Vice President Biden Misstates and Distorts Catholic Social Doctrine for Political Convenience

Brethren, Peace and Good to all of you.

This, according to Catholic World News:

In a new campaign advertisement, Vice President Joe Biden emphasized that he is a practicing Catholic and said that President Barack Obama’s healthcare initiatives have advanced Catholic social teaching.

“As a practicing Catholic like many of you, I was raised in a household where there was absolutely no distinction between the values my mom and dad drilled into us and what I learned from the nuns and priests who educated me,” said Biden. “We call it Catholic social doctrine: ‘Whatever you do to the least of these, you do for me.’”

Commentary. Apparently, Mr. Biden ignores, or chooses to ignore what the Catholic Social Doctrine teaches about abortion. All he had to do was to open the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church and find these:

155. The teachings of Pope John XXIII,[314] the Second Vatican Council,[315] and Pope Paul VI [316] have given abundant indication of the concept of human rights as articulated by the Magisterium. Pope John Paul II has drawn up a list of them in the Encyclical Centesimus Annus:“the right to life, an integral part of which is the right of the child to develop in the mother's womb from the moment of conception; the right to live in a united family and in a moral environment conducive to the growth of the child's personality; the right to develop one's intelligence andfreedom in seeking and knowing the truth; the right to share in the work which makes wise use of the earth's material resources, and to derive from that work the means to support oneself and one's dependents; and the right freely to establish a family, to have and to rear children through the responsible exercise of one's sexuality. In a certain sense, the source and synthesis of these rights is religious freedom, understood as the right to live in the truth of one's faith and in conformity with one's transcendent dignity as a person”[317].

The first right presented in this list is the right to life, from conception to its natural end,[318] which is the condition for the exercise of all other rights and, in particular, implies the illicitness of every form of procured abortion and of euthanasia.[319] Emphasis is given to the paramount value of the right to religious freedom: “all men are to be immune from coercion on the part of individuals or of social groups and of any human power, in such wise that no one is to be forced to act in a manner contrary to his own beliefs, whether privately or publicly, whether alone or in association with others, within due limits”.[320] The respect of this right is an indicative sign of “man's authentic progress in any regime, in any society, system or milieu”[321].

…

233. Concerning the “methods” for practising responsible procreation, the first to be rejected as morally illicit are sterilization and abortion[521]. The latter in particular is a horrendous crime and constitutes a particularly serious moral disorder[522]; far from being a right, it is a sad phenomenon that contributes seriously to spreading a mentality against life, representing a dangerous threat to a just and democratic social coexistence[523].

…

570. When — concerning areas or realities that involve fundamental ethical duties — legislative or political choices contrary to Christian principles and values are proposed or made, the Magisterium teaches that “a well-formed Christian conscience does not permit one to vote for a political programme or an individual law which contradicts the fundamental contents of faith and morals”[1191]. In cases where it is not possible to avoid the implementation of such political programmes or to block or abrogate such laws, the Magisterium teaches that a parliamentary representative, whose personal absolute opposition to these programmes or laws is clear and known to all, may legitimately support proposals aimed at limiting the damage caused by such programmes or laws and at diminishing their negative effects on the level of culture and public morality. In this regard, a typical example of such a case would be a law permitting abortion[1192]. The representative's vote, in any case, cannot be interpreted as support of an unjust law but only as a contribution to reducing the negative consequences of a legislative provision, the responsibility for which lies entirely with those who have brought it into being.

Faced with the many situations involving fundamental and indispensable moral duties, it must be remembered that Christian witness is to be considered a fundamental obligation that can even lead to the sacrificing of one's life, to martyrdom in the name of love and human dignity[1193]. The history of the past twenty centuries, as well as that of the last century, is filled with martyrs for Christian truth, witnesses to the faith, hope and love founded on the Gospel. Martyrdom is the witness of one who has been personally conformed to Jesus crucified, expressed in the supreme form of shedding one's blood according to the teaching of the Gospel: if “a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies ... it bears much fruit” (Jn 12:24).

Vice President Biden engages in many a wordgame. For example, during the Vice Presidential debates, Mr. Biden stated:

My religion defines who I am, and I've been a practicing Catholic my whole life. And has particularly informed my social doctrine. The Catholic social doctrine talks about taking care of those who -- who can't take care of themselves, people who need help. With regard to -- with regard to abortion, I accept my church's position on abortion as a -- what we call a (inaudible) doctrine. Life begins at conception in the church's judgment. I accept it in my personal life. But I refuse to impose it on equally devout Christians and Muslims and Jews, and I just refuse to impose that on others, unlike my friend here, the -- the congressman…

Logically, Mr. Biden should be equally reluctant to impose views contained in the Catholic Social Doctrine, in view of the fact that he would be imposing such views upon others. That he doesn’t do so shows that he only accepts the Church’s teaching when it aligns with his party’s platform and rejects the Church’s teaching when it doesn’t.

Vice President Biden’s position is dishonest, and logically untenable. Keep this in mind when you exercise your Catholic conscience and the ballot box next Tuesday.

The Black Cat Project

I never set out to acquire a black cat, but when a snowbird heading north found this kitten the night before she was to leave, I got the call and took him in as a foster. He's named Ozzie and now he's a teenager, a force to be reckoned with. He wakes me at 2 in the morning by sitting on my chest and ducking his head under my hand for a scratch. He regards Sugar, my other cat, as his surrogate mom and still likes to occasionally nurse on her, which she tolerates with amazing grace. They've bonded to the point that the Capt says they're inseparable and I'd better forget trying to find him another home (to my secret relief).

One of the biggest challenges about Ozzie is photographing him. I've spent considerable time at it (always thankful for digital cameras), and aside from the fact that he's very active, because of his coloring he's usually just a cat-shaped silhouette! I try to get his  eyes (see below) because otherwise you can't tell whether you're looking at his front or his back. But this morning he sprawled in the sun on the kitchen table (normally forbidden territory), revealed all his glossy glory. Lucky me, I was around to get the shot.

Hope you have a lucky and happy Halloween.

Sandy's over in my neck of the woods...

...but for others, it's just starting.

Brethren, Peace and Good to you all.

Sandy's over in my neck of the woods and we were unscathed, but for others the agony is just starting. Let us pray:

Father, receive into your Kingdom those whole you called during the storm, and comfort their families. Kindly restore the health and possessions to those who lost them in the last several days, and who may lose them still. Help us help one another, help us to be your holy hands that bring healing and relief. We ask this in the name of your Son Jesus Christ, who with the Holy Spirit you are One God, forever and ever, Amen.

Distracted

Brethren, Peace and Good to all of you in Christ Jesus.

I'm going to be busy the next couple of days. As you can see from the picture, we have this little storm coming to my neck of the woods. We're ready for it but we expect power outages, so I don't know how long we'll be off the grid. Keep us all in your prayers, and we'll talk again after Sandy's visit.

In a War of Memes, Truth is the First Casualty

In the US, political discussion is about persistent memes, not about truth-seeking

Brethren, Peace and Good to all of you in Jesus’ Name, before which every creature in heaven, on earth, and under the earth shall bow.

Maybe it is because I’m getting older and more jaded, or perhaps it is because I’m growing wiser, but I find the current political campaign unpalatable, and I’m talking about both the Republican and Democrat campaigns.

Listen carefully to what the candidates say and you’ll discover that, with minor nuances, their speeches are little blurbs of simple sentences, often lacking in transition from one sentence to the next. A sentence, as you know, expresses a thought while a paragraph expresses an idea. A group of ideas follow a theme with a purpose to illustrate and persuade. What we’re getting, though, is a string of disconnected thoughts illustrating vague ideas about economic recovery, the debt, taxation, “progress forward”, “reproductive rights”, military might, diplomatic initiatives, etc. The sniping became acute during the debates, except perhaps the first debate; it was as if the candidates were shooting sound bites at each other. The same is true of the tiresome, trite, political advertisements they bombard us with in “battleground states”:  they are short, sweet, and communicate one single idea at a time, yet they lack substance.

What we’re witnessing is an information campaign where the weapons are memes, that is, a unit of communication carrying cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena. “Victory” is defined by annihilating an adversary’s memes (E.g.: “I’m better for President because…” “This idea is better for the economy because…” “The other candidate is incapable of doing the job because…”) from the collective consciousness while one’s memes persist longer in the public’s consciousness, thereby influencing their actions, in this case, voting for a given candidate or issue. The meme has to survive long enough in the voting public’s mind, by means of constant repetition in the media until the desired result is achieved, the election of the favored candidate or the approval or disapproval of the given issue.

Also, warriors in this arena are wont to kill competing memes they judge as distracting from the memes. Let me give you an example:  Shortly after Romney’s “47% revelation” I twitted a criticism of one of the candidates. Two seemingly independent “twitterers” responded promptly with almost identical ripostes. In the Twitter universe that’s not a coincidence: they both saw what I wrote and responded identically, not because what I said was true or not, but in order to “squash” any possibility that my point would become a persistent meme that would in turn distract others from their memes.

You see, this is no longer about airing different viewpoints and judging them on their merits, but of blocking competing claims as “noise” and feed us only one current of information. Let me give you one last example, the Richard Mourdock's brouhaha regarding his comments about abortion and rape. This is what he said:

“I struggled with it myself for a long time, but I came to realize that life is that gift from God. And, I think, even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen.” (Source)

What did God “intended to happen”? Was it the creation of new life or the rape”? Therefore Mr. Mourdock fell into the trap of the compound subject and single predicate. I knew he meant the “new life” and not the rape; only a callous misogynist would say or believe that God somehow wishes “rape” to happen. Immediately, the information warriors went into overdrive not because they were seeking the truth, but because they wanted the meme “Mourdock = callous misogynist” to prevail in the public consciousness.

Think about this: which meme did both parties studiously avoid in this faux scandal? I’ll tell you which: life is that gift from God. Democrats flee from such a meme because it undermines their pro-abortion position, whereas Republicans won’t touch it because it would distract from the “it’s the ecomony, stupid” meme. No one wants to deepen their reflection on the truth life is that gift from God, for the policy demands that admitting this truth into the square are too big to contemplate.

Brethren, please vote your consciences this coming election and remember the Five Non-Negotiables. Focus on what will bring real change humane change in our power structures. Forget their memes. Concentrate on the truth. May the Lord bless us all and our country too.

A Haiku to Blessed John Paul II On His Feast Day (Repost)

Thank you, Lord, for the
gift of Blessed Pope John Paul
Priest, Prophet, Father

Video: J. Budziszewski: A Primer on Natural Law

Brethren, this is a great introduction to Natural Law Morality. Enjoy!

J. Budziszewski joins Andy Nash for a introductory conversation on classical Natural Law and how an understanding of natural law can lead to a well ordered society.

Pope John Paul I "definitely not killed" according to postulator

Brethren, Peace and Good to all.

This news according to the Vatican Insider:

Pope John Paul I

 “Some interesting new facts have come to light regarding Pope Luciani’s state of health, thanks to the testimonies (167 people have been heard) and medical documents collected. These sources definitively confirm that he was not killed.” This is according to Mgr. Enrico Dal Covolo, Rector of the Pontifical Lateran University and Postulator of John Paul I’s sainthood cause, who spoke to Italian news channel Tgcom24 in an interview on Pope Luciani who passed away after just 33 on the papal throne. In two days, on 17 October, it will be his 100^th birthday.

On Wednesday Mgr. Dal Covolo will deliver the first part of the Positio - the documentation on John Paul I’s heroic virtues, on his life and on the miracle he is believed to have performed – to the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Cardinal Angelo Amato.

“We will deliver the Positio on 17 October - the postulator said – and the process for determining the Pope’s miracle will continue. I am certain that the Pope will soon be proclaimed a saint, though we still do not know exactly when. The cause is hanging by a very thin thread and we need to be careful!”

“I met with Pope Benedict XVI about a week ago – Mgr. Dal Covolo added – and he confirmed he was very glad about this step forward in the late Pope’s beatification process, advising me to be cautious. He strongly supports this cause, with great affection and interest. He gave a special blessing.”

Commentary. Of course, this is not going to mollify those who would rather spin conspiracy theories, but the banal fact is that Pope John Paul I died of a heart attack, after days of complaining about his work load. Saints are not exempt from feeling overwhelmed, of course. Perhaps we should invoke Pope John Paul I's intercession when we feel overwhelmed, for he understands how that feels.

President Obama is a One Percenter

Brothers and Sisters, Peace be with you.

As you know, I prefer to look at political issues affecting the practice of the faith or the welfare of the Nation, rather than speaking about specific candidates. However, some words said on last night debate caught my attention. I want to comment on them. Here they are:

ROMNEY: Just going to make a point. Any investments I have over the last eight years have been managed by a blind trust. And I understand they do include investments outside the United States, including in — in Chinese companies.

Mr. President, have you looked at your pension? Have you looked at your pension?

OBAMA: I’ve got to say…

ROMNEY: Mr. President, have you looked at your pension?

OBAMA: You know, I — I don’t look at my pension. It’s not as big as yours so it doesn’t take as long.

ROMNEY: Well, let me give you some advice.

OBAMA: I don’t check it that often.

ROMNEY: Let me give you some advice. Look at your pension. You also have investments in Chinese companies. You also have investments outside the United States. You also have investments through a Cayman’s trust.

. "My pension is not as big as yours" the President said. Why would he say that? It struck me as a class warfare argument; it told me that the President doesn't want to remind us he has a juicy pension and he'll never want for nothing. As soon as he's retired, he will hit the mashed potatoes circuit and make as many millions as Romney had.
The thing is, President Obama has a pension while many Americans don't; the President is set for life, while many Americans aren't. President Obama is a "One Percenter", as much as Romney is. The President is more worried about dispelling the notion that he's also a rich man, than addressing a serious issue.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have a pension too - a 401K - that doesn't contain millions, but I don't keep it in the Cayman Islands either. What I would like every American to have is the opportunity to have a larger pension too, because Social Security is not going to be enough in the future. social Security is not, nor was ever conceived as a retirement plan. Too bad neither candidate explored this issue, though.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Hospital Cir NW,Washington,United States

A letter to Ontario's Minister of Education

Brethren: Peace and Good to all of you in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Following the dismal news from Ontario, Canada, where Laurel Broten, Minister of Education told reporters that under its new anti-bullying law, Bill 13, "The Accepting Schools Act", Catholic schools would no longer be permitted to teach that abortion is wrong. I wrote the following note to Minister Broten, and I encourage all of you to do the same:

Dear Minister Broten:

I'm not a constituent, or a Canadian, but as a Catholic Christian I feel compelled to speak out. I've been informed by media sources that your ministry is about to impose a speech restriction that will prohibit Catholic schools to teach that abortion is an objective, moral evil.

I consider such prohibition an egregious infringement on the freedoms of speech and religion upon which all our North American values rest.

Moreover, this prohibition also infringes on the freedom of research and discussion which are central to any academic institution. Curtailing discussion about moral issues impoverishes Canadian culture and handicaps the wellbeing of all Canadians.

Last, although you may not like to hear it (and despite the fact you don't want others to hear it), I respectfully remind you that abortion is an objective evil, that in itself is an attack on womanhood and not its reaffirmation, and that there's no licit prohibition on Earth that will stop us from teaching this truth, in and out of season.

I pray for my Canadian brothers and sisters and for their government, that they might find a resolution respectful of the fundamental human rights of conscience and expression in a peaceful, respectful manner, and I invite you to guarantee these rights by refusing to impose this unjust law upon the Catholic schools in your province. I remain,

Yours in Jesus Christ,

~Theo

The Minister's actions are but the latest shot in a movement to criminalize Catholic Christian speech throughout the world. We should not allow this to happen, for we don't worship Caesar in our altars. Freedom of conscience, of expression and debate are fundamental freedoms not to be subjected to the whims of Culture of Death partisans. Let us remain vigilant and bring pretentious politicians to account. Write to Minister Broten at minister.edu@ontario.ca to protest her stance and if you are Canadian and live in Ontario, bring her to account for her words.

Today we remember St. Teresa de Jesús of Avila

Today's is the feast day of St. Teresa of Avila. She's another of my saints. Here's today second reading from the Office of Readings:

St. Teresa of Avila

If Christ Jesus dwells in a man as his friend and noble leader, that man can endure all things, for Christ helps and strengthens us and never abandons us. He is a true friend. And I clearly see that if we expect to please him and receive an abundance of his graces, God desires that these graces must come to us from the hands of Christ, through his most sacred humanity, in which God takes delight.

Many, many times I have perceived this through experience. The Lord has told it to me. I have definitely seen that we must enter by this gate if we wish his Sovereign Majesty to reveal to us great and hidden mysteries. A person should desire no other path, even if he is at the summit of contemplation; on this road he walks safely. All blessings come to us through our Lord. He will teach us, for in beholding his life we find that he is the best example.

What more do we desire from such a good friend at our side? Unlike our friends in the world, he will never abandon us when we are troubled or distressed. Blessed is the one who truly loves him and always keeps him near. Let us consider the glorious Saint Paul: it seems that no other name fell from his lips than that of Jesus, because the name of Jesus was fixed and embedded in his heart. Once I had come to understand this truth, I carefully considered the lives of some of the saints, the great contemplatives, and found that they took no other path: Francis, Anthony of Padua, Bernard, Catherine of Siena. A person must walk along this path in freedom, placing himself in God’s hands. If God should desire to raise us to the position of one who is an intimate and shares his secrets, we ought to accept this gladly.

Whenever we think of Christ we should recall the love that led him to bestow on us so many graces and favours, and also the great love God showed in giving us in Christ a pledge of his love; for love calls for love in return. Let us strive to keep this always before our eyes and to rouse ourselves to love him. For if at some time the Lord should grant us the grace of impressing his love on our hearts, all will become easy for us and we shall accomplish great things quickly and without effort.

Source: Universalis.com

wine & vines in long island, ny

last weekend i got to enjoy some true fall leaves (love you houston, but where are your leaves?) & the company of some wonderfully crazy old friends up in new york.

what could be more fun than your best college girlfriends, a reunion, birthday celebration, wine, and new york city, all rolled into one?  our weekend kicked off with a delicious dinner at osteria morini in soho (little italian restaurants in nyc are among my fave things in the world), followed by a wine tour through the beautiful vineyards of long island, some incredible bagels, a near-death bathroom/limo situation, and a lot of reminiscing, laughs, and inappropriateness.

i miss these girls already.  

the funny thing about really good friends is that you can go months, even years, without seeing each other or even really talking to one another, but the second you all end up in the same room, it's like nothing has changed.  we could have been back in someone's freshman year dorm drinking franzia, and you wouldn't know the difference.  (except i'd like to think that our clothes, hair, and life decisions may have improved slightly?)

or, perhaps not.

regardless, maybe that is a good way to judge your friendships.  because as much as we'd all like to think we are much more mature & have more figured out these days than we did in college.... who are we kidding?  no one has really changed that much.  and trust me, for these girls, that is a great thing.

beautiful birthday girls

in long island, we visited three vineyards:

pugliese vineyard
baiting hollow vineyard - 
my favorite of all of the wines.
live music & lovely scenery 
vineyard 48-
a vineyard like i have never seen: 
with frozen sangria & a dance party.

Today's edition of the Vivificat Daily Chronicle

Pope Benedict XVI: "The documents of Vatican Council II are...a compass guiding the ship of the Church"

Brethren, Peace and Good to all of you in Jesus Christ our Lord.

The following is by the Vatican Information Service:

The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council at prayer.

Vatican City, (VIS) - "We have reached the eve of the day on which we will celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Vatican Council II and the beginning of the Year of Faith", said Benedict XVI at the start of his catechesis during this morning's general audience in St. Peter's Square. "And it is about the great ecclesial event of the Council that I wish to speak", he explained.

"The documents of Vatican Council II are, even in our own time, a compass guiding the ship of the Church as she sails on the open seas, amidst tempests or peaceful waves, to reach her destination". Vatican II, in which Pope Benedict participated as a young professor of fundamental theology at the University of Bonn, was, he said, "a unique experience" during which "I was able to witness the living Church ... which places herself at the school of the Holy Spirit, the true driving force behind the Council. Rarely in history has it been possible, as it was then, to touch almost physically the universality of the Church at a moment of peak fulfilment of her mission to carry the Gospel into all ages and unto the ends of the earth".

In Church history Vatican II was preceded by many other Councils such as Nicea, Ephesus, Chalcedon and Trent. In general though, they met to define fundamental elements of the faith, and particularly to the correct errors endangering that faith. This was not the case with Vatican Council II, because at that time "there were no particular errors of the faith to correct and condemn, nor were there specific questions of doctrine and discipline to be clarified. ... The first question that arose during the preparation of this great event was how to begin, what task to give it. Blessed John XXIII in his opening address of 11 October fifty years ago gave some general guidelines: the faith had to speak with a 'renewed' and more incisive voice, because the world was changing rapidly, but it had to maintain its perennial message intact, without giving way or compromising.

"The Pope", Benedict XVI added, "wanted the Church to reflect upon her faith and upon the truths that guide her. But that serious and profound reflection ... had to be the starting point for a new relationship between the Church and the modern age, between Christianity and certain essential elements of modern thought, not in order to seek conformity, but to show our world, which tends to distance itself from God, the requirements of the Gospel in all its greatness and purity".

"The age in which we live continues to be marked by forgetfulness and deafness towards God. I believe, then, that we must learn the simplest and most fundamental lesson of the Council: that the essence of Christianity consists in faith in God, ... and in the individual and community encounter with Christ Who guides our lives. ... The important thing today, as was the desire of the Council Fathers, is for us to see - clearly and anew - that God is present, that He concerns us and responds to us. And when faith in God is lacking our essential foundations give way because man loses his dignity. ... The Council reminds us that the Church ... has the mandate to transmit God's salvific word of love, so that the divine call which contains our eternal beatitude may be heard and accepted".

The Pope then went on to mention the four conciliar Constitutions, describing them as "the four cardinal points of our guiding compass": "Sacrosanctum Concilium" on the sacred liturgy, which speaks of the centrality of the mystery of Christ's presence in the Church; "Lumen Gentium" which highlights the Church's fundamental duty to glorify God; "Dei Verbum" on divine Revelation, which speaks of the living Word of God that unites and animates the Church throughout history, and finally "Gaudium et Spes" which deals with the way the Church transmits to the world the light it received from God.

"Vatican Council II", Benedict XVI concluded, "is a powerful appeal to us to make a daily rediscovery of the beauty of our faith, to understand it deeply through a more intense relationship with the Lord, and to live out our Christian vocation to the full".

Commentary. As the Church celebrates the 50th anniversary of this great event, we should be prayerfully wary of those who seek to either reinterpret or discredit the Council in accordance to their own petty interests. I'm not going to mention any names, we all know who they are and what they want.

I continuously thank God for the ministries of Pope John Paul the Great and his successor, Benedict XVI, who reclaimed to their office as Successors of Peter the right and duty to interpret and apply the teachings of the Council for the Church. I hereby renew my reception of the Second Vatican Council as holy and ecumenical, as expressed in its primary documents and in their proper interpretation put forward by the Holy See and the bishops in communion with it.

I also renew my rejection of every and all interpretations of the Council following an amorphous, often malignant "spirit of Vatican II" or any other attempt at nuancing the Council into oblivion and irrelevance. May the Lord admonish those who have created parties in the Church to pursue those extremes.

Inspiration

Sometimes inspiration comes from everywhere and everything and sometimes it hides in the deepest parts not wanting to be found. What can be used to lure it out? I was taking my morning walk and the weather felt so good at time of the morning that it allowed me to notice the ducks happily swimming on the lakes, I noticed all the landscapers hard at work making the local landscape look so nice, I notice how Cosita our female chihuahua had to take about 10 steps as opposed to one of mine, crossed about the elderly couples also on their morning stroll and apparently enjoying it too, I noticed the mom on the bike followed by her son trailing right behind her apparently on their way to school.

It's amazing how much one notices when ones mind is clear. It is inspiring to see how well coordinated life is when allowed to take its natural course, all that is left to do is first thank God for allowing us to live, and second live it to the fullest. In my case all I can say is "What a life", and what a privilege to be a part of it.

Don't sweat the small stuff

Brethren, Peace and Good to all of you.

As many of you know, I spent almost a year in Afghanistan in active military service in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. A day like today a year ago I was home on R&R. Then I left and five days later had to return to attend my father's funeral.

They in the military warned me that going to war was going to be a life-changing event for me and for my family, and they weren't wrong. These few months since my return - gee, that was back in February but it still feels it was like last week - have been, well, interesting.

One the many things going to war taught me is how to put many things in perspective. Suddenly, many things to which I attached a lot of importance became insignificant whereas others reacquired a new shine: family, friends, home, tranquility and of course, God.

Though I can't tell you that I am completely stress and worry free, I can tell you that I've learned to put many things, more than ever before, into our good Lord's hands. Furthermore, things for which I had developed an unconcious neurotic attachment or which I approached in a perfectionistic manner, POOF! Disappeared. Praise the Lord!

Let us learn to keep the number of important things in our lives very few and for the rest, trust in God. Don't sweat the small stuff. Look upon the Cross and the one on it and get your perspective and reorient your universe from the Cross; let the Cross of Christ be your north star.

la guadalupana

since moving to houston, we have been on the search for a saturday morning "spot".  in dc, our favorite tradition was visiting our little georgetown patisserie every saturday morning for coffee, breakfast and the newspaper.  having a weekend tradition is fun, and i love starting off a saturday morning together this way.  especially these days, when ww can be found on the golf course for the entirety of weekend days.

one of the most amazing things about texas is the plethora of tex-mex. and particularly, the miracle that is traditional mexican breakfast. breakfast tacos, migas, huevos rancheros, huevos con papas y chorizo, and most importantly, mexican cinnamon coffee -- it is all so delicious, and i would eat it every day if i could.

cue, la guadalapana.  i can't even link to their website, because they don't have one.  but last saturday morning we tried out this little mexican bakery a few blocks away that shares a strip center with a washateria and a food mart.  they serve delicious migas all day long, a complete breakfast menu in the mornings, and, it was rumored, the best mexican coffee in town. they also serve lunch & dinner with a byob policy that lets you buy mexican beers from the food mart next door and bring them over to the patio.

the front of the restaurant is a little bakery with mexican pastries, including to-die-for homemade tres leches.  in the back, there is a small room of tables (as well as tables outside) where you can sit & order from the menu. ww and i both had mexican coffee, and then another cup, and then another... and due to a bit of rough evening the night before, i ordered the vampiro; possibly the best hangover cure in the form of a liquid - a mix of carrot, beet and orange juice.

next we had their chips with delicious red & green salas.  ww ordered the breakfast torta, stuffed with eggs, potatoes, chorizo, and other delicious things.  and i had the migas, which were some of the best i've ever tasted.

this could easily become our new saturday spot, which is a kind of hilarious example of how different our life is here than it was in washington.  we absolutely loved walking the ten blocks to our quaint french patisserie in the middle of georgetown where we over-paid for chocolate croissants and illy coffee.  (in fact we loved it so much that we keep a framed print of patisserie poupon in our new kitchen.)  but these days we love getting in the car to drive the short six blocks to a run-down strip mall in montrose, where we eat dirt-cheap breakfast tacos next door to a washateria & mexican food mart.

such is the fun of living in and adapting to new cities!  and creating new traditions everywhere you go.

Yes Virginia, there is a Christopher Columbus (Repost)

Brethren, the other day I received the following e-mail:

DEAR THEO: I am 8 years old.
Some of my little friends say there is no Christopher Columbus.
Papa says, 'If you see it in Vivificat, it's so.'
Please tell me the truth; is there a Christopher Columbus?

VIRGINIA O'HANLON.
115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET.

This was my answer:

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the political correctness virus of a jaded, foolish age. They do not believe except [what] they deconstruct. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Christopher Columbus. He exists as certainly as honor and courage and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Christopher Columbus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no heroism to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in The New York Times. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Christopher Columbus! You might as well not believe in God! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all Columbus' Day Parades to catch Christopher Columbus, but even if they did not see Americans - native or otherwise - marching proudly, what would that prove? Nobody sees Christopher Columbus, but that is no sign that there is no Christopher Columbus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see God watching over you at all times? Of course not, but that's no proof that they He is not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, heroism, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Christopher Columbus! Thank God! He lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of men, women, and children in this America of ours, from the Bering Sea to Cape Horn.

HAPPY COLUMBUS DAY!

My Weakness!

I am sitting here realizing that finally the grueling Phoenix summer heat has finally subsided and that it's time to start shedding those few pounds I gained during the summer. The morning weather is great for walking so I think I need to start my routine again, my goal is to once again be able to wear my belt in the last hole, not to mention it is healthier to be slimmer is it not?

Did you know that a good life and good food equals a few extra pounds? No? Well, all you have to do is look at me and that theory clearly will come to light, but when you are blessed with a bunch of great cooks in your life as I am it is hard to bring yourself to say "enough", and in my case if the cook happens to be my mom and I tell her enough she says "no entiendo" and packs my plate full of nothing but exquisite food and since I am blessed to have my mom around to cook for me and to actually know she enjoys cooking for me saying "no" in that context is non existent.

I guess when it comes to food the bottom line is I AM WEAK and it truly is very hard for me to say "enough is enough" and much less to say "no". Who out there can say no to a "mole rojo" or to a "carne asada" or to "chiles rellenos" or "cochinita pivil" or "tinga", and the ever delicious tacos. Ummm que rico! (can you tell I am Mexican?).

So I wonder, what is your food weakness? Something you almost never say no, something you sneak so nobody says anything. You all know mine is tacos, God know I have posted this fact a million times, I swear if I don't eat tacos on a regular basis I'd probably go on withdrawals.

So the goal is simple, I don't see myself not eating anytime soon so I must compromise and learn how to balance eating and exercising so I can stay healthy, I am 53 years old and still not on any medications but then again I haven't visited my doctor in over a year so that may change soon, then again maybe not. In the meantime as long as there are great cooks in my life and they keep cooking delicious dishes for me I will continue to let them spoil me as yes I am weak, weak, weak, but with a full stomach.

And apparently I am not the only one that can't say no to tacos.

Practical Faith in Divine Providence

Father Nicolas Schwizer

How do we understand this? We believe that God the Father has made a life plan for each one of his children. Through that providential plan, He wants to lead us to his Kingdom, educate us as his children, and make us perfect according to the image of Jesus Christ.

And because “God is love,” this plan can only be a plan of love. God wants us to be happy for all eternity. Therefore, God only wants what is good for us.

God, consistent with his plan, is concerned for each human being because He is Father. He is concerned about everything, including what is most insignificant in my life. Thus the word of the Lord: “Are two birds not sold for two coins? Nevertheless, not one of them falls to the earth without the consent of the Father who is in Heaven…”

God wants us to know, wants us to discover – little by little – his plan of love. He wants us to know what his desire is for us. For that reason, He speaks to us permanently.

There are three books which contain his word.

1. First is the BIBLE.

2. Second is the book of his CREATION: There He speaks to us, for example, through the flowers, the sky, the sun, etc. Each one of his creatures is the incarnation of one of his thoughts or desires.

3. But over all, God speaks to us through the book of life, that is, the happenings of each day. Everything that happens – for example – that problem which arose at work or at home; that joy which my spouse gave me; that advice which I received from a friend… all of that is a voice, a calling from God.

God is truly present in my life and it is there where I have to encounter Him and dialog with Him. But for that, I need to know how to see with faith what happens to me and give myself time to decipher the messages which God sends me.

What is hardest to accept in our life are the painful events, crosses and sufferings which God sends or which He permits. God’s hands are always kind, but they are sometimes disguised with iron gloves. And those iron gloves are harmful.

What should we do then? We should make the iron gloves transparent and see behind them – in the light of faith – the kind hands of the Father. He always does everything for love, also when it has to do with injustices, calamities, humiliations, or other crosses which He permits in our lives. Thus, each day of our life, each happening is like a love letter which God writes to us.

To encounter the God of life, we should first seek Him in our past. We should see his hand in those happenings which have marked us the most, both in the sad and the joyful events. None of that has happened by chance. God writes with me an original love story, unprecedented, different from all others. And I must accept it just as He has wished.

But I especially have to read the messages which God sends me at the present in my life. I can no longer change the past and I have to accept it just as it has been. The future is still open. And through the things which are happening to me today, God is proposing to me plans which I have to fulfill tomorrow: He is inviting me to act, He is giving me warnings, He is asking me for more love. For example, my child’s illness, the difficult situation at work, the poor grade I made at school, etc., these are voices, calls from God. Also, the social, political, and religious situation in my country forms part of my personal dialog with God. In everything, I try to listen to his voice in order for me to respond to what He asks of me.

That has been the permanent attitude of the Blessed Virgin. She gathered and meditated on all which happened around her to thus discover the plan of God with Her.

We also must imitate the example of Mary. We too must become accustomed to reflect on what God says to us or asks of us through the different things which happen to us. We will then go securely through life.

Questions for reflection

1. Do I see God in the crosses of my life?

2. Do I reflect on God’s plan in my life?

3. “Do I read the book of my life?”

Avondale Fire-Rescue Open House

Every year we try to attend the Avondale Fire-Rescue Free Open House at the local firehouse which luckily for us is only a five minute walk from the house and this year is no exception. The open house features free hot dogs and hamburgers, popcorn, sodas, and ice cream. The fire engines are displayed and Billy Scott, the singing fireman put on a show involving the kids. They do a little show, act silly and they get little giveaways. Kids love it!

I have always loved to do things with my kids and grandkids, the sense of family unity, the bonding, the fun, the memories we create, the accomplishment of seeing my family grow together on a daily basis is worth to me more than anythng else, that's why we make outings such as this a tradition. Just two weeks ago I had the opportunity of creating wonderful memories with my new family in California while visiting The Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa California (but that is another story to be told).

Today's event wasn't any different than last years, yet the kids seem to enjoy it every year. You've all seen the face paintings Nikki does on the kids. Well there was a girl painting the most simple designs on the kid's arms and yet they tought it was the most awesome thing and so they all waited paitently in the long line to get theirs. Sometimes it's the simple things in life isn't it? I thank God for the opportunity to spend this type of quality time with my wonderful family and I appreciate it very, very much.

Some of the things the firemen teach the kids and adults is how to protect your family from fire. We love to tour the station and the engines, the kids just love to get prizes, oh and to get baloons. Why are kids so mystifies with baloons is beyond me, but they are, if they see one they want it and won't stop til' they get it.

This event kicks off the Fire Prevention Week. It's amazing to see how much valuable information the kids pick up at the Open House while enjoying the food and fun. Oh and did I mention it is all FREE?

Fireman Diego putting out a fire.

Ummmm hot dogs and chips, que rico!!!

Oh Diego you got a spider on your arm. I like it!

Oh you so cool Mr Cool!

Tattoo time!

Alayna and Ariele, twins a couple of years apart.