You can't draw pure water from a poisoned well.

Father Philip Neri Powell, O.P., posted a brief but deft parable at Domine, da mihi hanc aquam. His fellow priests may find it quite useful as fodder for sermons. (Hint, hint, nudge, nudge.)

A Refresher on the Sacrament of Refreshment

Like some of you, I grew up learning the basics of my Catholic Faith from the Baltimore Catechism, and I really do thank God and my parents for it.

While it's widely considered outré these days to promote rote memorization in religion (a.k.a. CCD) classes for kids, I think it's a bad idea to discourage pedagogy that involves at least some memorization component. In fact, personally, I'd say the more memorization the better. The more effort that's put into learning the truths of the Catholic Faith by heart the more likely the child will be to remain firmly anchored to the Church as he grows up and navigates through the often spiritually treacherous waters of this world.

Similar to memorizing the times tables in the 2nd or 3rd grade, there is a lot to be said for how we used to memorize the answers to the questions posed in the Catechism, back in the olden days.

Just as I could never forget that 3 x 5 = 15 and (like most people who were taught arithmetic in the 1960s) can mentally calculate multiplication equations instantly and with hardly a thought, I am fortunate to have been taught the Faith in a way that enables me to call up instantly from memory certain theological truths, as well as facts, like the ten commandments, books of the New Testament, etc. That's how permanently engraved in the mind religious knowledge can be when it's duly memorized and often recalled from memory. And the beauty part about it is that practically anyone can do it. It just takes some effort and determination.

In any case, all of that is simply an editorial gloss on the section of the Baltimore Catechism on the meaning, purpose, and effects of Christ's Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist. 

We can all do with a refresher, now and then, on such an august subject, don't you think?

Q. 895. Why did Christ institute the Holy Eucharist?

A. Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist:

1. To unite us to Himself and to nourish our soul with His divine life.
2. To increase sanctifying grace and all virtues in our soul.
3. To lessen our evil inclinations.
4. To be a pledge of everlasting life.
5. To fit our bodies for a glorious resurrection.
6. To continue the sacrifice of the Cross in His Church.

Q. 896. Has the Holy Eucharist any other effect?

A. The Holy Eucharist remits venial sins by disposing us to perform acts of love and contrition. It preserves us from mortal sin by exciting us to greater fervor and strengthening us against temptation.

Q. 897. How are we united to Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist?

A. We are united to Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist by means of Holy Communion.

Q. 898. What is Holy Communion?

A. Holy Communion is the receiving of the body and blood of Christ.

Q. 899. Is it not beneath the dignity of Our Lord to enter our bodies under the appearance of ordinary food?

A. It is not beneath the dignity of Our Lord to enter our bodies under the appearance of ordinary food any more than it was beneath His dignity to enter the body of His Blessed Mother and remain there as an ordinary child for nine months. Christ's dignity, being infinite, can never be diminished by any act on His own or on our part.

(continue reading . . . )

Precursor to Persecution?

It's getting closer, I fear. And these people will be in the vanguard when it breaks out.

Heads up, Catholics.

(Courtesy of Michelle Malkin.)

Tall, Dark, and . . . What?

Okay, Daniel Pipes has just officially blown my mind with his recent article on a connection of sorts between our new president elect and Muslim “prophecies” regarding the end of the world. See what you think about this:

Ali ibn Abi-Talib, the seventh-century figure central to Shiite Islam, is said to have predicted when the world will end, columnist Amir Taheri points out. A "tall black man" commanding "the strongest army on earth" will take power "in the west." He will carry "a clear sign" from the third imam, Hussein. Ali says of the tall black man: "Shiites should have no doubt that he is with us."

Barack Hussein in Arabic means "the blessing of Hussein." In Persian, Obama translates as "He [is] with us." Thus does the name of the presumptive American president-elect, when combined with his physical attributes and geography, suggest that the End of Times is nigh – precisely what Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been predicting.

Back down on earth, the Muslim reaction to Obama's victory is more mixed than one might expect.

American Islamists are delighted; an umbrella group, the American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Election, opined that, with Obama's election, "Our nation has … risen to new majestic heights." Siraj Wahhaj, Al-Hajj Talib Abdur Rashid, the Council on American Islamic Relations, the Muslim Public Affairs Council, the Islamic Society of North America, the Islamic Circle of North America, and the Muslim Alliance in North America responded with similar exuberance.

Hamas, and Islamist movements in Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, India, Indonesia and the Philippines delighted in Obama's election. Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch generalizes that jihadists and Islamic supremacists worldwide showed "unalloyed joy." The New York Times finds public reaction in the Middle East mostly "euphoric." John Esposito of Georgetown University emphasizes the Muslim world's welcome to Obama as an "internationalist president."

(continue reading . . .)

Great Expectations

(Note: “Great” does not always mean “good.”)

Tom Hoopes, editor of the National Catholic Register, summarizes another article by another writer about “What Catholics Can Expect” from the Obama regime.

Keep in mind that the particular Catholics in question here are those who are outspokenly pro-life. Other Catholics — you know, those of the Douglas Kmiec, Richard Gaillardetz, Kathleen Sebelius variety — will have nothing whatsoever to fear from the new regime. Catholics of that variety can expect even more in the way of blandishments to secure their approval for and cooperation with what is to come and all the emoluments that will accrue to them as a result of their cooperation. 

But they should remember that the Lord issued a memo about just that sort of thing in Luke 9:25. 

As for us, let's remember what Christ said about times like these:

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them and the Gentiles.

“When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved" (Matthew 10:16-22).

I'll Be Speaking in Ontario, California, Next Weekend (Nov. 21 & 22)

Please join us, if you can. I'll be conducting a weekend parish seminar on apologetics and other Catholic themes at San Secondo D'Asti Catholic Church in the tiny, postage-stamp-sized town of Guasti, Friday evening at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 

The parish is literally right across the street from the Ontario Airport and is very easy to get to off the 10 Freeway. The address is 250 N. Turner Ave., Guasti, CA 91743. The number to call for info, etc., is 909-390-0011. 

I hope you can join me. Please help spread the word by telling your friends. See you there.

Cardinal Francis Arinze Splains Why “Liturgical Dance” Should be Rejected

Included in his remarks is this gem: “Young people's rock music is good . . . for [a] picnic. But not for Mass.”

Amen. 

Radio Days

Time has flown by since I started hosting the Thursday edition of EWTN Radio's “Open Line” broadcast (every Thursday at 3:00 p.m. Eastern). My three-year anniversary is next month, which means 150+ shows have come and gone. Whew!

Happily, EWTN archives all the shows in the radio section of their website, and I've gathered the links to all the shows from 2008 here. You can download them to your computer or i-Pod and listen when it's convenient. Enjoy.

What a fun and interesting ride it has been for me, and hopefully for my listeners. I'm grateful to EWTN for inviting me to host the show, and I also owe a debt of thanks to my friend Marcus Grodi, who had hosted the show before me. He asked me to take over when he decided to launch his very successful “Deep in Scripture” radio show.

In the Company of Women, Lots of Women

Last night at a banquet and today at their conference, Nancy and I are privileged to be participating as speakers for the 63rd annual convention of the Columbus Diocesan Council of Catholic Women. Their theme this year is “Welcome Back, Catholics,” dedicated to learning how to reach out compassionately and with solid Catholic teaching to help bring home to the Church those who have wandered away. A couple of hundred women will be there. 

My talk will be this morning at 10:00 and Nancy will address the group after lunch. I'm so proud of her. She'll be sharing her own personal observations and reflections on having a large family and being openly Catholic (having a large family sort of forces that openness, we've found) in a society that is becoming increasingly hostile to Catholic moral principles, such as being open to life, etc. I know the women will love her. 

(If you read this post sometime before 1:00 p.m. ET, please say a little prayer for her, as she's understandably a little nervous, this being a sort of “debut” for her. I know she is going to do a fantastic job.)

If Father Z Says It's “Stunning,” You Know It's Got to Be Good

He says:

REVIEW: The TLM instructional DVD by the FSSP. Stunning! 

Get excited. . . .

Fr. Nolan sent me an advance copy of their long-awaited instructional DVD for priests who desire to learn the older form of Mass.

The fuller title is The Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, an Instructional Video for Priests and Seminarians.

This DVD is stunning in its production values and its detail.  It is easy to follow, well explained, beautifully recorded.   This is a must obtain for priests, must give to seminarians, must be used by them set of disks.

On Reaching a Comfortable Cruising Altittude

A few days ago, I travelled to Phoenix for some important Envoy Institute meetings. The morning of my departure, the sky over Columbus was typical for early November: gray, overcast, dreary.

I was looking forward to the sunny blue skies of Arizona and, thankfully, when I got there I wasn’t disappointed. But this little reflection is not about the sunny skies that awaited me. Rather, it’s about something I learned on the way there.

This life, filled as it is with so many mundane things like catching a flight from point A to point B, can yield up intuitions and insights about the spiritual life that suddenly float unexpectedly into view. I love how the Lord teaches me through the routine and seemingly insignificant things in my day-to-day life.

So, I’m seated on the plane, getting ready to take off. I prefer an aisle seat, but this morning I find myself seated next to the window, where I have a nice view of the dismal sky. We take off, and the plane quickly climbs through the clouds toward what I hope will be “a comfortable cruising altitude,” where my mind will be free to move about the universe.

Gazing absentmindedly out my window, I watch the clouds fall away beneath me as we ascend to our appointed height. But just as the plane passes through the lowest cloud layer, we enter a clear gap between cloud decks that’s fairly bright, enough for me to see a fair distance away, although there's nothing to see except more clouds. I enjoy this view for a few moments and then the sky begins to darken and becomes obscured once more, as the plane rises through another looming mass of dark mist.

Nothing but gray for the next few minutes, and bumpy, since passing through clouds usually causes turbulence. Nothing unusual there. We’re rising higher, but still, all I can see is a wall of gray, formless clouds.

Suddenly, we break back into another clear zone between the clouds. This time, I can see for miles and miles. It’s much brighter here, but I still can’t see the blue sky I had expected. Craning my neck to look upward, I can see another layer of clouds above us, this one lighter and thinner than the ones below. In a few minutes, we plunge upward into it. I see that this layer is suffused with light and even has a hint of blue peeking through, here and there.

That’s when it occurs to me how similar this flight is to the spiritual life. A simple metaphor that stirs my soul with thoughts about my own journey toward heaven. I know that “somewhere up there” is the clear blue sky — heaven — where I want to be. I want to get out of the gray, cold, dreary clouds, out of the mist, out of the turbulence, and into the warm, tranquil, light above. To get there, though, I have to pass through who knows how many more clouds that stand between where I am now and where I am headed.

The great spiritual masters, such as St. Augustine, St. Francis, St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Francis de Sales, and St. Therese of Lisieux, all say that the upward path to heaven leads through the stages of purgation and then illumination before finally reaching that blessed union with God.

Passing through the dark and difficult “clouds” in this life and thinking for a moment, “Hey! I’ve made it!” only to realize with a sigh, “No, I still have a good way yet to go,” becomes a source of joy and consolation for the man or woman who truly desires God. The higher one goes, the great saints say, the more illuminated things become. Until one day, that joyful day when, by God's grace, one has finally passed through all those interminable clouds of this earthly life, he suddenly finds himself enveloped within splendorous light and glory, as he is ushered into the presence of the Triune God.

Thank you, Lord, for this little insight. I know I’ll think about this every time I travel on a plane.

An Abortionist Has a Dream . . .

Madrid, Nov 12, 2008 / 09:21 pm (CNA).- The Spanish daily “La Razon” has published an article on the pro-life conversion of a former “champion of abortion.” Stojan Adasevic, who performed 48,000 abortions, sometimes up to 35 per day, is now the most important pro-life leader in Serbia, after 26 years as the most renowned abortion doctor in the country.

“The medical textbooks of the Communist regime said abortion was simply the removal of a blob of tissue,” the newspaper reported.  “Ultrasounds allowing the fetus to be seen did not arrive until the 80s, but they did not change his opinion. Nevertheless, he began to have nightmares.”

In describing his conversion, Adasevic “dreamed about a beautiful field full of children and young people who were playing and laughing, from 4 to 24 years of age, but who ran away from him in fear. A man dressed in a black and white habit stared at him in silence.  The dream was repeated each night and he would wake up in a cold sweat. One night he asked the man in black and white who he was. ‘My name is Thomas Aquinas,’ the man in his dream responded. Adasevic, educated in communist schools, had never heard of the Dominican genius saint.  He didn’t recognize the name”

“Why don’t you ask me who these children are?” St. Thomas asked Adasevic in his dream.

“They are the ones you killed with your abortions,’ St. Thomas told him. 

“Adasevic awoke in amazement and decided not to perform any more abortions,” the article stated.

“That same day a cousin came to the hospital with his four months-pregnant girlfriend, who wanted to get her ninth abortion—something quite frequent in the countries of the Soviet bloc.  The doctor agreed. Instead of removing the fetus piece by piece, he decided to chop it up and remove it as a mass. However, the baby’s heart came out still beating. Adasevic realized then that he had killed a human being” . . .  (continue reading). 

Confessions of a Former Contracepter

LittleDeb recently started following this blog, so I did what I do when each new person graciously signs up as a follower (my thanks to you all), I visited her blog, Confessions of a Former Contracepter, and found it very thoughtful.

I hope she won't mind my drawing a little attention to it and suggesting that you go read her posts on this hugely important and widely misunderstood issue that affets most marriages today. Here's a little sampling from her post titled “Contraceptive Thinking Takes Over”:

“So what really happened to make this thinking take over? I have some ideas, but I'm not sure I am willing to definitively state them as fact. They are working theories. The first and foremost is the change in believing that having children is a privilege to the belief that having children is a right. Because the converse is also true, that thinking NOT having children was a privilege before to thinking that NOT having children was a right. That is where contraception made its early inroads. The targets of the first contraception clinics were the poor, the under-privileged. The message drummed into their heads was that fewer children meant more prosperity. The fact that a simple reading of world history proves that untrue did not sway the march.

“What the original contraceptionists sought was a reduction in the poor by merely 'un-breeding' them out of existence. That is still the stance. It is still touted that 'the poor woman doesn't need another baby.' I mean that statement alone just confuses me. Is it like she is going out and aquiring another handbag and heels? I mean is the baby her possession? It seems to be that many think so. Because to view something as a 'right' means you hold it as something you possess. I have the right to life, liberty, and the pusuit of happiness. No matter what ever happens to me I possess those rights. Even if someone seeks to remove them, they can't. I own them just because I exist.”

Very insightful. Thanks, LittleDeb!

American BRAVEHEART: Father Jay Scott Newman, stalwart priest

Nov 13 06:59 PM US/Eastern

By MEG KINNARD

Associated Press Writer

SC Priest: No Communion for Obama Supporters

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina Roman Catholic priest has told his parishioners that they should refrain from receiving Holy Communion if they voted for Barack Obama because the Democratic president-elect supports abortion, and supporting him “constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil.”

The Rev. Jay Scott Newman said in a letter distributed Sunday to parishioners at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenville that they are putting their souls at risk if they take Holy Communion before doing penance for their vote.

“Our nation has chosen for its chief executive the most radical pro-abortion politician ever to serve in the United States Senate or to run for president,” Newman wrote, referring to Obama by his full name, including his middle name of Hussein.

“Voting for a pro-abortion politician when a plausible pro-life alternative exits constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil, and those Catholics who do so place themselves outside of the full communion of Christ's Church and under the judgment of divine law. Persons in this condition should not receive Holy Communion until and unless they are reconciled to God in the Sacrament of Penance, lest they eat and drink their own condemnation. . . .”

[See my earlier post on about Father Newman on this weblog: “Good Times in Greenville.”] Say some prayers for this good priest. He's going to be pummled for this. Treasure in heaven. 

Okay, Comments Are Now Working (Sort of)

Whew. After a lengthy diagnostic, trouble-shooting phonecall with my personal tech-support amigo (a.k.a. Father Bud — God bless him), we figured out what the problem seems to be with this blog not showing comments. 

In fact, your comments are there — or at least the capability for you to post them is there — but because I'm using an “enhanced” template, comments don't show up on the main page. Why, I don't know. But, hopefully, Blogger will soon fix that odd lacuna in the software.

So . . . to see the comments and/or to post comments of your own, you have to click the title of the post, and voilá! They appear. 

I'm sorry for the nuisance. At least we do have comments, and in due time, if the fix ever comes in, you'll soon be able to see them on the main page. For now, though, just click the post headlines and we're in business.