Testimony to Truth

The Act of Contrition

2011-12-21T21:59:00.003-05:00

"O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin."

The Act of Contrition is one of those prayers that we learn fairly early in our lives. Certainly we've learned this prayer or one similar to it before we made our first confession, and we say it every time we visit the Sacrament of Penance. Did you know, though, that it's pretty useful outside of the context of the confessional?? In fact, this prayer is one of the most powerful prayers you could ever say. I'll explain why I think it is so powerful a prayer in a minute, but first some background.

Mortal Sin

Ooohh.. gross. That's not a fun topic, now is it? Maybe that's why it's not talked about a lot.. though I think it's pretty important that we quickly address it. So, when we sin... it can fall into one of two categories: venial or mortal. Venial sins are the small stuff.. dangerous, they hurt our relationship with God, but they're not huge. Mortal sins deal with 'grave matter'- that is, they're pretty serious. It doesn't have to be so serious as killing someone, but sins of impurity, for example, are all serious enough to be mortal. For a sin to be a mortal sin, it has to be of 'grave matter', you have to know what you're doing and that what you're doing is bad, and you have to consent to doing it. Get all three conditions, and it's a mortal sin.

So what does mortal sin do? The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that a mortal sin causes you to lose "the state of grace. If it is not redeemed by repentance and God's forgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ's kingdom and the eternal death of hell." (CCC #1861) In other words, if we die without having that sin taken care of, we condemn ourselves to Hell. NOT GOOD. Also, without that grace of the Holy Ghost living inside of us, we're in a bad place to do the work of God, we'll more easily fall into more sin, and we can't receive Holy Communion!

So... the obvious answer is Confession. If you've committed a mortal sin, or seriously, if it's been a month... get to the confessional. But let's say that you can't get to Confession for a whole week, or this sin is really weighing you down, or you're living in Saudi Arabia where there are no priests.. there must be another way!

Perfect Contrition

Perfect contrition. Perfect contrition is being sorry for your sins because they offend God. It's different from imperfect contrition, which is being sorry for your sins because they're bad and you don't want to lose Heaven. To have perfect contrition, pray the act of contrition and:

Mean what you pray. It's not an automatic deal.
Be motivated by God's grace. You're doing this because you don't want to offend God, and it's by God's help that you're getting out of this mess.
Be sorry for ALL your mortal sins. Be sorry for your smaller sins, too, but especially the big ones. Now you don't have to be crying, or even 'feel' sorry. You just have to know that you've offended God and that that's not a good thing.
HATE your sin. Hate it above all things. God is so good, and even the smallest sin hurts Him. We should rather die than commit a mortal sin against our Father.

Now, if you can do all of that.. (Hint: Ask God for the grace.. He'll give it to you) if you can do all of that, and if you intend to go to Confession soon.. your sins are forgiven that very moment! You still have to go to Confession, and you can't receive Communion until you do.. but your soul is cleansed! What a great gift God has given us in perfect contrition. Like I said before, this prayer is one of the most powerful prayers... because by truly praying it, we can go from being on the highway to Hell... and in an instant be back in God's grace.

So I encourage you, pray the Act of Contrition every day! Don't wait for Confession. And speaking of waiting, don't wait for Confession! A priest told me that the rule of thumb is every two weeks... once a month if you can't make it that often. And if you can't make it because of school or family obligations, just find the priest after Mass. If he doesn't have time then, he'll work something out with you! Don't put it off... grace is the most awesome gift, but we need to accept it and keep it. Regular confession and the Act of Contrition will help us to do just that.

What shall I render to the Lord....?

2011-12-13T13:59:00.005-05:00

What shall I render to the Lord for all that He hath rendered unto me? I will take the Chalice of Salvation, and call upon the Name of the Lord. Praising, I will call upon the Lord and I shall be saved from my enemies.

Without a doubt... my favorite prayer from the Mass. Well, other than the "This is my Body... This is my Blood", but that goes without saying. This prayer is found in the traditional Latin Mass, and is said by the priest immediately before drinking the Precious Blood. It's part of the Eucharistic Prayer, so it is silent. But that's okay... because the priest isn't talking to me, you know? He's talking to God. And God can hear whispers. In Latin. :)

That being said, I have my hand missal, so I follow along and read this prayer and make it my own. A few weeks ago I thought a bit on this beautiful prayer, taken from the Psalms. (Psalm 115 or 116, depending on your translation.) What shall I render (give) to the Lord, for all that He has rendered (given) unto me? Think about that last part... all that the Lord has given to us. Life, health, family, comfort. In the context of the Mass, He has just given us His Body and Blood on the altar. The priest has just taken His Body into himself- they are now one, the priest and Christ. We are about to receive Holy Communion. What awesome gifts!

So how can we ever repay Him? What shall we render to the Lord in return for these favors?! The prayer continues... I will take the Chalice of Salvation, and call upon the Name of the Lord. I will call upon the Lord and I shall be saved from my enemies. :-O In return for all His gifts given, we ask for more grace!! Save us, O Lord! That is what we ask for- that is our gift back to God. And it is a gift He is most pleased with.

One night before bed, I went through my examination of conscience. I had really screwed up that day, and this prayer came back to my mind. What shall I give back to God for all that He has given me? Well, what did I give back to God that day? Broke at least 5 or 6 of his 10 Commandments. Before I let myself get too depressed, I said my act of contrition and thought more on this prayer. God knows full well that we repay Him with our sins. Even so, He gave us the Cross, He gave us the Mass. The Holy Mass is said every day throughout the world. Priests are everywhere, restoring us to God's grace in the Sacrament of Penance. So even though we screw up epically, when it's so easy to give back to God that which He wants... God's grace is amazing and always there for us. So let's take advantage of that grace, call upon the name of the Lord, and be saved.

Resurrection?

2011-12-13T13:23:00.002-05:00

On the suggestion of a friend, I'm going to give this blog another go. It's been just shy of 2 years since I last posted on this blog. Testimony to Truth has been around since April 2005.. in fact, I started writing during the interregnum (the time between the reigns of John Paul II and Benedict XVI). Much has changed in my life since I started in 2005, and much has changed even since I last wrote 2 years ago. It's such a strange experience, going back and reading what you wrote years ago... peering into your own mind.

We change, but Christ stays the same. Christus heri, hodie, et semper! Christ yesterday, today, and forever! What a reassuring thought. As I'm writing this I'm reminded of a line from that Catholics Come Home commercial... "In this world filled with chaos, hardship, and pain, it's comforting to know that some things remain consistent, true, and strong: our Catholic Faith and the eternal love that God has for all creation."

God hasn't abandoned me, throughout the trials and hardships. His promise is true. (Hebrews 13:5) Only we can make that decision to abandon God. So here is a prayer that I always remain in God's grace, and never lose sight of that blessed hope, never stray from the path. I invite y'all to join me on my path, my journey. Testimony to Truth has been resurrected. Rededicated. All for Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary: Mother of God, Mother of the Church.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-23T22:21:00.005-05:00

Tomorrow at the Midnight Mass we will welcome once again the Christ Child. I've been looking forward to this Christmas with great anticipation!! The Christmas 'novena' ends on Christmas Eve, and I've been praying hard for a special grace. So we'll see how those prayers are answered!

Also, today I caved in and started up the Christmas music. In addition to the wonderful carols and a few nice secular songs that evoke the Christmas spirit, I've been enjoying listening to the Missa O Magnum Mysterium by Victoria and the motet of the same name which serves as the theme for the ordinary of this Mass. (Listen to it here.)

O great mystery, and wonderful sacrament,
that animals should see the newborn Lord,
lying in a manger!
Blessed is the Virgin whose womb
was worthy to bear Christ the Lord. Alleluia!

And now for a little bit of laughter, something we all need:

Should I Stand or Should I Kneel?

2009-12-21T04:36:00.005-05:00

"That ain't no short nun. She's kneeling!"

I don't want to go into the circumstances that prompted me to write this, but here it is... Part 1 of 2 (I think) on kneeling for Holy Communion. Part 2 will deal with objections to kneeling and a refutation of those objections. Part 1 is well... read and see!

In Jesus and Mary,

Jonathan Knox

-----------------------------------------------------

Well, this blog is all but dead. That happens. But for whoever still comes by to check in every once in a while… I’m on break from university and I happen to have something to talk about.

What should we think about our posture at our reception of Holy Communion? Unless you are the Pope celebrating a missa solemnis in the traditional rite (he sits) or you’re on your death bed (you’re lying down), there are two options. The common manner in the majority of churches today is to receive standing. On the other hand, there are some, myself included, who choose to kneel.

So what’s all the fuss about? When it comes down to it, what matters most is that we have a proper interior disposition when we receive Our Lord’s sacred Body and Blood. We should be reverent, humble, free from sin, and full of adoration for this great Gift. Our external posture, however, is not some superfluous action. Common sense will tell you that the external aids in the direction of the internal. It also reflects what is going on inside, so the rest of the world may see. Now God who is omniscient knows all and could receive our worship and adoration without us saying a word or moving a finger. We as Catholics, though, worship together as one body- the Body of Christ. Therefore it pleases God when we carry out the externals of the Liturgy and our own private devotions. Again, it is a no brainer that praying the Rosary kneeling in front of a statue of Our Lady or in front of the Blessed Sacrament is more appropriate and fitting than praying it while reclining on the couch- beads in one hand, beer in the other. But when it comes down to it, our posture is not something of divine and Catholic faith, but something of our culture. That does not mean that it changes willy nilly, according to the ‘culture’ of the times. Rather, it is a part of our deep seated Catholic culture and tradition.

So let us examine the two typical ways of receiving Holy Communion. First, we have standing. In the earliest years of the Church, Christians received Holy Communion standing. It seems, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, that kneeling did not become a common practice until a few centuries into the history of the Church. Even then, kneeling only took over in the West. The Eastern Christians have never understood kneeling as a sign of adoration. They stand for their Divine Liturgy, bowing profoundly at the Consecration as a sign of adoration. Also, in place of genuflecting, our Eastern brethren give a profound bow. So standing is a position of prayer, especially liturgical prayer, but not a sign of adoration.

So while in the Eastern Churches they adore by a profound body bow, in the West we kneel to express adoration. When we enter a church or pass in front of the Blessed Sacrament, we bend our knee. Where does this come from? Going back to the Old Testament and the early Church, kneeling was reserved for prayers of supplication and repentance. It is therefore a good and pious practice to pray prayers of thanksgiving and praise while standing. For this reason, whenever we hear “Let us pray”, we spring to our feet! There is a difference, however, when it comes to the most sacred point of the Mass- the Canon, the Eucharistic Prayer, the Consecration. Here, we kneel. We kneel because a king is coming, is making himself present in our midst. This is where kneeling in the popular sense comes from… it is a symbol of humility and obedience. Kneeling renders us completely vulnerable, unable to run away or even defend ourselves. We are completely exposed and we lay ourselves at the feet of the one who is over us. In the Holy Mass, it is no earthly ruler, but the King of Kings who comes to us. How can we not fall to our knees at His coming?

Very well, we have spoken of how we kneel in adoration, humility, and obedience at the Eucharistic Prayer. Most all Roman Catholics do this. The issue is kneeling for Holy Communion. While standing is the older practice, and it is allowed, let us see if it is the wisest choice. Yes, we have always acknowledged that the Sacred Species become the Body and Blood of Our Lord. Our knowledge and understanding of this mystery, however, has deepened over the course of time. As time passed, the Church in her wisdom and the pious sense of the faithful has decided that we must give the utmost reverence and adoration to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Remember what kneeling means: humility, submission, obedience, laying bare oneself, all in adoration. We worship God because He is above us, greater than us, and yet He loves us as His children. When it comes time to receive the very Creator of the world into our own bodies, should we just walk up and receive Him, maybe giving a little bow? Not with our idea of adoration. Think of it this way- if Jesus came in some apparition, would we just stand there? No, we would fall to our knees. We would consider ourselves so unworthy to be accorded such an honor. Humility. We would recognize that He is greater than us and that we must do as He commands. Submission and obedience. We would be so in awe of His Majesty that we would give ourselves completely to Him at that very moment. We would recognize sin for the ugly thing that it is and turn away from everything unholy and toward His will. Laying bare ourselves. To sum it up, we would ADORE Him. Now that’s fine for an out of this world visible appearance of Jesus Christ. But hold on, isn’t that exactly what happens when He comes to us and we to Him at Holy Communion? The only difference is that we cannot see the glory. In the appearance, the accidents, of bread and wine it is much more difficult to recognize that we are at the feet of the Most High God.

Since it is harder to recognize, shouldn’t we then do everything in our ability to help us recall this fact? Should we hurry on up to receive Jesus, or should we wait for Him, showing Him the reverence due to the All Powerful, Almighty God? Yes, friends, we should do all that we can to aid us in a worthy recognition and reception of Our Lord in the Most Holy Sacrament. Therefore, I encourage you to follow the example of our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI, who distributes Holy Communion only to people who are kneeling and receiving Him directly on their tongues. I urge you to consider kneeling for Holy Communion.

“At the name of Jesus every knee should bow.”
- Philippians 2:10

Matthew Hollister

2009-05-22T14:15:00.001-04:00

If you come across this, drop me a line please.

jonkknox@ufl.edu

Thanks and God bless.

In Jesus and Mary,
Jon

What is the Church?

2009-05-18T20:38:00.004-04:00

It is a sad fact that Christians are divided and do not share a common belief on several key issues. The division in doctrine is one of the great stumbling blocks that non-believers have to deal with when looking at Christianity. Our Lord did not mean it to be this way. The night before He died, Jesus prayed for the Church that they may be one, even as the Father and the Son are one, so that the world may know that the Father sent the Son. Since Christian unity is of the utmost concern to Our Lord, we should do all in our power to resolve those differences. One way to do so is to learn and share what is the Truth, and then pray that those who are in error have the courage and humility to submit to the Truth of Christ. So one of the purposes of this blog is to share what I have found to be the Truth in Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the constant belief of Christianity. There are several differences between Catholics and Protestants, but one of the greatest is the difference in ecclesiology, that is the belief of what exactly is the Church.

Now I am a Catholic, and I hold that the Catholic Church is the Church Christ founded and that the fullness of the Truth can be found in the Catholic Church. So the answer to me is obvious, that Protestants should believe as Catholics believe. Protestants, however, would have to accept several doctrines that are foreign to them- teachings on contraception, the Virgin Mary, the Pope, the Sacraments, apostolic succession… and this can be a daunting task. The key to understanding all the things that Catholics believe is to understand what Catholics believe about the Church itself. If one finds the truth of the Catholic Church’s ecclesiology, what the Church is, then all the other objections give way and things begin to make sense. We must believe these teachings because Christ’s Church teaches them.

So what is the Church? Is it just the sum total of all Christians, an ‘invisible church’ whose members are known to God alone? Or is it a visible institution? Well, the Catholic faith teaches that the Church is the Mystical Body of Christ (Ephesians 4; Mystici Corporis Christi). Saint Paul says that we are baptized into the Body of Christ: “For as the body is one, and hath many members; and all the members of the body, whereas they are many, yet are one body, so also is Christ. For in one Spirit were we all baptized into one body” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13). The Church is the Body of Christ, not just symbolically, but so real that the Church acts as one organism and one that Jesus identifies Himself with. Again we read from Saint Paul, “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:27-28). Reminded of Saint Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus, we see that Jesus asks Paul “Why do you persecute me?” Paul was persecuting the Church… the Body of Christ!

Since the Church is a body, it must be visible. The New Testament shows that Christ founded a visible Church. It is evident that Our Lord intended a visible Church with authority. Only then can these words of Jesus make sense:

“If thy brother shall offend against thee, go, and rebuke him between him and thee alone. If he shall hear thee, thou shalt gain thy brother. And if he will not hear thee, take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may stand. And if he will not hear them, tell the Church. And if he will not hear the Church, let him be to thee as a heathen and a publican.” (Matthew 18:15-17)

In the current Protestant model, it is impossible to tell the Church and for believers to hear the Church. Say, for example, that a Baptist and a Methodist get into a disagreement. Who would they go to for their conflict to be resolved? Also, let's think about the Bible. How did we get the list of the books for the New Testament? Obviously, there was no inspired list of books. Who would determine the requirements for a book to be considered canonical? Only a visible, institutional Church could decide what books were part of the New Testament and expect all Christians to believe them? Or consider the ecumenical councils. The First Council of Nicaea in 325 had to deal with Arianism. The Arians were a group of people who believed that the Son was not of the same substance as the Father, that there was a time that Jesus did not exist, therefore Jesus is inferior in some way to God the Father. Could we just use the Bible to defeat their heresy? That is what the Protestants would have us do, and it is a laudable attempt. The problem, however, is that the Arians used the Gospels to justify their position. They were lucky that they happened to agree on the 'canonicity' of the Gospels, but that wasn't a given either.. some people accepted less books and some accepted more than the 27 we have today that could clearly justify their beliefs.

There needed to be a definitive source of authority- the bishops, who had been given that authority by the men who ordained them. These men could trace their authority back to the apostles. When these bishops taught together, they formed the visible component of the teaching Church. The next question, then, is if these bishops had authority then... when did they lose that authority so the Protestant reformers could challenge them and break away?

Just some things to think about!

Saint Augustine's and Notre Dame, Part 2

2009-05-13T22:02:00.002-04:00

Father David Ruchinski has posted the following response regarding Father Gillespie's Notre Dame remarks.

------------------

For those who are interested in the pastor’s position regarding President Obama’s visit to Notre Dame, the following is a copy of the letter he sent to the White House last week.

Dear Mr. President:

I write to thank you for accepting the invitation to speak at Notre Dame’s Spring Commencement. I trust that you will share wise words with the graduates, their faculty, family, and friends.

I hope you will also take the opportunity to listen while you are there, to see the vital witness of a Catholic university in action, engaging in dialogue, in the pursuit of truth and living action. The sharp and, at times, embittering reaction of some to your invitation, may not represent all Catholics. But I think there is a unanimity of concern by Catholics and others of good will, at the possibility that your administration might broaden access to abortions, ease legal and legitimate restrictions, and compel cooperation by health workers and professional doctors, physician assistants, and nurses in performing abortions. I hope you will not try to lead our country in such directions. I certainly will not follow, nor will the vast majority of Catholics.

Like is a gift from God, to be valued and protected from conception to natural death. It is in defense of human dignity and worth that we oppose abortion and the death penalty. Life is a seamless garment, not to be ripped asunder or economically apportioned out to high bidders.

Please re-enter the dialogue with people who oppose abortion, and especially at Notre Dame with the Catholic Church, so that renewed witness may re-shape your priorities and policies. Just as the hope for stem-cell research can be realized in moral ways, so the desire to help pregnant women facing difficult decisions can be accomplished without taking baby’s innocent life.

As St. Paul argues in the Letter to the Romans (Rm 13: 1), since all authority comes ultimately from God, may you deserve the respect and honor (Rm 13: 7) we give you as our president: “he whom you serve is the Lord” (Rm 12: 11).

Peace,

Rev. John D. Gillespie
Pastor
Director of the Catholic Student Center

Fr. Gillespie believes strongly in the importance of dialogue as called for by Pope Paul VI in his encyclical Ecclesiam suam. At the heart of a university is respectful dialogue.

---------------------

I tried posting the following, but my attempts were met by a blank screen except for the word "discarded". Haha! Not sure what that is about.

---------------------
I am glad that Father Gillespie wrote to President Obama, laying out the Church's teaching on the sanctity of life.

I don't think anybody is trying to be 'intolerant' of people, but we must be 'intolerant' of certain ideas if 'tolerance' is to mean that we believe that President's Obama's position on 'choice' is a valid opinion to hold.

What the University of Notre Dame is doing is not dialogue. The president will be given an honorary degree, as well as a platform to speak. Matt brings up a good point in that the bishops of the United States clearly said in Catholics in Political Life:
"The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions."

Some 75 bishops have come out and said that Notre Dame's decision is a serious error and a grave scandal. The point I like to consider is this: would we allow a hypothetical man who supports the right to kill daily 4,000 Jews? Of course not! The idea is completely ludicrous. We need to realize that the unborn baby is just as important as any human life, and that we should not honor those who support this genocide. Respectful dialogue is at the heart of the university, yes.. but the Catholic university MUST remain "Ex corde ecclesiae"- at the heart of the Church.

I'm Not the Only One Complaining

2009-05-13T00:09:00.004-04:00

Well, I'm not the only one that "stirs the pot" it seems. I was looking at St. Augustine's blog tonight. The blog is used mostly for suggestions on ways to work through the financial situation.. but other topics come up in the comment box from time to time. Here is a comment from Monday, May 11.

NOTE: This is second hand information, so I can't vouch for the authenticity. The commenter was anonymous, and I don't know anyone who went to the 9 AM Mass this past Sunday. I was 150 miles away from Gainesville... thank God.

"According to the topic of this blog “Your Feedback Matters”, so I would like it to be known that I completely disagree with the Sermon given by Fr. Gillespie at the 9AM mass on May 10, 2009, in reference to Notre Dame inviting President Obama to speak. While I completely respect the position of President of the United States, this does not mean that the person holding this position has the right to violate my personal beliefs. Let me make it clear that it is not because Barack Obama is not Catholic that I oppose his speaking at Notre Dame; it is because Barack Obama is pro-abortion that I oppose his speaking engagement. Fr Gillespie needs to re-think his position as a Catholic priest if he truly believes it is okay for Notre Dame to invite Barack Obama, a known pro-abortionist, to speak at their Commencement ceremony."

Did Father Gillespie really defend the University of Notre Dame's decision to honor President Obama? Even though the bishops said in 2004 that Catholic universities are not to honor pro-abortion politicians? Even though some 75 bishops, including Bishop Galeone, have publicly come out against Notre Dame's decision? Hmm. I want to give Father Gillespie the benefit of the doubt- perhaps the sermon was misunderstood, or perhaps the commenter is a liar. It would be nice to have some confirmation either way.

I Am A Rightwinged Extremist

2009-04-15T00:23:00.004-04:00

... according to the United States federal government.

A report from the Department of Homeland Security has labeled pro-lifers as a right-wing extremist group similar to white supremacist groups.

"Rightwing extremism in the United States can be broadly divided into those groups, movements, and adherents that are primarily hate-oriented (base don hatred of particular religious, racial, or ethnic groups), and those that are mainly antigovernment, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely. It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration."

Pretty scary, eh? It's not going to take much for it to be illegal to be pro-life, anti-gay marriage, eventually Catholic. Look at China... there the Communist Party controls the election of bishops in the "Patriotic Catholic Church" structure. If you speak out against the Communists, fat chance of you being a part of the party approved church. There's an underground group of Catholics that have to meet secretly.. and many of their bishops are imprisoned and tortured. What will it take for that to come to the United States? Don't doubt that it will happen.

Pray for the exaltation and liberty of Holy Mother Church!

Catholics Come Home

2009-04-11T01:56:00.002-04:00

Tonight at the Easter Vigil, thousands of people will become Catholic. Also, many who left the Church before receiving the sacrament of Confirmation will be welcomed back and be strengthened by the Holy Ghost in this sacrament.

I just wanted to share with you a video that I absolutely love. Whether you're someone who has left the Church or if you've never been in full communion with Christ's Church, the Catholic Church is here to welcome you home. Jesus is waiting to welcome you home.

Behold the Wood of the Cross

2009-04-11T00:10:00.004-04:00

Behold the wood of the Cross, on which hung the Salvation of the world.

I hope all of you are having a most excellent Sacred Triduum so far. I have been blessed to be with many of my friends at Ocala for the traditional Mass of Holy Thursday and today's Sacred Liturgy with the chanting of the Passion, the great intercessions, and the veneration of the cross. Tomorrow night is a solemn high Mass for the Easter Vigil. I can't wait...

Today I watched the Passion of the Christ again. I firmly believe that everyone should watch this movie. It does such a good job of showing the suffering that Christ went through. He suffered so much because He loved us. I'm sure that there could have been an easier way for Him to shed His blood for our redemption. But God chose this most painful of deaths.

Now it was our sins that made Him go through with this. Every time we sin, we are just as bad as the Jews who spit in his face, or the Romans who scourged Him so violently. So I think it's a good idea to meditate frequently on the Passion of the Lord. Whenever we're tempted, we should put in our minds the suffering that Jesus endured.

I pray that you all have a good Holy Saturday, and a blessed Easter. It's almost here!

In Jesus and Mary,
Jon

National Geographic: Bikinis Make Men See Women As Objects

2009-04-10T02:45:00.001-04:00

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/02/090216-bikinis-women-men-objects.html

Well, there you go. Could have told you that years ago.
Women, please cover up. Men have crazy wild imaginations and don't need any help. One-pieces rock.

Godson!

2009-04-09T00:09:00.004-04:00

At 7:41 in the morning on March 26, Theodore Charles Ignatius Jerge was born at 9 pounds, 6 ounces and a week overdue! That night I had a plane ticket to Virginia... at 3:00 in the morning on the 27th I left Gainesville and with baby Teddy not only 24 hours old I had landed in Baltimore. It was a hectic weekend, but I was so blessed and honored to be able to be a part of his baptism. My 'Catholic Mom' asked me back in November if I would be the godfather to the new baby. I happily said yes and had been eagerly looking forward to the baby's birth and baptism.

So what's a godfather? Godparents act as sponsors at the child's baptism. My next post will be on Baptism and the legitimacy of infant Baptism... Since little Teddy couldn't profess the faith he was being baptized into, Katrina (the godmother) and I did so for him. Also, for the rest of my life I am to be an example of living out the Catholic Faith, in my words and actions. While the parents are responsible for the religious education of the child, should they be unable to for whatever reason, the godparents make sure that the child learns the Faith, so he can live up to the baptismal vows that were made on his behalf. I'm praying for Teddy every day, that he will grow up to be a good Catholic who loves his God and his Church.

CSF Retreat, etc

2009-04-08T23:32:00.003-04:00

I promised this a while ago... but I got sidetracked (explanation in the next post)

A few weeks ago I went with about 50 other college students to the second annual CSF Retreat. The retreat is a Eucharist-centered weekend full of talks, testimonies, daily Mass, and perpetual adoration. It is an amazing experience... and just what I needed when I needed it most. Retreats serve to take you out of your normal hustle and bustle and draw you closer to God.

My favorite thing about these retreats is the opportunity for adoration of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. As Catholics we believe that when Jesus said "This is my body" He really meant it! Jesus Christ is truly present in the Eucharist- this is the constant teaching of the Church back to the earliest Christians. So to be able to go to the chapel at four in the morning and kneel alone in front of Our Lord... wow.

Many thanks go to Father David Ruchinski, a good and holy priest who said Mass each day and led the various liturgical rites. Thanks also go to Father Gillespie and Father Bower, along with the other priests who came to hear many confessions late into the night.

Before I close this post out, I want to draw some attention to a new blog. My friend Cliff Whitty, a seminarian for the Diocese of Saint Petersburg has created Catholic Eye Candy. This blog features posts of beautiful images from our Church's tradition, tied together with a reflection. Go check it out!

Heretical

2009-03-22T23:23:00.002-04:00

I love reading the stats on people who come to my blog.

One frequent visitor from Gainesville recently paid a visit- once they got to the blog they did a search for 'heretical'. Made me chuckle, even though heresy isn't anything to laugh about.

Will be posting soon about the CSF retreat, and also a plug for a friend's new blog.

Pro-Life Observations on the Archangels

2009-02-22T01:14:00.003-05:00

This thought on the archangels came to me as I was praying at Bread and Roses, one of our "abortion clinics" in Gainesville. I figured it was pretty interesting, so I prayed some more about it and looked to the different passages in the Bible that talked about these angels. I believe that all the angels, and especially Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael can help us in the fight against abortion.

God created His angels to serve him, give Him worship, be messengers to earth.. but they can also help us and carry our prayers to the Father! In the Bible we know the names of three of the archangels- Gabriel, Raphael, and Michael. All three of these angels are 'famous' for some particular characteristic that they seem to specialize in.

Gabriel is the angel of good news, God's chief messenger to men. It is interesting that the two New Testament references to Gabriel both have him announcing conceptions and births! It was Gabriel who appeared to Zacharias and announced that his wife Elisabeth would have a son, John. Six months later, Gabriel brought the news to Mary that she would conceive and give birth to the Son of God! We should ask Gabriel to look after the women who are considering abortion. We need to pray that God makes known to them that they are carrying a child, a precious life that deserves to be brought into this world.

Raphael is the least well known, since he appears in the book of Tobit. So Protestants probably don't recognize him at all, though the Jews recognize him and all Christians for at least 1500 years recognized him as an angel and Tobit as a real book of the Old Testament. Raphael came to Tobias and healed him of his blindness. Also, in John 5:2-4, we read of the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem. An angel of the Lord descended into the pool, stirring it up. The first person to go into the pool after the disturbance was healed. The Church has always considered this particular angel to be Raphael. His very name means "It is God who heals". Women who are looking to have an abortion are in need of healing... physically and spiritually. Those who go through with the procedure definitely need healing and forgiveness. Let us pray to St. Raphael that God heal these women.

I save Michael for last because he is the coolest (aka- he's my confirmation saint). Michael is the prince of the heavenly host! It was he who came to Joshua (Joshua 5:13-15) identifying himself as the commander of the army of the Lord. He contended with the prince of Persia for the liberation of the Jewish people in Daniel, and it was he who expelled Lucifer and his evil angels from heaven. He is the spiritual warrior of spiritual warriors. Abortion is the province of Satan, and be sure that every woman who is faced with an 'unwanted pregnancy' has at least one demon whispering in her ear, "go ahead, have an abortion." Every man who pressures his girlfriend or wife to have an abortion... he has a devil prodding him to do this. We ought to ask Michael the archangel to repel the attacks of the evil one and his minions. Too long has Satan been influencing men and women to choose death, to choose abortion.

We can counsel women, we can raise awareness, we can write politicians... but abortion is a plague of the devil, and a spiritual battle must be fought. The angels, and especially these three archangels, are our mighty and powerful allies in the war against abortion. They are the ones who stand in the throne room of God, who see Him face to face. We can, and must, ask for their protection and intercession!

In Jesus and Mary,
Jonathan

College Student Cooking

2009-02-15T22:39:00.006-05:00

I made spaghetti tonight.

On a recent trip to Publix using the always reliable (reliably late) RTS- I picked up a few boxes of spaghetti and various sauces- marinara, tomato and basil, etc.. so tonight after Holy Mass I decided to cook some dinner.

Setting up the kitchen

When one is cooking 'Italian', one needs Italian music! Mr. Josh Groban provided the ambiance.

The busy college life sometimes demands that one leave dirty pots and pans in the room for a few days or so. Make sure to scrub your pots!

Time to get the marinara sauce started. I mean, I poured it out of the jar... there's not much to do here. Let it sit on a low setting and remember to stir it!

There goes the spaghetti! I used a little under half a pound (about half the box) for myself. About 1.5 cups of the sauce should cover it.

Reeses Pieces!! We have a side dish!

Sierra Mist goes well with spaghetti and marinara. Here's a little trick I learned at a restaurant in France.

Oh! What's that noise at the bird feeder!?
Ursus americanus... of course. Silly bear! Get down from there! The birds will be scared away for a few days.

Meanwhile...

The finished product! Voila! Good, easy, cheap!

Merry Christmas!

2009-01-01T16:45:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas, happy new year, and happy feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord and of Mary, Mother of God! May God richly bless you all in this new year.

Advent

2008-12-08T01:18:00.002-05:00

It's been a month since my last post... Finally tonight I felt like writing something, but not like proofreading it or making it sound good. Happy Advent!
---------------------------

Advent is one of my favorite seasons. I’m afraid that makes me in the minority… since most people are not really celebrating it. For many people, Christmas comes the day after Thanksgiving and ends on the 25th. As Catholics, though, we should remember that Christmas begins on Christmas Eve and ends later in January! The time from about the beginning of December to Christmas Eve is the season of Advent. I believe that all Christians could benefit from a greater appreciation of this season.

Advent comes from the Latin to come to. The One who comes is obviously Christ, our Savior. In the Advent season we prepare for this coming through various means- chief among them the Holy Mass. The amazing thing, though, is that Advent is much more than just a remembrance of Christmas and preparing for the coming of the Christ Child. From the Catholic Encyclopedia:

During Advent, the faithful are admonished to prepare themselves worthily to celebrate the anniversary of the Lord’s coming into the world as the incarnate God of love, thus to make their souls fitting abodes for the Redeemer coming in Holy Communion and through grace, and thereby to make themselves ready for His final coming as judge, at death and at the end of the world.

So with Advent, we think about both the first and second comings (advents) of Christ. All the while, we have Him here in our midst- Emmanuel, God with us. In the Word of God proclaimed, where two or three (or more of course) are gathered in His name, His Holy Spirit within us, and above all in the Most Holy Eucharist.

When we look at the first coming of Christ, we place ourselves in the shoes of the world waiting for the Messiah. The Old Testament is full of men who prophesied the coming anointed one who would redeem the world. One way to go back in time and look toward Our Lord’s first coming is by assisting at Mass, where the prayers are taken directly from Scripture. During the Advent season, many of the words taken from the Bible are prophesies of Christ’s coming.

By looking back to look forward to Christ’s first coming, we are reminded of His future second coming. Christ will come again at the end of the world, but perhaps for us we will meet Him sooner- at our deaths. For this reason, many of the prayers taken from Sacred Scripture serve a second purpose- to remind us that we will soon be with the Lord. We must make ourselves ready for that meeting- for both the particular and general judgments. We need to live our lives in accordance with God’s will so we will be reading for the second advent of Our Lord. Advent is an especially good time to think about our lives, how we are serving God, how we could do better… and about our deaths, our judgment, heaven, and hell.

“Brethren, knowing the time, that it is now the hour for us to rise from sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we believed. The night is past, and the day is at hand; let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light.” – Romans 13:11-12

Come quickly, Lord Jesus! Come in glory!

Post-Election Thoughts

2008-11-08T02:25:00.002-05:00

I wrote this as a Facebook note late election night (probably early, early November 5 actually):

Tonight has been very hard for me. Watching the television and hearing the mobs honk and yell outside my dorm, I am tempted to give up all hope and sink deep into depression. After thinking and praying, though, I am more convinced that we cannot be duped into this. So here is what I think we ought to do...

Actually, first, let me express my deep disappointment with people who have helped elect Barack Obama to the presidency. Shame on you. You, especially those of you who call yourself a follower of Jesus Christ, should be so ashamed. If you are a Catholic, you need to go to confession. Catholic or not, if you call yourself a Christian you need to get on your knees and cry out to God for forgiveness. You have helped bring to power the most pro-abortion candidate in our history. When (if, actually.. I will fight this) the Freedom of Choice Act becomes law, know that you helped expand abortions to their greatest extent since Roe v Wade and Doe v Bolton. If you tried to explain away your vote by saying that Obama's policies will reduce abortions, stop it! Our God is not mocked. Repent or you will answer for the blood of the unborn.

Now, that is out of the way. What must we do now that Barack Obama has been elected? First, we must pray. Pray every day and every night as we have been doing. Remember 2 Chronicles 7:14- we must pray, seek the face of the Lord, and turn from our wicked ways. Then He will forgive us our sins and heal our land. Pray for the unborn, pray for their mothers, pray for the conversion of the pro-abortion government leaders.

Other than pray, what else? I mentioned the Freedom of Choice Act. We must petition our representatives and senators to fight this bill in the next Congress. Barack Obama has already said that he will sign this bill into law. Perhaps the Democrats don't have 60 senate seats to block a filibuster, but they might not need 60 Democrats. Just because a senator is a Republican doesn't mean he's pro-life. Look at Arlen Specter for goodness sake. Find out who your representatives are, and write to them if they will be in the 111th Congress. Let them know that support of FOCA will be their last mistake as your representative.

Did I mention pray?

Lastly, don't give up. I am reminded by quite possibly one of the most beautiful songs: a forty-part motet called Spem in alium. Here is an English translation:

I have never put my hope in any other but in you,
O God of Israel
who can show both anger
and graciousness,
and who absolves all the sins of suffering man
Lord God,
Creator of Heaven and Earth
be mindful of our humiliation.

I have never put my hope in any other but in you, O God. He is in control.

I Need a Retreat

2008-11-06T00:29:00.003-05:00

I need a retreat. Too bad I can't even get away from school for a weekend.

Don't even want to talk about the election...

Lord have mercy.

A Liturgical Story in Pictures

2008-11-01T23:37:00.002-04:00

I'd just like to share three pictures with all of you. Each is of a different stage in the life of the famous 'Altar of the Chair' at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Above- the old high altar, marble, against the wall for Mass said versus Deum.

Above- the modern bronze anvil style altar that was put in under the reign of the liberal wreckovators. The beautiful marble altar against the wall was removed and replaced by a less aesthetically pleasing altar.

Now under Pope Benedict XVI- the old new altar is gone, and an absolutely beautiful traditional altar sits in its place.

Thank God for the Holy Father!

Extraordinary!

2008-10-23T00:50:00.003-04:00

For those who say, "well the old Mass is now the extraordinary form of the Roman rite. That means that it is not to be the norm, kinda like out of the ordinary, the exception."

If we use the word extraordinary to mean infrequent or the exception, can we use the same measurement of "infrequent" that is applied to Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion?? (A weekly fixture at most Masses I've been to, and even at some daily Masses...) Because I'd love to have me a traditional Latin Mass every Sunday. Just asking.

While we're on the topic of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion... yeah, that's their proper name. I did a little non-scientific poll of the Internet, searching Google for "extraordinary ministers of holy communion" (18,300 results) and "eucharistic ministers" (114,000 results). Hmm... why don't people know the proper name for these people?

'Eucharistic minister' is inaccurate in two senses. First, only the priest is the Eucharistic minister. He is the one that brings about the Eucharist. To get down to the technicalities, Christ alone is the minister of the Eucharist, and the priest acts in persona Christi. EMHCs are only ministers of Communion- they distribute Holy Communion to their fellow laymen. The second problem is that important 'E' for extraordinary. The ordinary ministers of Holy Communion are the priest and deacon. Laymen may be deputed for this task only if the Mass would be "unreasonably prolonged." A short prolongation, however, is not grounds for their use. In fact, the Vatican recommends distributing under only one species (the Host) before resorting to EMHCs. I'm afraid that this is one more instance where an option in the Novus Ordo has become a near universal practice. Hopefully bishops and pastors will look more closely at this issue in the future.

Fore more information on EMHCs, see Redemptionis Sacramentum (154-160).

Archbishop Chaput: Pro-Obama Catholics a Disservice

2008-10-19T14:27:00.003-04:00

Archbishop Charles Chaput (my favorite Capuchin!) of Denver has come out strong yet again for the unborn! See this article covered by Fox News.

"To suggest -- as some Catholics do -- that Senator Obama is this year's 'real' pro-life candidate requires a peculiar kind of self-hypnosis, or moral confusion, or worse."

Speaking about pro-Obama Catholics: "[they] have done a disservice to the church, confused the natural priorities of Catholic social teaching, undermined the progress pro-lifers have made, and provided an excuse for some Catholics to abandon the abortion issue instead of fighting within their parties and at the ballot box to protect the unborn."

Remember Judgment Day in the Voting Booth

2008-10-18T17:00:00.002-04:00

Bishop Robert J. Hermann of St. Louis reminds Catholics that their vote will be weighed on the Day of Judgment.

Bishop Hermann is the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of St. Louis in Missouri. This title means that he was the auxiliary bishop under the previous bishop, but he hasn't been appointed to be the ordinary of the diocese. That previous bishop, by the way, is the great Archbishop Raymond Burke.

Here are a few snips from the bishop's article:

"For many, this coming election may very well be judgment day, for this election will measure us.."

His Excellency is reminding us that our vote has moral consequences. If we vote for a pro-abortion candidate because he is pro-abortion, we commit a mortal sin and must go to confession. If we vote for a pro-abortion candidate in spite of his stance on abortion, there must be proportionate reasons as to why we can support this murderous candidate.

"The decision I make in the voting booth will reflect my value system. If I value the good of the economy and my current lifestyle more than I do the right to life itself, then I am in trouble..."

"My desire for a good economy cannot justify my voting to remove all current restrictions on abortion. My desire to end the war in Iraq cannot justify my voting to remove all current restrictions on abortion."

Here the bishop says that the economy and the Iraq war ARE NOT proportionate reasons for voting for Obama. Senator Obama wants remove all restrictions on abortion. This is the Freedom of Choice Act that he has pledged to sign into law. The good bishop is pretty much telling us that we can't vote for Barack Obama.

It is clear that we can't vote for Obama. If you can't vote for John McCain in good conscience, vote third party. But remember, a vote for Barack Obama puts your soul in danger.

Yeah... why not?

2008-10-09T00:05:00.006-04:00

We might as well make it official.

Note: This is a commentary on the music that dominates the Sunday Mass- namely, African-American spirituals that have no connection to the Sacred, and do not convey the Catholic Faith. The same goes for the 'American' hymns that are heard at Sunday Mass. Why doesn't Saint Augustine's follow the teaching of the Church in Sacrosanctum Concilium or Musicam Sacram? Gregorian chant should have the pride of place, and all music should truly be fitting of divine worship.

Another Bishop on Obama

2008-10-01T19:30:00.003-04:00

I don't usually ever have political posts, but this election is so important, and the lives of so many unborn are at stake...

Here is another bishop coming out and demonstrating that Barack Obama is not a suitable candidate for any Catholic's vote. Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City has the following to say:

"If we are inclined to vote for someone despite their pro-abortion stance, it seems we are morally obliged to establish a proportionate reason sufficient to justify the destruction of 45 million human persons through abortion. If we learn that our “candidate of choice” further pledges – through an instrument such as FOCA - to eliminate all existing limitations against abortion, it is that much more doubtful whether voting for him or her can ever be morally justified under any circumstance."

Wow. That's just about as close as you can get to explicitly saying that we can't vote for Obama. Yes, McCain sucks in various issues, even a life-related issue. The alternative, however, promises much more evil. I beg you, if you are contemplating voting for Obama, don't vote. Even if you can't vote for McCain or a third party candidate, do not cast a vote for Barack Obama.

Here is a link to an article on the great Father Z's blog, discussing this letter from Bp. Finn.

Proportionate Reasons (2)

2008-09-28T23:25:00.001-04:00

Here you go... what can I say? The devil speaks for himself.

"On this fundamental issue [of choice (murder)] I will not yield, and Planned Parenthood will not yield."

About a book and an author

2008-09-28T23:05:00.002-04:00

If someone is wanting information on a certain book, by a certain author, you can e-mail me at jonkknox@ufl.edu

I don't want to put info out of here in deference to those above me. But, the e-mail invite is open.

In Jesus and Mary,
Jonathan Knox

Proportionate Reasons

2008-09-27T18:54:00.002-04:00

I'd like to share a quote by Archbishop Chaput of Denver. He is talking about what a proportionate reason could be to justify voting for a pro-choice candidate.

"What is a ‘proportionate’ reason when it comes to the abortion issue? It’s the kind of reason we will be able to explain, with a clean heart, to the victims of abortion when we meet them face to face in the next life–which we most certainly will. If we’re confident that these victims will accept our motives as something more than an alibi, then we can proceed."

Wow... that's something to think about. If you plan on voting for Obama, what will your excuse be if you were to meet a victim of abortion in the next life?

It's Only Proper....

2008-09-14T23:03:00.005-04:00

For the Novus Ordo Mass, a common practice is to take the universal norm, discard it, and replace it with one of the options. This is not the rite's fault so much, though the fact that the options exist doesn't help the situation.

One main issue is the idea of the Propers of the Mass. Did you know that the norm, the preferred option, is not to have an "entrance hymn", an "offertory hymn", and a "communion hymn"? Nope! There's a book called the Graduale Romanum, and it has all of the chants that belong to each particular day's Mass. The introit is the prayer that is sung as the priest and company process in, while the other propers are sung prayers that actually have to do with the day's Mass and what is going on at the altar.

We need to revive the use of the propers in the Graduale Romanum. It's only proper...

Read a recent article about the need for Propers here.

Why Don't I Go to St. A's on Sundays?

2008-09-14T13:48:00.003-04:00

Some might ask, "why don't you go to Mass at Saint Augustine's on Sundays?" Well, I do some times. If I have no other choice, then of course I go, but on occasion I will hear Mass if I feel like I can. In a way, Saint Augustine's is my parish. I am registered there, I go to daily Mass there, I attend CSF, Newman Dinners, and Bible Study. If I have any bills in my wallet on Sunday Mass, I drop a few in the collection. So in this way, it is my parish.

So why go elsewhere to assist at Mass? Why go to another diocese? Well, the answer is clear. Queen of Peace Ocala is the closest parish that has the Traditional Latin Mass! It is offered by two priests of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP). The FSSP is in full communion with Rome, has the Pope's and the local bishop's approval, and brings to us the Roman Rite in its form of over 1300 years.

While the community aspect of the Sunday Mass should not be ignored, "the sacred liturgy is above all things the worship of the divine Majesty" (Sacrosanctum Concilium 33). Therefore, what we should be most concerned about in Mass is the adoration of the Holy Trinity. The sacrifice of the pure Victim (Christ) offered by Christ in the person of the priest and joined with the laity is the supreme act of worship.

Now, if there are certain elements in the local celebration of the Mass that detract from the worship of the divine Majesty, what should be done? At times it is nearly impossible for me to sit there and focus on the sacrifice of the Mass when there are abuses and profanations happening. Some of them include:

Bad music. Music needs to be associated with the Mass. First to go are heterodox songs- "Sing a New Church Into Being" and the like. Next are the anthropocentric songs. Many times at St. A's I hear lyrics and think "I, me, we us". After those, the songs that are just not appropriate for the Mass in general. Every song should reflect on what is going on in Mass. For example, after Communion, a poor song choice would be "Over My Head". "Over my head... I hear trouble in the air... there must be a God somewhere." Hello!? Of course there is a God somewhere. He's right here and we have just received Him in the sacred species! The idea of Afro-spirituals and other contemporary music, while for the most part not inherently bad in itself, is another topic entirely.
Felt. Okay, those banners- I know they are only up for two weeks or so, but please. They distract the mind like crazy. We are supposed to be focused on the altar, yet right behind the altar is a big, ugly, purple banner that reads "CENACLE". Let's get out of the 60's, please, and into the action. Full, conscious, active participation? Not here.
Hand holding. We aren't supposed to hold hands at the Our Father. Especially if the priest is involved... the Vatican has said that the addition of any rite or gesture must happen through the appropriate avenue- which is not the laity.
False starts. Related to hand holding is the idea of extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion and when they head on up to the altar. The common practice at Saint Augustine's is for the EMHCs to go to the altar for the Lord's Prayer. Then they either hold each other's hands (implicit approval of the parish) or hold the priest's hands! (Explicit approval of the parish.) According to the GIRM, #162, these "ministers should not approach the altar before the priest has received Communion." That would be after the priest says, "This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are those who are called to His supper."
Clapping. As soon as the recessional hymn is done, the congregation begins to clap. When I go to the Traditional Mass on Sundays, as soon as the recessional is done, everyone kneels and says prayers of thanksgiving.

This is all besides the fact that I strongly prefer the Traditional Mass. There is nothing wrong with this, either! The Holy Father has clearly shown this with his motu proprio . Then today I read this remark about Summorum Pontificum.

"Everyone, without exception, must be able to feel at home, and never (must he feel) rejected."

Should not traditional Roman Catholics feel at home too?

A Prayer Intention

2008-09-14T02:00:00.003-04:00

Could you pray for a young lady who wants to come into the Catholic Church? I don't want to go into details, but prayers for her conversion process would be appreciated!

Vote for Life in 2008

2008-09-10T23:29:00.006-04:00

Thank you, Jenn, for sharing this video! If the embed doesn't work- view the video here.

Whoever you vote for this November, make sure that it is a vote for life... not against life.

New Website

2008-09-10T22:45:00.001-04:00

Hello, readers!

We now have our own domain name. You can access the blog at www.testimonytotruth.com

!

That is all.

Who'd Have Thunk?

2008-09-09T19:03:00.001-04:00

I write stuff on this blog and people actually read it. Yikes!

The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

2008-09-09T00:59:00.003-04:00

First off, let me say I am really upset that I was not able to hear Mass today. Unfortunately, the feast of the Blessed Virgin's nativity fell on a Monday this year.... and Monday is the one day I can't get to Mass because of work and classes. Also, I hear that Father Eseke gave an awesome homily on Our Lady! RATS!!!! Oh well... anyways...

I'm really excited about this year. Father David Ruchinski gave an excellent presentation on Holy Mass at CSF tonight. He asked for comments from people who had attended a Traditional Latin Mass, and all of the remarks were extremely positive. Like a cry for the old Mass. Even though I had to put my trad tendencies aside to listen to the bit about the "renewal of the Liturgy" following the Second Vatican Council.... I was happy to hear that "when it comes to the Novus Ordo, the Church is still working out the bugs." It was interesting to hear a priest in Gainesville say this. Maybe I shouldn't write that here... well, I don't think it will do any harm. I will be offering many prayers for Father, and I encourage you to join me. On a side note, he chuckled when I said "ad orientem goodness".

Upcoming in the Church's calendar.... we have the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on September 14. Holy Cross day happens to be one of my favorite days in the calendar, and I hope to get some flowers to adorn the crosses in my room. September 14 also has some importance for us as it is the one year anniversary of the promulgation of the Holy Father's motu proprio Summorum Pontificum.

Well, I must get to bed! It is 1:15 and Rosary is in only 9 hours, followed by a full shift at my cataloging job at Smathers.

God bless!
Jon

Some Acclaim for the Blog

2008-08-31T16:09:00.002-04:00

I thought I would humor you with some comments that people have made about myself or the work on this blog. There's positive stuff out there, too, and I thank all of you who have left kind words for me. However... it's just not as funny as this stuff!

"[Reminds] me of a petulant child with a long stick that likes to stir up ant beds just for the sake of agitating and stressing the ants"

"Stupid Boy"

"strikes me as thoughtless and immature."

"[It's] sad how you think yourself superior to others and think of other denominations inferior to yours."

"Doesn't this sort of thing amount to Internet cyberstalking?"

"He appears to have no sense of humor"

"You sound like an exceptionally angry kid...and I'm sorry for you."

"These posts may come back to haunt you if a future employer or graduate school admissions committee ever googles you."

Prayer Before Studies

2008-08-31T13:49:00.003-04:00

Well, classes are starting to pick up here at the University of Florida. This is a really important semester for me, and I'm going to need all the help I can get! So off to the Patron Saints Index went I... and found St. Thomas Aquinas. I actually knew that he was a patron saint of universities and students, but such is the state of my mind right now. St. Thomas has a feast day on March 7 in the traditional calendar, though he has been transferred to January 28 in the modern calendar.

I found an excellent prayer before studies- though I'm not sure who authored it. Anyways, here it is.

"O incomprehensible Creator, the true Fountain of light, and only Author of all knowledge; vouchsafe, we beseech thee, to enlighten our understandings, and to remove from us all darkness of sin and ignorance. Give us a diligent and obedient spirit, quickness of apprehension, capacity of retaining, and the powerful assistance of thy holy grace; that what we hear or learn, we may apply to thy honor and the eternal salvation of our own souls, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

There's another prayer that is attributed to St. Thomas Aquinas, which can be found here.

But for now, I am off to my studies. Saint Thomas Aquinas, pray for us!

Intriguing Interview With an Exorcist

2008-08-28T12:19:00.002-04:00

Somewhat connected to my last post's subject- St. Michael:

My friend Gerald Lamb at Assenting Catholic has a post up that deals with a very interesting interview with Fr. Gabriele Amorth. Fr. Amorth is an exorcist with the Diocese of Rome, and as such he is well known throughout the Catholic world. I have read one of his books, An Exorcist Tells His Story, though this was a couple years ago. It's scary to go back and read some of the things he says. For example, many bishops don't believe in demonic possession and withdrew the faculties of their dioceses' exorcists! Go check out the interview and let's get a discussion going.

In Jesus and Mary,
Jonathan

A Little Tribute to My Patron

2008-08-27T11:52:00.004-04:00

Somebody posted this on a message board I frequent- tons of pictures/statues of Saint Michael the Archangel...

A Friendly Reminder- Genuflection

2008-08-25T23:24:00.003-04:00

Genuflection: In front of the Blessed Sacrament reserved, bring the right knee down to touch the floor where the right heel once was. There should be a pause while you are on your knee- enough to pray "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

What we should avoid is the knee spasm reflex thing. That silly looking gesture that looks like a half curtsy. Besides, we genuflect to honor the Real Presence of Our Lord. It is not a gesture to take lightly or go half way with. If your knee is killing you so you can't put your knee to the ground, make a profound bow instead. Whatever you do, do it reverently. The Savior went all the way with His cross, suffering for the last several hours of His life. Can we not take the time to properly show reverence to His Body and Blood?

What ARE They Thinking?!? (3)

2008-08-20T18:05:00.006-04:00

Here's another Communion related "What ARE They Thinking?!? post.

Orthodox bishops and canon lawyers have repeated time and time again, no Holy Communion for pro-abortion Catholic politicians. They are in a state of obstinate mortal sin, directly supporting the killing of the unborn. They've been warned time and again, yet some do it anyways.
Here's Rudy Giuliani- who supports abortion rights and is in his third or so 'marriage'. He bothered to have the first one annulled (they were second cousins), and after affairs and more affairs, well anyways... he presented himself to the priest for Holy Communion. What is he thinking? Whatever it is he's thinking, it must be a 'private matter' he doesn't like to discuss... right.

Bagh. This one is worse. Senator John Kerry received the cracker and fruit juice from an African Methodist Episcopal (where do they come up with those names, by the way?) Palm Sunday service. Instead of fulfilling his Sunday obligation at a real church, he went to a Protestant gathering. This is a crime against the Faith in more ways than one. What is he thinking?!?

Now here is some more sense! Whether or not you are of the opinion that blessings should be given at the distribution of Holy Communion, President Bush and the First Lady are doing what they should be doing. They are not Catholic, so they are not to receive the Body of the Lord. Also, notice the reverence they show with their posture and faces. The president looks like he is praying- how is it that W is more respectful towards the Eucharist than most Catholics who shuffle up to the front of the church and run back to their seat.

There are many issues here to discuss. First, Catholics must not participate in any type of psuedo-Communion at a Protestant church. There are several reasons for this prohibition. First, if they do not have a valid Mass, but they believe that they do- you are acknowledging the presence of Our Lord when He is not really there. If they view (correctly) that their communion is a symbol, there is still the problem that you are professing yourself "in communion" with them and their heretical beliefs. If you're going on Sunday instead of Mass, that's even worse. As Catholics we worship God in the Mass- a truly propitiatory sacrifice. Whatever apparent good might come for you at a Protestant service, it's not what God wants or requires of you.

We also come to the question of worthiness to receive Holy Communion in a Catholic church. If we have committed any mortal sins since our last confession (see here for a good examination of conscience - list of sins that are mortal), we must not receive the Body of the Lord. If we were to do so, we would desecrate His holy Body and commit yet another serious mortal sin. It is a good and pious practice to examine your conscience and pray an Act of Contrition. If we have committed a mortal sin, we need to get to Confession as soon as possible. Here is the Act of Contrition I use:

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin. Amen.

Just make sure you mean it, that you are heartily sorry and not 'hardly sorry'. Because to confess without a firm purpose of amendment and repentance (I don't want to sin again, even though I am tempted) is not a true confession at all.

What ARE They Thinking?!? (2)

2008-08-16T02:13:00.004-04:00

Why must Holy Communion be distributed to all the faithful at every Mass? Without even taking into consideration that most Catholics are not worthily receiving the Body of the Lord, there are perhaps those Catholics who are in a state of grace, but perhaps are at a mega-Mass. Is it really necessary that they receive Communion? It used to be that at Papal Masses, only the Pope, the deacon, and subdeacon communicated. Now we have this...

BAGH! I recall that at the Mass at Nationals Park, the organizers prided themselves on figuring out how to distribute Holy Communion to 57,000 people in 14 minutes. (It is interesting, though, that they took 14 minutes without any lay extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion. Hmm.) Now how can this be reverent? People looking like animals with their paws sticking out for food. Guys, this isn't a piece of bread. This is the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Any malicious person could easily pocket the Eucharist, and any well-intentioned and properly disposed Catholic doesn't even have space to make the silly bow of the head.

That's another thing that I don't get. I'm not faulting you if you do this, since it is the American norm, but.... why bow your head when you are about to receive the King of Kings into your own body? Let's look at the occasions of various postures:

At the name of Jesus, we bow our head (same in Old Mass)
At the mention of the Incarnation, we bow our body so our hands could touch our knees (we genuflect in the Old Mass)
We should genuflect on our left knee when greeting our own bishop. We bow to any other bishop.

Now why, when we do the above, should we simply bow our head as we recognize the Body of the Lord and receive Him? And why do we dare touch His holy Body? Are our hands consecrated as the priests and deacons are? Our hands are not "dirty" in themselves, but the priest's hands are alone set apart, consecrated, to touch the Eucharist.

Now that's nice.... that's how it should be done. Even the Anglicans receive "Communion" at an altar rail. We have the real Body of Jesus. For several hundred years, this is how Catholics received Holy Communion. When we kneel, we make the most profound sign of adoration possible. Also, by receiving on the tongue, we are not grabbing for Jesus. We are fed by the priest (who acts in the person of Christ) the very Body of the Lord. Receiving on the tongue shows this act of God nourishing us with His Body.

For those who receive in the hand, or even on the tongue standing, it might seem odd or difficult to think of trying something different. But if we approach the altar with a humble heart, in the state of grace and making acts of faith, hope, and charity, we have nothing to fear. We may kneel in front of Our Lord and receive Him as a child would. When you see Jesus in heaven, I guarantee you will fall to your knees. Why not get the practice while you're here? The spiritual benefits will be great. Don't do it to be more pious for the sake of being pious. Do it out of a love of God. It pleases Him when we do this.

Also, do not let anyone give you any trouble. If you are reading from Gainesville, know that I have not had any problems at all, ever. The Holy See has reassured us that this is a proper way to receive Holy Communion, and even now all those that receive the Sacred Host from the Pope do so in this manner. Think about it, pray about it, then try it out!

The Muller

2008-08-14T17:42:00.002-04:00

I hope you can all check out the blog of a good friend of mine- The Muller. Kevin is a "20-some-odd year old UF senior mulling over God, His Church, such philosophy as [he is] able to speak of, food, drink, music, literature, politics, and this world with all its wonder and sorrow." (from his profile)

Kevin's latest posts include some "mullings over" the lyrics of the song My Jesus, links to an essay on "The Theology of Pipe Smoking" (which refutes such heresies as that pipe smoking involves risk and should therefore be avoided), and an excellent post by Kevin on how Truth and Love must always be united.

Well, don't take my word for it. Especially since right now I am tired and in pain, and probably did a poor job of convincing you. Anyways- The Muller. Do it.

What ARE They Thinking?!? (1)

2008-08-12T23:41:00.004-04:00

I've never tried a 'series' of posts- other than my reports from Spain. I think it might be a fun idea, so here goes. Snooping around the internet- (or stalking?) I have come across a lot of pictures that make me scratch my head and ask, "What are they thinking?!?" So in this series, I'm going to post some pictures, both of the head-scratching nature and of the "Ahhh- now that's nice" nature. Enjoy, and pray that the Holy Ghost will soon bring us out of this current crisis of confusion and dissent.

What are they thinking?!? A clown Mass!?

Ahhh- now that's nice! That's Catholic nice.

Except... the second picture is not Catholic at all. It's not Mass. It's the liturgy of an Episcopalian church in Philadelphia- St. Clement's. Yeah, that's the Sanctus you hear when you visit the page. Now why can the Anglicans have a ceremony that looks like a Mass, complete with "priest, deacon, subdeacon", male altar servers in cassock and surplice.... and ugh. The first picture is an exaggeration (but a true event) of what most Catholic parishes get on Sunday. That's Fr. Fred Bailey at Corpus Christi in CA. He's listening to a troupe of clown-actors proclaim the Gospel. What are they thinking?

Basically, what we have here is an issue of obedience to tradition and rubrics. Whether it's the Old or the New Mass, priests must do what the book says. No changed words, no cookies for Communion (which invalidates the Mass), and no hand holding! It's quite simple, folks.

Bibles I Use

2008-08-07T16:49:00.008-04:00

I thought I'd let you all know what Bibles I use, especially when it comes to referencing various verses of Scripture here on the blog.

The first is this beautiful Bible on the right with the hardcover. It is a hodgepodge of translations, though all are faithful to the Church's doctrine and have a traditional feel to them. The basis is the Douay Rheims Bible, the English Bible for Catholics that was written (ha!) before the King James Version around 1600. It is a translation into English of the Latin Vulgate, written by Saint Jerome. By the way, I was born on the feast day of Saint Jerome, September 30. The Douay Rheims is considered to be one of the most faithful translations of the Bible, even though it is a translation of a translation. The reasoning behind this is that the Sacred Council of Trent declared Jerome's Vulgate to be free of any doctrinal error. The original DR, however, has many anglicized Latin words that are difficult to read unless you know a little Latin, such as the word "potestats" instead of "powers".

To make the translation more readable, Bishop Richard Challoner of England revised the Douay Rheims in 1750. This translation, while faithful to the Douay-Rheims and Vulgate, has a style similar to the King James Version. From 1750 into the 1900's, this remained the popular Bible for English speaking Catholics. In 1941, the United States Confraternity of Christian Doctrine released a revision of Bishop Challoner's New Testament. It again updated the 18th century English and consulted the Greek in some places. The CCD also finished Genesis-Ruth and the Psalms, while the rest of the Old Testament remains the Douay-Challoner. So, wow! It is a lovely Bible, traditional, and was my first Catholic Bible. It's a big one with room for family sacramental records, and I'm keeping it for a long time. If you see me quote the Douay-Rheims, DR, or Confraternity Bible, they all mean the above-described Bible, all technicalities aside.

The other Bible I use (and carry with me if going to Adoration or a Bible study) is the Ignatius Bible, the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition, seen here on the right. This Bible has a long history of its own. The King James Version was revised into the Revised Version, which was revised into the American Standard Version, which itself was revised into the Revised Standard Version. What a bunch of revisions! The RSV itself is very similar to the KJV, except it used thous and thees for God, and not for man. It also translated Isaiah 7:14 as a young woman shall conceive, instead of the traditional "a virgin shall conceive" which supports the Virgin Birth.

The RSV used old Greek and Hebrew versions of the New and Old Testament, while consulting the Dead Sea Scrolls and sometimes even the Vulgate. The Catholic Biblical Association of Great Britain in 1956 tweaked the RSV, adding the Deuterocanon and refining some words in the New Testament, all minor changes.

In 2006, Ignatius Press made a Second Catholic Edition. This time, all archaic pronouns are out and Isaiah 7:14 uses the traditional 'virgin'. This Bible seems to be the Bible of choice for conservative Catholics, and is used in the English Catechism of the Catholic Church and many Church documents translated into English. It is also the basis for the Navarre Study Bible and the Ignatius Study Bible, written by professors of the University of Navarre and by Scott Hahn, respectively. The notes in my RSV-2CE are not as extensive as my Confraternity Bible, but there is no inclusive language and it is a solid text overall.

But what about the New American Bible!? This is the official Bible of the Catholic Church in America (hrm) and it is what you'll hear at the readings in the Mass (the New Mass, of course). Well, sort of... the most recent version of the NAB was published in 1991. This version includes much inclusive language, including vertical inclusive language. This means that some masculine pronouns when referring to God have been neutralized. The Vatican was not happy with this, so a revised Psalms and New Testament had to be created (which can only be found in the Lectionary, not as a lay Bible) to fix that language. Also, the notes are very liberal and even call into question the traditional identity of the authors. Please, stay away from the NAB. If for no other reason, than for this ridiculous translation of Isaiah 9:6 (which the NAB calls 9:5 for who knows why)

For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace. -NAB

For a Child is born to us, and a son is given to us, and the government is upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counsellor, God the Mighty, the Father of the world to come, the Prince of Peace. -Douay-Rheims

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. -RSV:2CE

So avoid that one, please. Like the plague. Don't worry about it being the version used at Mass, because really it's not. A day is soon coming when the English at Mass will be much more elevated and... sane? The NAB is mostly a product of a time when 59 out of 69 theological "experts" (including 15 cardinals and bishops) suggested to Pope Paul VI to overturn the ban on artificial contraception. Hmm. Oh, but here's an interesting factoid- Karol Wojtyla (later Pope John Paul II) was one of the 10 faithful!

I hope this clarifies where I'm coming from when I cite Sacred Scripture here in my work, and hopefully you all know a little more about some of the most common Biblical translations around to choose from.

Veiling Again

2008-08-04T18:35:00.003-04:00

I know I've written on women wearing veils before, but I have recently come across some new insights. I am not sure what to think about the issue, since I generally respect the writings of all four of these sources. On one end, we have bloggers Jimmy Akin and Fr. Zuhlsdorf, who believe that women covering their heads in church is a good idea, but not binding under canon law. Then there are Dr. Robert Sungenis and the webmasters of Fisheaters who believe that although the Code of Canon Law in 1983 abrogated the 1917 Code of Canon Law, the requirement for veiling of women remains. Oddly enough, or maybe not oddly enough, the supreme legislator (the Holy Father) has remained silent on the issue for several decades. So until the Magisterium clears this issue up, we do not have moral certitude that either position is right. Since this is the case, we cannot accuse any woman of being less pious or guilty of sin because they do not cover their heads. Regardless, I will try to again show why women should wear veils. After all, we don't do things simply because they are laws on the books. Rather, we do certain things for the love of God.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of the details of canon law, let us go back once again to what Saint Paul has to say in the First Epistle to the Corinthians. "Every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered disgraces her head." (1 Cor 11:5, Douay-Confraternity Bible). From the earliest times in the Church, the practice was for women to cover their head while at Mass. Pope Saint Linus, the first successor of St. Peter, ordered that women cover their head while in church. Tertullian, around the year 200, repeats the words of Saint Paul, saying that a woman's head is to be covered on account of the angels. Even at the time of the Protestant 'Reformation', John Calvin and John Knox (haha) instructed women to cover their head. The 1917 Code of Canon Law in canon 1262 required that "men, in a church or outside a church, while they are assisting at sacred rites, shall be bear-headed, unless the approved mores of the people or peculiar circumstances of things determine otherwise; women, however, shall have a covered head and be modestly dressed, especially when they approach the table of the Lord." So it is obvious that from the beginning of the Church, throughout its history, even into the 20th century, women were to cover their heads in church. That is some 1900 years of custom.

Now, we come to the fact that the 1983 Code of Canon Law does not mention at all the covering of women's heads. Note also that it nowhere mentions that men should take off their hats. Father Z and Jimmy Akin argue that since canon 6 of the new Code abrogates the 1917 Code, women are no longer required to cover their heads in church. Those who believe that the requirement remains cite several other canons of the new Code. Can. 23 A custom introduced by a community of the faithful has the force of law only if it has been approved by the legislator, in accordance with the following canons. Can. 25 No custom acquires the force of law unless it has been observed, with the intention of introducing a law, by a community capable at least of receiving a law. Can. 28 Without prejudice to the provisions of can. 5, a custom, whether contrary to or apart from the law, is revoked by a contrary custom or law. But unless the law makes express mention of them, it does not revoke centennial or immemorial customs, nor does a universal law revoke particular customs. Canon 5 deals with contrary customs. Since the new Code does not at all mention head covering, it certainly cannot be contrary to the law to veil the head. The second half of canon 5 says "Universal or particular customs beyond the law which are in force until now are preserved."

So here is the sticky part. People disagree on the definition of custom. Canon 23 says "a custom introduced by a community of the faithful has the force of law only if...." Does this mean that all customs mentioned in canon 5 have to be customs introduced by the faithful, and not by the legislator? If so, does head-covering fall under this designation? Certainly it is an immemorial custom. Now the Catholic Encyclopedia's entry on 'Custom' breaks customs into two types: judicial and extrajudicial. The first come from the Pope and bishops, the second from the people. If head-covering is a universal custom beyond the law (which I believe it to be) and was in force up until 1983 (which it was) it should be preserved by canon 5. The question is, do canons 23 and 25 restrict the legal binding of this custom? We can all agree that 1917's Code of Canon Law is totally abrogated. But since head-covering is also outside of and certainly predates 1917, is it a universal custom beyond the law to be preserved? Well, I'm rambling now and don't have the answers! We must end this canonical discussion keeping in mind, however, that canon 14 says "laws, even invalidating and disqualifying ones, do not oblige when there is a doubt about the law." This leads me to believe that, until the Holy See clarifies this issue, women are not obligated to cover their heads in church. There is just too much ambiguity and not enough clarification.

Regardless of whether or not ladies have to cover their head, let us once again look at the merits of this custom. First, it is recommended by Saint Paul and written in the Scriptures. Also, it has been the tradition of the Church for almost 2,000 years. We should also keep in mind that this tradition was probably not mentioned in the 1983 Code because of the unlawful discarding of the custom. All throughout the Second Vatican Council, into the Novus Ordo and up to 1983, the law in effect was the 1917 Code! Women who did not cover their heads were, whether they knew it or not, disobeying the law of the Church. This is how some of our great traditions have fallen by the wayside. Only boys and men were permitted to serve at the altar for as long as we can remember, but some liberal dissidents started allowing girls at the altar. So the Vatican caved in and allowed the practice in 1994, even though it rejected the idea as early as 1991. It was not until people started receiving Holy Communion in their hands that the Vatican allowed the indult (yes, that's a dispensation from the law) to receive in the hands. So why do we want to follow in the footsteps of bad Catholics?? A fourth reason includes those reasons that I outlined in my previous post. Well, I hope this provokes some thought and good discussion, and hopefully more women will see the reasons and the beauty behind wearing a veil.

In Jesus and Mary,
Jonathan Knox

The Problem With Our Form of Government

2008-07-29T15:37:00.003-04:00

Call it whatever you want: democracy, federal republic, representative democracy- I don't know the correct term, if there is one. I've been thinking about it lately, and I don't like what I've thought about. I'm sure most of you have heard of the University of Minnesota professor who has desecrated the Eucharist, encouraging others to do the same. There is even a stupid boy on YouTube that is claiming to desecrate a Sacred Host every day. This brings up a point in the Mass that I believe should be changed. Hopefully Rome will see this and use it as an opportunity to revoke the indult of receiving Holy Communion in the hand. Please pray for the poor souls that are putting themselves in danger of hell.

While thinking about this terrible turn of events, I became enraged. Certainly these people should not be allowed to do this. Even if you deny that the Host is the Body of Christ, there are the sensitivities of all those Catholics that do believe in the Real Presence. Some have even called this a hate crime. Ah, a hate crime. I don't think any laws are being broken here... no stealing, no secular laws on the books for desecration of the Sacred Species that I know of. So we should get those laws on the books, right? Well, besides the fact that they would probably never be enforced, what about other groups out there? Oh yes, the gays. In Canada there are laws on the books that curtail free speech when it comes to speaking out against homosexuality. Some have been fined or arrested because they have called homosexuality evil.

Since we live in a pluralistic democracy whatever, if we protect Catholic views and affronts against our religion, it follows that somewhere people will demand protection for their 'rights' such as their rights to privacy (result: legal contraception, abortion, homosexuality.) Yikes!

So what is the solution? Well, I can't see one within the current framework. I'll leave that to someone else, maybe we'll get some comments here. My preferred (unrealistic, at least here and now) solution that I've come to is a Catholic monarchy. But wait! How can a super-conservative American like myself advocate a monarchy?? Well, let's think about how the Church works. Our leader is Christ the King! His vicar on Earth is the Pope- who has supreme power. Look at all the saints who were kings or emperors!

St. Robert Bellarmine in De Laicis (Treatise on Civil Government) says that "political power... comes directly from God alone" and "that this power resides, as in its subject, immediately in the whole state." This sounds familiar! He continues, "this power is delegated by the multitude to one or several, for the State cannot of itself exercise this power, therefore, it is held to delegate it to some individual, or to several." So we reject the idea of some, that the state needs to be some huge entity that runs our lives. Power is given to us collectively, but we delegate that to some person or persons. So a democracy is not antithetical, but a monarchy does seem more efficient and serving the better good.

Of course, there have been tyrants in monarchies. But people today say that we are under a tyranny of big business, oil companies, and President Bush. Or the people who say that we are under a tyranny of liberal judicial activism. Consider the IRS, who demands some 30% of our income. Now I'm not saying that good things can't come out of a democracy or a republic or whatever. But is it the best form of government?? Let's just say that I agree with Pope Pius VI.

Inculturation

2008-07-19T20:53:00.003-04:00

Just looking at the final WYD Mass images brought to us by the Vatican Television Center (CTV) and the New Liturgical Movement Blog.

In the image below, Aborigines bring the Book of the Gospels to the deacon. I have to catch the video of the Mass when EWTN re-airs it... but I read that the deacon chanted the Gospel in a solemn tone. Somehow, the half naked to 90% naked procession and the reading of the Gospel just doesn't seem to mix.

I'm hoping to study inculturation and its licit implementation, as well as how we should view inculturation as traditional Catholics. Just because it is a common practice and accepted, doesn't mean it is necessarily good. (For example, standing and receiving Holy Communion in the hand.) Open to comments, though remember that these people probably don't know any better, and it may even be currently licit. I'm not an expert, though my Catholic-sense is tingling. Hmm.

I wonder what the Holy Father thinks of the matter?
Ah, that'd do it.

Taking Up the Cross

2008-07-02T16:58:00.003-04:00

I was reading last night from my Young Man's Guide by Father Lasance. There I read an excerpt from Thomas a Kempis' Imitation of Christ. Wow! It was so meaningful to me that I want to share it here. (To borrow from Fr. Z, my emphases and comments)

To many it seemeth a hard saying: "Deny thyself, take up thy cross, and follow Jesus." But it will be much harder to hear that last word: "Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire." For they who now love to hear and follow the word of the Cross shall not then fear the sentence of eternal condemnation. The Sign of the Cross shall be in Heaven when the Lord shall come to judge. Then all the servants of the Cross, who in their lifetime have conformed themselves to Him that was crucified, shall come to Christ their Judge with great confidence.

Why, then, art thou afraid to take up thy cross, which leadeth to the kingdom? In the cross is salvation; in the cross is life; in the cross is protection from enemies. In the cross is infusion of heavenly sweetness; in the cross is strength of mind; in the cross is joy of spirit. In the cross is height of virtue; in the cross is perfection of sanctity. There is no health of soul, nor hope of eternal life, but in the cross. (We MUST rely on the Cross, we must suffer) Take up, therefore, thy cross, and follow Jesus, and thou shalt go into life everlasting. He is gone before thee, carrying His Cross, and He died for thee upon the Cross, that thou mayest also bear thy cross, and love to die on the cross. Because if thou die with Him, thou shalt also live with Him; and if thou art His companion in suffering, thou shalt also be His companion in glory.

Behold in the Cross all doth consist, and all lieth in our dying; and there is no other way to life and to true interior peace, but the way of the holy Cross, and of daily mortification. Go where thou wilt, seek what thou wilt, and thou shalt not find a higher way above, nor a safer way below, than the way of the holy Cross. Dispose and order all things according as thou wilt, and as seems best to thee, and thou wilt still find something to suffer, either willingly or unwillingly; and so thou shalt always find the cross. For either thou shalt feel pain in the body, or sustain in thy soul tribulation of spirit. (Again, we must accept suffering in order to advance in holiness.)

Sometimes thou shalt be deserted by God: at other times shalt be afflicted by thy neighbor; and what is more, thou shalt often be a trouble to thyself. Neither canst thou be delivered or eased by any remedy or comfort; but as long as it shall please God, thou must bear it. For God willeth that thou learn to suffer tribulation without comfort, and wholly submit thyself to Him, (when we face sufferings, thank God for the blessing and ask him for the grace to accept it!) and become more humble by tribulation. No man hath so heartfelt a sense of the Passion of Christ as he whose lot it hath been to suffer like things. The cross, therefore, is always ready, and everywhere awaiteth thee. Thou canst not escape it, whithersoever thou runnest; for wheresoever thou goest, thou carriest thyself with thee, and shalt always find thyself. Turn thyself upwards or turn thyself downwards; turn thyself inward or turn thyself outward; everywhere thou shalt find the cross. And everywhere thou must of necessity hold fast patience, if thou desirest inward peace, and wouldst merit an eternal crown.

If thou carry the cross willingly, it will carry thee, and bring thee to thy desired end, (our taking up the cross in union with Our Lord in this life will lead us to heaven) namely to that place where there will be an end of suffering, though here there will be no end. If thou carry it unwillingly, thou makest it a burden to thee, and loadest thyself the more and nevertheless thou must bear it. If thou fling away one cross, without doubt thou wilt find another, and perhaps a heavier.

Dost thou think to escape that which no mortal ever could avoid? What Saint ever was in the world without his cross and tribulation? For even our Lord Jesus Christ Himself was not for one hour of His life without the anguish of His Passion. "It behooved," said He, "that Christ should suffer and rise from the dead, and so enter into His glory." And how dost thou seek another way than this royal way, which is the way of the holy Cross?

The whole life of Christ was a Cross and a Martyrdom; and dost thou seek for thyself rest and joy? Thou errest, thou errest, if thou seekest aught else than to suffer tribulation; for this whole mortal life is full of miseries, and everywhere marked with crosses. And the higher a person is advanced in spirit, the heavier crosses shall he often meet with; (Only in this way can we grow in holiness. Also, as we advance in holiness the other sufferings brought on by Satan will increase in sorrow) because the pain of his banishment increaseth in proportion to his love.

Yet such a one, thus many ways afflicted, is not without some relief of consolation; because he is sensible of the very great profit he reaps by bearing the cross. For whilst he willingly resigns himself to it, all the burden of tribulation is converted into an assured hope of comfort from God. And the more the flesh is brought down by affliction, the more is the spirit strengthened by interior grace. And sometimes he gaineth such strength through affection to tribulation and adversity, by his love of conformity to the Cross of Christ, as not to be willing to be without suffering and affliction; because such a one believeth himself to be so much the more acceptable to God, the more and more grievous things he shall have endured for His sake. This is not man's power, but the grace of Christ; (Our fallen nature does not want to give up the things of this world. It is only by the grace of Christ that we can do this.) which doth and can effect such great things in frail flesh, and that what it naturally abhors and flies, even this, through fervor of spirit, it now embraces and loves.

To bear the cross, to love the cross, to chastise the body and bring it under subjection; to fly honors, to love to suffer insults, to despise one's self, and wish to be despised; to bear all adversities and losses, and to desire no prosperity in this world; all this is not according to man's natural inclination. If thou lookest unto thyself, thou canst do nothing of this sort of thyself. But if thou confidest in the Lord, strength will be given to thee from Heaven, and the world and the flesh shall be made subject to thee. Neither shalt thou fear thine enemy, the devil, if thou art armed with faith, and signed with the Cross of Christ.

Set thyself, then, like a good and faithful servant of Christ, to bear manfully the Cross of thy Lord, for the love of Him Who was crucified for thee.

!

The Difference Between Conservative and Traditional Catholicism

2008-07-01T15:25:00.002-04:00

I thought this was a very good read. What is the difference between a "conservative Catholic" and a "traditional Catholic"? Written by Fr. Chad Ripperger of the FSSP.

Latin Mass Magazine- Conservative vs. Traditional Catholicism

The Holy Father's Gifts to the Church (so far...)

2008-06-25T19:54:00.010-04:00

I just read an article from February 2006, just a few months after the ascension of Benedict to the Throne of Peter. The article details an interview with Cardinal Arinze, the Prefect for the Congregation of Divine Worship. Cardinal Arinze assured the interviewer that Pope Benedict would correct liturgical abuses with "firm teaching and a gentle manner." So let us look at what the Holy Father has given us in terms of the liturgy, so far.

This year's Corpus Christi Mass in Rome saw all those receiving Holy Communion from the Pope taking the Host on the tongue, while kneeling. Today I learn that all future papal Masses will be this way.

With the removal of the former papal MC, and the more traditional Msgr. Guido Marini being brought in as his replacement, we have seen more traditional vestments (even a 'Fiddleback' chasuble from this past Good Friday!) and the "Benedictine altar arrangement" with seven candles and a large, central crucifix on the altar.

Here is the Good Friday Veneration of the Cross. The Holy Father is vested in a beautiful alb and most beautiful Roman 'fiddleback' chasuble. The deacons are in very nice dalmatics, and Msgr. Marini (on the right) is in a surplice very typical of him, with nice lace.

See here the beautiful altar arrangement. There are six tall candles and a tall crucifix in the center. This shows the centrality of the cross. After all, the Mass is the same sacrifice as the Sacrifice of the Cross. You knew that, right? Also, look at that beautiful altar frontal!

Then there was the pastoral staff of the Pope. John Paul II used the modern (in my opinion, ugly) crucifix brought about by Pope Paul VI. After a couple years, this Palm Sunday saw the introduction of an older cross, used by Pius XII. Here is a picture of the Pope with his new pastoral staff. Also, notice that's a pretty nice chasuble and a beautiful alb there.

How could I almost forget! This year on January 13, the Pope celebrated the Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord in the Sistine Chapel. Instead of using a modern table-style altar, the Holy Father used the high altar and celebrated Mass ad orientem! This was a Novus Ordo Mass, showing the world that yes, you may celebrate the New Mass facing liturgical East. See the seven candles and the beautiful crucifix? This is how Mass is supposed to be celebrated! Several parishes around the world, including my parish in Virginia, St. John the Baptist, have started celebrating Mass this way. (St. John's actually has all of their Masses ad orientem since last month!)

But most importantly, the most important thing Pope Benedict XVI has given us is Summorum Pontificum. The Traditional Latin Mass is making a slow, but steady comeback into the mainstream. Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos has said that the Pope wishes the TLM to be a fixture of all parishes, so that all may experience the beauty of this rite. God bless Pope Benedict for all that he has done for the Church!

Do you think I am missing anything? Let me know!

How Should We Prepare for Advent?

2008-06-22T03:24:00.002-04:00

Tom Rinkoski, Director of Faith Formation at St. Augustine's, has an answer- adopt a tree.

http://www.thecompassnews.org/compass/2003-12-12/advent1.shtml

You know I'm not kidding... because it's Tom.

I've decided to put the offending paragraph here in case you don't want to read the entire article.

Along the path, choose one tree that exhibits a sense of humor. If you can't find one, try another park. Memorize the place where it lives, so you will be able to return often. Name this tree as a member of your family. Give it your family blessing. It will be your Christmas tree! Promise to visit it as often as possible. Pick up trash around it on each visit. Bring it water during dry summer periods. Read it the poem Emily Dickinson wrote about a tree. Think about this tree while at work. As it achieves family status, take a picture and hang it on the wall next to the high school graduation photos of the kids. Start a web blog about your tree. Maybe next year, it can be featured on your Christmas cards!

*Whistles* So, forget the traditional route like retracing the lineage of Jesus with a Jesse tree, or singing hymns such as Veni, Veni Emmanuel. Here's a better idea. Waste time and gas to go to one or several parks to find a "humorous tree." Then, assign to that tree a rational soul by making it a "member of your family." Make yourself an idiot by reading a poem to this tree, and scare your neighbors by putting a picture of it on your wall. Dang.

Good Liturgical News from the World

2008-06-12T23:11:00.004-04:00

I'd just like to share a few pictures with y'all today. These pictures are from The New Liturgical Movement, a blog that every tradition-minded Catholic should check frequently.

The first two photos are a before and after the parish priest's renovations.

Before: Notice the tiny table style altar, which seems to be overtaken by the reredos. Also, the altar is up high on that step so ad orientem Masses would be difficult. Now with a little renovation...

After: Six tall candles and a tall crucifix (the "Benedictine arrangement") are placed on the altar, which is now in the traditional... altar form. The crucifix is now the center of attention. This is important for our worship, because the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the sacrifice of Calvary! This arrangement takes the attention off of the priest, and serves as an intermediate step before introducing ad orientem Masses (where the priest and people face the same way- towards the cross.)

These next three photos are from Santissima Trinita dei Pelligrini (Most Holy Trinity of the Pilgrims). This is the FSSP's parish in Rome. As most of you know, the FSSP is a congregation of priests that celebrates the Traditional Mass and sacraments.

The first Solemn High Mass- look at that beautiful painting and those reliquaries and...
THE CANDLES!!!! The candles are 8 feet high and the candlesticks 6 feet high.

If we could only see more of this.... ahh.

Two blog suggestions

2008-06-01T22:51:00.004-04:00

This is just a short plug for two blogs that belong to two friends of mine.

De Profúndis- Anthony Piferrer, a student at UF and his writings on the Church.

Assenting Catholic- Gerald Lamb, a graduate of Francisan University, writes on theology, politics, history, philosophy, sports, or anything else.

Make sure you check them out!

In Jesus and Mary,
Jon

Why I Do What I Do

2008-05-20T22:59:00.002-04:00

Some people accuse me of stirring the pot or poking a stick into an ant pile. I just recently came across some wise words by some of our Popes throughout the ages.

"It is an act of great piety to expose the concealments of the impious and to defeat there the devil himself, whose slaves they are." - Saint Leo

"It is an act of charity to cry out against the wolf when he is among the sheep, wherever he is." - Saint Frances de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life

So, if you're going to complain about me stirring the pot, you're out of luck. I hope you know that I am not bringing up all these stories for the heck of it, just for fun. My motives are to defend the Church from attacks both external and internal, and to defend the laity who deserve nothing short of the Catholic Faith, 100%.

Pope St. Felix III said, "Not to oppose error is to approve it; and not to defend truth is to suppress it; and indeed to neglect to confound evil men, when we can do it, is no less a sin than to encourage them."

St. A's Women's Book Group- Proof of Heresy

2008-05-20T17:48:00.005-04:00

The Women's Book Group of St. Augustine's Church has been a topic of several posts of mine. The book club is an ultra-feminist group of women who are angry at the Church for supposed sexism or oppression against women. They look to St. Mary Magdalene as some kind of first century proof of "women priests" and hold an annual celebration in her honor, modeled after Call to Action and FutureChurch's plans. They host lectures by well known dissidents, and read from books that challenge Papal authority and the Church's teaching on ordination. The women (or womyn?) get their books from Wild Iris Bookstore, a local "new age feminist" bookstore that advocates all kinds of perversions.

Despite all of these reasons for completely shunning this group, the parish gives them a page on the church's website and announces their meetings in the bulletin. Well Father Gillespie, St. Augustine's, here is another reason to add to the list.

On March 29, 2008, seven women from the book group went down to Sarasota to the "house church" of Bridget Mary Meehan. Meehan belongs to the group known as Roman Catholic Womenpriests. Meehan is a delusional nut case, in that she believes she was ordained in July 2006 by a woman bishop. While the women from St. A's were at Meehan's home, the priest-wanna-be celebrated a "Mass". The result is that these women are toying with automatic excommunication. The link to Meehan's article about this "liturgy" can be found here.

St. Augustine's must not allow this group to meet on church property, and cannot advertise this group's meetings in any way. Pray for the women involved in this mess, that they might come back to the Truth.

God Our Father, Not Our Mother

2008-05-18T00:34:00.004-04:00

Well, I’m glad that I wrote that positive blog post that I had promised. Almost as soon as I had published it, I read in St. Augustine’s May 11th bulletin the following prayer in the Religious Education section.

God, our Father and Mother
Today we thank you for one of your special gifts to us- Our Mother!
Thank you for the love she shares with us in so many ways. We thank her for the warmth she gives to our home, for the cuts and bruises she makes well, for the ideas she gives us when we don’t have anything to do, for all the times she talks and listens to us, for the ways she makes peace when we are mean to each other.
We thank her for seeing good in us that we don’t see ourselves. Help us to love her as she loves us. Keep her close to you always.
May God, who is mother as well as father bless you- The Father who gives life, The Son who nourishes, and the Spirit who cares. Amen.

Besides being, as Anders put it, one of the hippiest prayers ever- the invocation of God as Mother as well as Father is completely out of line with Church teaching. This probably should not have shocked me, since Mr. Tom Rinkoski, the man who brought Gainesville Magdalene, is in charge of Religious Education at St. Augustine’s.

So what is wrong with calling God Mother? Put simply, God has revealed Himself as our Father, not Mother. If we call God Mother, we are fashioning God in our own image- how we would like Him to be. This is idolatry. Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, said while he was Cardinal Ratzinger: “Christianity is not our work; it is a Revelation… we are not authorized to change the Our Father into an Our Mother.” So in calling God Mother, we are not only misunderstanding the nature of God, but the nature of Divine Revelation as well.

Some might say that we may call God ‘Mother’ because the Scriptures contain several references to God using maternal characteristics. Examples include Jesus wanting to gather Jerusalem “as a hen gathers her brood under her wings” (Matthew 23:37) and when God says that he “will cry out like a woman with labor pains.” (Isaiah 42:14) These passages from the Bible, however, do not show that God is a Mother. In fact, Pope John Paul II said that “it is significant that in the passages from the Prophet Isaiah, the fatherhood of God is enriched by images of motherhood.” So it is not attributing motherhood to God, but complementing His fatherhood with maternal images.

The fundamental reason why God is called Father is related to creation. In the procreative process, the father is the source of life. The mother is more or less passive as the father impregnates the egg cell within her, creating new life. In Creation, God is the source of our being. To say that He is the Mother takes away from His role in Creation as Father. Secondly, God created man in His image. Now both man and woman are created in His image in that we have an intellect and an immortal soul. But, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, who quotes 1 Corinthians 11, “for man was not made from woman, but woman from man.” Therefore, God also made man in His image in a way that He did not make woman in His image.

We must then ask the question, why is there the need to make God our Mother? Jesus called God Our Father, we pray the Our Father, we say in the Creed that we believe in God the Father Almighty, and that Jesus was begotten of the Father. Our Lord gave us His own mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, for our mother. Let us pray to her, that she might show us the Truth in Christ’s Church, and the Truth about the Divine Nature. Praised be the Blessed Trinity- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The Smoke of Satan

2008-05-15T17:08:00.003-04:00

Some of you may have heard about the homily of His Holiness, Paul VI, in which he said that "from some fissure the smoke of Satan has entered the temple of God." The Holy Father spoke of this in a homily on June 29, 1972, the Solemnity of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. Some loony rad-trads have taken this to mean that the New Mass or the Second Vatican Council itself are of diabolical origin. Those of us who have our heads screwed on straight, though, know that the Second Vatican Council was a true ecumenical council and that the Novus Ordo is indeed a valid Mass. The Council and the Mass have been hijacked and grossly misinterpreted, to the detriment of Holy Church.

A new interview with Cardinal Virgilio Noé, a former Master of Ceremonies for Paul VI, John Paul I, and John Paul II, sheds some light on what the Pope meant when he referred to the smoke of Satan.

"[Pope Paul], for Satan, meant to include all those priests or bishops and cardinals who didn’t render worship to the Lord by celebrating badly Holy Mass because of an errant interpretation of the implementation of the Second Vatican Council. He spoke of the smoke of Satan because he maintained that those priests who turned Holy Mass into dry straw in the name of creativity, in reality were possessed of the vainglory and the pride of the Evil One. So, the smoke of Satan was nothing other than the mentality which wanted to distort the traditional and liturgical canons of the Eucharistic ceremony."

Wow! Now Paul VI isn't my favorite Pope because of several reasons: the simplification of the Mass, ridding himself of the Papal Tiara, etc.. but he was Pope nonetheless and did stand against artificial contraception and some of the other liberal movements in the Church. Now if Cardinal Noé is correct, we get some very interesting insights into Paul VI's idea of the state of the liturgy immediately after the implementation of the New Mass. When priests try to get creative and do their own thing, the Mass can only get worse. This is one of the benefits of ad orientem worship- the priest is focused on the altar and not the congregation, so he is less inclined to try to perform.

The Cardinal's mention of an errant interpretation of the Council brings up a broader point. First, I'd like to distinguish between the Novus Ordo de jure and the Novus Ordo de facto. The celebration of the New Mass de jure (as it is laid out in the books) can be solemn and reverent, especially if the more traditional options are used. This would include ad orientem celebration, generous use of Latin and chant, and Eucharistic Prayer I over the shorter (and may I say uglier?) prayers. I still prefer a good Traditional Mass over the Novus Ordo, but that is beside the point here. On the other hand, we have the de facto celebration of the Novus Ordo in parishes throughout the world. Icky, sometimes heretical songs... additions, changes, deletions. These things are what make Mass a joke. This is the smoke of Satan.

Now that this is out of the way, let's look at what the Council really wanted. The document related to the Liturgy is the Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium. First, the Council Fathers say "there must be no innovations unless the good of the Church genuinely and certainly requires them; and care must be taken that any new forms adopted should in some way grow organically from forms already existing." Now, that sounds like a limiting restriction. There should be minimal changes in the Mass, only changes that need to be made. Also, these changes should grow from the current form. In many cases, there was a rupture, not an organic growth.

"Although the sacred liturgy is above all things the worship of the divine Majesty, it likewise contains much instruction for the faithful." Mass is meant primarily for worship and adoration of God. Its main focus is not didactic in nature. Unfortunately, I find myself in most 30 minute Novus Ordo weekday Masses listening to readings and a homily for about 15 minutes! From the time I return to my pew from Communion to the dismissal, maybe 2 minutes have passed. The emphasis has turned from adoration of the Blessed Trinity through the Sacrifice to a people-oriented "me, you, us together" learning experience and get together.

Finally, the issue of Latin. The Council desired that Latin remain the language of the LATIN Church, but that the vernacular could be used in some places, at the discretion of the bishop. Compare this to what we see in most places- no Latin at all, vernacular throughout, and ugly, innacurate translations at that!

There are the exceptions, however. By exceptions I mean those places and priests that actually follow the books and love tradition.

St. John Cantius Parish in Chicago celebrates the TLM and the Novus Ordo (in English and Latin) with great beauty.
St. Agnes Parish in St. Paul is famous for its beautiful music- Gregorian Chant and sacred polyphony. The Novus Ordo is often celebrated in Latin.
St. Peter's Basilica! The Holy Father and his new MC Guido Marini is bringing great solemnity and reverence to Papal Masses, with seven candles on the altar, an ad orientem Mass in the Sistine Chapel, more frequent use of chant, etc.

Let us all pray to St. Michael the Archangel that he might defend the Church from the attacks of Satan. If the Devil can get a hold of the liturgy, he has the Church by the throat. We have confidence, however, that the Holy Spirit will never allow the Church to go under.

In Jesus and Mary,
Jon

The interview may be found here.

Some Good News

2008-05-14T16:21:00.007-04:00

Well, lest you think I'm just a bad news-mongerer... I wanted to share some good news now that I have some (and the time to share it!)

April was a particularly good month for St. Augustine's Catholic Church. The Catholic Student Fellowship held its weekend retreat April 11-13 and it was awesome! The theme of the retreat was spiritual freedom and the Eucharist. There were talks on God's mercy and Confession, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Eucharist, and so much more. Mass was offered on all three days, and there was overnight Eucharistic Adoration! Adoration is an amazing experience with the Lord. I definitely recommend making a holy hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament if you can. In the chapel there were no distractions, which allowed for quiet prayer in front of Jesus. What a blessing!

The fruits of the retreat were soon evident after returning to Gainesville. Thank you Fathers Gillespie, Mesa, and Eseke for coming out to hear confessions and say Mass, and thank you to Deacon Zmuda for your talk on Mother Mary! Also many thanks to all the CSF organizers. Two Catholic snaps for y'all. Once we got back to Gainesville, we were all experiencing a litlte Adoration-withdrawl. So Chas, Jamey, and some others worked to organize extended Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. Usually, St. A's has Adoration every last Thursday of the month for one hour. The students organized a Facebook group for promoting overnight Adoration and over 80 people joined! So with Miss Letty and Father Gillespie's approval, we were able to have overnight Adoration on the 24th! It was just beautiful... seeing so many people in the middle of the night worshipping our Lord!

"My Jesus! What a lovable contrivance this holy Sacrament was - that You would hide under the appearance of bread to make Yourself loved and to be available for a visit by anyone who desires You!" - St. Alphonsus Ligouri

"We must visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament a hundred thousand times a day." - St. Francis de Sales

"Today solemn exposition of the Blessed Sacrament is the grace and need of our time. Society will be restored and renewed when all its members group themselves around our Emmanuel." - St. Peter Julian Eymard

In the intervening week between the retreat and the night-long exposition, Father Tony celebrated Mass in a manner probably not seen at St. Augustine's in several years. Aided by Dr. Edward Schaefer and his schola, Father sung a Mass completely in Gregorian chant. The schola chanted the Propers in Latin, while the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei were chanted in Latin (well the Kyrie was in Greek, of course) by the schola and the congregation. Father Tony chanted his prayers in English, and the readings were chanted by Cliff Whitty in English. Though it was a bit awkward for the congregation, we managed pretty well considering the vast majority had not seen this music in 40 years if at all. It was a beautiful expression of the tradition of the Church. Hopefully we will see more of it this upcoming school year.

Laudetur Iesus Christus - Praised be Jesus Christ.

P.S. Thanks to Raul Fernandez for the pictures

Episcopal Irresponsibility

2008-05-05T13:41:00.003-04:00

One of these days I promise I'll get a positive blog post out. There have been good things happening, I promise. Summer is here and I am up in Virginia with my Catholic family, so I'll try to find some time to post a little more. This one article today really caught my attention, though. During the recent Papal Mass in Washington, several high-profile dissenting Catholic politicians received Holy Communion. This also happened in New York City, where thrice "married" Giuliani received the Body of Christ. Cardinal Egan in New York later issued a statement of regret, saying that Mayor Giuliani should not have received Communion. In Washington, Archbishop Wuerl also issued a statement, which can be found here. He makes the argument that the local bishop of the politician should be making the call regarding withholding Holy Communion... Your Excellency, you are shirking responsibility for the pastoral care of souls. These men and women work in your diocese; most of them have residence in your diocese. Do you not have a responsibility here? They came to a Mass in your diocese, and received the Body and Blood of Christ in a state of public, manifest grave sin. Why will you stand aside while the Body of Christ is being profaned? Pray for Archbishop Wuerl, and for bishops everywhere.

On the Veiling of Women in Church

2008-04-15T02:48:00.004-04:00

Oh no... I hope I don't stir up too much controversy with this post. Regardless, it's something that has been on my mind recently, so I decided to write about it. So here goes...

From the New International Version (haha, just kidding):

Every man praying or prophesying with his head covered disgraceth his head. But every woman praying or prophesying with her head not covered disgraceth her head: for it is all one as if she were shaven. For if a woman be not covered, let her be shorn. But if it be a shame to a woman to be shorn or made bald, let her cover her head. The man indeed ought not to cover his head: because he is the image and glory of God. But the woman is the glory of the man. For the man is not of the woman: but the woman of the man. For the man was not created for the woman: but the woman for the man. Therefore ought the woman to have a power over her head, because of the angels. But yet neither is the man without the woman, nor the woman without the man, in the Lord. For as the woman is of the man, so also is the man by the woman: but all things of God. You yourselves judge. Doth it become a woman to pray unto God uncovered?

- 1 Corinthians 11:4-13 (Douay-Rheims Bible)

Prior to the Second Vatican Council in the 1960's and the rewriting of the Code of Canon Law in 1983, women were required to cover their head in church. Since the current Code of Canon Law abrogated the 1917 Code, women are no longer requried to cover their heads in church. Also, since the wearing of a veil is no longer required, I do not dare to say that women who do not veil their heads are disrespecting God or necessarily less pious than women who do choose to veil.

Now that I have thrown those few disclaimers out there, I hope to share why I think it is an admirable and beautiful thing for women to cover their heads in church. There are several reasons why I think women should cover their heads: including reasons for modesty, submission, and for humility.

The veil is a beautiful expression of modesty. Unfortunately in today's culture, we have seen modesty fall by the wayside. Short shorts and mini skirts have given men cause for temptation and as a result, women have become viewed more and more as objects of lust. The offense of immodesty is much aggravated when in church. When a woman wears a veil to Mass, however, she is showing great modesty. Saint Paul says that a woman's hair is her glory. As an 18 year old male, I can attest to the fact that there's just something about hair. When I see a girl, I look for her eyes, smile, and then her hair. By covering her hair, a woman is keeping the focus on Christ, and not on her hair. Admittedly, in the short run a veil might be a bit distracting since it is such a rarity these days. Given a few Masses, though, people will stop wondering what on earth that girl is doing with a veil on and accept it!

By wearing a veil, the woman also shows submission to God. This is not about submission to man- a debate I do not want going on with this post. By covering her hair, a woman is showing submission and her respect to Our Lord. In the Jewish tradition, the wearing of the yarmulke is done because the Divine Presence of God is thought to be always over us. Going back to 1 Corinthians, we can simply say that God ordained that women should wear a veil to cover themselves. By following this exhortation of Saint Paul, women are submitting to God's wish. Again, since this no longer carries the force of law in the Catholic Church, women who do not veil are not disobeying God, as long as they carry the same modesty, humility, and submission in their hearts. Still, God is pleased when women do cover their head at prayer!

The fruit of humility coming from the veil is somewhat connected to the idea of submission. She who covers her head does so humbly. This is especially true in this day, when she might be looked at as strange or retroactive, or God forbid, a "rad-trad"! Also, since the hair is a woman's glory, the willing covering of her crowning glory is a sign of great humility.

So those are the main reasons for a woman to veil. There is another lesser reason that I suppose does not bear much weight, but might be a comfort to women. Some might think that people will be put off by their covering, and indeed some might be. I find, however, that the majority of opposition to the veil comes from the far-left "progressive" section of the Church. And what kind of good Catholic girl would want anything to do with that type!? The majority of good, orthodox Catholics will be happy to see you with your head covered. Again, as a man, there's just something about a woman in a veil. I was having a discussion with a good friend of mine the other day, and he told me about what a beautiful thing it is to see a woman in a veil. We know that the veil is not about being enticing to traditional men or anything like that; as I have said, it is about modesty, submission, and humility. It is definitely true, though, that there is something incredibly attractive about a woman who is modest, submissive, and humble. It is a pure and innocent beauty that is very rare today. But do not let this be the only reason to veil. That would be counter-intuitive. It is merely a by-product.

So, if there are any women who are interested in a veil, there are several places online that sell them. They are not expensive at all, and of course they can be reused over and over and over again! Here are some stores online that sell them. Also, you can just search "chapel veil" or "mantilla" in Ebay.

Ebay store- Catholic Traditions
Halo-Works
Modesty Veils

Also, if any poor college students are reading this and are interested in a veil, I will gratefully cover the cost! ;)

God bless you always!

In Jesus and Mary,
Jonathan

Cardinal Arinze on Pro-Abortion Catholic Politicians

2008-04-14T21:58:00.001-04:00

Why I'd like to see Cardinal Arinze as the next Pope. ;) Personally, I'd like to see those arrest warrants carried out!

I Confess...

2008-04-10T20:55:00.002-04:00

I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel, to blessed John the Baptist, to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, to all the Saints, and to you brethren, that I have sinned exceedingly, in thought, word and deed: through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore I beseech blessed Mary ever Virgin, blessed Michael the Archangel, blessed John the Baptist, the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, all the Saints, and you brethren, to pray to the Lord our God for me.

The preceding prayer is the Confiteor, prayed by the priest and altar boys at the beginning of Mass. It is a prayer to God asking for reconciliation and forgiveness. It is a prayer of humility, but not of shame, because we are confident in God's mercy. Tonight I make this prayer to God and ask forgiveness for any time that I might not have done His will. I also ask all of you, that if I have at any time been uncharitable, to forgive me.

I am not apologizing for any truth that I have written or said. To do so would be irresponsible and make me guilty before God and before the community. But if I caused any of you, my brethren, to stumble, I ask your forgiveness for the scandal. If I have ever been unkind, please know that it was not my intention, but that I am truly sorry. I love you all, even if we disagree, and I pray that we may all find the fullness of Truth in Christ's Church. God bless you.

In Jesus and Mary,
Jonathan Knox

The Pope Speaks to the United States

2008-04-10T15:19:00.001-04:00

Nun Saves Burning Man

2008-04-10T15:03:00.002-04:00

... With her habit

http://wdtprs.com/blog/2008/04/3274/

Pray, pray, pray

2008-04-02T02:33:00.004-04:00

Pray, pray, pray!

I ask all of you to pray, for charity on everyone's part, for TRUE unity in the Church, and for unceasing fidelity to Christ and the Magisterium.

These are trying times, and there is nothing more that Satan wants than to have his way with the Church. He must not succeed.

FutureChurch and St. Augustine's Catholic Church

2008-03-22T17:53:00.002-04:00

Hmm... I found this on FutureChurch's website. FutureChurch is concerned about the related issues of women in ministry, optional celibacy, inclusive language, and Church decision-making that involves all the faithful, as called for by Vatican II. In other words, it is a heretical organization. They promote events called "Celebrations of St. Mary of Magdala". One of these celebrations is a bit of a tradition at Saint Augustine's, led by Kathy Kidder. Here is the article from FutureChurch

A few highlights:
The evening opened with a "blessing" by Sister Dolorosa Kissaka
Nancy Demers "presided" over a vespers service
Sister Rose Hoover (who has advocated women's ordination) gave an "inspiring reflection".

Shoot, I wish I was there.

On the Liturgy- This Priest Rocks!!!

2008-03-03T23:50:00.001-05:00

The Baltimore Catechism

2008-02-27T11:00:00.003-05:00

Yay! I received in the mail a couple days ago the Baltimore Catechism. Not only is it a solid way of teaching the Faith, it's also good for a comprehensive review of Catholic doctrine. I am starting to find out, though, that it's also good for quite a few laughs. After the question/answers of each section, there are Study Helps in the form of questions with examples from life. Here are a few:

Alice and Zita are in an ice cream parlor and are about to order some refreshments. Show how they may exercise their free wills in the enjoyment of the treat.

Stanislaus is showing the parish church to his Protestant friend Schuyler. Schuyler wants to know about the statue representing a lady standing on the world, with a half moon beneath her feet; she is crushing the head of a serpent. Explain who the lady is and why she is thus represented.

Marius always carries with him a small pocket crucifix. Do you approve this practice? Why?

Scholastica has the habit of repeating frequently during the day: "All for Thee, O Lord!" Once, Chole, a non-Catholic playmate, overheard her whisper this aspiration before a game of tennis. Explain to Chloe what this prayer means, and why Scholastica says it frequently.

Jasper is an infidel; Launcelot, an apostate; Algernon, a heretic. What has each done to incur such a title?

Anna has a tiny bone relic of the Little Flower of Jesus; Winifred has a piece of her Carmelite habit; Vivian, a small square of linen that was touched to one of the Saint's prayer books. Classify each relic.

How about that!?

Suscipiat Dominus

2008-02-20T00:21:00.002-05:00

May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of His name, for our good and the good of all His Church.

Another example of heterodoxy at St. Augustine's... I was at Mass today and I overheard someone say in response to the Orate Fratres, "May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of God's name, for our good and the good of all God's Church." Of course, I cannot know the intentions of this person in changing this prayer, but I think I may take a stab at it.

The person changed the masculine pronoun 'His' to 'God's'. The prayers of the Mass are given to us to pray, not to change willy nilly. One also wonders, with the Women's Book Club and their feminist agenda, with Sister Rose Hoover of the Cenacle arguing for women's ordination, etc.... about the mind of some who would try to sneak inclusive language into the Mass. Lord have mercy.

Also, at Newman Dinner tonight, Anders tried to make an announcement about daily Rosary at Plaza of the Americas. He was told by someone in charge that he could not make an announcement about this because it had been made in the past. Apparently, announcements can't be recurring.... if they are about the Rosary. Every week, the Alpha retreat and Nueva Alianza are brought up, yet God forbid that the recitation of the Rosary be promoted. Christ have mercy.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.

Christian Courage and the Cause of Christ

2008-02-16T18:28:00.004-05:00

From one of the most amazing books ever- The Young Man's Guide:

... Therefore it is of the utmost importance that the generation of Catholics who are now growing up, I mean Catholic young men, should fearlessly and courageously come forward and espouse the cause of Christ. Even the dread of death ought to induce no one to hold back, much less the dread of temporal loss. God will know how to protect His own in case of need. Think of what the faithful adherents of our holy religion have endured since the so-called Reformation in England and Ireland. Remember that millions of the early Christians shed their blood for Christ, amid the most cruel tortures.

Sacrifices like these are not required of us; we are not threatened with similar penalties. We ought, therefore, to find it easier to take the side of Christ, and to fight for His cause more cheerfully.

... In this manner must we all, and young men more especially, use every possible exertion in order that, in the days in which we live, Christ may once more reign in the whole of our public life.

God, grant us the courage to do your will. Help us to be like Saint John the Baptist: obedient and humble, yet strong and bold. It was his love for You that caused him to preach the coming of Christ in the wilderness, and love of his neighbor that caused him to call for repentance and turning back to Your truth. Grant us an increase in the virtue of charity, and renew within us the gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and the fear of the Lord. The days are evil, so we ask You to grant us the grace to fight the good fight and finish the race.

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, cast into Hell, Satan and all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.

Magdalene

2008-02-09T01:45:00.000-05:00

Tonight the blasphemous, sacrilegious play Magdalene was performed at United Church of Gainesville. For those of you who are unaware of the situation, you may read the article in the Gainesville Sun here. The play was to be put on at my parish of St. Augustine's at the University of Florida. After finding out how completely blasphemous it was (it calls into question the Eucharist and the male priesthood) I approached Father Gillespie with my concerns. He told me that it was "just a play" and that I had no need to worry about scandal or blasphemy. Not happy with this response, I wrote to Bishop Galeone. He agreed that it would be scandalous and canceled the play, and prohibited its showing in any other Catholic church.

Now if it had all ended there.... everything would be fine. Instead of canceling the play, St. Augustine's relocated the play. Director of Faith Formation Tom Rinkoski (the man responsible for bringing the play to the parish in the first place) decided to call around and see if any Protestant churches would pick up the performance. UC Gainesville happily obliged. This church is a super-relativist inclusive group, subscribing to many heresies. A sermon from their web page suggests that perhaps Mary Magdalene did marry Jesus.

The story, however, gets worse. On the front desk in the parish office, I saw a sign that read "The Magdalene event has been relocated to United Church of Gainesville, 1624 NW 5th Avenue. Tickets will be on sale at the door." This sign was sitting right in front of the phone. Apparently, Rinkoski and the staff wanted to make sure that anyone who called about the play would be able to get to it. I find this very disturbing, since the bishop agreed that the play calls into question Church teaching on two sacraments.

Something needs to be said, and I am not afraid to say it. Tom Rinkoski is not fit to be the Director of Faith Formation. I fear for the children who go through the programs for First Holy Communion and for Confirmation. Hopefully their parents, who the Church calls the primary educators of children, are able to instill in them the true Faith. Mr. Rinkoski disobeyed the spirit of the bishop's instruction that the play be canceled. He then placed himself in a prominent role, welcoming all who came to the play at the Protestant church. Also, I am ashamed that an overwhelming majority of the staff of St. Augustine's came to see this mockery. They need to know that they materially cooperated in a grave evil. I would suggest the Sacrament of Confession to them.

O Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer, Son of the living God, behold, we kneel before Thee and offer Thee our reparation; we would make amends for all the blasphemies uttered against Thy holy name, for all the injuries done to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, for all the irreverence shown toward Thine immaculate Virgin Mother, for all the calumnies and slanders spoken against Thy spouse, the holy Catholic and Roman Church. O Jesus, who hast said: "If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you," we pray and beseech Thee for all our brethren who are in danger of sin; shield them from every temptation to fall away from the true faith; save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss; to all of them give light and knowledge of the truth, courage and strength for the conflict with evil, perseverance in faith and active charity! For this do we pray, most merciful Jesus, in Thy name, unto God the Father, with whom Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.

Ash Wednesday

2008-02-06T13:16:00.000-05:00

Happy *??* Ash Wednesday!

Okay, so maybe happy is not the correct word to use. Anyways, I don't have time to write up a substantial post, but I thought I'd at least put up a link to some pictures from my confirmation and first Holy Communion.

You have to be running Internet Explorer to see the page..

Have mercy on me, O Lord, have mercy on me: for my soul trusteth in Thee. He hath sent from heaven and delivered me: He hath made them a reproach that trod upon me.

Too Catholic??

2008-01-14T02:48:00.000-05:00

I was recently told that I was “too Catholic”. How ridiculously stupid! How can someone possibly be too Catholic? What this person was getting at was that I am too excited about Catholicism. I think that is ridiculous. The Catholic Faith is the most important and exciting thing in my life. After all, I have been waiting for four years to fully become Catholic. The truth, though, is that all Catholics should view their faith as the central and all-pervading aspect of their lives… and be excited about it!

Last night I read from my awesome book by Father Lasance, The Young Man’s Guide. The section I read from was entitled “Your Most Precious Treasure”. Father Lasance calls to our mind the parable of the pearl of great price. In the parable, a man sells all that he owns in order to possess this one pearl. What is this pearl of great price?

“The one pearl without price is the true faith and the state of grace. Guard this treasure carefully. Sacrifice everything to preserve your faith and the grace and love of God.”

So why is the Faith so valuable, that we should give up all that we have in exchange for it? Well, our faith is that of the Catholic Church. This Church is the one instituted by Christ, a gift to all of us. Our Lord gave us the gift of Himself, and after that He gave us His Church. (And after all, Christ gives us Himself to us daily in the Sacrifice of the Mass, which is only available through the Church!) So since Christ gave us this great gift, we must value it above all other things. Also, it is through the Church and its sacraments that we may receive eternal life and happiness in heaven. I’d say that’s pretty valuable!

Then how do we go about keeping this faith strong and close to our hearts? How do we stay in the state of grace? Father Lasance has a few suggestions. First, attend to religious instruction. Saint Paul says in his letter to the Romans “Faith comes by hearing.” How can we hold dearly our faith if we are ignorant of it?? Second, live up to the Faith which you profess. We have duties as Catholics: attend Mass at least weekly, receive the sacraments of Confession and Communion frequently, perform the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. As we do these things, the Faith will become more and more a part of us. Third, avoid sin. Since sin displeases God, it should displease us. Now we may go about this by using those sources of grace just mentioned. Finally, prayer is an excellent means of maintaining the Faith. A consistent and fervent prayer life is key. We should pray in the morning, evening, and throughout the day. By lifting up our hearts to God in prayer, we unite ourselves with Him more closely.

Now, an easy way of hitting all four birds with one stone, for lack of better words, is to frequent Holy Mass. I believe that attendance at daily Mass, if possible, is the best means of maintaining a deep love for God and our Faith. If we look at the four means listed by Father Lasance and then look at the Mass, we can see how the Mass provides all of this for us. We receive religious instruction in the form of the priest’s homily, we perform our religious duties, we receive the grace to avoid sin, and we take part in the most excellent of prayers! Let us then take advantage of the Mass- so great a gift (we can receive the Body and Blood of Our Lord and be united with Him!) It is the greatest gift of Christ and His Church.

“There is no greater wealth, no more valuable possession than the Catholic faith!”
– Saint Augustine

A Glimpse Into My New Catholic Life

2008-01-11T21:45:00.001-05:00

This is just an excuse to make an entry on this blog- life support, if you will. I took a few pictures of my dorm at the university to show off all my new cool Catholic stuff. Also, some interesting news. Today at Rosary (we pray twice daily on the Plaza of the Americas) we prayed in front of the Missionary Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe- a huge exact replica of the original image on St. Juan Diego's tilma. That was a very nice experience for all of us. Other interesting news: I will be trained to be an altar server and hopefully I'll be able to assist at next week's Exposition and Adoration. We are looking into purchasing a/some cassock(s) and surplice(s) as opposed to the very plain, very dull albs that altar servers wear at St. Augustine's nowadays. Though I have been informed by a reader of the blog that in the Diocese of St. Augustine, servers are to wear albs. 'Twas a pipe dream, anyways.

So, here are the pictures...

So we have my crucifix, a painting by Juan de Juanes of the Institution of the Eucharist, various pictures of my friends, images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary, a beautiful picture of the Blessed Trinity, my laptop with a super cool background of a FSSP priest saying Mass, statues of St. Joseph, the Christ Child, and Our Lady of Grace, and the TV that I never get around to viewing.

Here is a shot directly above my unmade bed... a beautiful cross depicting several scenes from the life of Christ, a painting of Our Lady of the Rosary by Murillo, and another Murillo called The Good Shepherd.

Ten bucks says I'm the only student at UF to have a holy water font in his room.... and I LOVE it!

A nasty old tract attacking Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.... so I cut out the super-cool pictures out of it before throwing it away. Check out that priest offering the Sacrifice of the Mass ad orientem!!

This one gets me excited just looking at it!! Far left are my Rosaries. Then we have some holy water, my Sunday Tridentine Missal, a book about the saints (organized by their feast's placement in the year!), a hymnal that is 1,000x better than those found across the street at St. Augustine's, and my Daily Tridentine Missal. Below, the sheets I made up for our St. Michael exorcism at the Plaza of the Americas, my RSV-CE Bible, Catholicism for Dummies, holy cards, This is the Faith, the Catechism, the Lamb's Supper by Dr. Hahn, and this month's issue of Magnificat, a Novus Ordo daily missal.

This is the starting point, the springboard for my collection of Catholic goodies. They are proudly displayed without fear of my family tearing them down or some other nonsense like that... It's good to be a Catholic! Deo gratias.

Merry Christmas!!

2007-12-27T16:33:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to everyone!! I hope that all of you are having a joyous time celebrating the birth of Our Lord. This Christmas is especially joyous for me- the reason being that on Saturday, December 22, I was received into the Catholic Church!

I was blessed to be able to stay with my Catholic family- the Jerges- for four days around the time of my confirmation. It was an incredible few days, and I miss them all very much. But as I said, it was incredible. On Saturday all of them were with me as we went to the rectory of Father Francis Peffley, pastor of Holy Trinity Parish in Northern Virginia. There he heard my first Confession, received me into the Church, confirmed me, and gave me first Holy Communion. It was amazing beyond description. The next day, I went to my first Tridentine Mass at their beautiful church in Front Royal- St. John the Baptist.

Also, I received many awesome Catholic gifts. There were so many that I probably won't remember all of them here... (they are in hiding until I can smuggle them to college.) Off the top of my head, Grandma got me a beautiful Daily Missal for the Traditional Latin Mass. Aunt Malia got me a beautiful cross depicting several scenes and the words "Christus Heri, Hodie, Semper" Latin for "Christ Yesterday, Today, Always". Jess and the family gave me The Young Man's Guide: Counsels, Reflections, and Prayers for Young Catholic Men, a beautiful framed painting of the Blessed Trinity, a 1962 Sunday Missal, a statue of the Christ Child, a very cool scapular with St. Michael on it and a St. Benedict medal and crucifix. Oh, also Mom got me a suit and two shirts and ties- very spiffy.

But most of all, the best thing they all gave me was the feeling that I was one of their sons/brothers. I felt so loved that I broke down and cried several times. Slightly embarrassing, but I don't think they cared too much. It was an amazing four days, and I can't wait to see them again!

The Burden of Proof

2007-03-27T19:23:00.000-04:00

Here it is- finally! The Burden of Proof.

I decided to write this after hearing the pastor at my family's church say something about Catholics and how they had "forsaken the Gospel" and "erred from the truth." I realized that most of the time, Protestants make this claim without backing it up with any evidence.... and that's not good. When making an accusation, you must satisfy the burden of proof. I contend that Protestants have not done that, and in this paper I hope you'll see how they'll never be able to.

So without further ado, here is The Burden of Proof.

God bless,
Jon

Potpourri

2007-03-21T17:11:00.000-04:00

Potpourri because this is just a jumble of loose ends.

School will be over in two months! Yay. Spring break begins this weekend- so I should have time to finish my latest project, The Burden of Proof.

Also, an update on college. Sadly, I will not be able to go to Ave Maria University. I fought long and hard, but I cannot fight anymore. There is just too much opposition. Instead, I will be attending the University of Florida. Fortunately, there is a great group of good Catholic students there, a few of which I have been able to talk to online. Also, this gives me four more years to work on my conversion hit list that I have established for my non-Catholic friends here in high school.

New to the blog, I have added a section on the sidebar under my bio called "For Your Convenience..." Here, I have placed some helpful links to make finding my more substantial reports much easier. Look for The Burden of Proof to appear there within the next two weeks, God willing.

May He bless you always,
Jon

Pot Calling the Kettle Black

2007-01-21T20:30:00.000-05:00

First off a disclaimer: this is not meant to be a full treatise on faith and works. My current project is on the burden of proof of those who bring doctrinal charges against the Church. This is just a quick note.

Today at Protestant-church, the pastor talked at great length about salvation. He used all the usual buzz words such as "personal relationship" "asking Jesus into your heart" and the like. In addition, he shocked me with this: "I'm not saying 'Do you believe in Jesus as your personal savior?' I'm asking you, 'Have you personally applied the blood of Jesus to your life?'"

I'm not sure what applying the blood of Jesus to my life could entail... (it could mean a lot, but what he's referring to, I don't know.) I've heard something like this before, but it clicked with me today. Here's the deal- Protestants are always shouting sola fide, works are not necessary. But Protestants really misunderstand the Church's position on works in the place of justification.

Looking at the first canon from the Council of Trent's decree on justification, we can see the proper place of works: "If anyone says that man can be justified before God by his own works, whether done by his own natural powers or through the teaching of the law, without divine grace through Jesus Christ, let him be anathema."

Without grace, we can do nothing to achieve salvation. It is only through our Lord's sacrifice on the cross that we can merit eternal life. The difference is how it is applied. Catholics believe that this grace is applied through the sacraments. According to Pastor Danny, "we must apply the blood of Jesus to our lives." It seems that the Protestant plays a more active role in his salvation!

Catholics actually play a fairly passive part in the means of salvation. When it comes to the sacraments, we only approach them. We approach the baptismal font where water is poured over us. We approach the Eucharist where the Host is given to us- we never take the Body of Christ. We approach the priest in confession, where our sins are absolved- passive action. It is good to note that priests act in persona Christi. So man is barely involved. We are moved by God's grace, and indeed we must act on that grace (this is where the Protestants erred), but ultimately in the actual transmission of grace, we are much less active than some would have you think.

So taking all of that into consideration, and considering Pastor Danny's urging to "apply the blood of Jesus", what do you think of Protestants that say that works play no role in salvation and that Catholics rely too much on works?

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-25T23:45:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!!!

Today is the Solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord. As we celebrate the birth of the Christ Child, we should thank Him for the sacrifice He made for us. Of course, the Passion was the ultimate sacrifice, but imagine: God the Son spent some 33 years here on Earth. He gave up sitting on His throne next to the Father for a manger amongst animals. Yet in His sacrifice we have great joy. We rejoice because His birth made our redemption possible.

Hodie Christus natus est!

Unity... one can only pray

2006-12-20T14:18:00.000-05:00

Pope Benedict XVI, leader of the Catholic Church and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, primus inter pares primate of the Orthodox Church.

Ave Maria

2006-11-20T15:29:00.000-05:00

Today I got my letter of acceptance from Ave Maria University! The application process was a little stressful, but now there's more. I have to send in a $300 deposit ASAP. My mom won't pay it. So I have to come up with that money somehow. Please continue to pray for me, and God bless you.

An update

2006-10-29T17:26:00.000-05:00

School has kept me so busy that I haven't been able to get on the Internet for much free time, let alone work on a substantial post. Though I have a little time to write about a big part of recent events.

So it's the college application season for high school seniors. Since the truth of the Catholic faith had been shown to me, I've wanted to go to a Catholic university. It would be my only opportunity to get a formal Catholic education. After looking at the cost of attending a private college and realizing that my mom would not support me, I resigned to the fact that I would have to go to a public university. That lasted for a couple years. Then I started to get information about a new Catholic university here in Florida. Ave Maria University is an orthodox, faithful Catholic college that is being built up in the planned town of Ave Maria, Florida. Because the college is in Florida, I would be able to use the Florida Bright Futures scholarship money there ($4,000/year). Also, AMU has a very generous scholarship program. A long story made short, it should be feasible for me to attend. So I sent in my application and I should know the result by the end of November! Praise God! If all goes well, I will be among the first students at Ave Maria's permanent campus, pursuing a degree in Theology. God is good.

Breaking News! Pope Benedict & the Tridentine Mass

2006-10-11T20:00:00.000-04:00

Expansion of the Tridentine Mass to come soon?

New stories out of the Vatican, and according to Catholic World News, confirmed reports say that Pope Benedict XVI is preparing a motu proprio to "extend permissions for priests to celebrate the traditional Latin Mass". This would, according to the article from CWN, come in the form of a universal indult for all priests of the Latin rite. Under Pope John Paul II's Ecclesia Dei (1988), priests currently have to have the permission of their bishop to celebrate the Tridentine Mass. There is no date set for the release of the document.

I have never seen the Tridentine Mass in its entirety, but have seen pictures and clips of one being celebrated. Thank God for Pope Benedict who is giving the faithful the opportunity to participate in this beautiful liturgy that has been the jewel of the Church for so long.

150 Reasons Why I am a Catholic

2006-09-02T15:12:00.000-04:00

I just stumbled across this awesome... I don't know what to call it... thing by Dave Armstrong. He's a Catholic apologist and a convert from Evangelical Protestantism. He's the author of quite a few Catholic apologetic books including A Biblical Defense of Catholicism and The Catholic Verses: 95 Bible Passages that Confound Protestants. I've read some excerpts online- very cool. On his blog, Cor ad cor loquitur, he has posted 150 reasons (little statements that demonstrate how the Catholic Church is the Church of the New Testament and Tradition. He includes a disclaimer that I'd like to paraphrase here. He isn't out to slam Protestantism, just to point out the errors of Protestant beliefs and show the Truth of Catholic beliefs. Also, not every point applies to every Protestant/Evangelical group... With that said, go check it out!

Sevilla

2006-07-31T11:02:00.000-04:00

Sevilla, or Seville in English, is the capital of the civil province of Sevilla and of the autonomous community of Andalucía. Remember that the autonomous communities of Spain are self governing bodies whose autonomy is somewhere between those of our states and the independent countries of the European Union. It is in the southern portion of Spain, the part of Spain which has the most Arab influence because of the prolonged Moorish presence there.

The city traces its roots to the 9th century before Christ. It passed through the hands of the Phoenicians and the Carthaginians, who destroyed the city in 216 BC. In Latin the city was known as Hispalis. In the Second Punic War, the Roman military leader Scipio Africanus defeated the Carthaginians in the Battle of Ilipia. The battle took place 10 miles north of modern Seville and with Rome's victory, Spain became a possession of the Roman Republic.

After the battle, the general founded the city of Italica to settle his wounded soldiers. Italica grew and was the birthplace of two Roman emperors- Trajan and Hadrian. Hadrian did much to build up the city, making it a colonia (important city). Hadrian built a temple to Trajan and rebuilt many public buildings. According to Wikipedia, a shift in the bed of the Guadalquivir River caused Italica to become isolated. As a result, Hispalis (Seville) became the capital of the Roman province of Hispania Baetica.

We have record of Saint Gerontius, the Bishop of Italica, preached in the area during the Apostolic Era. For sure, there was a bishop of Seville by 287-300. We know this because Bishop Sabinus attended the Council of Elvira (Iliberis) in modern day Granada. This council forbade Christians from participating in pagan festivals or games. It was reaffirmed that the bishop was the head of the local Church, and the sacraments could be celebrated by priests only under his authority. Oddly enough, it forbade images in churches. Most people interpret this as either not allowing pagans to caricature sacred scenes (the problem we have with Satanists today) or to keep new converts from relapsing into idolatry by not understanding the true meaning of sacred art. Especially interesting is Canon 33, the first canon on record concerning clerical celebacy.

In the year 303, the Church in Seville was in the middle of a great persecution. Saints Justa and Rufina (painting here by... you guessed it, Murillo!) are two of the most well known Spanish martyrs in history. They were potters and, according to tradition, one man offered a large sum of money for some of their pots. The sources I found differ a little here, but one story goes that the sisters found out that the pots would be used for pagan worship. Once they found out, they smashed the pots and the angry customer dragged them to be tried for heresy against the gods. They were stretched on the rack and St. Rufina was strangled. They died and their feast day is now celebrated on July 17 in Spain as patron saints of Seville.

With the westward expansion of the Huns out of Eurasia, the Germanic barbarians and other groups such as the Alans pushed into what was the Roman Empire. The Vandals and Alans divided the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) between them, but were pushed out when the Visigoths invaded from Toulouse. The reign of the Visigothic kings is said to have been from 415 to 711, when the Arabs took over. The Visigoths had been converted to Arianism in the year 360. This caused problems with the Catholic bishops of Spain. Finally, in the year 587, Saint Leander of Seville, bishop, returned from exile and helped convert the Visigothic king Reccared. The king made a public profession of faith at the Third Council of Toledo in 589 and the majority of the Arian nobility converted.

Seville was captured by the Moors in 711, and stayed under Muslim control for 500 years. In 1248, Saint King Ferdinand III captured Seville in the Reconquista. Along with Saints Justa and Rufina, he is the patron saint of the city and archdiocese of Sevilla.

Salamanca

2006-06-08T10:00:00.000-04:00

I haven´t been very good in keeping up with the posts. Lo siento mucho. But I am now in Salamanca, and it is beautiful. I will post pictures of the cathedrals when I get back to the states, but wow. The history here is amazing. We went to the University of Salamanca, founded in 1218, yesterday. There we saw the classroom of Fray Luis de Leon. He was sent to prison for five years by the Inquisition, but the story goes that when he was released he went to his podium, opened the book to the same page and said "As we were saying..." Anywho, we also visited the chapel of the university. There we saw the diploma of St. Teresa of Avila from the university proclaiming her Doctor ecclesiae (Doctor of the Church, but not the title given by the Pope which came in 1970). It was fascinating to be standing in the chapel with a beautiful painting of the Immaculate Conception behind the altar, knowing that for hundreds of years, prominent theologians on staff stood in the same place to swear to defend the dogma.
Many famous people studied or lectured at the University. Miguel de Cervantes, Saint Ignatius Loyola, and Saint John of the Cross are among the most prominent.

The patron saint of Salamanca is Saint John of Sahagun. In Salamanca, his feast day is celebrated on June 12, so we will be here for it. Saint John was born in 1419, the oldest of seven children. He was very much devoted to the Blessed Sacrament, and at Mass he would often see the Host "resplendent in glory" and the bodily presence of the Lord. He was a great peacemaker and "in his sermons he, like another St. John the Baptist, fearlessly preached the word of God and scourged the crimes and vices of the day, though thereby the rich and noble were offended. He soon made many enemies, who even hired assassins, but these, awed by the serenity and angelic sweetness of his countenance, lost courage. Some women of Salamanca, embittered by the saint's strong sermon against extravagance in dress, openly insulted him in the streets and pelted him with stones until stopped by a patrol of guards. His scathing words on impurity produced salutary effects in a certain nobleman who had been living in open concubinage, but the woman swore vengeance, and it was popularly believed that she caused the saint's death by poison" (Catholic Encyclopedia).

Toledo

2006-06-01T11:22:00.000-04:00

Nearly two months later, I start my little series of posts on the beautiful cities of Spain that I visited. Leave it to me. But don't worry... it is fresh in my mind and I have many pictures. The first city we stopped in was Toledo. The archdiocese of Toledo is the primatial see of Spain. That means that it is the seat of the Primate of Spain (the highest ranking bishop of several provinces... like a country). It is an honorary title, and they basically are different from other metropolitan bishops in that they have more prestige or honor in ceremonies or national councils. The current primate is Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera. The United States has no primate, by the way. The archdiocese of Baltimore, however, is the oldest see in the country. Back to Spain... Tarragona was once a primatial see, in the kingdom of Aragon. It is in modern day Catalunya. Sorry for all the background information- I just love the history (secular and ecclesial) of Spain.

Tradition has it that Saint James the Great founded the Church in Spain. As I said earlier, Saint Paul did want to go there, and Pope Saint Clement I said that he in fact did make it to Spain. As for Saint James, however, we have a big gap between the time of his death in AD 44 to the first mention of his being in Spain. Still, there are several traditions placing him there. One tradition of Saint James in Spain is the story of Our Lady Of Pilar. In the year 40, Saint James was preaching in Spain. On January 2, he was alongside the River Ebro when the Virgin Mary appeared to him, standing on a pillar carried by angels. She instructed him to return to Judaea, where he was beheaded in 44. The pillar is kept in the basilica of Pilar in Zaragoza. His relics are supposedly kept in a church in Santiago de Compostela. It is contested, but Pope Leo XIII argued for the authenticity of the relics in the bull Omnipotens Deus.

The see of Toledo claims Saint Eugenius as its first bishop. Saint Eugenius was a first century Roman. The information is a little sparse during the Roman persecution, but we know of many martyrs. Saint Leocadia was one of them. She lived during the persecutions of Diocletian which sent to heaven a multitude of Spanish martyrs. She was beaten and tortured and then thrown into prison, never giving in to apostasy. She died on December 9, 304. She is the patroness of Toledo. After the end of the state sponsored persecution, we have record of the bishops of Toledo until the 10th century. During this time, the Church in Toledo grew and helped keep the Spanish Church unified. This was done in a large part through several of the Councils of Toledo (400-700)- the twelth in 681 declaring that the diocese of Toledo was the primary see in Spain. The see was vacant from 926-1058 during the Muslim occupation of the Iberian Peninsula. On May 25, 1085, King Alfonso VI of Castile and Leon conquered Toledo, driving the Muslims out. With the Reconquest of Toledo, Bernard de Toledo became archbishop and in 1088 was declared Primate of Spain by Pope Urban II (who called for the first crusade). Following Bernard, there is an unbroken line of bishops of Toledo up to today.

One of the most interesting bishops and stories of the Church in Toledo is of San Ildefonso (Saint Ildephonsus). He was born in 607 and bishop from 657-667. He had great devotion to the Virgin Mary. In fact, his best known work is titled De virginitate perpetua sanctae Mariae adversus tres infideles. One day while he was in the cathedral of Toledo, the Blessed Mother descended to the floor in front of him. There she gave him a chasuble, the outermost liturgical vestment of a priest. The chasuble was a gift for his devotion and defense of her. The rock has been preserved and placed in the current cathedral of Toledo (cathedral photo above or see beautiful altar and retablo here). I was privileged to be able to visit the cathedral and kiss the rock that the feet of the Virgin rested on. Above the place there is a sign that reads:

Cuando la reina del cielo / puso los pies en el suelo / en esta piedra los puso / de besadla tened uso para más vuestro consuelo.
(When the Queen of Heaven placed her feet on the ground, in this rock she placed them. Kiss it for your consolation.)

Tóquese la piedra diciendo con toda devoción: veneramos este lugar en que puso sus pies la Santísima Virgen.
(Touch the rock saying with all devotion: We venerate this place in which she put her feet, the Most Holy Virgin.)

Click here for a painting by my favorite- Bartolomé Esteban Murillo- of the descension of the Virgin.

Hopefully I will get more posts up soon... before school starts. Until then, God bless you all. Que Dios os bendiga!

Headed for Spain

2006-05-28T16:33:00.000-04:00

I'm leaving for Spain tomorrow morning. I'll be gone until June 23, so that means 25 days away from home. I am very excited because of Spain's history and architecture and all the beauitful castles and churches I will get to see.

The Church has a long history in Spain. It is mentioned in the Epistle to the Romans, chapter 15. Saint Paul said that he planned to visit Spain by way of Rome. Whether he did or not is contested, since he first went to Jerusalem and got into some trouble there. In the First Epistle to the Corinthians, however, Pope Saint Clement I (the third successor to Saint Peter) writes that Paul preached to the "extremity of the West" (1 Clement 5:7). Some cities in Spain claim episcopal succession that traces directly to disciples of the apostles. Whether or not these are accurate, we know with certainty that the Church was well established there in the mid third century. I will post from the various cities that I'll be staying in, including Toledo, Madrid, Seville, Cordoba, and Granada. Please pray for safe travel!

In Christ through Mary,

Jonathan Knox

South Dakota, Cardinals, and Stuff

2006-02-25T18:39:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted in a while, and I finally have some free time! There has been some interesting stuff happening lately, so I'll put some links up here in case you haven't heard.

Pope Benedict XVI names 15 new cardinals -Catholic World News
The announcement was made on February 22, the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, and the consistory will take place on March 24, the vigil of the Annunciation of the Lord. You can find a list of the soon to be cardinals in the article, but some of the more well-known (well, to me) bishops include:

Archbishop William Levada, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, formerly Archbishop of San Francisco.
Archbishop Stanislas Dziwisz of Krakow, Poland and Pope John Paul II's secretary (heard a lot of him leading up to the death of the Holy Father)
Archbishop Sean O'Malley of Boston.

Back here in the United States, there's been some interesting abortion related news. The House and Senate of the state of South Dakota have aggreed to a bill that would make abortion a felony. Doctors who perform abortions in any case except for saving the life of the mother could be punished with up to five years in prison. The governor Mike Rounds (R) has said that he is "inclined to sign the bill". Governor Rounds is a pro-life Catholic.

South Dakota House OKs Bill to Ban Nearly All Abortions

This will be challenged, of course, but it's hoped that the Supreme Court will look at it and it's prior decision in Roe v. Wade. It's certainly a long shot, but very welcome! I'd just like to know why doctors would only receive a maximum of five years for the murder of a unborn baby... just a thought. God bless all of you as we approach the Lenten season. First two Fridays of Lent I'll be suffering through practice Spanish AP tests after school from 1:15-4:00. Mrs. Ruch said it was very apropos...

Roe vs. Wade: Thirty-three years later

2006-01-22T15:20:00.000-05:00

On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court of the United States decided that laws against abortion were unconstitutional. Since then, more than 46,000,000 babies have been killed in the United States alone. Every year, about 1.3 million pre-born babies are killed in the United States alone. The numbers, however, are even more heartbreaking when we see that this is less than 3% of the 46,000,000 babies aborted worldwide. That means in these beginning years of the 21st century, more babies were killed than total deaths as a result of Stalin, Hitler, African civil wars, World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam, and any other major conflict you can think of. Think about that for a while. Then let's break it down into more statistics and see just how big of a problem we have here. Worldwide, there are about 126,000 abortions conducted each day. That's an average of more than 5,000 an hour, 87 a minute, and almost 1.5 per second.

Those statistics are enough to make one lose sleep. But those statistics are numbers. The heart of the matter is this: babies are dying. Mothers are being scarred for life. Satan is having his way. How can the world allow this? 43% of those having an abortion claimed they were Protestants. 27% claimed they were Catholic! In our country, 25.5% had an abortion because they wanted to postpone childbearing. 21.3% said they couldn't afford a baby. 14.1% say the father didn't want the baby. And almost 11% said that a child would disrupt their education or career! Wake up, people. There is no good reason to kill a baby... but these excuses? God save us.

You can check out two organizations that are working to end the evil of abortion: Priests for Life and the American Life League. For some prayers for the pre-born, check out this page from Priests for Life.

On another note, I've been watching this news story out of Italy for a while now, and thought I'd put it up here. Sort of a "Most Ridiculous Item of the Day" thing. Italian Lawyers Asked to Prove Jesus Existed.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

2005-12-31T18:23:00.000-05:00

Today, January 1, the Church celebrates the solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. All of her glory and dignity comes from this title and role of hers. If she were not chosen to be the Mother of God, she would have lived an ordinary life. Instead, she was made ready to carry the Child by her Immaculate Conception. She was kept free from sin so that she could be the perfect mother for the perfect Son. She was assumed into heaven to share in the glory of her Son. Because Jesus is her son, she is a powerful intercessor. All of this comes from her being the Mother of God.

Today is also New Year's Day. We should thank God for what He has done for us this past year, and also ask Him to bless the upcoming year as we dedicate it to Him.

I have finished my paper on the Immaculate Conception. Full of Grace: The Immaculate Conception in Scripture and Tradition can be found here in Word format.

Merry Christmas!

2005-12-25T23:32:00.000-05:00

Today we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Christ. The Father sent the Son to the world as a baby. Jesus, the Word who is God took on the flesh of man and was born in a stable, yet He lost none of His divinity and remained God. This is a great and beautiful mystery. That God came to earth a little infant, dwelt among us as He grew, faced the troubles of this world selflessly- even to His death... just think about it! We worship an awesome God.

Father, we are filled with the new light by the coming of your Word among us. May the light of faith shine in our words and actions. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

2005-12-08T08:35:00.000-05:00

Today the Church honors the Blessed Virgin Mary, who from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the human race, was preserved immune from all stain of original sin. Pope Pius IX declared the doctrine an infallible teaching of the Church in his bull Ineffabilis Deus on December 8, 1854. I hope to have an article about the teaching of the Immaculate Conception up over the Christmas break.

Mary as the Immaculate Conception is the patroness of the United States. Pray to her for our country, our politicians, our bishops, and all who live here under her protection. She is the human example that we can look to, following her lead in conforming our will to Christ's. May God bless you all.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2005-11-24T19:02:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone and happy thanksgiving! Thanksgiving is really special to me since its one of the days of the year when the whole family gets together. I'm so thankful for my family and friends. I thank God that He put them in my life and blesses me through them daily. But most of all, I'm thankful for God's greatest gift- His Son and the sacrifice He made on the cross. Let us thank Him for all that He has done.

------ from Catholic Culture, one of the coolest sites around------

That the Church throughout the world will more vigorously thank the Lord for His kindness towards His children. Lord hear our prayer.

That the government of our beloved country will never forget to praise and thank the Almighty who is the generous Giver of each gift. Lord hear our prayer.

That those who suffer may recall that God still loves them and wants to lead them to unending peace in the next world. Lord hear our prayer.

That all Americans on Thanksgiving Day will be blessed with a fresh awareness of the loving Most Blessed Trinity from whom all good things come. Lord hear our prayer.

That those Americans who have no faith in God may be touched by grace this day and seek the Creator of the universe. Lord hear our prayer.

That the faithful departed will soon gather around God's altar in paradise where they will joyfully thank Him for ever. Lord hear our prayer.

-----------------------------------------

God's Truth is something we should all be thankful for. On a side note, please pray for Nicholas of Presents of God... I came across his website a while back and after talking with him, it's clear that he won't even listen to my questions, instead blocking my e-mail address. He left the Church and the Truth years ago and needs all of our prayers.

Catholic Apologetics Scripture Concordance

2005-10-30T01:19:00.000-05:00

I came across this today and thought it was really interesting. And useful!! I've printed it out so when I don't have access to the computer, I can pull this handy packet out and get my references easily. Thanks to Jeffrey Lloyd, who posted this on his blog.

Catholic Apologetics Scripture Concordance

God bless,
Jon

Videoblogging and Hurricane Wilma

2005-10-23T23:27:00.000-04:00

Alright, I'm no blogging expert, but I wanted to give this 'video blogging' thing a try. I don't have a microphone, I don't have a fancy video camera (in fact, I'm using a Kodak EasyShare digital camera!) but that's good enough for me. With Hurricane Wilma approaching Florida, I thought this would be a good opportunity. What does that have to do with the Catholic faith??

No matter what, God is in control.

So here is video from around 7:30 PM to 12:00 PM as the effects of Hurricane Wilma were felt in St. Petersburg, Florida. They're very amateurish and you can't hear me at times, but that's what you get for coming here. ;)

Hurricane Wilma, Part One
Hurricane Wilma, Part Two
Hurricane Wilma, Part Three
Hurricane Wilma, Part Four
Day of: Part One
Day of: Part Two

Please pray for us Floridians, especially those to my south. We've been through a lot. I'm trying out this Putfile server... we'll see how reliable it is. Even though the radio button is already selected at 480, I had to click it to get the movie to play. 8- I already know it's interface is a little goofy, but I take what I get!

God bless,
Jon