Archive
Catholic wedding bells
Since I am getting married this Saturday, I thought the latest Vortex episode (from RealCatholicTV) was appropriate (and very true).
In a few days, I’ll be one of the few … the proud … the married … Roman Catholic !
— God bless & stay holy!
Catholic? Bon Jovi concert
Went to the Bon Jovi concert (Circle Tour) at the (Bank Atlantic?) Sunrise Arena. Opened with one of my favorite songs, Blood on Blood. Also closed with an encore of Runaway, Wanted (Dead or Alive) and Livin on a Prayer. Show was great! Our nosebleed seats were eye level with the lighting catwalk, which may be why the audio was vocal audio was so hard to hear, but, otherwise, and great show! I think their show last time in 2008 was better even through we were behind the stage.
Their newer songs seem to be more focused on social justice. I know Bon Jovi is a big campaigner for Democrats (Gore, Kerry and Obama), but I was wondering if he’s still Catholic, especially since he sang Hallelujah solo for 5 minutes.
I found a quote from Parade magazine in 2007:
On his Catholic upbringing:
“I went to Catholic school in and out. I’m what you call a recovering Catholic. I have many major issues with the church.” — Jon Bon Jovi
I know that was 3 years ago, but I hope and pray that his search for truth brings him back home to a faithful Catholic identity. I also noticed Richie Sambora was wearing a St Benedict rosary around his neck. I hope it wasn’t just a fashion statement. I couldn’t find much about his faith background.
Another favorite Bon Jovi song is Keep the Faith.
My favorite part (usually cut off the radio version) is the part after the guitar solo (about 4 minutes) where he says:
I’ve been walking in the footsteps of society’s lies
I don’t like what I see no more
Sometimes I wish that I was blind
Sometimes I wait forever
To stand out in the rain
So no one sees me cryin’
Trying to wash away the painMother father
There’s things I’ve done I can’t erase
Every night we fall from grace
It’s hard with the world in yours face
Trying to hold on, trying to hold on
Happy 83rd Birthday, Holy Father!
Today is the 83rd Birthday of Our Most Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI. This video was from his visit back in 2008.
NFP vs Contraception, 7 skits
As I was looking for videos about IPF, I ran across these short skits about the difference between Natural Family Planning (NFP) and Contraception. These skits were used for a final project by seminarians at IPF for the course on Christian Spirituality & Sexuality. Finding these skits is God’s Providence (a “God-incidence”) since our high school Confirmation class is asking a lot of questions about Catholic Matrimony, birth control and their Catholic identity. — Check them out!
NFP vs Contraception #1: “It’s about the relationship”
Contraception, does NOT need to communicate about their fertility
NFP, (1) DOES need to communicate (which builds the relationship),
(2) doesn’t have to worry about fertility altering chemicals (that could hurt your chances of getting pregnant even when you stop taking pills,
(3) doesn’t have to worry (as much) about a “testy” wife from hormone manipulations,
(4) doesn’t have to worry about a decrease in libedo (sexual desire)
NFP vs Contraception #2, “It takes two.”
NFP, (1) builds trust and imtimacy with the greater need for communication,
(2) experience a full self-giving to each other (not holding back their fertility),
(3) statistically, couple doing NFP stay together longer, less divorce.
NFP vs Contraception #3, “It’s natural.”
Contraception introduces a couple to chemicals, while NFP is natural (the way God’s designed us), so it’s healthier.
NFP vs Contraception #4, “Know the facts.”
Contraception is potrayed in the media more than NFP.
NFP is taught in churches around the world. Even some Protestants practice NFP.
The facts can be lost. www.onemoresoul.com
NFP vs Contraception #5, “Demand the whole story.”
Contraception may come with divorce, abortion, infertility, and mysogyny. The media can minimize these possibilities.
NFP may come with life-long marriage, health, love, and respect. www.onemoresoul.com
NFP vs Contraception #6, “It’s not a tough choice.”
Contraception is the answer of many to poverty in third-world nations. Sometimes it is a prerequisite before food is sent to those countries.
NFP works when it is taught and practiced (even in third-world nations). The only agenda is God’s design for human beings. www.onemoresoul.com
NFP vs Contraception #7, “Know the consequences.”
Contraception is recommended by doctors or ailments not related to fertility. Just because it help one thing, does not mean it doesn’t have side-effect elsewhere. Everyone knows it’s real purpose.
Get the facts. www.onemoresoul.com
Vatican praises The Simpsons
I’m not a huge fan of The Simpsons, but I just watched a episode about Bart going to Catholic school called “The Father, the Son, and the Holy Guest Star.” [S16E21] In the classic Simpsons’ satire, Bart & Homer become Catholic while Protestant Marge tries to bring them back. WOW! A great episode to use with high school discussion groups. This episode touches on all kinds of questions about faith and religion (and there’s lots of paintball in it, too!).
I also found an article about the Vatican praising The Simpsons show.
Animated US television show, The Simpsons has gathered praise from the Roman Catholic Church for their “realistic” way of dealing with religion and spreading happiness among viewers. An article published in the Vatican’s newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano has lauded the long-running show, insisting “many today wouldn’t know how to laugh” if the series hadn’t been aired, reported Contactmusic.
The newspaper story thanked the show’s producers for depicting family patriarch Homer’s struggle with his own faith through its 20 years on the small screen. “Homer finds in God his last refuge, even though he sometimes gets His name sensationally wrong. But these are just minor mistakes, after all; the two know each other well,” the article said. The story also insisted that The Simpsons success is due to its “realistic and intelligent writing”.
The same newspaper had recently paid tribute to ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’, for highlighting the “sacrifice” needed for good to triumph over evil.
WOW! Who would think The Simpsons would be watched at the Vatican? What next, Family Guy?
CCD 7th: God the Son (day 17)
In our 7th grade pre-Confirmation class, we reviewed God the Father (from last week) and focused on God the Son (chapter 5 in our book).
(A) Reviewed God the Father. Played the video clip from Martian Child (see last week’s summary). Reviewed homework assignment … think of an example of a movie clip demonstrating a “good dad.” From that, we brainstormed why our relationship with God the Father becomes so wounded that we stop trusting the unconditional love He has for us.
(B) Discussed prayer “Core Wounds.” In our diagram of the Christian Heart (body, mind, soul), our life experiences can develop “core wounds” that hurt our lives physically, psychologically and/or spiritually. They are shown as X’s on our diagram. These wounds are actually “LIES” that affect our future relationships, especially with our Heavenly Father. A common example, even shown in movies, is how our hurt relationships with our earthly father affect how we view the unconditional love of our Heavenly Father. Wounds can keep us from trusting His loving plan for our lives.
(C) Who is Jesus? We showed a movie clip from the 1996 Sylvester Stallone movie called Daylight. It’s the scene when the rescue worker (Stallone) first encounters the trapped people. Only getting 1 rescuer is not what the trapped people expected. This disappointed reaction is similar to the one Jesus received from people as they came to discover Him as the Messiah. The idea came from thesource4ym.com clip ideas. Click the link to get discussion questions.
Here is a trailer for the movie. The actual clip used is here (but it’s in a foreign language).
Good discussion as we imagined the roles of the people, the Messiah and what our reactions would be in their shoes.
Homework: (1) Chapter 5 assessment questions on the last page.
(2) handout “How the Bible describes Jesus” … look up passages
(3) bring textbook + Bible + journal
CCD 7th: God the Father (day 16)
In our 7th grade pre-Confirmation class, we touched on God the Father (chapter 4 in our textbook). I finally got to bring in my laptop and play a few movie clips. Awesome topic. — I was really looking forward to today!
(A) Opening prayer song reflection was He is Yahweh by Dean Salyn.
(B) God the Father is always present & knows what’s best for us & forgiving. Showed a clip from Lion King (1994), when Simba takes Nala to the Elephant Graveyard after father Mufasa warns against and ends up saving them from the 3 Hyenas. The focus is the discussion between father and son at the end. [Idea from thesource4ym.com with discussion questions.]
(C) God the Father has unconditional love for me. Showed the movie trailer for the John Cusack movie Martian Child (2007) about a sci-fi writer wanting to adopt a child who thinks he’s a Martian sent to observe Earthling life. The focus clip is when the child breaks something and thinks he’s bad and will be sent away. The father assures him that “Nothing you can do will change the way I feel about you.” and then proceeds to break other “things” showing they don’t matter as much as him. Awesome clip! — I had to “pause” when leading the discussion … it easily resonated how I hear my Heavenly Father’s voice.
Discussion was great. [Idea from thesource4ym.com with questions.]
Homework:
(1) Chapter 4 Assessment questions,
(2) Pray the Lord’s Prayer each day this week,
(3) Give an example of a movie clip with a “good dad.”
catechists … prepare for Advent
I found a great blog called Catechist’s Journey.com by an 8th grade catechist named Joe who “knows his stuff” and provides resources and discussion about catechesis. He’s been in ministry for 30+ years and does online seminars called “webinars.” Check it out … especially if you’re a catechist.
In the above video, I especially like the following (I’ll use it in class next week)
Jesus’ Three Comings: In …
- History — when Jesus came Man (incarnation)
- Mystery –as Jesus comes to us today in many ways, especially in the Eucharist
- Majesty — as we look forward to His triumphant return at the end of time
Lots more on his site. Check it out!
NY ordination 2009 video
As we are in the Year for Priests, the USCCB website posted this You Tube video of the priest ordination of New York. It’s done really well … by the same people (Grassroots Films) that made the Fishers of Men video.
The USCCB website also has a listing of all the new priests that were ordained this year with pictures, backgrounds and quotes.
the Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic
Here is the “Lord’s Prayer” (Our Father) in Aramaic, the language that Jesus spoke.
songs for prayer + formal prayers
These links are scattered on by blog, but wanted them easy to access. I added the following to the bottom of my PRAYER page. I hope they help you pray!
FORMAL PRAYERS:
- Prayer for God’s Will — by Thomas Merton
- Prayer for the Grace of Letting Go
- B.A.P.T.i.S.M. = different forms of prayer
- 5 Finger Prayer = a way to pray petitions & intercessions
- Litany of the Blessed Sacrament — full prayer
SONG FOR PRAYER:
- “Pray” by Kendall Payne — soft, Christian contemporary (personal humbling prayer)
- “I Can Only Imagine” by MercyMe — soft, Christian praise & worship (heaven)
- “This is a Call” by Thousand Foot Krutch — medium, Christian rock (effectiveness of prayer)
- “Gone” by TobyMac — medium, Christian hip-hop (bad dating relationship)
- “Leaving 99” by Audio Adrenaline — soft, Christian rock (parable of Lost Sheep)
- “Replace Me” by Family Force 5 — hard, Christian rock (submitting to God’s Will)
- “Dare You to Move” by Switchfoot — medium, Christian rock (sin, shame, forgiveness)
- “Meant to Live” by Switchfoot — medium, Christian rock (finding purpose)
- “Somewhere I Belong” by Linkin Park — hard, (feeling & healing)
- “Rise Today” by Alter Bridge — very hard, (finding purpose)
- “Pjanoo” (Original Mix) by Eric Prydz — instrumental, trance
- “Birth of an Angel” by Armin van Buuren — instrumental, trance
prayer is trust, not clarity + Mother Teresa + Kendall Payne
I was looking for a video of Kendall Payne performing her song “Pray” to go along with my post last February. I was not disappointed! Here is a video of per performance at a church.
She tell the story of a man asking Mother Teresa to pray for him. Check it out …
A great song by Kendall Payne (one of my favorite Christian vocalist) that focuses on what real prayer is all about, appropriately titled “Pray” from her latest album, “Grown.” Light guitar, soft vocals, profound meaning, worth posting:
I will pray for you now, for you have been my faithful friends,
While the road we walk is difficult indeed.
I couldn’t not ask for more than what you’ve already been,
Only that you would say these prayers for me.
May your heart break enough that compassion enters in,
May your strength all be spent upon the weak.
All the castles and crowns you build and place upon your head,
May they all fall, come crashing down around your feet.
May you find every step to be harder than the last,
So your character grows greater each stride.
May your company be of humble insignificance,
May your weakness be your only source of pride.
What you dooo unto others,
May it all be done to you.
May you meeeet the One who made us,
And see Him smile when life is through.
May your bleeessings be many,
But not what … you hoped they’d be.
And when you looook upon the broken,
May mercy show you what you could not see.
May you never be sure of any plans you desire,
But you’d learn to trust the plan He has for you.
May your passions be tried and tested in the holy fire,
May you fight with all your life for what is true.
I have prayed for you now all my dear and faithful friends,
But what I wish is more than I could ever speak.
As the way wanders on I’ll long to see you once again,
Until then, would you pray these prayers for me?
Oh, that you would praaay for me.
Christopher West & “Theology of the Body” (day 2)
Today was day #2 (see day #1 here) of the highly anticipated lecture by Christopher West, titled “Priestly Celibacy and the Redemption of Sexuality.” It was a presentation of Pope John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body” directed for us seminarians in our journey toward priesthood. It was very rich in theological language, yet applied to our immediate lives, especially in the area of our personal sexuality. It was very well received.
He used a lot of song references from the 80’s to highlight points. I wrote some points for my reflection as I was trying to keep up:
- Theology cannot only be “in the head” … it must be “in the will” as well
- mysticism or neurosis
- Carl Rainer, “Christianity will be mystical or nothing at all.”
- Ephesians 5 is the summa.
- Marriage is liturgy and liturgy is marriage.
- A married man can become a priest, but not vice versa.
- First choose between marriage or a consecrated celibate … then discern priesthood.
- Sang Steve Winwood’s song “Bring Me a Higher Love“
See day #1 of lecture, with links on Theology of the Body & video of Christopher West.
Christopher West & Theology of the Body (day 1)
Today was the highly anticipated lecture by Christopher West, titled “Priestly Celibacy and the Redemption of Sexuality.” It was a presentation of Pope John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body” directed for us seminarians in our journey toward priesthood. It was very rich in theological language, yet applied to our immediate lives, especially in the area of our personal sexuality. It was very well received … and this was only day #1.
He used a lot of song references from the 80’s to highlight points. I wrote some points for my reflection as I was trying to keep up:
- 80’s song “Blinded by Science” –> science has blinded us; our bodies are theological, not only biological
- U2 song “Desire“
- Peter Gabriel’s song “In Your Eyes” lyrics demonstrate a “twisted mystic” that hints at “Song of Songs”
- In seminary, we learn to “inseminate” the “bride” (Church)
- Bruce Springstein’s song “Everybody has a Hungry Heart“
- Bookends of the Bible begins with Adam & Eve and ends with the NEW Adam (Jesus) & the NEW Eve (Church). This is a great analogy of how “God wants to marry us”
- Are we eating from “fast food” or a “starvation diet”
- “Idolatry of body” verses “Iconography (window to heaven) of body”
- Devil is the “enemy” of human nature (body & soul union). He wants to separate. Horror movies show this with ghosts or corpses.
- On the Cross, the giving “flow of blood & water” is the giving of “His seminal flow” (from St Augustine)
- Eve “takes” the apple (gift) denying the trust of “receiving” the gift
- Lust “extorts the gift”
- Even my will is “grace.” “All is grace.”
Weblinks to Theology of the Body resources:
Pjanoo + SJVCS music video
I found this song a couple weeks ago and every time I listen to it, I picture a music video of seminary life here at St John Vianney College Seminary. It’s like a flying video camera visiting dormlife, meals, Mass, communal prayer, sports, fellowship, studies, staff, manual labor, social trips and the beautiful grounds. It changes each time I listen, but the only thing that doesn’t change is the elevation of the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance by Fr Michael (rector) during our Wednesday Holy Hours … that happened at the 4 minute mark in the song. I just had to post it … it keeps me focused!
This is “Pjanoo” (Original Mix) by Eric Prydz. Enjoy and be holy!
CCD: Christian music
APOSTALIC WORK — Today in 10th grade CCD class, we tried to review some things we’ve discuss so far by adding some discussion on application. We used some mainstream Christian songs and studied their lyrics to bring a Christian perspective to practical life issues. Here are the songs we used …
Life, sin, shame, forgiveness … “Dare You to Move” by Switchfoot
Heaven … “I Can Only Imagine” by MercyMe
Effectiveness of prayer … “This is a Call” by Thousand Foot Krutch
Dating relationships … “Gone” by TobyMac
Parable of the Lost Sheep (Mt 18:10-14) … “Leaving 99” by Audio Adrenaline
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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