You can’t win’em all

In June, a women’s Catholic Book Club in Hawaii ordered copies of Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholic for discussion at their next meet. They were to send me their comments. Since then, there has been such resounding silence I feared a tidal wave had swept these Grande Dames of the Islands into the sea.
However, via the grapevine, I learned they survived the rigors of reading the book. However, I hear that two are being treated for shock and another has joined Jehovah’s Witness.

News flashes

-So far this year, in Indonesia there have been 17 attacks on churches by the Islamists.
- In Nigeria, Muslim extremists have caused 300 deaths, destroyed 300 homes and driven 14,000 people from their homes.
- Zhen, a 17-year-old Catholic in Shenzhen, China, sold one of his kidneys for $4,000 so he could buy an Apple iPad 2.

- In less than two weeks, car bomb attacks have hit three churches in the northern Iraq city of Kirkuk. Also, there were coordinated bombing in 17 other cities, killing 63 people and injuring 250.
(Comment: We Americans can take little pride in having devastated this country with a cost that could have modernized our rail system, built new bridges, improved our educational system, etc.)

Today’s Martyrs

 After Muslim militants in Nigeria had killed two of their children, Pastor Jams Musa Rike held the hand of his dying wife who had been shot and slashed with a machete. Before attacking her, the extremists told her, “We are going to kill you – now see how your Jesus will save you.”
Pastor Rike’s comforting words to his wife were, “Hold on to your faith in Jesus, and we shall meet and never part again.”

My favorite priest, layperson, breathing saint or organization

Joseph M. Sullivan, Retired Auxiliary Bishop of Brooklyn, has made (and continues to make) a great contribution to our Church. He is a renowned and much respected national leader in Catholic social services. For the 62 parishes of the Brooklyn West Vicariate he was Vicar for Human Services.

Early this summer, in the Buffalo News he wrote, “For most Catholics there can be no sacrament that better summarizes an attitude of welcoming our LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) brothers and sisters than those of Jesus, ‘Love one another as I have loved you’”  What a gutsy statement! As stated in America magazine, “There is nothing wrong with telling people that they are loved and lovable. And that all are, indeed, welcome.”
If Saint Basil were around today, he would enjoy Bishop Sullivan. Back in the year 360, the saint wrote, “The Christian directs every action, small and great, according to the will of God, performing the action at the same time with care and exactitude, and keeping his thoughts fixed upon the One who gave him the work to do.”
(Now, tell me about your favorite Catholic priest, layperson or organization that is making a difference  aljagoe@comcast.net)

Interesting sayings

Believe me, don’t wait until tomorrow to begin becoming a saint.
Saint Theresa of Lisieux (1897)

Come, let us rejoice in the Lord. The one, who by word, action or deed rejoices not in himself but in his Creator, rejoices in the Lord. Come, let us rejoice in the Lord. The one for whom God is always his only and complete happiness rejoices in the Lord.
Saint Peter Chrysologus (died 450)

People who fly into a rage always make a bad landing.
Will Rogers

All things dull and ugly
All creatures short and squat
All things rude and nasty
The Lord God made the lot.

Each nasty little hornet
Each beasty little squid
Who made the spiky urchin
Who made the sharks? He did!
Monty Python

Communiqués

- To be a Joyful Catholic, one cannot believe in solipsism.
Reginald Smithson, Berkeley, CA

- Thanks you for reminding us of the suffering Christians. This is the case of any Christian in Muslim, Marxist, Communist countries – when will people pay attention?
Latino GOPVOTER

- The New York Times (10/9) The Pew Research Center Poll showed that one-half of the Catholics don’t understand Communion.
NYTtweets

- Thank you for the gift of joy in our hearts, even in not so good times.
RKNIGHT RT

Chuckle time

A priest parked his car in a no-parking zone because he was short of time and couldn’t find a space with a meter. He put this note under the windshield: “I have circled this block 10 times. If I don’t park here, I’ll miss my appointment. Forgive us our trespasses.”
When he returned, he found a citation from the police officer with this note: “I’ve circled this block for 10 years. If I don’t give you a ticket, I’ll lose my job. Lead us not into temptation.”

Why They’re Leaving The Church

_______________________________________________

We do indeed need to show joy as Catholics.  

My motto…
“Be happily and uncomplicatedly
Catholic”

Michael J. Sheehan, Archbishop
of Santa Fe

____________________________________________________________

Why they’re leaving the Church- (Part 1 of 4)

(Let’s be aware of these problems and consider how we Joyful Catholics can help in the solution)

 This has been a rough time for me because some people who are special in my life have given up on Catholicism. A relative, who for her 40-plus years on this planet has been an active and happy Catholic, has now joined the Episcopal Church. Her comment was, “I suddenly realized how lonesome I was as a woman in the Catholic Church. Also, I wanted to quit a lifetime of playing a minor role – a second-rate citizen in a male dominated organization.”

I have empathy for her because I appreciate the splendid accomplishment and acceptance of women in the past seven decades. In the 1950s when I worked for the Hartford Insurance Company (then the largest USA insurer), it was company policy that women could only be typists and secretaries. The excuse for this  restriction was because “Our agents would not feel at ease talking with a  female underwriter.”  Twenty years later, I had a battle to get the bank board on which I was serving to add a woman director. They finally resented and the next year my woman board member was so popular they made her chairman of the important audit committee. Today, 15 of the Fortune 500 companies have women CEOs, and this number is increasing.

A Christian Brother friend, who counsels those who are shaky in their faith, told me that most women agree that at some point we should return to being a church of the
people, but few of them believe it will be anytime soon. They understand that  the aged bachelors who are calling the shots in the Vatican
move with a speed that would make a snail pace seem like an Olympic racer.

As a sign of the times, last month 300 Austrian priests have signed a “Call to Disobedience”, which calls for a parish to have an individual leader – whither man or woman, and for admission of women to the priesthood.

In her book There Is a Season, Joan Chittister, O.S.B., writes about the need for spiritual re-builders—those who take what other people only talk about and make it the next generation’s reality. She is right in that we should join together in our effort to make sense of relationships within our Church. We have made improvement in that the conservative priests who refused to let little girls serve on the altar are now in their dotage or have passed on to the next life. And although most of us can’t wait until 2111 when I predict the Vatican  will accept female deacons, we should now take positive steps to profess our admiration and appreciation for our woman church members. Mother Teresa said, “Holiness is not a luxury for the few; it is not for some people. It is meant for you and me, for all of us. It is a simple duty because if we learn to love, we learn to be holy.”

How do you think this can be done? (aljagoe@comcast.net)

 

 Other recommended Catholic blogs

Catholic Cuisine

The Shrine of the Holy Whapping

Testosterhome

 

Recommended
readings

“The Church and the Eucharist” in June/July Homiletic
& Pastoral Review

“It Doesn’t Sing” in July 13, Commonweal.

 “My Water, His Wine” in July-August Touchstone.

 

Roster
of Joyful Catholic Priests

The media loves to publicize bad priests, and we should give recognition to our Joyful Catholic Priests. Send me your recommendation for ones you think merit membership in this splendid group. (aljagoe@comcast.net)

Rev. Robert
Aufieri (NYC)

Rev. Edward
Gorman, O.P. (DE)

Fr. Andrew
Gries (DC)

Msgr. Edward
Filardi (MD)

Archbishop
Jerome Listecki, (MN)

Bishop Dennis
Madden (MD)

Fr. Joseph
Marini (CA)

Fr. John Mericantante (FL)

Msgr. Thomas
Modugno (NYC

Rev. John
O’Donoghue (TX)

Fr. Matthew
Ruhl, S.J. (KS)

Fr. Michael
Scanlon (OH)

Rev. Richard
Trout (FL)

Rev. Hayden
Vaverek (NYC)

Rev. Malcolm
Sylvester Willoughby, O.P. (DC)

Canon Stuart
Wilson (London, UK) 

We do indeed need to show joy as Catholics!

We do indeed need to show joy as Catholics.  

My motto – “Be happily and uncomplicatedly Catholic.”

Michael J. Sheehan Archbishop of Santa Fe 

 

 

Quiz

1. In what three countries is there the greatest difference between  the rich and the poor?

2.  Who was the first native American to be declared “Blessed”?

 3.  When people wanted to obtain favorable weather, including rain to end a drought, whom did they pray to?

 News Flashes

Holy Jocks!

 Sister James Dolores, 73, of Sister Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, posed on a surfboard, to promote the 15^th annual Nun’s Beach Surf International on 9/11, The proceeds will go to maintain their Villa Maria by the Sea in Stone Harbor, N.J.

 Bishop Thomas Paprocki will run in the October 17 Denver marathon, raising money for the recent restoration of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield, IL.

 Auxiliary Bishop of Denver James Conley, Fr. Jim Crisman and two St. John Vianney seminarians will also participate in the Denver event to increase support and awareness of vocations.

Misc.

The August 28th  Economist reports that Florida State University has conducted a study on infidelity. They are puzzled why they found that couples who attend religious services are more likely to be satisfied with their marriages than those who do not. (comment: These fellows in academia sometimes don’t have much to do.)

Real estate developer Shariff El-Gama, backer of the Islamic center near Ground Zero, is a true religious cur.  He is a New-York-City-born Muslim with an Egyptian father, a Catholic mother, married to a Christian and  now is converting to the Jewish faith.

         An article in The Catholic Standard points out the problem that many young people have who want to dedicate their lives to the Church are hindered by debt. Elise Maloney wants to become a Little Sister of the Poor but must first pay back $75,000 in student loans.  This splendid Order is trying to help her by conducting bake sales. (comment: any of you joyful Catholic who want to contribute, get in touch with me.)

 Facit Short Story 

Reality       

God, the Father, is;

God, the Son, is;

God, the Holy Spirit, is.

That is why

I am.

 

My favorite priest, layperson, breathing saint or organization

 Fr. F.  Richard Spencer has served for six years as a military chaplain in Iraq.  After one of the many occasions when he had to minister to the injured and dying, he wrote, “In the moment, you do your prayers; then move to the next situation, because it’s continuous chaos. You just offer prayers that they would see the face of God that very day and you trust and hope. We had both Iraqis and Americans die. I didn’t know who was Muslim or who was Christian – but they all got a prayer.”

          On September 8 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., Fr. Spencer was installed as the next auxiliary bishop of Archdiocese for U. S. Military Services.  He now is the first man in this position who will be able to enter war zones and have unprecedented access to military personnel serving in most difficult circumstances.

         Now, tell me about your favorite Catholic priest, layperson or organization that is making a difference

joyfulcatholic@comcast.net 

Interesting sayings

No one created the first cause, precisely because it is the first. And  there is no real reason why we should establish limits to it, for it has no limits, no borders.  Since it was not made, it has no beginning: that is, it has always been and there is no reaon why it should cease to exist at any given time. And this means it is eternal. This cause is God.

Saint Maximilian Kolbe, the Polish Conventual Franciscan who was martyred in Auschwitz. 

 I’ve learned that everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

Andy Rooney

I do not know what God wants to do with me. I am always more content. Everyone is suffering, and I ,who should do rigorous penances, experience such continual profound joys that I have trouble keeping them under control.

Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection (1691)

 

Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.

Daniel Patrick Moynihan

 

There are two things I like about politicians.  They never are bothered with facts and they are the best people on earth that money can buy.

A cab driver in Washington, D..C.

 

Chuckle time

The scene when God let St. Francis, St. Benedict and St. Ignatius of Loyola be present at the birth ot Christ:

St. Francis and St. Benedict dropped to their knees and prayed quietly. St. Ignatius took Joseph aside and said, “Have you thought about the boy’s education?”

 

Juanita Caldwell, Isola Todd, David Abbey, Amie Ellis,

Linwood “Skip” Williams, Tom Medved, Eileen Grotsky, Roseanne Somlock, Nicholas Gallagher, Tom Lewis, Donald Whitcomb, Violeta Zepeda, John Aylor, Rev. Joseph Marini, Enrique Portillo, Sharon McPike, Tom Ryan, Joseph Normile, Jim Quimby, Russell Edwards, Gertrude Goldstein,

Rev. Stephen Huffstetter, Hugh Cannon, Eric Moore, Joan Barrett, 8-year-old Michael Fotta and his parents, Lolita Alvarez, Camilus Musselman, Jack Conner, Ed Block, Isobel Milligan, Peter Bartkiewiez and his family,

 Joe Toles, Grace Toomey, Bob Earll, Camilus Musselman, Bob Kehlhofer, Ed Cole, Bishop Thomas Olmsted, Jay Parker, the flood victims in Pakistan, the trapped miners in Chile.

 

We do indeed need to show joy as Catholics. My motto — “Be happily and uncomplicatedly Catholic.”

Michael J. SheehanArchbishop of Santa Fe

My favorite priest, layperson, breathing saint or organization

As the Executive Director of the Religious Formation Conference, Sister Violet Grennan of the Missionary Franciscan Sisters is a dynamo of energy and enthusiasm.  The purpose of the Conference is to enrich Catholic religious women and men by helping them to gain new knowledge and skills in their pastoral ministries. She is benefiting us Joyful Catholic by endowing our spiritual guides with fresh and effective tools. Sister Violet, we love you!  

Now, tell me about your favorite Catholic priest, layperson or organization that is making a difference.

joyfulcatholic@comcast.net 

Quiz

Last week, the winner of the autographed copy of Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholic is Susan Fox in New Orleans. Here are the answers:

1. The sons of Jebedee whom Jesus nicknamed “Sons of Thunder” were James and John.
2. 130 is the maximum number of Cardinals permitted to elect a

(Comment, I wish the maximum age were 50.)

1. The patron saints of farmers is Isidore. 

News flashes

-         Bishop Felipe Arizmendi in Mexico lit a blaze when he blamed child abuse by priests on eroticism on television.

-         Commenting on the U.S, Conference of Catholic Bishops publication of “Setting the Record Straight,” Commonweal magazine said, “If the authors of this publication wish to seize a ‘new opportunity for the Catholic community to come together in defense of human life,’ they can start by not questioning the motives of those Catholics who disagree with them about how best to interpret the provisions of the new health-insurance law.  On questions such as this, disagreement should not be understood as a threat to unity, but as a sign of the church’s intellectual vitality.

       “American bishops too often seem to fear that any acknowledgement of the complexity of the issue of the church’s teaching on abortion would weaken their own position.”

(Comment – AMEN!)

-         Even though half of Catholic schools have closed since 1965, with a 20% drop in enrollment in the past ten years, Timothy Dolan, New York’s archbishop is working on a strategic initiative to save the Catholic schools in his archdiocese by co-operating closely with Catholic universities. This is in opposition to converting the schools into charter status (as in Washington, DC) and they no longer operate as religious establishments.

(Comment – Congratulations, Bishop Dolan, may other Catholic educators follow your lead.)

 

-   A sign outside the Church of God in Phoenix: HONK IF YOU LOVE  JESUS; TEXT WHILE DRIVING IF YOU WANT TO MEET HIM.

 Interesting sayings

Once I was at vespers and was gazing at the cross. And while I was thus gazing at the cross with the eyes of the body, suddenly my soul was set ablaze with love; and every member of my body felt it with the greatest joy. The joy which seized my soul in this moment can in no way be spoken of. And in no way whatever can I be sad concerning the passion; on the contrary, my joy is in seeing this man, and to come to him. All my joy now is in this suffering God-man.

Blessed Angela of Foligno, who died in 1309, was a wife and mother, and later a Franciscan tertiary and mystical writer.

 When you are going through hell, keep going.

   A waitress in Atlantis, FL

It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.

James Thurber 

Communiqués

The avalanche of messages from “The Pope is Pregnant” blog deserves a whole blog of its own.  They were both favorable and unfavorable, including a few threats.  So, be patient until I put it together.

 Chuckle time

In the book. How to Become a Bishop Without Being Religious, the author said there were two major requirements to be a bishop:

(a)  grey hair

(b)  hemorrhoids to give you a sorrowful look.

 

Special Intentions List

  As you pray with a broad brush, please include these loved ones, who have been submitted by our readers. You, too, are invited to send me names of your special persons who are in need of prayer.  My address is joyfulcatholic@comcast.net. They will be on the list for 60 days. At the end of that time, if prayers are still needed, you merely have to renew the name.

Juanita Caldwell, Isola Todd, David Abbey, Amie Ellis,

Linwood “Skip” Williams, Gerry Paradiso, Tom Medved, Eileen Grotsky, Roseanne Somlock, Nicholas Gallagher, Tom Lewis, Donald Whitcomb, Violeta Zepeda, John Aylor, Rev. Joseph Marini, Enrique Portillo,

 Sharon McPike, Tom Ryan, Joseph Normile, Jim Quimby, Russell Edwards,

Gertrude Goldstein, Rev. Stephen Huffstetter, Hugh Cannon, Eric Moore, Joan Barrett, 8-year-old Michael Fotta and his parents, Lolita Alvarez, Camilus Musselman, Jack Conner, Ed Block, Isobel Milligan,

Peter Bartkiewiez and his family, Joe Toles, Grace Toomey,

Camilus Musselman, Bob Kehlhofer, Ed Cole,Bishop Thomas Olmsted,

Rev. David Granfield, Mort Barron, Jay Parker

As you note, because of miraculous healings, several names have been deleted and added to our Deo Gratias list.

We do indeed need to show joy as Catholics

  

 

My motto 

 “Be happily and uncomplicatedly Catholic.”

Michael J. Sheehan

Archbishop of Santa Fe

 

My favorite priest, layperson, breathing saint or organization

In 2003, Catherine Meloy resigned as Senior Vice President of Clear Channel Communications, ending 20 years as a prominent media executive to become the President and CEO of Goodwill of Greater Washington (DC). Although she had little experience in the field of rehabilitation and marketing, she welcomed the challenge.

          During the past seven years she has restructured the overall mission of Goodwill, and established national records in training and job placement of handicapped persons.  She has completely redesigned end expanded the Goodwill stores to make them attractive and profitable locations.

          Cathy’s deep religious faith and zest for life makes her a model for all of us Joyful Catholics.

Interesting sayings 

The lowly will ever find joy in the Lord, and the poor rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 29:19

 The way the Israelis are acting, you can understand why Jesus, a Jew, decided to become the first Christian.

                  Armiger Jagoe 

The love of man increases in the same proportion as the love of God increases, and it lessens by the same cause and in the same proportion.  O you then, Author of this miracle, sacred tie of the visible and invisible, inexhaustible source of our present happiness and our future beatitude, of our perfection begun and our perfection to come!

       

   Father Henri-Dominique Lacordaire, O.P., who died in 1861, was a splendid Dominican who founded the Order of Preachers in France after the French Revolution.

 Sometimes when I look at my children, I say to myself, “Lillian, you should have remained a virgin.”

Lillian Carter, mother of Jimmy Carter

Communiqués

Regarding Carol Keehan, I hope this is not the sister who favours abortion and fellow traveler of Obama.  

                             Kalapurra C. Thomas

(reply: Yes it is, and I am one of her friends and admirers.)

 

For my weekly visits to a Catholic Retirement Home, I take copies of your Joyful Catholic blog, and the residents love them.  Keep it up!

                             Rebecca Armstrong

How can I be a Joyful Catholic with all the problems the Church has today?

                             Bill Whitmore

(reply: Bill, climb to a new height to overlook current Church problems and marvel at the joyful treasures you have because of your Catholicism.) 

Chuckle Time

When Jesus was confronting the men threatening to stone the woman for her sins, he said, “Let the one who is without sin cast the first stone.”

          Just then as a stone flew past his head, he turned and said, “Damn-it, Mother!”

 

Special Intentions List

 As you pray with a broad brush, please include these loved ones, who have been submitted by our readers. You, too, are invited to send me names of your special persons who are in need of prayer.  My address is joyfulcatholic@comcast.net. They will be on the list for 60 days. At the end of that time, if prayers are still needed, you merely have to renew the name.

Juanita Caldwell, Isola Todd, David Abbey, Amie Ellis,

Linwood “Skip” Williams, Gerry Paradiso, Tom Medved, Eileen Grotsky, Roseanne Somlock, Nicholas Gallagher, Tom Lewis, Donald Whitcomb, Violeta Zepeda, John Aylor, Rev. Joseph Marini, Enrique Portillo,

 Sharon McPike, Tom Ryan, Joseph Normile, Jim Quimby, Russell Edwards,

Gertrude Goldstein, Rev. Stephen Huffstetter, Hugh Cannon, Eric Moore, Joan Barrett, 8-year-old Michael Fotta and his parents, Lolita Alvarez, Camilus Musselman, Jack Conner, Ed Block, Isobel Milligan,

Peter Bartkiewiez and his family, Joe Toles, Grace Toomey,

Camilus Musselman, Bob Kehlhofer, Ed Cole

Bishop Thomas Olmsted, Rev. David Granfield, Rev. Patrick Granfield,

Mort Barron

As you note, because of miraculous healings, several names have been deleted and added to our Deo Gratias list.

Regarding fasting for Lent

This, rather, is the fasting that I seek;

Releasing those bound unjustly…

Sharing your bread with the hungry…

 Clothing the naked when you see them.

                                Isaiah 58:6-7

A man who fasts for his sins, and then goes and commits them again—who will hear his prayer, and what has he gained by his mortification?

                                    Sirach 34:26-

Suggested Assignment for Lent

In attempting to personalize your religion during this special season of Lent, you may want to try what I’m going to do.  Believe me; it’s harder than merely giving up something I enjoy. It is writing the answer to these four questions. 

1. In your own words, describe God, the Father.  For the past two thousand years, brilliant theologians have pondered this and written their views. But, as a simple layman, responsible for my own being, what do I visualize when I say, ‘God the Father, Creator of Heaven and Earth?”
2. Just as Jesus said to his apostles, “But what do you say I am?”   In your own words, record who you think Jesus is, in his role as the second party of the Holy Trinity. Elaborate on why you think he became man. How have his teachings affected your life?  Do you picture Jesus as the portrayed handsome young Mediterranean with the silky brown beard?
3. Then, defining the Holy Spirit may require much thought. In conversation with a non-believer, without using staple expressions such as “Giver of Life”, etc., how would you describe the Holy Spirit?

Think of examples when you think the Holy Spirit has been an important factor is your life.

1. Lastly, in your own words, answer: “Why the Cross?”  One time, an elderly Spaniard who had been an active Catholic throughout his life, confessed to me that, for the first time, he questioned why Jesus died on the Cross.  He felt lost in trying to find an answer. On this subject, record only your thoughts.

 

(And let me know your suggestions in making the best of Lent.)

joyfulcatholic@comcast.net

Interesting sayings

How am I working to build a more just world—starting in my own home, workplace, parish and neighborhood? With whom am I sharing my “bread”—whether that bread is food, money, time, talents or attention?  Who am I helping to free from bondage—the bondage of addiction, ignorance, poverty, sickness, loneliness, poor self-esteem?

                                                            Sister. Melannie Svoboda, S.N.D.

 

 

Thus never delay inner purification for a single moment, as soon as you are conscious of something wrong in you.

                                                            Father Lorenzo Scupoli (died 1610)

 

 

The good Physician comes himself to heal me, but always find me engaged in acts that prevent his remedies from rendering their healing power.  O Lord, enlighten and sober me. Cure me and I will be cured!

                                                            Saint Ephrem the Syrian (died  373)

(And what are a few of our favorite sayings?)

joyfulcatholic@comcast.net

News flashes

Karl Rabeder, the 47-year-old Austrian millionaire is giving away his 5 million dollar fortune to be poor and spend his life in a wooden hut in the mountains. He said, “I was just listening to the voice in my heart and head.”

 

Citizens Against Government Waste published the Senate’s biggest porkers of the month. They are (all Republicans) Thad Cochran (MS) Susan Collins (ME), Richard Shelby (AL).

NBC’s poll on the question of whether to keep “In God We Trust” on our currency and 86% voted “yes”.

Historians (who sometimes have little to do) in Egypt declared that King Tut had a club foot and died of pneumonia. And an Italian scientist maintains that the reason Mona Lisa is smiling is because da Vinci was gay and this is a self-portrait with him cross-dressed.

 

 

Contributions

This week I sent donations to:

Population Research Institute, which seem to be taking a practical approach to the Pro Life cause.

The Catholic League, which is our B-nai B-rith organization, monitoring and defending our Catholic image in the massive communication world.

 

Other recommended Catholic Blogs

Adams Ale  

Man With Black Hat  

 

Communiqués received

Many thanks for your thoughts about the “Blessed are the poor” Beatitude which has puzzled me for years.

          “Poor in spirit” Ames Woodward, Sacramento, CA

I think you are taking too much liberty in your interpretation of this first Beatitude. Jesus said what he meant!

                                                Inez Goodall, West Point, ME

My favorite religious priest, layperson or organization

Father Stephen Huffstetter, S.C.J.. (submitted by Mary Wiley, Richardson, TX)

“Father Steve is a wonderful person, a man of faith who practices Jesus’ admonitions about the “little children” and the “least among us” every day of his life as director of St. Joseph’ Indian School on a Sioux reservation.

            Two other facts, please add Father Steve to our Special Intentions List as he has cancer. Also, his school is desperate for donations for their winter fuel bill! (saintjosephs@stjo.org.)  

Nearly 200 Native American children call St. Joseph’s Indian School home (another 100 are on our waiting list).

Your tax-deductible online donation provides Native American children in need with a stable home and an education. Thank you for your generosity!

Please let me know about your favorite Catholic priest, layperson or organization that is making a difference.  Share this with our many Joyful Catholic members.

joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)

Quiz

 The winner of a gift copy of Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics, who clocked in at 1:32PM on February 18 is Gretchen Williams in Meridian, MS.

1.      The least Catholic area of the United States is the north-central part of my native state of Mississippi, which is part of the Diocese of Jackson (2.4% Catholic).

2.      The last word spoken by Mary in the Bible was at the Feast of Cana, when she said, “Do whatever he tells you.”

3.      The seven sacraments of the Church are Baptism, Penance, Holy Eucharist, Confirmation, Matrimony, Holy Orders and the Anointing of the Sick.

 

Chuckle time

An Irishman goes into the confessional box after years of being away from the Church. Inside, there’s a fully equipped bar with Guinness on tap. On the other wall is a dazzling array of the chocolates and tasty snacks. Then the priest comes in.

            “Father, forgive me, for it’s been a very long time since I’ve been to confession, but I admit the confessional box is more inviting that it used to be.”

            The priest replied, “Get out. You’re on my side.”

Special Intentions List

As you pray with a broad brush, please include these loved ones, who have been submitted by our readers. You, too, are invited to send me names of your special persons who are in need of prayer. My address is joyfulcatholic@comcast.net. They will be on the list for 60 days. At the end of that time, if prayers are still needed, you merely have to renew the name.

Juanita Caldwell, David Abbey, Amie Ellis, Linwood “Skip” Williams, Gerry Paradiso, Nick DeCarlo, Tom Medved, Eileen Grotsky, Roseanne Somlock, Nicholas Gallagher, Tom Lewis, Donald Whitcomb, Violeta Zepeda, Rev. Joseph Healy, John Aylor, Rev. Joseph Marini, Enrique Portillo, Sharon McPike, Tom Ryan, Joseph Normile, Jim Quimby, Russell Edwards, Mary Darwish, Msg. Louis Quinn, Rev. Lawrence Boedt, Gertrude Goldstein,

Rev. Stephen Huffstetter.

As you note, because of miraculous healings, several names have been deleted and added to our Deo Gratias list.

Crank Up For Your Day

Favorite quote for the New Year 

 Father Lorenzo Scupoli, an Italian priest who died in 1610. 

          “When you see in other people either goodness, or wisdom, or truth, or some other virtue, say to your God: “O inexhaustible treasure-house of all virtue! How great is my joy to see and to know that every good thing comes from you alone.  I thank you, my God for this and every other good thing you do to my neighbor.” 

Crank up for your day 

  

When I learned to fly, planes didn’t have automatic starters.  If you didn’t have a buddy to swing the prop, the procedure was to climb into the cockpit and clamp on the brake, push the throttle slightly open and turn on the switch. Then outside, I had to start the propeller turning with a strong swing, remembering to lean backward to prevent falling into the blades once they started spinning. Next, I would scurry back inside the plane and prepare to take off.  One poor fellow in my group forgot first to clamp on the brake. After he got the propeller spinning, he had to hit the ground fast as the plane surged forward and took off airborne, pilot less. 

 

Though my flying days were many years ago, I often think of this procedure when I am cranking up for a new day.  First, it’s good to clamp the brake to clear my mind of muddling thoughts (How am I going to do all the things I need to do today?  I sure did goof up yesterday, etc.). If I don’t take time to start with a short meditation, my day might take off leaving me grounded. 

Then I throttle my appreciation of my mental and physical gifts that make it possible for me to be and to act.  Turning on the switch is acknowledging that there is a hidden power which makes all things possible. Thank you for my being a joyful Catholic! 

Swinging the prop is my commitment to soar. And sometimes, perhaps in spite of a wobbling takeoff, I’m soon in the air, heading towards today’s many goals.  It works, so give it a try! 

  

Now, tell me how you start your day. joyfulcatholic@comcast.net) 

 Admired sayings

 

By Joseph Cao, the Republican U. S. Congressman from New Orleans, when asked if he voted on the health care reform bill out of personal conviction, not politics: 

Correct! I spent six years in the Society of Jesus, training to be a priest. I always adhere to what I call “the politics of the Gospel.” You have to take care of the poor, take care of the widows, visit the sick, and help those who cannot help themselves. 

(And what is your opinion?  joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)  

  

 

News flashes 

(Church in crisis) 

-   Because of low enrollment, 14 schools in the greater Washington, DC, region have a questionable future. 

-   The cartoon on page 77 in the Dec. 22 & 28 New Yorker magazine indicates that artist, Yual Noth, has read chapter “Communion, ho-hum” in Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics. It shows a man receiving the cup from a priest, and rather than saying “I am receiving the blood of Christ,” he says, “I’m getting red fruits, earth tones and oak, Amen.” 

-   The UK equality minister Harriet Harman (whom I am told is nicknamed “The British Bitch”) is submitting a bill to ban the Catholic Church from insisting its priests be celibate single men. If her bill becomes law, the Church and its leaders who refuse candidates for the priesthood who are women, gays, lesbian, or married, would be subject to imprisonment, unlimited fines and having Church assets seized. (My comment:  Henry VIII, he ain’t dead!) 

  

(Let me have your thoughts about Ms. Harman. joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)  

  

 Recommended reading 

-         This should be required reading for every parish priest: 

“Parish Revival” in December 21-28 issue of America magazine by Father Bruce Cecil, pastor of Our Lady of Soledad Parish in Coachella, CA. 

-         www.zenit.com (daily news from the Vatican) 

  

Quiz 

The winner of a gift copy of Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics, who clocked in at 10:25AM on December 21, is Mabel Erickson in Buffalo, NY 

1.     Before Paul encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus, his name was Saul. 

2.     The only saint canonized by Christ was the good thief. “Today, you shall be with me in Paradise.” 

3.     Michelangelo was a youngster of 24 when he carved La Pieta. 

  

Communiqués received 

-         Regarding your Tiger Woods account, I resent your putting me in  the same category with that man! (Abigail, Cincinnati, OH) 

-         When you reminded me that we joyful Catholics are all billionaires, I remembered this statement from St. Ignatius of Loyola, “Lord Jesus Christ, your love and your grace are wealth enough for me.”  (Eric Thompson, Sacramento, CA) 

 -   (from Dr. David Pinault, the writer of “Hidden Prayer in Yeman”, which, in our last issue, I recommended you read.) “The reason I write popular-format essays is precisely for the purpose of reaching the largest possible audience. And I feel very strongly that the situation in Yemen is one that warrants attention.  So I thank you for helping to publicize this.”
  

        (And let me hear from you readers via joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)  

  

  

Chuckle time 

-         The favorite hymn of retail merchants in December is “Oh, What a friend we have in Jesus.” 

-         Actual news that qualified as humor: 

Rev. Al Sharpton blasted Tiger Woods, not for immorality, but for racial prejudice.  His quote: “Why is it that a man who calls himself black can’t bring himself to cheat on his wife with a black woman? What does it say to young black girls everywhere when you pass them over?  Shame on you, Tiger Woods. What would your daddy say?” 

  

My favorite religious person 

As a joyful Catholic, Sister Joan Carusillo, CSC, has been a special person in my life for many years.  She has the quality I sensed when I met Mother Teresa of Calcutta, because by being forgetful of self, Sister Joan always radiates a deep love and concern for others.  With her associate, Sister Lorraine Ryan, Sister Joan is now working diligently in The Women’s Circle in Boynton Beach, FL.  The purpose of this not-for-profit organization is to provide free services for low-income women in education, job preparation and support groups.  Donations are welcomed to support this splendid work, and the Women’s Circle address is 145 N.E. 4^th Avenue, Boynton Beach, FL 33435.    (561) 364-9501   (561) 364-9501 . (I’m sending my donation today!) 

And let me know about your favorite Catholic organization that is making a difference.  Share this info with your many other joyful catholic members. 

joyfulcatholic@comcast.net) 

  

Special Intentions List 

As you pray with a broad brush, please include these loved ones, who have been submitted by our readers. You, too, are invited to send me names of your special persons who are in need of prayer. My address is joyfulcatholic@comcast.net. They will be on the list for 60 days. At the end of that time, if prayers are still needed, you merely have to renew the name. 

Juanita Caldwell, David Abbey, Amie Ellis, Linwood “Skip” Williams, Gerry Paradiso, Nick DeCarlo, Tom Medved, Bob Haines, Eileen Grotsky, 

Rebecca Matthews, Roseanne Somlock, Nicholas Gallagher, Tom Lewis, 

Violeta Zepeda, Rev. Joseph Healy, John Aylor, Rev. Joseph Marini, Enrique Portillo, Sharon McPike, Joe Berger, Tom Ryan, Joseph Normile, Jim Quimby. 

 

Don’t Fight With a Duck!

Favorite Quote

The Church involves a tension between the human and the divine. It does so because it stems from the Incarnation, which is the primary tension involving the fully divine in the person of Jesus
Rev. William P. Clark, O.M.I.  

Don’t Fight With a Duck! 

When I returned home from a week’s stay in my place in Florida, I wanted to tell friends my torn-up left hand was from a fight with an alligator.  But the embarrassing truth is that I had a losing round with a duck. (“A what!?” is the response I get when I tell of this event.)

 The last day of my visit, I went over to meet a new neighbor who had recently moved in next door. As I was walking on the lawn, I was shocked to realize something had grabbed hold of the back of my left leg and wouldn’t let go. I turned around and found that a large Muscovy* duck had attacked me.

 As I tried to kick it off, I slowly fell on the ground. At age 72 (At 80 I started counting backward and will be 71 next year), my balance ain’t what it used to be. The man-eating duck keep biting me, and when I got up, I grabbed it by the neck and it became limp.  I started taking the critter down to dump in the lake when it suddenly became a violent flapping volcano. In a flash, it reached up with its webbed foot and took off the top of my left hand. I released it and the damned duck waddled off, claiming victory.

  Mary, the new neighbor, heard the commotion and came to my rescue. Inside her house, she used her entire supply of band aides to stop the bleeding.  She is a 6’2” blonde with a heart in proportion to her size.  After her first aid treatment, she came back with me to meet my wife and began our new lifetime friendship.

  That night before getting to sleep, as a joyful Catholic, I used my “thank You!” mantra to recount this event and its aftermath. First was receiving the treasure of our new friend Mary. If the duck had attacked my wife instead of me, we would be looking forward to a Christmas meal of roasted duck instead of turkey.  At the medical clinic I met many splendid young and dedicated people, especially the efficient doctor, who looked like he had just finished high school.  While he was stitching up my hand and I was lying, saying it didn’t hurt, I thought of what real pain must be like. I remembered that, as I was doing, Christ had stretched out His hand, but He did this to get a spike pounded through His wrist.  And He did this for you and me — Wow! Thank You, Christ.

 Another benefit is that it has made an amusing story for the wonderful people I visit in the nursing homes I visit. All-in-all, I’m glad it happened because it woke me up to the wonders and benefit of being a joyful Catholic. Amen!

*Muscovites are a South American duck species which reach over 20 pounds and can take two people to restrain. Their feet have strong sharp claws. (You betta believe it!)

 Admired saying

 The Christian faith is this: encounter with Christ, the living Person who gives life a new horizon and thereby a definitive direction.

                                Jeff Ziegler, in The Catholic World Report

 

News flashes

– (Church in crisis) Detroit archdiocese is losing $42,000 a day and laying off 1/3 of staff.  The Catholic World Report

–(for Catholics who have nothing better to do) Michelle Obama is criticized for having worn a black veil when she met Pope Benedict XVI. U.S.Catholic, Org. 

– Be aware of the dissenters, calling themselves “the American Catholic Council” who are trying “to create a new Church”. The Catholic World Report

 Haiku time

(Submitted by Susan Keller in Omaha, Nebraska) 

Rejoice!

When God became Man

This renewed all creation.

Yes, God became man! 

(send me yours: joyfulcatholic@comcast.net 

Recommended reading

-         “More ‘Access’ Means Less Care” in November issue of

The Catholic World Report  www.catholicworldreport.org  

-         http://www.zenit.com/  (daily news from the Vatican)         

Last Week’s Quiz Results

The first winner of a gift copy of Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics, who clocked in at 3:32 PM on November 26, is Jim Beckingham in Tucson, AZ.

 1.     What were the names of the two future disciples whom Jesus found casting their nets into the sea, and he told them, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men”?

Simon and his brother Andrew

2.     Who was the saint, born in Assisi in 1193, who established an order of women devoted to the poor?

Saint Claire

3.     The Vatican Library originated in which time?

(a)  13^th Century

(b)  <15^th Century>

(c)   17^th  Century

Chuckle time

 Internal Revenue Agent: Father Kincaid, is it true that your parishioner, John Jones donated $10,000 to your church last year?”

  Father Kincaid: He will.

My favorite priest

(Submit your favorite priest to joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)

          As there is no current recommendation (shame on you!), I submit a very special person: Brian Burnie, an English self-made millionaire who sold his 16 million pound country hotel and gave the proceeds to cancer charities. He said, “We live in a me, me, me society, and it has always been important for me to think of others. My ambition is to die penniless.  We came into the world with nothing and we should leave with nothing.”     

London Telegraph  5/20/2009

 

Special Intentions List

As you pray with a broad brush, please include these loved ones, who have been submitted by our readers. You, too, are invited to send me names of your special persons who are in need of prayer. My address is joyfulcatholic@comcast.net. They will be on the list for 60 days. At the end of that time, if prayers are still needed, you merely have to renew the name.

Juanita Caldwell, David Abbey, Amie Ellis, Linwood “Skip” Williams, Gerry Paradiso, Nick DeCarlo, Tom Medved, Bob Haines, Eileen Grotsky,

Rebecca Matthews, Roseanne Somlock, Nicholas Gallagher, Tom Lewis,

Violeta Zepeda, Rev. Joseph Healy, John Aylor,

Rev. Joseph Marini, Enrique Portillo, Sharon McPike, Joe Berger, Tom Ryan.

Note that Susan McGahee has now entered Eternal Paradise. We still keep her in our prayers.

 

The Cana Happening

A Favorite Quote

For if true friendship is exchanged between God and us, between human
beings and angels, between human beings and human beings, true friendship is love. Blessed Simon Fidati of Cascia
An Augustinian friar 1348

 

The Cana Happening

It is understandable that, in 2002, when Church Fathers added the five additional Luminous Mysteries to the Rosary they included the Cana Wedding Party.  This was an event of spiritual importance.  For me, it provokes many thoughts.

          First, I think it important to know that Mary and Jesus were invited as guests to this prominent social event in their town.  They accepted, and I bet Mary was one of the most liked persons there. Like Mary, my own mother was popular at parties merely because, forgetful of self, she was genuinely interested in others and made them feel they were of value. At a cocktail party, I usually couldn’t see her because she was surrounded by other guests.

 I am also certain that Jesus was having a good time taking part in the joyful event. When Mary wanted to get his attention, I picture him across the room, laughing at jokes with his friends.  What great company he must have been!

It is interesting that Mary noticed the wine had run out. At that moment, she could have called Jesus and said, “The party is winding down, so let’s go home.”

Although others must also have known of the wine problem, Mary was the one who acted out of compassion for the parents of the wedding pair and for their guests.  This thought sparks my daily reminder that I should be aware of the concerns of others.   

I am fascinated by what Mary did next. She merely made Jesus aware of the problem.  With faith, she knew he would know how to solve it. She didn’t tell him what to do and how to do it. With my weak faith, when I make a prayer request, I make known the goal with a suggested blueprint of how to get there.

By inviting Jesus to perform a miracle that would keep the wine flowing, Mary was doing much more than saving a social event. She was catapulting Jesus into his ministry — of removing his Man mask to expose his Divine Nature. From that moment on, he would be acknowledged not merely as a village carpenter but a miracle worker with divine power.

As joyful Catholics, we should always enjoy the Cana Happening.  Like Mary, let us be aware of the needs of others.  And let us invite Jesus to work within us in demonstrating our concern and love for others.  

Admired saying

In other words, given what’s actually on offer in today’s religious market place, Catholicism often seems a balanced, moderate, and sophisticated option. For the record, this is how most people on the planet right now actually see the Catholic Church, in light of what else they see around them. That realization ought to have consequences not only for our missionary and pastoral strategies, but also for our own attitudes about the church.

          John Allen in National Catholic Reports (www.catholicreport.org) 

Hurrah for Bishop Michael Sheehan of Santa Fe for criticizing his fellow bishops who objected to President Obama’s commencement address at Notre Dame last May. He also said that withholding Holy Communion from pro-abortion politicians is a hysterical reaction.

 I have long been an admirer of this outstanding Church leader, who’s motto is “Be happily and uncomplicatedly Catholics!”

 

 Haiku time

(Submitted by Eric Thompson, Cleveland, OH) 

Like a weaning babe

In my Mother Mary’s lap

I bask in her love.

 

(send me yours: joyfulcatholic@comcast.net 

Recommended reading

 www.zenit.com (daily news from the Vatican)

In the November 16 issue of America, Maryann Cusimano Love has her splendid article, “A Surge in Clarity”, about our losing war in Afghanistan.

 

 

Quiz

(The first to send the right answers to joyfulcatholic@comcast.net will receive a gift copy of Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics) 

1.     What were the names of the two future disciples whom Jesus found casting their nets into the sea, and he told them, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men”?

2.     Who was the saint, born in Assisi in 1193, who established an order of women devoted to the poor?

3.     The Vatican Library originated in which time?

(a)  13^th Century

(b)  15^th Century

(c)   17^th  Century

Chuckle Time

Parishioner: Father Smyth, I will better enjoy your homilies because I am wearing a new expensive hearing device, and I can hear like a teenager.

Father Smyth: Your new hearing aid — what kind is it?Parishioner (looking at his wrist): It’s two-thirty. 

 

My favorite priest

(Submit your favorite priest to joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)      

Special Intentions List

As you pray with a broad brush, please include these loved ones, who have been submitted by our readers. You, too, are invited to send me names of your special persons who are in need of prayer. My address is joyfulcatholic@comcast.net. They will be on the list for 60 days. At the end of that time, if prayers are still needed, you merely have to renew the name.

Juanita Caldwell, David Abbey, Amie Ellis, Linwood “Skip” Williams, Gerry Paradiso, Nick DeCarlo, Tom Medved, Bob Haines, Eileen Grotsky, 

Rebecca Matthews, Roseanne Somlock, Nicholas Gallagher, Tom Lewis, 

Susan McGahee, Violeta Zepeda, Rev. Joseph Healy, John Aylor,

Rev. Joseph Marini, Enrique Portillo, Sharon McPike, Joe Berger, Tom Ryan.

Pray with a Broad Brush

Open letter to Bishop Thomas Tobin 

If you had been the priest instructing me during my conversion to the Church, which happened before you were born, I would still be a Protestant. At that time I learned that being a Catholic was committing oneself to Christ and his teachings. It meant devoting one’s life to love of God and love of all others. Joining the Church would entitle me to receive the Eucharist and benefit from the other Sacraments.

          In your letter to Congressman Patrick Kennedy, you imply that when one becomes a Catholic, this person relinquishes freedom of thought and action. As demanded by the four most prominent dictators of the last century, all must conform to the dictates of authority.  Back then, citizens who did not commit to ordered thinking, talking and acting were considered traitors. Your requirement for membership in the Church calls for mandated conscience. And in your opinion, Catholic laypeople should be like robots, which nod in unison when Church leaders press the button. I have never studied theology, but I doubt if that is what Christ had in mind when he initiated the Church.

          You would like for Catholics to act as do pawn Congresspersons who vote as instructed by their Party, regarding of what they think of the merits of pending legislature. Although this is effective in cramming through legislation, I don’t think it should have a role in our Catholic religion.

          I pray for you.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, the whole group of   disciples joyfully began to praise God at the top of their voices for the miracles they had seen.

                                                                                      Luke 19:37 

 

Pray with a Broad Brush 

Never underestimate the effectiveness of your prayer.  In this world of unseen magical mystery, no one knows by what means one’s thoughts can affect another person.  But it can and often does. So, recognize this fact and put it to good use.  In my six-man prayer group which has been meeting for over a dozen years, we have had so many healings for those on our Special Intentions List that we refer to it as our Miracle List.

          One summer, I was at a “Salvador Dali Happening” in a town in the Costa Brava region of Spain. The event was staged in the large market center where a string of bed sheets had been strung from wires.  When the great maestro appeared with his perfected waxed moustache, he took hoses filled with different colored waters and playfully sprayed designs on the hanging sheets and also splattered some of us in the crowd. Then he laughed and shouted, “Now you can tell your grandchildren you were painted by Dali!”

          That day, rather than painting on a small canvas, this artist created large patterns on the sheets.  In the same way, I find it invigorating to expand a secret prayer for many people. It can be done anywhere.  Often when I am on a plane or bus, I will pray for all the passengers.  While waiting in a crowded bustling airport, I might pray for everyone there.  I can imagine an anxious soul seated at the other end of the building, suddenly getting a tingle of comfort from my prayer, never knowing where it came from. This makes me feel like a generous and anonymous billionaire.

          So throughout the day, test your power of prayer by using it generously for all within your area of being. Be aware of your prayer-power and don’t be stingy.  Also, realize that out-going prayers have a boomerang effect.

          In 1550, Blosius the Venerable, abbot of a Benediction abbey in Liessies, France, wrote, “Each man, without any exception whatever, must sincerely love as himself all others spiritually, desiring for them the grace of God and everlasting happiness. He should look upon all as bothers and sisters, called to the same happiness as himself.”

Admired sayings

“A church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.”

                                      Abigail “Dear Abby” Van Buren

Haiku time

          A joyful Catholic

          gives joy and love to all, so

          joyful Catholic be!

(Send me yours: joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)

Current news

          In response to an atheist appealing to a Florida judge for an Atheist Holy Day, the judge told his attorney, “The calendar says April 1 is April Fools Day. Psalm 14.1 states, ‘The fool says in his heart, there is no God.’ Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that, if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore, April 1 is his day. Court is adjourned!”

Joyful Catholic Quiz

The first winner of a gift copy of Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics, who clocked in at 8:40AM on November 10^th, is Luella Margarita in Key West, FL.

1.     Saint Luke died by hanging in Greece as a result of his tremendous preaching to the non-believers.

2.     At the Vatican, Saint Peter’s Basilica was built in the 16^th century as a replacement of the original structure.

3.     Saint Jane Frances de Chantal is the saint who was married, had seven children; she established the order of Visitation nuns and eight-five monasteries before her death in 1641.

Chuckle time

Elderly parishioner: Oh, Father Moran, you have had such an interesting life, you should write your autobiography.  

Father Moran: As a matter of fact, I have been recording my life story. But I am so busy, it probably will be published postmortem.

Elderly parishioner: Well, the sooner the better.

My favorite priest

 Father John Mericantante,

Pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Pahokee, Florida.

Pahokee is a small agricultural community on the shores of Lake Okeechobee in central Florida.  The earth is rich and black, and from December to June it brings forth wonderful crops of vegetables and sugar cane. Later in the year an occasional September hurricane or a freeze in January/February can destroy those wonderful crops.  The people doing the back-breaking work to raise these crops are mostly poor migrants who came from Central and Latin America and are trying to eke out a meager living for themselves and their families.  The majority of them are Catholics. 

Father John was sent to St. Mary’s 10 years ago, without speaking Spanish, and he has submerged himself totally in their culture and needs, helping in every way possible.  For example, the water in Pahokee is very often not drinkable and he shares the clean water from the rectory’s filtering system with whoever needed it.  He has assisted in completing paperwork, obtaining housing etc. for his parishioners whenever asked. 

St. Mary’s Church is tiny and behind it there are two small wooden sheds, one for food and one for clothing and appliances.  People from other communities, members of the Knights of Columbus and unaffiliated private citizens bring the above-mentioned items to St. Mary’s.  Some are given away, some are sold at very low prices and any “profits” are then used to pay such things as electric bills for the needy.  When we bring a van full of items, Father helps unload the bags and boxes.  He has also arranged to have a clinic on the premises where doctors give their time without charge to give medical aid to the poor people in the area.  

He was recently offered a transfer to another parish but he chose to remain in Pahokee with the community that needs him so much.  In the midst of all this poverty a very special thing occurred last year: an anonymous donor gave $750,000 to St. Mary’s Church so that a new, larger Church can be built.  Hopefully, there will be a ground-breaking soon.  Fr. John is a very special person and a very special priest.

Submitted by Anita and Bob Kehlhofer in Atlantis, Florida

(Submit your favorite priest to joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)

Special Intentions

As you pray with a broad brush, please include these loved ones, who have been submitted by our readers. You, too, are invited to send me names of your special persons who are in need of prayer. My address is joyfulcatholic@comcast.net. They will be on the list for 60 days. At the end of that time, if prayers are still needed, you merely have to renew the name.

Juanita Caldwell, David Abbey, Amie Ellis, Linwood “Skip” Williams, Gerry Paradiso, Nick DeCarlo, Tom Medved, Bob Haines, Eileen Grotsky,

Rebecca Matthews, Roseanne Somlock, Nicholas Gallagher, Tom Lewis,

Susan McGahee, Violeta Zepeda, Rev. Joseph Healy, John Aylor,

Rev. Joseph Marini, Enrique Portillo, Sharon McPike, Joe Berger, Tom Ryan

Hurrah for Bishop Nickless !

Once more will he fill your mouth with laughter and you lips with rejoicing.  

                                                          Job 8;21

Hurrah for Bishop Nickless !

For years I have protested the post Vatican II degrading of the spiritual value of the Eucharist during a busy Mass. Every Catholic bishop and many priests have been exposed to Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics with my chapters, “Communion, ho-hum” and “The New Mass, a la Show Biz.”  My response from Catholic leaders was as effective as a whisper to the deaf. Seven Episcopal ministers sent praise and not a peep from these Catholic leaders. I assume they either think I’m a fool or they just don’t give a damn. I fear the latter is true.

          Now, like a white knight on a magnificent stallion, Bishop R. Walker Nickless, Bishop of Sioux City, has come to the rescue of our Church in crisis. His “Pastoral Letter on the Future of the Church in the Diocese of Sioux City” should be spoon fed to every Church leader in America. It will be appreciated and acknowledged as one of the most effective Church writings of this century. The following are excerpts from this magnificent document 

          We need serious reflection and evaluation on the current state and direction, challenges and opportunities for faith and ministry in our Lord Jesus Christ in our Diocese.

          (After Vatican II) sometimes we set out to convert the world, but we were converted by it. We have sometimes lost sight of who we are and what we believe, and therefore have little to offer the world that so desperately needs the Gospel.

          “The ‘hermeneutic of discontinuity’…has wrecked havoc on the Church, systematically dismantling the Catholic Faith to please the world, watering down what is distinctively Catholic, and ironically becoming completely irrelevant and impotent for the mission of the Church in the world.  The Church that seeks simply what works or is “useful” in the end become useless.

          We must renew our reverence, love, admiration and devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament

          It is imperative that we recover this wonder, awe, reverence and love for the liturgy and the Eucharist.

          The Council’s goal in reforming liturgy was, of course, to facilitate the “fully active and conscious participation” of the faithful…Yet active participation does not preclude the active passivity of silence, stillness and listening: indeed, it demands it.

          Conscious participation calls for the entire community to be properly instructed in the mysteries of the liturgy, lest the experience of workshop degenerate into a form of ritualism.

          I exhort all communities of the diocese to explore ways of making the Eucharist more central in our lives through periods of Exposition, Adoration and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, and Eucharist Processions.

          Devotion to the Blessed Mother, such an important part of our tradition and spirituality, also leads to a deeper appreciation and love of the Blessed Sacrament.

          The first two pastoral priorities, renewal in Eucharistic Spirituality and Catechesis will foster faithful family that is the foundation of the Church ad the society.

Thank you, God, for this splendid Church leader!

Current news

Early this fall, Father Timothy Keeney introduced his unique “Bluegrass Mass” at St. Anne’s Catholic Church in Bristol, VA.  He wrote Bluegrass songs for the congregation to sing for the entrance, including the Gloria, Sanctus, alleluia, Memorial Acclamation, the Amen, and especial singing during communion. He said, “You really need to do this. The people here need something Catholic that is part of the experience that goes on in our town. Everyone seemed to have big smiles on their faces as they left church.”

          A reporter stated that during the service, the congregation tapped feet in time with the music. And a jolly time was had by all.

 Recommended Reading

“An Emmaus Walk with Teresian Wisdom” by Sr. Mary C. Carroll, SSSF, in the fall issue of Spiritual Life.  Sister May Carroll is Associate Director of Pastoral Formation at Sacred Heart School of Theology, Hales Corner, Wisconsin. 

Joyful Catholic Quiz

(The first to send the right answers will receive a gift copy of

Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics) 

1.    How did Saint Luke die? 

2.    At the Vatican, Saint Peter’s Basilica:

(a)             was built soon after Saint Peter’s death,

(b)            was order to be built by Emperor Constantine

in 324 A.D.,

(c)             was built in the 16thCentury as a replacement of the original structure.

 3.    Who was the saint who was married, had seven children, established the order of Visitation nuns and established eighty-five monasteries before her death in 1641? 

Chuckle Time

Instead of wearing a religious metal around his neck saying, “I am a Catholic. In case of an accident, call a priest”, a priest has one made saying, “I am a Catholic priest. In case of an accident, call a doctor.”

Just going to church doesn’t make you a Christian no more than standing in a garage makes you a car. 

Answer by five-year-old Gregory: “I only know names of two angels. Hark and Harold.”

My Favorite Priest

Brother Edward Adams, FSC, MA, ML

There is a joyful Catholic named Brother Ed Adams. He is always engaging people with joy in every environment he enters. He greets people with joy at church, in the library, at the malls, at the post office, at the car service center—in short, wherever he goes.

 People often ask him, “Why are you so joyful?”

  His reply is, “I’m so glad you asked. I am joyful because Jesus is in my heart, and I see him in every person I meet.”

  (Submitted by John Ceccotti, Bethesda, MD)

Brother Ed is a De La Salle Christian Brother, who was a high school teacher and administrator for 23 years. With a past of distinguished service in many branches of Catholic Faith, he is now Director of Inter-faith Activities at the Dennis and Phillip Ratner Museum and a board director of the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington, DC

How Long, Oh, Lord, How Long?

How Long, Oh, Lord, How Long?

Joyful quote-   “No matter what activity you are engaged in, perform it with awareness and joy”

I realize the Church moves slowly and cautiously, but how long it is going to take it to correct some of the goofs of Vatican II?  Two generations have passed and the Church has its head in the sand regarding very serious problems created by Vatican II. 

          Through the centuries, the Mass was developed as a fitting vehicle for the deserved reverence and awe of the holy sacrament of the Eucharist.  The guts of Catholicism can be summed up in three words:  God became Man  The Mass service in which the reenactment of this event and of parishioners physically  receiving Christ, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, was one of deep reverence with a sense of awe at what was taking place.  The Eucharist and the act of Communion have limitless spiritual depth — an ocean in which man with his limited human mind can only wade.  But wade he should!.

During Vatican II, the key players used six Protestant leaders to advise them on means of modernizing and popularizing the Mass.  Unfortunately, they heeded their suggestions, and the baby went out with the wash. It was decided that superimposed music should be the most prominent factor in a busy Mass. Parishioners would be requested to sing more than a dozen times during an hour-long service, when every minute would be filled with sound or activity.  Silence and meditation were eliminated. Music would be written for the “Our Father” and the Gloria would be modified into a zippy song.  One music director suggested re-writing the Apostle’s Creed into folk music. To water down the awesome fact that the Church members were to receive the Body of Christ, they were asked to sing before and after receiving Communion, without a moment to realize the awesomeness of what was taking place.  The solemnity and mystique of the Mass were to be a thing of the past as the Church Fathers attempted to bring the Mass to the people rather than bringing the people to the Mass.  This misguided act was like painting a moustache on the Mona Lisa.

As a awake-up call, every clergyman (from bishops on down) should sit in

the back of a church and observe what now takes place during a busy Mass. 

He would find that during this sing-a-long service, only one out of twenty parishioners is singing. So, the hymns are a distracting solo performance. After forty years of trying to get Catholic to blast out hymns like the Protestants do, accept the fact that it ain’t going to happen. 

While sitting in the rear of the church, the clergy-person would also observe the ho-hum attitude of the parishioners going up to received Communion.  Monkey see and monkey do. With rare exception, each follows another in a disciplined manner to proceed to the front of the church to accept the wafer. Why not?  It’s a free entitlement and is included in the package of attending Mass.

          It would be an eye-opener if the observing clergy-person would ask parishioners what is to take place when they receive Communion. A minute number would reply, “I am going to take part in one of the most important acts of my life. Christ, who is both God and Man, has become the bread and wine. When I receive Communion, God is actually becoming one with me.”  Instead, because of the current watered-down concept of Communion, 92% of parishioners could reply that receiving Communion is like swallowing a spiritual vitamin pill. Why not take it — it can’t hurt and it might help.

        

  With these findings, the observing clergy-person might ask himself, “Could Vatican II changes in the Mass have caused the fact that today one out of ten Americans are now former Catholics?  Is it possible that the modernized Mass is a factor for the Church now being in crisis?” Only by first acknowledging facts with self-scrutiny can our religious leaders consider and take corrective action.

Pray that they do!

 

Current News

Big deal! The Liberty Counsel, a conservative Christian group, has told its members that it is OK for them to pray for President Obama. Personally, I think it is the obligation for every American to pray each day for our President of the United States. For eight long, long, long years, each morning I even prayed for George W. Bush. 

Recommended Reading

For an inspiring account of a modern day saint, read “A Life Freely Given” on page 22 in the October 5^th issue of America 

Quiz Time

 

The winner is Inez Thomson, Bronx, NY, who chimed in at 8:41AM on October 18.

 

1.       The states with the highest number of church goers are Georgia and Mississippi. (Being a Southerner, I’m proud of this!)

And the states with the smallest number of church goers are New Hampshire and Vermont.

2.       The European political leader who didn’t follow his grandmother’s advice of “Do whatever you want, but don’t marry a Catholic” is

Tony Blair.

3.       There are over 10,000 saints, with 1,500 in the waiting room (and that doesn’t, but should, include 72% of you Joyful Catholic blog readers)

Chuckle Time

One morning, Father O’Reilly, an Irish priest recently assigned to the parish is a small Texas town, called the sheriff’s office to report there was a dead donkey on the church lawn. When he answered, the sheriff chuckled and said, “Well, you Catholics should know what to do. Just give the poor critter the last rite.”

“That I have done,” Father O’Reilly said, “and my second chore is to notify the next of kin.”

 

My favorite priest

For this issue, as there has been no submission for one’s favorite priest, I want to present one of my favorite Catholic laypersons.  He is Joe Difato, publisher of The Word Among Us, which for a decade has been one of my morning readings, and I strongly recommend this monthly publication.

         After many years of observing business and non-profit organizations, I found that greatness doesn’t seep upward.  Every outstanding operation has an outstanding person at the head. Joe Difato proves this is true. Being one who has had his faith tested by personal tragedy, he is an admirable Catholic. Today, he and his splendid editorial staff are making a strong impact on the future of our Church. In addition to their many subscribers who benefit from The Word Among Us, his organization makes this publication available each month to 48,000 prisoners and 15,500 military persons. You can contribute to help finance this splendid action via joe@wau.org.

          Thank you, Joe, for being such an outstanding example of a joyful Catholic!

Thich Nhat Hanh, Buddhist priest and author

Love without Provisos

I’m worn out by worries, night and day. Stop. Everything is secondary to God. Give in to reason. God didn’t make me in vain. I am turning my back upon this song. Now when the beloved mind has sung for me these things, I headed home, now laughing at this self-estrangement.

                        Saint Gregory Nazianzen (died 390)

 

Love without provisos

     Love is love and it comes in many flavors. As joyful Catholics, we know that this broad expanse includes the love of humans for fellow humans, for pets, possessions, geographic location, nationality, religion, etc.  “Love” is the only verb Jesus used in his advice to us — to love one another as He loves us, and to love God.  He didn’t add a “however” for those whom some might consider not qualified.  What instruction could be clearer?

With the Church in crisis, I’m getting tired of the flurry about same sex marriage.  Why should we spend so much time fighting pro-and-con about this?  I can name five other national problems of extreme importance that better merit our concern.  Is there a need for national dispute about legalizing a lifetime loving relationship between two people of the same sex? 

     No one is protesting the deteriorating importance of marriage between a woman and a man, yet 50% of marriages today end in divorce. If we want to raise a rumpus about social behavior, let’s do something about our annual record of 30,000 abused children and even greater number of battered spouses.

     Love in any form should be encouraged.  This includes love of husband and wife, parents and offspring, young and old, rich and poor, resident and alien, those of different religions and the intimate relationship between persons of the same sex. If one loves a person of the same sex, it is understandable for one to want legal and financial protection for the person he or she loves.  The hurdle they face in achieving these goals is the word “marriage.”

     We can solve the problem by changing our laws to have “Confirmed Relationship” be given the same legal rights as “Marriage.”  Then, by means of this innovative law, lovers of the same sex could have their relationship legalized and each receive the same social and legal benefits as if they were “married.” After executing a legal Confirmed Relationship document, same-sex couples could celebrate their togetherness with a Confirmed Relationship celebration. Let’s restrict “marriage” for a male and a female, and “confirmed relationship” for two of the same sex. And hopefully we’ll all live peacefully from then on.

(And what are your thoughts?) 

Admired saying

  Hans Urs van Balthasar, the Swiss theologian writes,    “Christianity is a joyful message. Its essential note must therefore incontestably be joy.  Christian joy retains such a particular burning, devouring element.”

 

 

Recommended reading

Via the New Advent blog and YouTube, enjoy Father Barron’s  talk on “The danger of turning religion into a toy.”  He’s an effective spokesman for our Church.  I like him.

 

 

Joyful Catholic Quiz

(The first to send the right answers will receive a gift copy of

Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics)

 

1.  In a 2006 Gallup survey, which states had the highest and the lowest number of church goers?

 2.  Who the European political leader who didn’t follow his grandmother’s advice of “Do whatever you want, but don’t marry a Catholic”?          

3.     Which is correct?  Our number of saints are:

(a)   over 1,000

(b)  over 5,000

(c)  over 10,000 

Chuckle time

Nine-year-old Michael wrote about angels:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“It’s not easy to become an angel. First, you die. Then you go to Heaven, and then there’s flight training to go through. And then you got to agree to wear those angel clothes.

 

My Favorite Priest

 

(Submit your recommendation for your favorite priest by clicking here)

Busy Work!

Just because I am God’s own, totally unique, God’s very own possession, what else can I do but sing of God’s goodness. My whole being sings
Sr. Charleen Hug, S.N.D
(She teaches theology at Notre Dame Academy in Toledo, OH)

Busy Work 

With the Church in crisis, I was puzzled by our bishops devoting so much time and effort to change words in the Mass.  They remind me of two of my women relatives.  The first was my Mississippi great-grand-mother who raised prize chickens.  Back in the early 1900s, house parties were popular social events in the South. One would invite four or five couple to come for a several day visit, when they would be constantly entertained with fancy dinners, parties, dances, picnics and games.  My mother told me that the few days before she had a house party, the place was in constant turmoil with the family and servants preparing food, getting the house in order and planning for every hour of the event.  During this time, her grandmother would devote her time to cleaning out her chicken house.

          The other person was my splendid Spanish mother-in-law.  Whenever she observed someone doing something which she thought was not of importance, she would say, “Ah, they must not have much to do.”

          One aspect of the bishops’ changes puzzles me. At the beginning of the Mass, the priest faces the congregation and offers his blessing: “The Lord be with you.” When he says “you”, I assume he is blessing each body and spirit. We used to answer, “And also with you.”

          But now, in reply, we are to say only “And with your spirit.” What gives?  Why shouldn’t we also want a blessing on the priest’s physical being?

          One reason they made this change might have been because of an event which happened one day at the beginning of a Mass when the priest was having trouble with his microphone. At the start of the service he was fumbling with his mike speaker attached to his robe, and the sound came on just as the priest said to the deacon, “There is something wrong with this mike,” and the congregation said with one voice, “And also with you.”

 

Admired sayings

“Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind.”

                             Henry James 

 

 

Shame on me

(A letter to me from Rita S., in Portland, Oregon)

“Armiger, I read your book, Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics, and if I were the Pope, I would excommunicate you!”

 

Returned serve

(I wrote back)

“Dear Rita, I thank you for your frank comment about my book, and I thank God that you aren’t the Pope.”

 Current news

Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum is considering a run for the presidency in 2012. (God, please save America)

 

 

Recommended reading

If have an interest in teenagers, don’t miss the article, “Faulty Guidance”, by Father William J. O’Malley, S.J. in the September 14-21 issue of America magazine. It’s an excellent no-holds-barred article.

 

Also, check out the “Pray” article by Zev Chafets in the magazine section of the Sunday New York Times on September 20.  In discussing how we Catholic pray, there is an interesting interview with Sister Janet Ruffing, director of Fordham’s program on spiritual direction. 

 Joyful Catholic Quiz

 (Answers to last week’s quiz)

The winner of the gift copy of Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics is Jacob Rodriguez in Chicago in New Orleans who logged in at 8:27 AM on September 23.

 

1.     Because of the stain on her garment, St. Veronica is the saint patroness of laundresses

 

2.     Papal Elections take place in the Sistine Chapel.

 

3.     The first USA bishop was John Carroll, Archbishop of Baltimore, consecrated on August 25, 1790.

 

Chuckle time

  From the book, How to Become a Bishop without Being Religious, by Charles Merrill Smith

“Two requirements to be a bishop: gray hair and hemorrhoids to give you that sorrowful look.” 

My Favorite Priest 

Rev. Andrew Gries, O.C.S.O.

While visiting at Carroll Manor, a nursing home in Washington, DC, I met Father Andrew Griest, a wonderful Trappist monk whose life has been dedicated to prayer and silence. While confined in this facility for the rest of his life, he continues his priestly mission by attending daily Mass in the chapel and sharing his time with fellow Trappist patients, Father Edmund and Brother James. He welcomes, listens and counsels both Catholics and non-Catholics who come to him for advice. He is a true priest—a good representative of God. I look forward to each visit with him and always leave peaceful and happy.

Submitted by Margaret Headley in Washington, DC 

                   (Click here to submit your recommendation for your favorite priest)

Communion, Juicy Fruit Flavor

You will discharge your labor well if you perform with gaiety,

quietly, courageously, constantly.

Bishop Joseph Fenwick (1846)

 Communion, Juicy Fruit Flavor At Mass last Sunday I had a thought provoking experience. Two rows in front and sitting alone slightly to the right was a neatly dressed young man. I estimate he was in his late twenties.  What attracted my attention was that he was obviously chewing gum.

He seemed attentive during the service while he constantly chewed in a slightly rotary movement. At the time for Communion, I followed him up the aisle and watched as he received the Sacred Host.  He chewed going and returning to his seat.  At the end of Mass when we walked out of the church, he was ahead of me, still enjoying his gum.

          Wild thoughts raced through my mind.  What action took place inside the young man’s mouth when he received the Host?  Had he stashed the chewing gum in the corner of his cheek so that he could quickly swallow the Host before he resumed chewing?  Or, God forbid, did he crush the Host into the gum?

          I have since wondered what action I should have taken.  Had he insulted my wife sitting beside me, there would have been a scene. Instead, his action implied lack of respect for the Son of God, and I was silent. My excuse for inaction was to put the blame on others.

The fellow was probably born fifteen years after Vatican II Conference.  Since then, the Church has successfully undervalued the Eucharist and Communion Sacraments in favor of a busy Mass which eliminated Mystery, silence and meditation.  As do too many Catholics, the gum-chewer probably considers the Host to be merely a spiritual vitamin pill, freely dispensed during the service as a doctor might give a sample placebo to his patients.

When I converted to Catholicism over fifty years ago, I was attracted by the spiritual reality of God having become man and the transubstantiation of bread and wine into the very Body and Blood of the risen Christ. But the young man, whose behavior upset me, probably has scant knowledge of the dogmas of Incarnation and Communion.  Who should have prevented his ignorance?

          My only consolation is the fact that this young man was at Mass. 

(And what are your thoughts?)

 Take The Joyful Catholic Quiz- Just Click Here!

The winner of the gift copy of Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics is Adrienne, who logged in at 7:05 PM on August 13.. 

 

Chuckle Time

  One beautiful Sunday morning, a priest who wanted to play golf, asked his associate to cover for him at early Mass. Observing this from on high, this annoyed St. Peter, who asked God, “Are you going to let him get away with it?”  God told him to be patient.

          On the 4^th hole, the priest, playing alone, hit the most fabulous shot of his life — 420 feet straight towards the green. When he walked to the ball, the priest realized he had made a hole-in-one. This puzzled St. Peter who asked God, “What kind of punishment do you call that?”         

          God smiled and said, “Who’s he going to tell?”

 

My favorite priest

(Submit your recommendation for your favorite priest in the tab above)