product

Water is not a commercial product.

An excellent post from the Beppe Grillo blog.

A thousand million people have NO drinking water

One million, eight hundred thousand children die each year from polluted water.

Read the full article here.

When I say "I am a Christian"

Being a wordsmith would be great. To be someone who could paint a picture with words, to be able to use words that instantly spring in the imagination of people who hear the words, to be able to describe a scene so vividly they can see it, hear it, taste it, touch it, in their mind. Unfortunately, it's not to be. My skills are in listening, not talking (or writing)

I received an email today with this beautiful poem enclosed, and I wanted to share:

When I Say "I Am A Christian"
by Carol Wimmer

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I am saved"
I'm whispering "I get lost!"
"That is why I chose this way."

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need someone to be my guide.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
and pray for strength to carry on.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
and cannot ever pay the debt.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
my flaws are too visible
but God believes I'm worth it.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain
I have my share of heartaches
which is why I seek His name.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I do not wish to judge.
I have no authority.
I only know I'm loved.

Death threats

Threatening to kill anyone is just not nice. Plain common sense, huh? A blogger called Kathy Sierra, who writes the Creating Passionate Users blog, has been receiving death threats. The information is posted on her blog, with links to other sites where alleged threats have been made. There are some nasty pictures around and some horrible comments, too.

Now I don't know Kathy Sierra, have never come across her blog til today. Does she wind people up? Who knows. If she did would that justify death threats? Certainly not. It would appear some mischief making is going on, some people with small brains and big mouths are saying anything they want, people are getting upset, etc, etc.

Receiving a death threat is unpleasant. You have to feel for this woman, whatever the circumstances. I hope the situation is dealt with and Kathy can stop living behind a locked door, in fear.

Europe - Thy name is cowardice

I saw this post over at catholic caveman blog. An interesting article from Die Welt, Germany's largest publication newspaper. The Catholic Caveman blog is often a good read, check it out.

EUROPE - THY NAME IS COWARDICE

(Commentary by Mathias Dapfner CEO, Axel Springer, AG)

A few days ago Henry Broder wrote in Welt am Sonntag, "Europe - your family name is appeasement." It's a phrase you can't get out of your head because it's so terribly true. Appeasement cost millions of Jews and non-Jews their lives, as England and France, allies at the time, negotiated and hesitated too long before they noticed that Hitler had to be fought, not bound to toothless agreements. Appeasement legitimized and stabilized Communism in the Soviet Union, then East Germany, then all the rest of Eastern Europe, where for decades, inhuman suppressive, murderous governments were glorified as the ideologically correct alternative to all other possibilities.

Appeasement crippled Europe when genocide ran rampant in Kosovo, and even though we had absolute proof of ongoing mass-murder, we Europeans debated and debated and debated, and were still debating when finally the Americans had to come from halfway around the world, into Europe yet again, and do our work for us.

Rather than protecting democracy in the Middle East, European Appeasement, camouflaged behind the fuzzy word "equidistance," now countenances suicide bombings in Israel by fundamentalist Palestinians.

Appeasement generates a mentality that allows Europe to ignore nearly 500,000 victims of Saddam's torture and murder machinery and, motivated by the self-righteousness of the peace movement, has the gall to issue bad grades to George Bush...

Even as it is uncovered that the loudest critics of the American action in Iraq made illicit billions, no, TENS of billions, in the corrupt U.N. Oil-for-Food program.

And now we are faced with a particularly grotesque form of appeasement. How is Germany reacting to the escalating violence by Islamic Fundamentalists in Holland and elsewhere? By suggesting that we really should have a "Muslim Holiday" in Germany?

I wish I were joking, but I am not. A substantial fraction of our (German) Government, and if the polls are to be believed, the German people, actually believe that creating an Official State "Muslim Holiday" will somehow spare us from the wrath of the fanatical Islamists. One cannot help but recall Britain's Neville Chamberlain waving the laughable treaty signed by Adolph Hitler and declaring European "Peace in our time".

What else has to happen before the European public and its political leadership get it? There is a sort of crusade underway, an especially perfidious crusade consisting of systematic attacks by fanatic Muslims, focused on civilians, directed against our free, open Western societies, and intent upon Western Civilization's utter destruction.

It is a conflict that will most likely last longer than any of the great military conflicts of the last century - a conflict conducted by an enemy that cannot be tamed by "tolerance" and "accommodation" but is actually spurred on by such gestures, which have proven to be, and will always be taken by the Islamists for signs of weakness. Only two recent American Presidents had the courage needed for Anti-appeasement: Reagan and Bush.

His American critics may quibble over the details, but we Europeans know the truth. We saw it first hand: Ronald Reagan ended the Cold War, freeing half of the German people from nearly 50 years of terror and virtual slavery. And Bush, supported only by the Social Democrat Blair, acting on moral conviction, recognized the danger in the Islamic War against Democracy. His place in history will have to be evaluated after a number of years have passed.

In the meantime, Europe sits back with charismatic self-confidence in the multicultural corner, instead of defending liberal society's values and being an attractive center of power on the same playing field as the true great powers, America and China.

On the contrary - we Europeans present ourselves, in contrast to those "arrogant Americans", as the World Champions of "tolerance", which even (Germany's Interior Minister) Otto Schily justifiably criticizes. Why? Because we're so moral? I fear it's more because we're so materialistic, so devoid of a moral compass.

For his policies, Bush risks the fall of the dollar, huge amounts of additional national debt, and a massive and persistent burden on the American economy - because unlike almost all of Europe, Bush realizes what is at stake - literally everything.

While we criticize the "capitalistic robber barons" of America because they seem too sure of their priorities, we timidly defend our Social Welfare systems. Stay out of it! It could get expensive! We'd rather discuss reducing our 35-hour workweek or our dental coverage, or our 4 weeks of paid vacation... Or listen to TV pastors preach about the need to "reach out to terrorists. To understand and forgive".

These days, Europe reminds me of an old woman who, with shaking hands, frantically hides her last pieces of jewelry when she notices a robber breaking into a neighbor's house.

Appeasement? Europe, thy name is Cowardice.

Blog Tag

Over on Ellasdevil's blog he's been doing a tag/meme type thing. And at the end he 'tagged' me for the same. So, here we go:

10 FAVORITES

Favorite Color: Orange
Favorite Food: Italian
Favorite Month: May
Favorite Song: Ave Maria - It's beautiful
Favorite Movie: Godfather II
Favorite Sport: Football. I like most sport but football above all
Favorite Season: Late spring
Favorite Day: Saturday
Favorite Ice Cream: Mint Choc Chip
Favorite Time of Day: Early morning or late evening. When it's peaceful and quiet.

9 CURRENTS

Current Mood: Happy
Current Taste: BBQ flavour mini cheddars
Current Clothes: Trousers and shirt. Smart casual.
Current Desktop: The creation of Adam, where my blogger avatar comes from
Current Toenail Color: Normal. I don't paint my toe nails
Current Time: 20:34
Current Surroundings: My TV room
Current Thoughts: Making plans for the weekend

8 FIRSTS

First Best Friend: Brian (no surnames, for privacy)
First Kiss: Julie
First Screen Name: Jay3gsm. It's a play on my first name and my interest in mobile communication technology
First Pet: A rabbitt
First Piercings: I don't have any. Gross.
First Crush: Kirsty
First CD: I'm old. I don't remember, but it was possibly Guns n Roses, Use your Illusion I & II

7 LASTS

Last Cigarette: I've never smoked
Last Drink: Water, at lunch time
Last Car Ride: Driving home from work this evening
Last Kiss: From my daughter, last Sunday :)
Last Movie Seen: La Vita e' Bella (Watched on DVD last weekend)
Last Phone Call: With a business client this morning
Last CD Played: Fratellis (my new favourite band of the moment)

6 HAVE YOU EVERS

Have You Ever Dated One Of Your Best Friends: Yes (And married)
Have You Ever Broken the Law: Yes, before I didn't care. Now I try not to.
Have You Ever Been Arrested: Yes
Have You Ever Skinny Dipped: No way!
Have You Ever Been on TV: Yes.
Have You Ever Kissed Someone You Didn't Know: Yeah, it's a greeting. Full on, no.

5 THINGS

Thing You're Wearing: My crucifix
Thing You've Done Today: Worked. Nothing more interesting than that :(
Thing You Can Hear Right Now: Mother Angelica on EWTN
Thing You Can't Live Without: My faith, now I found it I don't want to lose it.
Thing You Do When You're Bored: Read. Or sleep, if I can.

4 PLACES YOU'VE BEEN TODAY

Work
Tony's Cafe
Fish shop
Shopping

3 PEOPLE YOU CAN TELL ANYTHING TOO

My sister
The priest
My friend

2 CHOICES

Black or White: White
Hot or Cold: Hot

1 THING YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE

See my children grow into adults.

Ok, tag time. Easy, if you've read this, blog your own. If you do, let me know, I'll pop over and have a read.

Wolves in Sheep's Clothing

I received this email today, that I wanted to put on my blog. If only two people who care enough follow through and support the action, then it is worthwhile. This is a long post. It's a letter from Karl Keating, from catholic.com I don't live in America, but I can see the reason why this action is important. The Catholic Church is OUR Catholic Church, and we need to ensure that we don't allow disease to enter our faith and erode it from the inside. Please, read this letter and do what you can to help. The email allows use of the text, here it is in full:

How to Keep the Catholic Church from Being Undermined by Dissenters Who Have Lost the Faith and Are Trying to Destroy the Faith of Everyone Else, Too!

Dear Friend of Catholic Answers,

This is a painful letter for me to write.

Why? Because it deals with a painful problem that affects thousands of priests, nuns, deacons, and other individuals who are in charge of millions of souls.

The problem is the wave of theological and moral dissent that is in danger of overtaking the Church in America.

The dissenters—who are well organized—are systematically trying to subvert and “reconstruct” the very foundations of our Catholic faith.

I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.

I’ve written many times to warn people about Call to Action, Women’s Ordination Conference, Catholics for a Free Choice, CORPUS (the National Association for a Married Priesthood), Dignity, FutureChurch, and many other self-proclaimed “change agents” present in the Church today.

They all have a similar agenda: to dismantle the existing structure and essence of the Catholic Church and then re-make it in their own image and likeness.

Their common concerns? They desperately want the Church to change its “rigid” stand on such issues as abortion, contraception, divorce, homosexual activity, women’s ordination, and married priests.

It’s almost hard to believe that these people are serious. But they are.

For many of us, it may even be hard to believe that
pose a serious threat to the Church. But they certainly do.

Did you know that at a recent Call to Action national convention (in Milwaukee, Wisconsin), a couple of hundred priests were in attendance?

It’s true. Also present were many radical feminist nuns, religious educators, chancery officials, liturgists, theologians, and various Church bureaucrats.

Altogether, about 4,000 to 5,000 people were in attendance.

So, as you can see, this group of dissenters actually represents . . .

A Powerful Force within the Church Today!

And they have a clear, systematic agenda: to tear down the Church as we know it— you’ve been seeing it happen for the last 40 years—and then re-build it into a different “NewChurch” structured around their own agenda.

As proof, we here at Catholic Answers just finished an eye-opening new report that spells out this crisis in detail.

It’s titled Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing—and it’s devastating. It contains hard-hitting facts and quotations from the dissenters themselves about their plans for remolding the Church into something no faithful Catholic would recognize.

Their own words incriminate them.

One of the most insidious plans being laid by the dissenters is to have a “constitution” adopted by the Church—which would give so-called “rights” to “the people” (or, more accurately, to the dissenters).

The “Constitution for the Catholic Church” is being widely promoted right now by a group called the Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church, which was founded in 1980 in reaction to Vatican censure of such radical theologians as Edward Schillebeeckx, Jacques Pohier, and Hans Küng.

Let me show you some of the key articles of this Constitution. You’ll be able to see for yourself how they would destroy the Catholic faith if adopted.

Article 1 is the most important of all—laying the groundwork for everything else to come.

It says, “All Catholics have the right to follow their informed consciences in all matters.”

Notice it doesn’t say “properly formed” consciences. You see, the dissenters believe that the final arbiter of any decision must be the person’s own conscience - regardless of whether it is properly formed or not.

Of course, if the Church were to accept this “ideal,” then the original standard—reliance on a properly formed conscience based on the authority of the magisterium—would be swept away, replaced by a mandate for pure moral relativism.

This is what leads men like Frank Bonnike, co-founder of CORPUS, to say, “I keep all the rules, but I also respect people who don’t keep all the rules. The key is to respect their consciences.”

Of course, the dissenters don’t really believe that all Catholics have the right to follow their consciences. Why? Because whenever orthodox Catholics oppose abortion, homosexual “marriage,” contraception, and the like, the dissenters viciously condemn us and ridicule our views!

As with “tolerance” and “non-judgmentalism,” this reliance on personal conscience is simply a tool that the dissenters use to further their goals.

You Won’t Believe These

Take a look at some of these other articles in the proposed charter and “Constitution for the Church” (you can read these on the ARCC website at http://arcc-catholic-rights.org):

Article 2: “Officers of the Church have the right to teach on matters both of private and public morality only after wide consultation with the faithful prior to the formulation of the teaching.”

Article 5: “All Catholics have the right to a voice in all decisions that affect them, including the choosing of their leaders.”

Article 16: “All Catholics, regardless of canonical status (lay or clerical), sex or sexual orientation, have the right to exercise all ministries in the Church for which they are adequately prepared, according to the needs and with the approval of the community.”

This blatant call for women’s ordination is repeated in Article 26: “All Catholic women have an equal right with men to the resources and the exercise of all the powers of the Church.”

Then there’s Article 28: “All married Catholics have the right to determine in conscience the size of their families and the appropriate methods of family planning.”

I don’t have to tell you what that means: The acceptance of abortion, sterilization, and all means of contraceptive and abortifacient birth control.

But here’s a real whopper.

Articles 30 and 31: “All married Catholics have the right to withdraw from a marriage which has irretrievably broken down. All such Catholics retain the radical right to remarry. All Catholics who are divorced and remarried and who are in conscience reconciled to the Church have the right to the same ministries, including all sacraments, as do other Catholics.”

These folks need to re-read Matthew 19:9, Mark 10:11–12, and Luke 16:18, which recorded our Lord proclaiming, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

But these dissenters ignore such a direct statement made by Christ himself. That’s why their ability to deceive themselves knows no boundaries.

And as if all that weren’t enough, here’s Article 32: “All Catholics have the right to expect that Church documents and materials will avoid sexist language, and that symbols and imagery of God will not be exclusively masculine.”

But what makes me even more upset is that the dissenters envision holding a “constitutional convention” in order to enact all of the demands described above, and they want to call it . . .

“Vatican III”

We already know how much damage these same people did to the Church in the name of “the spirit of Vatican II.” Imagine what they would do if they succeed in holding “Vatican III.”

One of the things they want, for instance, is for every continent, nation, diocese, and parish to have a detailed constitution of its own, whose articles and amendments would be arrived at by popular vote of the bodies of individuals concerned, one in each different area!

This is actually the key to fulfilling the dissenters’ dream of the destruction of the hierarchical Church.

They want to be the ones who ultimately hold power at the top. For example, their constitution would set up a complicated judicial system of diocesan, national, and international tribunals, culminating in a Supreme Tribunal whose job would be to hear cases charging illegal or unconstitutional actions…

By the POPE!

Bizarre but true!

And the constitution warns darkly, “There shall be no judicial appeal from the judgments of the Supreme Tribunal.”

And again, I’m not making this up. You can read it on their web site!

At the recent Call to Action conference, attendees were asked by a journalist what motivates them and why they don’t just leave the Church if they dislike it so much. A typical response revealed the true reason dissenters stay in the Church and are trying so hard to change it:

“The Church has absolutely no right to make us feel guilty
about activities that our consciences tell us are moral.”

You see, they know that if they leave the Church, they will be nothing special—just another gaggle of splinter groups in the great world supermarket of churches.

But like parasites, they seek to drain the “host” of its vitality for their own purposes. Also like parasites, the dissenters have gradually burrowed their way into the very structure of the Church.

Almost two-thirds of Call to Action conference attendees actually work for the Church! Many of them work in positions as pastoral assistants, teachers at Catholic schools and seminaries, or directors of religious education.

If they get their way, the Church won’t be able to teach anything other than “follow thy conscience.”

As proof, here’s a quote from Anthony Padovano, the current president of CORPUS:

“Conscience or so-called ‘cafeteria’ Catholicism is infinitely more beneficial for the Church than cathedral Catholicism. Cathedral Catholicism does not give us a community of believers, but an assembly of servants and slaves.”

What an insult to faithful Catholics!

Truly, their audacity knows no bounds. Mr. Padovano asserts that it is wrong for the pope to rule on birth control since he “has no personal experience” in the area, never having been married.

When Pope Benedict XVI was elected, Padovano stated, “American Catholics will not allow this papacy to prevail. Some will openly resist; others clandestinely subvert; most will simply not comply.”

Yes, he’s that arrogant and defiant.

Who’s Really Obsessed with Sex?

When you look at the dissenters’ writings, you’ll notice that they accuse everyone else (especially our Pope) of being “obsessed” with sexual issues. But in fact, the people who are really obsessed are the dissenters themselves.

Even just a casual look at their literature reveals that most of their scribblings deal with sex-related subjects such as contraception, abortion, priestly celibacy, and homosexuality.

Dissident organizations that abound today are so preoccupied with sex—and especially . . .

Sexual Deviancy

For instance, one of the newer groups is New Ways Ministry—whose job is to advocate for gay Catholics and gay priests. Yep, just what the Church needs.

There’s DignityUSA, which boldly states in its mission statement:

“DignityUSA envisions and works for a time when Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Catholics are affirmed and experience dignity through the integration of their spirituality with their sexuality, and as beloved persons of God participate fully in all aspects of life within the Church and Society.”

CORPUS (a group of ex-priests who left ministry to get married) states its goal this way:

“We are committed to working for a renewed priesthood of married and single men and women in the Catholic Church. We continue to work for an inclusive priesthood . . . one that is open to women and men, married and single, gay and straight.”

It boasts on its web site that “on July 31, 2006, eight Roman Catholic women were ordained as priests in Pittsburgh. They were validly ordained by three consecrated female bishops.”

These people take themselves very seriously. And they’re in positions of power within the Church—especially at the parish level—so we need to take them seriously, too.

So, I want to send you a copy of our new research report, Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing—and I also want to ask for your help in getting it widely distributed to the millions of Catholics all across the United States.

Won’t You Help Us Sound the Alarm?

This report is must reading for every Catholic who loves the Church and cares enough to defend it.

That’s why, with your help, I want to send a copy of this report to as many Catholics as possible so they can take action in their own parish—because so much of the dissenters’ poison is now spread at the parish level through CCD classes and RCIA classes.

But we can’t send a single copy to anyone without your help.

The initial cost of this project will be approximately $150,000. We need to raise that money in the next 30 days so we can launch this vital defense of the faith.

As Fr. John Hardon, S.J., once pointed out:

“The Church cannot be destroyed, but let’s be clear: The Church in any particular country CAN be wiped out. We have some 1,900 extinct dioceses in the world today. Barring a miracle of grace, one diocese after another in the United States will disappear.”

Those are very sobering words—so we must take heed!

This is why we at Catholic Answers are so dedicated to getting widespread distribution of our new research report, Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing.

As you know, our central purpose is to defend the Catholic faith. And right now in America, it’s under severe attack by the dissenters.

If we don’t do something now, we will live to regret it. But even worse, our children and grandchildren will live to resent us for it, and millions will never know the faith at all.

They will wonder why we didn’t fight to save our beloved Church when we had the chance.

They Will Wonder If We Really Loved It at All!

We must not let that happen.

And we must not make the mistake of thinking that God will just take care of everything by himself. Listen: If we don’t fight to defend his Church, then we don’t deserve his help!

It’s that simple.

Looking on the bright side, this terrible onslaught of heresy, schism, and apostasy will actually serve to strengthen the Church in the long run—and get people to rally around the orthodox teachings of the faith.

People will be inspired to learn and live their faith so they can defend it.

Many vocations to orthodox religious orders will no doubt come out of this, too.

In a word, God will draw GOOD out of the evil we face . . .

. . . but only if you and I do our part to cooperate with him.

We at Catholic Answers are totally dependent on your generosity in order to send out our new report. As I mentioned, the initial cost will be $150,000—which we don’t have right now.

Therefore, would you be able to send us your gift of $35 or more to help with this project? In return, I will send you a copy of our eye-opening report, Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing.

If you can afford it, please dig deep and give $100 or more. It’s that important.

I know I’m asking for a lot. But the Church in America has virtually no one else to stand up for it and defend it besides faithful Catholics like you.

If you don’t stand with us, who will? And if we don’t defeat the dissenters now, when?

It’s Up to Each of Us to Do Our Part

The dissenters are working to dismantle the Church and replace it with an institution of their own design.

Consider this quotation from a leading dissenter, Fr. Bill Callahan:

“The Church system is showing such strains and contradictions that it is ready to crumble. Systems crumble much more readily if there are people marching around the walls, everyone with a little rock pick, working on their part of the wall. You can’t repel them all.”

To that I say, “Yes we can, Father. Watch us. There are more of us than there are of you. Leave our Church alone!”

Will you join me in this battle?

All you have to do is make your donation—by clicking here now.

We need to hear from you right away so that we know we have the resources to go forward.

So please donate now—and then pray harder than ever that God will bless our humble efforts on behalf of his Church.

As Fr. Hardon said, it will take a miracle to keep the Catholic Church in America from being destroyed from within by dissenters. So let’s start praying—and working—right now for that timely miracle.

God bless you, and I look forward to hearing from you very soon.

Sincerely in Christ,

Karl Keating

p.s., One of the worst dissent groups in the Church today is Catholics for a Free Choice—the pro-abortion outfit established by Frances Kissling.

In our new research report, we expose CFFC—and we show why it’s anything BUT Catholic.

We also show you where it gets its money—millions upon millions of dollars a year.

Despite what you might think, the dissenters are well-funded by people who hate the Catholic Church and want to see it fall.

That’s why we need your financial help more than ever before—because this project can help stop the dissenters in their tracks. But only if we raise the money.

May God bless you for helping us and shower his graces upon you and your family for keeping the faith!

Click here to donate.

Conversion story

I've been reading some new blogs these last few days, and the ones I like I have been adding to my blogroll. Be sure to check them out. Today I read an excellent post over at the Historical Christian Blog. These lines were amongst my favourites:

I also realized that if I really, really trust Christ, then I must trust his words that he founded the Church, and the gates of hell would not prevail against it – and so they never have. To say that the Catholic Church failed and some ordinary man had to come along and re-found Christianity is to say that Christ failed. That is the implication in what Protestants say – and Mormons, and Jehovah’s Witnesses, and any number of other groups who claim to have “found” the truth that was “lost.” But Christ could not have failed – and he does keep his promises, and always has. I trust that. And history bears it out, if you study the history of the faith in the first 1500 years of Christianity. It did not die out, and there have always been men and women of very great faith in Christ, in every era.

I realized, in the end, that if I really believe that Christ is in control, then he also is in control of the Catholic Church, knows what he is doing there, and always has. Appearances to the contrary at different times in history, including our own present time, are due to a combination of human weakness and sin, and interference from the evil realm. These are prophesied in the bible, and the answer always given in the bible is to keep one’s eyes on Christ and remain as one, growing in knowledge of him. The bible does not give leaving and founding one’s own church as an option during difficult times – to do so is a direct contradiction of scripture. On the contrary, we are to stay put, keep our eyes on Christ, and refuse to get caught up in division and controversy. Our job is not to run the church or run away from the church, but to love the Church and each other in the Church, and Christ above all, as one, and stay put in the Church.

Check out the whole post here

Happy Father's Day

Today is the feast of St Joseph, earthly father of Jesus Christ, the man entrusted by God to be a father, a paternal figure, to Jesus Christ. I have a strong feeling for St Joseph. Whilst Mary, the Mother of God, rightfully receives full praise and recognition, I feel that St Joseph is sometimes ignored. Well, today is his feast day, and the day all fathers are recognised for their roles within the family.

Happy Fathers Day

Pray the Rosary - Pray the Gospel

I like Father Corapi. I like his style of delivery. I like to hear what he has to say and the way he has to say it. In this clip Father Corapi shows why Catholics pray the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the basis of the Rosary in the Gospel. Enjoy.

The Pope tells it like it is

Pope Benedict XVI told Catholic politicians on Tuesday that they must not vote for laws which go against Church teaching on issues such as gay marriage or abortion.

In a document summing up discussions at a meeting of bishops held in the Vatican in 2005, the pope said that Catholic legislators must be “aware of their social responsibility” and so cannot vote for laws that go against “human nature”.

They must strenuously defend the Church’s “non-negotiable values”, which are “respect for human life” and “family based on marriage between man and woman”, he added.

Benedict’s statement was seen as a clear reference to moves in several Catholic countries to introduce gay marriages, or at least to give legal recognition to gay couples.

Spain has already introduced gay marriage and Italy, home to the Vatican, is currently debating whether to give certain rights to unmarried couples, including gay ones.

The pope’s reference to “defence of human life” appeared to be a swipe at politicians in countries such as the United States, where some Catholic lawmakers have argued they must support measures allowing abortion because their voters want them.

Politicians must give “public testimony to their faith”, the pontiff said.

On other points, Benedict called for Sunday to remain a day of rest and for trainee priests to prepare to celebrate mass in Latin and to use ancient Gregorian chants in church.

Speaking to bishops, he reminded them of their duty to “constantly recall” the Church’s non-negotiable values, saying “this is part of their responsibility towards the flock entrusted to them”.

Touching on a point which has created tensions in the US Catholic Church, he stated unambiguously that bishops should not allow remarried divorcees to receive communion.

It's not always easy being a Christian. Sometimes you have to accept that what you want to do is wrong. Whilst you always retain the right to excercise freewill and choose, if it goes against the teachings of the Church you shouldn't claim that you follow that religion. Don't say you are a Catholic, if you practice homosexuality, or stand up for pro choice. You can't be a practicing Catholic, taking full communion, etc, and be pro abortion.

I'm happy we have a strong man like Pope Benedict in place, willing to tell it the way it is.

Americans are stupid

We all know that, right? Well, to be fair, I know a few people from America who are actually pretty damn clever. And I guess, in a country that size, they are going to have a fair share of ignorant people. But come on, how many sides does a triangle have? Name a country beginning with U? Who is Tony Blair? And they can't answer. Watch and see:

In My Language & being an unperson

Watch these video clips, then think. Afterwards, if you wish, post a comment.

Women encouraging toddlers to fight

It's a shocking story. Four women were in court the other day, on child cruelty charges, after film was found showing the women goading toddlers into fighting with each other.

In one scene, a three year old girl punches a two year old boy in the face. As he walks away crying, he is called 'a wimp, and a faggot' for not fighting back.

You cna read detail on the story over on the BBC website.

Even after arrest, the women appeared not to understand what they were doing was wrong, saying:

"I didn't see any harm in toughening them up. I done the same with my own children."

When you read such things you do really wonder about some people. What kind of family could they have grown up in themselves, that allows them to see no harm in these actions?

The things we do

I just received an email, and it talks about the silly, foolish, stupid and sometimes downright evil things we do:

The range of foolish and evil things of which we human beings are capable of never ceases to astonish. We destroy our bodies and sometimes our brains with controlled substances, even though we know better. We make stupid choices that we know in advance will lead to trouble. We devastate our marriages and friendships by repeating the same mistakes again and again. How often we've heard it said, quite correctly, 'she's married the same man again.'

And that's just the stupid part. There's also the downright evil side of us, the lying, cheating, stealing and killing, the willingness to wage war for no good reason, the willingness to tolerate an unjust society, the willingness to turn our backs on the poor and the suffering. All in all, between stupidity and downright evil, this human nature of ours seems a fairly nasty piece of work.

It's not wrong, is it? How much of yourself do you see in that quote? What could you do to make the changes, to be a different person? Very often it is the minor changes we make in our behaviour and our attitude that make the biggest differences.

Define racism

A serious point. What, to you, is racism?

Is racism discriminating against someone because they are a different colour from you? Or a different nationality? Or something else?

I was listening to the radio on the way home from work, and there was an article about black football managers, or the lack of. Apparently, there is only one current manager of one of the 92 league clubs who is black. It is suggested by some that this is a race issue, that clubs may be discriminating against black people by not giving them the managers job.

I find this very hard to believe. My opinion is always that the best person for the job should get the job. Whether they are black, white, yellow, or whether they are male or female or whether they are gay or straight, whether they are Christian or Muslim, it's all totally irrelevant. I object to positive discrimination, where people are offered jobs because of their race. If you're the best person for the job, you deserve it. Ability to do the job is much more important than fulfilling quotas to ensure a certain percentage of your workforce is of a particular ethnic background or sexual orientation or religious belief.

There's another good reason why I do not believe that racism is a factor. Of the four top teams in the UK, all four have a foreign manager. Until recently, the England national team had a foreign manager. Of the 20 teams in the Premiership, 9 have foreign managers. Hardly racist. Is it?

300 years

That's how old the UK is today. 300 years to the day when England and Scotland agreed to join unite. Not that you'd know it, there are no celebrations organised for the people to celebrate the birthday of their country.

The proud patriotic people with no celebrations to enjoy for 'their' country.

No surprises really, seeing the type of society we have in the UK. It's a pretty shitty place to live. I don't want to sound too negative, the UK does have some plus points. But in lots of ways the UK is not a pleasant place to be. Poor social structure, abusive kids with no manners, no respect, a me me me society, not a thought for others, selfishness and a society of alcohol abusers. Seriously, walk down any high street on a Friday or Saturday night and the place is covered with inebriated tossers. Then you add in the intolerance to immigrants, the lack of care for the elderly, a health system that is bankrupt, and a government that doesn't give a toss. I could go on but it would get pretty depressing.

Anything that made the UK a Great country has long gone.

Happy birthday, UK.

Equal rights for all

Today the Lords are sitting to discuss the law on banning goods and services to gay people. Currently this legislation is in force in Northern Ireland, and the government wish to enforce this law over England and Wales, too.

The basis of the law is it will make it an offence to deny people access to goods or services because of their sexual preference. So, for example, a hotel could not refuse to rent a room to a gay couple, a church could not refuse to rent out the church hall to a gay organisation, ec, etc.

Religious groups are against the law. They claim that it will force people of faith to condone acts which they believe to be improper. A printer may have to accept an order to print leaflets advertising a Gay Pride march. His belief tells him advertising such an event is wrong. But by law he would have to accept the job.

All discrimination is wrong. But people do discriminate. Just because it is wrong doesn't stop discrimination. But it is also wrong to force people by law to take an action in which they believe is immoral for them. If a Christian has a B&B and a gay couple wish to rent a room, is it wrong for him to deny them, based on his beliefs? Where would the discrimination be? Against the B&B owner being forced to accept something he sees as wrong? Or against the couple who wish to rent the room? As it stands, each party is being forced to accept some form of dicrimination against their particular lifestyle and beliefs.

Ultimately you can't legislate for every eventuality. There will always be those who feel they have been wronged against in one way or another. The government needs to realise that it cannot enforce action onto every sub minority section within the population to appease all people. It won't work. It cannot work.

Seven new wonders of the world

Six of the original seven wonders of the world no longer exist. There is a campaign by a non profit organisation in Switzerland to replace them with new more modern man made wonders.

On of the choices available is the colossuem in Rome:













This will definitely be one of my choices in my vote. Whenever I visit Rome the Colosseum never fails to impress. It is a mighty, immense structure. If you want to cast your vote for your favourite, click here and register online. The top votes will be announced at a convention in Portugal, on the 07.07.07

Real life hero

There are many people in the world, who do heroic acts. Think of firemen who run into blazing buildings to rescue people trapped. That's heroic. Think of any situation where someone puts their life on the line for yours. It's a heroic thing to do; even more so for someone you don't know, have never met, and have no feeling for.

In New York, a 50 year old guy named Wesley Autrey risked his life to save a stranger. Waiting for a train on the New York subway, a fellow passenger had a seizure and fell on to the track. Cameron Hollopeter, 20, is still in hospital having tests to find out why he had the seizure.

When Hollopeter fell on to the tracks, Autrey jumped down to help. A train was coming, there was no time to pull Hollopeter to safety. So Autrey wrapped his body around Hollopeter, lying as snug to the side as he could. The driver saw the event in front of him and hit the emergency brakes but two carriages passed over them, missing the two by centimetres. There were grease marks from the bottom of the carriages on the woolen hat Autrey was wearing, that's how close the trains passed.

Afterwards, when Autrey turned up to work, late, his boss did not initially believe his reason for being late until he saw the story appearing on the net.

Autrey has been given the bronze medallion, for outstanding achievement and exceptional citizenship. He has also been given cash rewards, and other gifts, to thank him for his brave actions.

Autrey's 4 & 6 year old daughters were there at the time of the incident, and saw their father save Hollopeter's life. Autrey has commented "You see somebody in distress, you help out" - "I was just in the right place at the right time" After receiving his award and the gifts he said "Good comes to those who do good" "What better way to start the new year than to save a life?"

Wesley Autrey is a real life hero.