Friday, November 6, 2009
Crazy week...
It's been a crazy week here at "Random thoughts," so I apologize for the lack of blogging. Hopefully things will calm down next week. In the meantime, have a blessed weekend!
Friday, October 30, 2009
Catholic Speaker Month - John Martignoni
Ever hear all the “Biblical” objections to Catholicism? You know, the one about calling no man father? Or the argument about faith and works? Sola scriptura? There’s just too many to mention.
Living as a Catholic in the South, you’re often bombarded by stuff like that wherever you go. And at the surface, some of the arguments sound convincing. So where can you seek some help? Where can you go for the truth? Try Catholic apologist John Martignoni.
As a former evangelical myself, Martignoni’s tapes – which show the truth of Catholicism by using the Bible – were instrumental in my own journey to Catholicism. Martignoni offers tapes, CDs and downloads free of charge on his Web site.
His tapes are very down to earth and straightforward, and something that everyone can learn from. He offers practical answers to questions about the Catholic faith, backed up by the Bible itself. Some of the topics discussed include “Infant Baptism and Original Sin,” “Catholics and the Bible,” and “Sola Fide – Salvation by Faith Alone,” just to name a few.
In honor of Fallible Blogma’s “Support A Catholic Speaker Month,” I decided that Martignoni would be a great topic for me. His tapes answered many questions that I had about the Catholic faith before I converted. They were a great help. Thanks so much, John.
The Catholic Church needs many people throughout the world to speak with a clear voice about the truth of Jesus Christ that it holds. The work of John Martignoni tremendously blessed my life. There are those out there that have blessed us all. Thanks be to God for all of these fine men and women that stand up for the truth that is the Catholic faith.
Living as a Catholic in the South, you’re often bombarded by stuff like that wherever you go. And at the surface, some of the arguments sound convincing. So where can you seek some help? Where can you go for the truth? Try Catholic apologist John Martignoni.
As a former evangelical myself, Martignoni’s tapes – which show the truth of Catholicism by using the Bible – were instrumental in my own journey to Catholicism. Martignoni offers tapes, CDs and downloads free of charge on his Web site.
His tapes are very down to earth and straightforward, and something that everyone can learn from. He offers practical answers to questions about the Catholic faith, backed up by the Bible itself. Some of the topics discussed include “Infant Baptism and Original Sin,” “Catholics and the Bible,” and “Sola Fide – Salvation by Faith Alone,” just to name a few.
In honor of Fallible Blogma’s “Support A Catholic Speaker Month,” I decided that Martignoni would be a great topic for me. His tapes answered many questions that I had about the Catholic faith before I converted. They were a great help. Thanks so much, John.
The Catholic Church needs many people throughout the world to speak with a clear voice about the truth of Jesus Christ that it holds. The work of John Martignoni tremendously blessed my life. There are those out there that have blessed us all. Thanks be to God for all of these fine men and women that stand up for the truth that is the Catholic faith.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Fortune cookies
I ate lunch at a Chinese restaurant today, and like just about everybody, I peaked at the little saying in the fortune cookie. They usually aren't anything to write home about, but today's struck a chord.
Today's saying said something like - Stop searching for happiness. It is right next to you.
Simple enough. But what makes people happy? What makes me happy?
The Giants winning the World Series would be nice. That would bring some joy. Or maybe someone that I vote for getting over 1 percent too.
But would either of those things make me really happy? It wouldn't hurt, but probably not. Both of those things could happen, and outside the few fleeting moments, I could be miserable.
True happiness is doing the will of God. It takes some of us longer than others to discover that, and then to remember it daily. God wills that each of us be happy in him, and freely choose him again each day. But that is our free choice. We can always say no.
It may not be easy, but each of us can be happy. Sure, there will be sadness and disappointment in every one's life. But by daily doing the will of God and following him, there will always be someone there to bring true happiness to us - even in the most difficult times.
And that's way more important than something in a fortune cookie. You can take that to the bank.
Today's saying said something like - Stop searching for happiness. It is right next to you.
Simple enough. But what makes people happy? What makes me happy?
The Giants winning the World Series would be nice. That would bring some joy. Or maybe someone that I vote for getting over 1 percent too.
But would either of those things make me really happy? It wouldn't hurt, but probably not. Both of those things could happen, and outside the few fleeting moments, I could be miserable.
True happiness is doing the will of God. It takes some of us longer than others to discover that, and then to remember it daily. God wills that each of us be happy in him, and freely choose him again each day. But that is our free choice. We can always say no.
It may not be easy, but each of us can be happy. Sure, there will be sadness and disappointment in every one's life. But by daily doing the will of God and following him, there will always be someone there to bring true happiness to us - even in the most difficult times.
And that's way more important than something in a fortune cookie. You can take that to the bank.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Long night, great music
While I'm toiling away late at work tonight, I'm listening to the sounds of the Latin Mass community in Edinburgh, Scotland. If you haven't seen their youtube page, check it out. Simply marvelous!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Hello, world!
Greetings! This is my first blog here, obviously, but hopefully there will be more soon. I plan to update this site at most days, if not more than once a day. Most of my posts will talk about various issues in Catholicism, mixed in with baseball and a few other things here and there. Thanks for dropping by my site.
Mass today...
I slept in today (OK, overslept), so I went to another church for Mass. I had no idea what to expect, but much to my disappointment, it was a "Life Teen" Mass with those terrible quasi-hymn melodies as songs. I don't have anything against that music, although I'm not terribly fond of it, but Mass is not the place. I guess that'll teach me not to oversleep. Moving on...
I had been to that church a couple of times before, and I'm fairly familiar to the area. But this was the first time that I sat near the back of the church. I was over on the far right side of the elongated building. And no, that's not political this time.
As I was kneeling in prayer, I tried and tried to look up at the crucifix. But my view was blocked by a square column. I moved my head to one side, then the other, but still didn't have much luck.
Then came the readings. Today's ordinary form Gospel reading came from the 10th chapter of St. Mark. The reading told the story of a blind man that wanted to meet Jesus, and of the impediments that were in his way. Suddenly, the column struck me again. What are my impediments that keep me from being closer to Christ? What things are in my way? What can I give up? The reading really did that column justice today. And something that I thought was annoying at first, really got me to thinking about the deeper issues of my blind spots.
Another thing that struck me was the terrible waste of space of the building. The free-standing altar was up higher on a platform. Each time I looked up, I yearned for something more. It would have been amazing if priest and congregation alike were worshiping together, in the same direction, in ad orientem. The setup of the church just screamed ad orientem! Maybe some day...
I had been to that church a couple of times before, and I'm fairly familiar to the area. But this was the first time that I sat near the back of the church. I was over on the far right side of the elongated building. And no, that's not political this time.
As I was kneeling in prayer, I tried and tried to look up at the crucifix. But my view was blocked by a square column. I moved my head to one side, then the other, but still didn't have much luck.
Then came the readings. Today's ordinary form Gospel reading came from the 10th chapter of St. Mark. The reading told the story of a blind man that wanted to meet Jesus, and of the impediments that were in his way. Suddenly, the column struck me again. What are my impediments that keep me from being closer to Christ? What things are in my way? What can I give up? The reading really did that column justice today. And something that I thought was annoying at first, really got me to thinking about the deeper issues of my blind spots.
Another thing that struck me was the terrible waste of space of the building. The free-standing altar was up higher on a platform. Each time I looked up, I yearned for something more. It would have been amazing if priest and congregation alike were worshiping together, in the same direction, in ad orientem. The setup of the church just screamed ad orientem! Maybe some day...
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