My confirmation and first communion were wonderful! I had ached to take part in the Eucharist for months now and I finally got to. I was so excited! I was actually shaking while I was up front for confirmation. My leg was going a mile a minute and I was afraid that it might give out on me, luckily it didn’t.
FREAKED ME OUT...in a good way of course!!! This lovely young woman, Vivien Betland, entered the Catholic Church and was confirmed this Easter Vigil, 2012. Great, you may say...but what is the big deal? Well, her story was just featured on the "Why I'm Catholic" website. Her and I have never crossed paths, although we are both from MN. But imagine my surprise when the featured photo for her story was the same priest who confirmed me, 6 years ago, at the very same parish she now attends--St Olaf in Minneapolis, a mile from my home!!! Small world so they say. BTW if you wish to see the BACK of Father Mark's head look on my story, at the end of the article itself, just before the comments, and you will see this same priest administering Confirmation to me. What a huge family we have in Christ and in the Church. May God use Vivien in her work and future. And I have prayed for her without even knowing it. Very cool.
I am going to try out a new and hopefully fun feature for our growing group…instead of “7 Quick Takes Friday” or “3.5 Even Quicker Tuesday Takes” or “5 Wednesday Fake Takes” (I just made that one up actually) I thought of something that I have not seen thus far in the Catholic blogosphere, and which might have a slight twist of originality–but it will need your participation in order to be successful. And mostly just to have some Sunday fun.
I am going to attempt to post 3-5 songs every Sunday that are not particularly “religious” in nature, and then ask you to listen to them with new ears–in other words try to find something, even just one line or phrase, that speaks to you about our respective walks with our Lord Jesus Christ, and then share that message with the rest of us.
There will be no songs posted with strongly suggestive themes or language which you cannot use in front of your children for the most part, but some of them may come to the edge of those things, and if so I will tell you ahead of time, so you can be forewarned. The point here is to find out what the secular world is actually saying to us, and how we can respond. However it is difficult to do so if we cannot dare look at the world as it is. So some of these tunes may have a frankness to them, and if you are not sure in your hearts about listening to any, then please do not do so.
You are welcome to add songs as well, as long as they fit the same criteria above, but the one rule is you must relate it to the Faith somehow, and share in a sentence or two what the hidden spiritual theme might be, at least in your eyes.
Please don’t be too legalistic about it either, and know that there are no “right or wrong” answers here. I think this could be lots of fun, and I hope it catches on! Some weeks we may even have a particular theme to look for, such as songs that relate to a certain Bible verse or concept, or ones that mention a particular fruit of the Spirit, such as love or joy. This week the songs are just generally interesting though, and ones which reflect well the culture we live in–both the good and bad.
OKAY what religious message could I EVER get from this one??? Well simple– ”And the eagle flies with the dove…” Have you never met someone you KNEW you would have nothing whatsoever in common with, not only romantically but just in general, and they think opposite of you on every single issue from religion to politics, but somehow you just find that you connect? And you, and I, are called to love them–just as they are. As Christians this should be happening more and more, not less and less, to us.You should truly ”love the one you’re with.” Possibly not in the way that they are suggesting here, but with the love of our Lord. RIght? See, hidden spirituality!!!
Okay now another:
Well here was a song that had a few controversies in its time…there are all kinds of rumors that Anton Lavey of the Church of Satan is featured on the cover of this album. It by the way is not him in any case. But the haunting melody and the words, and even that controversy itself, tell me one thing. We must walk with discernment. One line of the song is “this could be heaven, this could be hell.” Is that not true of life in Christ? Without the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the Church, how do we ever know, as Pilate once asked, “what is truth?” We can easily be led astray by the enemy, but we do not have to be.
The well-known Snopes website clears up the “Hotel California” confusion here in case you still have any doubts. The song was in reality about the musicians themselves (the Eagles) seemingly ”having it all” during their heights of fame and fortune but still being trapped within themselves. Perhaps in reality that is a form of satanism…but the song is a warning against it, not a promotion of it.
Last one for today: WARNING HERE–this one contains 3-4 very quick but sexual images, yet the song is not really complete without them so I have included it “as is…” so watch this one only if you can honestly handle that please. I have purposefully linked it without showing an image to prevent any “occasions of sin” here:
The theme from one of the best series ever on television–HBO’s “True Blood.” While the show is not likely for your children, the video itself presents sexuality and spirituality juxtaposed one to another in a very “in your face” sort of way. The song “Bad Things” is written and sung by one Jace Everett, a studied Christian who nearly became a Pentecostal minister but instead went into music. I include it along with the video, as it shows the constant battle of love and lust, good and evil, sin and redemption, and ”True Blood” does the same thing in nearly every episode. It is not just about vampires and hobgoblins.
So that is it for today, folks. Let me know what you think–and please post your own too!
You know that feeling when you are doing a regular, not out of the ordinary chore and you are suddenly transported by memory to another place in time? Is it just me this happens to? I highly doubt that, liars…
Today is Pancake Day! Yes I know its lent but I didn’t give up eggs and dairy, just wine and turtles.
Next Sunday morning, at the Cathedral of St Paul in St Paul, MN (my parish) we will be having our annual St Patrick's Pancake Breakfast...I cannot help but hope that each reader can somehow get there, even if it is from Canada to the USA (MN borders Canada anyway!!!).
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But whether you can or not, this is one of the nicest Sunday articles I have seen in a long time. Pancakes were also what we annually made at the community Supper to raise money for band each year when I was growing up. And those pancakes, as well as the Cathedral ones, were and are the best ever made somehow. In my hometown of Princeton,MN it brought pretty much the entire town out, and in both cases you could have all you wanted.
Somehow I think the writer's "big Grandma E" is someone who most of us had, in some form or another, in our lives. It isn't really about the pancakes (well partly it is!) but the memories. Enjoy this nice post.
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When I was debating last week about continuing my blog, I received many wonderful comments from people who I had never met, as well as friends both online and off. So I guess will stick around as long as my fingers can operate this crazy keyboard hehe. I realized something just today from another person’s post too–this blog can and should be my legacy for others and will likely outlast me if I choose it to.
One day when I pass, be it sooner or in 30 years, these writings, good, bad, ugly or other, will still exist somewhere and be a record of my life and why as well as how I lived it. So I am writing my memoirs and didn’t even realize it! Kind of a humbling thought very honestly. But it also means some great-niece or nephew or whoever will get the big money too when it becomes a made-for-TV movie (fairly unlikely!)…because I do not expect to see that day hehe. But blogging or various other internet contacts are potentially a gift for us all to benefit from.
Image via Wikipedia
Some say that the online community prevents us from reaching out to our local neighbors–I disagree. Since the earliest days of American Online (I first signed on 17 years ago in 1995), and in more recent years with Face Book and now blogging I have connected with friends from over 100 nations, virtually every US state, and priests and ministers (and an Archbishop or two such as Chaput and now-Cardinal Burke!) who I may never myself meet but who have met or who have known such greats as the Holy FatherPope Benedict XVI or Blessed John Paul II–or others who personally knew Blessed Mother Teresa or hosts of other amazing persons or potential saints who will live forever in this world and the next.
Pope in Fatima (Photo credit: Catholic Church (England and Wales))
I have been privileged (as well as chastised at times!) to chronicle my own changes in both my religious and political leanings, and have been challenged strongly at every juncture but have learned (and hopefully helped others to grow as well) during that evolutionary process which still goes on towards the final gift of a life with the God we all one day will face.
Image via Wikipedia
I have been gifted with–just today in fact–a two-hour conversation with a new FB friend from Michigan, two states over from MN where I live, where we shared in-depth about things absolutely no one among my “face to face” family or friends has taken the time or energy to even learn about me. And I hopefully helped and encouraged him too. I think I did. I “walked” online with and later by many phone conversations another friend, also from Michigan, for 3 full years who was confirmed a Catholic in 2006 on the same evening I was, from the moment we met in a Catholic chatroom on Yahoo until his untimely death from cancer at age 29. And I still miss Rich so very much. Our lives indeed touched each other and now I know that he prays for me from beyond. The simple crucifix I sent to his widow when he died was used on the casket during his wake and funeral. His lovely wife now has a new love in her life and a beautiful baby on the way, after having experienced more pain than any one young woman deserves at such an age. I am happy for her. Rich is too.
I have discovered old friends from high school and college who I had wondered about for over 30 years. I have also interacted with not one, but 4 or 5 of my favorite actors or actresses from my childhood favorite television show “Dark Shadows,” among others, and who have personally at least said at very least a hello or two, one even wishing me a happy birthday this year (thanks Marie Wallace!), and another (Christopher Pennock) praying (well in his case chanting, as he is Tibetan Buddhist) for the recovery of a dear loved one from cancer. To think that they actually cared enough to do so is utterly mind-boggling to my brain and heart. I have an email or note from one not one but two of the actors from the greatest movie of all time “The Sound of Music.” I have even connected with people from worlds I am no longer a part of, but whose lives still mattered to me then and now, such as two (be scandalized if you must!) who bared it all in PLAYGIRL in the 1980s when I was a young man struggling to work through my SSA sexuality while still hanging on to a traditional marriage. Who would dream that one day I would be in contact with any of the above-mentioned people–priests to porn stars, actors to old friends from school days, and almost daily a new person who shares the Faith which is now more important to me than all of the past–my Catholic Christian journey.
Image via Wikipedia
Image via Wikipedia
Because of certain health issues of my own I do not get out “on the town” a lot other than work, sleep, work, and more sleep. Plus in between I study a lot and live alone so my life is somewhat reticent-leaning, you might say. But I have a world-wide family and I can talk to them day or night. You cannot sign on to the computer at any given hour without at least someone, somewhere, who is readily available to chat if you wish to do so.
Yes it is true it can be misused or overdone. And I have done both at times. It can also replace the “face to face” and we should not ever allow it to. But why choose between the two, when we can have such a great gift at our literal fingertips? A young man, a bright and brave teen who is a devout Christian from the primarily Muslim Pakistan called me and sang “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” to me last year when I turned 55, when most of my siblings or other friends and relatives and even my dad forgot to do so! I have a Christmas birthday and it is easy for it to get lost among the shuffle of other events that time of year so I am not complaining. But I saved his message to CD and will always have it and treasure it. Thank you Chris Michael. A similar thing happened from India a few years ago with another Catholic Christian friend named John.
And, speaking of Muslim brothers and sisters, I have a FB friend who produced an I-MAX movie “Arabia” (which just came out on DVD/Blu Ray–so get to Amazon and buy it for an amazing treat!) and who I have had many warm contacts with. Many worry, and rightly so, that Muslim extremists are on the increase. They are. That however is all the more reason for us to learn from those beautiful Muslims who, like Hamzah Jamjoom, have chosen instead to be “bridge builders” and do so in such a brilliant way. And who would guess I would be able to one day speak, at least online, to this extraordinary young man who loves God and humanity.
Image via Wikipedia
The entire world is ours right now. We should enjoy it while we can. One day it may not be. But today–TODAY–whatever faults FB or “Al Gore‘s Internet” may have, we still have an online community made up of real people and a world that I would not have dreamed of knowing or connecting with as a child or young adult. Even early rock stars or those in Hollywood did not have the opportunity for contacts that the average person can have today at the flip of a switch.
So yes let’s use it–just don’t abuse it. And to each of you and to those I may not have specifically mentioned, I have a feeling this short answer may develop into a much longer post one day…so much more to say. But the short answer is this…we would not have touched one another had it not been for this crazy internet thing…and thank you all for reading the blog and letting me know my words actually do matter. God bless–lots– to my friends and family, old, new, and yet to be known. I think this may be a small taste of what heaven will be like.
This blog went “live” on November 11, 2011, just over 3 months ago. Since that time, I have had some great opportunities to connect, not only with my Facebook family and friends who were already following my sometimes inane but occasionally inspired words, but with a far larger audience within the greater blogosphere.
Just a few statistics that humble me and yet encourage me forward…Today I will be hitting my 14,000th “hit.” Largely this is due to numerous friends who have helped promote this blog, to those who as I said had already been reading my thoughts and words from FB, and, more than anything, to Tito Edwards, who has generously and often promoted me through daily blog links to numerous Catholic sites through his page:
and which is also published within the National Catholic Register (now owned and operated by EWTN) blog page on a daily basis. That has been some beautiful exposure to say the very least.
Cover of Through Gates of Splendor
I also have connected with 91 nations, posted 126 separate times, and had as diverse an audience as the well-known and highly regarded Dr. Thomas Howard, who I write about in my conversion story and who is the brother of Elisabeth Elliott (whose husband Jim was a martyred missionary to Ecuador and a hero of mine even in my teen years). Both of them are tremendous authors and indeed have stories to tell which the whole Christian wold has taken note of over the years. Dr. Howard and I have corresponded over the last 5 years, and he gave me permission to quote him regarding my blog stating:
“Well, bravo. Your piece on abortion was “bang on”, as the English say. It’s encouraging to know you’re in there fighting the good fight.The responses you got were also encouraging. You speak with great courage and circumspection. And again, orchids and laurels to you for what you’re doing.”
Pretty rich endorsement from one of the former editors ofChristianity Today, andauthor of so many books which have helped and guided people such as the great Jeff Cavins during his own return to the Faith.
Another person whose site has referred many to mine is Patrick Vandapool. I first came into contact with this unique man on FB, and have continued to stay in touch through his blog “A Catholic UNapologist” which is pretty–well, unapologetic. While he and I have distinctly different styles, we share a love for the Lord and the Catholic Faith, and I am proud to consider him a friend and fellow sojourner. Here is a link to his page:
And last but certainly not least, I actually won an award via a new friend, Tony Layne, whose blog “Outside the Asylum” is just one of those well-written and charitable perspectives within the Faith. He always has some good stuff to say. I humbly thank you Tony! Visit him at:
I have probably forgotten someone, but I do know this, each person who has ever stopped by even for a moment has been important to me, and caused me much gladness to be within the ever-widening circle of Catholic Christian blogging! I do not know what the future holds, in a year my blog may be doubled in size, or it may be defunct. Only our Lord knows. My last blog had exactly 4 followers in as many years, and I was one of the four! This one so far has over 170 and again in just 3 months. I can only believe God has some purpose in my words going out in directions I would not have imagined 6 months ago. I would, more than anything, therefore ask humbly for your prayers that I may continue to use it in a way He sees fit. And I love being able to share my heart with so many.
Oh Valentines Day, how I do I love thee? I don’t really…
I have one Offspring heartbroken about tomorrow and the other baking cookies for their valentine. I was told on the weekend that my Valentine is taking me to Cats! All of this for an over rated holiday in the middle of winter.
Back in the OLDEN DAYS called the 1970′s, Valentines were paper with the occasional box of chocolate or flower given out.
Great stuff–And this is EXACTLY how jaded I am about this day...I kind of wish she had left off the African-American “lynching” one, bringing such a terrible time in our existence to the forefront…and then I thought, no that is exactly WHY we needed to see it. To remind us we are not as “nice” as we think–not then and not now.
We as humans can pervert anything, race, tragedy, love–and somehow make money from it. May God help us all, and may this be the year we let His love reign in each of us and to all of us His children. Peace. And Blessed Feast of Sts Cyril and Methodius!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saints_Cyril_and_Methodius
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