St. Therese and Holy Communion

Mother Gonzague would not give in to the petition of Therese for more frequent Holy Communion. And so Therese looked at her, and said with resolve: “Mother Gonzague, when I am dead, I will make you change your mind” (The Hidden Face, Ida Friederike Gorres, New York: Pantheon, pp. 234-35).And that is precisely what she did! The great revision of liturgical practices undertaken by Pope Pius X was attributed largely to the intercession of St. Therese. A wonderful story: a few days after Therese’s death, a newly-ordained priest came to the Lisieux Carmel where he preached his first sermon on the words, “Come and eat my bread.” Soon after that, with the Prioress’s blessing, the chaplain introduced daily Communion to the Carmel.~~From First Steps on the Little Way of St. Therese of Lisieux, by Fr. Peter John Cameron. The entire text can be read at http://www.kofc.org/un/eb/en/resources/cis/CIS307.pdf

Becoming a Real Man

In marriage preparation, I often ask would-be grooms whether they love their fiancée enough to take a bullet for her. Never has one said no. Then I ask whether his answer would be the same if the “bullet” took one of the following forms: being abstinent before marriage; giving up smoking if she asks; being on time if he is habitually late; cleaning up after himself better; patiently telling her what happened that day at work if she requests it; learning the faith better to help pass it on to her more completely; or making the time and the priority to pray with her. Those are the types of grenades on which many men refuse to dive! But these gifts of oneself are so much more valuable than almost any material gift one could give, and they are a far greater sign of real love than any ring could symbolize. When a future husband and wife begin to love each other through sacrifices like this, their marriage can become what it is meant to be: a sacrament, a visible sign and reflection of Christ’s love for his Bride, the Church, because Christ who “loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her” (Ephesians 5:25-26).

~~From "Becoming a Real Man of God", by Fr. Roger J. Landry. The full article can be read at http://www.kofc.org/un/eb/en/resources/cis/CIS322.pdf

(The entire thing is only 26 pages and is written simply, powerfully, and without compromise for the truth.)

The Real Problem With The Pill?

A British team of "scientists" finds one flaw with the Pill:

Birth-control pills could screw up a woman's ability to sniff out a compatible mate, a new study finds.

While several factors can send a woman swooning, including big brains and brawn, body odor can be critical in the final decision, the researchers say. That's because beneath a woman's flowery fragrance or a guy's musk the body sends out aromatic molecules that indicate genetic compatibility.

Seriously? Look, if body odor attracted a mate, my wife never would have spoken to me in the first place! Never mind the Horomone Havoc, the breast cancer link that no one seems to want to talk about, or that it encourages sex to be considered a recreational activity. No, the real problem is that it might mess up her sniffer.

Read all the nonsense HERE.

1600 Year Old Bible to go online

The Codex Sinaiticus Project is placing high-resolution images of the oldest complete copy of the New Testament online - the complete manuscript! The text is in ancient Greek (of course), but there will be translations in English and German. (Will that be the King James version? 'Cause you know, if it ain't....)

As much as I love wasting time on the Internet, it's nice to see something this important and historic going online. Even if it is likely to be over my head!

The site goes live on July 24th, but they do have an intro up. LINK

You can read the Reuters article HERE.

Girl Sues Dad Over Punishment - And Wins

This is pathetic. A dad tells his daughter that she can't go on a class trip. Not happy with the news, the daughter ultimately sues dad to get to go. And guess what - she found a judge stupid enough to overrule the dad. LINK

Wrong on so many levels. The article mentions that the parents are divorced and that dad has legal custody. However, it doesn't mention who helped the girl find a lawyer. Mom? Her school? (Wouldn't be surprised!)

Liberals scoff at the notion of "judicial tyranny", but this is it - defined. This guy now has some moron telling him how to discipline his daughter. He wasn't beating her, or denying food. He just said Enough. No trip. And the State tells him no. You can't do that. Apparently it's in Canada's national interest to see this girl go on a school trip.

America may be a world leader, but we're a follower in judicial matters. If it hasn't already happened here, it won't be long. Might as well just give them want they want and save yourself the legal expenses.

Cub Scout Camp

I've just spent the last two evenings at Cub Scout Camp with my 8 year old son. Wow! For anyone who is worried about the future of our country, check out what the Scouts are doing. The kids are having a blast, but what they don't realize yet is that they're being raised as the next generation of leaders for this country.

Like most of you, I'm disgusted by the legal recognition of "gay" so-called marriage in California and the consequences that the rest of the country are soon going to have to deal with. It's easy to get discouraged by this and so many other things in politics. But when I read about the Scouting program, and see how these boys are being shaped into leaders, I breathe a (small) sigh of relief. The ship will be righted. And I've seen who's going to do it!

Worst Dad of the Year Candidate

When the cops came after Tyrone Spiller, he was pushing his 1-year-old son in a stroller.

The kid proved to be an obstacle to his escape.

Police say Spiller, 39, ditched the stroller on the street and ran last month, leaving his baby in the path of oncoming traffic.

The rest of the article can be found HERE, but this pretty well sums it up. This guy takes abandoning fatherly duties to a new low. Just disgusting...

What a Teacher Makes...

Taylor Mali "honestly" explains what a teacher makes. (H/T Regular Guy)

Nice...

Dad: What happened?

8 year old: He hit me.

4 year old: Well, she tried to hit me back!

Kids and the Pope

If you kids attend a Catholic school (or a public one for that matter), what are learning or being told about the Pope's visit to the US? Are there any lesson plans built around it? Do they watch any news coverage?

My kids were told he was coming, but that was about it. Oh, and that he would have a birthday over here! Just curious what other schools were doing (or not).

Conversation in the Living Room

To my son, with his arm cocked back...

Me: Don't throw that.

4-year old: Can I toss it?

What's Wrong With Contraception?

Originally posted on the St. Therese Parish blog.

Since this was the topic with the most votes on the "What would you like to learn about" poll, let's take a closer look at it. We'll try to keep it family friendly.

Despite what secular stereotypes may lead you to believe, the Catholic Church teaches that the "marital act", as revealed by God, has only two conditions placed upon it:

1) that it take place in the bonds of matrimony - that the two be married and,

2) that it be open to life - not that pregnancy necessarily be achieved or even attempted each time, but that the end result could possibly end in conception. That's it. Two things.

First is the marriage part. You have to be married. That's the only place where sexual relations properly belong. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us: "It (sexual relations) demands a total and definitive gift of persons to one another."(CCC, paragraph 2391) It is a total gift of the self, and therefore is only appropriate between a man and a woman who have publicly and faithfully committed their love to one another in Marriage. Anything less is a shadow of this. So when people start talking about handing out contraceptives to kids to promote "safe-sex", they've missed the boat entirely.

Now, open to life. That's a simple rule to guide us. A moment of reflection will reveal that certain "perversions" are considered illicit because they have no chance of resulting in the creation of a new life. Again, not that it must, but that it be open to it. This very simple guide will explain for us why homosexuality is wrong, why sterilization is wrong, and why contraceptive use is wrong. In all three instances, the procreative nature of the sexual act is thwarted. We've taken the power - God's power - into our own hands. In a sense, it's a re-enactment of the Original Sin. WE know better than God what's good for us. WE will decide how this ends up.

This is simply an introduction to the topic, and the Church certainly has much more to say about the issue. If you'd like to learn more, a good place to start might be this article on Catholic.com.

Feel free to use the Comments box for questions or comments.

David Pollack to return to Bengals?

An article in today's Enquirer examines the possibility of David Pollack returning to play for the Bengals next season. After a fractured spine, that's impressive enough. But was most remarkable was this comment from Pollack himself:

“I will want to take some time, though, to fast and pray and spend time by myself a lot and try to figure out where God is leading me,” he said. “If it closes one chapter, it opens another.”

And it's not even Lent! We rarely hear of people incorporating fasting into their prayer life these days (at least publicly), but I think he's setting a great example. Who would have thought - act like a Bengal to draw closer to God? (Just kidding!)

Paragraph 1434 of the Catechism tells us that

"The interior penance of the Christian can be expressed in many and various ways. Scripture and the Fathers insist above all on three forms, fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, which express conversion in relation to oneself, to God, and to others.

Most of us pray and give some amount to charity, but do we fast? There's something about a physical hunger to make us more deeply understand our need for God. Maybe a good place to start would be to abstain from meat on Fridays. While this is required of us during Lent, it is actually encouraged by the Church year-round.

Paragraph 1438 of the Catechism says:

The seasons and days of penance in the course of the liturgical year (Lent, and each Friday in memory of the death of the Lord) are intense moments of the Church's penitential practice. These times are particularly appropriate for spiritual exercises, penitential liturgies, pilgrimages as signs of penance, voluntary self-denial such as fasting and almsgiving, and fraternal sharing (charitable and missionary works). [Emphasis added]

Abstinence is not expressly required on Fridays, but only because the Church has left it to our discretion how we will make that penance. If we are not fasting or abstaining, we should be doing some other form of penance in remembrance of our Lord's suffering. Start today?

Cub Scout Pinewood Derby - Help Wanted

My first grade son and I are getting ready to build our first Pinewood Derby car. I've been trying to read anything I can about them (the cars, not first grade sons), but would appreciate any advice you might have in the Comments box. We're not obsessed with winning, but you don't want a clunker either! My main concern is that for all of the speed tips out there, it seems everybody has a story about someone who just nailed the wheels to the block and took first or second place! Any advice/tips are much appreciated.

A Must-Read for Fathers with Daughters

Zenit.org posted a great interview with an author about the role that fathers play in their daughter's lives. It's not very long, but it's time very well spent. If you've never read much on the topic, it will be a real eye-opener. Here's a link to the article, and an excerpt:

...the most important thing a father can do is live a life of integrity -- living truthfully. A daughter, within 15 seconds, can tell if her father is in a bad mood, good mood, telling the truth or not, etc. Those fathers who don't live truthfully do a great disservice because a daughter doesn't believe in him, doesn't trust him. Dads think they need to earn heroism, but they really don't. The role of a hero is just given to him until proven otherwise. Most dads don't know this.

Click the envelope below to send this post to a dad with a daughter. She'll thank you later!

Help Build a Library in Honduras

When Jesus tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves, He doesn't just mean the person across the street. He also means people around the world. Our community is presented with a wonderful opportunity to embrace this Gospel message.

Molly McCord is currently serving in the Peace Corps in Honduras. She is trying to build several libraries there, and needs our help. She says in an email:

They are really incredible kids and deserve all the good things that life has to offer. It`s so sad the poverty that they live in and just will never get to experience a lot of these things...but we can give them a jump-start with books, which will open the door for them by improving their reading skills, writing skills, overall education, expand their imaginations....

Donating is easy. Molly has set up a Wish List of Spanish-language books on Amazon.com. Just click on this link to view the list, select which books you would like to donate, and follow the prompts. You can practice Stewardship without even getting out of your chair!

We're not all called to serve in Honduras. Molly felt the call, and thankfully answered it. However, we are all called to love our neighbor. Perhaps this is one way you can show that love. And please remember to keep Molly and her work in your prayers.

Parents Beware - The Golden Compass

There is a movie coming out on Dec. 7 called The Golden Compass. It stars Nicole Kidman, and at first glance may appear to be in the same league as The Chronicles of Narnia. Nothing could be further from the truth. The movie is based on the first book in a trilogy by Philip Pullman called His Dark Materials. Pullman is an avowed atheist, and his mission is to destroy the faith of young Christians.

Lest anyone think that Christians are overreacting, take a look at the review at the secular, urban myth-debunking site Snopes.com:

Pullman left little doubt about his intentions when he said in a 2003 interview with the Sydney Morning Herald that "My books are about killing God."

Some of the more overt instances of anti-Christianity have been toned in the movie. But on their website, the Catholic League lays out the primary concern with the movie:

The Catholic League wants Christians to stay away from this movie precisely because it knows that the film is bait for the books: unsuspecting parents who take their children to see the movie may be impelled to buy the three books as a Christmas present. And no parent who wants to bring their children up in the faith will want any part of these books. [Emphasis added]

Dark materials, indeed. I can't imagine a worse Christmas present for a child.

I think it also bears mentioning that the first book in the series, Northern Lights (on which the movie is based) was awarded a Carnegie Medal for Children's Literature in 1995, and in 2007 was named the "Carnegie of Carnegies" as the best children's book of the last 70 years. I know a lot of parents see that a book has received a Carnegie Medal and assume that it's a quality book that their child should read. Just another reminder to be careful who you trust to make recommendations for your child's reading material. I think it speaks volumes that this was the best book they could find in a 70 year span.

Is the Catholic Church responsible for the spread of AIDS in Latin America?

A recent article published by Reuters news service states that the Catholic Church's opposition to the use of condoms is contributing to the spread of AIDS in Latin America. Let's take a look at the holes in the argument, shall we?

First, there is no empirical evidence offered that the Church is responsible for this. All that is presented is that the Church opposes the use of contraception, which is true. What is also mentioned, but given no credence, is that the Church also opposes sex outside of marriage.

So we should draw the conclusion that the Latin American people follow the Church's teaching to the letter when it comes to contraception, yet ignore the teachings against fornication? It seems to me that the decision to fornicate comes first, then the decision whether or not to use a condom. So the Church is not in their thinking for the first decision, but then, between deciding to do the deed and actually doing it, they stop to ask "what would Jesus do"? And don't go back to revisit the first decision? The argument makes no logical sense.

Second, a UN official is quoted as saying:

"In Latin America the use of condoms has been demonized, but if they were used in every relation I guarantee the epidemic would be resolved in the region."

This is the lie that spreads the use of condoms around the world. The latex in a condom is dense enough generally to stop sperm from passing through it. It is NOT, however, dense enough to prevent the AIDS virus from passing through, rendering it useless in preventing the spread of AIDS.

A 2004 study titled Condom Promotion for AIDS Prevention in the Developing World: Is It Working? (Studies in Family Planning 2004; 35[1]: 39–47) found that:

"In many sub-Saharan African countries, high HIV transmission rates have continued despite high rates of condom use." In fact, they continued, "No clear examples have emerged yet of a country that has turned back a generalized epidemic primarily by means of condom distribution."

No surprise, then, that Botswana, Zimbabwe, Kenya, and South Africa — the nations with the highest levels of condom availability — continue to have the highest rates of HIV prevalence ("The White House Initiative to Combat AIDS: Learning from Uganda," Joseph Loconte, Executive Summary Backgrounder).

This article also mentions an example of AIDS declining in Uganda:

Uganda at one time had the highest rate of HIV/AIDS in the world. Starting in the mid to late 1980s, their government instituted a program to teach abstinence before marriage and fidelity to one's partner afterwards. They only reluctantly advised condoms for high risk groups (like prostitutes) whom they knew would not accept the other two approaches.

[snip]

In 1991, the prevalence rate of HIV was 15%. By 2001, it had dropped to 5%. It was the biggest HIV infection reduction in world history.

When you read these kinds of articles, do so with a critical eye. The UN and the mainstream media are no friends of the Catholic Church. But Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. And the Truth will set you free.

Response to contraception editorial

The Cincinnati Enquirer ran a local man's response to an editorial arguing that contraception was a "logical" choice. He put it very well:

Unfortunately, due to our humanness, contraception automatically leads to promiscuous sex, and the resulting pain and confusion.

As parents, we do our children a great disservice if we abdicate and retreat from this battle. We don't give them enough credit to do the right thing. It is hard, and much harder than in a bygone era, but not impossible.

Click here to read the entire response. It will take less than 5 minutes to read it, and it's time well spent. We'll be exploring more of this theme on this blog in the near future.

Don Lucia on Youth Sports

Don Lucia is the head coach for the hockey team at the University of Minnesota. His comments are about hockey, but can easily be applied to any sport. He talks about parents having the proper attitude toward youth sports, and he doesn't pull any punches. This video should be required viewing for any parent or coach involved in youth sports. It's nothing we shouldn't know already, but there are too many people who need to be reminded.