Air Maria

…that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return.

Since his reminder that we are all mortal Sen. Ted Kennedy has a lot soul searching to do (examination of conscience). Of particular note is his recent sacramental abuse. HLI’s, Fr. Euteneuer helps sum up the catholic Senator’s 40+ year “legacy”.

Is rated 100% by NARAL for his pro-choice voting record.

Voted NO on banning human cloning.

Voted NO on banning partial birth abortions.

Voted NO on notifying parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions.

Voted NO on criminal penalties for harming an unborn child during the commission of another crime.

Voted NO on maintaining the ban on military base abortions.

Voted YES on expanding research to more embryonic stem cell lines.

Voted YES on $100 million to “reduce teen pregnancy” by hedonistic sex education programs and contraceptives.

Is a sponsor of pending radical legislation in the Senate to promote special protections for homosexuals in the workplace. (See http://www.ontheissues.org/
Social/Ted_Kennedy_Abortion.htm)

I pray, not so much for the Senator’s return to physical health that would aid him here on Earth but for his spiritual health that will aid his soul for eternity.

His physical prognosis may not be good but his actions and attitude seem to indicate his eternal spiritual prognosis is no longer extant.

Pray for his confession and contrition.

Did you know?

The abolition of Friday abstinence is a common misapprehension. Friday abstinence was not abolished; rather, the faithful (U.S.A.) now have a choice either to abstain from meat or perform some other kind of penance (or charitable work) on Fridays. According to the Church’s law, the ’substantial observance’ of Fridays as days of penance, whether by abstinence or in other ways, ‘is a grave obligation.’ (Pope Paul VI, Paenitemini, 1966, Norm II, 2).” - Fr. John A. Hardon, Modern Catholic Dictionary

Former (traditional) penitential observances known as “Ember Days” can be found on many traditional Catholic calendars, though sadly not on many diocesan ones. What are the “Ember Days”? They are/were for the special sanctification of the four seasons and for obtaining God’s blessing on the clergy. They are/were days of fast and abstinence. On Wednesday and Saturday the abstinence is only partial, meaning meat may be eaten at the main meal. Ember Fridays are just like Good Friday, fast and abstinence from all meat.

The Ember Days occur during the third week of Advent, the first full week of Lent, the week after Pentecost (meaning tomorrow), and the third full week in September.

In our sad times I’d say our clergy (and the rest of us) could use all the blessings they can.

So, what do you do when you have a wife, three children and head up an oil company? You build a $2 billion, 27-story home, of course. Two-car garage? Not gonna cut it here, let’s talk 6-story parking garage.

Full story

“And again I say to you: it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Mt. 19:24

This interesting article, ‘Historical argument favors Communion on the tongue’, discusses the historical evidence of receiving the Eucharist on the tongue. However, if you scroll down through some of the comments you’ll find comments like this…

…a church historian???

Historically speaking, I don’t believe the Apostles received communion on the tongue, nor did St. Paul, nor anyone else in the Church. The most important Ecumenical Councils of the early Church did not consider this a problem. So what’s the problem… people have a choice. People are very reverent when they receive communion in the hand… that’s what I have observed.

and, a product of the modern RCIA

I became Catholic in 2005, a convert from near atheism. While in the RCIA process, the Priest discourged us from recieving on the tongue. He never said we couldn’t, but made it sound as if it would be “icky” for the Priest and for us. In talking to my fellow clasmates, they all felt as if recieving on the tongue would be most proper, if we really believed in the Real Presence; because of our formation we all felt uncomfortable recieving on the tongue and because of it, we all recieve in the hand

…someone who echoes my thoughts

How wonderful it would be to bring back the altar rails, and for everyone to kneel and to receive Jesus on the tongue. Maybe, before I die. . . .

Newsbusters picked up this Washington Post article that essentially states the Catholic Church is responsible for Filipino poverty. The Washington Post’s article:

described the Church’s influence throughout the article, hinting that it had created a climate of fear in the country “An organization that is helping Espinoza [a poor Filipino woman who plans to get a contraceptive intrauterine device] agreed to introduce this reporter to her on condition that it not be named. The group’s health workers said they fear retaliation and harassment from officials in the national and city government, as well as from the Catholic Church.”(emphasis Newsbusters) He immediately mentioned after this that in 2005, the “Catholic bishops in the southern Philippines announced that they would refuse Communion to government health workers who distributed birth control devices.”

So, the Catholic Church has oppressive rules which prohibited fondling with the levers of life (contracepting) and the mean ‘ol Bishops will deny communion to those who refuse to toe the line. Sounds like a conspiracy to me. I wonder if Hollywood is on to this?

The REALLY SAD thing…

…the House of the Congress of the Philippines was considering a two-child policy for the country, similar to the one-child policy of China.

Prayers, badly needed.

I wish I could have gone to see the Holy Father during his visit to the US. However, having seen this video I’m glad I wasn’t there to see his holiness sitting on what appears to be some sort of Frank Lloyd Wright creation and listening to one of the most beautiful songs (albeit sans Latin) ever produced being belted out by the best of what American TV has to offer, Miss-American-Idol Kelly Clarkson.

“I was so excited to be asked to sing for the Pope,” Clarkson said. “It’s always been a dream of mine to perform ‘Ave Maria.’

Ok, I want to know who asked her and have them explain why.

Kelly\’s Ave Maria

When you’re rich and bored you too can become an ordained minister and marry hapless couples in zany locales. Just ask his-most-honorable Sir Richard Branson.

The UK’s Daily Mail has the scoop:

Virgin Galactic boss Sir Richard Branson is planning to set yet another record – by becoming the first man to marry a couple in space. The 58-year-old billionaire intends to conduct a ceremony 70 miles above the Earth on the first Galactic sub-orbital flight next year. He has already officiated at one wedding in mid-air. Last year he was ordained for the day in an online church to marry Virgin America marketing director Dimitrios Papadognonas and Coco Jones on a Virgin flight from San Francisco to Las Vegas.

I guess if you don’t recognize marriage as a sacrament instituted by God or the qualifications necessary to administer said sacrament then go for it, eh? 

Boy, to have a friend like Sir Richard.

He also helped officiate at the wedding of Google co-founder Larry Page on his private island, Necker, in the Caribbean. 

For a little extra cash (the guy has to earn a living too you know) he’ll marry you AND help consummate the marriage.

A spokesman for Virgin Galactic told The Mail on Sunday: “We have had two bookings involving marriage, one to get married in space and the other for the couple to have their honeymoon in space.

What a guy, that Sir Richard. What’s next, exospheric marriage counseling?

I saw Expelled this afternoon and it was great. A breath of fresh air. An interesting use of both music and images helped drive home the most salient points of Intelligent Design. I had no idea there were so many hurtful yet intelligent people. I also hadn’t recognized the similarities of Darwinism and Nazism. At one point in the movie a professor was interviewed (with Dachau as the setting) as saying that Hitler most likely thought he was doing humanity a favor by advancing darwinistic evolution and culling the week.

Anyway, only a few images to worry about for the kids and they are historic pictures of man’s inhumanity to man. I recommend to all. I will most certainly add it to my library. I look forward to reviewing the source information to better view the big picture. One thing that did stand out was that for the first 20 minutes waiting for the movie to start I was inundated with “Go Green” infomercials produced by the Alliance for Climate Protection. I can’t help wondering if weird Al and his eco-guilt-pimps put the full court press on just this movie or if everyone gets to sit through ecological self-examination before their movie. Oh well, GO GREEN!

Yes, that’s Nancy Pelosi and she is an ardent supporter of abortion rights. She also plans to receive Holy Communion tomorrow at Mass celebrated by the Holy Father. Pray for her and the other pro-abortion politicians who will be joining her.

Yes, before his gigantic split from Catholicism Henry VIII was a staunch defender of the Catholic faith. Before he famously left the faith over his wish to divorce Catherine for giving him no sons and his desire for other women (like Anne Boleyn) Henry defended Pope Leo X and the Holy Roman emperor Charles V from theological attacks by Martin Luther. For his defense of the faith, outlined in Henry’s book called Assertio Septem Sacramentorum, the Pope conferred upon him the title of “Fidei Defensor”, or “Defender of the Faith”. Ironically, this title has passed down through all of England’s monarchs to today.

During his trial, St. Thomas More, was accused of having actually authored the book so that the King’s actions would not appear contradictory. St. Thomas, however, asserted it was “first to last the King’s own project.”

You can read more, including Henry VIII’s letter to Pope Leo X on the subject of his book, here.

Henry VIII’s book as been re-printed (thanks to our friend Raymond de Souza) and can be found, here.

The Blessed Virgin Mary, was born of Sts Anne and Joachim. Her conception within the womb of St. Anne is referred to as the Immaculate Conception and contrary to popular belief, the Immaculate Conception does not refer to the conception of Jesus (or any €œfatherless€? conception). Some say the word blessed found in her title is idolatry (Mariolatry). The word blessed comes from the Greek markariousin. This term is found throughout the bible and has been in use for nearly 2000 years. Its use as an adjective in no way detracts from the holiness or divine worship of God. Jesus himself used it in his Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:3-12). Essentially, it is important to note that the use of the word blessed isn€™t reserved exclusively to divinity.

The Third General Council held at Ephesus in 431 taught that Mary was the Mother of God (Theotokos €œGod Bearer€?). This was to counter the heretical teachings of Nestorius who referred to Our Lady as Christotokos (Mother of Christ).

Scripture implicitly affirms Mary€™s Divine motherhood by attesting, on the one hand, the true Divinity of Christ, and on the other hand, Mary€™s true motherhood. Thus Mary is called: €œMother of Jesus€? (John 2:1)… €œMother of the Lord€? (Luke 1:43). Mary€™s true motherhood is clearly foretold by the Prophet Isaiah: €œBehold a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel€? (Isaiah 7:14)€¦. The woman who bore the Son of God is the Progenitress of God, or the Mother of God [see also Matt. 1:18, 12:46, 13:55; Luke 1:31,35; Gal. 4:4] Ott, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, 196-197.

Two truths can be known about the dogma of Mary€™s motherhood of God; Mary is truly a mother, she contributed everything to the formation of the human nature of Christ, and that Mary is truly the Mother of God as she conceived and bore the second person of the Trinity. (more…)

November 30th, is the feast of St. Andrew.

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.

(It is piously believed that whoever recites the above prayer fifteen times a day from the feast of St. Andrew (30th November) until Christmas will obtain what is asked.)
Imprimatur, +MICHAEL AUGUSTINE, Archbishop of New York, February 6, 1897

St. Augustine of Hippo, born on this day in Numidia (Algeria) in A.D. 354. Original Latin name Aurelius Augustinus, feast day August 28, bishop of Hippo from 396 to 430, one of the Latin Fathers of the Church, and a Doctor of the Church. St. Augustine’s numerous written works, the most important of which are Confessions and City of God, shaped the practice of biblical exegesis and helped lay the foundation for much of medieval and modern Christian thought.

source: Encyclopaedia Britannica

Embrace multiculturalism or be branded a racist!

Only two of the staff are even Muslim, a part-time teacher and a teaching assistant. Go figure…

€œIt€™s all part of a diversity project to promote multi-culturalism.€?