Inspiring Mom

No this post isn't about my own mother...that one comes later. This post, or rather homage, is to another mother, a very amazing one in fact. For so many reasons, especially this one:

Amazing right? You see, there are a lot of really ugly things in the world. Not to judge, but the girl who told her that she "was horrible for not aborting" her baby boy, was probably one of them. If you go on YouTube, and watch this video, you would be shocked by some people, few that they were, and the horribly ugly things they say. Some have used the video as a platform to spew their pro-abortion and atheistic bile. Some have said things similar to that girl that was referred to in the video. But for all the ugliness, no matter how much or how great, it can be tempered by one, even minute, beautiful thing or person. This little baby boy...he's one of those beautiful things. His mother...another one. For every single ugly comment on this video, there were hundreds of people to rebuke them.

I do want to say one thing. As much as we are tempted to use this video in our pro-life campaigns, because it is an appropriate and great one, let's not. Let's appreciate it for what it is without ulterior (albeit good) motive: a loving mother and a beautiful boy. You see friends, in our world today, the story of life and family does not alwats have a happy ending. I thank God that we are so amazingly blessed that, at least, this story does.

Happy Mother's Day. Peace and blessings.

Homeward Bound

As soon as I'm done cleaning, I'll be hittin' the road on my way back home. I miss it so much. Not really lookin' forward to a 2.5 hour drive, but it'll be worth it.

Motorist's Prayer

Grant me, O Lord, a steady hand and watchful eye, that no one shall be hurt as I pass by. 

Thou gavest life, I pray no act of mine may take away or mar that gift of Thine.
Shelter those, dear Lord, who bear my company from the evils of fire and all calamity.

Teach me to use my car for others need; 

Nor miss through love of undue speed, the beauty of the world; t

hat thus I may with joy and courtesy go on my way.
St. Christopher, holy patron of travelers, protect me, and lead me safely to my destiny.

Stressed

Just a little bit stressed, so I thought I would post the Serenity Prayer. It's not exactly a Catholic prayer, but beautiful nonetheless.

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity 

to accept the things I cannot change; 

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time; 

Enjoying one moment at a time; 

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; 

Taking, as He did, this sinful world

as it is, not as I would have it; 

Trusting that He will make all things right

if I surrender to His Will;

That I may be reasonably happy in this life 

and supremely happy with Him

Forever in the next.

Amen.

Finals Finally Done

Finals are finally done. Couple of grades are already in and they are fantastic! Praise God. Still waiting to hear from a few more, but all in all, I've come out of this no worse for the wear.

Looking back on this particular Finals season, I had a few moments of...utter despair. A breakdown, if you will. There was some crying involved, some freaking out, some anger. But mostly, a whole lot of prayer. My studying was dedicated to the Holy Mother, along with the intercessions of St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Joseph of Cupertino. As is fitting, it is my duty and privilege to let others know of this intercession on my behalf to the Father and His Son. So with joy and thanksgiving, thank you St. Thomas and St. Joseph (along with Blessed Pope John Paul II and my patron, St. Lorenzo) for your prayers. But most of all, thank you Mama Mary. May those who read this post know of the power of the intercession of these saints.

In honor of St. Joseph, St. Thomas, and the Blessed Virgin Mary, I offer these things for your enjoyment:

A trailer of The Reluctant Saint, a movie about the life of St. Joseph of Cupertino. I really want to watch this:

A Gregorian rendition of Adoro Te Devote, the eucharistic hymn written by St. Thomas Aquinas, typically sung during Eucharistic Adoration (click here for the Latin and English verses):

And lastly, in honor of Mama Mary, probably without a doubt, my favorite version of Salve Regina (some of you may cringe, but I still like it nonetheless. Rest assured, I intend no disrespect, it's just fun):

All praise, honor, and thanksgiving is due to the Holy and Immortal One, our Heavenly Father, for the sacrifice of His Son, for granting the intercession of his holy saints on my behalf, and for the abundance of blessings He has poured out for you and for me.

Pax vobiscum.

This Song Always Makes Me Feel Better

As a counter to my earlier depressing rant, I offer this song: All Creatures of Our God and King. This is without a doubt one of my favorite hymns to listen to and to sing to. I love it anytime it's sung, but I think it is most appropriate when used as an entrance hymn. I remember during one Easter Mass last year, I was a thurifer and this hymn was the entrance hymn. I'll tell you, hearing it on the organ with a full choir, I felt high...spiritually high, like I was so amazingly and ridiculously excited for the Mass. Whenever I hear it, it brings a smile to my heart and helps me to ready it, especially for the Mass. I think this is how the Almighty One should always be praised and glorified and adored. It's just...awesome.

This version, the traditional version, is amazing. This YouTube video, even with the corny slideshow, is an amazing rendition.

What most people don't know is that "All Creatures of Our God and King" was actually translated from St. Francis of Assisi's Canticle of the Sun. So for all our Protestant brothers and sisters...you're welcome...another gift of the Catholic Church. Lol.

Now to be fair, David Crowder has his own rendition of this song as well. From the amount of originally Catholic hymns that David Crowder uses, he should convert to Catholicism. Of course, this version has a bit of a more modern feel to it, but I think it goes to show, that Christian music, no matter what its form, can be beautiful. But being the traddie that I am, I still love the first one more. Here's David Crowder's version:

Either way, this song always makes me feel better, as most hymns do. I hope it does the same for you!

Pax vobiscum.

Really Confused

Ever since I've started blogging, I've become more deeply aware of the many issues and topics in the Catholic world. My Reading List is filled with numerous Better Bloggers and I've found myself slightly...addicted, you could say, to logging on and reading the latest piece of Catholic news.

Ever since I've started blogging, I've also become more deeply aware of just how many problems are plaguing the Catholic Church, both externally and internally. You see, it's troubling enough when the faith is attacked from outside sources: atheists, Protestants, secularism, politics, ignorance, etc. But, and I want to emphasize this, it is absolutely horrifying and deeply disturbing when the faith is undermined and subverted from the inside by supposedly Catholic individuals, organizations, and institutions. Take a look at my Better Bloggers list in the sidebar and pretty much every title has something to do with the latest Catholic scandal: the HHS mandate; Sebelius and Georgetown and a whole host of other "Catholic" universities inviting very non-Catholic individuals as "inspiring" commencement speakers; priests and religious (both men and women) teaching issues that counter the doctrine and dogma, essentially bordering on heresy; bishops, priests, religious, and lay faithful bringing scandal upon scandal; liturgical abuses; modernism, humanism, pluralism, and borderline schismatic traditionalism; and a whole bunch of other crap (sorry =/) that is literally tearing the [American] Church apart.

Ever since I've started blogging, I have become more and more...depressed...upset...troubled...angry. Take your pick. But I think at the heart of it all, honestly, is that I'm just really confused. Not necessarily confused about outside attack, that just comes with the faith, although I am slightly confused as to how people can still be so ignorant in this day and age. What I'm really confused about is subversion from the inside. I know, I'm using really loaded words, but that's a college student for you I guess. You see, in my opinion, our Catholic faith is both simultaneously extremely difficult and extremely easy. Difficult because a lot of our teachings and tenants are difficult to accept or follow, particularly in today's society...at least some would say. Easy because all our beliefs, all our doctrines and dogmas, are right there, plain and simple. It's called the Catechism. We know what makes us Catholic and we know what doesn't. See? Easy.

Now I know that most likely, a majority of the lay faithful, probably don't know some of the more deeply theological and spiritual tenants of Catholicism. But every Catholic, especially given recent news, knows the major moral stuff: abortion, death penalty, homosexuality, poverty, euthanasia, basic Ten Commandment type issues. In the Catholic faith, there isn't any really moral ambiguity. That's not to say the act of sinning and a person's reason is completely black and white. There's always a chance of grey area when it comes to personal reasons for sin. It does not change the fact that sin is sin, just our level of understanding when it comes to the sinner.

So here's where the confusion comes in: why, if the Catechism spells out for us, plain and simple, what is right, do supposed Catholics insist on teaching everything that is wrong? It's one thing for an individual Catholic to hold wrong teaching and keep it to themselves. They are just ignorant or misguided unto themselves, not really doing much harm to anyone else. But its a completely different thing when those individuals are in the public sphere, influential at multiple levels, and insist on spreading their...misguided-ness...to others. Pseudo-Catholics like Sebelius, Biden, and Pelosi who call themselves Catholic, but act completely opposite to it. Or the small number of women religious leaders of the LCWR who have significant doctrinal issues. Or the priests in Austria openly dissenting on priestly celibacy and women priests (or better yet, the Australian priest who has outright come out and said he was married!). I can post and rant for a million more blog posts on these topics and barely scratch the surface. So the question becomes: how can they call themselves Catholic?

I came across this saying: "I'd rather have a good atheist than a bad Christian". I know that it might be crazy for me to say so, but I really like this statement. I don't know who to attribute it to, but there seems to be a small amount of truth in it, don't you think. For the purposes of this post, I want to alter this statement just a bit: I'd rather have a non-Catholic than a subversive Catholic. That is to say, I'd rather all these supposed Catholics convert to anything else, instead of spewing non-Catholic trash under the Catholic umbrella. Some of you may say, that its a good thing to have a lot of Catholics. Candidly and respectfully, you would be wrong, especially if we have Catholics who are anything but. Because in the end, it will be those Catholics, and not outside forces, that will destroy the Church.

I know I've said some really loaded things. But given all the latest news, it needed to be addressed. Of course, many of the Better Bloggers are saying and arguing things more eloquently, but I think it is important for people to know that these issues aren't just affecting the adult Catholic world. Young adults such as myself, and even the youth, know what's going on. Our voices are smaller and less experienced, but that doesn't mean we don't know that there is a significant problem, and it will take a united Church, with the intercession of St. Michael, and God's holy help, to combat it.

I'll talk more of my reasons in a later post, but for right now, I need to be studying for World Religions.

Pax vobiscum.

Classy Flash Mob

Saw this on Deacon Kandra's blog. And I love flash mobs. I feel like all college kids do. But even more than flash mobs, I love "classical" (little c) music, in the layman's sense. My music appreciation prof would kill me if I told him this particular piece was Classical (big C). So when you put the two together, you get smiles and warm fuzzies. 

After all my finals, I thought this would be a good thing to post. There's alot of beautiful things in the world, despite all the ugliness. This is one of them. I really wish this would happen to me one morning, particularly one of my way to a class or something. 

In case you were wondering, this is Edvard Grieg's 'Peer Gynt' Suite No. 1, Opus. 46 "Morning". It really does feel like morning. Enjoy!

1 Down...That's it?!

So I've got one final done. Yet amazingly, I feel like I've been studying for a week! Ahh! FYI, in case anyone notices the time stamp on this particular post, yes...that's 6am. No, I did not get up super early to post. Yes, I have pulled another all nighter (second night in a row) and this post serves as my study break. But considering my final is at 9am, maybe I shouldn't be doing this, but oh well. Apparently, ranting is a side effect of sleep deprivation.

I'm starting to get a hang of what I want this blog to be. A chronicle of sorts of living out the college life as a Catholic, and talking about it as candidly as I can. Hence the title: Candid Catholic Collegian. Oh man, I really need sleep. But thank the Lord, after this Chem final, my next one (American Constitutional Development) isn't until Monday. This Chem final is the hardest one, so it's all downhill from here. Once this final is done, I may or may not sleep for an entire day. That is of course, as long as I don't drink one of these:

Normally, coffee doesn't do anything for me, but I am terrified of drinking one of these things. The side effects, at least for me, could be...unfortunate. So I just rely on epic music and second winds, or as I like to call 'em, slaps of the Holy Spirit. I've gotten into a better habit of always praying before I start studying, before my exams, after my exams, in the middle of studying...basically just praying when I need to. It helps. I don't know if God hears me or not, but just the simple act of praying and turning my undivided attention to him even for a few seconds gives me strength and perseverance.

Anyways, enough of my ranting, back to Thermochemistry and Quantum Mechanics. I should really look into a Catholic science student prayer.

St. Thomas Aquinas, pray for me.
St. Joseph of Cupertino, pray for me.
St, Lorenzo Ruiz, pray for me.
Blessed Pope John Paul II, pray for me.
Mama Mary, pray for me.

Peace, blessings, and restful sleep!

I Love (Episcopate) Ordination Masses!

Together with the whole Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, the second metropolitan see of Texas and my home, and Holy Mother Church, I rejoice at the Ordination of Bishop George Sheltz as Auxiliary Bishop of Galveston-Houston.

Auxiliary Bishop Sheltz,
smiling with Emeritus Archbishop Fiorenza,
after receiving his mitre and crozier. 

Even though we had Emeritus Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza and Retired Auxiliary Bishop Vincent Rizotto (who confirmed me), it's about time Cardinal DiNardo got some help...after all, the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston is huge!

Here is the video of the Ordination Mass. I love watching Ordination Masses. So many Knights of Columbus, Peter Claver, Order of Malta, and Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre (and associated Ladies and Dames), religious, seminarians, deacons, priests, bishops, and just so many lay faithful in general. But most of all, I love them because of their very purpose: ordaining a (hopefully) humble and priestly man to the Order of Bishops, who receives the fullness of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, and therefore becomes a successor to the Apostles. Holy Mother Church rejoices in this, and so do I!

Other than the beauty and grandeur of the Mass, which took place in the equally beautiful and grand Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, it is always a pleasure to listen to one of His Eminence's homilies. I remember when we talked about Athanasius and Arius during my Christian Heritage class (required at Baylor), and I wish Cardinal DiNardo was my professor at the time. It would have been much more engaging...and I'm sure it would have given the Baptists a run for their money (LOL!, I love the Baptists...well...some of them).  

Auxiliary Bishop George Sheltz is a native Houstonian, so the Archdiocese feels (I think) doubly blessed to have a native son as its new Bishop. He has served at numerous parishes, and was the founding pastor of my own home parish, Christ the Redeemer. Woo...bragging rights! Lol. 

My prayer for Bishop Sheltz is this: That by the grace of God the Father, the mercy of Christ the Son, and the strength of the Holy Spirit, he may lead the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston with love, charity, and faithfulness to the teachings of Christ and of the Catholic Church. That he may always remain obedient to Holy Mother Church, and faithfully and strongly defend her against both inner and outer heresy and attack. That he may fulfill his episcopal duties to the best of his abilities, always with the help of God. And that may serve as an inspiration to the people of Galveston-Houston and the whole Church. 

From a humble college student at Baylor University in the Diocese of Austin, Church of Central Texas, congratulations to Auxiliary Bishop George Sheltz of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston on his ordination. God bless him always!

Dominus vobiscum.

Study Break!

My first final is in two days and so far I've stayed up way past midnight every night. And then of course, since I sleep later, I wake up later, and my natural circadian rhythm (that that psychology!) is all messed up now. I don't know about everybody else, but Finals Week seems to bring out the crazy in people. So, before I go insane, I decided to take a quick break, catch up on some blogs, and maybe post a little bit myself.

So for your entertainment, here are some cartoons that accurately reflect my current state of being:

and...

and, although slightly morbid...

And so ends my study break. If any other students are taking a break and happen to stumble upon this, I'm praying for ya! 

P.S. I could use the prayers too! =)

"Keep my Heart Alive"

I know there is a lot of debate out there, especially among Catholics, as to the merit of Contemporary Christian/Praise and Worship/mainstream Christian music. This little debate, at least from what I've noticed, is mainly a generational one: the youth love it and the wise and experienced, at the very least, strongly dislike it. Now, being somewhere in the middle, a young adult if you will, I am a firm believer that Christian music has its purposes, and is best used in certain situations. I love listening to Christian music mainly because there are some very gifted Christian (and Catholic, though less) artists out there, and they put lyric and harmony to my feelings that I could not have done as eloquently. However, I really don't like the use of contemporary Christian music in the liturgy. I know, the teen population out there will say that they love their Christian music during their Teen Masses because they're more likely to sing along. The problem with that is that there are very few Catholic artists out there. And the ones that do exist do not always right generation-appropriate liturgical music. So during these Teen Masses, the youth are loving it, and the rest of us are kind of cringing in our seats. I think the same goes for trying to "youth-ify" existing liturgical music, such as the responsorial psalms. Of course, that's not to say that I love hearing polyphony and a capella during every Mass, although I do for the Extraordinary Form. But for my Ordinary Form Mass, I like some of the more traditional hymns, particularly the ones I can sing to. Despite personal preferences in musical taste, I believe it is important for the congregation to participate in the singing. In my humble opinion, there are few things that sound better in this world than an entire church full of people singing "Sing of Mary" or "Christ Be Our Light". As my youth minister used to say, "singing is like praying twice...give back your God-given voice, to God". So I guess what I'm saying is that Christian music in all its forms is for the sole purpose of glorifying God, singing him praise and thanksgiving. How can such music not be beautiful? Again, despite generations and personal tastes, Christian music can be heavenly, and each type serves a different purpose.

Now before I digress further, let me get to the point of this post. I was walking to a meeting with my advisor this morning, listening to Pandora on my Droid X. My Pandora rarely leaves my Christian music station, and I am a firm believer that sometimes the Lord will speak to you through song. I was feeling particularly...dejected this morning. I had so much on my mind: my future, my present, my past, and all of it was fighting for control of my thoughts. Should I go to med school? Should I join the seminary? What should I be doing? I was also thinking, as pseudo-intellectual college students do, about the world. Friends, allow me to be blunt...there is a lot of crap going on in the world. And its not just the world, I mean, just look at our Holy Mother Church. We have so many problems going on in it at the moment, it is being attacked both from the outside and the inside. It's just a lot to think about, especially if deep in your heart, you want to be able to do something about it all. I'm just a college student, but it is absolutely exhausting thinking about all of this. It is easy to see why so many people become jaded in college. I was just feeling overwhelmed...and empty. But then this song came on Pandora, and it was as if God was trying to tell me something.

I know some of you will snicker or roll your eyes. There is not much purely Catholic contemporary music out there, the majority of genre is dominated by Protestant artists. But that does not mean what they have to say or sing is any less pertinent to a devout Catholic. Now this song that I am starting to love does not have any deep theology or heavy introspection. I think it is just trying to say what many people are feeling...what I was feeling. So no matter what your opinions are, no matter your taste in music, contemporary Christian music does have a purpose in this world, and to many people. At the risk of sounding relativistic (which I'm not by the way), if it brings people closer to God, how is that a bad thing?

The song is Keep my Heart Alive by Sanctus Real. And while I did not do away with all my overwhelming feelings of emptiness or exhaustion, it did serve to remind me of one thing: that no matter, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me".

Hope you enjoy the song.

The LORD bless you, and keep you; The LORD make His face shine on you, 

and be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace.’

-Numbers 6: 24-26

Dominus vobiscum.

Litany Lullaby

When my family immigrated here to the States, my family and I lived in Far Rockaway, New York. From what I remember, it's basically NYC, in Queens, I think. I remember that my then-only younger brother (there are two of them now) and I went to a St. Mary's Star of the Sea Catholic School, a private Catholic school attached to St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish (which is now a Baptist church from what I hear). We lived in an apartment complex across from the East River, and I remember that most Saturdays, my family and I would go to the "beach" across the street and play in the sand. I also remember my dad trying to teach us how roller skate and ride a bike in the hallway. I remember trick-or-treating, celebrating Christmas, birthdays, and watching the fireworks during New Year's. But what I remember the most is that every single night, my family would pray the Rosary. Now when I say "pray the Rosary", I mean my parents would pray the Rosary and my brothers and I prayed our "kiddie" prayers: Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be. And we always did this right before we would go to sleep. My brother and I would get into our bunk bed (I think I always had the top bunk), my parents would tuck us in, and then we would start praying. After we prayed our "kiddie" prayers together, my parents would sit down, face the little grotto that had a Santo Nino and a Mahal na Birhen, and they would pray the Rosary as we went to sleep. It became almost like a lullaby for me and my brother. It was not until much later when I finally learned how to pray the Rosary in RE that we started praying the Rosary together as a family. We did this every...single...night. I do not remember ever missing it. It was our thing, our nightly ritual. Even now, my family still prays the Rosary every night, and of course, I join them when I'm home.

Over the years, because of life and circumstance, our nightly ritual changed a little bit, but not much. When I was younger, after the Rosary, my parents would pray the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also known as the Litany of Loreto. If you asked 5 year old me, I would have told you that all it was, was my dad saying some big words, and both of them saying "pray for us". But 5 year old me would have also told you that I remember the things my dad said, what I realize now to epithets of the BVM, were always pretty sounding, stuff like: "Tower of David", "Tower of Ivory", "Cause of Our Joy", "Singular Vessel of Devotion", and a bunch of other stuff. It was always around this time, when they were praying the Litany, that I started to fall asleep...knowing I was safe and in a good place (spiritually). I don't exactly remember when, probably a little after my baby brother was born, but eventually my parents stopped praying the Litany. They still prayed the Rosary, but the Litany stopped. I never asked why, but maybe I will someday. And over time, I had forgotten it. It wasn't actually until I was in college, when I just happened across it again, that it brought back all these wonderful memories. I think I was giving a talk on the Rosary and I wanted to show people how my family prayed it. So after a bit of web surfing, I just stumbled upon it. I was reading it, and all those pretty words came flooding back to me, as if they never left. And I guess in a way, they never did. In retrospect, the Rosary and the Litany, and my parents devotion to both, is what has probably heavily influenced my own strong devotion to Mama Mary. Being a mama's boy, I guess I see my own mother in the  Mahal na Birhen and vice-versa. But regardless, I am a Marianist, through and through. 

So now I come to the point of this post. I want to share with all of you...my lullaby. For those who don't know, a litany is basically a list. You have the Litany of the Saints, the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and a whole host of other beautiful litanies that the Church gives us. But out of all, this will always be my favorite. It lists many of the different epithets of the Holy Mother, always with the invocation of "pray for us". Critics of prayer like this, both Catholic and non-Catholic, always criticize the repetitiveness of it. How can this be prayer, repeating the same thing over and over again? My question to them is: how is not? When we are praying for something, something important to us, we don't just say it once, right? We say it over and over and over again, hoping and praying that God would hear us. So to with this. As Catholics, we believe Mama Mary to be the greatest intercessor on our behalf, the Mother of God, exalted higher than all the saints and even all the angels. This is the Virgin to whom the angels proclaim "Hail, full of grace". As my priest says, "she has the ear of Christ", just as she did during the wedding at Cana. 

So here it is, the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary, my lullaby:

Lord have mercy on us.
Lord have mercy on us.
Christ have mercy on us.
Christ have mercy on us.
Lord have mercy on us.
Lord have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, pray for us
Holy Mother of God, pray for us
Holy Virgin of virgins, pray for us
Mother of Christ, pray for us
Mother of divine grace, pray for us
Mother most pure, pray for us
Mother most chaste, pray for us
Mother inviolate, pray for us
Mother undefiled, pray for us
Mother most amiable, pray for us
Mother most admirable, pray for us
Mother of good counsel, pray for us
Mother of our Creator, pray for us
Mother of our Redeemer, pray for us
Virgin most prudent, pray for us
Virgin most venerable, pray for us
Virgin most renowned, pray for us
Virgin most powerful, pray for us
Virgin most merciful, pray for us
Virgin most faithful, pray for us
Mirror of justice, pray for us
Seat of wisdom, pray for us
Cause of our joy, pray for us
Spritual vessel, pray for us
Vessel of honor, pray for us
Singular vessel of devotion, pray for us
Mystical rose, pray for us
Tower of David, pray for us
Tower of ivory, pray for us
House of gold, pray for us
Ark of the covenant, pray for us
Gate of Heaven, pray for us
Morning Star, pray for us
Health of the sick, pray for us
Refuge of sinners, pray for us
Comforter of the afflicted, pray for us
Help of Christians, pray for us
Queen of Angels, pray for us
Queen of Patriarchs, pray for us
Queen of Prophets, pray for us
Queen of Apostles, pray for us
Queen of Martyrs, pray for us
Queen of Confessors, pray for us
Queen of Virgins, pray for us
Queen of all Saints, pray for us
Queen conceived without original sin, pray for us
Queen of the most holy Rosary, pray for us
Queen of peace, pray for us
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world: Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world: Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world: Have mercy on us.
Pray for us, most holy Mother of God,
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray.

O God, whose only begotten Son, by his life, death and resurrection has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech you, that while meditating of the mysteries of the most holy rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

During Easter:
God our Father, you give joy to the world by the resurrection of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Through the prayers of his mother, the Virgin Mary, bring us to the happiness of eternal life. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.


And for any Latin fanatics out there like me, here is the Litany in Latin: Litaniae Virginis Maria


Thanks letting me take my trip down memory lane. My mother always says "the family that prays together, stays together". And even though, my family has had its fair share of problems, I firmly believe that our prayers, by the grace of God, have kept us together. If I ever figure out my vocation, and its to be a father and family man, I fully intend on praying every night with my family and spreading our tradition. But then again, even if I was Father, I think I'd still do the same thing. 


May this prayer be for you what it has been for me: a lullaby, soothing me, and letting me know that everything is ok. 


Dominus vobiscum.

Belgian folk print depicting the different names of the Blessed Virgin Mary said in the Litany of Loreto.

HHS Mandate: Not Just Religiously Wrong

Ok, ok, ok, ok! I am super-excited about this particular post for a lot of reasons:

  1. Makes me realize that maybe I should have been a Poli Sci major instead of Biology, but still pre-med.
  2. Talks about some things that we've discussed in my American Constitutional Development course.
  3. The HHS contraception mandate is not just religiously and more morally wrong, but unconstitutional.
  4. Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) is a BAYLOR BEAR! How awesome is that? Flinging that green and gold afar!

See the video of Representative Trey Gowdy of South Carolina (Baylor alum and a Baptist =)) rip into Secretary Kathleen Sebelius of the Department of Health and Human Services (a "supposed" Catholic, but judging from the video...I'm not sure where she got her education) regarding the HHS mandate on contraception after the jump.

Hilarious Picture and Caption from a Better Blogger

From The Pinoy Catholic, a much, much Better Filipino Catholic Blogger: SNAPSHOT: What the Holy Father was saying.

I don't know why, but that picture and caption cracked me UP! Whew..dang funny. Lol. We should all be willing to make fun of ourselves as Catholics every once in a while.

FIN!

Bringing out a little of the old Spanish to say "I'm done!"...with the semester that is. This has been a really really rough year, for greater reasons other than difficult classes. But by the grace of God, the divine mercy of Christ, and the strength of the Holy Spirit, I got through it all, although not completely unscathed. I've lost many things, friendships included, but I've also gained some things, like an even more fervent belief that God will not put you through anything that you cannot get through. My faith has suffered alot, and it won't be until many years from now until I finally figure out if I come out of this better or worse. But by all initial estimates, I think I'm going to be ok.

Of course, now that the semester is over, that means that Finals are beginning. A few Dead Days and then BOOM! FINALS! Dreaded, dreaded Finals. Necessary evil, but evil nonetheless. I jest (kind of) since, as a student, my vocation is to my studies, and this gives me renewed strength to always do well and always glorify the Lord in the process.

So friends, as these dark and dreary days of endless studying, endless hunger, and endless insomnia begin, please pray for me. As always, let me know if I can pray for you.

Dominus vobiscum.

Bahaha! Man, I just love cartoons! This one is eerily accurate. Plus, it has my post title in it, "FIN!", and...there's zombies. For some reason, college kids are obsessed with zombies lately. Lol. But seriously...please pray for me!

Source: DeviantArt

Extra Credit: Pilipinong Katoliko

This was Spiritual/Cultural Autobiography for my World Religions class. I thought it was fairly decent and insightful. It took me awhile to write it, but my prof seemed to like it too. I thought this cartoon is pretty hilarious too. Read it after the jump.

Extra Credit: Response to NY Times Religion Articles

As part of my World Religions class, we had the opportunity for extra credit by writing a one-page response to religion articles in The New York Times. Yes, I know, I didn't really need to underline it, but since I'm about to post a class assignment on here, I thought I would try to be academically correct. Anywho, for those of you who have read the NY Times will know that being a crazy Northern liberal newspaper (it's not really, but what kind of blogger would I be if I didn't jokingly stereotype) it doesn't always have the most favorable view of any religion. That being said, that's why writing these articles were fun.

Studere et Ora: Helpful Prayers for Studying Students

Woo! It's that time of the year fellow students...drumroll please...FINALS!! And as this season of necessary evil rolls around for students of every age, where appetites increase and hours of sleep decrease (greatly, on both accounts), Holy Mother Church offers us spiritual food and rest, through the intercession of those holy men and women whose lives and actions are uniquely related to the needs of students. 

Prayer against Loneliness

Sometimes, you just feel a little lonely. Being so close to Finals, not knowing what do with my future (the discerning thing is getting more and more annoying and more and more confusing), pushing away some of my friends, and generally freaking out about the complicated state of my life in tribulation, have all led me to feel a little (understatement) lonely. Its like a dull heartache and it hurts. But in spite of all of this, I have hope...we have hope. The Church offers us many avenues out of our loneliness. St. Rita, patron saint of Impossible cases and against loneliness. Our Guardian Angels. The Blessed Sacrament in the sacrifice of the Mass or during a Holy Hour of Adoration. The Liturgy of the Hours. One of my favorite prayers against loneliness, however, is one I've only recently discovered. It is attributed to St. Raphael the Archangel, patron saint of Happy Meetings:

O Raphael, lead us toward those we are waiting for, those who are waiting for us!  Raphael, Angel of Happy Meetings, lead us by the hand toward those we are looking for!  May all our movements, all their movements, be guided by your light and transfigured by your Joy.  Angel Guide of Tobias, lay the request we now address to you at the feet of Him on whose unveiled Face you are privileged to gaze.  Lonely and tired, crushed by the separations and sorrows of Earth, we feel the need of calling to you and of pleading for the protection of your wings, so that we may not be as strangers in the Province of Joy, all ignorant of the concerns of our country.  Remember the weak, you who are strong–you whose home lies beyond the region of thunder, in a land that is always peaceful, always serene, and bright with the resplendent glory of God.  Amen.

 We have hope. No matter how dark our loneliness, the light of Christ shines through and cuts the darkness like a blazing sword, guarding our heart from despair. We are blessed for we have hope.

Peace and blessings to those who are lonely. By the intercession of St. Rita and St. Raphael, may the Almighty Father, author of life, lift you from despair and set your feet upon steady ground, through his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Insomnia and Heavy Thoughts

It's 4:30 in the morning. Luckily for me, today is Diadeloso (Day of the Bear) at Baylor, meaning all classes are cancelled. How cool is that? Baylor gives us a day's reprieve to just have some good old fashion fun. They bring in live musicians, really notable ones I might add (Matt Maher played two years ago I think), serve some good food, play some great games/sports, and a whole bunch of other stuff...all for free! But for the tuition we pay here, it better be. Unfortunately, despite the fact that this is a Christian university with certain expectations, it is still a college, meaning many people will spend most of the day (and all night) having a different kind of "fun". I've never been one to participate in such activities, so my night will be rather lonely, but I'm ok with that.

Growing up, I was always different from my peers (even my church friends), and I never found the necessity to participate in the traditional American teenager pastimes. That difference extended into my collegiate life, where I was definitely much more different. It always surprises people when I tell them that my first sip of alcohol was not until I was 21. And since then, drinking is still not at the top of my list of "fun" things to do. Before and after that momentous birthday, I'm uncomfortable in those social situations, especially when minors are present, so I avoid them at all cost. All I can do is pray that my friends are safe. So yeah...always been different.

So it's not 4:45am, and I still can't sleep, so I'm spending my time ranting blogging about random things....or maybe not so random things. Unfortunately, I have undiagnosed insomnia (lol) which is a terrible thing to have for a college student. So more often than not, I find myself not being able to sleep like a normal person, meaning sleeping before 2am. Which is why I'm really glad that we the day off tomorrow...or today. During the bouts of sleeplessnes, I find myself wandering the web for something interesting to read, which finally brings me to the topic of this particular post.

I was reading a bunch of different Catholic blogs earlier, all much, much, much, better than mine. And there was a common theme I noticed. Now before I say this next part, I want to state that I am in no way trying to offend any blogger that may happen to stumble upon this particular post. It is not a comment as to the quality of any one blog. It is simply an observation. But from what I've read, Catholic bloggers really really like to complain. Like a lot! Again, I'm really not trying to offend anyone, just pure observation. Catholic bloggers really do like to complain...and they like to complain about a variety of things. Now most of these bloggers, as far as I can tell, are very devout Catholics and secure in their faith, otherwise why would they be blogging in the first place? Some topics are about the differences in the liturgy, others are about traditionalist vs. non-traditionalist views. Many talk about all the things other Catholics are doing wrong, while others comment on the current status of the Church. But whatever the topic is, we (yes, I am now including myself in the Catholic bloggers group) like to complain. And each blogger thinks that their particular complaint/criticism/opinion is the correct one. The funny thing is, many of these bloggers will often contradict each other. But you know what...in my humble opinion, I think that's one of the beauties of the Church.

We each draw from our various cultures, backgrounds, ways of life, and experiences. And from these, our opinions and preferences are shaped and nuanced. Some older generation Catholics love the Ordinary Form of the Mass, while some younger Catholics are being drawn to the Extraordinary Form. [I love both: I normally attend Daily and Sunday Masses in the Ordinary Form, but there are just some days that I feel the need to go to our local Latin Mass]. There are Catholics who have readily accepted and adapted to the 3rd Edition of the Roman Missal (this really applies to Stateside Catholics, and any language that translated from the English instead of the Latin), while there are a number of Catholics who have openly vocalized their strong dislike for the new translation. [Knowing my love for the Latin Mass, I absolutely love the new translation, but I will concede that it does definitely take longer to say some things than before. Lol. That's just a fact]. Everyone has their own view of how the Liturgy should be and look like. Differences in opinions in homiletics, liturgical music, and religious education dominate the blogosphere. But as I said before, I think this is a beauty of the Church. Even with all our differing opinions, we can still call ourselves Catholic, the Universal Church.

But this post does come with a warning/disclaimer. There are few blog posts, and I cannot emphasize enough how few, that just don't seem theologically sound. Now while the nuanced differences in theology are ok (to a degree), the one thing that all Catholics (most especially bloggers) should be in agreement with are the doctrines, dogmas, and basic Catechism of the Catholic Church. In regards to the sanctity of life, the Sacraments, the Mass, our Creeds, and all other basic teachings of the faith, there is not any leeway for disagreement. Our dogmas and teachings have been given to us through Divine Revelation, whether in Sacred Scripture or Sacred Tradition. There is no flip-flopping, waffling, side-changing, or conceding when it comes to our catechism. This next part will be honestly blunt, and may be offensive, but only to those who are guilty of the aforementioned waffling. Contraception, abortion, woman priests, disregarding any of the Sacraments, etc, are all inconsistent with the Catholic faith. In short, those cafeteria Catholics who pick and choose what beliefs and teachings are convenient for them, are not truly Catholic. Gasp! Shock! What is he saying?!

Being Catholic is not easy, this we all know. But faith is not meant to be. I know, some of you may be asking yourselves who am I to tell you whether or not you are a true Catholic. So instead, ask yourself. Are you? Now I'm not asking you whether you are a theologian, church historian, or expert. But I am asking, do you profess the Catholic faith with a basic understanding of the teachings of the Church especially in regards to the Sacraments? Honestly ask yourself this, do I believe in all those things to have been divinely revealed to Holy Mother Church, passed down through the ages, as basic tenants of the faith? I think that its this lack of true catechism that is greatest problem in the Church. All other problems stem from this.

Sure, some Catholic bloggers will argue that its the differences in liturgy or the varying practices of others that greatly divide the Church. But its not. The greatest problem in the Church today is the lukewarm, cafeteria Catholic. The ones who claim to be Catholic, but do not have a basic working knowledge of the Catechism. The ones who claim to be Catholic, but decide to pick and choose which dogmas and practices are best for them. The great problem in the Church is the one person who claims to be Catholic, and is anything but. So as a Catholic blogger, here is my complaint: if you are going to call yourself Catholic, then BE Catholic. Anything else, and you're just a simple, but dangerous hypocrite.

In an earlier post, I touched on JPII's "New Evangelization" and how that evangelization needs to begin with the re- evangelization of the people. This is how we must address this problem, this great threat. With love and renewed teaching. My heart breaks, literally breaks, when I hear in the news that the current administration is claiming that most Catholics are in disagreement with their Bishops. It breaks when I hear statistics that claim most Catholics are in favor of contraception. It breaks when I hear about Catholics who leave the faith as a result of the hypocrisy of others. It breaks when I see Catholic families going through divorce, children refusing to believe in the validity/necessity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, people thinking that the Eucharist is just a symbol, or the increasing disbelief/skepticism/vilification of our priests (this one hurts ALOT!).

Sure, we can argue about the merits of the Ordinary vs. the Extraordinary Form. We can argue about the appropriateness of receiving communion in the hand or not. We can argue about music, liturgy, church design, methods of religious education, and a whole host of other things. But the one thing that we cannot argue about is the Catechism of the Catholic Church. This is what makes us Catholic, how we are able to proudly proclaim that the Church is the Bride of Christ, how we can proudly proclaim that we make up the mystical Body of Christ, with Christ as the head. We must never stray from these teachings.

So there it is: the heavy thoughts of a sleep-deprived, insomniac college Catholic. Yes, its just one big complaint, but I think it's a complaint that we all need to be aware of. So here's the last thing I'm going to say for the night/morning/I-don't-even-know-anymore: to my Catholic friends, BE CATHOLIC...truly, devoutly, proudly, unfailingly, unashamedly, unabashedly, unwaveringly, immutably, wholly, spiritually, physically, and blatantly. Be Catholic.

Thoughts, comments, complaints, critiques, or criticisms are always welcome.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.
V. Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created.
R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Pax vobiscum. 

Yay for Catechists!

This website, Amazing Catechists, is essentially a blog of resources made for catechists by catechists. I've already had the opportunity to read some of the posts and they are really great. Teaching the faith can be difficult at best, its not like teaching math or science. Let's face it...most of the kids are there by parental mandate and would rather be elsewhere. That's not meant to be a negative remark, but it's really just fact. Now as catechists, we do our best to bring the faith alive, to show kids the beauty of the Church, and the reasons for our convictions. We do our best to show them that a life of Catholic faith is worth it, that it makes sense. But again, let's face it, that's easier said than done. So as catechists, we need all the help we can get. This website is a good starting place. I encourage you all to take a look at it, whether you're a catechist or not.

May the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit fill you up and strengthen you in your catechetical ministry.

Maligayang Kaarawan, Santo Papa!

In case you were wondering, that's "Happy Birthday Holy Father" in Tagalog, my native language. Today, the Universal Church rejoices and celebrates as our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, turns 85, becoming only the sixth pontiff ever to do so in the list of 265 popes.

I love this particular picture of Papa Bene because 1) love that he brought back the galero capello romano (much thanks to Pinoy Catholic for the correction) and 2) he just looks kinda happy. As the leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI heads-up the 1 billion strong member faith. Even in his old age, the Holy Father's commitment to the faithful is inspiring. And despite the many, many, many problems that have rocked the modern day Church, the pope has handled it all by the grace and mercy of God, leading the faithful through some fairly dark times. But the light of Christ cuts through the darkness, and all over the world, faithful Catholics carry that light to others.

By the grace and blessing of the Almighty Father, may Pope Benedict XVI have many more happy and healthy years, all I'm sure, in service to Holy Mother Church.

"Do not be unbelieving, but believe"

                                            Source: saints.sqpn.com

Mass is many things for many people. Above all, it is the great prayer of the Church, where we come together as as a family, to gather at the table of sacrifice, to be nourished physically, spiritually, emotionally, mentally, wholly by the Body and Blood of Christ, in both Word and Sacrament. It is eucharistia, our thanksgiving. And while every Mass should be like this, but every once in awhile, you go to Mass and you leave feeling like that Mass was just for you. Like Christ knew your heart, which he does, and that He willed for that Mass to be celebrated just for you.

Today, on this Divine Mercy Sunday, I was blessed with such a Mass. In that church (St. Louis in Waco), I felt as if God sat beside me and whispered in my ear, "This is for you. I see your heart. I see your struggles. I have heard your cries and your prayers. This Mass...this is part of my answer. Take comfort in it. Take comfort in my Beloved Son. I brought you here, to this sacred space and to this place in your life, and I will get you through it. Take the peace of my Son into your heart. I have heard you and I am here. This is for you. I love you."

I know what you're thinking...that's a little hard to believe...this guy is crazy. Sometimes I find it hard to believe too. My troubles are insignificant, and I'm just fantasizing about God. This Mass is for everyone, for all God's people, not just me. But if you sat where I sat today, if you were me, you would know what I'm talking about. You would believe me. But belief is a difficult thing...especially if you are struggling with something or another. It's hard to believe in a divine presence, its hard to believe in God, in something so amazingly intangible, especially in this day and age. It's easy to believe in the visible, instead of the invisible.

Take today's Gospel. The disciples, minus St. Thomas, were in a locked room and I could only imagine what was going through their heads. They saw Christ crucified and now what were they supposed to do. Think back to when you were younger and you were at the mall or the store with your parents. You let go of your parents hand for one second, and all of sudden, you're lost. You can't find them. I'm sure it's happened to most of us. I know it happened to me alot. What did you do? You stood there, terrified. You didn't know what to do, you didn't want to move, you were so paralyzed by the fear of being lost, of being without your parents, so you cried. In reality, your parents were probably no more than a few feet from you, so close, but you were still paralyzed at the thought of being alone, you couldn't think straight. That's how I imagine the Apostles at that time. Paralyzed by fear, by the thought of having lost Christ. What were they supposed to do now? And then poof! Christ is there. "Peace be with you". Why were those Christ's first words? "Peace be with you." What were your parents first words to you when you finally found them after being lost, after crying your eyes out? "It's ok, I'm here." "Peace be with you".  It's all ok, I am here. And in their unbelief, He shows them His hands and side. And then the same is with St. Thomas, who would not believe until he saw. They all struggled with loss and it was a struggle that could not be eased by belief in the intangible, in the invisible. So Christ had to appear again, He had to show His hands and side to show that he was real. He appeared again, and said "Peace be with you". He appeared again, provided tangible proof, so that their struggle was made easier.

I think it's safe to say that is the message of Easter, the message of the Resurrection. That after saving us from ourselves, from our great sin, Christ is always there. That in our struggle, in our great unbelief, Christ is there to give us peace. But Christ's reappearance to His followers has a second meaning for us as Christians. Just like Christ, we, too, are supposed to make ourselves visible to the world, as Father so eloquently said in his homily at Mass today. As Catholics, we are blessed to have the Blessed Sacrament, to have Christ, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, right there on the altar and in the tabernacle. We are blessed to literally "see" him. But for others who do not share our belief, for our Protestant brothers and sisters, for those who do not believe in Christ, how will they see Him? The answer is through us. As "little Christs", we are called to be visible in this world, to be the visible, outward sign of God's love for humanity. We are called to be visible love and visible peace, both inherently intangible and invisible concepts. Through us, we make the love and peace of Christ visible.

I am struggling with so much in my life right now. My faith, my belief is...unsteady. It's hard to admit that, especially for a self-proclaimed devout Catholic. I have defined myself to others through my faith, so to struggle in this regard is unnerving. I am lonely, and miserable, and lost. So that's why it felt like today's Mass was just for me. God saw all of that, and felt it. So in His infinite love, through the divine mercy of His Risen Son, this Mass was celebrated for me. You may not believe that, and even I might question it, but for the first time in a really long time, I felt some small measure of peace today. After feeling abandoned for so long, today felt a little less lonely, and a little more hopeful. I was St. Thomas, coming to my knees, and proclaiming "My Lord and my God!".

God was helping me to believe again. Christ was showing me a little divine mercy. I was a lost and frightened child, but God said "It's ok, I'm here. I'm here. This is for you. I love you. Believe that". Friends, Christ is here with us, just a few steps away, ready to comfort us and guide us as we go out into the world, being visible signs of His love, peace, and divine mercy.

Let us pray that we "do not be unbelieving, but believe". That we may be as blessed as those who have not seen but still believe. Let us pray for the Divine Mercy of Christ, for us and for the whole world, because we so desperately need it. Let us pray as little children and remember that Christ, no matter how lost we feel, is always close by.

Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole word.

O Holy God, O Holy Might One, O Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Jesus, I trust in you.

Pax vobiscum.

Blogging: The New MySpace

Seriously, blogging is, like, the new MySpace. Yes, I know that sounds very middle school, but, seriously! Facebook is good for networking and keeping up with friends. But I remember the days of passive-aggressive venting and ranting on MySpace for all your friends to see, especially the girl you were being passive-aggressive about. If you happen to be  occasional reader that just happens to stumble upon this blog, you'll notice how late (or early) I post. And I love being able to customize this thing. It's the new adult (kinda) and mature (slightly) version of MySpace. But thankfully, my posts are a bit more sophisticated and worth reading. But I can't promise that it won't be passive-aggressive.

Feel free to enjoy the awesome music player I just added. So much fun!

Dominus vobiscum.

"Jesus was revealed": Seeing Christ

Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias.
He revealed himself in this way.
Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus,
Nathanael from Cana in Galilee,
Zebedee's sons, and two others of his disciples.
Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing."
They said to him, "We also will come with you."
So they went out and got into the boat,
but that night they caught nothing.
When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore;
but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them, "Children, have you caught anything to eat?"
They answered him, "No."
So he said to them, "Cast the net over the right side of the boat
and you will find something."
So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in
because of the number of fish.
So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord."
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord,
he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad,
and jumped into the sea.
The other disciples came in the boat,
for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards,
dragging the net with the fish.
When they climbed out on shore,
they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.
Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you just caught."
So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore
full of one hundred fifty-three large fish.
Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them, "Come, have breakfast."
And none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?"
because they realized it was the Lord.
Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them,
and in like manner the fish.
This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples
after being raised from the dead.

So I never realized just how many times Christ showed himself after the Resurrection.

World Religions

Given that I'm in a class called World Religions, I thought this post over at the Aggie Catholic blog, was very interesting. Click here for the infographic.

Now I did read the comment at the bottom about the LDS Church. My World Religions class was blessed to have a LDS guest speaker the other day, and I learned alot of things from him. Now while I respect what the Church has to say, I think this is one of those extremely rare cases where my opinion differs slightly from the Church. But that's another topic for another day.

Our First, Most Cherished Liberty

Ok, here we go. Time for some of the more hard-hitting stuff. Here is a fact that everyone needs to understand: in today's climate and culture, faith will always be attacked. Here is another fact that Catholics have to live with: in a society that attacks faith, the Catholic Church will be one of the first and hardest hit. Why? Not because we are outdated, not because we are holier-than-thou, and especially not because of all the misconceptions, presumptions, and falsities held by others. It will be because the Church, throughout the centuries, has stood the greatest change of holding back societal degradation and decline of values and morals. Now, I am by no means saying that the Church is the only one, in fact there are many groups, both religious and secular, that have stood to stem back the tides of decreasing morals and principles. But because of its size, position, influence, and power, the Church will always be seen as the enemy by secularists. And because of the values we uphold, our beliefs and convictions, we are called backward, ignorant bigots living in the past, with no place in the modern world. So the Catholic Church has come to represent all those opposed to societal "progress". Last fact: in a world that attacks Holy Mother Church, established by Christ and carried on by the apostles and their successors, we, her people and faithful, MUST, I repeat, MUST be ready to defend her and ourselves.

And in the latest string of attacks, the current administration's Department of Health and Human Services Mandate.

Pardon the Mess

I apologize for any confusion. I've changed my blog name and web address about a million times in the last 5 minutes. Found out that there are other blogs called Catholic Collegian, and I wanted to avoid confusion/headache in the future. Anywho, if you happen to stumble unto this humble blog, I hope you enjoy it!

"Evangelization must be directed towards the Church itself..."

Many young Catholics like to use the term "New Evangelization" as part of their ever increasing use of modern media to proclaim the Gospel: Facebook, Twitter, blogging (much like this young Catholic), etc. In a more broad sense, they mean for the term "new evangelization" to be the use of any modern technology in spreading the good news. Pioneered by Blessed Pope John Paul II, the "new evangelization" of the Church has come to mean how the Church interprets its missionary work and how to go about missionary work in this day and age. But unlike many Protestant denominations, the Church is not focused on proselytizing, just simply spreading and sharing. But before the Church can go about "evangelizing" other people, she must first "re-evangelize" her people. This was an issue that JPII addressed in his 1990 encyclical, Redemptoris missio. Here is a small excerpt:

... it is painfully clear that many Catholics (and other Christians)
have not been effectively incorporated into life in Christ.
Baptized as infants many have never made a personal commitment
to the Lord Jesus Christ and the Gospel.
As adolescents and adults many drift away from the Church.
Evangelization must be directed to the Church itself.

In my humble opinion, this is where the young Church needs to step in, where young Catholics can most adhere to the "new evangelization". It has been my observation that there are many Catholics, faithful Catholics, both young and old, that lack a degree of spirituality or even a level of catechism, and it is an issue that must first be addressed before evangelization can truly occur. There are many from my generation, my friends and myself included, that have passed their parents in terms of catechism and understanding the faith. I have seen time and time again, young adults being the ones to urge their family into Mass, to initiate prayer, or to simply teach. And even more so, I have seen young adults find great comfort in the type of Catholicism that their parents probably shied away from. There is a growing trend in the young Church that relies on an orthodoxy that older generations lack. I recently read a book called The New Faithful: Why Young Adults are Embracing Christian Orthodoxy by Colleen Carroll that explores this phenomenon. More and more young people are going to daily Mass, go to Confession on a regular basis, drawn towards catechism of younger children, and participating in ancient traditions of the Church. Therefore, I believe that its up to us then, the young faithful laity to spearhead this "re-evangelization" of our faith. We are the revolution that JPII called for, so too must we take charge in the "new evangelization" that he sought. We've heard it time and time again, my friends, we are the future of the Church. We must, we need, to take part in that future, today.

With the intercession of Blessed Pope John Paul II, may the Almighty bless you and me with the strength to answer this call, to constantly re-evangelize ourselves, and Holy Mother Church.

Dominus vobiscum.

CtR

My home parish after Easter Vigil...so pretty.

"...heart on my sleeve"

So I guess this is going to be my first personal post, which involves more of a certain level of vulnerability than normal. Which is funny because vulnerability is a big topic for this post.

Last night, I was blessed with a truly unique and rare experience...at least for me. I had a talk...a real talk with a good guy friend. Now, before I continue, I need to explain why this was special for me. Growing up, I was never the typical kid. I was always more mature for my age, and while I loved playing outside with my brother and my friends, I was always more content behind a good book. I loved to learn growing up, and I still do. Given all that, it was always difficult for me to make friends, especially guy friends. Girls were always just easier to talk to, and to be honest, the flirting was always fun (shameless, I know, but I have matured since then...I promise). Now don't get me wrong, I had my best guy friend in elementary and middle school, but there were few guys in high school I could call a best friend. I was always jealous of those guys that had their own guys, that friend they could talk about anything with. Any guy knows that guys need their guys, plain and simple. In college, I was close, but time and circumstances prevented it, unfortunately. So given all of this, I really don't remember the last time I had a real talk with a good guy friend.

So here is where the vulnerability comes in. It was not easy to admit any of that. Pride and twisted societal idea of manliness makes it difficult to admit things like this. But for any true Catholic guy, you need a similar individual to talk things through with, because girls (and ladies, please don't take any offense) just don't get guys. So again, that's why this particular conversation was very special to me.

Last night, at a popular coffee shop chain, me and my friend...let's call him Travis ...had a real conversation between two simple Catholic guys, trying to make sense of our lives in the light of faith. We talked about alot of things from who we were to who we are now. Travis and I have become friends only recently. The funny thing is, we've been around each other for quite some time, having gone to the same middle school and the same church. But who we were growing up could not have been more different from each other. Travis was a guy's guy...sports, hanging out, and he still is. I, on the other hand, was all about school and extra-curriculars, and I still am. For all intents and purposes, we were polar opposites, and playing to societal expectations, its easy to see why we never crossed paths. But even if we did, there was certainly no guarantee that we would have become friends. So why now? The difference between then and now, for both of us, is that we have each grown immensely in our shared faith. Our lives and circumstances may have been different, but they all led us both to the same place, it all led us to have that  real conversation at the coffeehouse.

Now, to be honest, I didn't really know what to expect going into it. As I said before, I couldn't remember the last time I even had a conversation like that, so I thought I was just going to make a fool of myself. And given that we both had class in the morning, I didn't think it would last very long. I remember my mom calling me, telling me that she would probably be asleep by the time I got back. Since my mom normally sleeps at midnight, I told her that I would probably be back before she went to sleep. I definitely did not. Travis and I talked for four hours, past closing time, going from the patio to the lounge to the parking lot. Now I won't go into detail about everything we talked about, but a main theme was our faith and our vulnerabilities.

Travis told me alot that night, "I wear my heart on my sleeve." It was something he and I had in common. I have never had an easy time trying to hide my feelings, and while I could certainly be passive-aggressive, people always knew that I was being passive-aggressive. We talked about relationships, our past ones and our current ones (or lack thereof). We talked about how we grew in our faith, the different events in our lives that have led us to the same conclusion: a life without faith is nothing. But we both knew a life of faith was not an easy one. Our Catholic faith would hold us accountable on all our actions, and everything we say or do must be for the glory of God. But that's not easy. In fact, its probably one of the most difficult paths to choose, especially in this day and age. But aside from not being easy, a life of faith, where everything revolves around grace and providence, involves so much vulnerability on our parts. We place all our trust in God and in His Son. In exchange for our faith and our trust, its easy to expect a level of divine consideration. Sure, throw in a couple of curve balls every once in awhile (like the sports analogy?), but for the most part, life should be simple and uncomplicated, should being the operative word. So when something major happens, something that is life-altering or devastating, faith and trust are the first things to go out the window. I speak from experience. Is it too much to ask for a little leniency for living my good life of faith? Faith inherently leaves one vulnerable and open to hurt. Take that idea and extend it to include the relationships we make, or more precisely, the ones God decides to give us, and our vulnerability is increased. Living that faithful life means that we believe all our relationships, filial, romantic, platonic, etc., to be more than just coincidence. So when someone hurts us, its easy to place the blame on God. Suffice it to say, being men of faith means being vulnerable men, and for two guys who wear their hearts on their sleeves....that concept is terrifyingly debilitating.

But here's the flip side: living a life of faith means opening yourself up to happiness that you could not even imagine. In this culture, its plain to see how the idea of quid pro quo developed. I live a decent life, a faith life, and God blesses me with good things. But that's not what faith means, its not what truly living a life of faith means. Yes, faith means placing all your trust in Him, but it also means that everything that happens, both the good and the bad, happens for a reason. I know, I know...that's so cliche. But it does not make it any less true or applicable. Faith means that all things, all experiences are meant for us to grow in Him, both the good and the bad. And if it just so happens that God decides you need a little more bad to do alot more growing, faith also means trusting Him to not give you anything that you can't handle. Travis mentioned that his life was like the story "Footprints in the Sand". That story is the epitome of living a life of true faith. So, as one who has recently had alot of growing to do, most of it as a result of the "bad", I can say, faithfully and undoubtedly, that faith...is worth it.

Through the course of our conversation, Travis kept thanking me. At one paint, and I paraphrase, he said "Man, I'm just blessed that God put you [all] in my life". He kept telling me that I was teaching him alot. But something I don't really think I got to say back was "You're helping me more than I'm helping you". You see, Travis (who I hope reads this) has such a vibrant faith, a "childlike confidence" in God. He talked about waking up everyday and thanking God for the sunrise and the chance to live and experience that day. He has something that many of us, especially those involved in lots of ministry, tend to lose along the way: the simple and amazing awe and wonder in God. Again, speaking from experience, getting so focused on ministry, its easy to lose sight of the simple things and the most beautiful things. That doesn't mean that I take my faith for granted by any means, or that I've lost sight of why I do ministry or live a life of service. But Travis has this vibrancy about him, that pure and simple childlike trust and wonder in everything that God does and in all the little blessings He sends our way. It's something more of us have lost and so desperately need, something that I need to find again. And Travis has helped me realize that. There were many times during our talk, that we may have both gotten emotional, again, wearing our hearts on our sleeves, being vulnerable. I didn't get to tell Travis this, but his friendship is exactly the kind of thing we talked about all night, the reward of my vulnerability and my faith.

For all intents and purpose,culture and society say that Travis and I would have never been friends. But luckily for us, as Catholic Christians, our Catholic faith is so very counter-cultural. We've all made lots of friends in lives. Oftentimes, friendships are fleeting. The friends I made in elementary didn't last past the 5th grade, or past middle school, or high school. In high school, friends that I went college with, friendships that I thought were inseparable at the time, have drifted as a result of...life. And even now, these strong friendships that I made in college, friendships even built around faith, may not last, some I've already lost as a result of my own gigantic failings. But everyone once in awhile, God blesses us with a true, lasting friendship. No matter what kind of relationships we develop, whether they last or not, each and every person we encounter is put into our lives for a very specific reason, even the ones that hurt us, even the ones we lose. But you have to be willing to be vulnerable, willing to have faith. Otherwise, everything becomes meaningless, without purpose. As for me and Travis, no...I don't know if we'll be friends for a long time. But after our  real conversation and the blessing he has already become in my life, I pray that our friendship will only grow. Sometimes a guy just needs another guy, a good friend, a real friend. God has blessed me with many of those, and he has blessed me again, immensely, in my friendship with Travis. Since faith is a gift, God has also blessed me with faith...and with vulnerability. My great prayer for all of you is that God will bless you as he has blessed me.

(Travis  I'm praying for you bud. Thanks. Oh...and you should definitely be texting her LOL)