For All the Saints: Thérèse of Lisieux, The Sincere Lover of Christ

The Little Flower lying on her bed of thorns

It's hard to believe that a year has gone by, but it's the Little Flower's Feast Day again. This time last year, I shared a post in which Thérèse was likened to, and bettered, both Confucius and Lao Tzu. And now, as then, I turn to thoughts on her penned by my friend John C.H. Wu.

To Forgive, But Never Forget

And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain, and when he was set down, his disciples came unto him. And opening his mouth, he taught them, saying:

Because the Church is Paradoxically Intolerant and Tolerant

This isn't the first post I've written on paradoxes of the Catholic faith, nor will it be the last. Remember the one on the Church being paradoxically consistent (and vice versa)? Or how about the one on the "Master of Paradoxes," St. John of the Cross? Like a bull through a china shop, I've again let the cat out of the bag with a title that says everything that I'm about to share with you on the modern "virtue" of tolerance.

Because Words Matter...

Words differently arranged have a different meaning, and meanings differently arranged have different effects. —Blaise Pascal

Yesterday, I shared a post about catechizing the world. That "c" word is one I had never heard of before I was Catholic. It's a complicated sounding word that I probably could never get right during a spelling bee. But it doesn't have to be that fancy sounding,  because all it means is "sharing the Good News" and "teaching the Faith."

Because Love Went to Madrid, And Its Cup Runneth Over

May it find its way through to all the corners of the world. Thanks to Marc Barnes, you can see for yourself.

Quote of the Week

No, my dear brethren, even if you could perform miracles, you will never be saved if you have not charity. Not to have charity is not to know your religion; it is to have a religion of whim, mood, and inclination. Carry on, carry on, you are only hypocrites and outcasts! Without charity, you will never see God, you will never go to heaven!

Alas, my dear brethren, the person who has no charity goes far afield for evil! If someone does him harm, you see him examining all his actions then. He judges them. He condemns them. He turns them all to evil and is always quite certain that he is right.

—St. John Baptiste Marie Vianney, the Cure' d'Ars

Thoughts on the Vicissitudes of Michael Voris & Co. UPDATED

Actually, I have none. Really. I mean stuff like this happens all the time to me. I'm a father of three children and they are all the time doing stuff that a) I don't know about; b) I don't approve of; and c) that I didn't teach them to do. Guess what? I love them anyway.

Thoughts On New Media And Evangelization

I'm not a "new media" expert.
But to me,
"New Media" is old media
without editors,
without barriers,
without bosses.

For the Paradox of the Wide Road on the Narrow Path

Joe Six-Pack, USMC here with a few brief words on Why I Am Catholic. Actually, there is one word that sums up what I am getting at with this post: pluralism.

The Corapi Kerfuffle and Agape (In Reply to a Reader)

A reader writes,

Wow, hey Frank are you really a Christian? Do you actually receive communion with a clear conscience? Do you enjoy stomping on a priest when he's down? That goes for the the other un-Christian commentors above too.

Jasper

Quote of the Week

In recollection, news and vain gossip have no appeal, nor do we like to hear anything that does not advise us to withdraw further into our hearts...for their (the recollected) only wish is to see God with their hearts.

—Fray Francisco de Osuna (1492 - 1540 AD)

The YIMC Community Prayer Intentions List

Today we pray for protection from the storms of life, both natural and man-made. It seems to me that the most devastating storms are those of the man-made variety. They rob us spiritually more than materially.

So our prayers are turned especially to storms of this type today. Let us learn to not let the noise of the gale blot out the signal calling us to life. Let us call on God for the fruits of the Holy Spirit instead of the fruits of this world. For,

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.

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.

For the Royal Wedding Homily From Our Anglican Brethren

Feast of St. Catherine of Siena 

Photo: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire

Even Joe Six-Pack, USMC can appreciate a wedding like this one. The pomp, the circumstance, the sacredness of the institution of marriage upheld. I mean, this is the wedding imagery of the Holy Scriptures brought to life for the world! What's not to like?

And did you hear the wedding homily? No? Given this morning to a world-wide audience by Dr. Richard Chartres, Anglican Bishop of London, it is simply smashing!

Have a look and see if you don't agree.

Because Christ Sacrificed Himself So That We May Live

-Feast of St. Alphege 

Here we are on Tuesday of what we call Holy Week. During this week, way back in the year 33 AD, the forces of human justice, lobbied aggressively by the interested parties of the Pharisees and Sadducees, convinced the Roman procurator, Pontius Pilate, to sentence Jesus to death on a cross. And though the whole mess was a tragic setup, it was all done officially and lawfully.

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

—Feast of St. Stanislaw  

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.

The songs in today's MfM set list move through the stages of Love that we all encounter. But we'll be skipping the puppy love sweetness and head straight to the hard stuff.

Because love and forgiveness go together like peas and carrots, wrapped up in the to-go box called the blues.

To Give Thanks to the Life of My Aunt Dora

Guest Post by Dee Sparacio

102 years and 9 months. That is how long my Aunt Dora Minnefor lived on this great earth. Early yesterday morning, she passed into the loving arms of God. She was an incredible woman. She was independent yet was always there at any time to help others. She was my father's sister . When my mother passed away when I was five years old my dad didn't even ask her, Aunt Dora just moved in. She took wonderful care of my sisters, Melabee and Roberta, and me.

Thanks to My Sisters

Guest Post by Julie Cragon 

One of the greatest gifts God has given me through my parents are my sisters. I hope someday my four girls feel the same way. Whenever I feel overworked, they seem to set me straight. Whenever I feel like I want something more or something that someone else has, they put life back in perspective.

To Leave the Shackles of Human History Behind

Feast of St. Joseph  

It is ironic to run a post with a title claiming that one of the reasons Why I Am Catholic is to leave history behind. Especially when I have argued in the past that one of the reasons I am Catholic today is because of Church history. Let me explain this paradox.

Simply put, the history that I flee, and continue to struggle to leave behind, is not the history that led me to the Church. The history I left behind is an impediment, a barrier if you will, to Truth. Let me give you a few examples.