This Is What Coffee Bowl Browsing Looks Like!!!

This is what democracy looks like. . .in hell.

This is what Occupy Logic looks like.

This is what consumerism looks like. . .for a waffle toaster.

This is what Black Friday feels like. . .pepper spray.

This is what food riots in pagan Rome must've looked like.  Are we doomed?

This is what Amish terrorists look like. . .no, really.

This is what Catholic evangelism looks like.

This is what Native American wisdom looks like.

This is what Catholic competition looks like.

This is Culinary Ownage looks like.

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Are you one of the nine. . .?

Luke 17. 11-19:  As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten persons with leprosy met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!" And when he saw them, he said, "Go show yourselves to the priests." As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, "Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?" Then he said to him, "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you."

One of the most common questions I am asked is:  "why doesn't God answer my prayers?"  My most common answer:  "He has answered your prayers.  You weren't grateful, so you could not hear Him."  

What makes listening possible?  Gratitude. 

Iron Clad Rule of Prayer:  you cannot receive that for which you are not grateful.  In other words, if you ain't thankful for what you are given, you ain't gettin' it. 

The process here is really very simple.  Nothing given is a gift until it is received with genuine gratitude.  You can be given money, food, a job, etc. but if you receive this money, food, a job, etc. as something owed to you or as payment or as a bribe, then it is not a gift.  You may say, "Thank you" to the giver, but the spiritual effect is nil.  You're just being polite--not a bad thing, of course, but also not a particularly grace-filled way of growing in holiness.

Think of it this way:  everything and everyone belongs to God.  If you are given (gifted) with money, food, a job, etc., then the proper response is, "Thank you, Lord!"  This is a moment of profound witness, a testimony to the abundant generosity of the Father in providing you with what you need. 

Jesus asks, "Where are the other nine?"  Well, they are sitting in their pastor's office, asking, "Why doesn't God answer my prayers?" 

Are you the one who says, "Thank you, Lord!"?  Or you are among the nine who struggle to understand why you haven't received the Lord's blessings with gratitude?

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Try it and let me know. . .

A couple of H.A. readers have asked about sending Amazon gift cards my way.  

I've tried over the years to link the cards to the Wish List. . .usually w/o much success.  

However, I think (emphasis on think) that Amazon has made linking their gift cards to a Wish List easier.  

Given my ineptitude with techie stuff and the electronics-distrupting entropy field that follows me all over. . .well, we can always pray, right?

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Man is a beggar before God!

CCC 2559 "Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God."2 But when we pray, do we speak from the height of our pride and will, or "out of the depths" of a humble and contrite heart?3 He who humbles himself will be exalted;4 humility is the foundation of prayer, Only when we humbly acknowledge that "we do not know how to pray as we ought,"5 are we ready to receive freely the gift of prayer. "Man is a beggar before God."6

If humility is the foundation of prayer, then gratitude is path to humility!

Think about it: we have a whole day dedicated to nurturing the foundation of Christian prayer: Thanksgiving Day.

^Notes 

2 St. John Damascene, Defide orth. 3,24:PG 94,1089C.
3 Ps 130:1.
4 Cf. Lk 18:9-14.
5 Rom 8:26.
6 St. Augustine, Sermo 56,6,9:PL 38,381.

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Occupy Black Friday Stampede: Clash of the Titans

The Occupier Whiners have vowed to "Occupy Black Friday" (whatever that means).

OK. . .

Here's a little of what awaits them at America's finest retail stores:

Remember that movie about the Zombies attacking the Mall?

Then there's that food riot scene in Soylent Green.

And the time-lapsed scene in every National Geographic special where the ants strip an animal carcass.

Finally, a classic. . .The Running of the Bulls.

The clash between rank consumerist greed and self-righteous hypocrisy will be EPIC!

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Coffee Bowl Browsing

Occupiers are planning on disrupting Black Friday shopping.  Can't wait to see the vids of the Occupiers getting stampeded by the bargain hunters.  

An idea whose time has come:  DeOccupyXMasList.

I was sympathetic with the UC-Davis students who were pepper-sprayed last week. . .and then I saw this video.  It's all theater.


B.O. is nominating unqualified lawyers to the bench:  ". . .[his] rejection rate is more than three and a half times as high than under each of the previous two presidencies. . ."

A modest proposal:  impose a moratorium on all homilies for one year.  A better proposal:  make excellent preaching a priority in seminaries and parishes.  Bishops could hire a few OP's to help!

Archdiocese wins tax battle with SanFran radical.  What the article doesn't mention is that tax assessor who pulled this stunt is a GLBTQXYZ advocate. . .and he's running for mayor. 


Would you do this?  I might. . .maybe.

HA!  I just did this. . .

The large mountain Jew!

Don't watch this if you are prone to crying at cute animal stories. . .I'm not. . .no, really, I'm not. Leave me alone!

Indeed. . .(a U.D. joke).

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The missal launches. . .and strikes!

A very special Mille Grazie to my German Angel, S.N. for her kindness and generosity in sending to us here at the Angelicum a copy of the newly translated Roman Missal.   This missal will be used in the daily Masses celebrated for the English-speaking students.  Bee, our prayers are with you, my dear!

Also, many thanks to the kind soul who recently visited the Wish List and sent me a special package for Christmas.  I only hope we meet one day so that you too can enjoy your gift.  

Fr. Philip Neri, OP

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Ugly Churches, Uglier Music: There's a commission for that. . .

Great News from Rome!  The Congregation on Divine Worship is setting up a commission on church architecture and sacred music. 

No word yet on whether or not this commission will have police powers or the authority to dispatch albino Opus Dei Ninja Monks to "take care" of offending architects, diocesan liturgical officials, pastors, and bishops.  We can always hope, can't we?

From Andrea Tornielli:

A team has been set up, to put a stop to garage style churches, boldly shaped structures that risk denaturing modern places for Catholic worship. Its task is also to promote singing that really helps the celebration of mass. The “Liturgical art and sacred music commission” will be established by the Congregation for Divine Worship over the coming weeks. This will not be just any office, but a true and proper team, whose task will be to collaborate with the commissions in charge of evaluating construction projects for churches of various dioceses. The team will also be responsible for the further study of music and singing that accompany the celebration of mass.

I spent 13 years wandering the theological deserts of Episcopalianism b/c my local Catholic parish met in what could pass for a really ugly urology office.  We could all cite examples of Ugly Churches and Awful Music. 

Until the Church destroys the modernist notion that utility trumps beauty in our architecture and music, we will suffer from a deficiency of truth and goodness in our spiritual lives.   I'm not saying that all Catholic churches must be replicas of St Peter or St Mary Major, or that every parish must have a Gregorian Chant Choir. . .only that the stadium/retail store model must be stopped, and our use of pop music and Prot hymns must be suppressed.   

Please keep in mind that the Vatican thinks in terms of centuries not seasons, so any action on the part of the commission will likely come years from now and any results from their action probably won't be felt until the latter half of the 21st century.   Regardless, they will need our prayers!

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Coffee Bowl Browsing

Spanish voters oust their anti-Catholic, socialist prime minister.  

Dem pollsters call for Obama to withdraw from the 2012 race and turn things over to Hillary.

Lefty hypocrisy:  "climate change" guru buys 20 bedroom house. 

And yet more Lefty hypocrisy:  Lead Whiner of the Occupy Movement checks into $700/night Manhattan hotel, "Tents are not for me."

Why couldn't this sort of thing happen in the U.S. my European brothers ask?  Three word answer for them:  the Second Amendment. . .which is why our Betters hate it so.

HA!  "Chicks Don't Dig Camping Out with Smelly Losers". . .the Occupy Movement's gender gap. 

DEO GRATIS!  A liturgical commission is being set up here in Rome to review church architecture and music.  NB.  the MSM (even in Italy) can't resist the temptation to describe everything the Vatican does as a "crackdown."

From $12 million to $36 million in two years:  Nancy Pelosi's doing OK in hard times.

When will the world end?  A list of Apocalypses from 2,800 B.C. to the heat death of the universe.

Throw me higher this time!!!

Well, at least he's taking responsibility. . .

Hmmmm. . .let's think this through:  if time is the relative measure of objective motion, then. . .

Time to visit the vet. . .oh, I think not.

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From Mind to Word

A hearty Mille Grazie to those faithful HancAquam readers who have recently heeded my call for help in returning to poetry. 

As I move into full-time parish ministry, my preaching will need to be more than just philosophically astute and theologically accurate. . .it will need to be Beautiful as well!

Let the Lord shine out through both our words and deeds, and may I serve His Word with diligence and strength!

God bless, Fr. Philip

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Coffee Bowl Browsing

I don't believe in unicorns or elves, therefore, I don't spend a dime of my money or a second of my time talking, writing, protesting, and whining about them.

AP rewriting history to erase Dem support for Occupy Whiners?  

Girl Scouts embrace the Culture of Death, causing some problems for Catholics. 

Hee-lar-ree-us:  ". . .a postmortem on utopia, which died in infancy but lived long enough to evolve a familiar proto-hierarchy."  Pigs.  Equal.  More.  Others.  And all that.

Purgatory in scripture. . .yup, it's there.

I love this guy.  So few in the E.U. have his guts.

Crystal Cathedral goes to the Diocese of Orange. . .let's hope the Vatican puts a stop to this $58 million lame duck grasp for a legacy.

Yet another excellent reason to get out of Italy. . .drug-resistant bacteria spreading.

Oops!  Documents appear to show John Kerry doing a little illegal inside trading.

Feminist "war on rape" conflates actual rape with boorish behavior.  Of course, if students would remain chaste and celibate 'til marriage none of this would matter.

European civilization is on the brink of collapse and the E.U. Nannies issue this vitally important regulation:  bottled water makers cannot claim that water hydrates. 

Hear, hear! 

If you're gonna get sprayed with a hose. . .

We all need a little now and then. . .WalMart is here to help.

Some days you just have to wear a shark on your head.

Ah, a pic of me at Thanksgiving circa 1965.

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Coffee Bowl Browsing

MSM media types are becoming a little unhinged at the thought of Newt G. being the GOP nominee. 

Woman in psychedelic moo-moo is consecrated "bishop" of Washington, D.C.

The Hunger Games:  just finished reading this novel.  The movie looks excellent!

I don't care if you're a Traddie, a Spirit of Vatican Two Peace Bonger, a recent convert, a Christmas/Easter pew warmer, or a rubber-necking agnostic/atheist:  you need to get in on this fight!  Why?  First, they came for the Jews. . .

MSM abandons OWS to its own folly:  "Funny how the left’s assertion that this was a grand political awakening has now gone down the memory hole."  Sorry.  But this is surprising how?

The natural escalation of a tantrum:  "non-violent" OWS Whiner threatens Macy's with a Molotov cocktail. 

Hope and Change become Despair and More-of-the-Same:  students abandoning B.O.  Smart kids.

What happens when a loved-one disappears from a cruise ship?  A whole lotta nothing.

Obviously, the problem here is that she didn't minor in Lower-East Asian Disability Studies.

Redneck Earthquake Early Warning System. . .not always accurate.

No, no, no. . .Jabba would never be seen in public with his curlers.

The birth of a Philosopher!

Well, this just means that no one wants to leave the Magnolia State. 

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Pray for religious liberty

On Sept. 29, 2011, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, current president of the USCCB, sent his fellow bishops a letter announcing the establishment of a committee to address B.O.'s attack on religious liberty in the U.S.

His letter reads in part:

As we returned to our dioceses from the June plenary session of our Episcopal Conference, we left with a palpable sense of unity and commitment among us regarding the urgent need we face to safeguard religious liberty inherent in the dignity of the human person. We recognized our need to protect this foundational principle of our country, one that has been enshrined in the United States Constitution, further enumerated in the First Amendment, and explicitly extended to all U.S. citizens. The Framers of the Constitution themselves understood this ―First Freedom‖ to be based on the norms inherent in Natural Law – namely, ―that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, and that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

This basic right, in its many and varied applications for Christians and people of faith, is now increasingly and in unprecedented ways under assault in America. This is most particularly so in an increasing number of federal government programs or policies that would infringe upon the right of conscience of people of faith or otherwise harm the foundational principle of religious liberty. As shepherds of over 70 million U.S. citizens we share a common and compelling responsibility to proclaim the truth of religious freedom for all, and so to protect our people from this assault which now appears to grow at an ever accelerating pace in ways most of us could never have imagined.

[. . .]

Please pray for the members of this committee as they begin the arduous task of defending our liberties as Americans and Catholics.

Episcopal members:

Bishop William Lori of Bridgeport, Chair
Bishop John O. Barres of Allentown, Pennsylvania
Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, OFM Cap. of Philadelphia
Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas
Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of Atlanta
Archbishop John C. Nienstedt of St. Paul-Minneapolis
Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix
Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki of Springfield in Illinois
Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi of Mobile, Alabama
Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of Seattle
Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington.

Lay Consultants include:

Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight, Knights of Columbus
Kevin Baine, attorney, Williams & Connolly
Father Raymond J. de Souza, a priest of the Archdiocese of Kingston, Ontario (Canada)
Richard Garnett, assoc. dean/prof of law and poli-science, University of Notre Dame Law School John Garvey, President, The Catholic University of America
Mary Ann Glendon, professor, Harvard Law School
Philip Lacovara, attorney
Judge Michael McConnell, professor, Stanford University Law School
L. Martin Nussbaum, attorney, Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons
Mary Ellen Russell, executive director, Maryland Catholic Conference.

Bishop Lori's testimony before Congress on the assault on religious liberty can be found here.

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Hunting for a Good Spiritual Director

A repost from 2009:

When looking for a good spiritual director, it is standard practice to interview the potential S.D. first. The idea is not to weed out those who are going to challenge you or disagree with you. The idea is find one who holds and practice the Catholic faith as taught by the Church and is able to actually help you grow in holiness.

Ask the following questions politely. There is no need to be offensive or defensive. You are not an Inquisitor. You are not hunting heresy. If it turns out that the potential S.D. is some kind of New Age kook, you are obligated to keep that assessment to yourself. The obligation to confidentiality binds both the director and the directee.

A few cautions up front:

1). Do not be impressed with S.D.'s who have credentials in spiritual direction. Most spiritual direction programs in the U.S. teach their students amateur forms of guru-ism and occult gibberish.

2). Do not be impressed by titles like "Father," "Sister," "Brother," or "Doctor." Anyone holding any of these titles can be dodgy.

3). Do not be impressed by celebrity or ecclesial status. Abbot Father Dr. Alred Boniface Schultz of the St. Labyrinth Benedominican Monastery, author of 46 books on meditation and a national speaker, can be as big a moonbat as anyone.

4). Do not be impressed by the potential S.D.'s personal piety, orthodox theology, solid publishing record with the best Catholic houses, or his/her reputation for brilliant spiritual direction. Every director/directee relationship is different. What works for you, might not work for me. And being a good S.D. takes more than unwavering allegiance to the magisterium.

5). Do not be impressed by a potential S.D.'s willingness, even eagerness, to take you on as a directee. In fact, I would interpret any sort of "salemanship" on the part of the S.D. as creepy and immediately disqualify him/her.

Questions (with the qualification that he/she may say, "'Nunya."):

--Tell me about your spiritual life, your daily spiritual routine, your prayer life.

--What are your strengths as a S.D.? Weaknesses?

--Tell me about your experience as a S.D. How many years? What sorts of directees?

--How would you describe your relationship to the Church? The local bishop? The Holy Father?

--What do you think of commonly used spiritual direction tools like the Ennegram, labrynith?

--What do you think of personal devotions like the rosary, novenas, etc.?

--What authors/books do you regularly read and recommend?

--Have you had any spiritual direction training? Where and what kind?

--What's your understanding of the sacraments, esp. Mass, confession, marriage?

--How do you understand the relationship btw God and creation?

--How do you understand holiness, goodness, morality, sin, etc.?

--Do you use fasting or other sorts of penance in your direction?

--My biggest spititual difficulty is X. How would begin to approach this problem?

--My greatest spiritual gift is X. How would you direct me to use this gift?

--Generally speaking, from what sources do you pull from for inspiration as a S.D.?

Keep in mind that you are being interviewed as well. I have turned down potential directees b/c I didn't have the particular gifts to deal with their challenges. I have also been "fired" as a S.D. for being too theologically orthodox and for being "too hard."

Do you want someone who will "kick butt and take names"?

Or someone who will be more of a gentle listener, a guide?

Or someone who will function as a teacher, a model?

Or someone who will sympathize but challenge nonetheless?

Or someone who maintains an emotional distance and directs you?

Or someone who will "get in there with you" and fight?

Or someone versatile enough to shift among these as needed?

You really have to know yourself before choosing a S.D. But you also have to be open to change and growth. I find it very difficult to get a good S.D. because I need a "kick butt and take names" kinda director. I need someone who can look me in the eye and tell me how full of crap I am. Not many of those around these days. . .sigh. . .

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Is spiritual reading enough?

Question from a faithful HancAquam reader:  "Do you really need a spiritual director or does reading the writings of the saints suffice for most of us?

There are at least three ways to think about spiritual direction (SD):

1). A visit to the E.R.

2). A checkup with your dentist

3). A trip to the gym

Depending on what shape you're in spiritually, you will need emergency treatment, routine maintenance, or some body-building.  (How's that for mixed metaphors?!)

The idea here is that whether or not your need spiritual direction (and how often if you do) depends almost entirely how where you are in your relationship with God.  If things are going well, then keeping up with your spiritual reading is probably just about right, though it never hurts to get a check up or hit the gym on occasion.  If things are starting to look dodgy, it's a good idea to check in with some SD and see if there's anything seriously wrong that can be prevented or treated.  If, however, there's an obvious and overwhelming collapse in your pursuit of holiness, then a trip to the emergency room is required.  Follow up is mandatory. 

More often than not, a collapse in your spiritual life is due to some serious sin and making a good confession will start the ball to recovery rolling.  Of course, confession is not SD, but making a good confession is an excellent way to instill some sincerity into your repentance.  

Being a Dominican, I'm a champion of reading the saints and doctors of the Church.  One caution:  be sure that you aren't reading above or below your spiritual level.  I mean, if you're a recent convert, you might want to hold off on reading the Latin homilies of Meister Eckhart and think more along the lines of studying the Catechism.  If you're a Catholic Pro, then limiting yourself to the Catechism isn't going to challenge you.  A spiritual director can help you find your level.

Also, don't limit yourself to just one genre of spiritual reading.  I find contemporary poetry to be insightful and challenging.  A lot of Catholics read well-written sci-fi/fantasy novels as spiritual reading.  God reveals Himself using all sorts of imperfect methods!

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