Thursday, June 30, 2011

Because Christ is In Every Book of the Bible



Interestingly, I missed this video (below) last week when Deacon Greg Kandra ran it over at his place. Maybe there is a reason for that. You see, earlier this week some friends of mine got into a discussion regarding books of the Bible.

Christian Thoughts On Private Property: What Ayn Rand Missed, Part II

Still in my library, I found the following selection on the subject of private property, and of "the state," in Life of Leo XIII And the History Of His Pontificate. Ayn Rand missed this book as well as Pope Leo XIII's encyclical Rerum Novarum. Perhaps this is just a case of too much writing and too little research. That's what I think anyway. Of course, she was a novelist, so facts weren't necessary (head-slap).

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

A Contrarian Way To Invest Like A Catholic


See what I discovered: God made man simple, but they get lost in their many thoughts. " -Ecclesiastes 7:29

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Christian Thoughts On Private Property: What Ayn Rand Missed

It's been a couple of weeks since publishing my last post on Ayn Rand.Things have settled down a bit here and now I can turn my attention to what she missed regarding a concept that is near and dear to all of her devotees: the concept of private property.

Social Networks and the Church


Is social media here to stay? Probably. Others, like Brandon Vogt, discuss this phenomenon at length. Matthew Warner wants more Catholics to be on-line, and authentic, too. Because when you get right down to it, social networks are about community.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Mish Mash Rock (Music for Monday's)

How's your upcoming week looking? I'm trying to keep calm. Here's how I don't want to feel like come Friday.


Sunday, June 26, 2011

How Star Trek Should Have Ended


This is just absolutely AWESOME. Because Catholics can laugh (be careful you don't bust a gut).

Let Me Tell You About "Herding Dogs"

Sam Sheepdog and Ralph Wolf 

Without a strong master, they are worthless. Destructive. Bored. Good for nothing but trouble. These descriptions, for those who have owned (or do own) herding dogs, would be the end of this post. Their experience with dogs like these would make the truth of these statements self-evident. Frank knows herding dogs.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

The Rose of Sharon


The Rose of Sharon
by Anonymous. Arranged by Barney E. Warren (pub. 1911)

Lord Jesus, my sweet Rose of Sharon,
My Prophet, my Priest, and my King—
To Thee I will sing all my praises,
For blessings Thy mercy doth bring.
All glory and honor to Jesus,
Who offered His life on the cross,
To open a fountain for sinners,
And purchase a world that was lost.

Because Jesus Is The Unjust Steward

This first ran back in September, 2010 during the Feast of Our Lady of La Salette. I think it deserves another look...
Today I heard the best explanation of the parable of the "Unjust Steward" that I have ever heard. Or maybe it is the parable of the "Shrewd Manager." Either way, thanks to the homily of my pastor today,  I think I may finally understand this parable.

The title of this post gives it away. Jesus, Our Lord and Savior is the unjust steward, the shrewd manager. How else to find favor in the hearts of us all than to write off or write down our debts completely? How else could this steward's master find favor with him, unless Our Lord is the steward and God is the rich man? Let's look at the passage from today's gospel reading.

Friday, June 24, 2011

So There I Was Driving Home...


from work. Glad the week was over. Looking forward to a busy weekend (a birthday, weeding, cutting the grass, preparing to send a child to camp, etc.) It's been a busy week, both at work and here on the blog. Lots of news to digest.

A Poem on St. John the Baptist's Day

Happy Birthday to St. John the Baptist! Here is a little poem I found written by John Keble in honor of this, the greatest of all men.

St. John Baptist's Day

"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord: and he shall turn the heart of the fathers onto the children, and the heart of the children to the fathers."—Malachi iv. 6, 6.

Twice in her season of decay
The fallen Church hath felt Elijah's eye
Dart from the wild its piercing ray :
Not keener burns, in the chill morning sky,
The herald star,
Whose torch afar
Shadows and boding night-birds fly.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

For the Adoro Te Devote By St. Thomas Aquinas

-Solemnity of Corpus Christi

Today we celebrate the Body of Christ. St. Thomas Aquinas wrote a chant that is beautiful in Latin, and beautifully translated into English by Gerald Manly Hopkins, S.J. (poet extraordinaire).

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

For Archishop Fulton Sheen's Thoughts on Vatican II

The good folks over at Catholic Answers have the scoop:
Q: "Did Fulton Sheen support Vatican II? Sheen is a favorite of some who reject the Council, so a quote from him citing his support for Vatican II would be quite helpful for discussions with them."

How to Handle a Bombshell (Because Catholics Can Laugh)



How I handled the Corapi bombshell. Don't try this at home folks. And please... make sure you listen to my words with Robin at the end. -Batman

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

To John Corapi, With Love (Two for Tuesdays) UPDATED


I missed doing a music post yesterday. I had a few other things on my mind. But I came up with a few selections today, and it being Tuesday, I figured you all might enjoy a Two for Tuesday music post.

The first two songs are to celebrate the official first day of summer. Who better than the Beach Boys for that? The remaining songs are all for Mr. John Corapi, and for those who may have followed him. You see, I have to say goodbye to John Corapi, much like I did for Anne Rice.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Cautionary Thoughts on Rebellion, Circa 1665

A few thoughts on the character of a rebel found in a new addition to the YIMCatholic Bookshelf. I found this in the first few pages of a compilation of quotations published in 1827 by John Timbs. Entitled, Laconics: or, The Best Words from the Best Authors, the following thoughts are those of one Samuel Butler.

Butler (1612-1680) was an author, poet, and satirist in his day. He is best known for the poem "Hudibras," which was directed at lampooning the Puritans. What follows though are from his character sketches that were published long after his death in the year 1759. Compiled in a volume entitled The Genuine Remains in Verse and Prose of Mr Samuel Butler, behold "The Rebel".

Because It's Not Nice To Fool With Mother Nature

Remember those wacky commercials for Chiffon Margarine back in the 1970's? Here's a clip to jog  your memories (or to educate those who missed them). This is sort of like a funny primer on Natural Law. The real vs the simulacra brought into your den with a wink and a nod.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

A Reply to a Scold from a Priest Regarding the Corapi Kerfuffle

I hadn't intended to write another word about John Corapi. In fact, I even closed off the comments in my recent post and left readers links to follow the story so I could just enjoy my Father's Day in peace. That was the plan, anyway.

But I received an e-mail this morning from a Catholic priest upset over my "Mr. Corpai Goes. I Stay" post. As you will find in the sidebar, I subscribe to the well known Welborn Protocol when it comes to correspondence. So here is the note in it's entirety followed by my reply.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Lines on Pride from Alexander Pope's An Essay On Man


Often times cataclysmic events leave us at a loss. We have feelings and thoughts but struggle to put them into words. Some have been blessed with the gift of the poetic art. These painters of images with words, serve to bring the ineffable into focus in our minds.

Love, the Blues, & Forgiveness (Music for Mondays)

In light of recent events, I am bringing this post back up to the top. Got the blues? First, may I suggest a 3-minute retreat? Then, dip into these waters...

  
We are called to love one another. A cursory look at the New Testament will show this time after time. But guess what? Love hurts too, and we all know it. Betrayal, denial, loss. These are the pathogens  of our brokenness.

Because These Words Paul Wrote Are Worthy of Shakespeare

Especially compared to the weak tea of the speech heard 'round the world yesterday.

Of course, this passage from his second letter to the Corinthians isn't just some dramatic idea that the Apostle Paul dreamed up. They are after all an account of his personal experience witnessing for Christ.

But they are more than that too. They are the words of God in the person of the Holy Spirit.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Mr. John Corapi Goes. I Stay.


Hunter S. Thompson once remarked that, "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." This seems like one of those times. Remember my post on what to do while Father John Corapi was on administrative leave? Well that leave has been indefinitely extended. Back in March I wrote,

St. Anthony of Padua Relic Recovered!

Saints be praised, we can put this to bed! Raquel Maria Dillion of the AP has the scoop,

Police recovered the relic of St. Anthony of Padua on Thursday at the Long Beach home of Maria Solis, 41, and Solis was arrested on suspicion of commercial burglary, Long Beach Deputy Police Chief Robert Luna said Thursday evening.

Parishioners applauded when a police officer placed the delicate gold and silver reliquary containing a tiny shard of bone on a table at the news conference in front of the church.

For A Reader's Query, A "Real" Catholic Reply

Over on the YIMCatholic Facebook page, a reader writes,

Did I miss something? Why is this on the YIM page?

What is “this?” Nothing much, just a little video that I shared on the Facebook page. Unfortunately, only those who “like” the Facebook page or follow YIMCatholic on Twitter got to see the video. My bad. From now on, I’ll just do a post. That way, see, none of you will be left out when I have something I think is brilliant enough to share with you.

Here’s the video that sparked the question,

Thursday, June 16, 2011

For Faith In Action: Calling All Rand Busters.™ Please Report To Your Posts!


A few days ago, I got mad as hell and said I won't take it anymore. What about? Well, some of our Christian brethren believe they can reconcile following Ayn Rand's poisonous philosophy and still consider themselves, you know, Christians.

To Pray for the Christians in the Middle East-UPDATED


Thanks to having low friends in high places, I can share this with you. You used to have to be an operative of the CIA, or MI-5, to be able to pull up stuff like this on your computer screen. Nowadays, you can do so from your investment house's Bloomberg machines. By doing so, you can even pretend that having this kind of knowledge at your finger tips will give you an investing edge. It won't, but that is another story.

Because Catholic Chaplains Say The Darndest Things

And they happen to be true. This quote is from the official Facebook page of the U.S. Marines this morning,

You cannot exaggerate about the Marines. They are convinced to the point of arrogance, that they are the most ferocious fighters on earth - and the amusing thing about it is that they are.
— Father Kevin Keaney, 1st Marine Divison Chaplain, Korean War

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Because Good Friends Are Golden

A few days back, it was the Feast Day of St. Barnabas. You may or may not recall that he was St. Paul's companion on his first mission trip. They were fast friends in the faith, traveling hither and yon spreading the Good News together to the Gentiles.

You can learn more about Barnabas over at the Catholic Encyclopedia. The record shows that at some point, the two went their separate ways. Perhaps it was a falling out, but perhaps it was just that they were called in different directions by the same Spirit that brought them together in the first place.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Didn't Want To Be a Rand Buster™ But Then I Read Today's Readings

So perhaps you think I've gone a little batty with this long march I've undertaken to beg our Christian brethren to forswear the Randian siren song luring them upon the lee shore of Objectivism. Frank has gone to cloud cuckoo land, sho 'nuff. Man, if only he would just settle down and put his thinking cap on. Sheesh.

OK then. So today at the office, one of my colleagues had a birthday, see? So I didn't go to Mass like I usually would. The office gathered around to be thankful to God for bringing us the gift of this person, and so it was right and fitting to celebrate the occasion. Agreed? I'll get back to my routine tomorrow.

Dateline Long Beach: Stolen Relic of St. Anthony of Padua?

Photo Credit:
Fr. Brian Doran
Sounds like a case for G.K. Chesterton's Father Brown. AP reporter Raquel Maria Dillon has the story,

A 780-year-old religious relic of St. Anthony of Padua has been stolen, and parishioners at a Southern California Catholic church are praying to the patron saint of lost causes and missing objects for its speedy return.
The relic was stolen from inside a cabinet beside the altar at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Long Beach on Monday, the feast day of the church's namesake.

To Pray for the Christians of Egypt

Back in January, I asked you to pray for the people of Egypt. Remember those heady days when revolution was in the air? And then the domino effect started rippling through the entire Middle East.

Will it all end in tolerant and freedom nurturing democratic republics? Where the rule-of-law supercedes the tyranny of authoritarian dictatorship? I pray it does, especially for the peace-loving people of Egypt.

Because of G.K. Chesterton (29 May, 1874 – 14 June, 1936)

Gilbert Keith Chesterton died on this day in 1936.  I had no idea for several reasons. A) I don't know everything; B) he isn't an official saint, so there is no feast day on the calender; C) he died long before I was born.

But, I can truthfully say that one of the reasons I am a Catholic today is because of G.K. Chesterton. Sometime between when I discovered Blaise Pascal and Thomas Merton, I came across Chesterton. Dale Ahlquist's site was probably where I landed first. And then I hit the library.

Monday, June 13, 2011

To Join the Ayn Rand Busters? To Be A Hero? I'm In!

Hey, look at the calendar. The election cycle is coming around again! Time to check our brains at the door and just go with our gut feelings. Embrace fuzzy math concepts like 1 + 1 = 3.18275. Stuff like that.

Forget the real substantive issues we can actually do something about, like fixing Social Security's looming bankruptcy, and instead focus on bankrupting ourselves by bombing Yemen. Sweet!

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Alan Rubin, Mr. Fabulous, Requiescat In Pace

I heard the news today that Alan Rubin, aka "Mr. Fabulous", has passed away. Rubin was the trumpeter in the legendary, and Vatican-approved, Blues Brothers band.

Here is the official word from the Los Angeles Times obituary page,
Trumpet player Alan Rubin was recruited to join the Blues Brothers after backing up John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd in the "Saturday Night Live" television skits that spawned the band in the late 1970s.

Because the Church was Catholic at Pentecost

We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming for a message brought to you by The Church Triumphant. Standby for a brief message from St. Jose Maria Escriva, live from the Communion of Saints...

The mystery of the holiness of the Church — that pristine light which can become obscured by the shadows of human baseness — rejects even the slightest thought of suspicion, of doubt about the beauty of our Mother.

For Miracles Like This at the 24 Hours of LeMans

It's another Gearhead Feastday folks: the 24 Hours of LeMans. About an hour into the race, there was a horrific crash between Allan McNish's Audi TDI (yeah, the fastest cars are diesels) and a Ferrari from the Sports Car class. Thanks be to God that no one was seriously hurt.

But take a look at the video and ask yourself this: how did this Audi not continue on it's path over the wall and into the spectators? Actually, the car was over the tire wall. How did it seemingly defy the laws of physics and fall harmlessly back onto the warning track?

No—I don't see Iron Man standing there to push it away from the trajectory it was following. Do you? Take a look,

Saturday, June 11, 2011

To Run Against the Wind -UPDATED

What do you seek? I mean once you come to grips with your mortality. Especially when your best laid plans fall apart in an instant via illness, an accident, or perhaps a death in the family. There you were sailing along majestically, deluded by your own good fortune to the point that you actually thought you were controlling your destiny.

Perhaps you felt you had figured out the game of life. You believed you could will your way to an earthly heaven. Yes, you are a winner, and winners never quit. And then everything you had mapped out for yourself slipped away from you.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Because John Galt Is Really Ayn Rand, Not Jesus Christ (Nice Try Though)

What does it take to snap Joe-Sixpack, USMC out of his reverie? That's easy. Keep attempting to redeem the ideas of Ayn Rand and Christianize them. I'll fix bayonets and come running like a teufel-hunden responding to one of those silent dog whistles.

Reverend Robert A. Sirico of the Acton Institute (which I generally admire) recently wrote an article entitled Who Really Was John Galt Anyway? Therein, Rev. Sirico tries to tease out Jesus Christ from the persona of Ms. Rand’s fictional character John Galt. Or perhaps he tries to tease out Ms. Rand’s longing for the Lord.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

From the Treasure Chest: The Catholic Religion and Art

I've got this hobby of finding electronic versions of great books about the Catholic Faith. I share this pastime with everyone who stops by here too, via the YIMCatholic Bookshelf. At last count, I've added 853(!) fully searchable volumes to the shelf so far. There's no cost to read or download them, and we're open 24 hours, 7 days a week.

Just the other day I found some books that were digitized from the collection of the Monastic Library of the Abbey of Gethsemani. Yes, the one in Kentucky where Fr. Louis was a monk and priest. They also spent some time on the shelves, and possibly still do, at the University of California in Berkeley. Who knew?

Think "Charity" and Act "Love" = Praying Without Ceasing

A Reflection on the High Priestly Prayer        -Feast of St. William of York 

Before I became a Catholic, the word contemplation meant something altogether different than it does to me today. Chalk that up to intellectual laziness because the definition has been sitting right there in the dictionary for all of those years before I woke up. Let me show you.

Here is how my handy-dandy Merriam Webster Dictionary defines the word,

Monday, June 6, 2011

For New Testament Geography I Wasn't Taught in RCIA


There will be no music post this morning folks, because I did music yesterday. Instead, I’m just going to share the map above which shows color-coded tracks of the missionary journeys of St. Paul. As the title to the post suggests, none of this was taught to me while I was in RCIA. I suspect that this is because it is more important to hear the Good News, than it is to learn New Testament geography.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Introducing Fr. Manuel de Zumaya, Composer-Priest (1678-1755)

I think I once heard someone famous claim that the Catholic Church could never produce artists of the caliber of a Beethoven, or Tchaikovsky. Maybe I heard them wrong, but I've been working at disproving that assertion lately. It all started when I learned that Vivaldi was a Catholic priest. And then I bumped into the beautiful polyphony of Fr. Tomás Luis de Victoria.

Of course, there have been beautiful composers of chants and polyphony since the Church began. Remember St. Romanus the Melodist? Awesome story, and amazingly beautiful music. Which brings me to this morning.

There I was just minding my own business, looking for some music to share with you, and somehow I stumbled upon another composer-priest story.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Art and Baseball? It's All A Part of God's Plan

A friend of mine shared the following essay with me recently. She knows I'm a baseball fan, but I'm not sure if she realizes I'm a newbie writer. Either way, it's a good little piece written by the fellow you see in the photograph here.

R.A. Dickey, New York Mets

I have been a baseball player for twenty-eight years, the last fifteen of which I have had the blessing of playing professionally.

Because Blogging For Christ Is Like Being St. Philip


Above is a snapshot of the last 500 visitors to this space. If a picture is worth 1000 words, then this one is worth 1500. As such, I'll be brief. After baptizing the Ethopian eunuch, the Holy Spirit whisked Philip away to evangelize somewhere else. That is what it is like to be a Catholic working in the apostolate of St. Blogs.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Because the Sexual Abuse Scandal is Like The Ribbon Creek Incident

All of you who have never heard of the Ribbon Creek Incident, say "aye!"

Now, all of you who remember those pesky SAT analogy questions that went like this,

apple is to tree, as fish is to _________. a) Christians; b) water; c) sharks; d) pole

say "aye!"

I hope when reading that expression, you went with "b" as your answer.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

For Guerilla Catechesis Like This By Stephen Colbert

Ok, so I don't get to watch television much. I'm not saying I never watch television, but I rarely get to sit down and take in a show, you know, in its entirety. I'd rather be writing, or reading, or watching one of my children's ball games.

Today, though, I was reading Mark Shea's blog and saw this video clip of Stephen Colbert teaching a class on Free Will, Satan, Sin, and Hell, courtesy of an interview he was doing on his comedy show (the Colbert Report) with Professor Philip Zimbardo of Stanford University.

Dear YIMCatholic Readers...

There is something about the month of June that brings about change. Palpable change, just like when the Spring season gives way physically to that of the Summer.

This time last year, I was a junior partner of this blog, having been aboard for a mere six months. Allison Salerno, was even more junior, having officially been brought aboard by Webster Bull at the end of March 2010. We were junior members of a new endeavor called Why I Am Catholic.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

For the Faith and Courage of St. Justin Martyr

It's the first day of a new month on the calendar. Summer breezes are blowing, and the grass is green. In my neck of the woods, school is out and the pools are open. Some folks have already made trips to the beach to enjoy the sun and the sand. You know, to get away from it all.

Juxtaposed against the fantasy of a relaxing vacation to the sound track of the rolling surf, I present you with the trial of the Samaritan named Justin Martyr. What you are about to read took place in the year 165 AD. Let me do a little math in my head, hmm. Yes, about 132 years after Christ died.

Intermission


Some of my favorite songs while you wait patiently for a post.

The Motels, Suddenly, Last Summer.