Savior Song (from Rachael Lampa, a Catholic CCM singer)

Always Be My Home

Book I'm currently reading

"On the Way to Jesus Christ" by the Pope (the current one).

Finished reading a book

I just finished reading a book called "Breakfast With the Pope." My love of Pope John Paul II was, and is, no secret. My sadness came from realizing how often I fail to live what I should.

Feast of the Assumption

Today in church we celebrated the way God rewards faith. Mary had faith enough to risk everything, and God richly rewarded her. May we all be as willing to say yes to God as the Blessed Virgin was. May she be an example to all Christians of how to obey God.

Do you go to confession?

First, let me give a overview of the sacrament of reconciliation for those who aren't Catholic. In Scripture Jesus said that he gave his Apostles the power to forgive sins in his name (through him). "Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained" (John 20: 23). You may also be familiar with the letter of James. "Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful" (James 5: 16). There is an unbroken line of succession from the Apostles to the current bishops and priests. The Apostles believed and taught that the ability of those ordained by Christ to absolve people of their sins would be passed on to their successors down through the ages. Confessing your sins to a priest fulfills the Biblical command given by St James. A priest cannot reveal your confession to anyone else because of the seal of confession, so your secrets are safe with him. Soem people have asked me why Catholics don't confess to God and ask for his forgiveness. I am stunned by this. Do they really think that we don't do that? Every Catholic knows that God is present everywhere, including when you confess, and every Catholics knows that after confession, one must pray an act of contrition.
Do I go to confession? Yes, I do. It's nerve wracking at times, especially when there's a new priest (ok, I still haven't gone to the new priest for confession, but I will today if he's doing Mass) or when I have done something I don't want to admit to. Knowing I'm not doing what I should be doing is more upsetting, however.

Precepts of the Church

I. To attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, and resting from servile works.II. To observe the days of abstinence and fasting.III. To confess our sins to a priest, at least once a year.IV. To receive Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist at least once a year during Easter Season.V. To contribute to the support of the Church.VI. To obey the laws of the Church concerning Matrimony.

On Living In A Protestant Country

Yes, we have freedom of religion, but, as one of my exes takes great pleasure in reminding me, it's a Protestant country, decidedly evangelical/fundamentalist Protestant. I'm sick of being bashed for being Catholic, but we know what Jesus said. People (non-Catholics) do indeed hate us, even people who call themselves Christian. Actually, in my experience, especially those who claim to be Christian. It varies from threats of physical violence to emotional and spiritual abuse. The behavior is anything but Christian, but these people are so brainwashed that they only believe what they've been fed without ever examining it. What are they going to think when they die and find that the Church they've spent their lives attacking is the one started by Christ himself? Vicious people shouldn't call themselves Christian. They bring shame to the name they're claiming. The land of the great religious freedom seems to only offer freedom to not be attacked to those who share the faith of the majority. American history is full of violence towards Catholics, even the politically sanctioned murder of innocent Catholic men, women, and children. What kind of people kill children? Watch what you label yourself. If you call yourself a Christian, you'd better live up to it.

Crazy World

It's a big, scary, crazy world out there where terrorists get on planes determine to end lives and do as much destruction as possible. Why are some human beings so filled with hatred?

Catholics are ethnic creatures

Yes, Catholic definitely cling to whatever ethnicity (or ethnicities) they belong to. For the record, I'm mostly Irish, followed by a good part German, with a little Cherokee, Dutch, and English thrown into the mix. I've met few Catholics who aren't ethnic creatures. Guess what? Most are converts. I'm obsessed with all things Irish, though the church I attend was historically German. Three generations of my family have been baptized there. I'm only third-generation American-born. I can't explain the tight grasp on my ethnicity or anyone else's. Its not unique to Catholics, but it's strong amongst Catholics. I still can't understand how my great-great grandmother on my maternal grandfather's side got away with marrying an Englishman or how she found an English Catholic to begin with. Great-great Granny McGuire must have been one tough lady. I've got Irish coming in from 3/4 of my grandparents. I'll go to German things, but my heart is only really in what's Irish. Red hair could be either German or Irish, though mine looks Irish to me anyway. I've met only two people (both European) who pegged me as German. Everyone else (including others from Europe) sees an Irish girlie. As well they should. I'll have to ask Ewa again to see if she thinks I look Irish or German.

No surprises

What does it mean to be really, really Catholic? Someone actually asked me that. It means no surprises. By that, I don't mean every Catholic who is full-on Catholic knows all there is to know. I mean that it prevents saying the Catholic Church teaches one thing when it doesn't or saying it doesn't teach something when it does. If people really want to know the Catholic Church's real teachings on salvation, redemption, grace, baptism, communion, etc., they can check it out at a Catholic website instead of reading the lies (or, at best, the occasional half-truths) that non-Catholic websites often have. If you wanted to know about the Baltimore Orioles, you wouldn't go to the website of Yankees fans, would you? Common sense, people. I think lots of people who only want to read what anti-Catholics say about Catholics don't really want the truth. Truth is tough. Truth is raw. Truth isn't comforting. If you want to be comfortable, you stay where you are.

Great website

www.catholic.com

Catholics and Evangelicals

Do Catholics fear evangelicals? Define fear! Do we fear the crazy ones who threaten us with violence just for being Catholic? If we are in our right minds, we do. Fear was designed to tell us when we are in danger. Do we fear evangelicals in other ways? Not a chance. This is not an anti-evangelical post. It's a response to evangelical comments about Catholics being afraid. These remarks were made on a Catholic forum by evangelicals. Some pompous guy decided that only evangelicals are chosen by God and that Catholics fear them. Bull! First of all, the Catholic Church was started by Jesus Christ himself. So other churches are the churches of mere men! Secondly, that attitude of being the only ones acceptable to God makes them modern day Pharisees. Do I think Protestants are rejected by Christ? No, I don't. Do I think they are missing out on part of the truth? Yes, I do.