I heard just yesterday, as I was driving home from work, about the death of Christopher Hitchens. The show I was listening to, was on Sirius Satelite radio, the show called Kresta in the Afternoon, (read about it here at this link) which can be heard on Sirius 160 on the EWTN channel. You know, Sirious channel 160 which is the EWTN channel? It's the channel all Sirious Catholics listen to!
You may know or have heard of the name Christopher Hitchens, the "athiest" Christopher Hitchens. Some time ago, Al Kresta had interviewed Hitchens and last night on his radio program, Kresta re-played excerpts from that interview he did after Hitchens wrote a book titled, God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. Really? Poisons "everything"?? I listened to this interview and thought, how can anyone have such a jaded, poisoned and misguided view of God? God is knowable. How can one know God in the way Christopher Hitchens knew God. How can one know God, when one declares, there is no God. Now that is a question for the ages. Also a puzzlement to me, is how athiests are always so depressed, depressing, glum, negative, unhappy.....miserable perhaps is a better word, but then again, it really isn't a puzzlement when you think about it. I've heard Hitchens and statements he's made about the Church, about Priests and Religious, about the Pope. Let's just say, Christopher Hitchens in my estimation, is not so great himself. That is about the nicest thing I can say about him.
Sadly Christopher Hitchens is and will likely always be known as Christopher Hitchens the Atheist. Terrible thing to be known for. Not Christopher Hitchens the great statesman, or Christopher Hitchens the great humanitarian, and unlike other great minds, unlikee other great men and women, he will be always remembered as Christopher Hitchens the atheist. Let's face it, we never will see a devout atheist dedicate their life to helping the poor and impoverished in Calcutta India, as Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Do we ever see atheists dying for their 'faith' or dedicate their lives to comfort the dying, the sick, the lonely or the unwanted? By what measure do we measure the impact of a devout atheist?
Perhaps the devout Cult of Atheists worldwide mourn the loss of this giant atheist among Atheists everywhere, if atheists indeed mourn the passing of anyone. Perhaps Atheists will call for his being declared an atheistic saint among the members of the religion of Atheism. Let's face it, for Christopher Hitchens to hold to his unbelief in a God, it takes what must be declared heroic atheistic virtue.
Well now, what am I saying? Can it be called "heroic virtue" to be an avid, devout, and long time Atheist? Let's think about that for a moment. If one believes in an "All Powerful", "All Holy" and "All Good" God, then one must also believe that all Goodness comes from God, all Virtue is of God and all Grace has it's source in God. So, logically one can conclude that for a person to deny the existence of God, then one must also deny the existence of the source of all Good that comes from God; and deny also the existence of all virtue and surely deny the existence of Grace.
One thing I find funny, hilarious even, is for any self proclaimed Atheist to talk about, to write about and to live for denying the existence of God; to shout the evangelism of unbelief from the highest height. That is like proclaiming the denial of the existence of invisible things. Like saying, look, there, where you don't see anything, well that proves that invisible things don't exist and it is ridiculous to believe in invisible things. I tend to agree with the logic of the famous Catholic convert G.K. Chesterton when he says: "If there were no God, there would be no atheists".
Now, think for a moment about the book that Hitchens wrote. Why write about someone you do not believe in? Why then when you write about this person you do not believe in, why do you also say about this person you do not believe in that He is not great? It makes no sense to me. For example, do you see any people writing books saying, "Zeus was not great", or "Apollo was not great" or even or even for that matter that Peter Pan was not great?
This reminds me also of the anti Christians who hate Christ so much, that they appear this time of year every year to proclaim that Christmas is a myth, or say the Nativity did not happen and that God did not become Man, they deny the incarnation, and that people should just be good for goodness sake. If it is a myth, they why attempt to disprove it. Do you see anyone attempting to put up a billboard saying, the tooth fairy is a myth? Of course not, because for the reason that the tooth fairy is a myth.
So, Christopher Hitchens had cancer and he went to his horrible death dying from esophageal cancer holding onto his atheism, knowing that his greatest atheistic achievement, his final claim to fame was that he wrote a book entitled...God is not Great: Religion Poisons Everything.
I wonder, what in his final moments were the thoughts of Christopher Hitchens? Was he waiting for his meaningless existence to finally slip into the blackness of nothingness and existancelessness? For, if there is no God, then life is meaningless, everything is nothing and therfore everything is worthless. Even so are the claims of atheism worthless if there be no God.
Or just maybe I thought, as Christopher Hitches lay dying, was Christopher Hitchens praying for the first time in his life. What was that prayer of his? Was he praying that there was no God? For if there was a God, then how would Christopher Hitchens face Him when he finally died? How would Hitchens explain to that God, why it was that He was not a Great, God as Christopher Hitchens had written in his book? Just imagine the final torment of the thoughts and soul of Christopher Hitchens in the last seconds of his earthly consciousness. I thought of this, just before offering a prayer for the soul of Christopher Hitchens.
Yes, I prayed for Christopher Hitchens, that the Greatness of God to be revealed to him just at the moment of his death, as Christopher Hitchens' soul would then face the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for eternal judgement, to stand before the only Son of God, to be Judged by the Lord of Lords. It will be then that Christopher Hitchens will realize the true Greatness of that Infinite and Majestic God, for to the bare and stripped naked soul of Hitchens, all truth shall be revealed to his soul in one great shining moment of clarity. It will be then, that Christopher Hitchens will know the real and terrible truth of it all. God's Mercy is no doubt greater than Hitchens own opinion of God's Greatness. Hitchens will also find that the Justice of God is also Great. Perhaps Richard Hitchens did not know how Great God really is. He knows now.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
GIVE GLORY TO.....WHO?
Stop and think for just a moment. Ask yourself this question. To whom do you give glory? Or are you a glory seeker? This question and the answer to it is vital because in today's society, in today's self centered culture, the answer likely is that Glory for self is sought above all.
Not only is mankind encouraged to seek every self centered pleasure, they are also encouraged to use others in the process, to give in to every internal whim, want, desire or thought. Never is one in control of their own desires, passions, thoughts or emotions, but instead give in to every inclination and evil urge at every turn, eventually driven into madness like a ship without a rudder. Man becomes helpless and adrift at the whim of the currents, the wind and the waves, he is tossed about by passions and inclinations and urges, adrift and helpless, lashed to the wheel, the captain of his own ship is helpless, for his crew, his virtues, his self control and his free will have surrendered and abandoned him. This self centered glory seeking is what is called vainglory and like a ship without a rudder it eventually leads to Man's complete and utter destruction.
Perhaps you are not seeking glory for yourself. If not, then perhaps you are glorifying another person, or even an inanimate object, a created thing, a creature? Now ask yourself this question. Are these things your god? Are they your gods? Speaking of gods...are you Glorifying the One True God in and with and by the life you are living?
For every Catholic, for every other Christian from every other denomination, for every devout Jew and for anyone who believes in a Divine all Supreme all God, if the answer to this question is no, then it requires a deep inner examination of self, and a sincere look at the hard truth and such a person must ask "If I am not giving Glory to God, then who or what am I giving Glory to? Who or what is my god, who or what is my King to whom I pledge servitude.
Man is a creature, and as such, should only be giving Glory, not to oneself, not to another person, and certainly not to another creature, but only to the One True God, Creator of Heaven and Earth, of all that is seen and unseen.
Who is your God? Who is your King? Man serving other men, worshiping false gods, be these gods power, wealth, pleasure, possessions, illicit sex, immorality or whatever they be, lead only in destruction and everlasting misery and nothingness. Laying down ones life at the feet of Jesus Christ leads to holy obedience and servitude of the one True King, the one benign ruler. But in serving Christ the King, this servitude frees us from the bondage and shackles of sin. For he who serves God in this life, reigns with God forever in Heaven in life eternal. Jesus in His Gospel according to St. John Chapter 17 verse 3 "Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ"
This Sunday, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church celebrates Jesus Christ as Christ the King. Come, and lay down your life for the King. Lose your current life for Jesus who says... "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it"
Come and give Glory to God in the Highest. Give give Glory to Christ the King, and you will preserve your life in eternal glory.
Praised be Jesus Christ, now and Forever.
Not only is mankind encouraged to seek every self centered pleasure, they are also encouraged to use others in the process, to give in to every internal whim, want, desire or thought. Never is one in control of their own desires, passions, thoughts or emotions, but instead give in to every inclination and evil urge at every turn, eventually driven into madness like a ship without a rudder. Man becomes helpless and adrift at the whim of the currents, the wind and the waves, he is tossed about by passions and inclinations and urges, adrift and helpless, lashed to the wheel, the captain of his own ship is helpless, for his crew, his virtues, his self control and his free will have surrendered and abandoned him. This self centered glory seeking is what is called vainglory and like a ship without a rudder it eventually leads to Man's complete and utter destruction.
Perhaps you are not seeking glory for yourself. If not, then perhaps you are glorifying another person, or even an inanimate object, a created thing, a creature? Now ask yourself this question. Are these things your god? Are they your gods? Speaking of gods...are you Glorifying the One True God in and with and by the life you are living?
For every Catholic, for every other Christian from every other denomination, for every devout Jew and for anyone who believes in a Divine all Supreme all God, if the answer to this question is no, then it requires a deep inner examination of self, and a sincere look at the hard truth and such a person must ask "If I am not giving Glory to God, then who or what am I giving Glory to? Who or what is my god, who or what is my King to whom I pledge servitude.
Man is a creature, and as such, should only be giving Glory, not to oneself, not to another person, and certainly not to another creature, but only to the One True God, Creator of Heaven and Earth, of all that is seen and unseen.
Who is your God? Who is your King? Man serving other men, worshiping false gods, be these gods power, wealth, pleasure, possessions, illicit sex, immorality or whatever they be, lead only in destruction and everlasting misery and nothingness. Laying down ones life at the feet of Jesus Christ leads to holy obedience and servitude of the one True King, the one benign ruler. But in serving Christ the King, this servitude frees us from the bondage and shackles of sin. For he who serves God in this life, reigns with God forever in Heaven in life eternal. Jesus in His Gospel according to St. John Chapter 17 verse 3 "Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ"
This Sunday, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church celebrates Jesus Christ as Christ the King. Come, and lay down your life for the King. Lose your current life for Jesus who says... "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it"
Come and give Glory to God in the Highest. Give give Glory to Christ the King, and you will preserve your life in eternal glory.
Praised be Jesus Christ, now and Forever.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Where Men are Men
I attended the 4th Men’s Catholic Conference, ( https://www.ctcatholicmen.org/ ) this past Saturday. See the terrific article that appeared in The Catholic Transcript written by Jack Sheedy who is the News Editor of the Transcript.
This year the Men's conference was held in Southington Connecticut at the Church of the Parish of St. Dominic. Doug Barry of Radix and also of EWTN's Life on the Rock, one of the Guest Speakers at this conference, spoke very directly and very powerfully to the men, encouraging them to foster the warrior spirit within them, the combative spirit of the soldier, the chivalrous knight, the defender and protector of the weak, of women, children, families and defenders of the souls of those entrusted to his care.
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| Doug Barry at CT Men's Catholic Conference |
It’s okay in societies terms Doug told us to be excited about sports, to hold pep rallies and parties and special events for sports, but it is surely not cool or even thinkable to even arrive 20 minutes early for Mass, to pre read and to become familiar with the Mass readings before Mass begins, to even pray the Rosary, but yet we know all the players on the teams we root for, their stats, batting averages and the highlights of their careers. But we know nothing of the life of Christ, or the Saints. We heard what we needed to hear, without pulling punches, Doug's word delivered with charity and love for us, for Christ and His Church.
I myself can see personally that today, men are weak, feminized, no longer leaders, neither in their families, nor in the community. Spiritual strength is seen as physical weakness and worse, men are lax in their defense of the family, for many men are absent from their family, they are divorced, or uninterested or just caught up in themselves, in their own selfish interests and are absent in defense of family values, family morals and absent in building and protecting the spiritual realm of their families. Many are wounded, caught up in sin, in personal immorality, in pornography, in themselves. "Men"...quotes Doug Barry.."would be right there defending their family if some thug broke down the household door"..."They would take a bullet for their wife and children but in the spiritual world, they leave their family defensless and un-protected."
The men I saw at this conference were not at all like these modern weak men, in that most saw what their role was, but they just needed a plan of action, they just needed to see who was on their side, they needed to hear a plan layed out before them, to show them what they needed to do, they need a rally cry and at this conference, the rally cry was “Be Men!” More to the point, be authentic Catholic Men; Men who love God and want to Know Him, Love Him, Serve Him…the theme of this conference. In other words, Be like our Lord.
Here, at this conference men saw that they must become more like the Saints who longed to be like Christ and to also, as Doug Barry showed us, never let down your guard for one moment. For in the spirit world, the enemy never sleeps, never tires, never relents. And when it appears Satan, the devil and his minions have turned away, that is when we let our spiritual guard down and when we are most vulnerable. This is when our families are most at danger. So, be men, be defenders, be combatants in this world and in the spiritual world. Be lovers of women and our wives, defenders of purity and innocence, not pursuers of selfish pleasures. Pray, fast and give alms to the poor. Stay strong by frequenting the sacrament of penance and reconciliation, by fervently and devoutly and reverently receiving Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
After the day ended it concluded with the celebration of Holy Mass. And when we finally left, after having received nourishment in the fraternity of other men, in receiving the sacrament of confession and in receiving the Holy Eucharist, more "men" returned home to their families, wives and children. Not more men in the in numbers of men, but that they were more real, more genuine and more trully men than when they arrived. Thanks Be to God!
Friday, March 25, 2011
The Angel of The Lord Declared Unto Mary
Happy Feast of the Annunciation! Today we celebrate that most Glorious Solemnity of the Annunciation, when God sends a messenger to a lowly virgin to "Announce" His plan of Salvation.
This Plan of Salvation is for God Himself, the very Son of God, who is to take on Flesh, to be born of a virgin, in order to undo the fall of Eve and of Adam, to give us a new Eve, and a new Adam to be Conceived in the immaculate womb of that new Eve, a humble young handmaid. Saint Luke tells us in his Gospel..
LUKE 1:26~28 "And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art though among women."
And so begins the incarnation in this way, in humility, in purity and in innocence. The great Angel, who is God's messenger, greats Mary humbly, speaks to her the very words of the Lord God, who sent Gabriel to proclaim the greeting and in so doing, revealing the Lord's plan of Salvation to this holy virgin Mary, who the angel says is "full of Grace" and tells her "The Lord is With You". It is this very angelic Salutation that we repeat, each time we pray the words given to Gabriel to speak unto Mary.
This prayer, comprised of the angel's greeting, is also comprised of of the inspired words of Elizabeth, who when visited by Mary is filled with the Holy Spirit at the sound of her voice and the Holy Spirit prompts Elizabeth to exclaim in a Loud voice in LUKE 1:42~45..."Blessed art though among women, and blessed in the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me? for behold, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed are though that hast believed, because those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord.
These very words we pray, are not our own words; nor are they words contrived by the Church, but these Sacred words are God's Himself, given to an angel and spoken by Gabriel and by the prompting of the Holy Spirit of God in the woman Elizabeth, it is she who is to bear the Herald of the Messiah, John the Baptist. It is the pregnant Elizabeth, who announces Mary as "Blessed Among all Women", "Full of Grace", and the Mother of the Lord". Blessed is Mary for believing what God would do in her and through her. I dare say, blessed too are those who also believe what God has wrought through Mary and who also call her blessed!
Henceforth, let us, in all generations call her blessed... and let us add,.... "Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death." Amen.
This Plan of Salvation is for God Himself, the very Son of God, who is to take on Flesh, to be born of a virgin, in order to undo the fall of Eve and of Adam, to give us a new Eve, and a new Adam to be Conceived in the immaculate womb of that new Eve, a humble young handmaid. Saint Luke tells us in his Gospel..
LUKE 1:26~28 "And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art though among women."
And so begins the incarnation in this way, in humility, in purity and in innocence. The great Angel, who is God's messenger, greats Mary humbly, speaks to her the very words of the Lord God, who sent Gabriel to proclaim the greeting and in so doing, revealing the Lord's plan of Salvation to this holy virgin Mary, who the angel says is "full of Grace" and tells her "The Lord is With You". It is this very angelic Salutation that we repeat, each time we pray the words given to Gabriel to speak unto Mary.
This prayer, comprised of the angel's greeting, is also comprised of of the inspired words of Elizabeth, who when visited by Mary is filled with the Holy Spirit at the sound of her voice and the Holy Spirit prompts Elizabeth to exclaim in a Loud voice in LUKE 1:42~45..."Blessed art though among women, and blessed in the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me? for behold, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed are though that hast believed, because those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord.
These very words we pray, are not our own words; nor are they words contrived by the Church, but these Sacred words are God's Himself, given to an angel and spoken by Gabriel and by the prompting of the Holy Spirit of God in the woman Elizabeth, it is she who is to bear the Herald of the Messiah, John the Baptist. It is the pregnant Elizabeth, who announces Mary as "Blessed Among all Women", "Full of Grace", and the Mother of the Lord". Blessed is Mary for believing what God would do in her and through her. I dare say, blessed too are those who also believe what God has wrought through Mary and who also call her blessed!
Henceforth, let us, in all generations call her blessed... and let us add,.... "Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death." Amen.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Thank You Joseph!
As a man I'm often talking about the things that are dear to my manly heart, none more dear to me than my mother, the first woman I've ever loved and who taught me what love is. I'm also drawn to speak about the great love of my life, my wife Deb and I would be remiss not to speak of someone to whom all men should look upon as a great model of what it means to be a man, and that is St. Joseph, the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Since we have just celebrated the Feast of St. Joseph, it is appropriate for me to mention him here.
We are told in Sacred Scripture that Joseph was a righteous man. There are no recorded words of Joseph in Scripture but we know that he must have loved God very much., after all, God chose him among all men to be the foster father of His Only Son, and to be the husband of Mary. No doubt Joseph also was a man of virtue, a descendant of King David, and he was betrothed to Mary. As the husband of Mary, Joseph gave to her son Jesus the lineage of His Birthright as the Descendant of the line of David. Joseph was chosen also to be the protector of the Child and His mother and surely Joseph loved God above all things and did God's will without hesitation. Joseph was the model man, the model husband and the model worker. He was the closest man on earth to Jesus, and loved Mary above all creatures and was loved by her and Jesus perhaps more than any other man who has ever lived. Living too so close to the source of all Grace, Joseph was purified and strengthened by that Grace and as those devoted to Christ, strengthened in all the virtues. So too can we become like Joseph if we but draw closer to Christ and His Blessed Mother.
I too in a very special way look to Joseph, for in a similarity that I am blessed to share with this humble saint, in my vocation of marriage, a calling to be not merely a husband, but also to be a father and specifically a step dad or as I would like to think more appropriately, a foster father since Joseph was a foster father to Jesus. I have been blessed and honored to love protect and help my wife Debra raise not one son, but two sons, and like Joseph, I looked on her two boys and love them as my own.
This past weekend we celebrated the Solemnity of Saint Joseph on Sat March 19th. After having prayed the Novena to St. Joseph, I have promised to make a more determined effort to call upon him more in my prayer and spiritual life and to model him in my own life. I do this for I see the need to be more like the righteous man that sought God's Will in all things and to strive to be like the man named Joseph who loved God above all, and loved and cherished Mary the mother of Jesus after that. Good St. Joseph, protect and defend all families and safeguard and help sanctify True and Genuine Marriage which is under attack today! It was God after all, Who chose the model of the family in which to raise His only Son Jesus. In this we have the perfect model of family, the Holy Family. In this family God chose a pure humble woman, a good and righteous man in which to raise a child, His only Son. It is by virtue of the Holy Family, we see the exemplar structure of how all families are to be.
Jesus Mary and Joseph, Sanctify the Family in which you have shown us that it was in the family, where the Domestic Church first took root!
We are told in Sacred Scripture that Joseph was a righteous man. There are no recorded words of Joseph in Scripture but we know that he must have loved God very much., after all, God chose him among all men to be the foster father of His Only Son, and to be the husband of Mary. No doubt Joseph also was a man of virtue, a descendant of King David, and he was betrothed to Mary. As the husband of Mary, Joseph gave to her son Jesus the lineage of His Birthright as the Descendant of the line of David. Joseph was chosen also to be the protector of the Child and His mother and surely Joseph loved God above all things and did God's will without hesitation. Joseph was the model man, the model husband and the model worker. He was the closest man on earth to Jesus, and loved Mary above all creatures and was loved by her and Jesus perhaps more than any other man who has ever lived. Living too so close to the source of all Grace, Joseph was purified and strengthened by that Grace and as those devoted to Christ, strengthened in all the virtues. So too can we become like Joseph if we but draw closer to Christ and His Blessed Mother.
I too in a very special way look to Joseph, for in a similarity that I am blessed to share with this humble saint, in my vocation of marriage, a calling to be not merely a husband, but also to be a father and specifically a step dad or as I would like to think more appropriately, a foster father since Joseph was a foster father to Jesus. I have been blessed and honored to love protect and help my wife Debra raise not one son, but two sons, and like Joseph, I looked on her two boys and love them as my own.
This past weekend we celebrated the Solemnity of Saint Joseph on Sat March 19th. After having prayed the Novena to St. Joseph, I have promised to make a more determined effort to call upon him more in my prayer and spiritual life and to model him in my own life. I do this for I see the need to be more like the righteous man that sought God's Will in all things and to strive to be like the man named Joseph who loved God above all, and loved and cherished Mary the mother of Jesus after that. Good St. Joseph, protect and defend all families and safeguard and help sanctify True and Genuine Marriage which is under attack today! It was God after all, Who chose the model of the family in which to raise His only Son Jesus. In this we have the perfect model of family, the Holy Family. In this family God chose a pure humble woman, a good and righteous man in which to raise a child, His only Son. It is by virtue of the Holy Family, we see the exemplar structure of how all families are to be.
Jesus Mary and Joseph, Sanctify the Family in which you have shown us that it was in the family, where the Domestic Church first took root!
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