I can't think of anything to talk about anymore. It is good that I did not go into journalism. How do they come up with something everyday.
What is sanity? Sanity is knowing who you are. To know this I must know where I came from and where I am going. I came from God. He gave me existence and life. I am going to God. God in his goodness and perfection is the desire of the human heart. If I do not recognize my beginning and my destination then I am not living in reality. I can crawl into a box and paint stars on the ceiling and call it the universe, but that does not make it so.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Saturday, June 21, 2008
It is impossible to be just to the Catholic Church. The moment men cease to pull against it they feel a tug towards it. The moment they cease to shout it down they begin to listen to it with pleasure. The moment they try to be fair to it they begin to be fond of it. But when that affection has passed a certain point it begins to take on the tragic and menacing grandeur of a great love affair. - GK Chesterton
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Marriage
A little harsh, but true.
Religious marriage is sacred act and not a social event, says Mexican archbishop
Guadalajara, Jun 17, 2008 / 09:07 pm (CNA).- The Archbishop of Guadalajara, Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iniguez, has called on the faithful to reflect on the meaning of marriage as a sacrament in which the spouses promise before God to love each other and respect each other until death, as opposed to a social event “to show off one’s friends” or “making a show of one’s wealth.”
“For many people weddings are a social celebration, a pretext for showing off one’s friends to others or for making a show of one’s wealth. It becomes an event that is anything but religious, when for Christians it should be a sacred act” in which God is witness to “the solemn promises to love one other, respect each other and be faithful all the days of their lives,” the cardinal said in an article published by the archdiocesan weekly Seminario.
The cardinal also lamented that “the majority of those who get married are not prepared (for the sacrament) and see religious marriage as a purely social event, and they think mostly about what they will wear and what the guests will wear.” Couples are also concerned about the music, which many times is not sacred, and about having a wedding in another place besides a church, the cardinal lamented.
“Whoever asks for this or falls into this does not have any sense of the religious and is not taking the Sacrament of Marriage seriously, and the difficulties start right there, as they enter and exit marriages in a frivolous manner since they cannot make a profound and serious commitment before God, and that’s why so many families end up in disaster,” he explained.
For this reason, Cardinal Iniguez called on the faithful, especially on young people, to take “the marriage commitment seriously, to think hard before marrying, to chose your partner carefully, because if you get that right, you’ll get your life right, and whoever fails in marriage will fail in everything, especially in the eyes of the Lord, who I hope will bless you.”
Guadalajara, Jun 17, 2008 / 09:07 pm (CNA).- The Archbishop of Guadalajara, Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iniguez, has called on the faithful to reflect on the meaning of marriage as a sacrament in which the spouses promise before God to love each other and respect each other until death, as opposed to a social event “to show off one’s friends” or “making a show of one’s wealth.”
“For many people weddings are a social celebration, a pretext for showing off one’s friends to others or for making a show of one’s wealth. It becomes an event that is anything but religious, when for Christians it should be a sacred act” in which God is witness to “the solemn promises to love one other, respect each other and be faithful all the days of their lives,” the cardinal said in an article published by the archdiocesan weekly Seminario.
The cardinal also lamented that “the majority of those who get married are not prepared (for the sacrament) and see religious marriage as a purely social event, and they think mostly about what they will wear and what the guests will wear.” Couples are also concerned about the music, which many times is not sacred, and about having a wedding in another place besides a church, the cardinal lamented.
“Whoever asks for this or falls into this does not have any sense of the religious and is not taking the Sacrament of Marriage seriously, and the difficulties start right there, as they enter and exit marriages in a frivolous manner since they cannot make a profound and serious commitment before God, and that’s why so many families end up in disaster,” he explained.
For this reason, Cardinal Iniguez called on the faithful, especially on young people, to take “the marriage commitment seriously, to think hard before marrying, to chose your partner carefully, because if you get that right, you’ll get your life right, and whoever fails in marriage will fail in everything, especially in the eyes of the Lord, who I hope will bless you.”
Monday, June 16, 2008
G.K. Chesterton says "My attitude toward progress has passed from antagonism to boredom. I have long ceased to argue with people who prefer Thursday to Wednesday because it is Thursday."
People will often say, "Get with the times." in order to justify their way of thinking.
Or they will say, "That way of thinking went out with the dark ages." as a way of arguing against the teaching of the Church. The time on the clock has nothing to do with what is true or not. Is it wrong to steal? To answer this question I do not consult my calendar. Is fornication a sin? The answer to the question is not, "This is the 21st century."
People will often say, "Get with the times." in order to justify their way of thinking.
Or they will say, "That way of thinking went out with the dark ages." as a way of arguing against the teaching of the Church. The time on the clock has nothing to do with what is true or not. Is it wrong to steal? To answer this question I do not consult my calendar. Is fornication a sin? The answer to the question is not, "This is the 21st century."
Saturday, June 14, 2008
“In the world it is called Tolerance, but in hell it is called Despair, the sin that believes in nothing, cares for nothing, seeks to know nothing, interferes with nothing, enjoys nothing, hates nothing, finds purpose in nothing, lives for nothing, and remains alive because there is nothing for which it will die.”– Dorothy Sayers
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Grace
God is the creator.
We are creatures.
We receive our being, our life, our existence from him. In a similar way way we receive grace from God. Grace is God's life within us. The ultimate goal of the Christian life is to configured to Christ, to become one with Christ. This is made possible through the free gift of God's grace. The first grace is "sanctifying grace." This is given in baptism and when we receive confession after having committed a mortal sin. There is nothing we can do to earn this grace. it is a free gift. That is why even infants can receive it. A child is born with natural talents such as music, athletics, art, whatever. It is up to the parents to cultivate that talent. it is up to the child to act on the talent when they reach the age of reason. If the talent is not nurtured or put into practice then it will whither and amount to nothing. It is a natural good for a person to excel at music or academically or athletically, but not everyone can do this. Most people are average. However, everyone is called to be a saint. Whether you are tall or short, smart or slow witted, musical or tone def, athletic or clumsy, you are called to be a saint. In baptism the gifts are given to us so that we can grow in the image and likeness of God. Like our natural talents these supernatural gifts must also be put into practice. It is not enough to receive grace, we must act upon it. Ephesians 2:8-10. Parents must nurture the divine gift of grace in their children. Children, at the age of reason, decide to make an act of faith, hope and love. We are all seeking happiness, joy and peace. We ask this thing or that thing to make us happy. We ask this person to make us happy. When this thing or that person no longer makes us happy we move on to the next thing or we become depressed. In the end every creature will fail to make us happy because our souls are restless until they rest in God. Every created good can be taken away from you. You will get old. Your car will wear out. Your money will come to an end. The world tempts us, but the Christian no longer finds joy in the vanity of the world. The Christian finds his joy in God. Grace acts in the soul to draw us back to God. We can resist that grace or we can cooperate with it. Some saints never committed a mortal sin (St. Therese of Liseaux, St. Thomas Aquinas). Some saints were great sinners filled with pride (St. Augustine, St. Paul) In both kinds of saints it was God's grace that converted their hearts.
We are creatures.
We receive our being, our life, our existence from him. In a similar way way we receive grace from God. Grace is God's life within us. The ultimate goal of the Christian life is to configured to Christ, to become one with Christ. This is made possible through the free gift of God's grace. The first grace is "sanctifying grace." This is given in baptism and when we receive confession after having committed a mortal sin. There is nothing we can do to earn this grace. it is a free gift. That is why even infants can receive it. A child is born with natural talents such as music, athletics, art, whatever. It is up to the parents to cultivate that talent. it is up to the child to act on the talent when they reach the age of reason. If the talent is not nurtured or put into practice then it will whither and amount to nothing. It is a natural good for a person to excel at music or academically or athletically, but not everyone can do this. Most people are average. However, everyone is called to be a saint. Whether you are tall or short, smart or slow witted, musical or tone def, athletic or clumsy, you are called to be a saint. In baptism the gifts are given to us so that we can grow in the image and likeness of God. Like our natural talents these supernatural gifts must also be put into practice. It is not enough to receive grace, we must act upon it. Ephesians 2:8-10. Parents must nurture the divine gift of grace in their children. Children, at the age of reason, decide to make an act of faith, hope and love. We are all seeking happiness, joy and peace. We ask this thing or that thing to make us happy. We ask this person to make us happy. When this thing or that person no longer makes us happy we move on to the next thing or we become depressed. In the end every creature will fail to make us happy because our souls are restless until they rest in God. Every created good can be taken away from you. You will get old. Your car will wear out. Your money will come to an end. The world tempts us, but the Christian no longer finds joy in the vanity of the world. The Christian finds his joy in God. Grace acts in the soul to draw us back to God. We can resist that grace or we can cooperate with it. Some saints never committed a mortal sin (St. Therese of Liseaux, St. Thomas Aquinas). Some saints were great sinners filled with pride (St. Augustine, St. Paul) In both kinds of saints it was God's grace that converted their hearts.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Wednesday night
During the school year I have classes for the high school students on Wednesday nights at 7:00.
Since that night is free in the Summer I am going to have an open discussion night for adults. If you have any questions about the faith or spiritual life come and see if I can answer them.
I have mass at 6:30 so I should be over at the offices by 7:00.
This week I am focusing on Deuteronomy 7. Hopefully this will get the discussion going.
later,
Fr. Weldon
Since that night is free in the Summer I am going to have an open discussion night for adults. If you have any questions about the faith or spiritual life come and see if I can answer them.
I have mass at 6:30 so I should be over at the offices by 7:00.
This week I am focusing on Deuteronomy 7. Hopefully this will get the discussion going.
later,
Fr. Weldon
Monday, June 2, 2008
Long Time
Wow! It has been a long time since I posted anything. I have been to three ordinations since the last time I wrote. It has been a blessing to see a deacon, three priests and a bishop be ordained.
These events have helped me to look more closely at my own vocation and how well I have been living up to it.
I also had the privilege to baptize my niece in Colorado. Baptism is the first sacrament. In baptism we receive God's life within us. Am I being a good steward of God's grace? My sister has the awesome responsibility of raising a child. I pray for her often. The 3 ordinations have reminded me of my own responsibilities. Please pray for me.
Remember! Read Matthew 5-7
These events have helped me to look more closely at my own vocation and how well I have been living up to it.
I also had the privilege to baptize my niece in Colorado. Baptism is the first sacrament. In baptism we receive God's life within us. Am I being a good steward of God's grace? My sister has the awesome responsibility of raising a child. I pray for her often. The 3 ordinations have reminded me of my own responsibilities. Please pray for me.
Remember! Read Matthew 5-7
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