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.

 

Lightning Bug Catholics

 

We do indeed need to show joy as Catholics.

My motto… “Be happily and uncomplicatedly Catholic.”
Michael J. Sheehan
Archbishop of Santa Fe

Lightning Bug Catholics

Recently, my wife and I enjoyed an evening cookout in the park. At dusk as we sat looking over a grassy area towards the woods, we had a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Suddenly the area became alive with hundreds of lightning bugs. They put on a show like quiet fireworks on the 4th of July. One of the little fellows landed on the top of my hand and stayed long enough for me to observe his orange head. Then he lighted up his lower abdomen and took off.
Return home, still tingling from the awe of having witnessed this phenomena of nature, I did some research. I learned that “the bug’s light production (bioluminescence) is caused by enzyme luciferase acting on luciferin in the presence of magnesium ions, ATP, and oxygen to produce light with wavelengths from 510 to 70 nanometers.” Wow!
During the week I realized that we Joyful Catholics are the lightning bugs in the Church. Those other staid, conservative and me-only Catholics are the non-lightning bugs who go about doing their own thing, unnoticed and unnoticing. By contrast, we Joyful Catholics brighten the world around us by demonstrating our concern and love for others—perhaps with a warm smile for a stranger, a call to the lonely, an act of kindness or a note of thanks and appreciation.
As I have said before, a complacent Catholic is third rate. What great joy there is in being a Joyful Catholic!

Recommended readings

- “No Third Reading” in Homiletic & Pastoral Review
- “Saint Teresa of Avila: Prayer-Centered Reformer” in Spiritual Life
- “A Reckoning- the Price Tag for America’s Wars” in Commonweal 7/16
- “The Jesus Controversy” in America 8/2-9 (Comment: I get annoyed at us Catholics who enjoy debating “the historical Jesus”. Why can’t we just accept that he was God-Made-Man, and ponder that forever.)

The Perplexing Beatitude

This is of value in our sorrow for the victims of the Haiti earthquake.

God does nothing without cause and truth. But, believe me, a person cannot completely grasp the meaning of God’s locutions and deeds, nor can he determine this by appearances without extreme error and bewilderment. Since the duration of these causes is uncertain, the fulfillment of the promise is too. One should seek assurance, therefore, not in understanding but in faith.

    Saint John of the Cross, written 1585

 The Perplexing Beatitude 

Aaron Weiss, the popular mod singer, composer and head of the MeWithoutYou Band, has it tattooed on his wrist.  I have read many writing which were unsuccessful in convincing me of its meaning.  Then the light finally came by something said by a man who is in no way a theologian.

 

In the Southern town where I grew up, when you spoke of someone who was greatly distressed and burden down with worries, you would say, “Poor soul, he sure is poor in spirit.”  And when you asked this person how he was feeling, he might say, “Mighty poorly.”

          For that reason, I have long been disturbed by the first of Jesus’ beatitudes, when he said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”  It didn’t make sense to consider yourself blessed if you were a mealy-mouth person, all down and out. 

          One evening when Donald Trump had again hit the skids and was head-over-head in debt, he and his current wife were walking down a street in New York.  When they passed a street person with his hand out, Trump said in truth, “See that fellow? He is richer than I.”

         

     Since that moment of revelation, I have accepted “poor in spirit” as meaning one who acknowledges the tremendous debt he owes to the Supreme Being who continuously allows the debt to increase each day. God is like a banker, who out of compassion rather than good business sense, keeps extended one’s line of credit. He knows that only in a minute way can the creditor repay what he has been given freely.

         

     The value of something is what you would let it go for. So, the gift of my eyes, ears and other senses would have a price tag of over a million. Each family member and friend would each be worth a staggering sum. In appreciation, if I valued $1 for each bodily cell which performs so perfectly, I’d add a billion to my debt.  For example, how could I establish a value for my Catholicism?  My life would have less meaning if I were ignorant of the fact that God became Man with of His message of love. When I put a total price tag on God’s gifts to me, the 000s go out the window. 

         

     May I tattoo on my memory slate each morning, “Please bless me, one of the poorest of the poor!”

(And give me your thoughts about this Beatitude,  joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)

 

Interesting sayings

 In order to desire to be saved, we must know we are lost.

          Servant of God Madeleine Delbrel   1958

 

Surprising God, keep my mind and heart open to the unexpected ways you manifest in my life.         

          Sister Joyce Rupp, O.S.M.

 

(And what are a few of your favorite sayings?)  joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)

 

 

 

 

News flashes

-        In the 2/5 Wall Street Journal, Sarah Pulliam Bailey wrote an interesting article, jabbing sports reporters for not giving attention to the faith of the sports champion about whom they write. Her examples included Tim Tebow, Kurt Warner, and Joe Gibbs.

 

-         In the February issue of U.S. Catholic, Phyllis Zagano wrote “The case for Deacon Pam” encouraging us having women deacons.  I’ve got bad news for you, Phyllis, because I don’t think the first woman deacon has yet been born. Last month with pressure from the Vatican, Bishop Joseph Grech (not “Grench”!) in Australia stopped a parish church from lending its facility to an Anglican church that is under repair. The reason—the fellow Christians were going to have an ordination service for seven deacons, four of them women. The Bishop said that the ordination of women would be a potential source of confusion and conflict. (What do you think about this. joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)

 

-   A good economical sign! The editorial board of America magazine selected Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury for its 2009 Campaign Award Recipient. “Gifted with a creative mind and poetic spirit, Archbishop Williams writes eloquently about many things: theology, prayer, church history, icons, religion and literature. His body of work nourishes the mind and the spirit.”

 

Joyful experiences

  –   With the snow storms of the century in the Washington, DC, area, the community has responded with admirable help and compassion for those in need. Everyone with whom I have talked has an account of being either the benefactor or recipient of sincere caring.  It’s interesting that it sometimes takes a catastrophe to bring out the best in us. But, it’s there!

(And what joyful experience do you want to share?)

      joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)  

 

 Examples from martyrs

As a young man who’s wife was expecting their second child, Blessed Luis Magana Servin told the Mexican judge during the anti-Catholic persecution, ”If you accuse me of being a Christian, yes, I am, and if I must be executed for that reason, I welcome it.”

          The next day, February 14, 1928, when he was being shot in the vestibule of his parish church, he told his executioners, “I want to tell you that from this moment I pardon you, and I promise that on arrival in the presence of God you are the first ones for whom I will intercede.”    Wow! 

 

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 is the least Catholic area of the United States?

 

2.     In the Bible, what were the last words spoken by Mary?

 

3.     What are the seven sacraments of the Church?

 

Recommended reading:

 

 Conversing with God in Lent by Stephen J. Binz

 

Communiqués received

 Many thanks for telling about your Prayer Group. I intend to give it a try with four of my friends.

                                                Rebecca Robbins, Birmingham, AL

 

 I find it hard to believe that you fellows in your Prayer Group have been meeting so long. I discussed this with my priest who wants to start a group in our parish, using your guidelines.

                                                          Erick Tims, Erie, NY

                            

(Let me hear from you via joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)

 

Other recommended Catholic Blogs

         www. Zenith.com (daily news from the Vatican

        Rumor has it that after seeing the wide approval of our Joyful Catholic blog, the Pope is encouraging priest to start their own blogs in order to communicate better with their congregations. I am glad the Pope didn’t ask me to relinquish the title of this blog. If he had, since he is younger than I, I would have given in.

 

Chuckle time

 (Via Bob Kehlhofer in Atlantis, FL

If you also have a favorite chuckler, send it to me.    joyfulcatholic@comcast.net

 

A nun in a Catholic hospital was quizzing a penniless man without insurance about who would pay his bill and she asked if there were concerned relatives. When he said he had only a spinster sister who was a nun, the inquiring nun shot back, “A nun is not a spinster, because she is married to God!’

          The old man said, “Well then, send the bill to my brother-in-law.”

 

 

My favorite religious priest, layperson or organization

The fifth grade students in the school at St. Anthony’s Parish in Columbus, NE, recommended Father Del Lape by listing 14 (!) things they like about him. A few of these are:

“Father Del is a great priest and teacher, a person who tries to teach about God and has a fun time when he’s doing it/ he eats lunch with the kids and makes them laugh/ he is trustful and kind/ he is the best preacher ever/ he is always ready to hear our thoughts. Father Del, you are terrific and the best priest ever!”

And 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)

 

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.

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

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.

 

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)

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)

Why this blog?

Consider the strong emphasis Paul places on joyful living.

He makes it clear that he himself valued joy as a desirable

and attainable human experience. By one count he employed

the words “joy” and “rejoice” sixteen times in his Letter to

the Philippians.

                                                    Msg. James Turro (2009)

 

The purpose of The Joyful Catholic is to remind us to enjoy our Faith and, by example, to invite others to the feast.

          During WWII when I was flying bombing missions in the Mediterranean area, every time I switched from one squadron to another, I made friends with Catholics, not knowing they were Catholic. This puzzled me.  Also Joe Marini, my co-pilot, who became as close as a brother, was Catholic. None of them every talked to me about their religion.  (Joe is now a retired priest in Oakland, CA)

          After the war, it was tough returning to bland civilian life. Working in downtown Washington, D.C., I frequently would retreat into St. Matthews Cathedral where it was dark and quiet.  If I happened to be there when a Mass took place, I tried to follow in the Missal by brushing up on my high school Latin.  Gradually, I realized that the Eucharist was the guts of Catholicism.  I wanted to receive the Sacred Host.

          After a 2AM revelation, I rammed my way into the Church and was baptized before noon, knowing only the Apostles Creed. Sixty years later I am still learning.

          When I revisit my conversion, I realize that doctrine and knowledge of the Church played a minor role. The magnet was the example of Catholic friends. 

          In my Next in Line Clubs, which encourage the writing of autobiographies, I emphasize the importance of “show, don’t tell.”

The same advice applies to each of us Catholics in our daily lives.  By what we say and do, we show to the world that we are blessed to be Catholic.  By exuding joy, we are attractive advertisements for the Church.  Each day, we should state with conviction, “I am a joyful Catholic,” and marvel at its effectiveness.  Let us work to develop a joyful Catholic Community. It can be done!

(And what are your thoughts?)

Chuckle time

The irate father grabbed his rambunctious kid during Mass and took him out of the church.  As they reached the door, the kid shouted back to the congregation, “Pray for me! Pray for me!”

 

My favorite priest

For many years, by his kindness and devotion to the Mass, Monsignor W. Louis Quinn at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Bethesda, Maryland, has been a constant inspiration to me.  He radiates goodness!

                                                                   Armiger Jagoe

 

Why I wrote Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholic.

I wrote Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholic to to express a few things which concern me about Catholicism. The overall theme of the book is to remind us Catholics to enjoy our religion.  I have little admiration for my solemn fellow church-goers who have a “I’m holier than thou” look on their faces.    I worry about the lack of community within the Church.  For example, 94% of church attendees demonstrate they think each person is private islands with a “Keep Off!” sign on the beach.       I have special concern about the watering down of the value of the Eucharist Sacrament.  Once a very solemn and respected part of the Mass, it is now treated as a side dish, included at no cost in the Mass agenda.

Welcome

Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholic

The Purpose of the Joyful Catholic is to remind us each day to enjoy our faith and invite others to the feast.