Danger Danger! In Your Pocket!

     

This Saturday I have the privilege of giving three talks to a group of middle school and high school students. One of the topics for a breakout session talk is addictions. As I've been praying for the Holy Spirit's guidance and reflecting and thinking about addictions I've been struck by the huge variety of addictions we have in our society. Some are obviously destructive, others more subtle, and others even more cunning and sneaking than the rest, so much so that as a society we don't even realize the addiction. From the cliche addictions of drugs and alcohol which although cliche are very much prevalent, to pornography, entertainment, food, sports, and technology especially phones. I hope to write on all of these topics, but first I want to focus on addictions to technology because I believe that smartphones and tablets have opened a whole pandora's box that most parents are unaware of. There is a clear and present danger that is inexplicably missed, ignored, or simply embraced and we are placing the most vulnerable in our society, the most precious right in the claws of this danger without educating or preparing the young to navigate these treacherous waters.

There and back again

       

Well, since it has been about a year since I've last done anything with this blog, I figured it was about time I write again. As much as I would like to say that I put my time into the highest pursuits of life, my time is often taken up with the demands and responsibilities of a job, a home, and the million little things that pop up right as soon as I think I am about to have some leisure time. I glanced at posts from the long distant past of last year and noticed that in just one week from tomorrow it will have been a whole year, can you imagine, a whole year since I have written anything of substance; well anything at all really and there was so much fodder for conversation this past year! Sporting events, political scandals, record breaking weather, entering into engagement with the love of my life, family gatherings,   world travels and much more were packed into the last year or so, yet it is gone and time to start fresh I think, since my memory will certainly fail me if I try and recount the many adventures the year of our Lord, two thousand thirteen held. So it's onward and upward, I hope you will join me for the ride!

Why not smile and say thanks?

Boy howdy is it nice outside! Weather is such an interesting phenomenon, it flits from windy to still, from the bitter cold to the soft warmth of a spring day all within a winter's week! As I sit here sipping on my morning cup of Joe which has turned into an afternoon cup of Joe as usually happens, I am so happy; so happy to be here, in this place, in this moment in time. Good gravy, as my father often says, it sure is so beautiful today! Because it is such an incredible day right in the midst of winter, I won't be writing for long, but I do think that the weather can teach us a valuable lesson and I'd like to share my short reflections with you because they came upon me in such a pleasant manner and made me smile.

Six Years

      

Six Years

      Over the New Year's holiday, I had the opportunity to visit Newtown, CT and to offer humble prayer for the people who continue to suffer so immensely at the sudden, tragic loss of life of those twenty precious children and six others. I was only in Newtown for about forty-five minutes and spent all of it inside St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in prayer for the victims, their families, and for healing. It is hard for me to imagine the enormity of the suffering those parents, teachers, brothers, sisters, neighbors, and friends are enduring yet the outpouring of support, prayers, and compassion from all across the world is truly astounding. Even in legal circles and in Congress, the impact has been felt with arguments and propositions for improving the safety of children in their schools and in their communities. Even the President of the United States gave a stirring speech about the first duty of our society being to protect the most innocent, our children. So even in the midst of tragedy, there has been a response of love; the light surely shines in the darkness.
      However, I have recently stopped to wonder why the outpouring of support, the national and even international response to this tragedy has been so great? Sadly, there have been countless school shootings throughout the years, and countless attacks, murders, and massacres in our country against innocent people. So I have to ask, “Why has this mass killing elicited so much more of a response than others?” I assume that most will answer that this shooting took place at an elementary school and the victims were good, beautiful, innocent children no more than six or seven years old who have never harmed a soul in their lives. They were utterly and completely undeserving of the violence committed against them which cut short their so tender, so young lives. They had everything still ahead of them, laughter, learning, dances, college, weddings, jobs, families, countless adventures, joys, blessings, and experiences that can make like so full and so good. However, because of one young man's disturbed and deeply troubled existence, all of these dreams, all of these good things, these children’s lives were suddenly and harshly cut short. Truly, this makes the Newtown massacre one of great sorrow; indeed an indescribable sorrow.
       If I may be so bold, the massacre could have been even worse. What if the death toll was thirty or even fifty children? Would that not have increased the pain and sorrow? Surely it would have! What if the death toll was not one school but an attack on elementary schools across the country, with the rampage increasing the carnage to hundreds of children? Please be patient as I get to my point for I truly hope and pray that such scenarios as I am describing never do happen, but for the sake of understanding, I will go on. What, if instead of the shooting being at an elementary school, it took place at a pre-school daycare? Would that have made the shocking nature of such an evil even worse? What if there were shootings in every state on the same day each killing fifty innocent children? If I may be even more severe, what if these massacres were not the work of a man with a gun, but rather accomplished by the same man by means of a knife, or suffocation, or strangulation? I'm sure that some might be repulsed by these words and this description, but please at least consider how much worse that might make the killings? Just stop! Stop and imagine twenty five hundred children killed by such means in one day across our nation. How horrifying that would be, could we even comprehend how human beings could wreak such tragic death on the most innocent of our society? Would our nation ever recover?

       Even now, those in Newtown are still reeling from the blow of the tragedy they experienced and there will never be a ‘normal’ for them ever again. As I was praying at the Catholic parish, I met the Pastor of the Church, Monsignor Weiss, and the deep pain and sadness was so palpable in his bearing, and in his eyes that it broke my heart. Even while I was still there in the Church, several from the community approached him for consolation, with tears running down their cheeks and their faces drawn and haggard from the ever-present sorrow. How much worse and with what greater intensity would our nation be suffering if the massacre reached the proportions I described? While my heart goes out to the victims, their families, and their community and I will be criticized for using their sorrow and grief as the basis of making any point, it seems so clear to me, the injustice that is being done in our nation. I am convinced my point is necessary.

       I'm sure some would label the scenarios I described as sickening, and the product of a troubled mind and perhaps I'll even be labeled as disturbed for describing such evil. However, I propose to you that those scenarios are not of my own invention, but rather they are lighter, less gory, less horrifying versions of a shocking tragedy that occurred in our country and in fact is still in process. For some reason I cannot comprehend, our society, our nation, and yes, our world, is so shocked and so saddened by this tragedy and yet, we are almost entirely untouched, and unmoved by the death of over three thousand children every single day in the United States of America. Our country has made acceptable, and even supported through law, finance, and marketing, the wholesale killing of children in the womb, if I daresay, children, human beings who are even more vulnerable, even more innocent than the twenty children who were so tragically murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary school. Many will claim, "But that's different!" or "How could you use the poor children from Sandy Hook to make a point!?" "It was the parent's choice... etc." However, to me the difference is little. In fact, isn’t it worse that parents are given the ‘right’ to decide to have their child killed? What is the difference? Some may try and claim that the child in the womb is not a human person, yet the most modern scientific advances beg to differ.
                        So, I ask you again, what is the difference?           Six years.

            Six years of living outside the womb somehow makes the murder of these twenty children, worse than the murder of three thousand several-week-old children that happens each and every day. Six years is somehow the difference between making murder legal and illegal. Six years is the difference between good and evil. Six years is the arbitrary age that makes it so wrong and so evil to kill a child, while if those children had been aborted six years prior there would be no problem, no issue, no outrage. There would be nothing. America, where is your heart? America, where is your sorrow? My dear friends, what are you going to do? Do you still think it is radical to pray outside of an abortion clinic? Is it radical to March for Life in Washington D.C. once a year? Is it radical to adopt? Is it radical to fight with every ounce of strength and energy for those children who are so innocent and so vulnerable waiting for the time to be welcomed into this world with love? Let us follow the example of those heroic teachers who gave their very lives to defend their innocent, precious students. Dare to love! Dare to fight! Six years is the difference between life and death. Six years.

Ave Maria

I know I've posted this poem before... but it's just that good!

 

Ave Maria - John Jerome Rooney

Lady thy soldier I would be
This day I choose thy shield
And go thrice-armored for the fight
Forth to the world's wide field.


There I shall meet the dark allies,
the flesh, the fiend, the world,
and fiercely shall their darts of fire
upon my heart be hurled.

But I will raise my buckler strong
Betwixt me and the foe,
and with the Spirit's flaming sword,
shall give them blow for blow.

Lady, thy sailor I would be,
This day I sign my name
to sail the high seas of the earth
for glory of thy fame.

The tempest may besiege my bark
the pirate life in wait:
The perils of the monstrous deep
may tempt oerwhelming fate.

Yet wheresoe-er my ship may steer
Upon the waters wide
Thy name shall be my compass sure,
Thy star my midnight guide.

Thy poet lady I would be,
to sing thy peerless praise;
Thy loyal bard, I'd bring to thee,
Heart-music from all lays.

Soft melody outpoured in June
by God's dear feathered throng,
Would mingle with the organ's roll
to glorify my song

And Dante's voice and Petrarch's strain
And Milton's matchless line
Would lend to my poor minstrel note
A harmony divine

Lady, I choose to be thy son;
for Mother thee I choose,
O, for thy sweet and holy Child
do not my claim refuse.

Alone and motherless am I
Tho' strong, I long for rest
The thunder of the world's applause
is not a Mother's breast.

Ave maria! Shield us all.
Thy sons we choose to be.
Mother of grace, we raise our hearts,
Our hearts, our love to thee.

We Are Catholic.

Value in summer

      (published about two months late...)


       For all of the sweat, work, and tears that go into the work of a teacher during the year, summertime comes as a welcome respite. As my summer is just beginning, I wanted to take some time to write about leisure both for my own benefit as I begin a season of leisure of sorts as well as for you as some food for thought.
      It seems to me that for most, leisure is kicking back and flipping through the channels to see what's on, or perhaps clicking through friends' facebook profiles looking to see what they have been up to, or maybe even browsing through catalogs or stores looking for the next thing to buy in order to satisfy the restlessness of a heart not at work. Do these count as leisure or as true relaxation?
      As my time off from teaching begins I have realized that I want to spend my time well, even during the summertime. Rather than sit for hours watching television, movies, or surfing the net I want to use my time to grow as a person by developing my talents or discovering new ones. Almost every house in America you enter, the central point of the family room and perhaps bedroom, living room, and kitchen is a television. How many hours a month, week or day do we spend on such useless, mind-numbing pursuits as this? This summer I hope to spend my time, being open to adventures, developing my intellect, and pursuing dreams and goals. If we simply spent our free time on more fulfilling things such as music, reading, writing, hiking, or exploring, these things would not simply be 'pastimes'. Our time would be filled with satisfying some of the desires of our heart and opening us to more fully experiencing the world around us. Indeed, I think through leisure we can begin to live life as we're meant to live it... life to the fullest. Cheers!

Beer Blessing

Just heard this for the first time last night...

V: Our help is in the name of the Lord!
R: Who made heaven and earth!
V: The Lord be with you!
R: And with your spirit!

Let us pray,

Bless O Lord, this creature beer, which thou hast deigned to produce from the fat of grain: that it may be a salutary remedy to the human race, and grant through the invocation of thy holy name; that, whoever shall drink it, may gain health in body and peace in soul.
Through Christ our Lord.

R: Amen

"There and back again"

Whenever we encounter a turn in the road, a change in life, there is always a good bye... the sun sets on what has been but around the bend the sun rises on new shores and new opportunity. As I dig back into childhood memories I can remember so many summer nights, playing outside until the last streaks of rosy light finally faded from the sky and the sadness that came with the fading light. Not only do I remember a certain twinge of sadness, but also a sense of joy at truly living life to the fullest, or as fully as a six or seven year old can live. There was satisfaction at having used all of the day that God had given; a satisfaction knowing that there was not a wasted minute in my day and that in a few short hours the sun would rise again. This summer has been full of sunsets and twists and turns on the road of life leading me to places where a matter of months or weeks ago I never could have imagined.

Reflections of a year...

       When we stop to think, I think we realize that time is a most interesting phenomenon. When we look back we cannot believe how quickly time has passed and because of this, events just a few days or a couple weeks previous seem like ancient history. At the same time, while in the midst of a day or struggling through a specific moment, time feels like it is passing slower than molasses... these are reflections I often entertain for I find time to be so fascinating. It is because of these reflections that I turn to the last year of my life that has passed both slowly and with great swiftness. I cannot believe about a whole year has passed since graduating from college but at the same time graduation begins to feel like a distant memory. There have been many times since graduation when I have pined for the days of college while in the midst of teaching or living as a missionary for Totus Tuus. At the same time it has been a journey in trust and humility growing into life after college.

       Navigating the waters of bills and finances, travel, loneliness, dreams, success, setbacks, and exhaustion has been an experience unlike any I have had thus far. It has been a time of excitement and potentiality, a time of struggle and anxiety. I think I have really begun to see how necessary it is to keep one's life centered on those things that are unchanging, that are truly dependable. In reality, to keep one's life centered on the center, Jesus Christ. Whenever there is a distraction, a trial, or anything that causes us to take our gaze off of Christ and turn it toward ourselves, we begin to struggle through, we begin to lose focus, and indeed lose sight of our goal because of a willful choice not to look at the goal or center. Of course, this is the opposite of what a Christian strives for in his life, and of course it is simply silly. 

       As I look over the past year, the times in which I was continuously dedicating myself to our Lord, whether or not the circumstances were favorable or if life was 'going well', there was a definite peace. This is the result of centering oneself on the unchanging, for as the world around changes, you can in a sense remain unaffected at least in the most important ways. It is when we begin to trust in our own strength, or to take life for granted, we begin to really struggle with a certain uneasiness. This uneasiness then brings about a certain level of worry because we begin to wonder what it is that is making us feel uneasy, when the answer is very simply, ourselves. 

      The most important lesson I have learned in the past year is the necessity of continuously turning to our Lord in prayer, faithfully, with an ardent act of faith whether or not it is supported by pious feeling. Every action of our lives ought to be pointed toward our heavenly Father, ought to be done with love, but without prayer, one quickly begins to fail in making every act an act of love. We do not contain within ourselves the strength to love as we ought, that strength must come from elsewhere. For when the wind blows strong or the ground feels unsteady beneath our feet, there is an assurance in the peace of Christ, knowing that you are living for Him and striving to make every act an act of love.

       In this Easter season, it is appropriate that these are the sentiments or thoughts that have occupied my heart and my mind. Jesus Christ's most frequent greeting to persons after His resurrection is a simple, profound, and absolutely necessary proclamation, "Peace, be with you."

Ken Cuccinelli for Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia

March 22, 2012

Dear Fellow Virginians,

I wanted to let you know that today I formally announced my candidacy to be the next Governor of Virginia. Here is the entire announcement:

       This morning my campaign filed with the State Board of Elections to formally establish a campaign committee to seek the office of the Governor of Virginia. Serving as Attorney General of Virginia has been the most rewarding and fulfilling position I have ever held. As legal counsel to every state agency of government, the Office of the Attorney General gives you tremendous insight and perspective on the inner workings of state government that no other job can provide.
       I am running for Governor to continue the work I have undertaken during my tenure as Attorney General and as a State Senator. I will continue my work to strengthen our economy and preserve our liberty, and to promote the principles of smaller, more efficient state government, accountable to the people it serves. I look forward to sharing my vision for the Commonwealth following the November elections.
       During 2012, I will be pushing hard to retake Virginia for our GOP Presidential nominee, as I believe that this year's election is the most important that I will ever live through. And here in Virginia, we will also be part of the battle to retake the U.S. Senate—I intend to be aggressively engaged in that effort as well. And I hope I see all of you out there on the 2012 campaign trail!
       Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of waiting until 2013 to start running for Governor. So this year, I'll also be asking my fellow conservatives, Republicans and other Virginians to support me in this race... starting with you! If you're willing to commit to supporting my campaign for the Republican nomination for Governor in 2013, I'd really appreciate it if you would let us know by replying to this email and letting us know! Also, if you can do it, we could sure use your help to help us fund this effort by donating today! We'll need it!
       Finally, at the outset of this campaign, I'd like to ask each of you Compass readers to forward this Compass on to a few friends that you think might be interested in keeping up with my race. Or you can tell them that they can go to www.Cuccinelli.com and sign up for the Compass right on my website.

More to come, but please get on board today!

Sincerely,





Ken Cuccinelli, II

Attorney General of Virginia

98% of Catholic women use contraception? See the lie brought to light below.

98% of Obama Supporters Do Not Understand Statistics

The Lie: The Obama administration said, “…most women, including 98 percent of Catholic women, have used contraception.”

The Truth: According to their own study it can only legitimately claim: “at least 24 percent of Catholic women have used contraception”.

Ever since President Obama came out with his HHS Mandate “compromise” I’ve seen the “98% of Catholics use contraception” statistic everywhere. Here are some of my favorites:

“Nearly 99 percent of all women have relied on contraception at some point in their lives –- 99 percent.”  - President Obama (source)
“According to a study by the Guttmacher Institute, most women, including 98 percent of Catholic women, have used contraception.”- Cecilia Muñoz,  director of the White House Domestic Policy Council (source)
“In fact, 98 percent of Catholic women use birth control at some point in their lifetimes.” – NPR (source)

And this one from “ghoti” is very typical of what you will find in the comments section of Facebook, YouTube and random news articles:

“Who gives a rats %$$ what the church says. 98% of Catholics don’t… they use contraception. #@*% those child molesters. Their time has passed… irrelevant.” (source)

This lie has spread rapidly. It is a blatant misrepresentation of Catholic women.

Revelation #1

The study that the Obama administration is citing is from the Guttmacher Institute (source). The Guttmacher Institute was founded by Planned Parenthood, and takes it’s name from a former Planned Parenthood president (source). Planned Parenthood is the largest provider of contraception and abortion in this country. They have a vested interest in making the HHS Mandate come to fruition.
Using statistics from the Guttmacher Institute when trying to increase access to contraception, is like using statistics from the tobacco industry when trying to increase access to cigarettes.

Revelation #2

The term “Catholic” is loosely applied in the study. Only 30% of the Catholic women interviewed attended mass on a weekly basis. What is more revealing though, is that the study only includes:

• Women between the ages of 15 and 44
• Women who had sex within 3 months of the survey
• Women who did not want to get pregnant <–read that one again

So, the study which, according to the Obama administration, speaks for “all Catholic women” does not include:

• Women who were abstaining from sex until they were married
• Women who were married and wanted children
• Women who were pregnant or post-partum
• Women who were open to the possibility of getting pregnant

I think Lydia McGrew said it best: “A statistic based on a study that explicitly excluded those who have no use for contraception is obviously irrelevant to a question about the percentage of Catholic women who have a use for contraception.”

Nevertheless, the study is being used by The Obama administration as a study that represents all Catholic women.  In reality, less than 28% of Catholic women would actually qualify for this study to begin with(see the footnote data).

Revelation #3

The study doesn’t actually say 98%. That number was arrived at by subtracting the 2% of women who use Natural Family Planning, a method approved by the Church. The 98% number completely ignores the 11% of respondents who answered “no method of sterilization”. So, if we subtract the 2% and the 11%, it equals only 87% of the women studied actually used a form of contraception.
Finally, it comes down to simple math. 87 percent of the 28 percent of Catholic women this study actually applies to, equals only 24 percent of all Catholic women.

From www.phatmass.com

The Lie:

The Obama administration said, “…most women, including 98 percent of Catholic women, have used contraception.”

The Truth:

According to their own study they can only legitimately claim: “at least 24 percent of Catholic women have used contraception”.

How we arrived at the “less than 28% of Catholic women would actually qualify”:

• According to the 2010 U.S. Census (source), only about 41% of females are between the ages of 15 and 44.
• Using the birth rate of the U.S. (source) we can assume that about 4% of women are pregnant at any one time.
• According to Indiana University’s  2010 National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior (source), about 27% of women between the ages of 15 and 44 did not have sex within that past year (this percentage would be much higher if we had data from only the last 3 months).

"Into your hands O Lord"

       Once again we are in the midst of the most solemn week of the year which precedes Easter Sunday. Every year the Church gives us this wonderful time of Lent for repentance, preparation, and renewal for receiving anew the marvelous gift of our salvation. I think one of the most profound moments is the celebration of the Mass of the Lord's Supper and the time spent in prayer with Our Lord afterward. Before entering into a reflection on my personal thoughts of this time, I would like to turn to the part of the Gospel read on Palm Sunday, which began this Holy Week, recounting Christ's time in the Garden of Gethsemane with his Apostles.

Ave Maria - John Jerome Rooney

Lady thy soldier I would be
This day I choose thy shield
And go thrice-armored for the fight
Forth to the world's wide field.

The absurdity of the question: "Who is Jesus Christ to you?"

      What an absolutely absurd question. Does my opinion of you change who you are? Does my perception or interpretation of another's words or actions change the actuality of those words or actions? The plain answer is of course not! One's view or opinion of the world around him does not impinge itself on the object or person observed changing the fundamental essence of the observed. To say so would be to give an incredible and unbelievable power to humans. It would be to say that one's opinion has the power to change reality. Let's experiment.

Aridity and Anxiety

       Life is full of simple bits of wisdom and insights into the heart of God, but at the same time life is also peppered with times of strain, weariness, and aridity. As I finish the third quarter of this year as a high school religion teacher, I have been experiencing the latter. You see, from the moment a teacher sets foot out of the comfort and privacy of his vehicle, his life, his time, his heart, and his love, are no longer his own. Patience is perpetually tested, the mind is baffled, the heart is wounded, the body wearied... and yet still the teacher must persevere

HHS Mandate - Not about Contraception!!!

       "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution...
      The hot topic of the day is the continuous debate concerning the HHS mandate for employers of religiously affiliated institutions to supply their employees with insurance for contraceptives. I am absolutely disgusted, frustrated, and damnably mad at the way in which this debate is being framed... at times I consciously have to remove myself from such conversations because the stupidity, illogicality, and utter ignorance about the issue makes my blood boil; I'm trying to remain a somewhat charitable, practicing Christian. So please bear with me as I go on my tirade about the imbecility of the populace, the media outlets, and the pro-HHS mandate legislators. Most fundamentally this issue is an issue of Religious Freedom and the violation of the first amendment. Let me be very clear, "THIS IS NOT AN ISSUE OF CONTRACEPTION!"

The New Racism

     The presidential election of 2008 was perhaps one of the most disturbing manifestations of a racism that is still deeply rooted and widespread in the United States of America. I say this not because more people did not vote for the African American candidate, but rather because so many did. Now before consigning me to forever burn with the likes of the Ku Klux Klan, I ask that you  put aside that initial emotional response and read what I have to say. I hope that you come to understand and at least respect my point of view... which of course is the true understanding of the situation at hand.

Why I Hate People Hating on Religion

Why I Hate People Hating on Religion

Why I Love Jesus AND Religion

Why I Love Jesus AND Religion

A good response to the video... I think better than my own!