Furthermore…

“History” teacher to class”

“The Catholic Church didn’t want people to read the Bible, so they translated it into a foreign language – Latin!”

Last year I attended a men’s retreat presented by laymen, and this year I am part of the planning committee for a repeat.  The retreat has an established format, and there are a number of themes on which each year basically similar talks are given, drawing largely on the life experiences and struggles of the staff members.  The themes center on Loving God through Knowing Oneself, through Trust, through Faith in the Word, through the Sacraments, Prayer, Healing of Memories, Trust, and Family and Friends.  I too was appointed to give a short talk.

It wasn’t at first clear to me what kind of talk was expected of me.  Speaking to one of the leaders, I found that it was not necessarily to be on one of the established themes, but rather to just be something drawn from my own life that might touch or be of some import to the attendees.  I thought of relating a couple of Army experiences, one of humiliation and the other, related, of getting some well-appreciated support.  I thought of recounting a few of my failures with women, making a play for pity as one of life’s  losers from all the married  ’salt of the earth’ types I’d be addressing.  Or I could go about how I’m not primarily concerned with the Top Ten for Men of sports,work, wife, kids, dog, house, car, lawn, TV,  and sports [sic].

A few more subjects occurred to me, but I finally decided to talk about three times in my life when other people unexpectedly came to my assistance, times which I might subtly suggest were the work of the Lord.

One seminary official to another:

“The three most important solutions to the priest shortage are Vocations, Vocations, Vocations!”

I watch Catholic television a lot.  I keep seeing an ad or promotion for a book containing some of a beloved and famous person’s teachings about the Bible.  At one point, that person is shown holding the Bible and saying something along the line of  ‘read this book if you want to know what God thinks.’  The book she is referring to is the Bible, it would seem, but since it is an ad or promotion for a particular book that is for sale, viewers might easily conclude that it is the book for sale which is being referenced.  Next, a screen shows how to buy ‘this book.’  Pretty slick!  Or is it merely an unintentional slip?

Mom to Dad about kid standing by expectantly:

“He wants to get home schooled  — with the nudist kids down the street!”

Or do you say “progressive”?  Anyway, I keep wishing I could tease apart the thought processes which occur in the heads of the ‘practicing Catholics’ who don’t seem to line up with what the Churches.  I was pleased to hear Hunter College Professor Alice von Hildebrand on EWTN a few night ago offer that to her mind much faulty thinking is not thinking at all, but rather the superficial parading of slogans.  I’ve observed some of that.

In addition to slogans, I see a proliferation of predudices.  Not the kind of predudices which easily come to mind, such as those against skin color, ethnic background or corporal attractiveness for instance, but rather stealth pre-judgements against gun owners, big families, the working class, or Christians who take their religion seriously, who are assumed to be asses.

I haven’t heard the term ‘kneejerk reaction’ much lately, but it seems an apt description of how those too lazy to think reach their conclusions.  When cops do it, it is called profiling. When commentators do it,  it is called circular filing, summarily consigning certain points of view to the intellectual waste basket. Like, those who pray the Rosary are denizens of a lower, unenlightened spiritual domain compared to, say, those who spend their time reading reviews of the latest books on trendy theologies.

Besides sloganeering, stealth preducies and circular filing, there is horizon shrinking.  This is a kind of Know-nothingism which excludes from discourse all options except those preferred, because that is what they say, such as that the only way to control AIDS is to use condoms, lots and lots of condoms, or the only way to deal with the regulations of the Church is to blow off the rules, lots and lots of the rules.

Healthcare burocrat to person in wheelchair:

“You don’t look sick to me!”

Yesterday I was fortunate in seeing  on EWTN a new  video announced by Fr. Pavone of Priests for Life.  The part I saw showed closeup in color, in the womb, a live unborn child of 6 weeks development.  Captions and commentary  pointed out to the viewers the tiny brain, the beating heart, the eyes, the hands and feet, and other areas of the developing child as the camera seemed to move about and record the images from different aspects.  A sort of technical chart alongside the picture noted the stage of development and, I believe, other information.

Coincidentally, this morning I reported to the medical offices which serve me for a couple of ultrasound examinations.  As I lay on the examining table and chatted with the gentleman performing the tests I remembered and told him about the amazing video I had seen the night before.  I made a point of mentioning that they did state that it was not an ultrasound, but he could not believe that it would have been anything else but an ultrasound.   I left the offices hoping that he would look further into the nature of the process, if only for professional reasons.  I felt glad to have told someone in a timely manner of what I had witnessed, and I also mentioned that it would be widely distributed by the Pro Life community.

Sign in front of church:

HELL.  YOU CAN GET THERE FROM HERE

This account which caught my attention  was posted on the Multiply Catholic Friends group site.

“From: BRENDA WALSH

Many people want to know about the recent Apparition at Knock. There have been many reports and descriptions so let me try to tell you about what my family, neighbours and friends who were there have described to me.

Knock is in County Mayo in the West of Ireland. You can learn more about the 1879 Apparition at …………………. http://www.knock-shrine.com/

On Sunday 11th October around 30,000 people turned up for the prophetic apparition at Knock. A Dublin man named Joe Coleman who has had regular visits from Our Lady had told the people of Ireland through the media (newspapers, radio) that Our Lady had told him that She was going to appear at Knock on Sunday (11th Oct). 30,000 turned out for the event.

Around 3.10pm, thousands saw the sun dance, spin and change into a multitude of various colours and it grew everescently bright, very very bright. The colours were azures green, blue, pink, yellow, red, purple, orange and so forth. Then many saw it begin to spin out of the sky and plummet towards the people – people began praying loudly and many were also sobbing from their hearts. My sister Marian witnessed this at the back of the Apparition Chapel where she sat near the Glass Window there.

Joe Coleman announced to the people that this was similar to the Miracle of the Sun in Fatima.

My neighbour Patrick who is Pony Dealer, told me that he was at the front of the chapel beside the 3 Apparition Statues of St Joseph, Our Lady and St John. He noticed the woman beside him had basically gone into ecstacy. She told him that Our Lord had manifested himself beside Our Lady’s Statue. She said that Jesus stood there with His Hands outstretche and asked this woman ‘Where are my priests?’
None of the Knock priests were present.

At least six people saw Our Lady at the Gable Wall and one woman went on Mid-West Radio and told her story of Our Lady’s vision to her. The Blessed Mother told her that She came to ask people for prayer to stop the Third World War and that She, Our Lady would come two more times to Knock before Christmas.

I have spoken to people whom I consider to be of sound mind and they are all saying the same thing – that something magnificent had occurred at Knock. I also spoke to some of the B&B Owners as I know them from taking pilgrimages there and they too agreed that something supernatural happened on that Beautiful Sunday at Knock.

I believe all of these witnesses 100%! Good timing too by Our Lady after the dreadful Yes vote in the Lisbon Treaty. She also knows that the One World Plotters are about to impose their One World Dictatorship on us all with the significent signing of the Copenhagan Treaty in December which will move this Sinister Plot closer to our backdoor step. God help us!!!

Now Our Lady said She will come two more times to Knock before Christmas. Well the Good News is that She will be in Knock again on the Eve of All Saints, 31st October.
My friends and I have already booked our flights.

If you intend going, you better book now before all the flights are gone and indeed, before all the accommodation, beds in Knock are gone. There is only so much accommodation in Knock so book NOW! Irish people are taking the 31st Oct, a Saturday off work so that they can be in Knock for this great event. There was 30,000 there on the 11th Oct so you can expect 10 times as many to be there for the 31st Oct.”