Major document on evangelization issued in Geneva

Brethren, this according to the Catholic News Service:

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Vatican and other Christian representatives have issued a series of recommendations for evangelization in multifaith societies, rejecting aggressive or coercive methods but defending the right to profess, propagate or change one's religion.

The principles were outlined June 28 in a document titled, "Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World: Recommendations for Conduct," issued jointly by the Pontifical Council for the Interreligious Dialogue, the World Council of Churches and the World Evangelical Alliance.

"Christian witness in a pluralistic world includes engaging in dialogue with people of different religions and cultures," the document said. It added that while every Christian has the duty to witness to Christ, "conversion is ultimately the work of the Holy Spirit."

"If Christians engage in inappropriate methods of exercising mission by resorting to deception and coercive means, they betray the Gospel and may cause suffering to others," it said.

The document was the product of five years of consultations by some 40 experts in ecumenical and interreligious dialogue. Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, the head of the Vatican's interreligious council, said defining the principles was "not easy" but that the final text was important and should now be studied by Christian communities around the world.

"It's very important that religions, especially Christianity, appear not as a source of division but a source of solidarity and communion," he told Vatican Radio. An essential point, he said, was that witnessing the Gospel cannot be an "aggressive campaign."

The document strongly emphasized that exploitation of situations of poverty and need has no place in Christian outreach.

While education, health care, relief services and advocacy of justice are an integral part of witnessing to the Gospel, it said that "Christians should denounce and refrain from offering all forms of allurements, including financial incentives and rewards, in their acts of service."

Among the document's 12 major principles for evangelizing were the following points:

-- In all aspects of life and witness, Christians are called to follow the example and teachings of Jesus Christ.

-- Christians are called to conduct themselves with integrity, charity, compassion and humility and to "overcome all arrogance, condescension and disparagement."

-- Christian healing ministries should be carried out with discernment, "ensuring that the vulnerability of people and their need for healing are not exploited."

-- Christians are called on to reject all forms of violence or the abuse of power in their witness. They should also reject any form of violence or discrimination by any religious or secular authority.

-- Religious freedom is an essential human freedom and includes the right to "publicly profess, practice, propagate and change one's religion." Where religious persecution occurs, Christians are called to engage in prophetic witness denouncing such actions.

-- Changing one's religion is a decisive step that requires sufficient time for reflection and preparation.

-- Christians should be careful to acknowledge what is good in other beliefs and not to "bear false witness concerning other religions."

The drafters of the document said the text should now be studied by churches, national and regional church structures and mission organizations, especially those working in interreligious contexts.

They said those organizations should encourage Christians to strengthen their own identity but avoid misrepresenting the beliefs and practices of people of different faiths and should call on governments to ensure that freedom of religion is respected.

Father James Massa, executive director of the U.S. bishops' Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, was a participant in the consultations.

In their histories with one another, the three Christian groups issuing the guidelines have had instances of denying each other's religious freedom or using coercion, he said, but their ecumenical dialogue over the past 50 years has "allowed us to look at mission work with fresh eyes."

Additionally, he said, Christians' experience of limited religious freedom in some parts of the world today also prompted renewed reflections on the essential need for full respect of an individual's conscience and freedom to express his or her faith.

Respect and proclamation "are not mutually exclusive. One can be committed to the proclamation of Jesus Christ and also committed to respectful dialogue," he said.

The "core principle" in the new guidelines, Father Massa said, is that "it is the nature of faith that it be a free response" to God's call. "A coerced faith is not faith," he said.

Read Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World Recommendations for Conduct.

Commentary. This is a watershed document that should be studied by every Christian. In 2,000 years of Christian history there has not being anything like it. I will adopt these principles myself as guidelines for my own evangelistic efforts.

Hopefully the Muslim ummah will come up with their own similar document soon. Barely anyone cares at their aggressive, often destructive missionism is places with substantial Muslim populations.

Still Around and Still No Internet

"Reality forms around a commitment." ~Unknown

~~Abby~~

You been here with me
And it just feels right
This is where you belong
Even if it’s too hot
Cause in the big scheme of things
Hot is what I think you are
And I know HOT I can handle
And I say HOT is alright

As you learn to deal with hotness
As you learn to embrace its warmth
Just remember in the front yard
There’s a long hose readily attached.

jmelo
Time sure does fly when you are having fun and there is just no possible way to stop it or at least slow it down so might as well use it to our advantage and enjoy it as much as possible.

It has been none stop these past two weeks and as the day gets closer when I have to take Abby back to California it suddenly hits me that it is going to be hard as she is very easy to get used to. I have a feeling my mom is thinking the same as she has had companionship every day and I know her too is loving it. Not to mention that her favorite son (namely me) has been there too.

Posting has been hard for me due to lack of Internet but I hope to eventually catch up, specially with some images we have captured these past days. We are thinking this Saturday we may take a ride to Prescott, if that happens it should be lots of fun, plus it will be great to escape the 115 degree Phoenix temperatures we are experiencing these days.

Getting to know each other has been awesome and I will treasure these days forever.

I am placing this image here as a request from my dear friend Wanda.
Peace!

Haiku to the Shire

Outremer-Mordor
As the Orcs meet their death - How
I pine for the Shire!

Today we observe the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul

Today's my name day!

From today's Office of Readings, from a sermon of St Augustine

The martyrs had seen what they proclaimed

This day has been consecrated for us by the martyrdom of the blessed apostles Peter and Paul. It is not some obscure martyrs we are talking about. Their sound has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. These martyrs had seen what they proclaimed, they pursued justice by confessing the truth, by dying for the truth.

The blessed Peter, the first of the Apostles, the ardent lover of Christ, who was found worthy to hear, And I say to you, that you are Peter. He himself, you see, had just said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Christ said to him, And I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church. Upon this rock I will build the faith you have just confessed. Upon your words, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God, I will build my Church; because you are Peter. Peter comes from petra, meaning a rock. Peter, “Rocky”, from “rock”; not “rock” from “Rocky”. Peter comes from the word for a rock in exactly the same way as the name Christian comes from Christ.

Before his passion the Lord Jesus, as you know, chose those disciples of his whom he called apostles. Among these it was only Peter who almost everywhere was given the privilege of representing the whole Church. It was in the person of the whole Church, which he alone represented, that he was privileged to hear, To you will I give the keys of the kingdom of heaven. After all, it is not just one man that received these keys, but the Church in its unity. So this is the reason for Peter’s acknowledged pre-eminence, that he stood for the Church’s universality and unity, when he was told, To you I am entrusting, what has in fact been entrusted to all. To show you that it is the Church which has received the keys of the kingdom of heaven, listen to what the Lord says in another place to all his apostles: Receive the Holy Spirit; and immediately afterwards, Whose sins you forgive, they will be forgiven them; whose sins you retain, they will be retained.

Quite rightly, too, did the Lord after his resurrection entrust his sheep to Peter to be fed. It is not, you see, that he alone among the disciples was fit to feed the Lord’s sheep; but when Christ speaks to one man, unity is being commended to us. And he first speaks to Peter, because Peter is the first among the apostles. Do not be sad, Apostle. Answer once, answer again, answer a third time. Let confession conquer three times with love, because self-assurance was conquered three times by fear. What you had bound three times must be loosed three times. Loose through love what you had bound through fear. And for all that, the Lord once, and again, and a third time, entrusted his sheep to Peter.

There is one day for the passion of two apostles. But these two also were as one; although they suffered on different days, they were as one. Peter went first, Paul followed. We are celebrating a feast day, consecrated for us by the blood of the apostles. Let us love their faith, their lives, their labours, their sufferings, their confession of faith, their preaching.

- Source: Universalis.com

Canonical consequences NY Governor Cuomo may face for supporting same-sex marriage

Brethren, Canon Lawyer Edward Peters (pictured right) commented yesterday on the consequences Governor Cuomo could face if the bishops of New York choose to hold him responsible for his supporting same-sex marriage:

I am already on record as believing Cuomo ineligible for holy Communion on the basis of his improper living arrangements with a television celebrity, a relationship I characterized as “public concubinage” and which characterization no one has yet canonically challenged, let alone rebutted. See generally Edward Peters, “The Cuomo-Communion Controversy”, Catholic World Report (May 2011) 33-35.

But in almost every relevant way, Cuomo’s protracted actions in regard to “gay marriage” are even more brazen.

Cuomo’s concubinage gives prominent bad example against marriage, but his official actions in regard to “gay marriage” have changed the very definition of marriage in the populous state under his care; Cuomo’s living arrangements are of immediate canonical concern to only two of New York’s eight arch/bishops, but his political actions in regard to “gay marriage” negatively impact the pastoral mission of every Catholic bishop, parish priest, deacon, and lay minister throughout the Province of New York; finally, while most of the bishops of New York said little or nothing about Cuomo’s living with a woman not his wife, his long-standing actions in regard to “gay marriage” were challenged repeatedly, directly, and forcefully by the Archbishop of New York and by all his seven suffragans.

In light of the foregoing, I see no way, absent a public reversal of his public conduct, that Andrew Cuomo may present himself for holy Communion (per Canon 916), and, if he does present himself, I see no way that a minister of holy Communion may administer the sacrament to him (per Canon 915). Indeed, the only question in my mind is whether the ordinaries of New York should lift from the shoulders of individual ministers the burden of reaching this decision, by making a determination to this effect themselves and, assuming they do reach this conclusion, whether they should announce it publicly or in a personal letter to Cuomo. (Personally, I think a public announcement more befits the markedly public character of Cuomo’s conduct and responds better to the danger of scandal presented to the faithful by his actions).

Read it all here.

Commentary. Well, and I am also on record rejecting any politician who leaves his or her Catholic conscience at home in order  to legislate or campaign in favor of things such as same-sex marriage, euthanasia, or abortion. Shame on them for spitting at the Gospel of Life. May they repent and convert soon.

Today’s the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ

(in the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services)

Alleluia! sing to Jesus! His the scepter, His the throne.
Alleluia! His the triumph, His the victory alone.
Hark! the songs of peaceful Zion thunder like a mighty flood.
Jesus out of every nation has redeemed us by His blood.

Alleluia! not as orphans are we left in sorrow now;
Alleluia! He is near us, faith believes, nor questions how;
Though the cloud from sight received Him when the forty days were o’er
Shall our hearts forget His promise, “I am with you evermore”?

Alleluia! bread of angels, Thou on earth our food, our stay;
Alleluia! here the sinful flee to Thee from day to day:
Intercessor, Friend of sinners, Earth’s Redeemer, plead for me,
Where the songs of all the sinless sweep across the crystal sea.

Alleluia! King eternal, Thee the Lord of lords we own;
Alleluia! born of Mary, Earth Thy footstool, Heav’n Thy throne:
Thou within the veil hast entered, robed in flesh our great High Priest;
Thou on earth both priest and victim in the Eucharistic feast.

Haiku: Outremer Sandstorm

The wind blows the sand
dimming the sun of its rays
while my spirit shines.

“Why I Oppose Same-Sex ‘Marriage’”

Brethren, my blogging colleague Dan O’Connor wrote this post on his blog which I think is pretty good, and reflect my feelings exactly:

Why am I strongly opposed to same-sex “marriage”?

Because it is an offense against the institution of marriage? Yes, but not really: that institution has already been demolished by our modern Godless society.

Because it will most likely wind up forcing me, as a citizen of this nation, to in some way participate? Yes, but not really: I am ready and willing to be persecuted for my beliefs.

Because this is a democracy and most Americans oppose same-sex “marriage”? Yes, but not really: I support many things that most Americans oppose and oppose many things that most Americans support.

Because it is a slippery slope that may lead to legalized polygamy, incest, etc.? Yes, but not really: that would be like opposing abortion because it could lead to condom use (Sodomy is the greater evil)

Because it will likely lead to more disease and economic devastation in our nation? Yes, but not really: those are fleabites compared to my real concerns

Rather, I oppose same-sex “marriage” because I love homosexuals. Because I do not want to see just another enticement (which is what this would be: a legal endorsement of that behavior) for them to remain in that wayward lifestyle and for young people to join that lifestyle. It is a lifestyle that tears apart their souls, makes depression rampant, and motivates suicide to an astronomical degree. For the government to bless their unions with same-sex “marriage” is to say “Come and partake of this banquet, for there is nothing wrong with it. Come and appease your passions and give in to your temptations, we will bless your efforts. Come and reap the fruits of your actions, that you may spend eternity with us.” In other words, I oppose same-sex “marriage” because it turns the government into the very mouthpiece of Satan.

Is this “theocratic” of me? In violation of “separation of Church and state”? Label me as you will. My stance here is a stance of love, in obedience to the Almighty through His Church, and it will never change.

As for myself, I don’t give a hoot how many from the gliteratti, the elites, Hollywood, government in all three branches give their secular blessing on this so-called same-sex “marriage”. Call me what you wish, I will never set this lie above the Truth.

• Visit Dan O’Connor’s Blog

"My God And My All"

Brethren, these are the lyrics of a song by singer/composer/liturgist John Michael Talbot which I have been humming to myself a lot lately. It's how I've been feeling lately, deep in my heart, my soul, my spirit.

My God and my all
I should like to love You
and give You my heart
And give You my soul
And so I will yearn for You
In the depths of Your passion

Show me the way to love
Show me the way to give my life for You
Show me the way to love
Then we will surely rise

To fly like an eagle through the wind
To find in Your dying Lord
We both shall live again
So fly

So I will weep with You
In the depths of Your passion
I will not be ashamed to travel the world
Weeping out loud for love
Weeping out loud for joy

Show me the way to love
Show me the way to give my life for You
Show me the way to love
Then we will surely rise

(Thanks to Mercy for these lyrics)
My God and my all
I should like to love You
and give You my heart
And give You my soul
And so I will yearn for You
In the depths of Your passion

Show me the way to love
Show me the way to give my life for You
Show me the way to love
Then we will surely rise

To fly like an eagle through the wind
To find in Your dying Lord
We both shall live again
So fly

So I will weep with You
In the depths of Your passion
I will not be ashamed to travel the world
Weeping out loud for love
Weeping out loud for joy

Show me the way to love
Show me the way to give my life for You
Show me the way to love
Then we will surely rise

A Week With Abby

Wow, and just like that a whole week has passed. So since I have no computer at my mom's where I've been staying all week here is the skinny of things. Left for Cali last Thursday night got to my sister's fairly early, she fed me (very important) and that was pretty much the day. The next morning I woke up got ready and headed to Abby's parents house to pick her up. Abby's kids by the grace of God happened to be in town at the same time so we could not pass that opportunity and decided to drive to her house in Lancaster so I could meet them. However we could not leave until we had a good lunch cooked by Abby's mom and sister, "tacos de papa" with home made red salsa ummm, ummm good! We finally hit the road and two hours later were in Lancaster. (Wanda, I could have thrown a stone and hit your house roof, lol)I say for a first time things went super smooth, it was decided to have some carne asada so Abby and I headed to the store to get what we needed but not before stopping at one of her friends house. "Ummm that ring on your finger cannot be real" is what they seemed to be thinking, "You're just pulling our legs". Her friend was like "call me later". I made a salsa verde and the girls made rice, beans, and potato salad to go with the carne. Ummmm, I am still full... OK no, I'm lying actually I already ate many times since. At 9:00 p.m. we said good bye and headed for Phoenix. For the most part it was a wonderful ride but we were delayed for about an hour due to freeway construction on I-10, I didn't mind it at all since the I had the best possible company but the clutch foot/leg was starting to cramp up. No bueno!!! Once in Phoenix my mom whom probably had one eye open came out to greet us and then we went to sleep. Next morning we got ready and headed for Sedona were we had a most wonderful time. She had never seen the red rock mountains and even got to see Snoopy mountain. Sedona is just a wonderful place to visit so when in Arizona you must go. The next day we went to Jerome, an old mining town about 50 miles away from Sedona. Here we also had a fantastic time and dinner was awesome at a restaurant called "Quince", food was good and music was great, they were playing nothing but salsa music, we even had the best tasting margaritas there. Headed back to Phoenix but again we were caught in a traffic jam that lasted over an hour but eventually we got to my mom's. Rested for about a minute and then headed to my sister's were we stayed until late. Well, pretty much that was the weekend. The week has been exciting as well, from shopping, to movies, to bike night, to just relaxing, it's been all 100% awesome. I will share pictures once I'm back at the house and have access to the Internet.

Wow, this is the longest sentence I have written in my blog.



Peace!

The Divine Praises

I just feel moved to say ‘em, that’s all:

Blessed be God.
Blessed be His Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
Blessed be the name of Jesus.
Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in His angels and in His Saints.
May the heart of Jesus, in the Most Blessed Sacrament, be praised, adored, and loved with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the tabernacles of the world, even to the end of time. Amen.

A quote by Blessed John XXIII: In cursing Jews, we crucified Jesus anew

"The mark of Cain is stamped upon our foreheads. Across the centuries, our brother Abel was lain in blood which we drew, and shed tears we caused by forgetting Thy love. Forgive us, Lord, for the curse we falsely attributed to their name as Jews. Forgive us for crucifying Thee a second time in their flesh. For we knew not what we did." — Pope John XXIII

George Weigel: Maureen Dowd’s Catholic Problem

Brethren: another outstanding piece by one of my favorite Catholic writers, over at National Review Online. Here’s an excerpt:

Ecclesiastes notwithstanding, there is something new under the sun in the annals of American anti-Catholicism; and that something is the rise of the anti-Catholic Catholics, self-described Catholics who make a career (or at least part of a career) out of mounting endless attacks on the Church, its settled beliefs, its leadership, and its people. Like the Nast/rationalist anti-Catholicism of the past, today’s Catholic anti-Catholicism is a left-of-center phenomenon that, in secular guise, often reflects the critiques of the Church mounted by so-called “Catholic progressives”: The Church is hopelessly sexist; the Church is hopelessly sex-obsessed; the Church is cruel to women and gays; the Church is hypocritical. And, of course and most recently, the Church is a global criminal conspiracy of child rapists and their abettors, which “fact” validates the other charges in the standing indictment just cited.

Read it all here.

Comments. Mr. Weigel goes on to explain how NYT house Catholic Maureen Dowd fits the description perfectly. I think that Maureen is getting more strident in her mature years to compensate for her dwindling influence and growing irrelevance. She’s come to epitomize to me the worst aspects of the Me Generation. I pray for her prompt retirement so that she could see the consequences of the anti-culture she has helped bring about upon her grandchildren.

Feliz cumpleaños, cariño

Today is the Capt's birthday and I noticed that he still looks as good to me as he did in April 1989 on our first date. We actually met on St Paddy's Day and he gave me his phone number, but when I called, his sister (visiting from New York) answered the phone and Oops! I thought she was his wife. Took a while to straighten that out.

Here he is playing Red, his guitar.

At the moment I'm baking a cheesecake, his favorite, and the fragrance coming from the kitchen tells me it's almost ready. We haven't done anything spectacular for his birthday today, but I took him out to lunch (he wanted a hamburger). This morning we had a rehearsal for a show we're going to play Saturday, and it went well.

For a musician that's a very good day.

The Happy Priest on Being a Serious Catholic:

How to Keep Your Sanity in an Insane World

Author: Fr. James Farfaglia | Source: Catholic.org

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX (Catholic Online) - The following is an excerpt from Get Serious! A Survival Guide for Serious Catholics, a new book by Father James Farfaglia.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."

Charles Dickens' words at the beginning of A Tale of Two Cities can describe most periods of human history. His words certainly apply to the times that we live in.

Only the blind and the apathetic would assert that our times are not challenging. We do live in a time of upheaval.

It is easy for many to become discouraged. However, this is not a possible response for those who call themselves true disciples of Jesus Christ.

Serious Catholics are overwhelmed by the meltdowns around us. Many are alarmed by the ever increasing collapse of the Catholic Church in this country. In some parts of the country parishes are closing at an alarming rate. Clergy scandals continue and the dwindling ranks of priests are replaced by foreign priests that nobody can understand.

A Muslim extremist wipes out a room full of American soldiers while our bravest men and women continue to fight a war that has no exit strategy or clear plan for victory. National politics has become alarmingly polarized as radicals attempt to change our great nation into a European-style socialist state.

Meanwhile, the country continues to morally spin out of control because we have forgotten God. British historian and philosopher Arnold Toynbee (1889-1975) once said: "Civilizations die from suicide, not by murder."

Nevertheless, within all of these challenges, there are many signs of hope and renewal.

Please, continue reading here.

Commentary. I offer this take as a counterpoint to what I said earlier today. I may not like the headlines, but my faith is on Jesus Christ, who protects his Church from the powers of hell and of death.

Celebrate “Attack the Church With Pride” Month

Brethren, judging by the headlines I got this morning, this is the month of heaping charge after charge, accusation, and criticism against the Catholic Church. It's due in part to the "Gay Pride Month" festivities. How you noticed how these secular festivities have become occasions to attack the Church? I am sure that the media will still refer to the crass and blasphemous "Gay Pride" parades as "colorful" and funny too. As these secular festivities and celebrations become more accepted, expect a proportional increase in the amount of blasphemy - against God of course - and profane, ridiculous language against the Church.

However, criticism against the Church has come from another unexpected quarter and that's from the ex-Father Corapi. I believed him when the accusations against him first came forth. I still think he's innocent until proving guilty. But, who's his boss? Where's he incardinated, really? Although I know people who have been mistreated thanks to lackadaisical attitudes toward canonical processes by ecclesiastics, (and for that I wish to give Corapi the benefit of the doubt) really, his ego trip is unbecoming. Suffering quietly for the Lord is always the best course of action. His criticism is now part of the mix of vile and vitriol I receive in my news streams this morning, along with "Secrecy, Sophistry And Gay Sex In The Catholic Church", "As I See It | Crimes from inside Catholic Church demand secular punishment" and "NY Marriage Coming Down To The Wire As NOM, Catholic Church Continue To Lie".

Sin, corruption, deviancy, lies and libel against God, his Christ, and his Church reign in our public spaces today and get wide applause. But this is only on the surface, for the war grows in its scope in the spiritual realm.

Let us pray for the Church, my brothers and sisters. Which is to say, let us pray for ourselves as the Body of Christ. Let us arm ourselves for spiritual combat. Let us pray for our bishops and priests and deacons and consecrated religious. Let us be the holy leaven again to reclaim our poor, agonizing culture. Let us pray without ceasing, in Jesus' name: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Amen.

Prayer to the Holy Trinity (Repost)

Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity

O my God, Trinity whom I adore; help me to forget myself entirely that I may be established in You as still and as peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity. May nothing trouble my peace or make me leave You, O my Unchanging One, but may each minute carry me further into the depths of Your mystery. Give peace to my soul; make it Your heaven, Your beloved dwelling and Your resting place. May I never leave You there alone but be wholly present, my faith wholly vigilant, wholly adoring, and wholly surrendered to Your creative Action.

O my beloved Christ, crucified by love, I wish to be a bride for Your Heart; I wish to cover You with glory; I wish to love You...even unto death! But I feel my weakness, and I ask You to "clothe me with Yourself," to identify my soul with all the movements of Your Soul, to overwhelm me, to possess me, to substitute yourself for me that my life may be but a radiance of Your Life. Come into me as Adorer, as Restorer, as Savior.

O Eternal Word, Word of my God, I want to spend my life in listening to You, to become wholly teachable that I may learn all from You. Then, through all nights, all voids, all helplessness, I want to gaze on You always and remain in Your great light. O my beloved Star, so fascinate me that I may not withdraw from Your radiance.

O consuming Fire, Spirit of Love, "come upon me," and create in my soul a kind of incarnation of the Word: that I may be another humanity for Him in which He can renew His whole Mystery. And You, O Father, bend lovingly over Your poor little creature; "cover her with Your shadow," seeing in her only the "Beloved in whom You are well pleased."

O my Three, my All, my Beatitude, infinite Solitude, Immensity in which I lose myself, I surrender myself to You as Your prey. Bury Yourself in me that I may bury myself in You until I depart to contemplate in Your light the abyss of Your greatness.

Father's Day gratitude list

He's been gone most of my life, but today I'm remembering some of the things I loved about my dad, Henry (besides the fact that I thought he looked like Humphrey Bogart).

• Regularly taking the family to Padre Island,  the most beautiful beach I've ever seen
• Teaching me to swim
• Taking me on a fishing trip and protecting me when the outboard broke down and we had to be rescued
• Driving me to the skating rink every Wednesday evening for three summers
• Teaching me a couple of words in Dutch (though, sorry, I've forgotten them now)
• Very patiently teaching me to ride my bike without training wheels
• Giving me driving lessons in his old push-button Dodge
• Letting me help him plant a garden
• Explaining to me the function of every tool in his meticulously-kept toolbox
• Telling me, on the evening of my first junior high school dance, that I looked "beautiful"
• Allowing me to live with him and his new wife when my mother and her new husband asked me to move out
• Never, ever, yelling at me. And I know I gave him plenty of cause.

My dad never had a lot to say to me. I don't remember a single in-depth conversation with him, but I believe he did the best he could to be a loving father as he saw it. He didn't have a good role model. His own father, after bringing the family of eight over from Holland, seemed to regard his three boys as potential farm hands and resisted any efforts to make anything else of themselves. He never saw his Dutch grandparents, numerous aunts and uncles again after the age of six, so there were no other adult men to guide him. Under the circumstances, I think he did a pretty good job.

Happy Father's Day, Daddy.

Today We Contemplate the Mystery of God in Unity and Trinity

Brethren, today we contemplate the mystery of Unity and Trinity of the One God. We can arrive at the knowledge of the existence of One God from natural reason, and attain the certainty through faith.

That there is one God we know from Scripture:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. (Deuteronomy 6:4)

We also know from Scripture that God is Father:

9This, then, is how you should pray:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11Give us today our daily bread. 12Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. (Matthew 6: 9-13)

From the Scripture we also learn that the Word of God, who took flesh in the person of Jesus Messiah is God:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)

Scripture reveals the deity of the Holy Spirit:

3Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God.” (Acts 5: 3-4)

And yet, the first Scripture we started with remains eternally valid and binding:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. (Deuteronomy 6:4)

The Father, the Son, and the + Holy Spirit share the same divine Name:

19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

The same revealed to Moses as the unique name of the one God of Israel:

13Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” 14God said to Moses, “I am who I am.b This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

15God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation. (Exodus 3”13-15)

This divine sharing of Three Persons in one single Divine Essence is what we call the Holy Trinity, whom we celebrate specially today but whom Christians who respect the Bible and who reverently receive this teaching from our Christians ancestors, address in prayer and worship every day.

Outside of this faith in the Triune God, except by special dispensation of God who condescends to our not-guilty ignorance (He is Love, after all [1 John 4:8]), no one can be saved.

And no one can be saved without this faith because in the Consuming Fire that the Triune God is we find the Eternal Love, of Love Loving and Being Loved in return, who alone can satisfy all our longings. It is to His vision that we were created for and salvation for us means this direct vision of God as He is, Father, Son, and + Holy Spirit.

May He indwell us and makes us sharers of the divine nature. (2 Peter 1:4)

Road Trip And More...

On the road again...
So this will be road trip number four this year and I can't wait to hit the road. The baggage is packed, the car is ready, and I am excited. All I have to do after work is gas up the car, load up on coffee, crank up the stereo, and just drive.

This will definitely be an interesting trip as not only am I picking up Abby but her kids whom all live far from each other will be in the same place at the same time and I can't wait to meet them. Abby asked me if I was nervous and I said no but on second thought, these "kids" are all bigger than I am and younger and love their mom so I better make a good impression from the get go.

So tonight I'll be in La Puente and tomorrow we will go up to The City of Lancaster where most likely I'll get a little tour of the city. I know I am asking a lot of Abby to leave the city where she has lived for the past 18 or so years but from Lancaster to Phoenix, what is the difference? After all they are both in the desert. OK so we already are into the infamous three digit temperature but hey, it's a dry heat, right?

As always I will try to insert some images as I get them and put them in this same post so feel free to come back later.

Peace!

This is already California trip number seven for my 07 Mustang.

Happy Blogiversary To Me

Welcome to Joe Cool's blog, it seems to me everyone is doing it so I said to myself "self" why don't you have one yet. So here I am trying to find out the "hows" and "whys" of doing a blog. It seems like it could be fun while trying to make it interesting and appealing to anybody and everybody that may read what I post. As I go on I will rely on your input and requests to lure you back into this blog time and time again. So don't be shy and feel free to comment as much as you want, I want to hear from you.

The above was my very first post five years ago today.

So today is my blog's Five Year Anniversary! Yey, happy blogiversary to me. When you think about it five years is a long time and at some level my blog is still going strong. I am well over the 900 posts but still short of the 1000, but that milestone will be broken soon.

I don't have hundreds of readers but the few I do have became really good friends and I wouldn't change that for the world. Many of the readers that started with me five years ago are still around but many have moved on and some blogs became victims of Facebook, but either there or here we are still in contact, and in many cases in both places.

So, here is my invitation to keep coming back and let's shoot for anniversary number six.

Love ya all!

Foundation for a New Society

Fr. Nicolas Schwizer

How will the construction for a new society take place? Based on new men. Without the interior change of the human being, there can be no real change in the exterior structures. Man and his behavior is the basis of society; therefore, it is urgent to transform man so that he may have a new spirit, a new mentality, and new attitudes. How can this take place?

There enters grace and the transforming power of the Eucharist. Because, what happens at the Consecration in Mass? The priest, in name of the Lord, converts bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. Bread, a natural nourishment, becomes a supernatural nourishment. And what is the meaning of our participation at Mass? The meaning is that at the Offertory, we ourselves – with all we have and are – offer ourselves to the Father along with the bread and wine. The meaning is that we place ourselves as an offering on the paten and in the chalice.

So, what happens then at the moment of the consecration? There God wants to also work in us the same miracle of transformation which takes place with the bread and wine. He wants to divinize us, transform us into Christ, in an increasing way. The goal is to some day be able to say with St. Paul: “I no longer live, it is Christ who lives in me.” What tomorrow’s society needs is man transformed into another Christ. It needs woman transformed into the little Mary since the Virgin is the most faithful reflection of her Son Jesus.

Now, so that the transforming power of the Consecration can be active in us, we need to prolong the Eucharist in our daily life. That process of conversion of the new man must continue throughout the entire week because the new society is built – from Sunday Mass – into the activities of each day.

Therefore, the Eucharist cannot end at the altar. It is made to prolong itself in life – throughout the day and the week – until the next Eucharist. It means that the Mass, according to the last Council, is “The source and pinnacle” of our entire Christian life.

The Christian must be a man who lives in a permanent Eucharist. We should live from Mass to Mass. In this way, this is how Sunday Mass becomes a Mass of life.

“From the altar to the arena,” the first Christians would say, referring to the arena of the circuses where they would be martyred. And our arena is daily life; our entire life, and especially our daily effort to transform ourselves into new men should be a prolongation of the Eucharist.

This mission to convert our entire life into a prolonged Eucharist is expressedly given to us at the sending forth of the Mass. There Christ sends us to transform ourselves into his reflections and witnesses. There He also sends us to transform the world around us.

He wants that through our work, our daily effort becomes a new world, a world which should be more human and that belongs more to God. He wants that, in the transforming power of the Eucharist, we build a new society.

What Christ asks of us when he sends us anew into the world is that everything we do during the week be a contribution to the construction of a renewed society: our work or our studies done well; our married and family love; to forge the new community in our environment; to form ourselves and educate ourselves to become new men. What Christ asks of us at the conclusion of Mass is that we fulfill in our daily environment what we have lived with Him in the Eucharist, becoming the anticipation of a new world and a new society.

Questions for reflection

1. Do I attend Mass as a routine?

2. When I arrive home, do I remember something of the sermon?

3. Am I aware that something should transform me at each Eucharistic celebration?

Well, they now know at the Vatican that Fr.Kimel left us…

Brethren, note the second entry on my site tracker below:

They know it back at the Holy See now! Heads will roll! (Not).

Love and Seatbelts

If you know anybody who refuses to wear a seatbelt, send them this.

Father Al Kimel joins the Orthodox Church

Brethren, according to the blog Titus One Nine, hosted by the Reverend Canon Doctor Kendall Harmon, Fr. Al Kimel, who once was an Episcopal priest, and then was received in the Catholic Church, has again moved and this time to Eastern Orthodoxy. Apparently he was ordained last Pentecost Sunday as a Western Rite priest in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR). Father Kimel was a frequent commentator and a guest writer here in Vivificat,and once had his own, highly-regarded blog. The news comes as a shock to many of his admirers, Catholic as well as Episcopalian. (I am also shocked to learn that the ROCOR has Western Rite parishes, but that’s another subject). I hope that Fr. Kimel let us know his reasoning in the future by whatever means he chooses. I wish him well, pray that he has found what he was looking for, and mourn his exit from the One,Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church built over Peter and his unique successors in the Roman See.

Womyn Priests Yearly Simulacrum

Brethren, it happens every year about this time and I always have something to say about it: The “catholic” organization, “WomenPriests,” held their yearly simulation of the Sacrament of Orders in a Protestant Church in Maryland. (I have no objections that the simulacrum took place in a Protestant Church because that’s where they belong). Observe yourselves:

 

The folks at GetReligion did a good analysis from the journalistic viewpoint on a post titled What makes someone a ‘Catholic priest’? of an obsequiously shoddy NPR report on the event.

But to me, the bottom line is clear and in black-and-white in the 1983 Code of Canon Law:

Can. 1024 A baptized male alone receives sacred ordination validly.

What this means is: No woman can be ordained validly; no woman can ordain another woman validly for she was not validly ordained in the first place. Not even the Pope can validly ordain a woman.

These WomynPriests events are mere simulations in which nothing is granted and nothing is received. Nothing more, nothing less. They are spectacles in which schism, heresy, and disobedience are disguised under false appeals to prophetic actions and a thirst for media attention, and celebrated.

Yet the media keeps paying a whole lot of attention to nothing. It's the nature of the beast.

Nothing happened there. Nothing that deserved attention or reporting.

Random Post

OK it was going to be a random post but somehow was taken over by the grand kids. :-)

Me and Rapunzel (her name of choice these days).
This is my granddaugher number six, this image was captured by my daughter during Alayna's kindergarden graduation. Rapuzel here with me was mad cause she wanted to share the limelight with her sister but couldn't. She so wants to be in kindergarden already. Notice Rapunzel is carrying her twin too. For a long time this little girl would not let anybody get near me or hug me because she would scream extremely loud, as far as she was concerned I was hers and only hers. She now refers of me as "Her #1 grandpa"

Conversation between my daugher and Rapunzel:

Michelle: Your grandpa is coming over
Rapunzel: Grandpa? My number one grandpa!
Michelle: Yes, that one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don't call her princess, she says she is "La Princesa".

This was taken on her graduation day. I had not enjoyed a graduation ceremony as much as I enjoyed hers. Half an hour concert by a bunch (about 50 or so) kindergarteners. They were super entertaining and they sung better than most grown ups.

She was just too happy with her roses and princess balloon and happy cause she will be going into first grade. Sometimes she thinks she is a grown up already.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eight out of ten.
My daughter has got to be nuts but I won't tell her and don't you tell her I said that either. But really who in their right mind would have nine out of my ten grandkids at her house for a sleepover. Yep, if you guessed Michelle then you were right. You need to have a lot of patience and of course a husband like hers whom will scare the heck out of all of them and keep them in line.

On How St. Francis of Assisi converted the Sultan of Babylon

Brethren, according to the Wikipedia, the Little Flowers of St. Francis (Italian Fioretti di San Francesco) is a florilegium (excerpts of his body of work), divided into 53 short chapters, on the life of Saint Francis of Assisi which was composed at the end of the 14th century. The anonymous Italian text, almost certainly by a Tuscan author, is a version of the Latin Actus beati Francisci et sociorum eius, of which the earliest extant manuscript is one of 1390 AD. Luke Wadding ascribes the text to Fra. Ugolino da Santa Maria, whose name occurs three times in the Actus.

Written some time after the death of Francis of Assisi, the text is not regarded as an important primary source for the saint’s biography^[1]. However, it has been the most popular account of his life and relates many colorful anecdotes, miracles and pious examples from the lives of Francis and his followers (such as Saint Juniper). These poetic stories shed much light upon the genesis and development of the following of Saint Francis. Indeed, some stories contained in the Fioretti can be found in much earlier works; for example, Saint Francis preaching to the birds was described by Fra. Masseo, and written of by the Englishman Roger of Wendover, in 1236.

One of my favorite stories, a story that has become relevant suddenly to me, is the one On How St. Francis of Assisi converted the Sultan of Babylon, which I reproduce below, courtesy of EWTN.

 

St Francis, urged by zeal for the faith of Christ and by a wish to suffer martyrdom, took with him one day twelve of his most holy brethren, and went beyond the sea with the intention of going straight to the Sultan of Babylon. They arrived in a province belonging to the Saracens, where all the passes were guarded by men so cruel, that no Christian who passed that way could escape being put to death. Now it pleased God that St Francis and his companions should not meet with the same fate; but they were taken prisoners, and after being bound and ill-treated, were led before the Sultan. Then St Francis standing before him, inspired by the Holy Spirit, preached most divinely the faith of Christ; and to prove the truth of what he said, professed himself ready to enter into the fire. Now the Sultan began to feel a great devotion towards him, both because of the constancy of his faith, and because he despised the things of this world (for he had refused to accept any of the presents which he had offered to him), and also because of his ardent wish to suffer martyrdom. From that moment he listened to him willingly, and begged him to come back often, giving both him and his companions leave to preach wheresoever they pleased; he likewise gave them a token of his protection, which would preserve them from all molestation.

At length St Francis, seeing he could do no more good in those parts, was warned by God to return with his brethren to the land of the faithful. Having assembled his companions, they went together to the Sultan to take leave of him. The Sultan said to him: "Brother Francis, most willingly would I be converted to the faith of Christ; but I fear to do so now, for if the people knew it, they would kill both me and thee and all thy companions. As thou mayest still do much good, and I have certain affairs of great importance to conclude, I will not at present be the cause of thy death and of mine. But teach me how I can be saved, and I am ready to do as thou shalt order." On this St Francis made answer: "My lord, I will take leave of thee for the present; but after I have returned to my own country, when I shall be dead and gone to heaven, by the grace of God, I will send thee two of my friars, who will administer to thee the holy baptism of Christ, and thou shalt be saved, as the Lord Jesus has revealed to me; and thou in the meantime shalt free thyself from every hindrance, so that, when the grace of God arrives, thou mayest be found well disposed to faith and devotion."

The Sultan promised so to do; and did as he had promised. Then St Francis returned with his company of venerable and saintly brethren, and after a few years ending his mortal life, he gave up his soul to God. The Sultan, having fallen ill, awaited the fulfillment of the promise of St Francis, and placed guards in all the passes, ordering them if they met two brothers in the habit of St Francis to conduct them immediately to him. At the same time St Francis appeared to two of his friars, and ordered them without delay to go to the Sultan and save his soul, according to the promise he had made him. The two set out, and having crossed the sea, were conducted to the Sultan by the guards he had sent out to meet them. The Sultan, when he saw them arrive, rejoiced greatly, and exclaimed: "Now I know of a truth that God has sent his servants to save my soul, according to the promise which St Francis made me through divine revelation." Having received the faith of Christ and holy baptism from the said friars, he was regenerated in the Lord Jesus Christ; and having died of his disease, his soul was saved, through the merits and prayers of St Francis.

The highlight is mine – which I want you all to read. The death sentence for apostates of Islam was as binding back then as it is today, according to these Islamic traditions:

"Allah's Apostle said, "The blood of a Muslim who confesses that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that I am His Apostle, cannot be shed except in three cases: In Qisas for murder, a married person who commits illegal sexual intercourse and the one who reverts from Islam (apostate) and leaves the Muslims."Sahih al-Bukhari, []

"Whoever changed his (Islamic) religion, then kill him" Sahih al-Bukhari, 9:84:57

Read more about Islam and capital punishment for apostates in the Wikipedia.

What do we do in these circumstances? Do we have St. Francis’ courage to preach the Gospel in deeds – and using words when necessary – despite the threat of death?

What would you do? How would you share Christ with a Muslim? Or wouldn’t you?

The Feast of Pentecost: An Eastern Christian View

Author: Father Alexander Schmemann (1974) | Source: OCA Webpage

O heavenly King, the Comforter; the Spirit of Truth.
Who are in all places and fill all things;
Treasurer of blessings and Giver of life,
come and dwell within us and cleanse us from every blemish
and save our souls, O blessed One!

In the Church's annual liturgical cycle, Pentecost is "the last and great day." It is the celebration by the Church of the coming of the Holy Spirit as the end - the achievement and fulfillment - of the entire history of salvation. For the same reason, however, it is also the celebration of the beginning: it is the "birthday" of the Church as the presence among us of the Holy Spirit, of the new life in Christ, of grace, knowledge, adoption to God and holiness.

This double meaning and double joy is revealed to us, first of all, in the very name of the feast. Pentecost in Greek means fifty, and in the sacred biblical symbolism of numbers, the number fifty symbolizes both the fulness of time and that which is beyond time: the Kingdom of God itself. It symbolizes the fulness of time by its first component: 49, which is the fulness of seven (7 x 7): the number of time. And, it symbolizes that which is beyond time by its second component: 49 + 1, this one being the new day, the "day without evening" of God's eternal Kingdom. With the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Christ's disciples, the time of salvation, the Divine work of redemption has been completed, the fulness revealed, all gifts bestowed: it belongs to us now to "appropriate" these gifts, to be that which we have become in Christ: participants and citizens of His Kingdom.

THE VIGIL OF PENTECOST

The all-night Vigil service begins with a solemn invitation:

"Let us celebrate Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit, The appointed day of promise, and the fulfillment of hope, The mystery which is as great as it is precious."

In the coming of the Spirit, the very essence of the Church is revealed:

"The Holy Spirit provides all, Overflows with prophecy, fulfills the priesthood, Has taught wisdom to illiterates, has revealed fishermen as theologians, He brings together the whole council of the Church."

In the three readings of the Old Testament (Numbers 11:16-17, 24-29; Joel 2:23-32; Ezekiel 36:24-28) we hear the prophecies concerning the Holy Spirit. We are taught that the entire history of mankind was directed towards the day on which God "would pour out His Spirit upon all flesh." This day has come! All hope, all promises, all expectations have been fulfilled. At the end of the Aposticha hymns, for the first time since Easter, we sing the hymn: "O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth…," the one with which we inaugurate all our services, all prayers, which is, as it were, the life-breath of the Church, and whose coming to us, whose "descent" upon us in this festal Vigil, is indeed the very experience of the Holy Spirit "coming and abiding in us."

Having reached its climax, the Vigil continues as an explosion of joy and light for "verily the light of the Comforter has come and illumined the world." In the Gospel reading (John 20:19-23) the feast is interpreted to us as the feast of the Church, of her divine nature, power and authority. The Lord sends His disciples into the world, as He Himself was sent by His Father. Later, in the antiphons of the Liturgy, we proclaim the universality of the apostles' preaching, the cosmical significance of the feast, the sanctification of the whole world, the true manifestation of God's Kingdom.

THE VESPERS OF PENTECOST

The liturgical peculiarity of Pentecost is a very special Vespers of the day itself. Usually this service follows immediately the Divine Liturgy, is "added" to it as its own fulfillment. The service begins as a solemn "summing up" of the entire celebration, as its liturgical synthesis. We hold flowers in our hands symbolizing the joy of the eternal spring, inaugurated by the coming of the Holy Spirit. After the festal Entrance, this joy reaches its climax in the singing of the Great Prokeimenon:

"Who is so great a God as our God?"

Then, having reached this climax, we are invited to kneel. This is our first kneeling since Easter. It signifies that after these fifty days of Paschal joy and fulness, of experiencing the Kingdom of God, the Church now is about to begin her pilgrimage through time and history. It is evening again, and the night approaches, during which temptations and failures await us, when, more than anything else, we need Divine help, that presence and power of the Holy Spirit, who has already revealed to us the joyful End, who now will help us in our effort towards fulfillment and salvation.

All this is revealed in the three prayers which the celebrant reads now as we all kneel and listen to him. In the first prayer, we bring to God our repentance, our increased appeal for forgiveness of sins, the first condition for entering into the Kingdom of God.

In the second prayer, we ask the Holy Spirit to help us, to teach us to pray and to follow the true path in the dark and difficult night of our earthly existence. Finally, in the third prayer, we remember all those who have achieved their earthly journey, but who are united with us in the eternal God of Love.

The joy of Easter has been completed and we again have to wait for the dawn of the Eternal Day. Yet, knowing our weakness, humbling ourselves by kneeling, we also know the joy and the power of the Holy Spirit who has come. We know that God is with us, that in Him is our victory.

Thus is completed the feast of Pentecost and we enter "the ordinary time" of the year. Yet, every Sunday now will be called "after Pentecost" - and this means that it is from the power and light of these fifty days that we shall receive our own power, the Divine help in our daily struggle. At Pentecost we decorate our churches with flowers and green branches - for the Church "never grows old, but is always young." It is an evergreen, ever-living Tree of grace and life, of joy and comfort. For the Holy Spirit - "the Treasury of Blessings and Giver of Life - comes and abides in us, and cleanses us from all impurity," and fills our life with meaning, love, faith and hope.

Today We Celebrate the Feast of Pentecost AD 2011

Come, Holy Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
And from Thy celestial home
Shed a ray of light divine!

Come Father of the poor!
Come source of all our store!
Come within our bosoms shine!
Thou, of comforters the best;
Thou, the soul's most welcome guest;
Sweet refreshment here below;

In our labor, rest most sweet;
Grateful coolness in the heat,
Solace in the midst of woe.

O most blessed Light divine
Shine within these hearts of Thine.
And our inmost being fill!

Where you are not, man has naught,
Nothing good in deed or thought,
Nothing free from taint of ill.

Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour Thy dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away:

Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.

On the faithful who adore
And confess you, evermore
In your sev'nfold gift descend;

Give them virtue's sure reward;
Give them Thy salvation, Lord;
Give them joys that never end.
Amen. Alleluia

Desert dog

Norma, an artist who owns a coop gallery here in town, was on her way home to Miramar on May 28 when she saw a small brown dog trotting along the lonely road. There are no neighborhoods in the vicinity, only open desert and beyond that, the sea. When she pulled over, he came right to her and she was shocked at the gaping wounds on his side and chest. He was dehydrated and emaciated as though he had been out alone without food or water for a week or more.

He was taken immediately to Vanessa, one of the two vets here in San Carlos, where he stayed for three days' observation, given vitamins and infection-fighting drugs. Then Norma took him home, with the hope of finding the owners or a new home for him. She posted flyers and an announcement on the local internet forum, Viva San Carlos.

He's a dachshund mix, with the golden brown brandy color common among dachsies but his legs are a little longer. His eyes are the exact same color as his coat. Norma tentatively named him Chiquito for his admission to the vet's office, but she had no plans to keep him, having already a large dog and two cats. One must know one's limits, she says.

And this is where I come in. I support the concept of fostering dogs, particularly since the canine refuge where I volunteered closed at the end of May (a long sad story better addressed in another blog) and fostering is all that's left here for dogs in need. But my small condo doesn't offer much space for a large dog and there's no question of keeping one outside, especially as summer arrives. But this dog is the same size as my Maltese, Chica.

Chiquito is my first opportunity to learn the skills of fostering. How hard can it be, right? It's just like taking any dog on a permanent basis...EXCEPT the fostered dog often has issues (physical or behavioral) and just when the issues are dealt with and overcome, it's time for him to move on, into his "forever home," as the foster folk call it. It's a bittersweet situation, but most people I've known who foster take great pleasure in knowing the dog's life was vastly improved by their intervention.

So Chiquito came home with me last night. His issues are definitely not behavioral: he acts like a well-trained house dog other than the fact that he's not housebroken. His first act on entering the house was to cock his leg and pee on a t-shirt the Capt had left lying on the floor. This morning he mistook a tower fan for a small tree. But I'm taking him out with Chica frequently, and she's showing him the ropes.

He doesn't bark. When Chica barks, he sometimes makes a "Mmmmf-mmmmff" sound, but that's all. I'm thinking that out in the desert he learned to keep a low profile. He has a innate dignity you often don't see in small dogs.

His meds are finished, except for an ointment I dab on his sores morning and night. Norma tells me one of them was so deep, she and Vanessa could see bone, when he was first examined. I'm profoundly grateful I wasn't there for that. He'll need his shots when he's a little stronger, and then neutering. When he's ready I'll work on arranging an adoption for him. It could be weeks, or months.

He follows me everywhere, sleeps under my side of the bed and seems very anxious to please. I imagine  what he must have been through out in the desert,  how frightening it must have been, and I have to admire the spirit that kept him alive along enough to find that road, and Norma, and me.

Support

I said it before and I will say it again, and probably again and again, I am blessed to have the love and support of my kids. While celebrating my son in law's / daughter's birthday Friday night inevitably the conversation turned briefly to my recent engagement to Abby and my daughters somehow dropped the ball and didn't quite communicate this to their brother whom apparently found out through my nephew whom apparently found out through facebook thanks to my sister's super fast posting of said event.

Wow, and people say that this social networks are not good for anything. The fact is that they told me once again that all they want is for me to be happy and they all agree that I have found the perfect person to do that, their approval means all the world to me and that makes me truly happy.

Life continues and I just try to live it as best as I can which is what I am sure God intends for all of us to do. So with eyes wide open I focus into what the future has in store for me and I move forward one day at a time.

Soon there will be many changes coming into my life as we start building and molding our future but if you have been following me for a while, then you know I will probably let you guys to a certain level into our lives and will welcome you to take the ride with us. So, stay tuned and be a part of this awesome new trip... Or not, it's completely up to you.

Abby and I.

St. Francis Preaches to the Birds

…And as he went on his way, with great fervour, St Francis lifted up his eyes, and saw on some trees by the wayside a great multitude of birds; and being much surprised, he said to his companions, "Wait for me here by the way, whilst I go and preach to my little sisters the birds"; and entering into the field, he began to preach to the birds which were on the ground, and suddenly all those also on the trees came round him, and all listened while St Francis preached to them, and did not fly away until he had given them his blessing. And Brother Masseo related afterwards to Brother James of Massa how St Francis went among them and even touched them with his garments, and how none of them moved. Now the substance of the sermon was this: "My little sisters the birds, ye owe much to God, your Creator, and ye ought to sing his praise at all times and in all places, because he has given you liberty to fly about into all places; and though ye neither spin nor sew, he has given you a twofold and a threefold clothing for yourselves and for your offspring. Two of all your species he sent into the Ark with Noe that you might not be lost to the world; besides which, he feeds you, though ye neither sow nor reap. He has given you fountains and rivers to quench your thirst, mountains and valleys in which to take refuge, and trees in which to build your nests; so that your Creator loves you much, having thus favoured you with such bounties. Beware, my little sisters, of the sin of ingratitude, and study always to give praise to God." As he said these words, all the birds began to open their beaks, to stretch their necks, to spread their wings and reverently to bow their heads to the ground, endeavouring by their motions and by their songs to manifest their joy to St Francis. And the saint rejoiced with them. He wondered to see such a multitude of birds, and was charmed with their beautiful variety, with their attention and familiarity, for all which he devoutly gave thanks to the Creator.

Having finished his sermon, St Francis made the sign of the cross, and gave them leave to fly away. Then all those birds rose up into the air, singing most sweetly; and, following the sign of the cross, which St Francis had made, they divided themselves into four companies. One company flew towards the east, another towards the west, one towards the south, and one towards the north; each company as it went singing most wonderfully; signifying thereby, that as St Francis, the bearer of the Cross of Christ, had preached to them and made upon them the sign of the cross, after which they had divided among themselves the four parts of the world, so the preaching of the Cross of Christ, renewed by St Francis, would be carried by him and by his brethren over all the world, and that the humble friars, like little birds, should posses nothing in this world, but should cast all the care of their lives on the providence of God.

Source: Little Flowers of St. Francis at EWTN.

What If

Can you imagine if you went your life acting on the "what ifs"? To me a "what if" always have a negative connotation to it in the sense that it opens the door to over thinking and failure. While life is about challenges and risks relying on the "what if" most certainly will reduce the chances of success because of the fear of taking the risk.

I want a new car but "what if" I can't handle the monthly payments.

I want to be happy but "what if" happiness is not for me.

I want to love you but "what if" you don't love me in return.

Ummmm, What if we eliminate the "what if" and actually have the guts to take the risk and find out for sure? There is nothing worst than living with the uncertainty of not trying something because there was a "what if" that got in front of it. I prefer to fail and to say at least I tried, than to live with the uncertainty of what could have been.

On the other hand I do listen to my common sense, and if my common sense tells me this idea in your head is too crazy, then it probably is, so a complimentary "what if" thought is actually welcomed.

I have learned to trust my gut feelings, I have learned to listen to my heart, and I have developed a pretty sound common sense over the years which combined help me deal with what comes my way. So "what if" I cut this post short and just wish you all a nice and happy weekend. Yeah, I think I'll do just that.