Elingsh Uinervtisy

I cant find the orginal link for this but it still gets its point across i got it from here. The main reason i like the link is i have always hada problem with my typing and as it turns out it just sint a real problem. i get my point across. Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef but the wrod as a wlohe. The fun prat is, it smees to wrok jsut fnie. Wldn'uot hlep Dan Qlyuae tugohh.

People Laugh...

at this because it's funny...

but sadly, it's also true.

Homily: 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

“The Lord hears the cry of the poor.”

            This past summer I was stationed at a parish in Sioux Falls, SD.  It was a wonderful assignment to a wonderful parish.  I will cherish the memories of that summer for years to come.  One of the most touching events of that summer was my involvement in a parish project where we prepared and served a meal to the poor of the city.  Growing up in a small town in South Dakota the plight of the poor and homeless is something that seems distant.  Seeing the poor is not part of our every day experience in small town America, so serving over 500 people that night was an eye opening and life changing experience.  To see these men, women, and children come and eat the only meal they would have that day made me sad. 

Poverty, as you well know, is hard to look at, yet we must look.  We must look poverty in the eye because God calls us to love the poor; he calls us to love those who cannot, for whatever reason, provide for themselves.  And that is hard.  It’s hard because we don’t like it to see it.  We would much rather go about our business.  If we are honest with ourselves, it’s easy to forget the poor – to turn aside from the beggar alongside the road or the homeless man walking the street.  We would rather not see them which is why we must forget ourselves and see them, not through our eyes, but through the eyes of Christ.  We have a hard time loving them because we see them as a nuisance which is why we must forget ourselves and love them, not with our hearts, but with the with the heart of Jesus.

            Thus far I have spoken about material poverty, yet there are other forms of poverty that we can address as well.  One of which is spiritual poverty.  Spiritual poverty in many ways is worse that physical poverty because material poverty could cause us to lose our possessions, homes, jobs, and even our life but spiritual poverty leads not to the destruction of the things of this life, but to the eternal destruction of our soul.  Now don’t hear me saying that material poverty isn’t important to overcome – it is, but spiritual poverty needs to be overcome with even more fervor because its consequences are eternal.

            Blessed Mother Teresa once stated that the poorest countries in the world are those countries that have legalized abortion.  She said that even though they are materially wealthy, they are spiritually impoverished because they have forgotten what it means to love the weak and vulnerable.  My friends she was right.  When we as a country have turned our back on the weakest and most vulnerable members of our society – the unborn – we are truly impoverished.  When we as a nation sit back and do nothing when over 4000 children die every day from abortion we are truly spiritually poor.

            I know I am preaching to the choir here.  I know that the vast majority of you believe that abortion is gravely sinful.  I know that most of you know that you cannot be Catholic and pro-choice.  I know that the majority of you are pro-life and that is wonderful.  I thank God for that.  But the fact of the matter is that we can sit in our comfort zone and think to ourselves that we are wonderfully pro-life, but if all we do is think about it we are not making much of a difference.  Until we actually do something about it nothing will ever change. As Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver recently said, “Words are cheap. Actions matter. If we believe in the sanctity of life from conception to natural death, we need to prove that by our actions, including our political choices. Anything less leads to the corruption of our integrity. . . . As James 2:17 reminds us, in a passage quoted in the final presidential debate, "Faith without works is dead." It is a valid point. People should act on what they claim to believe. Otherwise they are violating their own conscience, and lying to themselves and the rest of us.”

My friends it’s time to do something.  It’s time to overcome the moral and spiritual poverty which pervades our society.  It’s time to take the bull by the horns and stand up for the dignity of every human life – even those yet unborn.  So how do we do it?  How do we make our Nation spiritually rich?  One way that we can make a difference is to get involved in our countries political process.

            In this country we stand on the verge of an election.  We stand on the verge of an election in which many important issues are being debated, but there is one issue which outweighs and is more important than all the rest - and that issue is life itself.  My friends, if we want to make a difference for the better in this country we will all get out and vote, and we will all vote pro-life.  And not only will we vote pro-life, but we will encourage our friends and our neighbors to do the same.  If we want to make our nation a country based on love and care for the most vulnerable among us, then we will witness to all those around us that life is sacred through our words and our actions.

            Obviously I am quite vocal about this issue, and it gets me fired up, but not everyone is like – thanks be to God.  For those of you who are not as vocal about this as I am, there are plenty of ways to help. 

Surely we can all pray, fast, or offer some sacrifice.  Maybe some of us could financially support pro-life organizations or maybe we could make quilts or blankets or buy them to donate to organizations that help parents meet the needs that come with choosing life.  Maybe we can support organizations like Project Rachel that help women who have had abortions find healing and forgiveness. 

            But more than anything else we ourselves must choose life.  If any of us are ever faced with the decision between abortion and life we must choose life no matter what the cost.  That’s what it means to love – to give no matter what the cost. 

Today we have a great witness of this choice in this couple who have brought their son M. to be baptized.  Thank you H. and K. for choosing life.  Thank you for being a witness to the sanctity of life, and thank you for allowing us to share in this celebration of new life through baptism.

            In closing and to spur us on to do the right thing I would like to share with you some words that Blessed Mother Teresa spoke at a National Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC:

            She said “But I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we must persuade her with love and we remind ourselves that love means being willing to give until it hurts. Jesus gave even His life to love us. So, the mother who is thinking of abortion should be helped to love, that is, to give until it hurts her plans, or her free time, to respect the life of her child.”

             My friends we all have a choice to make about the future of this great nation.  Will we take advantage of this opportunity to face the spiritual poverty around us and overcome it or will we just sit idly by and do nothing?

I Know It's Partisan, But It's Just So Funny

and true.

Can A Catholic Vote For The Anti-Christ?

Good question.  I think we could turn to our good friend Fr. Sibley of A Saintly Salmagundi for a possible answer:

A friend of mine posed the question if a Catholic in conscience could vote for the Anti-Christ, that is if the voter was not voting for him because he was the Anti-Christ, but because of other issues on which he agreed with him. At first his answer was a firm NO, but after further reflection this was his conclusion:

I apologize for my e-mail yesterday in which I stated in a very “absolutist” way that you cannot vote for the antichrist. Many people have pointed out to me that in fact we cannot be “one issue” voters, i.e. I will not vote for the antichrist because he is the antichrist. Rather, it is necessary to thoughtfully and prayerfully consider the full spectrum of issues, taking into account all of the different positions taken by a candidate, and therein discover that candidate who will work for the greatest “common good.” Thus, one might not vote for the antichrist because he is the antichrist, but you may vote for him if you think that his positions on farm subsidies and increases in minimum wage are enough to offset his being a puppet for the prince of darkness and ushering in armageddon.

I hope that you will appreciate my much more enlightened position, which is the product of a healthy dialogue and discussion of issues. If you can’t compromise then you can’t get along with others, and after all, that is what Jesus was about!!

Hmmm...kind of makes a guy think about how foolish some people's positions can be.

Thanks to Fr. Sibley

So There Were WMD's...

"Wait a minute — so there were WMDs in Iraq? The Kerry campaign, the media, assorted pundits, and others are making much of the disappearance of the 380 tons of explosives from the Al Qaqaa storage facility south of Baghdad. According to the IAEA, the U.N. watchdog agency now apparently in the service of the Democratic National Committee, some of the explosives could be used to detonate nuclear weapons. Wow — nuclear-weapon components were in Iraq? Shouldn't the headline be, "Saddam Had 'Em?" The opposition really needs to get its story straight. The president cannot be taken to task for inventing the Iraqi WMD threat, and simultaneously disparaged for not securing Saddam's dangerous WMD-related materials. The cache at al Qaqaa was not the only WMD-related material in the news recently. Another IAEA report came out two weeks ago that did not get as much play. According to this account, dual-use equipment that could be used to make nuclear weapons was taken from various locations inside Iraq."

Hmmm....interesting isn't it.

It's also very interesting how the media has put an anti-Bush/pro-Kerry spin on this.

Another Democrat For Bush

An interesting article from NRO.

I've Been Trying To Get This Point Across For Some Time Now

The bishops of florida have pointed out that "Dignity and rights have no meaning for the person who has been denied life." This is why the issue of life - particularly the issues of abortion and fetal stem cell reasearch - is so vitally important. I have been at a loss trying to understand why some people cannot grasp this simple fact. Maybe some of you who disagree can shed some light on this. Answer me this: how is abortion and fetal stem cell research less important than the other issues? I don't want this to be a discussion about President Bush or Senator Kerry, but rather the issue at hand. So lets stick with the issue. I want to know how any of the other issues are more important than the basic right of life. After all, as the bishops say, "Dignity and rights have no meaning for the person who has been denied life."

Lets Discuss.

God Save Us All

"St. Cloud State University students Thursday elected a man as homecoming queen.

Fue Khang, a student from Minneapolis who serves on the student government, will represent the university as homecoming royalty.

It is the first time since 1940, when homecoming royalty were first selected, that a man has been crowned queen, said Marsha Shoemaker, a university spokeswoman.

Khang was the nominee from the student senate. His nomination was sincere, student government President Hal Kimball said.

Kimball said the student government does not support gender stereotypes.

"We don't like putting people in a box," Kimball said. "We don't discriminate. It's a beautiful world."

The perversion of the awesome gift of gender and sexuality continues...Satan must be proud.

Things Look Good For The Future of The Nation

If this Channel One mock election is any indication this country will be a whole lot better off in the future...it confirms my belief that the youth of our country are more morally sound, and in some cases more intelligent than some of the liberal politicians who would rather pervert the truth and be elected than tell the truth and live accordingly.

A Great Little Article On The Catholic Vote And Which Way It Might Go

"For 20 years, on matters most fundamental to Catholics, Kerry has been consistently wrong. Kerry was one of only 14 senators to vote against the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. This year, he opposed the federal marriage amendment, which would give the American people a voice in the definition of marriage, rather than leave it to the whims of activist judges like those in Massachusetts. Kerry has even castigated church leaders for weighing-in on the marriage issue, calling it “inappropriate” and a breach of the “separation of church and state.”

In his first Senate campaign, Kerry promised that he would vote against “any restrictions on age, consent, funding restrictions, or any law to limit access to abortion.” That’s a promise he’s kept. He is among the most fervent supporters of abortion in the Senate, repeatedly voting for taxpayer funding of abortions, against parental notification for a minor’s abortion, and against a ban on partial birth abortion. He voted against the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which treats a violent crime against a pregnant woman as a crime against two people—the unborn and the mother. Even in Massachusetts, Kerry’s positions are far from the mainstream.

Kerry is the first Presidential candidate ever to receive the endorsement of Planned Parenthood. The group described electing Kerry as “crucial to preserving access to abortion.” To show his thanks, Kerry pledged to nominate to the Supreme Court “only supporters of abortion rights.”

Despite this record, Kerry states that he personally disapproves of abortion — even that “life begins at conception” — but that this is simply an “article of faith” for him, which he would not impose on others. Catholics with a little catechism and logic know better. They know that life is a basic human right, trumping all others, and that we must protect it through humane public policy. Kerry rejects this fundamental value, and his frequent declaration that he “was an altar boy” is not enough to dispel Catholics’ concerns.

In contrast, President Bush speaks of supporting the “culture of life” — the call to “uphold and affirm the dignity of every person, rich and poor, able and disabled, born and unborn” — and he has backed his words with action. "

Read the whole article here.

Thanks to NRO for the link.

Woohoo!!!! Homer For President

"Doughnut-munching, beer-guzzling Homer Simpson may not be the model father but he has won the hearts of British TV fans who want the nuclear power plant worker to be the next US president.

Former president George Bush notoriously said American families should be "closer to the Waltons than the Simpsons" but Homer was the overwhelming favourite in a Radio Times magazine poll on which US TV character should take over at the White House.

As Americans ponder tax and security pledges from President George W Bush and Democratic rival John Kerry ahead of the November 2 poll, television fans have been considering Homer slogans such as "No big government, just big waist sizes".

In a manifesto compiled for the magazine by The Simpsons' writing staff, the bumbling animated TV hero also pledges: "I promise there will be fewer nuclear disasters with me as your mayor than with me as your nuclear safety inspector."

Archbishop Charles Chaput On The Need For Catholics To Speak Out

This article is excellent and shows how the media can manipulate and just plain lie about what the Church and Her bishops are saying.

He says, "Life is full of surprises, and I had another one this week. It turns out that the archbishop of Denver believes that "supporting stem cells is a sin." It must be true because I read it in Newsweek magazine. Except it isn't.

On the same day, one of Denver's local dailies informed me that "in another foray into politics," I had accused "Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards of lying about the potential curing power of embryonic stem-cell research."

In fact, I didn't name any candidate, any political party or even the location of the remarks I highlighted. The candidate is immaterial. So is the political party. But the issue, for Catholics and the culture at large, is vital."

He goes on to say "for Catholics to remain silent on matters involving the sanctity of human life and the ethics of scientific research is not "tolerance." It's cowardice.

In a democracy, religious believers, communities of faith and religious leaders have every right to take part in the public conversation. In fact, when they don't, they steal from their country and impoverish our civic dialogue. In the United States, the Constitution guarantees that freedom, and American history is filled with examples of people of faith shaping politics in powerful and healthy ways. "

It's curious that many of the same people who publicly fret about the "separation of church and state" when it comes to issues like stem-cell research and abortion were delighted to have the church speak out about the plight of farm workers, economic justice, Vietnam, civil rights, Iraq and the death penalty.

If persons are serious about what they claim to believe, then they naturally work to bring every aspect of their lives into harmony with it. That includes their family life, their friendships, their business and employment activities, and their political choices. In the case of Christians, who make up roughly 80 percent of America's population, the Gospel tells us to be leaven in the world (Matthew 13:33). It doesn't say, "Except in our political decisions.""

"For Catholics, abortion is not only a matter of Christian tradition or Catholic teaching. It's equally an issue of human dignity and civil rights. We betray our democratic responsibilities, not simply our religious identity, if we fail to defend the right to life of the unborn child.

Obviously, the church's social ministry deals with a vast array of other issues every day of the week, from assisting the poor, the hungry and the homeless to educating inner-city children. For Catholics, that's our duty and our privilege. Our obligations to pursue social and economic justice, and to advance the dignity of the whole human person by no means end with the unborn child. But they do always begin there, because the right to life is first and fundamental."

Amen brother!

Mark Shea: The Great Thing About Being Protestant is That You Will Never have to Kiss This Holy Relic

There is a story on this here and here.  It's pretty amusing.

John Kerry Knows Nothing About Catholicism

Kerry said:

"'My faith and the faith I have seen in the lives of so many Americans teaches me that, `Whatever you do to the least of these, you do unto me,' ''

Priests for Life responds:

"The Christian faith has been misrepresented again today by John Kerry," said Fr. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, in response to a speech that Kerry gave in Fort Lauderdale. "Kerry said, on the one hand, that he disagrees with the Church on abortion, and yet that society must protect its most vulnerable members.

"That's exactly why the Church is against abortion and requires Kerry -- and every public official -- to extend protection to the most vulnerable, the children in the womb. Mr. Kerry obviously does not understand the Church he claims to belong to. The Church's position on abortion is not based on religious doctrine; it is based on the very duty to society that Mr. Kerry claims to fulfill."

You know, if he is going to say stuff like this he ought to get things straight.  Clearly he doesn't have a clue what the Church he claims to be a member of teaches. 

Some Commenters on This Blog May Be Interested In This

A few of the commenters on this blog have implied that President George Bush is an idiot.  They might want to read this.  It is also quoted here.

Amusing

When Desparation Strikes

Yet again I can say "so much for tolerance..."

Kerry Offends Protestants Too

There is a great article on this topic on NRO today.  Here is just a little quote to make you want to read the whole article:

"In the final presidential debate and again and again on the campaign trail, Sen. John Kerry has insulted every Protestant in the country.  While putting himself at odds with traditional Catholics and with anybody who values logical consistency on moral issues, Kerry is so out of touch with the fundamentals and history of Christianity that he has stepped right into the muck of a 487-year-old dispute in a way sure to offend any knowledgeable Protestant.

And he did all that in just one debate answer.

Even worse, and more hypocritically, Kerry reportedly is planning a major speech on faith for Thursday night, flaunting his own ignorance while wearing the guise of a devout believer — all in a brazen bid for votes."

Read the rest of the article here.

Chalice and Vestments

As I reported below, my chalice and vestments have been ordered and will be here in time for my June 3rd ordination.  I have had a number of readers e-mail me to inquire how they can help me out with these expenses.  To that end I have added a button on the left where you can use a credit card to donate if the Lord moves your heart to do so.  Remember this however: the chalice and vestments are not about me, they are about Jesus.   Any donation you give is not for me, but for Him and His greater glory and honor.  Beautiful, noble, and worthy vestments and other liturgical appointments are not about the priest, but about the one whom the priest represents, Jesus.  When we purchase vestments or chalices and give them as gifts it is a gift for Jesus, not the priest.  I just thought I needed to say that. 

Interesting Article on The Priesthood and Pornography

Check it out here.

Nation Right To Life Responds To Claims That Abortion Rates Rose During W's First Term

The National Right to Life Committee has issued a response to the assertion, published originally in Sojourners, that abortion rates have risen during the Bush administration.

Glenn Stassen, the Lewis B. Smedes Professor of Christian Ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, says that while national statistics from 1990 to 2000 show abortion declining, figures from 11 out of 16 states show abortion increasing since Bush took office. This is both mistaken and misleading.

Stassen looks at national figures showing the annual number of abortions dropping from about 1.6 million in 1990 to just over 1.3 million in 2000 to argue that there was a steady decline of 1.7% a year before Bush took office. There was a 17.4% decline over the decade, but Stassen’s claim is misleading. The decline was strongest in the first half of the decade, which began with George H.W. Bush in office, but slowed during Bill Clinton’s term, and even reversed itself one year. In Clinton’s last year in office, the decline was not 1.7%, but just 0.1%.

There have been no national figures published beyond 2000. Setting aside for the moment the question of whether the sixteen states Stassen uses to support his claim of a reversed national trend are representative of the country as a whole, Stassen’s case falls apart when one attempts to confirm the data he has reported.

Thanks to Amy Welborn for the link.

My Recent Travels

Just thought I would give you a little update about what has been going on in my life.

Yesterday I got back from Chicago where I spent my fall break. It was very relaxing and I had alot of fun hanging out with friends. One of the reasons we went to Chicago was to go to House of Hansen so that I could order some vestments for myself, and I did just that. They will be beautiful, noble, and dignified - truly worthy for the worship of God. I also have ordered my chalice and it should be here before Christmas. Phew...that alot of dough, but I trust that God will provide (if for some reason the Lord would move you to help pay for any of these liturgical items let me know at padredana@hotmail.com).

Other than that things just keep moving on. I have alot of work to do in the next couple of months including but not limited to finishing my masters thesis (which still needs ALOT of work).

"Catholic" College To Host Pro-Kerry Rally

A Catholic women's college in Minnesota is drawing criticism for allowing a group supporting Senator John Kerry's bid for the presidency to use campus facilities for a fundraising event.

According to an announcement by the event's organizers, Artists for Kerry will hold a rally at the O'Shaughnessy Auditorium at the College of St. Catherine on Thursday, October 21

St. Catherine's is run by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, and is the largest Catholic college for women in the U.S. The event is meant "to inspire and mobilize Minnesotans to Get Out the Vote on November 2 and elect John Kerry President," according to the announcement.

Leo LaLonde, president of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, also expressed concern over the college's acceptance of the arrangement.

"It is sad irony that the college named for St. Catherine of Alexandria who was beheaded for refusing to renounce her faith, welcomes a man who has renounced his faith by voting repeatedly to continue the practice of abortion; an act that the Catholic Church holds to be a grave moral evil," said LaLonde. "Equally ironic, St. Catherine is the patron saint of lawyers."

If you want to make your voice heard you can call the Director of Communications for St. Catherines at 651-690-6829.

Like The New News Ticker?

It's over on the left...you can get one too if you click here.

Apparently The Whole "Kerry Excommunicated" Story Was A Scam

Read more about it here

and here.

John Kerry Excommunicated

Read about it here

here

here

and even here in the New York Times.

So much for Kerry being Catholic...even though he was an Altar Boy.

Pro-life Sweatshirts:

Many of you have asked how you can get one of the pro-life sweatshirts that some of the seminarians wore at our silent witness.  They will be made available to the public soon.  More information will be forthcoming.  Stay tuned.

Pope To Get A Ferrari

Ferrari president Luca Montezemolo says the Italian Formula One team will build a special car for Pope John Paul II to mark his 26 years as pontiff. "We will make a Ferrari Formula One car especially for the Pope," Montezemolo told reporters on a visit to the Vatican...Pope John Paul II will celebrate his 26th anniversary as head of the Catholic Church on Saturday.

A Little Laughter To Lighten Things Up

All new God Version 6.0