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military prayers
In the July edition of the Knights of Columbus monthy Columbia magazine, I found a 64-page Catholic prayer booklet called, “Armed with the Faith: A Catholic Handbook for Military Personnel.” It features traditional prayers, devotions, hymns, catechism and more. The military version is a 5×7-inch waterproof and tearproof booklet. The civilian version is on paper and can be downloaded here in Acrobat pdf format (333 KB). It’s available directly from the Knights. I also found it available for only $1 at an online Catholic store called GodSpace.biz. I might just have to get these for our Confirmation kids next year. — but I want one first!
“Transformers”
AWESOME movie! Well worth the wait! “Til all are ONE!”
“holiness” in Rise … by John Paul II
With a bad rainstorm (drought-relief) today, I started re-reading John Paul II‘s book, “Rise, Let Us be on Our Way.” Although it mainly reflects on his journey to and through becoming a bishop, it is written for everyone. It’s a simple read with great personal insight and advice for all Christians. Here are some points I highlighted from the Ordination Liturgy parts of “Vocation” (section 1):
At a priestly ordination, the hands area anointed; at an episcopal [bishop] ordination the head is anointed. This signifies the call to new responsibilities: the bishop will have the task of guiding the Church, which will palce great demands on him. … The ring on the bishop’s finger signifies that he is married to the Church, the sign of fidelity … to protect the holy Church, bride of Christ. … The Book of Gospels is given to remind of a bishop’s calling, to not only serve, but he must be a teacher. … The miter is a reminder of his commitment to let the “light of holiness shine in him” like a “city on a hill” (Mt 5:14) to be “a living example to the flock” (1 Pet 5:3). … The crosier is a sign of the authority that enables the bishop to fulfill his duty to care for his flock.
Outside of the cool symbols, what really struck me was the personal call to holiness that ALL need to find.
The essential meaning of holiness is that it is always personal, and that each and every man is called to it. All members of the people of God are called, but each is called in a unique and unrepeatable manner. … A shepherd must watch, protect and lead every sheep to discover that holiness is not “some kind of extraordinary existence, possible only for a few ‘uncommon heroes’ of holiness. The ways of holiness are many, according to the vocation of each individual.” What a great potential of grace lies dormant in the vast numbers of the baptized!
— I can say no more.
“Sicko”
I saw the new Michael Moore movie, “Sicko.” It was exactly what I expected … entertaining, sarcastic, biased, and 1 sided. Even though I know he’s presenting real-life situation (that I have seen for myself), he presents NO solutions to our country’s health care problems. Is he suggesting we go to a “socialize medicine” system? As great as it may sound in a perfect world, our country has spent too much time, money and effort in creating the private profit-run system we have today. I have no idea where we would even begin a major overhaul!
We know that changing a dictatorship to democracy (like in Iraq) has extreme growing pains … private to socialize health care would definitely “hurt.” The health care industry has become an established cornerstone of our country’s economy. Not to say money is more important than our health, but “money” is essentially the issue. The current industry influences other industries (stock prices & our retirement/investment accounts), competative salaries to have the best doctors & services & new innovations, and more.
When it comes to socialized medicine, we have 2 main models. In Single-payer health care, the government pays for all health care costs, while hospitals and doctors’ practices may remain private (–yeah, like that will last). In Two-tier health care (used in most developed countries, like Canada), a guaranteed public health care system exists where a private system operates in parallel. The private system has the benefit of shorter waiting times and more luxurious treatment, but costs far more than the public one for patients. Canada puts so many restrictions on the private sector with billing restrictions that the only identifiable “two-tier” is that the wealthy can go to the U.S. for treatment, and quite a few Canadians do each year. If these systems are so “great,” than why doesn’t everybody have access of getting the same level of care … having to leave their own system to the “greedy” U.S. system?
What’s the answer? I don’t know, but something needs to be changed. I don’t see any revolution coming, unless we experience a “health care 9/11” that gives the government an opportunity to save the day. I’m waiting to hear some good ideas.
The only current idea I can see is the growing use of Health Savings Accounts (HSA) under a Consumer Driven Health Care (CDHC) system. These efforts claim to bring back free-market variables into the healthcare system that will encourage competition, lower prices and improve service. This seems to be the only realistic system that can be integrated into our mess of a health care without overturning everything. Plus, I didn’t here Michael Moore mention it in the movie, so he’s probably afraid it’ll work. —but, what do I know?
Evan Almighty
Tonight, I saw the movie, “Evan Almighty.” It was great … better than I thought it would be. I don’t even remember any cheap shots at Christianity. They could have pushed “faith” a little more than “works,” but we need to take what we can get out of these big movie studios like Universal & Sony. I especially liked small details like God’s nametag “Al Mighty” or Evan’s wife named “Joan” (of Arc) and the real estate agent “Eve Adams.” Truly a great film.
MPAA film ratings
Today I saw an independent documentary on the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) called This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006). Basically, it’s questioning the NC-17 rating criteria of the MPAA, which was started by multiple film studios in the 1940’s. They’re suspected of rating independent film stricter that film of major studios as a way of minimizing competition, cloaked behind “protecting the viewing public.” As an industry regulating itself, you’ll always have problems without alternative choices. The government should not step in (if it can help it) because the cries of “censorship” will only be worse. There should be multiple “independent” (if that exists) reviewers. It’s never gonna be perfect, but you need to create some accountability (or the government will make you wish you did). There are some good movie rater websites used by parents that could be models or alternative choices that I have seen over the years, but I need to find and add them here. If there are serious inproprieties on the MPAA, I’m especially concerned that a voting Catholic clergy member is on the board … we shouldn’t be endorsing this nonsense. — Anybody? Kermit?
Exorcism outs the Devil
One of the greatest “gifts” God gave to the Church was the power of exorcism. What most people think about when you say exorcism is actually a “major exorcism” where the Church determines a demon has possessed someone’s body (but not taking their free will) and a priest (approved by the bishop) does the rite of exorcism (usually done in 5 minutes, but may take several months). I didn’t explore my ignorance about exorcism (because I thought it may invite bad stuff) until I saw a DVD available called “Interview with an Exorcist”.
Here’s a few facts that clarified my misconceptions. Although a demon may possess a body, it does not control a person’s free will. All priest are taught the rite, but the bishop must approve doing one. A priest prepares more for the the sacrament of reconciliation than the rite of exorcism. Priests have been known to successfully perform exorcisms in the state of mortal sin (it’s not a battle between the priest & a demon, it’s between GOD & the demon). Any prayer denouncing the power of Satan is a prayer of exorcism. Although a majority of possessions includes some occult practices, even a Christian believer can be possessed (although less likely).
I think I was more afraid of exorcism due to my own ignorance than I am today. I would recommend more knowledge & understanding to those who may empathize. A new book supplements the DVD just came out. More Catholic resources on exorcism are HERE. The movie The Exorcism of Emily Rose is also pretty good.
I saw an episode of Showtime’s Penn & Teller’s Bullsh*t about exorcism (season 5#5). They had some ridiculous (non-Catholic) “exorcists” that made the whole rite into a joke, concluding there is no such thing as demonic possession. They just affirm Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey), “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist.”
This is WHY exorcism is a “gift.” In an exorcism, Satan is manifested (revealing his existence) and the supreme power of God over evil glorifies our Lord. — but I don’t want to be the person in the middle (possessee).
Devil’s lies
I forgot what I was watching yesterday, but I started reflecting on the line from “The Usual Suspects“ by Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey), “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist.” I think lots of people, including Christians, deny the existence of the Devil and, therefore, sin. Besides this line, I thought the Devil has “3 great lies,” but I can’t think the last one. #1 is that “the devil doesn’t exist (therefore no sin),” #2 is that “we have more time (therefore salvation can wait),” and #3 is ? … is it “that we are gods?” I can’t remember and I don’t even know if the Catholic Church simplifies it this way. I found a Protestant sermon on the “8 Lies of the Devil“ that I’m reading now. — Anybody know the 3? Kermit?
time & space
Some scientific notes I took from the first 2 audio sessions “Learn the Bible in 24 Hours” by Chuck Missler (protestant fundamentalist) to help me understand some concepts of time & space. (For an excellent 24 hour Catholic Bible study, check out Jeff Cavins’ The Great Adventure). I hope I don’t mis-paraphrase any points:
(*) Despite many misconceptions, we have concluded within the past century, that “the universe, time, length & mass are finite, NOT infinite“. Time is subject to gravitational forces.
(*) “Twin Astronauts, part 1.” 1 astronaut travels to Alpha Centauri (the next closest star to the Sun 4.5 lightyears away) at HALF the speed of light, 9 years one way + 9 years back = 18 years. However, the traveling twin is 2 years & 9 months younger than the other.
(*) “Twin Astronauts, part 2.” If 1 astronaut travels to Alpha Centauri at the speed of light, 9 years + 9 year = 18 years. However, the traveling twin only aged 46 days. Wow!
(*) “Eternity IS NOT lots of time.” Therefore, God (eternal) is outside the dimensionality of time altogether. We see time as a series of events, like watching a parade pass by. God uses his ability to be outside of time to send us a message and authenticate it by fullfulling prophecy.
(*) Space is NOT an empty vacuum.
(*) The ability to “bend time” may be seen in Hebrews 1:12 & Isaiah 34:4 when created things (like skies, heavens, earth) will be “rolled up” like a scroll or cloak, and “will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will never end.” Interesting.
(*) There are actually 10 dimension, but we can only conceptualize 4 of them. Hyperspaces (spaces in more than 3 dimensions) can only be visualized by 2 types of people, well trained mathematicians and small children (WHAT?).
(*) The only known visual of a 4th dimension is seen in Salvador Dali’s 1954 Crucifixion (Corpus Hypercubus) by using a tesseract. (I’m getting a headache staring at the picture looking for the 4th dimension)
There are several other tidbits of facts. These are just a few that jumped out at me.
Solar System distances
As I study into time travel, I need a better concept of distance, at least in our Solar System. I found a good illustration in chapter 2 of “30 Days to Understanding the Bible” by Max E. Anders (protestant resource). He starts his model in the middle of the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. Here it goes:
(Sun) a beach ball – 2 feet in diameter — at the center
(Mercury) a mustard seed — walk a city block away
(Venus) a BB — walk another city block away
(Earth) a pea — walk another city block away
(Mars) a mustard seed — walk another city block
(asteroid belt) sprinkle some grass around
(Jupiter) an orange — walk a quarter of a mile away
(Saturn) a golf ball — walk another third of a mile
(Uranus) a marble — walk a mile away
(Neptune) a cherry — walk a mile away
(Pluto) a marble — walk another 2 miles away
This model is about 10 miles in diameter from Sun to Pluto. Now, to better understand distance even better, let’s place Alpha Centauri (the next nearest star to our sun) with another beach ball 6,720 miles away from the “Sun” in Japan.
This is not only helpful with concepts of science. Understanding the size, location and distances give us perspective into geography. This is also an important concept when studying Scripture. It is helpful to know names, locations and distances between important geographical locations, otherwise comprehension gets lost or ignored, leaving our faith to appear unrelevent and archaic. We should embrace the sciences to glorify God. — plus it’s kinda cool!
Déjà Vu & time travel
After watching the movie Déjà Vu (with Denzel Washington), I got to thinking about the theory of time travel:
Many in the scientific community believe that backwards time travel is highly unlikely. Any theory which would allow time travel would require that issues of causality be resolved. What if one were to go back in time and kill one’s own grandfather? (see grandfather paradox) Additionally, Stephen Hawking (Homer Simpson called him “Wheelchair Guy“) once suggested that the absence of tourists from the future constitutes an argument against the existence of time travel—a variant of the Fermi paradox.
The more theories I read, including wormholes and traveling faster than the speed of light, the more impossible is sounds. Let’s get real. If the speed of light is 3 x 10^8 m/s or 186,282 miles/sec, how can we get the human body to move that fast?
Oceans 13 was good
I saw it tonight. I don’t think I could get tired of this series, while Pirates 3 was it for me (long, boring, and long).
Memorial Day – Proud of US
Today, Memorial Day, we remember the martyr patriots that make the United States the greatest country in the world. I’m grateful to have been born, raised and living here. I support this country in good times and in bad, unlike fickle Dolfans who jump ship at the sign of trouble. I’m not ashamed to be called an American, even if we are hated by the world. Even parody movies like Team America: World Police can’t deny the importance of the U.S. in the world. Just look at today’s demonstrations in Venezuela when Chavez closed a TV news station because they spoke out against him. Why the outcry? That’s what you get when you elect a dictator. The people like Chavez because he speaks out against Bush and the U.S., but then borrow our freedoms (of the press, in this case) when they open their eyes. People in the U.S. have the right to support Chavez, hate Bush, call our troops “terrorist” & “baby killers,” blame US for world problems, and condemn the very country that grants the freedom to do so. People are dying to come into this country, so remember you can leave anytime you’d like to your choice of socialist, communist or “benevolent dictatorships.” The media criticized Pat Robertson for his assessment of Chavez, and now the U.S. will probably have to fix another mess the world has created (yet another reason to hate us).
On Sunday, I learned of yet another parish youth now in Marines in Iraq. I’m extremely grateful for soldiers’ sacrifice. If medical conditions didn’t keep me out of the military, then I would be in Iraq myself. God’s got a funny way of closing some doors to open others, I guess. May God bless the troops, this country, and all those fighting for freedom worldwide. — I’m praying for you all.
“Lost” season ends
Today is the Jewish festival of Shavuot. I wrote about it a couple weeks ago. It’s parallel to our Christian festival of Penecost this Sunday.
A 3 hour “LOST” season finale was tonight. 1 hour of review and 2 hours of asking more questions that answering. It was better than I expected, but they just add long meaningless side stories to sell commercial time. I’m getting tired of it. At least they’re getting rescued … maybe.
Present “ALL” Vocations
The best way that I think we can encourage vocations is by presenting “ALL” the vocations. In an audio talk by Scott Hahn called, “Vocations in Scripture: Discovering & Discerning God’s Call,” (#5627-CD) he does just that. He begins his talk by saying we all have the same inherit primary vocation, and that’s to be a “child of God the Father” by accepting Jesus and living active christian lives. Besides that, we can live out our faith through the vocations of single life, married life, religious life, or the priesthood. He then details each one as seen through Scripture. I think that is how we should encourage vocations. We need to present ALL of them as equally necessary, yet individually unique. I think that approach would make people more open to priesthood and the religious life, because I wouldn’t be seen as so far removed from each of us. — Kermit? Anyone?
TV show idea: new “Big Brother”
Marketing is super important to vocations. That’s why I started this blog in the first place (even though it goes against by personality — a friend noted). As we encourage vocations and make them more “transparent” to everyone, we risk exposing ourselves. If we have to make ourselves more vulnerable to scrutiny from others, than that’s a risk we must take (isn’t that what we’re called to do anyways?). The marketing needs to be done by the whole church, but begin with the clergy, religious and seminarians (the newbies).
We need better marketing! Take more pictures and videos, make more relevant websites and blogs, present the “reality.” The cable special “God or the Girl” was a good start, but what about a reality show like “Big (Seminarian) Brother (or Sister).” I think lots of people would watch that, especially non-believers. Even if you have some bad examples on the show, it would just be an opportunity to evaluate, grow and demonstrate our humanity. — Am I the only one who sees this? Kermit? Anyone?
Spiderman & Venom
I saw “Spiderman 3“ today, all 2.5 hours of light-speed CGI fight scenes separated by long relationship breaks and some cheesy musical dance numbers by Tobey Maguire. Not being a really big Spiderman fan, I found Venom to be an very interesting character that I knew little about. As an alien symbiote organism that needs to bond and feed off a living host, it gives the host enhanced physical abilities, at the cost of fatally draining them of adrenaline, eventually killing the host. This particular parasite (attached to Spiderman), however, wants to bond with its host instead. It seems to feed off Spiderman’s weaknesses, anger and revenge, and multiplies its devastating, yet tempting (at times) effects. The rejection of the symbiote leave it extremely bitter toward Spiderman, a trait it shares with its future hosts. The movie’s byline reads “the greatest battle lies within.”
What I saw was an extreme visual for our own “dark-sides,” manifested in Venom, who exploits our weaknesses because we’ve fed and allowed it to grow for so long. I don’t know if that’s the intention of the character, but I couldn’t help but connect Venom with deep-rooted sin that’s ignored and allowed to grow. If we could only “see” what our sins do to others, ourselves and, above all, our Savior, we would run to cross in humble submission to His grace & mercy. In ministry, demonstrating that in love & mercy is not done through our own ability, but through our own submission to the “Anti-Venom” that we invite everyday (not just one conversion experience) as a light to our darkness.
SJVCS Seminary Life Album
July '09 -- hospital chaplains @ IPF
Easter '09 -- Miami SJVCS friends
the Son always finds a break in let the clouds
Feb '09 -- school vocation talks @ AMHS
Feb '09 -- cold breakfast with brothers (Matias, Fenly & Randy), now at SVDP and Imad (at SJVCS)
Superbowl '09 -- eating great @ SJVCS
Sept '08 -- Worklist Coordinators?
St Raphael Chapel mural @ SJVCS
Sept '08 -- retreats @ SJVCS
"It's not easy being green"
Catholic Kermit 
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