Thursday, November 29, 2012

Mark Shea Code Red on Fr. West - Take 2

Enough time has now passed from the original controversy to begin another slander campaign.

Evidently you have not met Fr. Peter West, or people like Cyril Koob or the seemingly millions of other crazy, demented people who haunt his FB page. I can point you to any number of freakin' insane Catholic who believe exactly that fidelity to the Church teaching is not enough and that SSA attraction is itself damnable. They are, of course, freakin' insane and are living demonstrations of why we have a Magisterium (in part, to protect sane Catholics from freakin' insane ones). But such people do exist.

Mark is, of course, mischaracterizing his piece, which was written about a gay man creating scandal in his community by living with his lover while being silent about faithfulness to the teachings of the Church on celibacy.

He is also mischaracterizing Fr. West's (and Cyril Koob's!) convictions and response to Shea's crackpot theology that such a witness merits recognition by the Magisterium as a 'saint'. Mark' conduct is as disturbing as it is dangerous. EWTN needs to cut him loose. Somebody has teed up a petition to have Mark removed HERE. Please take a moment to communicate your concerns to our friends at EWTN.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

How to spot a sociopath

I'll bet I could break the Guinness World Book of Records for the time it me takes to discover a person is a sociopath.

Let us face it.  Religion and politics are sociopath magnets.  Practicing Catholics are so focused on Christ, the Eucharist, the Sacraments, serving Him, we are forever riding benefit of the doubt right off the cliff.

The danger with sociopaths isn't that they can steal from, hurt or slander you/your family.  The situation is a breeding ground for sin.  We're not qualified to help them, they are a drain on every resource and inevitably, they polish our image into a false god - for themselves and for us.

Bookmark this for future reference: How to Spot a Sociopath 

It is so on the money it is chilling.

I would add a few things to the article.

Sociopaths always have sob stories about how everyone has done them wrong.  They don't have continuity in their relationships.  There is always a new BFF.  Every member of their family is persecuting and betraying them.

Most sociopaths I've come across are not the Jim Jones types who resort to physical murder.  But they are poisonous and before they are done with you they will slay something.   Slaying is their empowerment.  Food they cannot live without.   You're their heroin.  Their hot fudge sundae. When they are done feasting you become the enemy.

The absolute worst thing you can do after an experience with a sociopath is give them space in your head, heart or soul.  Truth be told, I have to let go of even praying for them as I have found it is another way of keeping them in my mind, heart and/or seeing myself as the source of their redemption.

God always has something to teach us about ourselves in these encounters.   For me, I always see myself as deeply immersed in Christ and repeatedly, I find how easily I'm led away from Him and into the desert.  I have absolutely no recollection of how I got there.  I can't think of a thing that was good or attractive about the pied piper.

“Man is the shadow, who would be the substance; the pendulum who would swing without being suspended from the clock; the painting which would deny that an artist’s hand ever touched it. The most daring of all sins is that of self-deification, and it is possible only because of a divine creation for who would want to be God unless he had come from the hand of God?” Archbishop Fulton Sheen

Monday, November 26, 2012

Jamie Foxx's god, lord and savior... Barack Obama


I live a rather sheltered life.  If news isn't linked to a Catholic source I trust, I probably haven't read it.   If the television is on, it's on Turner movie classics or occasionally watch NCIS or Criminal Minds with my youngest daughter.

Until today, I was blessed in the ignorance of Jamie Foxx's existence.    Today, he said something dumb enough to get onto my radar - Barack Obama is god, lord and savior.

Are there any more whackjobs I don't know about?

Nevermind.  Don't answer that.

Blasphemy seems to make Obama and his apostles jolly.

There is something more than the intellect being eclipsed.  It feels like a malicious pursuit.  They seem to be living in a place without remorse.  There are no regrets.  Forgiveness is never sought nor given. No listening or interest in finding the truth.  No compassion.

I feel like we're in an Alfred Hitchcock movie.

Obama Exonerates Turkey by Putting a Towel on Its Head



What?

You think putting a towel on the head of a turkey to pardon its life would be disrespectful to 'the great religion'?

How about making the Sign of the Cross during the jackass ceremony?

Sunday, November 25, 2012

My annual visit to the National Catholic Reporter - A 911 call to the Vatican Jackass Whisperer


 Ordinarily, I am not one for experiments and risk-taking.  I don't go to restaurants unless somebody whose taste buds and cleanliness habits I trust has made a recommendation.  I try to keep away from dark alleys and things that smell.  I stay away from fad diets and processed foods.  I try not to read things that I know will drive me to fire off a nastygram to the Chancery.

I don't know what got into me this week.

First, I went to Job Lot (for the first time in ten years) to buy, of all things, Christmas lights.  You know exactly what happened when I tried to rig them up around my front door.

I also went to Building 19 to pick up extension cords and came across what I thought was a roll of red velvet ribbon.   When I arrived home and opened it, it turns out it wasn't velvet after all.  It's plastic.  I'm going to drop it off at the police station.  Maybe it will come in handy for a crime scene.

I didn't snap out of it until I finished off the trilogy by taking my annual pilgrimage to the National Catholic Reporter.

This week was a Maryknoll shake-up panties-in-a-twist edition.

Apparently Maryknoll is a bigger trainwreck than the Jesuits.   The Vatican took the extraordinary action of dismissing and laicizing 45 year member (formerly Fr.) Ray Bourgeois.

Fr. Bourgeois was excommunicated in 2008 for attending a service simulating the Sacrament of Ordination with a group of women who are so busy being envious of other people's lives they can't see the magnificence of their own.

Here's a picture of the commotion.  I think that's Fr. Bourgeois in the middle wearing the scarf and carrying the drum.  (Is it a drum or is that their consecrated u-charist?)

Same old cast of characters circling the wagons.  Fr. Tom Doyle is acting as his canon lawyer.

Joan Chittister is on edge about the future of the Church.   It's all so intimidating.

Can't a gal publish propaganda painting Christ's Mystical Body as a misogynists who obfuscate the Holy Spirit so they can infect other women with their misery?

The editor, Tom Roberts, was my fav:  "They finally got him".

But worst of all, he began speaking to women and he allowed himself to be convinced.

By the women in the picture?  I wouldn't follow that group out of a burning building.

It is duly noted that Ray Bourgeois didn't 'begin speaking to women' who are zealous and in love with their role as a woman, a wife, a mother, advocate and intercessor for the spiritual and physical needs of their family, friends and people in the community.

When one wishes to allow oneself to be convinced it's good to smoke a crack pipe, one knows exactly who to speak to and who to avoid.

Tom Roberts retaliates against the Church he loathes by digging up the skeletons of priests who couldn't remain celibate and proposing the Church should stop the practice of celibacy.

I am always suspicious of men who caricature their gender as people who always need a port available to pull into or they will become rapists.  After all, where would they get THAT idea if it were not from personal thoughts and struggles?

Celibacy in the priesthood is a very misunderstood practice.  It is a powerful form of fasting that is used as an accessory to prayerful intercession.   As Christ taught, there are some demons that can only be driven out by fasting.  As laity, we beef up our own prayer with fasting.   We spend 40 days fasting from things during Lent and the abstinence brings us closer to Christ.  

Celibacy is the kryptonite of the practice of fasting.

I have a low tolerance for priests who whine about the burden of celibacy.  Do they think that Catholics who choose the vocation of marriage and parenting are free from fasting from sex with eye candy when the going gets tough in a marriage?

Parents spend their lives giving up things they'd love to have, so their children can have the things they need or want - from the first moments they stand by the cradle to their graves.

Celibacy is not the problem.  The problem is selfish sissies and crybabies.

Yeah, 'they' finally 'got' Ray.

Allelluia.  

What I wouldn't give to see them 'get' the National Catholic Reporter folks next.

False Compassion from the Sob Sisters and Social Sloberers



Treat thyself to this less-than-3-minute video of Venverable Archbishop Sheen speaking about the epidemic of false compassion.      The man did not leave much unsaid.  LOL.



Saturday, November 24, 2012

It turns out the Obama-backed "democratic" overthrow of Egyptian Government was a power grab from a terrorist cell

Words like shocking, unprecedented, Pharoah are being used to describe the conversion to tyranny.

Of course, Hillary and Obama are shocked.  Shocked I tell you.  

What a coincidence too, that the power grab went down within hours of Hillary Clinton' visit with Morsi.



It will taste like honey but turn your stomach sour.


You have to love the symbolism in readings right before Advent!

I haven't had much to say post-election. What is there to say? It is a freeken nightmare. I've been visiting Adoration, going to daily Mass, reading the Saints, etc. I've been with Our Lord.

I do have a few things to say about the postmortems and what's-next reflections I have read over the past few weeks. Specifically, pieces that opine the GOP should change their talking points to appeal to Latinos, and other pieces that opine (in one way or another) the Catholic prolife movement should withdraw from political activism because our message can't be received in this hostile climate.

I don't envy those who have to deal with the talking heads at the GOP. They must be reeling from the downfall of the Milque Toast. Eerr...I mean the Mittens. I thought this excellent pieceon the shameful treatment of Todd Akin, written by Austin Ruse, captured the essence of the struggles within the GOP.
Who knows where the GOP will go from here but we have the responsibility to talk about, educate, evangelize, rebuke, support and remain actively involved in politics. Frankly, I couldn't agree more with Mark Levin's rebuke to Rove to get the hell off the stage.  He is not our ally.


With respect to changing the talking points to appeal to Latinos, it is an exercise in futility.  Latinos are extremely pro-life, many are catechized and educated Catholics.  Some of those will resist a government that demoralizes and bankrupts its citizens, kills the children of the poor and euthanizes the sick.  But most will sacrifice women, children and the sick for the government that proselytizes security to those who enter our country illegally.   Illegal immigration trumps everything.

My family immigrated from Ireland.   They came through Ellis Island and went through the legal process.  They busted their tails earning their own living.

To Latinos, those who support immigration and employment through the legal process are anti-immigrant.  We will never win them because we can never surrender our sovereignty to their anarchy.  Advocates for lawlessness and anarchy and those who plow a platform for the freedom and sovereignty of our Republic are incompatible.  Ad infinitum.

The GOP is in the toilet because it has its rump on two chairs.   If the GOP moves towards anarchy, we have to flush the toilet.


I've also read the opinions of theologians saying things have not changed and the rebuttals that point out how much they have.   They're both right.   Spiritual people know the reasons why things have now escalated to ominous.  While we always carry the knowledge that Christ's Church follows the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ's Life on earth - the treachery, diabolical disorientation, the deception, the disintegration of morality and value of each human life and the jackasses who, in spite of it all, hail Barabbas - it is all..just..so... shocking and surreal.

With respect to various people of good faith opining the prolife movement should exit politics, stage right, because there aren't enough of us, we have to strengthen our own army in the pews, the message is rejected, etc., strengthening catechesis and being active in the public square have to co-exist.  Especially when the trajectory of the government is in the hands of Baal.

 Here's a good kick in the pants from yesterday's readings:

"I took the small scroll from the angel's hand and swallowed it. In my mouth it was like sweet honey, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour.  Then someone said to me "You must prophesy again about the many peoples, nations, tongues and kings".

Is this not profound?

When we come to understand it, approach it, savor the sweetness of the Sacraments and teachings of the Church, when we realize where its all going and what love beckons us to say and do, we get a sick feeling in our stomachs.  LOL.

 When reading the postmortems, it came across to me as though some people have a vision of a great big group of Catholics who are so well trained in eloquence, they win the political favor of the masses.  Nothing I've read in Scripture leaves me filled with hope for that kind of ending.

There is no need of a huddle to brainstorm about how to package the message so we can win friends and influence people.  They are going to silence and kill us.  

There IS a time and place for the propagation of the faith and recruiting believers but most people are incapable of discerning different messages for different situations.

Maybe this will help clarify:

When an assassin is holding a gun to his victim's head, the dialogue with that person is carefully chosen.  There is an urgency and the only objective is to save the victim's life.  An assessment is made as to the state of that person's mind, whether he can be talked out of it.  If people gather around the scene, the conversation is not about trying to convert them.  It is not the time nor place as the focus is not about the people watching.  There are times, sadly, when the police play every card and come to the conclusion through dialogue with the assassin that he is going to shoot the people around him and they call in a sniper.  

The point I am trying to make here is, the presence of the people on a rescue mission is not always about converting people who are a danger to themselves and others.

Our message is not well received in a culture of diabolical disorientation but our main purpose is testifying against legalized human rights violations.  The reception of the message has no bearing on our duty to cry out for justice.  We are beyond that now.  Every card has been played.

Many things are happening when we give public witness in the political forums.    By standing up in a hostile culture to say killing people is wrong, we are serving the victims of injustice and Christ.  The people who know the truth taste courage.  The back and forths with combative people teach others how and what to say in their own universe of family, friends, neighbors and combatants.  The defense of truth hums along without an intermission that would leave a generation without these tools:  See one.  Do one.  Teach one.

I do agree that there is much to be done in our parishes and schools.  But it all depends on where you are and who is in control of the culture of these forums.   This is the role of the local priest and Bishops.    If these men are not of sound mind and spirit or they are craven, you are wasting your time, talent and treasure.

The reception of the message relies upon wisdom and truth that can only come from sanctification.  Sanctification can only come from repentance.   Repentance comes from catechesis.   Catechesis comes to us through our parishes and schools and this is completely under the control of our priests and Bishops.

Laity lacks the Source to infuse a soul with sanctifying grace.  We can feed and water grace that is planted in the soul by our priests.   Laity can attempt to enlighten their intellect but we are incapable of planting sanctifying grace into a soul.

Our priests and bishops have to be willing to select sound books to teach from, hire teachers who will faithfully and soundly teach and preach content that leads to conversion.

In speaking to friends who are struggling with what to do as the Mystical Body continues on It's journey, some have suggested simply cultivating Adoration.

In a parish where the priest is solid and faithful, this is a magnificent way to pray for and harvest conversions.    Eucharistic adoration can effect change thousands of miles away.

(In parishes where there is a weak or unfaithful priest, there is some risk.   Your reputation for faithfulness and presence can create a situation where you witness to the urban legend that Catholicism is a big tent.  Adoration is one of the most effective resources of intercession - perhaps second to the Sacrifice.  When Adoration is up and running, the devil can show up to undermine.  I couldn't count the times I have seen him tee up a kerfuffle and create a situation where he entices the weak or unfaithful priest to witness against truth.   Then, your presence could potentially deteriorate the understanding of Catholic teaching to uncatechized souls.  Especially if they are your own children.    If you are a parent, this is definitely not an option.  Get thee to a faithful priest and pastor.  You can take care of others when your children are grown.  It is not the time and place to subject them to dissent.)

In Boston, we have run that gauntlet where our Bishop has been hostile to believers for seven years.  Ironically, his predecessor   I believe the Cardinal to be a faithful servant and a believer - when it comes to his own soul.   But when it comes to the mission of his Office as the Bishop of his see,  his folly of believing that he can hire people who starve and rob his people of sanctifying grace and their sanctification will come through the osmosis of his manners and kindness.    Many priests also suffer from this delusion.

On the level of the soul, this produces the fruit of admiration towards him.  He is pleased with this fruit.  But the soul carries on without the tools to resist temptation.  The Cardinal hires apostates and dissenters to fill their minds with dissent.  The fact that he has hired them gives everything they say his spiritual imprimatur.    The poor slobs do not know any better.   The choices in their day-to-day lives offend and alienate them from God who is the Source of Truth.  As they drift further and further away, their choices bring spiritual death and unhappiness, darkness.   Many have died in this state.  Good luck to him with that.

We are not the instruments of conversion.  We can only lead people to the Instruments - teachings of the Church and the Sacraments.  When those are skewed by the unfaithfulness or indifference of the priest (or bishop), we can have very little effect and can in fact, make the situation worse.

Follow your heart and choose well. Worthy is the Lamb.

(the visuals in this video stink, but I love this song..and it is an excellent fit...so close your eyes and listen!)








Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Monday, November 19, 2012

Informative Article on Hamas and Gaza

Doesn't leave a lot of room for peace. Annihilating the Jews is their mission.
Very interesting perspective on the blockade:


Israel left Gaza in 2005 thousands of rockets have rained down on Israeli cities and towns in deliberate contravention not just of international law, but all humanity and morality. While some might suggest the so-called blockade is the cause of the attacks, it is actually a consequence. The restrictions were only implemented two years after Israel left Gaza, when it was clear that instead of building a "Singapore of the Middle East", Hamas was interested in importing stockpiles of weapons from places like Iran. Instead of building a future for its people, Hamas built an open-air prison for the million and a half inhabitants who fell into its grasp. 
However, Gaza was never enough for an organisation whose raison d'etre is the annihilation of Israel, and whose charter begins with the ominous warning that "Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it"

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Israel and Hamas

We are all, no doubt, on edge of our seats praying for the people and our sacred places of worship. The escalation and threats in the Jerusalem and Bethlehem are making me queasy. I keep thinking about St. Paul's vision. It is all gonzo. Prayer and penance. UPDATE Noteworthy comment in this story: Tel Aviv contends with rockets.
For the first time since the 1991 Gulf War against Iraq, a siren blared Wednesday in Tel Aviv warning of a possible incoming rocket that may have been an improved, longer-range missile. 
People ran for cover while others seemed bemused by the wail. An explosion was heard by some on the outskirts of the city.
There were people in the streets who were bemused as the rockets were exploding.

Truly nuts.

These comments resonated with me:

Yam Umi, a 30-year-old artist, was walking her dog in the street and said she was irritated with the aggression of both sides.

 "I'm more afraid of indifference of the people. The war has become an integral part of our life," she said.
The indifference is what's scaring me too.

Monday, November 12, 2012

From Prague

Some people have the vocabulary to sum up things in a way that you can quickly understand them. This quote came from the Czech Republic . Someone over there has it figured out. It was translated into English from an article in the Prague newspaper Prager Zeitungon:
"The danger to America is not Barack Obama, but a citizenry capable of entrusting a man like him with the Presidency. It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of an Obama presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgment to a depraved electorate willing to have such a man for their president. The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Mr. Obama, who is a mere symptom of what ails America . Blaming the prince of the fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince. The Republic can survive a Barack Obama, who is, after all, merely a fool. It is less likely to survive a multitude of fools, such as those who made him their president."

Texas wants out of Dodge


They're asking politely.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Patraeus' resignation over eyecandy


This tragedy astounded me.

Does a person who accepts the position of director of the CIA actually think there's such a thing as private email accounts and communications?

He just gets himself some eyecandy and a gmail account for extramarital activities and nobody is watching him?

His naivete all blowed up real good when the eyecandy threatened some other woman.  Last I read, the CIA was stumped as to what that altercation was about.  

Yeah, yeah. Sure.  It must have been that yesterday was that day that we were born.

Prayers for all.  

Saturday, November 10, 2012

The penitent - not!

Satan went beyond all the limits of deception when he went to Father Pio pretending to be a penitent. This is the Father Pio’s testimony:

 “One day, while I was hearing confessions, a man came to the confessional where I was.

He was tall, handsome, dressed with some refinement and he was kind and polite. He started to confess his sins, which were of every kind: against God, against man and against the morals. All the sins were obnoxious!

 I was disoriented, in fact for all the sins that he told me, but I responded to him with God’s Word, the example of the Church, and the morals of the Saints. But the enigmatic penitent answered me word for word, justifying his sins, always with extreme ability and politeness. He excused all the sinful actions, making them sound quite normal and natural, even comprehensible on the human level.. He continued this way with the sins that were gruesome against God, Our Lady, the Saints, always using disrespectful round-about argumentation.

He kept this up even with with the foulest of sins that could be conjured in the mind of a most sinful man. The answers that he gave me with such skilled subtlety and malice surprised me. I wondered: who is he? What world does he come from? And I tried to look at him in order to read something on his face.

At the same time I concentrated on every word he spoke, trying to discover any clue to his identity.. But suddenly; through a vivid, radiant and internal light I clearly recognized who he was.

With a sound and imperial tone I told him: “Say long live Jesus, long live Mary!” As soon as I pronounced these sweet and powerful names, Satan instantly disappeared in a trickle of fire, leaving behind him an unbearable stench.”



Thursday, November 8, 2012

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake.

Early on the morn of election day, I checked in with a friend on the phone to share last minute observations. He was feeling queasy, not at all confident about the outcome. I asked him if he had a chance to read the readings of the day yet. He said he hadn't. "I think we're screwed", I said.

Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and, found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 So that's that. Minds are too distant from the intellect of God. Lobotomy of unrepentant sin. It is all too far gone to fix any other way but bring everyone to their knees.

 Even more captivating is the confidence with which they expel their cognitive dissonance. Winning! 

This visible display of the devil's power feels creepy. 

My gut instinctually tells me I'm watching something I shouldn't. Something perverted.   I suppose it is.  The rape a soul.

 Observing the phenomenon, there is always a powerful emotion in the subterfuge of their diabolical disorientation. Letting emotions lead you by the nose sure is a recipe for disaster.

 The passion and death will be long, drawn out, ugly.  I don't have anything profound to say, other than 'worthy is the lamb'.

 I've been thinking a great deal of John Paul II over the past few days. As the saying goes, in his flesh he completed what is lacking in Christ's afflictions.

If you're looking for good reading, his apostolic letter salvifici doloris is an excellent reflection.

 The mystery of the Redemption of the world is in an amazing way rooted in suffering, and this suffering in turn finds in the mystery of the Redemption its supreme and surest point of reference. We wish to live this Year of the Redemption in special union with all those who suffer.

And so there should come together in spirit beneath the Cross on Calvary all suffering people who believe in Christ, and particularly those who suffer because of their faith in him who is the Crucified and Risen One, so that the offering of their sufferings may hasten the fulfillment of the prayer of the Saviour himself that all may be one(102).

Let there also gather beneath the Cross all people of good will, for on this Cross is the "Redeemer of man", the Man of Sorrows, who has taken upon himself the physical and moral sufferings of the people of all times, so that in love they may find the salvific meaning of their sorrow and valid answers to all of their questions.

 Together with Mary, Mother of Christ, who stood beneath the Cross(103),we pause beside all the crosses of contemporary man.

 We invoke all the Saints, who down the centuries in a special way shared in the suffering of Christ. We ask them to support us.

 And we ask all you who suffer to support us.

We ask precisely you who are weak to become a source of strength for the Church and humanity. In the terrible battle between the forces of good and evil, revealed to our eyes by our modern world, may your suffering in union with the Cross of Christ be victorious!

 To all of you, dearest brothers and sisters, I send my Apostolic Blessing.
What more is there to say?

The challenge ahead.



It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere. - Voltaire.

Certainly a character I do not admire but as our friend Janet Baker frequently says, even a broken clock is right twice a day.

More post election advice

We must never despair; our situation has been compromising before, and it has changed for the better; so I trust it will again. If difficulties arise, we must put forth new exertion and proportion our efforts to the exigencies of the times. George Washington

keyword activity


Sometimes I'll write something about a situation that I think is a private little conversation between me and the couple of thousand readers that, you know, isn't all that flattering to the person responsible and I'll note a #1 beside the google search with the individual's name.    I hope that doesn't mean that's the first link on the entire internet when somebody googles their name.  How could that be?


Anyhoo - I get a kick out of some of the keyword searches that bring people to my blog.    Here are a few from today:

thanks obama for making the usa a living hell
lady gaga dressed as a human condom
mark shea is a heretic
obama manslaughter

Heh.



Wednesday, November 7, 2012

The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Do everything without grumbling or questioning,
that you may be blameless and innocent,
children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,
among whom you shine like lights in the world,
as you hold on to the word of life,
so that my boast for the day of Christ may be
that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.
But, even if I am poured out as a libation
upon the sacrificial service of your faith,
I rejoice and share my joy with all of you.
In the same way you also should rejoice and share your joy with me.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Whoever has God, lacks nothing.

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency may be of the power of God, and not of us. In all things we suffer tribulation, but are not distressed; we are straitened, but are not destitute; We suffer persecution, but are not forsaken; we are cast down, but we perish not: Always bearing about in our body the mortification of Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in our bodies."--2 Corinthians 4:7-10



"Let nothing disturb you, Let nothing frighten you.
All things are passing away: God never changes. 
Patience obtains all things. Whoever has God lacks nothing; 
God alone suffices."
--St. Teresa of Avila

Praying




Sunday, November 4, 2012

Democrat ad shows Romney supporters being beheaded





Intimacy vs. Friendship

Excellent post on intimacy vs. friendship Not necessarily sexual intimacy (thought it is included), the garden variety of intimacy.

When you get to the point in your spiritual life that you are focused on the will of God, staying in a state of grace, and you have to say 'no', you learn the value of the friendship.

They're hard lessons at first. Sometimes you learn something you thought was a friendship for years, wasn't.

But, the more you give up to please Christ, the deeper your relationship with Him gets and the easier it is to let go. It even gets to the point where it is no contest. An alleluia.

 It seems like it takes a lifetime to learn how to master intimacy and friendship. There are so many ways it manifests itself in our lives. When you're trying to master it, there are more things to learn and remember than the golf swing.

 Intimacy develops through emotions that come from our experiences and thoughts. All those things are in play in almost every interaction with every meaningful person in our lives. It wouldn't be so hard if you just had to master your own intimacy with family, friends and the opposite sex. Living in relationships means we experience the intimacy of others. Low maintenance when two mature people are behind the wheel. We all take our hands off of the wheel from time to time but it can be a wild ride when one or both are inexperienced at or have problems disciplining their thoughts and emotions.

 I struggled with guilt for the longest time when I had to say 'no' or draw a boundary. I struggle with feeling responsible when people are let down, hurt, angry.

 We all struggle with this. It's tough to balance sacrifice and servitude with our own use of time, talent, treasure and desires.   It brings great joy to lift up our friends, relatives and the people we love.
We serve Christ by doing things for strangers that are sacrificial with our time, money or talents.

But sometimes we are crossing boundaries that we should not cross.

 I had a few experiences this year that taught me a great lesson on a boundary I've had trouble with for years.  Acquaintances who can smell compassion in the air from miles away and drive their wrecks into my intimate space to ask me to fix them.

 I had always made myself available to comfort a person I classified as a friend who struggled with difficult relatives, and then a difficult boyfriend, and then a health crisis, a difficult friend and then a crisis at work, and then another health crisis and then a financial crisis. We talked through what to say and do, what each person she spoke with said she should say and do, how the person responded when she finally said and did something and what she should say and do or refrain from saying or doing in response.

 Friendships with people who are only seeking company on their rollercoaster are not possible. You would think I would recognize what was going down because I have been in this amusement park for years going from ride to ride with different people, held hostage by guilt.  But this one went on for a few years before I realized I was not in the relationship.

 Still, she was in terrible pain and so I continued to accompany and comfort her through the crucibles.  I told myself it was service to Christ.

This year, between being sick, spending time with my own friends and relatives, my daughter's wedding, there were several times when I could make myself immediately available.

 It turns out, this was not acceptable. Her needs were immediate and she would call and text me messages letting me know how upset she was that I would not stop my life and dig her of her emotional state.

 When texting back that I was, literally, at a celebration for my daughter's wedding and this only won me a fifteen minute reprieve from the phone calls and texts, I found myself singing..


I think that life's too short for this, 
I want back my ignorance and bliss 
I think I've had enough of this, 
blow me one last kiss. 

I was not teaching her skills.  There is no growth.   She knows little to nothing about my life.  It would never even occur to me to call her if I needed feedback or wanted to see a movie or out to dinner.

When did this woman's emotional state become my responsibility?

I found my freedom in an epiphany I'll share:    No matter how upset, angry or unstable she was feeling, SHE is responsible for her emotional state.

It's a longer journey master intimacy and friendship when we desire to err on the side of giving and loving.  We never experience regrets, just lessons.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Obama asks supporters to vote for revenge.







Who do you think they'll kill first?   Sick or fat people?   Jews or the Christians?

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Please pray for Ann Barnhardt

I love to read Ann.  She has amazing God-given talents.

I really knew nothing about her or her history until I read her post about the IRS levy on her personal account and expectation they will shortly seize her business accounts a few days back and did some googling.

 I think she is right about the corruption in the stock market and understand the reasons behind shutting down her firm.   As bad as things are, it is my own personal belief that there are many ethical and honest people earning an honest living in stock trading - but that is not what this post is about.

 Matthew 22:16-22

 “But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?...Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s."

 Taxes provided services to the sick and poor. Not only did Christ instruct us to pay our taxes, He also said when thieves steal your coat, give them your shirt.

There is no theological basis for it.

 I can't think of anyone in Christendom who is more worthy of the truth.  She has given much and deserves much back.   This is the time.

I would invite you, no matter how tempting, not to tell her what she wants to hear. What she is doing is not bravado.  She has been tripped up by the enemy.  It is a waste of the time, treasure and talents she has been given.