Just for Writing’s Sake

It’s been a while since I’ve just posted shite, isn’t it?  Just to write for writing’s sake.  Let’s say we give this a try.

Work since Christmas has been unbelievably busy.  Partially because the first quarter of each calendar year is the end of our fiscal year and partially because I’ve had more temporary support staff through here than can possibly be healthy.  I’ve had four temps in the last six months.  I think the mail room staff and human resources are starting to wonder if I beat them.  One was here a week, told me she didn’t like filing, left one day for lunch and had her agency call and tell me she wasn’t coming back.  She left two desk drawers full of work left undone and an expensive Starbucks’ ceramic travel mug. I did her work and I kept her mug.

Spoils of combat.  I figured it was an even trade.

Got one in now that’s good!  Here’s hoping she sticks!

Holy Week!  Indeed, it’s Holy Thursday.  I haven’t posted much about my lent.  For the first time ever, I gave up meat.  You know, it was tough the first week.  When Sunday came (one doesn’t fast on Sundays) all I could think of was meat.  Meat meat MEAT!  Went out and bought steaks that Sunday for my daughter and I.  The sacrifice got easier after that.  It’s amazing what you can find to eat that is meatless. 

Both Campbell’s Healthy Choice Tomato Soup and their Vegetarian Vegetable Soup are really good.  Canned salmon is kind of gross.  My macaroni and cheese isn’t as good as it used to be.  I can fill up on a lot of celery.  I still like peanut butter and tunafish.  Vietnamese delis make a tuna on a hoagie roll that’s pretty tasty.  I’m a little sick of McDonald’s fish filets.  I also learned I make a really good seafood salad. 

It wasn’t just the meat I gave up.  I also gave up reading anything that wasn’t spiritual (this really = no J.D. Robb “…In Death” books).  For years, I’ve been trying to finish Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen’s book “The Life of Christ”.  I start it each Lent and never get through the whole thing.  I did well this year - I have 100 pages to go and it looks like I’ll finish it right around Easter day, if not a little sooner.  A really wonderful work and highly recommended.  I found it easier to read a chapter at a time and let it soak in.  It’s filled with lyric descriptions and classic Sheen analogies that bring Our Lord to life. 

I’ll admit that I was less faithful to my commitment to stay off the computer after 8:00 pm.  I was on it less to be sure, and since the PC is heaving from a some sort of spyware rash, perhaps the Lord is punishing me because of my faithlessness.  I don’t really believe that, but I can’t get on it at all now.  It begs the question of the vengeful punitive God and how much involvement He had in my technological breakdown.

Overall, it’s been a good Lent; one of my most spiritually fruitful I think.  Will attend services on Good Friday, do some spring cleaning on Saturday, attend mass and enjoy the company of family and friends on Sunday. 

*Sigh.  Thanks for letting me write.  Felt good.  Missed you.

Being a Catholic

As I was driving in to work, I heard this on EWTN’s “Life is Worth Living” series hosted by the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.  He refers to the greatest expression of love between two people as “the two in one flesh”, and how we as Catholics believe that we have the opportunity of this greatest love in our reception of the Eucharist.

Let me tell you this; being a Catholic will never prevent you from sinning.  But I can tell you one thing; it will take all the fun out of it.  And the reason it will take all the fun out of it is because you once have loved.  You know what love is like no one else.

In scriptures, sin is always referred to as adultery; because it is a false love.  Oh, yes.  I know, you will find people who will cut corners and who will play loose, and cheat, commit adultery, avoid paying their taxes, ruin their neighbors’ reputations and the like.  And they do not seem to have any bump in their conscience.  But they have no peace.  No peace. 

So if we are really to love, we have to have a cross.  This is the cross of Christ.  We cannot escape it.

Proud to be Catholic

Good article.

Proud of Being Catholic

Excerpts of an article written by Sam Miller,prominent Cleveland Jewish businessman -( NOT CATHOLIC )

Submitted by Dee Lynd.

18 April 2008

Why would newspapers carry on a vendetta on one of the most important institutions that we have today in the United States, namely the Catholic Church?

Do you know - the Catholic Church educates 2.6 million students everyday at the cost to your Church of 10 billion dollars, and a savings on the other hand to the American taxpayer of 18 billion dollars. Your graduates go on to graduate studies at the rate of 92%, all at a cost to you. To the rest of the Americans it's free.

The Church has 230 colleges and universities in the U.S. with an enrollment of 700,000 students. The Catholic Church has a non-profit hospital system of 637 hospitals, which account for hospital treatment of 1 out of every 5 people - not just Catholics - in the United States today.

But the press is vindictive and trying to totally denigrate in every way the Catholic Church in this country. They have blamed the disease of pedophilia on the Catholic Church, which is as irresponsible as blaming adultery on the institution of marriage.

Let me give you some figures that you as Catholics should know and remember. For example, 12% of the 300 Protestant clergy surveyed admitted to sexual intercourse with a parishioner; 38% acknowledged other inappropriate sexual contact in a study by the United Methodist Church, 41.8 % of clergy women reported unwanted sexual behavior; 17% of laywomen have been sexually harassed. Meanwhile, 1.7% of the Catholic clergy has been found guilty of pedophilia. 10% of the Protestant ministers have been found guilty of pedophilia. This is not a Catholic problem.

A study of American priests showed that most are happy in the priesthood and find it even better than they had expected, and that most, if given the choice, would choose to be priests again in face of all this obnox ious PR the church has been receiving.

The Catholic Church is bleeding from self-inflicted wounds. The agony that Catholics have felt and suffered is not necessarily the fault of the Church. You have been hurt by a small number of wayward priests that have probably been totally weeded out by now.

Walk with your shoulders high and you head higher. Be a proud member of the most important non-governmental agency in the United States. -Then remember what was written in Jeremiah:'Thus says the Lord: Stand by the earliest roads, ask the pathways of old. Which is the way to good, and walk it; thus you will find rest for your souls.' (Jer 6: 16).

Be Proud to speak up for your faith with pride and reverence and learn what your Church does for all other religions.

...... Be Proud That You're A Catholic......

HBO's Response to the Catholic League

I'm not angry that Maher called the Pope a Nazi. I'm angry because he flat out said that pedophelia was an integral part of the Catholic Church. Those are the comments for which Maher should apologize. My decision to cancel HBO stands, as does my commitment to pray for Maher. But in fairness, I have to post this, as I indicated in my letter that HBO remained silent.

They just didn't address the real issue.

MAHER SET TO APOLOGIZE FOR POPE-NAZI QUIP

Catholic League president Bill Donohue received a phone call today from an HBO executive regarding the league’s news release of April 14 on Bill Maher. Here is what Donohue had to say about it:

“On Monday morning, we issued a news release on Maher’s vicious attack on the pope and the Catholic Church that occurred the previous Friday night on his weekly show. Subsequently, many media outlets picked up on our release and pounded Maher for his bigotry. Investor’s Business Daily, Mike Gallagher, Steve Malzberg, Les Kinsolving of WorldNetDaily, Newsbusters, Newsmax, Bill O’Reilly, Bill Cunningham, Cybercast News Service, Culture and Media Institute, Relevant Radio’s Drew Mariani and others were justly outraged.

“Today, I spoke to an HBO official and he told me that Maher is expected to apologize tomorrow night for falsely accusing the pope of once being a Nazi. As I said on Monday, ‘Like all young men in Germany at the time, he [Joseph Ratzinger] was conscripted into a German Youth organization (from which he fled as soon as he could).’ I went on to say that ‘Every responsible Jewish leader has acknowledged this reality and has never sought to brand the pope a Nazi.’
“After researching this matter, HBO concurs with this assessment." Apparently, now Maher does as well. Ergo, the apology.

“Will the Catholic League accept Maher’s apology? Assuming it comes across as genuine, the answer is yes. But I hasten to add that what we would really like to see is for Maher to stop with his hateful diatribes against the Catholic Church. So this is a start, but it hardly puts to rest our concerns. After all, there are plenty of factually accurate things Maher could say about other groups that would insult its members, but he chooses not to go there. Perhaps he can add Catholics and the Catholic Church to that protected list as well.”

Cancelling HBO

I’m really Catholic. Seriously Catholic. A Legion of Mary attendin’, Altar Rosary Society participatin’, Parish Pastoral Council chairin’, Lectorin’, Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist-in’, CCD teachin’, John Paul II lovin’, Communion receivin’, rosary sayin’ confession goin’ Catholic.

I am not an in-your-face Catholic, but it’s a huge part of my life, it always has been and I’m not afraid or ashamed to discuss and defend. For the most part, people are respectful, as I am with them. I get asked a lot of questions and sometimes I am challenged pretty directly. I’m starting to understand too that that level of faith is a gift, it’s not a decision. A person can choose to keep the gift or exchange it for something else.

The Catholic Church makes some people angry; I get that. Kind of like the Jews made Hitler angry. I get that too. Absolute truth makes people very uncomfortable and they put a lot of effort in defining shades of gray. In my experience, the ones who don’t like to think about the domino effect of their actions are the ones who get pissed off the most.

Bill Maher insulted the Pope on his HBO program recently. So what’s new. I’m not going to repeat the crap he said, I’m just going to repeat the letter I wrote to HBO cancelling my subscription.

Thank you for the direction in your advertisement about taking control of my television:

"Cable Puts You In Control Take control of your TV. It's easy."

HBO Executives:

Bill Maher's comments regarding the Catholic Church and the Pope were offensive and cowardly. HBO's decision not to apologize for his remarks is equally as offensive. I imagine the legal department would have censored him if his remarks were directed toward Jews or Muslims.

I am cancelling my subscription to HBO through Comcast and will encourage friends and family to do the same.

Wow! You were right! That WAS easy! Thanks HBO! And God Bless Bill Maher; let him know I will pray for his filthy soul. With any luck, that'll annoy him. Quite frankly, I hope that really pisses him off.

"Cable Puts You In Control Take control of your TV. It's easy. Parents should decide what TV content is appropriate for their family. The cable industry understands that parents need the right tools to help protect children from content that may be inappropriate. And we recognize that while most cable customers already have the tools to block unwanted TV content, many people don't know how to use them."

Oh, I know how to use them. And I am. Take care.