June 2011
43 posts
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If we men were real men we would behold beautiful... →
Dr. Peter Kreeft compares the traditional values of Liberal Arts Education to modern pragmatic education, and how this is tied to sexual morality. He makes a stunningly brilliant point, that has left me reeling in today. Heres a few gems to provoke some interest.
Aristotle’s hierarchy is turned exactly upside down. Francis Bacon most clearly trumpets the new educational philosophy:...
May 2011
60 posts
Brother Mark I heard you're leaving...
The community of Friars threw a “going away party” for myself and the other student Friar, Brother Barnaby, in addition to us celebrating the birthdays of Two of our Priests.
The Principal from the Parish Elementary School, as well as the Plant Manager, prepared the dinner special Carne Asada dinner. It was fun, festive, exciting. We ended up hosting the most guests for 95 year old...
Happy Memorial Day
Prayers and Blessings to those who sacrifice for our well being as a Nation!
I am needing some much earned time off for myself. I have been over worked, and I can’t concentrate, and it has effected my ability to concoct thoughtful blog pieces. I will, likely, be out of commission for several more weeks than this.
I may have an occasional Link, Quote, or Photo Reblog. All will be well...
Ever been scolded by the old church lady for not... →
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LA Times runs the guidelines on being a true... →
Hector Tobar writes 10 guidelines on being a true Angeleno on the front page editorial. I found myself measuring myself. After living in the Midwest for several years, I have noticed the truth to many of these things I took for granted.
1. Don’t fawn over celebrities.
I have come into a greater appreciation over the years on this one, let them be normal human beings.
2. Use turn...
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The Center for Disease Control outlines the steps... →
A friend of mine alerted me to this today.
good idea, I am glad that the CDC is helping us prepare for this impending catastrophe!
o_0
Instead of being Facebook Friends, can we be...
Several months ago, I asked this question on Facebook. I imagined that what if on Facebook, we had a column of enemies next to where it says our friends. I guess I grew up with too many comic books, and thought that if Batman had a Facebook profile, there would have to be an enemies column linking to the Facebook profiles of Joker, Two Face, Killer Croc and Poison Ivy.
Over the weekend, a friend...
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“To be free from pain while we are in this place of misery is only purchased at...”
– St. Augustine
Anonymous asked: St. Augustine by far has is my favorite saint. I am curious to know from what text do you quote him? I am only familiar with: confessions, city of God and of free choice of the will. Where can I find a comprehensive text of his work? thanks!
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“The affections of desire, fear, and sorrow are peculiar to this life, not to the...”
– St. Augustine
Anonymous asked: I'm a pro life Catholic, but this has been bugging me:
http://feministslut.tumblr.com/post/2864979149/think-the-bible-is-100-pro-life-think-again
I know we can't convince EVERYONE, but this makes a good point, I think...
http://feministslut.tumblr.com/post/2864979149/think-the-bible-is-100-pro-life-think-again
I know we can't convince EVERYONE, but this makes a good point, I think...
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What MTV, are you too scared to be controversial?... →
So apparently MTV has official banned the ad on the link, as “too controversial.”
At one time it was MTV’s agenda to be everything controversial, and now they refuse to be controversial? What are they afraid of offending people? I thought MTV relished in the idea of being offensive and in your face?
How absolutely retarded. This just goes to show you MTV has no more edge. The...
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"Prudish and Proud" by Vanessa Kraft at Busted... →
LOL! Could we use a little more prudery in the midst of rampant explicit sexual exploitation of young girls?
I think the title is a little bit of shock, prudence sounds like prudery, and it has to do with wisdom: Wisdom of knowing that we are more then our genitals.
It should be pretty clear, that my generation is the greatest consumer of anti-depressent meds because we are led to believe that...
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“Come back to your heart. In your inner self Christ has made his home. In your...”
– St. Augustine
“Why do you want to drift so far away from yourself? By wandering away you lose...”
– St. Augustine
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“Come Lord! Wake us up! Call us back to You! Set our hearts on fire and draw us...”
– St. Augustine
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“The Christian may sometimes envy those who have renounced the cares of the world...”
– St. Augustine
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“For the light was within while I looked on the world outside. I found no place...”
– St. Augustine
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“Those who try to find joy in things outside themselves find only frustration and...”
– St. Augustine
Stephen Hawking's opinion of Heaven.
I can tell you my opinion of Physics, and Its merely an opinion. Stephen Hawking says “that heaven is a fairy story for people who are afraid of the dark.”
I dealt with this question in my Holy Week series on Stereotypes of Religious People, one of them being that Religious People invented Heaven to make Life Easier.
Fr. Dwight Longenecker deals with this at Crisis Magazine here:
...
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Aggression surrenders to Beauty
The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus, Mother of God, has a significant place in Catholic Tradition, namely in Sacred Art.
My home parish, the San Gabriel Mission has a famous image of Our Lady of Sorrows, and the story goes like this:
Legend claims that the native chiefs tried to prevent the fathers from building. Afraid of a bloody battle, they showed the chiefs a painting of Our Lady of...
End of the World this weekend? really? →
be sure to purchase these exclusive front row once in a life time tickets…
Jimmy Akin takes on these bogus scriptural misunderstandings that have resulted in a lot of hype for a rapture weekend.
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10 year High School Reunion
My 10 year high school reunion is coming up.
my main desire to go comes from the fact that for half my time since high school, I have been in religious life. I want to go for complete shock value.
I just found out the tickets are at $77, so now I am unsure of what I am going to do. I may have been the only one in my school who made a vow of poverty.
hello tumblr followers
I had to blink and blink again, my followers shot up dramatically in some random act of madness. Perhaps with the impending judgment day, everyone realized they needed their Ephrem Hip Hop fix immediately?
Or not really. I think I observed a pattern. Father Shane blogged an answer to a question about there being priests and brothers on tumblr. The last time he did so, my followers shot up, and...
“Atheists are funny; they spend so much time talking about a God they say doesn’t...”
– Timothy Keslick (via withperfectclarity)
Where Charity and Love Are, God is There.: Call me... →
ubicaritas:
I don’t care if women wear pants. It doesn’t matter if the mass is in Latin or English, or whether the priest faces the tabernacle or the people. I am far less aghast about violent video games, Lady Gaga, or watching HBO or MTV than I am about the lies that have cost thousands of lives, including those of American soldiers. I am repulsed by the greed prevalent in business today,...
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Review for the Art in the Streets Exhibit at MOCA
I had the privilege of visiting the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art’s Exhibit on Art in the Streets. More information here.
I have not done a whole lot of reviews of Hip Hop, aside from the Music. I did think this might be appropriate.
I had gone with the impression that Art in the Streets would primarily be about Street Graffiti Art. Some people might find the phrase Graffiti Art...
The Catholic Church is not just another... →
It goes without saying, as soon as read the Gospels, and see what Jesus is about, you cannot pretend like we are not mandated to a specific service here and now in this moment.
However, there is something that happens in the Church that is too supernatural, too spectacular for words, too amazing for description, some people may never get it.
If I really was a Catholic only to do some nice things...
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Guadiem et spes and Lady Gaga →
The Patheos Catholic portal has a piece on the impact of Lady Gaga on our contemporary culture, and the lack of a Catholic response like Guadiem et spes “reading the signs of the times.”
I don’t describe myself as a fan of Lady Gaga, or even as a fan of pop culture. I do consider myself a critic and analyst of pop culture, and I cannot fail to mention her impact. I know she has...
'biege' Catholicism is unattractive →
I think the reason why a lot of young people get attracted/intrigued by atheism and agnosticism is because of its ‘assertiveness’, unlike the ‘beige’ kind of Catholicism that permeated the culture in recent decades. The previous generation was not too successful passing on the faith with all its vivacity, intellectual rigor, etc. Even for most Catholics of my generation, all they know about the...
Catholic writer Mark Shea explains why his fierce... →
Mark Shea has a profoundly ironic wit in his writing style. As of late, due to the madness among Republicans over the issue of Torture, he has found himself, as a committed Catholic, at variance with their platform.
Unfortunately Catholics have become convinced of the infallibility of their preferred political platform just as much as Americans have. This is one of the best political commentaries...
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As a Hip Hop artist, I find these conservative... →
I first heard Common in about 1998 with his 1993 song “I Used to Love H.E.R.” In the song, he tells a metaphoric narrative of the degeneration of Hip Hop music from a beautiful and innocent artform to an entertainment industry prostitute.
Common has inspired me, and I became a fan of his soon afterwards, because he actually rapped against the violent misogyny in mainstream rap music...
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The LA Times profiles Jeanne Woodford, San Quentin... →
I do appreciate that this article highlights her faith:
Reared in a Roman Catholic family, she grew up believing that only God had the right to take a life. But four times in her 30-year career in California corrections, the soft-spoken mother of five carried out executions of notorious killers, remorseful and unrepentant alike.
Woodford resigned as director of the California Department of...
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Fr. Greg Boyle on hiring former Gang Members →
Father Greg Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries, began a ministry to men and women coming out of incarceration.
One of the sickest cycles we see among ex-convicts is that they only return to the penitentiary. Breaking that cycle requires a lot of confidence in someone who doesn’t deserve it. However, having faith and trust in someone challenges them to rise to the occasion. Fr. Greg Boyle...
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Our Lady of Grace in the Augustinian Order
Blessed Virgin Mary, who can possibly number the reasons for our praise and our thanks to you? You, the chosen one among all creatures, now in heavenly glory, are concerned for us, your fallen children. How can we, in our sad condition, sing your praise, since the possibility of raising ourselves depends entirely on your coming to our aid? Nevertheless, gentle Virgin, accept our thanks, poor...
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Augustine and Chastity
The following is a talk that I delivered on Friday, May 6 to the Goretti Group in San Diego. They typically deal with our Faith Tradition, Sexuality, and Chastity.
Augustine is famous for saying “Lord, let me be chaste, but not yet!”
So what can we say about Augustine and Chastity, especially if Augustine is so famous for having a difficult time with it? Augustine is the notorious...
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