Holy week is nearly here

What a wonderful way to wrap up lent: Holy Week:

-Today is the last Stations of the Cross at most parishes
-Sunday is Palm Sunday and the reading of the Passion of Christ (from Luke this year)
-Tuesday most parishes have a Penitential service
-Thursday is Holy Thursday, the washing of the feet from the Last Supper and a reminder of him instituting the Eucharist.
-Next Friday is Good Friday and the remembrance of the Passion of Christ
-Next Saturday is Holy Saturday and the Easter Vigil service in the evening is for the initiation of all new adult Catholics into The Church
-Finally, next Sunday is Easter Sunday where we celebrate the Resurrection and the start of the Easter season.

There is no better time of year to be Catholic! May the solomn celebrations of these important events in Christ's life help to lead us all to a fuller Holiness.

kencraw on 04.02.04 @ 03:10 PM PST [link]

President signs unborn victim bill

Not that it is a surprise, but it is always nice to report when something finally happens. Let's pray that this new law never needs to be used.

An interesting note about this bill is that is only applies to federal laws and that many states, including California, already have laws like this on the books for state laws. That's why Scott Peterson is being charged with two murders. No law can be enacted retroactively, so they couldn't enact this law now and apply it to Mr. Peterson because his act was already done. Luckily for us all, California had the foresight to enact a similar state law many years ago.

kencraw on 04.02.04 @ 03:03 PM PST [link]

Quote of the Day

“the best and brightest of America's women (especially young women) have had it with work. Their role model is June Cleaver, not Carly Fiorina.”

-Article in Seatle Post-Inteligencer

kencraw on 04.02.04 @ 02:55 PM PST [link]

April Fools

BeliefNet has done a pretty comprehensive April Fools day re-write of the site. Here are my favorite articles in that vein:

Jesus Shocker: 'I Meant Feed My Actual Sheep'

Vatican to Unveil New Mint-Flavored Host

Pretty funny stuff.

kencraw on 04.01.04 @ 12:47 PM PST [link]

I've been humbled

Well, I need to remember today's Quote of the Day more often when I open my stupid mouth (or type with my fingers). On March 23rd (it's hard to believe it's been that long) I made a post that I was frustrated with the Evangelical authors in an ecumenical book I've been reading. I begged all of you (with no reply I might add) to help me find an Evangelical who 'gets' it.

Well, not only did the very next chapter I read rebuke my frustration, but yesterday I read the final chapter of the same book that was written by an Evangelical who not only gets it, he puts my understanding of ecumenism to shame. I finished the chapter both impressed and bewildered. It was kind of a "yeah but... how can you... what the... wow, that's impressive!" kind of moment.

The man's name is David E Bjork and even though his last name sounds like it could be the spin off show from Mork and Mindy, I have a massive amount of respect for him now having heard his story. I even bought his book 'Unfamiliar Paths' on amazon.com this morning. The basics are that he went to France to start an Evangelical ministry and church there. France is one of those countries that is mostly made up of culturally Catholic people but has been resistant to Evangelical missionaries, which is unusual in culturally Catholic places. After spending some time leading bible studies, one of the attendees of the bible study asked him to come to Mass with him. At Mass he had an eye opening experience that brought him to believe that his mission was no longer to start a new church but to, as an evangelical!?!, help those he ministered to, to come back to their Catholic faith. And he's been doing this now for TWENTY YEARS! He hasn't converted, but has embraced the Catholic Church and its people.

It just blew me away. This is a man who understands ecumenism at it's fullest far more than I can pray to. I thank God for the ability to type because I'm nearly speachless. I humbly bow before God and pray for the the Christian love that Mr. Bjork has and ask for forgiveness for my sins of arrogance.

kencraw on 04.01.04 @ 12:11 PM PST [link]

Quote of the Day

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

-Matthew 7:7

kencraw on 04.01.04 @ 11:50 AM PST [link]

US Bishops start their visit to Vatican

Every 5 years every Bishop must go to Rome to meet with the Pope. This year is the US Bishops turn (amongst others). I think we should all pray that their journey will be safe and above all a time for spritural healing and growth. Here's the Zenit article on the subject.

kencraw on 03.31.04 @ 10:35 AM PST [link]

Pope to preside over all Holy Week services

One would think that the title for this post deserves a big DUH!?!, but with the Pope's health these days that shouldn't be assumed. I think we should all be grateful and thank God for the Pope's continued health at a time when his leadership is needed. Here is the Zenit article on the subject.

kencraw on 03.31.04 @ 10:30 AM PST [link]

Quote of the Day

"I am against the national past time kicking off in Japan. I am against it! Don't you remember what openning day used to for baseball? And the whole baseball season started on one day and you go and the A's are playing on Monday for openning day and you'd be there and you'd look at the scores from around the country and everything like that. Now it starts in Japan and they dribble it out a little on Sunday... Why'd we even bother winning World War II!?!"

-Joe Armstrong from the Armstrong and Getty radio show.

kencraw on 03.31.04 @ 09:30 AM PST [link]

Who should I vote for?

While we're on the subject of the presidential campaign, I'm not a huge Bush fan. The democrats could have gotten my vote this time around if they put up a good candidate, but they didn't. So my question to all you bloggers is this. I haven't decided yet, but I'm considering a write-in vote. What's the best name to use for a write-in vote. Here are some ideas that I had:

-Mother Teresa: Dead, but a great leader.
-Pope John Paul II: Ineligible as a Polish man, but makes a good point.
-Me: I'm not 35, how much worse could I make it?
-St. Patrick: Dead, but he'd get the college vote.
-Mel Gibson: Actually eligible to be President!
-Dave Packard: Another dead one, but a good Catholic business man.
-John F. Kennedy: A Catholic worth voting for.

Anyone like those? Anyone else worth putting in?

kencraw on 03.30.04 @ 03:08 PM PST [link]

Bush to sign Unborn-Victims bill

In this Zenit article Bush promises to sign the very important legislation to make it a crime to injure or kill a child in the womb. That is of course great news.

Important notes include that both California Senators (Diane Fienstien and the ever stupid Barbara Boxer) along with John Kerry voted against the bill. This is another case where the politics of abortion are making us stupid. Those who voted against it took the defense of, "we don't want to erode the rights of abortion." What does that have to do with it? Wasn't the whole idea of legalizing abortion that it is the woman's right to choose? What choice does a woman have when someone commits a crime against the baby she wants to carry to term?

Furthering my frustration is that good old John Kerry is back up promoting his Catholicism again. He's a disgrace to our Church. Anyone who can't vote for a bill that is obviously a good idea because it may tilt the scale against something already sinful, by his own Church's definition, is going to have a hard time getting my vote.

kencraw on 03.30.04 @ 02:53 PM PST [link]

Carl Olsen coming to Sacramento

OK, this is a local post. Carl Olsen, the author of 'Will Catholics be Left Behind?' and the upcoming book 'The DaVinci Hoax' will be speaking in Sacramento on Sunday, April 25th. The title of his talk will be: "Jesus, Da Vinci, and the Code".

It'll be at St. Rose Parish in Sacramento, at 7:30 p.m.. Anyone want to go with me?


kencraw on 03.30.04 @ 02:31 PM PST [link]

Anyone know some good movies/books for Quotes

OK, all you bloggers, here's your chance to boss me around! I try very hard to keep the daily quotes from current sources like movies or books. But I'm running out of movies that I know of that have good quotes. The key is that they have to be reasonably short and still maintain context. Lots of movies have good themes, but when I recently watched 'Return to Me' for quotes I realized that it didn't have a lot of good quotes.

Anyone know any movies I should watch or books I should read that'll add to my Quote reserve?

kencraw on 03.30.04 @ 02:24 PM PST [link]

Quote of the Day

“I want you to remember that at all times, I prayed that Gracie would have a second chance at life. I always knew that if God blessed us, that the heart she got would have to be from a very special person if it were to be at home in Grace.”

-Marty (Grace's Grandfather) in the movie 'Return to Me'

kencraw on 03.30.04 @ 02:20 PM PST [link]

The Pope speaks to Sunday's role

This article talks about the Pope's recent statements on the role of Sunday in the Christian life. This area is a struggle for me.

Should I just abandon any sport that does things on Sunday? Sould I just make sure I get in Mass every Sunday and try to maximize the number of Sunday's that are spend focusing on God while still participating? I'm never sure what is best but it is hard when self-interests are involved because clarity doesn't come easily.

kencraw on 03.29.04 @ 11:04 AM PST [link]

What is faith?

I've been thinking a lot about the "faith alone" issues lately because of the reading I've been doing in regards to the ecumenical discussions between Catholics and Evangelicals. It seems to me that there are three types of reasons why Christians disagree with each other.

-Wording or perspective
-Being stubburn
-Truly seeing God differently

Most would think that the "sola filde" (faith alone) issue would be of the third type, but I think it is really of the first type. What's the point of "sola filde"? That we are saved by our belief in God, our faith. What's the Catholic belief on whether you are saved? Whether you are in "a state of grace" at the time of death. How are you in "a state of grace"? You believe in God (have faith) and as such, are sorry for your past sins (and are hence forgiven).

That sounds an awful like the same thing to me. You're saved by your faith. Now you get the whole once-saved, always-saved issues, but from my understanding (correct me if I'm wrong) only the fringe stick to that absolutely. When someone brings up the idea that Hitler (or anyone) in his early life made a profession of faith before unleasing the greatest terror the world has ever seen, I usually hear a response like "If his profession had been real, he wouldn't have done that." Or from the more Catholic thinking something like "He must have fallen from grace." In other words, if someone's actions (works) don't demonstrate their faith, there is reason to question whether the they really believe.

That all seems pretty compatible with the Catholic position. In fact, I think I might be able to argue that it's type #2, both sides being stubburn that has us separated on this matter. The end result is the same: believe in God (have faith) and because you believe in Him, you should serve Him (do works).

Anyone disagree? If so, I must crush you.

kencraw on 03.29.04 @ 10:28 AM PST [link]

Quote of the Day

“It’s the character that is the strongest that God gives the most challenges to. Now you can take that as a compliment.”

-Marty (Grace's grandfather) speaking to Grace in the movie 'Return to Me'

kencraw on 03.29.04 @ 09:35 AM PST [link]

Thoughts on today's Gospel reading

There is so much in today's Gospel reading that it is hard to try to take in all of it. The story of Lazarus rising from the dead is full of so many conflicts, decisions and relevations of God that one could spend a lifetime on it.

I want to focus on the small section I've quoted for today's Quote of the Day. Throughout this story Jesus is seen as upset mostly in a sad way. But what is he upset about? Commonly we think it is about Lazarus being dead, but I'm not so sure that is the case. Could he possibly be upset because of the lack of faith his followers had? Mary, Martha and the others, while recognizing Christ's divinity, seem to doubt what Christ was doing. They didn't doubt that he could have done something, in fact they mentioned it often. They seemed to question Christ's will. "Why didn't you come earlier? Now everything is messed up!"

Looking particularly at the quoted section, they question his desire to have the stone rolled away. This again seems to question whether Jesus knows what he is doing.

How often are we guilty of this? We always ask for so much from God, but we often forget that what we want isn't always what is best. To quote the old country song, "Sometimes I thank God, for unanswered prayers." (Quick note, I don't like country music, so don't try to harass me about it!)

Not only do we need to turn to God, we also need to put faith in God's will. His will is not our will and I think we often forget that. His plan for us and for everyone is so much bigger than we could ever understand. We must learn to trust in him and have our prayers and our lives, reflect that trust.

The good example in today's Gospel reading is their obedience. Once Jesus reminds them of His divinity, all of the people in the story bow to His will. So maybe it isn't so bad that we question His will, as long as we, in good time, humbly respond to his requests with 'Thy will be done'.

kencraw on 03.28.04 @ 03:13 PM PST [link]

Sorry for the color problems today

My script for determining what color to display and what day of the liturgical year is had an error where one part of it thought Laetare Sunday was the 5th Sunday of Lent and another thought it was the 4th Sunday of Lent (the 4th being the correct Sunday). The result was that last Sunday the color didn't change to Rose (pink) from Violet and today it didn't know what do to so put up nothing. Oops! It's been corrected and next year Laetare Sunday will come out right!

kencraw on 03.28.04 @ 02:57 PM PST [link]

Quote of the Day

'So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb.
It was a cave, and a stone lay across it.
Jesus said, "Take away the stone."
Martha, the dead man's sister, said to him,
"Lord, by now there will be a stench;
he has been dead for four days."
Jesus said to her,
"Did I not tell you that if you believe
you will see the glory of God?"
So they took away the stone.'

-The Gospel of John 11:38-41 from today's Gospel reading

kencraw on 03.28.04 @ 02:51 PM PST [link]