Per Christum

I love free stuff, who doesn’t! Imagine how excited I was to find that Digital Catholic Library is offering free ebooks of Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton! With Earth Day this past week, what better way to celebrate than with a free, paperless, Catholic book.

Expect a 600KB download. Sorry everyone across the pond and to the south, it’s only free for US and Canadian citizens.

Every once in a while I stumble on a blog and think “why didn’t I think of that?!” This happened today when I discovered a new blog, Catholic Cuisine. For those of us looking for ways to incorporate the Church Year into our everyday lives, this site will be a great source of recipes and ideas. You may recognize one of its contributors; Jennifer from Family in Feast and Feria, another blog I’ve found to be a great help in my quest to develop our Domestic Church.

If cooking is not your style, how about some Carmelite roasted coffee? That’s right, the Carmelite Monks of Wyoming roast and distribute Mystic Monk Coffee. You can even get a double-handled Carmelite mug. The best part is your money supports the Monks while supporting your caffeine addiction!

You cannot pray at home as at church, where there is a great multitude, where exclamations are cried out to God as from one great heart, and where there is something more: the union of minds, the accord of souls, the bond of charity, the prayers of the priests. ~St. John Chrysostom, De incomprehensibili

The Early Show informed its viewers today that 5% of Catholics polled do not attend church at all. For those of you who may not be familiar with the Catholic Church, we believe Mass attendance is essential to the growth of our faith (please see the quick review at the end of this post).

With this in mind, I ask my question to the 5%: If you do not desire the Mass, the Eucharist, why do you desire to be known as Catholic? Please, do not misunderstand me. I am genuinely curious. During my time away from the Catholic Church, I would have emphatically told anyone in earshot that I was NOT Catholic, and never wanted to be considered Catholic. And I didn’t care what the Church taught on the Sacraments, much to my mother’s dismay, but that’s another story.

Being Catholic is not inherited. There is no DNA sequence that sets us apart from the “rest” of the world. For example, I took genetics classes in college but I would not consider myself to be a geneticist. I would not even consider myself remotely capable to understand what it means to do genetic work on a day to day basis. David has made a similar point previously. This is why I ask. So why classify yourself as a Catholic? Is it traditions in your home that define being Catholic to you? Or maybe it is flakiness that keeps you away from your church?

As a Catholic who goes to Mass and sees the value of it in my everyday life, I would like to extend an invitation to lapsed Catholics to come back to the Eucharistic feast. We would love to have you home again. But if its not for you, we won’t hold it against you. Nonetheless, I am still wondering, why claim to be Catholic when you don’t participate in the rituals that make one Catholic?

Read the rest of this entry »

Head over to EWTN to watch the Papal Mass in Washington D.C. It can be found under the Television link. Mass starts at 10am.

Act of Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that Thou art present in the Blessed Sacrament.
I love Thee above all things and I desire Thee in my soul.
Since I cannot now receive Thee sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart.
As though thou wert already there, I embrace Thee and unite myself wholly to Thee;
permit not that I should ever be separated from Thee

Prayer found on Catholic Online.

Back in the day, or so I’m told, every Catholic kitchen had a Kitchen Madonna statue. If it didn’t have a statue, you were sure to find a kitchen prayer posted somewhere with in it’s walls. I often search E-Bay for vintage Catholic items. Of the ones I’ve seen, my favorite piece happens to be this reproduction faux-wooden Madonna. Unfortunately, my kitchen has little counter space as it stands, so instead I have a little kitchen prayer with a Madonna picture on it. I don’t have the means to show you the picture, but it is similar to the pewter statue below. I received this as a gift from a friend years ago, and keep it above the sink. I find doing the dishes the most tedious of household tasks, well next to cleaning the bathtub. (Whose idea was it to make sliding tub doors, anyways?) Having the prayer there helps me to focus on the bigger purpose to being a homemaker. Since I like it so much, I thought I would share it with you:
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Today is the 3rd anniversary of Pope John Paul’s passing.  His cause for beatification was open on June 28, 2005.  I firmly believe his intercession brought David and I together.  While I’m fairly sure that’s not a relevant miracle for his cause, perhaps you have one?  If so contact:
   Vicariato di Roma
   Piazza S. Giovanni in Laterano, 6/a
   00184 Roma, ITALY

If you would like his intercession, here is the official prayer to ask favors:
      O Blessed Trinity, we thank you for having graced the church with Pope John Paul II and for allowing the tenderness of your fatherly care, the glory of the cross of Christ, and the splendor of the Holy Spirit, to shine through him. Trusting fully in your infinite mercy and in the maternal intercession of Mary, he has given us a living image of Jesus the Good Shepherd, and has shown us that holiness is the necessary measure of ordinary Christian life and is the way of achieving eternal communion with you. Grant us, by his intercession, and according to your will, the graces we implore, hoping that he will soon be numbered among your saints. Amen.

10 Who can find a good wife?
She is far more precious than jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.
14 She is like the ships of the merchant,
she brings her food from afar.
15 She rises while it is yet night
and provides food for her household
and tasks for her maidens.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17 She girds her loins with strength
and makes her arms strong.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
20 She opens her hand to the poor,
and reaches out her hands to the needy.

Read the rest of this entry »

I aways get a good chuckle this time of year. It seems like all the Catholics come out of the woodwork, and suddenly they can’t eat this or that because they gave it up for Lent.

Giving something up for Lent is one of the last vestiges of the Domestic Church in America. Of course there is no rule in the Catholic Church that you have to give something up for Lent. Catholics are more likely to show up to an Ash Wednesday Mass than on January 1st for Mary, Mother of God. It seems that society barely gains anything from these sacrifices, except maybe the fast food chains, who bring out their seldom seen fish sandwiches. But it survives. I have a few theories why, but in the end it comes from tradition (little t).

I know many people say “the family that prays together stays together,” but I think as Catholics we are encouraged to take this a step or two further. Praying is just one important component of the Catholic home. We have so many wonderful traditions that are being ignored and slowly fading away. And yet I’ve heard many people lament that their children leave the Catholic Church when they enter college. Some of these people I know well, others I can only guess what happens in the family home. But from experience, I’m guessing that their homes have a similar make-up: church is reserved for Sundays, and religion is something to be covered only in religion classes. Feasts come, and unless society covers them, they pass forgotten. We need to bring the Church home with us.

Lately, I’ve been trying to remember customs that my family practiced in my childhood. As the years progressed, my family simplified our celebrations so much that I hardly remember details. Because David and I firmly believe in teaching our children to celebrate Catholic feasts in the home, I’ve been doing research to fill the holes in my memory. Some of the traditions I do remember include Hot Cross Buns on Good Friday, Butter Lamb on Easter (you can still get these in several Cleveland, Ohio grocery stores), and celebrating Saint or Name days. A great idea I’ve come across recently is creating Easter Vigil Notebooks. Its a great way for young children to participate in Lent and prepare for the Easter Vigil. Yes, I just mentioned children at the Vigil. The notebook not only teaches children about the Vigil, but provides them with something concrete to look at while attending the Vigil. Another idea, found on Mommy Life, is an Easter cookie recipe complete with scripture readings, to help explain the Triduum.

For anyone who might also be interested in developing their domestic church, here are a few sources I’ve found helpful. (Besides our very own ChurchYear.net. :) ) I’ve been reading Around the Year with the Trapp Family, by Maria Augusta Trapp. The actual book is no longer in print but EWTN has provided the text on their site. The Book of Catholic Customs and Traditions covers the basics of each season and provides craft ideas. I’ve also found several blogs such as Family in Feast and Feria, Family Food for Feast and Feria, Simple Gifts, and In the Heart of my Home. And of course, since I love to cook, Cooking with the Saints by Ernst Schuegraf, which has been a great source for celebrating Saint Feast days or Name days.

What books or sites would you recommend? Traditions?

Cat courtesy of Lolcats ‘n’ Funny Pictures.

Lamb courtesy of Forgotten Buffalo.

‘Elijah’ first production at new I Am Third

By Eric J. Lyman

Oct 20, 2007
ROME — Film producers Conroy Kanter and Ecky Malick on Friday announced the creation of I Am Third Prods., with plans to make the company’s first film based on the best-selling apocalyptic novel “Father Elijah” by Canadian author Michael O’Brien.

Read the rest…

I know several people will be excited to hear this. Now I have to read this series. LOL

Hat tip: Colleen Hammond

I wanted to share this thought on Protestantism:

I no longer subscribe the concept of protest, which leads not only to a broken church family, but to broken families. You don’t like something, you’re outta here. The divorce rate among Protestants is the same as the divorce rate of the general population. Children feel free to abandon their families. What I’m seeing is that the Protestant ethic permeates our stance toward all the gifts God has given us in the inherited legacy of our church family. -Barbara at MommyLife.Net

She is being told to read more Martin Luther, in hopes it will help her overcome her “problem” of feeling called to the Catholic Church.

Want to read more? The adventure continues here.

It’s the holiday season, and time to think about giving. Here is a great little site to help you spread your holiday cheer, Charity Navigator. It allows you to search local charities and how donations are distributed, including details like how much an executive makes. Check it out.

H/T Barbara at mommylife.net

By now, many of you know, the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights is calling for the boycott of Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass. This boycott is making headlines; even the Today Show has mentioned it. If you have seen the trailers for the movie, it looks good. So why are Catholic/Christian communities in such a big uproar? Because Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy seeks to weaken or destroy a Christian child’s spirituality. This book creates a world where organized religion is corrupt, witches are heroic, and The Fall is considered the rebellion against the tyranny of the Authority.

Check out some of the characters on Wikipedia:

The Authority is the first angel created in this world. He convinces the other angels he is the Creator. He rules Cloud Mountain or the Kingdom of Heaven.

Xaphania is the angel who figures out The Authority lied. She leads the rebellion against him. She wishes to create the Republic of Heaven.

Marisa Coulter (Nicole Kidman) is a widow who works for Oxford and the Catholic Church.

Magisterium or the Church does experiments on children to separate them from their daemons (souls). The reasoning is it will prevent children from knowing sin. Coulter is in charge of these experiments.

Daemons in this series are the physical manifestation of the soul, think witch’s familiar.

Dr. Mary Malone is a physicist from “our world” and an ex-nun.

Pullman is an atheist and has even helped create a series called Why Atheism? with writer Michael Rosen. What does this have to do with his books? Everything. Just like Tolkien, Lewis, and George MacDonald put Christian themes in their books, so has he put atheistic themes in his. He weaves his story using Hebrew, Pagan, and Christian symbolism.

From an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald in 2003:

Pullman, though, expected more. “I’ve been surprised by how little criticism I’ve got. Harry Potter’s been taking all the flak. I’m a great fan of J.K. Rowling, but the people - mainly from America’s Bible Belt - who complain that Harry Potter promotes Satanism or witchcraft obviously haven’t got enough in their lives. Meanwhile, I’ve been flying under the radar, saying things that are far more subversive than anything poor old Harry has said. My books are about killing God. Source: The shed where God died

From Pullman’s Q and A section on his website:

Q: What stance do the books take?

“It depicts a struggle: the old forces of control and ritual and authority, the forces which have been embodied throughout human history in such phenomena as the Inquisition, the witch-trials, the burning of heretics, and which are still strong today in the regions of the world where religious zealots of any faith have power, are on one side; and the forces that fight against them have as their guiding principle an idea which is summed up in the words The Republic of Heaven. It’s the Kingdom against the Republic.

And everything follows from that. So, for instance, the book depicts the Temptation and Fall not as the source of all woe and misery, as in traditional Christian teaching, but as the beginning of true human freedom something to be celebrated, not lamented. And the Tempter is not an evil being like Satan, prompted by malice and envy, but a figure who might stand for Wisdom.
….
And if certain Christian critics are confused by this, and imagine I’m denying the difference between good and evil, then all I can say is that I shall pray for them.”
Source: Pullman’s Q&A section.

In a recent interview with Al Roker, Pullman dances around the question about the book being anti-Catholic. Obviously, he’s heard that people don’t want to support a movie in which killing God is the objective. He now says the religion in this other world has gone bad. How bad? According to Catholic Culture:

Throughout the trilogy, priests are portrayed as evil and violent; one of them is an assassin. In contrast, an ex-nun who has lost her faith is positively portrayed. She describes Christianity as “a very powerful and convincing mistake.” The “Magisterium” kidnaps children in order to take out their souls. In the final volume, characters representing Adam and Eve kill God, who is referred to as YAHWEH.

As a Catholic blog we seek to inform our readers about a variety of topics. I wanted to do more than shake my finger saying, “bad man,” so I wanted to provide some background on the books and film. Hopefully, you now know enough to make your own decision about this series, and not boycott it simply because some prominent orthodox Catholics oppose it.

Want More?

Snopes.com on The Golden Compass

Philip Pullman “Religious Impulse” Listen to his examples.

Philip Pullman Realizes ‘Killing God’ Not the Ideal Sales Pitch

Atheism for Christmas?

“The Golden Compass: Agenda Unmasked” Catholic League

(Episcopal) Archbishop wants atheist Pullman on syllabus

photo from: About.com

I would like to introduce a fellow Christian who is contemplating crossing the Tiber, Barbara Curtis of mommylife.net. Her work includes the Mommy, Teach Me! series and Reaching the Left from the Right: Talking About Social Issues with People Who Don’t Think Like You.

I have enjoy reading her stories and wanted to pass them on. They can be found here:
What does it mean to be pro-life?
Where I’ve been and where I’m bound - Part 1
Where I’ve been and where I’m bound - WIBAWIB - Part 2
Barbara Goes to Mass - WIBAWIB - Part 3
More thoughts on Mass - WIBAWIB - Part 4
WIBAWIB - Part 5
This is still the beginning of her voyage across the Tiber. If anyone out there has a toe in the Tiber, has crossed (or who was born this side of it!) send her a note.

This September 2007 David and I were married with God, family, and friends as our witnesses. The weather was perfect, the food was great, and everyone seemed to have a good time. We had a beautiful wedding Mass, complete with a devotion to the Blessed Mother (and no unity candle). :D

The Mass:
Prelude: Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring (J.S. Bach)
O, Had I Jubal’s Lyre (G.F. Handel)
Panis Angelicus(C. Franck) (sung)

Processional: Canon in D (Pachelbel)

Old Testament Reading: Genesis 2:18-24
New Testament Reading: Romans 8:31b-35, 37-39
Gospel Reading: Mark 10:6-9

Offertory Hymn: Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing (select verses)
Communion Hymn: Love Divine All Loves Excelling (#429)
Devotion to Blessed Mother: Ave Maria (Schubert)
Recessional: Prelude in Classical Style (G. Young)

Our programs provided some explanation for our guests. We thought this was important because many of our guests were not Catholic. I will be posting a demo copy eventually, but it’s on a different computer.

For more details check out the extended post on Totus Tuus