Woman writes against abortion



Living in the society of death, where the right to have an abortion has been added to the civil rights movement. A time where many people have felt that it is not the lives of others that matter, but rather that of their own. That is the selfishness we find in today's world. This is the result of feeling that kids are a burden to our success, rather than a blessing from God.

Yet some people have graciously still seen the wrong in abortion. This story starts with a woman named Abby Johnson. She is one that although born into a conservative family in Texas and, a Christian upbringing, had worked in planned parenthood after seeing a booth at a college fair. She started out volunteering, and letter got promoted to community service director, welcoming clients to the operation room. She worked for planned parent hood for 8 years. She later saw an operation via an ultrasound, which reminded her of the abortion of her own daughter. Abby says that she saw the baby squirming and turning, as to avoid what was happening. Abby did not think that the baby would feel a thing.

Abby has later joined the Pro-Life movement and has authored a best selling book Unplanned. In this book Abby describes her story from both sides of the abortion clinic. She discourses life and death scenarios, courtroom battles, as well as her transformation from pro-choice to pro-life.

This is a must read for anyone who treasures the sanctity of life. This is a book I plan on getting home for Christmas as well.

An Era of Apologetics

I don't think there has ever been a time that people have been defending the Catholic, or even the Christian faith than the time that we are living in today. With over a dozen Catholic apologist and authors this really is the era of apologetics.

This is a great thing, and it is something that both Catholics and non Catholics should take advantage of to learn about our Catholic faith. I wish I could have learned about all of this a long time ago. In that case I would have come closer to my faith sooner.

There are a lot of really good apologist, as well as websites and publications coming out defending the Catholic faith. The question is which ones stand out the most? There are just so many, most of them good and some even really good. Just below I made a list of some of my favorite apologists, as well as websites that I think are really good for any one Catholic and Non Catholic who wants to learn more about the faith.

Apologists

Scott Hahn - Many call him the main apologist, the reason being that he was one of the ones who really helped people understand the Catholic faith. He has written wonderful books about the Catholic Church, such as Rome Sweet Home, and The Lamb's Supper. He has published a great website for explaining Catholic beliefs, and finally has even helped publish a great study bible The Ignatius Study Bible. Scott Hahn was not always Catholic. He was a Presbyterian Minister who at one time even boasted of having had converted some people from the Catholic faith. It wasn't until he was convinced at the error in things like contraception, as well as other theological beliefs that he saw the truth in the Catholic church. I am admired by the fact that he chose to follow the truth.

John Martignoni- This is another of my favorite apologist. If it weren't for him I would not know what I know about the bible. He is really good at explaining Catholic teaching as scriptural. This is a must if you are to debate with many protestants and evangelicals. If you take time and listen to him, you would be much more able at defending your Catholic faith.

Websites

Catholic Answers- You can't go wrong with this website. This website is what helped me come back to the Catholic faith after I was in depression and confusion. They just have a lot of useful resources that will help make you want to be a Catholic. They have Catholic Answers Live which is a great radio station to listen to. They also have a really good forum that comes really helpful when you want a quick answer about a question you have about the Catholic Church. It is also good just for making new friends and sharing your faith.

EWTN- This is another great website and a classic. You can watch reruns of many great Catholics like Fulton Sheen, and Mother Angelica. They too have a great radio station as well as T.V. programs that are there to help the average person.

BrandonVogt- Finally the last and one of my favorite websites besides Catholic Answers Live and EWTN. This website is a blog by Brandon Vogt who is a Catholic convert. He converted from being an Evangelical Christian. He started not knowing much about God and throughout the time became really close to God and eventually entered the Catholic church. His website is really great for anyone who wishes to learn about the faith. Brandon shares a lot of the same saints and heroes that I have. These include Saint Therese of Lisieux, Mother Teresa, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, and C.S Lewis.

I hope that we all make use of all these things and people that God has inspired to lead people to his church and the truth. May we use all these things to lead others as well to Him.

God does everything for a reason

 

Yesterday I went to confession and was looking forward to it. I left my house to my parish church to attend the confessional. There was a bit more people than usual, as it is the season of Advent. Many people attend confession this time of the year, as to get ready for the Christmas season.

There was a person in front of me and he was the last person before the priest had to leave. I was a little down and even felt a little selfish that I didn’t get to confess. I know I should not have felt like this, but rather I should have felt the opposite. I should have felt happy for the guy in front of me that he got to confess. I asked God for forgiveness for feeling like this and headed home.

A little after I got home I saw my sister who entered my room. Something told me to tell her that I didn’t make it to confession. I told her that I was just going to go next Saturday. My sister told my that she would accompany me to next Saturday to confess. A big delight entered me. The reason was that my sister had been delaying confession for about 4 years. At that moment I knew that God does everything for a reason. I realized that if I made it to confession that Saturday then this opportunity would have never come up, and most likely my sister would not have told me that she wanted to go to confession.

It’s funny to think about the way that God does things. Everything really does happen for a reason. I remember a priest once telling me that the reason that God allows evil and suffering to happen is because good comes out of it. Sure I didn’t make it to confession this Saturday; which is a bad, but this gave me the opportunity for my sister who had not gone in so many years to go back. There are many other times where God allows things that are bad at that moment to happen, but in the end good comes out of it.

There are other examples of when God allows evil to happen, that good comes out. One simple example would be the economical collapse of 08. Many people got laid off and lost their jobs. This devestated many families. Yet I like to see the good that came out of it. Didn't the recession bring families closer together. It sure brought mine. My mom, my sister, and I were forced to move in with other my uncle's side of the family. Many other memembers in my family, as well as friends had to do this as well. This I believe was a good thing as it brought unity amongst the family.

A more bigger example of this has to be the crucifixion of Christ himself. Why would God allow this? Wasn't it his own son? Well sure God could have easily prevented this evil from happening. If God did do this, then we would have had Christ for a longer time, and an evil would have been stopped. Yet the greatest act of love would have been prevented. This act of love is the sacrifice of God himself for humanity.

Suffering with Meekness

First of all sorry for not posting in a while. I have been busy with College.

Well today I had my wisdom teeth taken out. Ouch I know right? Well it wasn't the procedure that was painfull, but the after part. It is the recovering part that is. My cheeks are swollen (as you can see from the picture below), I have had a small but annoying headache, my throat hurts, and the worst part about it; I can't eat that much. I love to eat and not being able to eat is really hard for me.

This suffering has been more of a blessing than anything. Why? Well first of all I can thank God that I will never need to worry about having problems with my wisdom teeth in my life. It was a surgery that could help me later in my life. My wisdom teeth were impacted and thus that means that they were crowding my mouth more that it already was. By doing the surgery I saved myself the trouble of getting migraines that could have resulted from this excessive crowding, as the wisdom teeth would have forced the teeth to be pulled and trigger bad headaches.

Second of all about the suffering. I know that this suffering is only going to be temporal and better yet I can always offer this suffering to God for someone. I could always offer it up for The holy souls in Purgatory, or my uncle who has left the Catholic faith. What better joy can you get than by suffering out of love and compassion.

Jesus said " Blessed art the meek for they shall inherit the land"

Being meek is not an easy thing, it is hard. It involves having patience which is also hard. That is why it is something we should all strive in being.

May God bless us and help us to be meek all of our days.

Saints that have influenced me: Augustine of Hippo

This is the fourth and last article about certain saints that have influenced my life

                                                                              

No other saint has shown that God stays with us throughout our life, and that conversion can happen at any day, than Augustine of Hippo. Augustine used to live a loose life of partying, entertainment, and worldly ambitions. He later converted to be one of the most well known saints of all time, through his preaching, philosophy, theology, and life of penance for his past sins.

Background

Augustine was born in November 13, 354 in Thagaste. ( present day Algeria) His parents were Particius a pagan, and Saint Monica a devout Christian. Monica prayed daily for the conversions of her husband and son. Particius converted to Christianity shortly before his death, Austine would convert later in his life.

Carthage

Augustine moved to Carthage to study rhetoric. It was on Carthage that Augustine fell for immorality, which he would later describe in his book "The Confessions".

Augustine was influenced by Manichaeism. ( A Gnostic sect of Christianity) During the same time he began an affair with the woman whom he was to live with for 13 years. Augustine would bear a son with her, Adeodatus.

Conversion

Augustine eventually moved away from Manichaeism and would terminate his relationship with the woman who he lived with. He would devoted his life to God.Augustine would sell his patrimony and give the money to the poor. Augustine was ordained a priest and became a great preacher. Augustine became one of the best theologians would become a doctor of the church.

Augustine had influenced my life a great deal, because I can relate to him in many ways. Augustine was not always close to his Christian faith, as was I. Augustine was side tracked by many false beliefs before being converted to Catholicism. I too had wrong beliefs, as for a while I believed in the New Age movement before being brought to the True Faith. At the same time Augustine lived 13 years in fornication and lust. I myself had an addiction to lust for quite some time. Converting to the Catholic church and leaving behind both false teachings, and lust made me admire Augustine as those were problems that I myself faced.

Saints that have influenced me: Pier Giorgio Frassati

This is the third article of certain saints that have influenced my life

                                                                
This is one of my favorite saints and have been greatly influenced by him, his compassion for the poor, his sense of humor, and his piety and devotion to God. Pier Giorgio Frassati has shown me how all of us can be devoted to God, and have good old fun at the same time.

Background

Pier Giorgio Frassati was born in Turin, Italy in 1901 to a well to do family. His family owned a newspaper called La Stampa, his father was an atheist but Pier dedicated his life to God. He belonged to the apostleship of prayer, Catholic action, and was a Third Order Dominican. He established a newspaper Momento. Pier was also part of the ST Vincent De Paul society.

Charity

Pier Giorgio Frassati gave most of his money to people he saw as more needy than he was. He would often give to the poor part of his cloth. Many times he came back home without his coat. Most of the time he would give his fare money to those who needed it, coming home late in the day.  Pier Giorgio Frassati never took a vow of poverty, nor lived in a poor area. Yet he showed that you can have compassion for the poor, regardless of your social class, or where you live.

He once said "charity is not enough: we need social reform" It is something that he showed through his merits and deeds. At another time someone asked  him why he rode third class he replied with a smile " because there is not a fourth class." Yet still another time during graduation, was given the choice of choosing between getting money or a car. He chose money and gave it to  the poor.

 

There has not been many who I have met nor heard about that has done such great charities as he did. He did not only do these charities, but would often keep them to himself not telling anyone. Because of him I have learned the value of charity and social activism.

      

Sense of Humor

Pier Giorgio Frassati was known for having a good sense of humor, and evangelized with his constant laughing, as well as his pranks. Pier Giorgio once placed a donkey on a student who was being   unstudius. He was giving him a sign that he was being an ass. Pier Giorgio was ordinary, he hanged out with ordinary people, went to school and hiked.

He taught me that you can be ordinary and be a saint. It is through devotion to the Rosary, to the holy Eucharist, by serving God, and helping thy neighbor that we become so. Doing so does not need to be impossible, but it does require wanting to. Pier Giorgio showed me that you can find joy and gladness in serving God.

Saints that have influenced me: Therese of Lisieux

                                                       
This is the second article of certain saints that have influenced my life

There has not been another saint that has made me see simplicity and the art of sacrifice than Therese of Lisieux. She not only taught me humility, but the simplicity in her daily and humble sacrifices and offerings to God. Trusting in God that he would not give us something that we could not handle. Therese has been a big influence in my life.

Background

Therese of Lisieux was born January 2, 1873. Born to devout Catholics, They set good Christian characteristics. Her mom died when she was small, and was raised mostly by her Dad.
Saint Therese of Lisieux was often sick and suffered various tremors. She also suffered from what is known as Scruples. Throughout these, Therese of Lisieux was greatly influenced by " The Imitation of Christ". Because of her scrupulosity Therese often thought that someone was criticizing her or didn't appreciate her. She burst into tears, and cried because she had cried.


As a sufferer of scruples myself, Therese has inspired me by knowing that God leads you everyday of your life. Everything that happens to us can be offered up to God. Instead of getting frustrated by these things, we should find joy in being able to offer to God our good and our bad.

The little way

Therese knew that it was on her littleness that she must learn to ask God's help. The limits of Therese became grounds for joy, more than discouragement. Therese wanted to do great deeds but because of being a Carmelite, this was not allowed.  Therese picked flowers as a sign of love, and made a lot of sacrifices, no matter how small. Some of the sacrifices and offerings that she made were that she smiled at the sisters she didn't like, and she ate everything without complaining. These small sacrifices were often harder than bigger once. succeed. Once she was accused of breaking a vase, instead of arguing she apologized although not at fault.

Most days it is the small sacrifices that are the hardest to make. It is offering our headaches, being stuck in traffic, it means smiling at annoying clients, and not complaining for food we don't like.I learned humility, littleness, and sacrificing from Therese of Lisieux.

Saints that have influenced me: Anthony of Padua

                       This is the first of several articles of certain saints that have influenced my life

        
Anthony of Padua

Anthony of Padua which happens to be my confirmation saint, has influenced me in many ways. Through his love for God and Charity to God's creatures he has shown me simplicity through his preachings and good example.

Choosing God over Wealth

Saint Anthony was born Fernando Martins on August 15, 1195 on Lisbon, Portugal. Saint Anthony was born and raised in a wealthy family. His father wanted him to be a great nobleman, but Anthony had other plans. Fernando had other plans, he chose to to the Cannons Regulars to study Theology and Latin. After he saw five Franciscan friars who were on their way to Morocco. Upon seeing their dead bodies on their return, Fernando was amazed by their faith in martyrdom. He chose to join the new Franciscan Order. In there he changed his name in honor of Saint Francis the Great.

Through his actions saint Anthony showed me that we must put God before all else, this includes money and worldly things. God should always be our biggest priority in all our daily lives.

His simplicity and fidelity

Saint Anthony's preachings were simple teachings of the Catholic faith. He was know as the "Hammer of Heretics" He fought diligently against the heresies of his time and refused to give in to them. Once when preaching to a group of people who would not listen to him, Anthony preached to the fishes. The fishes rose up in multitudes and the people that saw believed Anthony. Another time when staying at a friend's house in the city of Padua, Anthony was seen holding the infant Jesus standing upon an open book on a table.

Saint Anthony showed me that doing God's will is both by preaching the Gospels and by good example. Saint Anthony had great compassion for the poor and for sinners. He was always preaching the Gospel, but also showing charity to all. Anthony showed us someone who had both faith and works, faith by preaching about God, regardless of criticism, and works by his acts of love and charity to both the poor and sinners.

A Video: The Church's Stand on Homosexuality

The other day I found an interested video I found on a blog I follow Brandon Vogt. The name of the video is called Yes To You.



The video does an excellent job giving a quick summary of church teaching regarding homosexuality. Many people have the wrong misconception that the church expresses hatred by its opposition to gay marriage and homosexual acts.

This could be further from the truth. The church states that we are to treat everyone with love, including homosexuals. The church understands the fact that several people have same sex attractions, but same sex attractions don't have to define you.

Free Catholic Audio

Many times we don't have time to read. We have to go to work, to pick up our kids from school, we have a doctor's appointment, and many other things that take time away from us. That's why today's post is dedicated to giving you websites where you can download free audio downloads for almost any topic regarding Catholicism. If you are trying to explain your faith to someone, but might not know much about the topic, or if you just want prayers to hear on the go, then the chances are that there is an audio for that.

Apologetics
There are many audio files available for those trying to understand the Catholic faith better, or for helping other people understand the faith better.

Bible Christian Society
Fulton Sheen
Contraception Debate

Catholic Audio books
These are some free Catholic audio books that are available. These audio books are made by knowledgeable  Catholic authors.

Search and Rescue
Pope Fiction
The Lamb's supper
Our Father's Plan

General Audio
These audio files are for simple Catholic prayers, talks, and general Catholicism.
Sonitus Sanctus
Salvation History
Peter Kreeft
Ewtn Multimedia




 

The Friday of penance

                                     
It is Friday today and thus we are called to treat it as a day of penance for the preparation of the Lord's day on Sunday. Many of us abstain from meat today, yet many of us forget, or fail to do this as well. There are many we could practice penance on Fridays, this ways include what make up penance, praying, fasting, and alms giving.

We must first come to know what penance is, this way we could practice it. Penance is a sacramental mean instituted by Christ for the forgiveness of sins. During Lent we practice penance and are also called as baptised Catholics to renew our baptismal commitment. Friday is ought to be our weekly Lent, and thus Friday is meant to be our weekly Lent.

Praying

Prayer is one of the most important aspects of penance. we are to pray a decade of the rosary, and to read scripture. We thus surrender ourselves to pray and to read scripture. We should do our best to pray when we can, and to read even a small passage of scripture.

Fasting

We are called to fast from certain periods of time, and should fast certain foods. We are told not only to abstain from food, but from certain activities as well. There are many foods that you can abstain from for the Friday penance. One thing that I do, is to abstain from candy and soda. These are thing that I eat and drink a lot, thus fasting from these things are a big offering for me.

abstaining from meat is something we should all do more, including me. I usually fail at this. We could substitute eating red meat and instead eat fish for example. If we are running late and need to get fast food, instead of getting a hamburger, substitute it for a fish taco instead.

Alms giving

The last thing we ought to do for penance is to give alms. The giving of alms is meant for us to share the given to us by God with others. Giving alms doesn't just include money, but sharing our time, and our talents with others as well.

After all penance is not only refraining from sin, but also includes the conversion of our hearts to Christ.

Rosary Series 1: Is the Rosary biblical?

Many Non-Catholics claim that the Rosary is not only unnecessary, but that it is also unbiblical. They fail to see the biblicality of the rosary and the importance of it.
  
   What is the Rosary?

The rosary is merely a reflection on the life of Jesus and Mary, thus there is nothing unblicical, nor unchristian about it. The first 18 mysteries of the rosary which make up the joyful, luminous, sorrowful, and the beginning of the glorious mysteries can all be found directly from scripture. This includes the nativity of Jesus, his passion, and his resurrection, which are all biblical. The last two mysteries, the Assumption, and the Coronation of the Virgin Mary can be taken indirectly from scripture.

As to the assumption of the Virgin Mary it is to be noted that there are passages in the old testament that give a glimpse to the possibility of an assumption, this includes Enoch and Elijah. In 2 Kings 2 it says "And it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elias into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elias and Eliseus were going from Galgal." This passages is saying that although Elijah was probably not assumed into heaven, it is possible for this to happen.

The quotes below can be of use

   "That privilege has shone forth in new radiance since our predecessor of immortal memory, Pius IX, solemnly proclaimed the dogma of the loving Mother of God's Immaculate Conception. These two privileges are most closely bound to one another. Christ overcame sin and death by his own death, and one who through Baptism has been born again in a supernatural way has conquered sin and death through the same Christ. Yet, according to the general rule, God does not will to grant to the just the full effect of the victory over death until the end of time has come. And so it is that the bodies of even the just are corrupted after death, and only on the last day will they be joined, each to its own glorious soul."
  
"Now God has willed that the Blessed Virgin Mary should be exempted from this general rule. She, by an entirely unique privilege, completely overcame sin by her Immaculate Conception, and as a result she was not subject to the law of remaining in the corruption of the grave, and she did not have to wait until the end of time for the redemption of her body."- The Vatican

As for the coronation of the Virgin Mary

In revelations 12, scripture depicts a woman in heaven with a crown in her head. This can be alluded to the Coronation of Mary. Paul then says in 2 Timothy 4:6-8 " As to the rest of us there is laid up for me a crown of justice, which the lord will render to me in that day: and not only to me, but to them also that love is coming. These two verses can allude that we can in fact get coronated once we are in heaven, and thus explains that Mary was in fact coronated.

   Prayers of the Rosary

   The Our Father
  
One of the main prayers in the Rosary besides the Hail Mary is the Our Father. Not only is it biblical, but it is one of the most important Christian prayers. In Mt 6:9-13 and Lk 11:2-4 Jesus tells us the way we should pray, and thus gives us this prayer.

   The Hail Mary
  
The second prayer of the rosary, the one most people know, The Hail Mary, is made up all from biblical passages.  In Lk 1:28 The angel Gabriel greeted Mary and said "Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with you. Then in Lk 1:41-42 it says "And Elizabeth filled with the holy ghost, And she cried out with a loud voice, Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

   Glory be

Finally as for the Glory be, doesn't the bible mention praising God and the Lord many times both in the Old and New Testament. In Psa 150:1 It says "Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power." So how could it be unbiblical for the rosary to have this prayer included. What better method to pray the rosary than for praising our Lord.

This is to say that both the purpose of the rosary, and the prayers in the rosary are all biblical.

 

Defending Mary

    
Many protestants tend to be opposed to Mary in many ways. This includes their opposition to Mary's perpetual virginity, including from the time she had Jesus, to after she had Jesus. The second opposition comes from the claim that Jesus denounced Mary and his family.  This is commonly seen in the verse of Mt 12:48 "Who is my mother and who are my brethren? This can also be seen in other passages including Mk 3:32-35, and Lk 11:27-28.
  
What Protestants don't know is that these verses are talking about the eternal family of Jesus. If you look at the verses after Mt 12:48, Mt 12:49-50 Jesus says "Behold my mother and my brethren. For whosoever shall do the will of my Father, who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother." Jesus explained that any one who does the will of God is considered to be part of Jesus's eternal family. This passage helps explain that rather than denounce his mother, he is saying that more important than biological connections, are those who do God's will and keep his word. Thus this explains that Mary is important to God, not just because she is the mother of God, but because she does the will of God.

As for the attack on Mary's perpetual virginity, including losing her virginity while giving birth to Jesus, and her having more children comes from the passage of Mt 13:55 " Is he not the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Jude?"

These two claims can be refuted by knowing other passages of the bible that help explain how this is simply not true. One of this passages comes from Lk 1:34-35 While Mary was talking to the angel Gabriel  And Mary said to the Angel : "How should this be done because I know not Man? And the angel answering, said to her: The holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee, And also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God"

This passage helps explain that Mary's ignorance of men is the reason why God had given her the grace of bringing the child of God into the world. St Augustine takes notice that if Mary had not made a vow to God of remaining a virgin, then it would not serve a purpose to be given her this grace. Notice that the angel is telling Mary that God has no limit, and if God wills Mary to remain a virgin it will be done. It is not that sex in marriage is sinful, but it is that virginity is much holier and special than sex. This is the reason the blessed Virgin Mary was given this special grace.

As for the passage about the brethren of Jesus, it is to be noticed that it is likely that they are to be his cousins or part of his extended family. both Hebrew and Aramaic, which are the languages spoken during Jesus's time did not have a word for cousin. cousins and people of an extended family were all called"brethren".  Another thing is that Jesus gave the care of his mother to the disciple John. If Mary did have more kids, then it would make sense for one of them to be the one taking care of her. Rather Jesus gives John the responsibility.

In the end Mary is the mother of God and for this reason deserves our attention. If you have respect for your own mother, then it is that we should have even more respect for the mother of God. It is not that we should worship her as many believe Catholics of doing, but rather it is about giving a devotion to one who was close to God.

  

  

Why did God make me?

  

One of the many questions asked by people is why did God make me? People want to understand the reason for life, the reason for us being here. It's not until we learn that we were created in God's image that we may know and love him that we start to understand the purpose for our creation.

Yet many people don't know how we are supposed to know God. For many people today God is someone who doesn't seems to play a role in one's life. To many people he is simply the "Unknown God". But rather we get to know God through his son Jesus. We see the work and life of Jesus and through him we know God. It is by the love we see in the cross, as Jesus says "Greater man no man has than to give your life for your friends"

 By coming to know Jesus and living how Jesus lived we get to know God, and we get to know the purpose for our creation. We can see that Jesus was born in a manger, someone who rejected worldly comfort, and recognition, as Jesus said that we are not to be of this world but of the world to come. Jesus came not to be served, but to serve and give his life for his brethren. In the last supper Jesus told his disciples to do the same. Jesus told his disciples as he was preaching "What you do to the least of this my brethren you do to me". By serving and knowing Christ we are called to be another Christ, meaning that we are to act as Jesus Christ and serve as Jesus served. We are called to be the salt of the world, giving purpose for all of life. It is through love, charity, and kindness that we follow Jesus.

This is why by living as Jesus lived, and by living by what he told us is when we start to know why God created us. It is so that we may know and love God, and it is through his son Jesus that this becomes possible. through his son Jesus we know who God is, as Jesus said that he is the answer and only through Jesus do you know God.

A Lack of Faith

In this generation it seems that there's a lack of faith. Recently the other day I heard a guy say, " I don't understand why you would have faith, it doesn't make sense to me", he later went into saying both how if something doesn't make sense to him he will be skeptical about it, and how many times people have done very wrong things because of their faith to something. He used the example of mass murders, and mass suicides because the people committing them had faith that what they were doing was right. What he needs to understand is that the faith that these people had is difficult to decipher, all one could say is that it is not faith that caused this to happen but ignorance.

This kind of mentality is souring in today's world. The if I don't see it or if it doesn't make sense to me I won't believe in it. If you think about it, it makes sense why this mentality is normal in today's world. First you have a lot of products and services being sold in the market which makes big promises. People become skeptical about this. The second reason is that we are living in a practical world. People have gotten used to thinking scientifically, practical and mathematically. This is not something wrong, and it can be very useful, but the problem is that many have gotten used to only what makes sense, or what they have seen with their own eyes.

The problem with living in a world where we only allow ourselves to believe in what we see, or what makes sense to us is that many times we need faith that something is real or that something works, without seeing. We need to get out of the I believe only what I see mentality. The second thing is that we are in essence putting limitations on God, when we say that miracles and unexplained things can't happen because it doesn't fall under logic. It is true to say that there are scientific and mathematical formulas for stance, but these are limitations that only humans and worldly beings are subjected to. God is beyond what is created, as he is the creator. This makes God immune to all this.

It is time that we take notice of this observation, and realize that having faith doesn't have to make sense to us, at least not right now. It is like believing that an idea or an Epiphany works. We don't have to fully understand it right now, or at least not right now. Just have faith, and maybe it will make more sense later on.

Combating Scrupulosity

  ( David Castillo Dominici)

As a sufferer of scrupulosity I decided to make this blog to help others dealing with this same problem. I will describe my advice that I would give others who suffer from this same problem. I will describe what I have learned, and what I have seen work for dealing with this type of problems. I will also write down some websites and publications that will help people learn a little bit more about scrupulosity.

 What is Scrupulosity?

Scrupulosity is a psychological disorder, usually involving a neurological problem or chemical dysfunction. It usually involves a pathological guilt of moral or religious issues. It is a form of anxiety and stress for Catholic faithfuls. Scrupulosity is usually considered to be a form of Obsessive-Compulsive disorder (OCD).

A scruple is described in Latin as a pebble or stone, and in English it is describe both as a weight, and as a doubt or hesitation about a moral course of action. Scrupulosity makes sense if you put all the definitions together. A person with scrupulosity tends to doubt whether they committed a sin, or not. People with this problem also take in all the small details as small as a pebble, and they weight them to try to see if anything was done wrong. They will take all the smallest of details into context. The problem with this is that it may make a person with scrupulosity feel as if they committed a sin when they did not. If a sin was committed it may make a person with scrupulosity over-exaggerate the gravity of the sin committed.

People with scrupulosity have a hard time evaluating between a venial and mortal sin. Many times they will see sin when it doesn't even exist; as previously mentioned. People with this problem are encouraged to see a psychologist or a spiritual adviser. These professionals can really help guide people with this problem.

Another problem that scruples have is that because of all the small details that they evaluate, they might start a prayer such as the "Our Father" and begin to go through it half way and soon find themselves repeat parts of the prayer multipe times before finishing the prayer. This is because they feel that the prayer wasn't said right the first coupe of times.

People with scrupulosity have a hard time when confessing. Many people that go to confession give themselves a harder time that they ought to. For the reason that many of the people that suffer from scrupulosity tend to feel really bad about the sins they committed, or atleast about the sins that they feel they have committed, they feel that the priest didn't give them a harsh enough Penance. They may feel that the priest just doesn't understand the gravity of the sin they committed, or they may even feel that the priest is too liberal. The reality is that the person with scrupulosity is just taking it too hard on themselves.

One of the hardest problems with a person suffering from scrupulosity is the fact that they suffer from unwanted thoughts or rather "intrusive thoughts". Many times these types of thoughts occur in the most  random times. They usually occur when praying, when looking at a crucifix, or when looking at any sacred object, or image. People that get these thoughts feel like they are somehow perverted or " not normal". This is simply not true. What must be done is simply to acknowledge that the person having these thoughts don't want them, nor are they consenting to the thoughts, thus given the name unwanted thoughts. We get random thoughts throughout the day, thoughts that are not logical, or thoughts that we would never want to think about. Yet when we have this thoughts we simply ignore them. This is what one must do with unwanted thoughts about sacred things as well. Many of the most devout Catholics who try their best to not sin, or to think bad thoughts usually get these thoughts; as do I. The best analogy to use is, Suppose I told you not to think about carrots for a day, what is the first thing you are going to think about? Carrots right? For this reason people who suffer from scrupulosity, or any Catholic doing their best not to think about these type of thoughts will most likely get an unwanted thought. Just as with any random thought you might get during the day, the best thing to do is simply to ignore them. Unwanted thoughts have been described as an annoying mosquito in your ear. All one must do in this case is to slap it out. This is the same when it comes to these unwanted thoughts.

Websites and publications that will help
   
The websites listed below are all helpful for people suffering from scrupulosity. I use most if not all of these websites and publications. Besides this, I urge you to check with a trained professional as well, as they can be of great assistance. The websites are listed below.
  Scrupulous Anonymous - Scrupulous Anonymous
  Crown of Thorns- Crown of thorns (Good article for unwanted thoughts).
 Countering Scrupulosity- Countering Scrupulosity ( Good mp3 audio for understanding scrupulosity)

 the Scrupulous Catholic- Podcast Blog

6 Steps for Amending our lives

 
                                                                   Amending our Lives

One of the things that all Catholics and Christians should do is to amend our lives. It is one of the things that Our Lady of Fatima talked about to the shepherd children."Men must amend their lives, and ask pardon for their sins. . . . They must no longer offend Our Lord, Who is already so much offended."  An act of consecration to the immaculate heart of Mary is a great thing that we should all do.

There are many ways that we could amend our lives so that we don't sin. This are some of the ways that I found everyone could do. Try one each day, each week, or each month. Depending on the difficulty of it, it might require more time.

1. Humility

One of the things that we could all do is to be more humble in everything we do in live. I think that this is one of the most essential things that we should all do. Humility can be done in every aspect of life. Try kneeling before a statue of Jesus or any sacred person more often. I have found this to be effective. Try speaking with a calmer voice when someone asks you a question, this was a hard one for me. Bow down more and act humble more like Jesus when the Pharisees brought forth the adulteress. Jesus knelled down and wrote in the sand. When the Pharisees told Him to cast a stone he simply said " let him who is without sin be the one to cast a stone at her". After he had said this he told the adulteress to go forth and sin no more. He thought and helped in a humble way.

2. Forgive more Often

Many times people offend us, they bump into us, they cut us in line. All this things make us start fights, we get mad, and we get this anger that stays with us. As Christians we need to learn to forgive more often. " Mathew 18:21  "Then came Peter unto him and said: Lord, how often shall my brother offend against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22 Jesus saith to him: I say not to thee, till seven times; but till seventy times seven times" 

 3.   Listening more than speaking

One of the things that we ought to do is to listen more. Many of us are used to speaking most of the time. We want to take control of the discussion. We want to have the biggest say in the decision making. We need to be able to listen more to people, than have people listen to us. This is hardest to do specially when we think we know the answer, or when we think we know what the best decision is. This may be the case, yet it's an act of humility, and an act of meekness to listen even when we think we know the answer. The other person might be wrong in everything he says, yet it's be polite and respectful by letting the other person stress their point of view.

4. Moderation 

Many of us eat a lot more than we should, drink a lot more than we should, and might not feel like we put moral boundaries to the extent that we do things. Everything should be done in moderation. We should try to eat a little bit less that we do, if for instance you feel you eat a lot. Start by taking away just a little bit of something from your meal until you feel you have cut back the over eating. For those who feel that they have consumed more alcohol than you should, then try to limit drinking to let's say Fridays, or Saturdays. Try to limit yourself to one less bottle as well. Any time you do even just a little bit, you have progressed in your quest for moderation. 

5. Try not to repeat the same sin again    

This one might to be a tough one; as it is for me. The more we do something of whatever it is, the more we are inclined on doing this. Whether it be playing basketball, or video games, or praying, we get more used and attached to this. This is the same when it comes to sin and vices. This is common sense. The more that we make ourselves do something, the more that we train our bodies to be attached to these things. This is why we should make sure that what we do is not sin, but rather things that please God, and things that lead towards personal holiness. We should make sure that what we do become attached to are things that are holy, prayer, God, and Christ.

Whatever sin you have done try to avoid it. This is most likely going to be done by progress, you might not succeed at first, but try again. Whether the sin be big or small, Our Lady of Fatima told us that man have to amend their lives. This to be consist of every aspect of life. Whether it be moderation or living more humble, every amendment to one's life is a blessing.

6. Pray, Pray, and Pray 

 







Praying is one of the best spiritual practices you can do. A lot of people are used to pray only once in the day and once at night. The problem with this is that you leave God out throughout the rest of the whole day. Praying is one of the things that you can do to better prepare yourself for the Christian life. The rosary and the lord's prayer are perhaps the most well known form of prayer. Try to amend your life by adding the rosary into your life. Try praying the rosary daily. The rosary is one of the things that has helped lead me to personal holiness and a better life. It has been said that those who pray the rosary leave sin behind.