Prayer

As a former Protestant we were taught that repetitious prayer was vain and that Christ taught against such prayer. We were taught NOT to say the Lord's prayer everyday or to make it part of our "prayer chest." The Lord's prayer was merely a model by which we were to develop our prayers to God. This idea is pure mumbo-jumbo. Protestants have long taken out of context Christ's admonition against vain repetitious prayer (which I will not debate at this time) thus shutting the door on an amazing conversation with God.

Since I have begun my journey to become Catholic I have been exposed to the treasury of prayer used by the Church. My first real exercise in prayer was learning the Rosary. At first I found it hard to say the Rosary because of my Protestant understanding of prayer. After all wasn't saying 50 Hail Mary's vain repetition? But I made myself do it. Soon it became a joy to do and I was able to say the complete Rosary from memory. My only problem was how to meditate on the mysteries while saying the Hail Mary's. So I assumed that the only way to do that was to contemplate and meditate on each mystery first before preceding to the 10 Hail Mary's. But something happened along the way. I received a revelation, an understanding, an epiphany that made the Church's treasury of prayers come alive.

While praying for a dear friend, whom I met through RCIA I discovered something new. I told my friend I would pray the Rosary on her behalf and ask intercession from our Lady. As I began vocalizing the Hail Mary portion I found I could concentrate on my friend and ask specific things for her. Let me explain what I mean, it's kind of complicated.

The repetitious "ness" of the Hail Mary portion just came out. I no longer concentrated to make the words come out of my mouth, they just came. This freed my mind to talk to Our Lady in conversation about my friend. I heard myself saying the Hail Mary's while I was talking in my head like we do when we read a book to ourselves. It's like doing two different things at the same time. It was amazing. I decided to analyze what this meant and came up with this observation:

The words we speak out loud in prayer are designed to approach the Deity in holiness. They are a proper form of respect that opens the doorway to God himself. As the door opens we walk in with our mind and bring our petitions, our praises, our requests, our heart, our gratitude...US to the Lord.

Memorizing the great treasury of prayers of the Catholic Church opens the door to God. The language of each prayer becomes a door opener. As we chant these prayers that have become most familiar to us they begin to come out of our mouth without having to concentrate on saying the words. We hear ourselves and know what we are saying is the prayer we chose to pray, but our mind begins our personal conversation with the Lord. I hope I have shown what I have discovered in an understandable way. This type of repetitious prayer, frowned upon by Protestants is necessary to approach the Deity in such a way as to free the mind to speak our hearts.

This is how I pray. This is not the only way to pray, but to me it has become a complete joy and something I look forward to each day. Try it if you can. It does take time to learn to do. The spiritual reward is tremendous!

Life In Christ

"Christian, recognize your dignity and, now that you share in God's own nature, do not return to your former base condition by sinning. Remember who is your head and of whose body you are a member. Never forget that you have been rescued from the power of darkness and brought into the light of the Kingdom of God."
- St. Leo the Great

Christian, we do well and always to keep St. Leo the Great's admonition in our hearts, and renew each day as a call from God in our lives to serve our King with pure and chaste hearts relishing the joy of our transformation (as we partake of the heavenly meal present in the Eucharist), into the image of His Son.

Our faith is ancient and timeless reaching into eternity past set up for us by the Ancient of Days. He reaches into time and claims those who hear his voice and leads us to his family on earth. The family has endured many trial and tribulation since it was set up for us at Christ's Ascension to the Father's right hand. He has always kept a remnant of his people who remain united to the cause and family of His beloved people. His home on earth resides with the only church the Father's Son dared proclaim, the Catholic Church.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, who was and is and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Let The Persecution Begin

Why do people become so passionate about an issue and lose sight of the big picture, the ultimate goal? Several days ago I went public to my Protestant friends that I was converting (actually going home, but I'll use their language) to Catholicism. Why, one would have thought I was the devil himself. A best friend sticks by you through thick or thin. Mine must not have really been my best friend. Rather than respect for my decision I got chastisement, "you ought to know better."

My friend and I believe that Jesus is the Christ, that he died for our sins, he rose again from the dead and is seated at the right hand of the Father. We both believe there is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved. So why the division of our friendship. I didn't leave. Rather than respect my decision he sought to show me the error of my ways. He also said that the bible was his only authority and that church tradition cannot be taken into account, even going so far as to say the Catholic Church made up their doctrines and THEN found Scripture to support them, which is completely absurd!

If people want to argue they need to make sure they know what they are talking about. But our big picture is our focus on Jesus Christ and ministering to those Christ has called us to help. The big picture is the Kingdom of God here on earth. Why do so many people wait for the Kingdom as if it were not here. Look around the globe. People are hurting and need Jesus, His love, His works NOW! When Jesus comes then it won't be necessary to help the world. Live the Kingdom now. Get off your hands and stop fighting over Protestant or Catholic. Christ knows who are His. He knows where the church He established is. If you want to bring them home trade bickering for humility. Trade vitriol for charity. Love them regardless of the hate they spew back.

Those who wish to call us names or treat us like the devil are just ignorant of the facts or truly don't wish to learn anything. Most who wish to argue with us aren't at all interested in why we made the decision to join the Catholic Church, but only why their position is superior as if we needed to be saved from ourselves. I will never understand this. Therefore, as I stated before I choose not to argue the point anymore. My response will only be to bless them and pray for their peace. Unfortunately my so called friend said he didn't need my prayers for his peace of mind and that my decision did not burden him in anyway. Oh really........

LIAR!

Either our current president is ignorant of the current health care legislation before both houses of Congress and what is contained in them, or he is an out and out LIAR. Adolf Hitler once said, "if you tell a lie long enough it will become the truth." I have read HR 3200. Nothing in Obama's speech was the truth concerning the bill. Congressman Wilson was right to call Obama a LIAR.

The current political atmosphere and general trends of those in power and in the media show to any discerning American that people in those positions have no shame. A lie means nothing to them, especially if it furthers their agenda.

Wake up America! How much longer will you tolerate evil from our elected officials. How much longer will you keep voting back in the same scoundrels year after year after year!!! Unfortunately our Constitution does not allow us to vote everyone out of office at the same time, BUT it's time we elect non-career politicians, those who don't know how to work the system for their own benefit.

WAKE UP!!!!!

RCIA Starts A New Phase

My journey has now taken a new step. My RCIA standing has moved from the Inquiry stage to formal "classroom" stage. Soon I will participate in the Rite of Welcome and receive my sponsor. This new phase is exciting in that I feel more and more Catholic, even though I have been living as one. I am now closer to partaking from the Lord's table in the Eucharist. Step by step I am moving toward the greatest day of my life when I can truly receive the REAL body and blood of Christ, which is the life giving nourishment I have starved for, going on now for 36 years.

Another happy phase for me is I will have the albatross of a failed marriage to a godless (who really needs Christ) woman. I made a terrible mistake, only to be told by those close to the both of us that I should have never married her (I admit there were signs before we married, but I was blind to the truth). Because this was my only marriage and this was her second an annulment will be granted since she, in the eyes of the Catholic Church is still married to her first husband. I don't ever plan on getting married again so the annulment is not really necessary. But I want to someday enter the priesthood, therefore it is necessary. God is good. I finally feel my bad mistakes and choices are behind me. I look forward to the Sacrament of Penance so I can be rid of the pain once and for all! Amen and Amen!

The Catholic Church Remains True To The Word Of God

Society since the 1960's has been in a slow downward spiral with respect to moral issues. Now it seems to be moving at a more alarming pace. When I was a kid it was unheard of to see or hear about things of a personal and intimate nature about people on TV. Now you can't get away from commercials that talk about "male enhancement" or "feminine itch" etc. We are bombarded with garbage day in and day out, on TV, in our schools, our government officials, and others just to name a few, to the point that people have no shame. Even if you wanted to get away from it like shutting off the TV it still comes into your life. So what now.

In the face of this growing trend of "no shame" or "anything goes" the Catholic Church remains a bastion of truth and a staunch bulwark against the forces who would spew compromise and lukewarmness about the word of God. Bishop Martino from the Diocese of Scranton, PA retired this week under what was probably a burden of his office. Why? In an article from Catholic Online by Deacon Keith Fournier entitled "Thank You Bishop Martino for your Fidelity and Courage" Fournier writes:

"The Bishop was correct to challenge the poor judgment of Misericordia University, a Catholic College in his Diocese which sponsored, through its scandalous “Diversity Institute”, an advocate/activist of the movement among some practicing homosexuals to obtain a legal equivalency between homosexual paramours and those who are married. An activist leader came to the Catholic College campus and spoke on the very matters which orginally raised the Bishops proper concerns.The school was given explicit directions to not host the speaker and willfully disobeyed their Bishop. The homosexual activist intentionally used a Catholic platform to directly oppose the truth as revealed by the Natural Law, confirmed by Revelation and taught by the Magisterium of the Catholic Church concerning human love in the Divine plan, to young men and women. That University knew better and allowed it all to happen, knowing full well the potential confusion and scandal it would cause. Of course the Bishop had to speak out! So should many other Bishops who currently have similar situations happening - right now - in Catholic Colleges and universities within their own Dioceses!"

Notice Fournier said "Of course the Bishop had to speak out!" So much of our current history is rife with liars and con artists because it has been tolerated for so long. Bishop Martino is an example of not giving in to those who wish to promote their perverted life style on the rest of us. As you already know there are those in the Christian community (Lutherns and Episcopalians) who tolerate blantant sin in their pews and clergy. It's time all of us take a stand as Bishop Martino did and start DEFENDING the Word of God and not compromise where the Word is clear. We are called to love the sinner, but to admonish and direct their path to the will of God, not tolerate their sin as the "politically correct" thing to do. Pray for Bishop Martino and the Catholic Church as we rightly defend and protect the Word of God and life.