Thursday, April 10, 2008
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Real Men
http://www.spiritdaily.com/realmen.htm
This is a cool article from Spiritdaily.com
Step up Men!!!
IT'S TIME FOR REAL MEN TO RETURN TO THE CHURCH AND DEFEND IT AGAINST ONSLAUGHT
By Michael H. Brown
The other day I was speaking to a priest who'd con-celebrated at our Chicago retreat, and he said he was pleasantly surprised that when he entered through the rear, what he most noticed was the back of the heads of quite a few men. He was happy to see that. So were we. At the Cherry Hill, New Jersey, retreat (near Philadelphia), there were even more: men were about half the audience.
It's encouraging because we are in a time when what folks are used to seeing is an absence of that particular gender.
Women have been the ones who have held the fort. God bless them. We would be nowhere without them. Now it is time for the men to help them, to stand up. I hope the same continues as we move to a retreat in the L.A. area (to be announced shortly) and God-willing elsewhere. If our Church is to survive the current assaults, we need both male and female warriors.
Is it "weak" to be devout? Is it the stuff of women only?
Try telling that to Joe Klecko, the former, four-time pro-bowl defensive star for the New York Jets, who stands 6'3", weighed 260 as a player. He was one of the men in attendance at the Cherry Hill retreat.
Klecko, who is now in construction work, and, we are told, still spars with Gerry Cooney, was converted after his wife went to Medjugorje in former Yugoslavia. He now says 12 rosaries a day. This is a man who spent 11 years in the league, is only one of three Jets to have his uniform retired, and has a son who is a three-time Super Bowl winner. "Jesus is the greatest thing that ever happened to me," he tells Catholic audiences. "Prayer and fasting can change the course of nature, it can end wars. If there's a day that goes by when I don't get the Eucharist, I feel empty." [Listen to his testimony].
During my first trip to Medjugorje, I ran into another football great, Miami coach Don Shula.
Are these wimps? Is former heavyweight champ George Foreman [below, right], who is now a minister?
I remember a lawyer in Sacramento who had been a Green Beret during the Viet Nam war and is now involved in the Marian movement. He told me that spiritual warfare made fighting in war seem tame.
It is the real stuff. It is the right stuff. It is the stuff of real men. Yet they have largely left the scene. My question to them: Do we men really want to see the women fight it out alone? Are we going to remain on the sidelines during the greatest spiritual battle since pagan Rome? Is that manly?
And what does it mean for the Church?
The decline of the Anglican Church in England is most recently noted in the fact that more women than men are studying for the priesthood. In Catholicism, it is women who have to fill in as altar servers, lectors, ushers, and Eucharistic ministers.
They do a great job, but maybe if our youth saw more men active in the Church, there would be more vocations -- and less by way of attack. Maybe, in San Francisco, homosexual activists would not be so prone to mock us -- even during Mass.
Why have so many men left? Perhaps it is because it has become unfashionable for men to rely on God. We pride ourselves on our independence -- apparently, in too many circles, even our independence from Him.
We're materialistic: Our culture is obsessed with making money, and men are still key "breadwinners" (though these days we should say "Lexus-winners"): God does not mix well with mammon.
Men are too "busy." There is -- yes -- football on Sundays. Mass is too long. The homilies bore them, they complain. The words from the pulpit seem lost in some other historical time.
They feel "superstitious." Somehow, we have gotten to the point where "real men" don't believe in fairytales -- are afraid of being teased. A strapping man doesn't even need saints! Or at least doesn't think so.
There is the clergy abuse scandal: for too long, the strong, masculine priests have been marginalized (pray for these heroic souls) while too many homosexual priests have made the headlines. This chases away men -- or at least disinclines some of them.
There has been the feminization of Jesus. Despite all indications of His great strength -- and every indication that He was as masculine as they come (take a look at the Shroud of Turin) -- there has been an attempt, since the Renaissance (when so many unfortunate trends developed), to portray Him as overly meek.
Think of how absurd this is: no man I know of would have the strength, power, and courage to face -- willingly -- crucifixion. Our Lord is a mighty and masculine Lord! The same should be true (and often is, when we let them) of our priests. We need our seminaries to screen for power, for strength, for masculinity. Those with an overly feminine tendency can serve in other capacities (as long as they are not practicing homosexuality).
I recall the words of a psychiatrist named George Ritchie who had a famous near-death experience as a young man and who in fact recently died. It was his near-death episode that sparked all the current research in this realm, and during it he said He encountered Jesus.
This was not the Jesus of his Sunday school books, noted Dr. Ritchie. It was not the Jesus that many artists portray.
"That Jesus was gentle, kind, understanding -- and probably a little bit of a weakling," he notes. "This Person was power itself, older than time and yet more modern than anyone I had ever met.
"Far more even than power, what emanated from His Presence was unconditional love. An astonishing love. A love beyond my wildest imagining."
He was a loving Man. He was a strong man. He had been a carpenter. Have you ever noticed the sinew in carpenters? He meant business. He was a man of physical stature. In many ways, He was daunting. His Presence elicited respect, even during Crucifixion.
It is now time for our men to realize this and realize too their duties and their true strengths, which are spiritual, not in how many games they can watch during a single weekend.
Men, you have an obligation to join your wives and mothers, your sisters, in defending and filling and reviving the Church. It cannot go on forever without you.
It is time for real men to stand up. Do you really want to see the Church destroyed?
It is also time to kneel. It is masculine to love God. It is masculine to love others. It is masculine to fight for Jesus while we are on this battlefield, this playing field, in this boxing ring called earth.
Want real power? Want real masculinity?
Pray. Go the Mass. Fast.
See if you are tough enough for that.
[Audio: Joe Klecko's testimony]
[resources: Prayer of the Warrior and George Ritchie's book Return from Tomorrow]
[see also: Is something about to shake Church?]
This is a cool article from Spiritdaily.com
Step up Men!!!
IT'S TIME FOR REAL MEN TO RETURN TO THE CHURCH AND DEFEND IT AGAINST ONSLAUGHT
By Michael H. Brown
The other day I was speaking to a priest who'd con-celebrated at our Chicago retreat, and he said he was pleasantly surprised that when he entered through the rear, what he most noticed was the back of the heads of quite a few men. He was happy to see that. So were we. At the Cherry Hill, New Jersey, retreat (near Philadelphia), there were even more: men were about half the audience.
It's encouraging because we are in a time when what folks are used to seeing is an absence of that particular gender.
Women have been the ones who have held the fort. God bless them. We would be nowhere without them. Now it is time for the men to help them, to stand up. I hope the same continues as we move to a retreat in the L.A. area (to be announced shortly) and God-willing elsewhere. If our Church is to survive the current assaults, we need both male and female warriors.
Is it "weak" to be devout? Is it the stuff of women only?
Try telling that to Joe Klecko, the former, four-time pro-bowl defensive star for the New York Jets, who stands 6'3", weighed 260 as a player. He was one of the men in attendance at the Cherry Hill retreat.
Klecko, who is now in construction work, and, we are told, still spars with Gerry Cooney, was converted after his wife went to Medjugorje in former Yugoslavia. He now says 12 rosaries a day. This is a man who spent 11 years in the league, is only one of three Jets to have his uniform retired, and has a son who is a three-time Super Bowl winner. "Jesus is the greatest thing that ever happened to me," he tells Catholic audiences. "Prayer and fasting can change the course of nature, it can end wars. If there's a day that goes by when I don't get the Eucharist, I feel empty." [Listen to his testimony].
During my first trip to Medjugorje, I ran into another football great, Miami coach Don Shula.
Are these wimps? Is former heavyweight champ George Foreman [below, right], who is now a minister?
I remember a lawyer in Sacramento who had been a Green Beret during the Viet Nam war and is now involved in the Marian movement. He told me that spiritual warfare made fighting in war seem tame.
It is the real stuff. It is the right stuff. It is the stuff of real men. Yet they have largely left the scene. My question to them: Do we men really want to see the women fight it out alone? Are we going to remain on the sidelines during the greatest spiritual battle since pagan Rome? Is that manly?
And what does it mean for the Church?
The decline of the Anglican Church in England is most recently noted in the fact that more women than men are studying for the priesthood. In Catholicism, it is women who have to fill in as altar servers, lectors, ushers, and Eucharistic ministers.
They do a great job, but maybe if our youth saw more men active in the Church, there would be more vocations -- and less by way of attack. Maybe, in San Francisco, homosexual activists would not be so prone to mock us -- even during Mass.
Why have so many men left? Perhaps it is because it has become unfashionable for men to rely on God. We pride ourselves on our independence -- apparently, in too many circles, even our independence from Him.
We're materialistic: Our culture is obsessed with making money, and men are still key "breadwinners" (though these days we should say "Lexus-winners"): God does not mix well with mammon.
Men are too "busy." There is -- yes -- football on Sundays. Mass is too long. The homilies bore them, they complain. The words from the pulpit seem lost in some other historical time.
They feel "superstitious." Somehow, we have gotten to the point where "real men" don't believe in fairytales -- are afraid of being teased. A strapping man doesn't even need saints! Or at least doesn't think so.
There is the clergy abuse scandal: for too long, the strong, masculine priests have been marginalized (pray for these heroic souls) while too many homosexual priests have made the headlines. This chases away men -- or at least disinclines some of them.
There has been the feminization of Jesus. Despite all indications of His great strength -- and every indication that He was as masculine as they come (take a look at the Shroud of Turin) -- there has been an attempt, since the Renaissance (when so many unfortunate trends developed), to portray Him as overly meek.
Think of how absurd this is: no man I know of would have the strength, power, and courage to face -- willingly -- crucifixion. Our Lord is a mighty and masculine Lord! The same should be true (and often is, when we let them) of our priests. We need our seminaries to screen for power, for strength, for masculinity. Those with an overly feminine tendency can serve in other capacities (as long as they are not practicing homosexuality).
I recall the words of a psychiatrist named George Ritchie who had a famous near-death experience as a young man and who in fact recently died. It was his near-death episode that sparked all the current research in this realm, and during it he said He encountered Jesus.
This was not the Jesus of his Sunday school books, noted Dr. Ritchie. It was not the Jesus that many artists portray.
"That Jesus was gentle, kind, understanding -- and probably a little bit of a weakling," he notes. "This Person was power itself, older than time and yet more modern than anyone I had ever met.
"Far more even than power, what emanated from His Presence was unconditional love. An astonishing love. A love beyond my wildest imagining."
He was a loving Man. He was a strong man. He had been a carpenter. Have you ever noticed the sinew in carpenters? He meant business. He was a man of physical stature. In many ways, He was daunting. His Presence elicited respect, even during Crucifixion.
It is now time for our men to realize this and realize too their duties and their true strengths, which are spiritual, not in how many games they can watch during a single weekend.
Men, you have an obligation to join your wives and mothers, your sisters, in defending and filling and reviving the Church. It cannot go on forever without you.
It is time for real men to stand up. Do you really want to see the Church destroyed?
It is also time to kneel. It is masculine to love God. It is masculine to love others. It is masculine to fight for Jesus while we are on this battlefield, this playing field, in this boxing ring called earth.
Want real power? Want real masculinity?
Pray. Go the Mass. Fast.
See if you are tough enough for that.
[Audio: Joe Klecko's testimony]
[resources: Prayer of the Warrior and George Ritchie's book Return from Tomorrow]
[see also: Is something about to shake Church?]
Monday, October 01, 2007
Intro to the Bible
A little bit of cool video for you! It's nice to be Catholic.
Remember, the Bible came from the Catholic Church. It's historical. Rome 382, Trent 1546. It's there, it's ours, Don't take stuff out of it 'cuz we put it together with the help of God who gave the Authority to our Church through Peter.
If that isn't enough for you Check THIS OUT!!!
and still more...
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Friday, August 24, 2007
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Friday, August 10, 2007
Monday, August 06, 2007
World Youth Day Pilgrim's meeting!!
If you're going to World Youth Day
don't forget the meeting tomorrow afternoon at 5:30 in the Youth Room!!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
There's a lot of stuff going on! Where are you?
Just a quick update...
Mondays are for the 18+ crowd with Veritas.
Tuesdays we've got Church History
Wednesdays we've got lunch with Val and Service to the Migrant Workers in Burlington.
Thursday we've got BBQ Fire
Friday you can do whatever God calls you to do :D
We're going to Wild Waves on August 17th so make sure to get your permission forms in asap!
You get $5 off if your parent volunteers to drive!
If you've been to Ascend or if you feel God calling you to be part of the elite group of Youth Leaders at our parish come to a meeting on August 14th at 2pm in the Youth Room!
I'm in the office Monday to Friday if you need anything or have ideas for our upcoming year! I'm planning for September, so the time for input is now!!!
Hope you're all having fabulous summers!!!
Friday, July 20, 2007
Pray for the Soul
Please Pray for the Soul of Joseph Brant one of Stanwood High School's students who committed suicide last week.
Eternal rest grant unto him Oh Lord,
and may perpetual light shine upon him.
May he rest in peace.
May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God rest in peace.
Amen.
If you would like to offer condolences to his Family you can sign their electronic guestbook
Friday, July 13, 2007
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
St. Benedict
Today is the Feast of St. Benedict. He's my favorite Saint, the Father of Western Monasticism. He wrote the Rule that Monks follow. It's a special day!!! If you want to know more about St. Benedict and his fabulous twin sister St. Scholastica click
Here
Here
and
Here
Today is also the kick off to Lunch with Val at 12:30. See you at Lunch! Today we're having tomato soup, grilled cheese sandwiches, iced coffees and maybe some sort of fruit.
Today is also the kick off to Lunch with Val at 12:30. See you at Lunch! Today we're having tomato soup, grilled cheese sandwiches, iced coffees and maybe some sort of fruit.
Friday, July 06, 2007
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Fire Fire Fire...BBQ
If it's raining later today we'll be watching Madagascar in the youth room at 7pm!!!
Friday, June 15, 2007
Sacred Heart wishes you Congrats!
It's the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and it's Stanwood High School Graduation!
Novena of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
V. Come, let us adore the Heart of Christ, wounded out of love for us.
R. Come, let us adore the Heart of Christ, wounded out of love for us.
V. Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord; let us acclaim the Rock ofour salvation.
R. Come, let us adore the Heart of Christ, wounded out of love for us.
V. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hands are the depths of the earth, and the tops of the mountains are his.
R. Come, let us adore the Heart of Christ, wounded out of love for us.
V. His is the sea, for he has made it, and the dry land, which his hands have formed. Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the Lord who made us, for he is our God, and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. Come, let us adore the Heart of Christ, wounded out of love for us.
V. Rooted and grounded in love, may we come to understand with all the Saints the breadth and the length, the height and depth, until, knowing the love of Christ, which is beyond all knowledge, we may befilled with the utter fullness of God.
R. Come, let us adore the Heart of Christ, wounded out of love for us.
V. Heart of Jesus, burning with love for us.
R. Inflame our hearts with love for you.
Let us pray:
God, through the Heart of your Son, wounded out of love for us, you lavish upon us the infinite riches of your love; grant, we beseech you, that as we offer to him the faithful service of our devotion, wemay also show forth fitting reparation. Through Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.
Congratulations Seniors!! Time to start a new chapter! Always remember to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and that your purpose in life is to know, love and serve God. UIOGD. Stay close to the Sacred Heart!
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Evangelize!!!
Commercials including your very own Middle School Youth Group! Woohoo!! Youtube is awesome! The girls video will be up soon.
If you're coming to the Dinner on Sunday afternoon to celebrate with all the high school students graduating rsvp to the evite! I e-mailed it to your parents or whatever your family e-mail address is. If not, let me know!
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
The BigFoots, Tooth Fairies, Easter Bunnies, and Santa Clauses of the Catholic Church
Last Week we talked about the myths and misconceptions of the Catholic Church. If you didn't get your question answered, here are the most user friendly solid Catholic websites for figuring out what the truth is in relation to all those myths and misconceptions about the Catholic Church
This is a website that has all the Catholic apologetics you could ever want www.catholic.com
This website provides great scriptural background for Catholic apologetics www.scripturecatholic.com
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Church History
Catholic Church History Extravaganza!!
313 Edict of Milan
Constantine makes Christianity the State religion which stops the persecution of Christians. The edict “legalized Christianity. Being that it was no longer a capital crime, Christians were able to come out into the open for the first time.”
325 Council of Nicea
The Pope wanted a general council convened to end the Arian heresy. “The Council of Nicea met, deposed Arius, condemned his heretical teaching, and formulated the Nicene Creed which is said to this day at every Sunday Mass and Divine Liturgy”.
520 St. Benedict – Monasticism, Christianization of Barbarians
St. Benedict of Nursia who is known as the Father of Western Monasticism established the first monastery in Europe at Subiaco, Italy.
1054 Split! The East and West Schism
Eastern Church becomes the Greek Orthodox Church by severing all ties with Rome and the Roman Catholic Church.
1095-1270 Crusades
“In 1095, the Byzantine emperor, Alexius Comnenus, sent ambassadors to Pope Urban II in Rome asking for help to defend Christianity from an imminent attack. The Arab Muslins had overrun the Holy Land, and Christians were no longer free to move about and visit their holy pilgrimage sites.” The Crusades were sent to free the Holy Land. 8 crusades and a lot of victims later, they turned out to be a total failure. It was a total disaster, all sides acted terribly. Some people think that the Crusades at least contained the Islamic expansion into Europe. “To Catholics, the Crusades are a poignant reminder that the ends never justify the means. The Catholic belief is that no matter how lofty the goal or noble the purpose, only moral means can be used. Otherwise, it’s an immoral enterprise. In other words, although the goal of defending and freeing the oppressed was good and noble, the Crusades should’ve stopped when many of the Europeans started making a profit on it and when Christians and Muslims alike resorted to barbaric tactics.”
1200 St. Francis of Assisi and St. Dominic
1309-1377 Avignon Captivity
After Pope Clement arrived in Avignon, France. Other Popes decided to follow in his footsteps, for 70 years afterwards. People were confused, Pope in Rome? Pope in France? There were multiple people claiming to be Pope at the time. St. Catherine of Siena finally said, “Enough!” and Pope Gregory XI listened and moved back to Rome.
1517 Protestant Reformation
Due to corruption of some clergy in the Church angry reformers decided to take action. October 31st 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of a Wittenberg Church. “Only by faith alone can man be saved. Good works are useless.” Sola Scriptura and Sola Fide (Scripture Alone, Faith Alone). There were a few problems among Catholic clergy at this time. The biggest problem was the selling of indulgences, basically asking the lay people to pay their way into heaven.
1541 Calvinism/ Presbyterianism
John Calvin establishes a new Church in Geneva, Switzerland. He said that Man has no power to do good. God chooses to save only some people. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is only for the salvation of those God chooses (not everyone). When God chooses to save someone, they are saved and that’s it, they can’t be unsaved.
1553 Anglicanism / Episcopalianism
Henry the VIII declares himself the supreme head of the Church in England because the Pope refused to grant him an annulment because his wife gave him a daughter and not a son.
1545-63 Council of Trent - Counter Reformation
“During this age, known as the Counter Reformation, men and women who were considered outstanding in their holiness combated the attacks.” It was basically a council to counter the protestant reformation by clarifying it’s teachings and reviving the Church. Abuses were stopped, religious orders were revived, returns to piety and priestly spirituality were brought about. Booyah!
1858 BVM appears to Bernadette in Lourdes
1869-1870 Vatican I
Defined the doctrine of Papal Infallibility.
1917 BVM appears in Fatima
1962-65 Vatican II
“Presenting and explaining a 2000 year old religion to a modern world in contemporary terms was the primary goal of the council. No new dogmas or doctrines were proclaimed or defined bu the old ones were merely restated and re-emphasized with modern vocabulary and context. The content of the faith was not changed, but the context in which is was explained and the manner in which it was communicated was adapted for the modern era.” It allowed for the vernacular to be used instead of Latin, since many schools were not teaching Latin anymore. Latin is still the official language of the Church.
1978 - John Paul II becomes Pope
The People’s Pope. Ushers in World Youth Day. Puts an emphasis on the importance of the youth in the Church. Begins his pontificate teaching Theology of the Body. The most traveled pope in history. Need we say more? He was amazing.
2005 – John Paul II dies.
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger is elected Pope and takes the name Benedict XVI
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