Archives for December 2015

7 Quick Takes Friday (set #189)

Friday, December 11, 2015 A.D. Leave a Comment

This week: The latest issue of New Evangelists Monthly awaits your perusal. Keeping focused on Advent. CS Lewis also wrote about “the other” coming of our Lord. A young woman becomes a postulant of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration. Kids are blown-away by a lunchroom drama unfolding around them. Taking an itsy-bitsy closer look at the media’s latest poster boy and scientific genius – Ahmed Mohammed. Farrah Prudence is an ex-Muslim (with, of course, a fatwa calling for her murder) with some educational comments about the religion.

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Issue #36, December 2015, of New Evangelists Monthly is ready for your enjoyment! Scores of faithful Catholic bloggers have contributed their very best pieces from November. Contributing authors this month include: Matthew Coffin, Fr. Stephen Morris, Adam Crawford, Chris Capolino, Stephen Korsman, Nancy Ward, Brantly Millegan, Dave Wanat, David Gray, Ellen Gable Hrkach, Susan Fox, Carolyn Astfalk, Larry Fox, Blythe Kaufman, Melanie Jean Juneau, Rick Becker, Fr. Austin Fleming, Dn. Scott Dodge, Jennifer Cerino, Frank Rega, Reese Cumming, Nancy Shuman, John Donaghy, Emily, Emily Hartung, Fr. Chori Jonathin Seraiah, John Schroeder, John Russell, Tom Perna, Matthew Plese, Elizabeth Reardon, Rich Maffeo, Fr. Juan Velez, Monica McConkey, Jamie Jo, David Wong, Larry Peterson, David Torkington, Debbie Gaudino, Lianna Mueller, Robert Collins, Tony Agnesi, Ellen Kolb, Jenn Tatum, Fr. Ben Hadrich, Barbara Szyszkiewicz, George Sipe, Michael Seagriff, Adam DeVille, Ebeth Weidner, Shannon Vandaveer, Bartimaeus Timeo, Leslie Klinger, Alexandrina Brant, Barbara Hosbach, David Cooney, Sr. Maresa Lilley, Brian Gill, Fr. Richard DeLillio, Roxane Salonen, W.L. Grayson, Rose O’Donnell, Fr. Adrian Danker, Emily Borman, Joseph Shaw, Dennis Justison, Jessica McArney, Lyn Mettler, Jeff Walker, Justin Soutar, Rita Buettner, Lisa Ponchak, Rick Rice, Heidi Knofczynski, Julian Barkin, Jennifer James, Kirby Hoberg, Laura Pearl, Jennifer Elia, Matt Nelson, Melissa Overmyer, Kathleen Laplante, Rebecca Recznik, Gregory Watson, Larry T and Msgr. Charles Pope.

This monthly “meta-magazine” showcases faithful Catholicism from theology to family life and “everything in between.” Enjoy it now at NewEvangelists.org.

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Only 2 more weeks until Christmas! But not yet. We are smack dab in the middle of ADVENT. This is not the Christmas liturgical season. That starts on the 25th (well, Christmas eve, actually). For now, let’s keep focused on Advent:

Some good Catholic Advent resources are here.

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Advent is all about Christ coming into the world, for the first time. We are excited but know that is not the only time He will come. C.S. Lewis wrote about The World’s Last Night, which is illustrated and narrated by this “video doodle.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leSj7SVX_dg

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A young woman enters the cloistered monastery of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration as a postulant. Located in Hanceville Alabama, this is Mother Angelica’s order. Congratulations Haley!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOPkCRoRXR4

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Yea “flash crowd” is getting to be old-hat. Nevertheless, this one is very cute. Watch the look on the faces of these kids as this proceeds:

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You undoubtedly read about the Islamophobic prejudice brought to bear upon Ahmed Mohammed, a young Muslim scientific genius when he brought a brilliantly designed electronic clock to school. The truth is NOTHING like the always biased media presented it. William Kilpatrick has an excellent article on it for Crisis Magazine: Clock and Bull Story. Bill Whittle also touches some of some of the points here:

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Speaking of the “religion of peace,” this lady has a few observations and knows well what she is talking about. I’ll let her explain:

It is a huge mistake to assume everybody else shares our Christian values.

Some random thoughts or bits of information are worthy of sharing but don’t warrant their own full post. This idea was begun by Jennifer Fulwiler and is now usually hosted by Kelly Mantoan. This week however, Anabelle Hazard at Written by the Finger of God guest hosts. Thank you Kelly (and Anabelle) for hosting this project!

Filed Under: quick takes

New Evangelists Monthly – December 2015, Issue #36

Saturday, December 5, 2015 A.D. 1 Comment

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Filed Under: New Evangelists Monthly

From the archive (set #13)

Friday, December 4, 2015 A.D. Leave a Comment

Tomorrow is time for New Evangelists Monthly to begin a new edition. Today, I would like to bring to your attention 3 original, brief essays that you may have missed. If you don’t have time to read all three, I especially recommend the first one — On His way.

The image is intriguing, suggesting baby Jesus in His virgin mother’s womb over 2,000 years ago, but through today’s technology. Looking at it we feel the excitement of expectancy, especially those of us who are parents. What a terrific Advent image! I like it also because it powerfully ties to our firm belief in life from conception. Our Savior was once an unborn baby Himself. The Mother of God did not “choose” to “terminate” Him, she said only yes.

…read it all: On His way

The fallacy is that deaconesses were female deacons, which was never the case. Deaconesses had a totally different, non-liturgical role. The name was often given to the wives of deacons or certain widows and their most notable purpose was to protect the modesty of women being baptized. In the early Church, baptism was done fully nude. Deaconesses assisted by holding a cloth between a woman being baptized and the priest.

…read it all: Women deacons

The evil of that abortion could not be stopped. To my mind, the Holy Spirit used that tragedy to show Abby – up-front and very personal – exactly what it was. Abby would soon quit her job, literally cross the street and join The Coalition for Life. Now she would be outside of the facility that she previously ran, letting the Holy Spirit work through her and praying for all inside.

…read it all: When the Holy Spirit calls

Filed Under: archive

Does truth matter?

Tuesday, December 1, 2015 A.D. Leave a Comment

People are confused by gobs of secular group-think. At one time, folks held knowledge of truth (and living consistently with it) in high regard. Now, whatever the topic, it seems to go through a quick filter of “does it matter to me one way or the other?” If not, then go with the flow, live and let live, to each his own and who am I to judge? Truth is no longer an immutable fact, but equated with preference. What is right for you might not be right for me — so, truth is assumed to be relative.

We see this played-out in abortion politics. If a wanted child is killed in utero, that is considered murder (in most states). If that same child is unwanted and “terminated” by her mother at an even later stage, it is considered choice. The humanity of that child is true or false depending on it being wanted.

Most people today are atheists, agnostics or “nones.” Atheists at least have thought about God and have come to a conclusion, albeit an incorrect one. Agnostics and nones are more interesting because they simply do not care enough to find out. If there is a God, what could possibly be more important? The implications for everything are huge! It would seem that those who have not figured it out would spend as much effort as necessary to move themselves either to the faith or to the atheist column, yet do not bother.

There is a wide spectrum of those who claim faith. Many have confused religious belief with affirmation of whatever their fallen will desires. They will engage whatever faith community is easiest, most welcoming / accepting / affirming of their lifestyle and (current) values, involving no inconvenience and calling for no amendment of their life. It is also valued if “worship” is entertaining and fun. Social interactions with useful business or political networking is a plus. In reality, this is not so much about God as it is about themselves. Truth has little to do with it.

Moving further in the faith direction we come to those who hold a firm belief in a “higher power.” Just that, nothing more — no need to dig deeper or think anything through. Believers at this very low level are barely outside the agnostic / none camp. They move between Christian and broader faith communities with ease. Many would proudly describe themselves as “spiritual” and hold that all religions are equal. Their car bumpers typically sport “coexist” stickers.

At last we come to true Christians! By grace we are Christian believers, but have sadly landed in numerous, separated ecclesial communities. A large chunk of us believe in the Trinity and that the cross somehow saves us but know little more. There is, even among Christians, a common assumption that being a good person (just about everyone thinks they are one) is good enough (or at least not requiring much more than that). To my mind, such folks appear to be banking on their invincible ignorance to be sufficient. Like non-believers, they sadly miss lives blessed by abundant grace.

Distinct from these brothers and sisters, are those who care about and seek truth. In an ideal world, we would all be in this group! Devout Christians are open to the Holy Spirit, seek to know and understand what God has revealed, place God at the center of their lives, seek continuous conversion of themselves and a closer relationship with our Creator. This is the narrow road of truth that leads to eternal life.

Those of us who are baptized and confirmed are priests, prophets and kings. We have responsibility, not only to get ourselves to heaven but to bring as many others as possible along with us. That can only be done by keeping ourselves in that last group while evangelizing in love, those in all the others. This can not be done solely by example.