Critics Decry Obama's 'Indoctrination' Plan for Students

This is the now the biggest load of garbage that I have seen come out of this White House Administration or should we begin to say, White House Dictatorship. Everyone who subscribes to this blog or reads this blog must pass this article on to their friends. We are losing our great country to socialists who want our children to assist them in their socialistic ways. This has the stench of Red Communism and Nazi Germany. The Nazi's had the Hitler Youth (Hitler-Jugend) who used propaganda and now it looks like our president wants to do that with American schoolchildren. As a former high school teacher, this is an absolute crime and outrage.

STAND UP AND FIGHT this nonsense!

What's going to be next? The President's Term should be extended or will they start questioning all the intellectuals and teachers who could instruct others to resist this socialist trash.

Critics Decry Obama's 'Indoctrination' Plan for Students - Political News - FOXNews.com

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Cardinal Mahony calls Kennedy a champion of the powerless - REALLY?

This is pure nonsense! The powerless? The voiceless? When did Ted Kennedy ever speak for the unborn of this country? 40 million human lives have been silenced because of abortion. Many of my generation never had a chance to life. I understand he is a priest and all, so I will refrain, but when does he turn 75? He has got to go!!!

Cardinal Mahony calls Kennedy a champion of the powerless [Updated]

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Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist

I worked with three of these Dominican Sisters at St. Mary's High School in Phoenix, Arizona. Summer of 2008, I attended a Final Profession for one of the sisters I worked with and also a few others I knew from Phoenix. They are an amazing order that continues to grow by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Please pray for them!

First Week of Classes at Franciscan - Fall 2009

Well I just finished my first week of classes or should I say my first two days of classes. I only have class this semester on Tuesday and Thursday. I am very excited for my courses this semester. I am now taking Biblical Foundations with Dr. John Bergsma (I had him for PBS 1 & 2 - great prof!). Grace and Virtue with Dr. Regis Martin - this class is going to be very good. I like his poetic style of teaching. And today I just added Catholic Theology of Tradition and the Development of Doctrine with Dr. Steven Hildebrand (he honestly scares me a bit..ha ha). I was taking a course on the Catholic Philosopher, Dietrich Von Hildebrand, but chose to drop that course. I know my limits and what I am capable of and I was not going to do well in this class since it's a high level philosophy course. Even though I have a B.A. in Philosophy, this class was over my head. I can admit that and feel fine with it. I will read the books from the class though on my own time.

The books for each of my classes all look fantastic and just packed full of orthodoxy. Particularly, I am looking forward to read Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict XVI, Letter and Spirit by Dr. Scott Hahn, and The Meaning of Tradition by Yves Congar, O.P. This book should help me with my dialogue I am having with the young Baptist missionary (see A Baptist Knocking At My Door on this blog). I am excited to read all of my texts, but these three caught my attention.

Those of you who are read this blog, please keep me in your prayers. I am praying whether or not I should study in Rome in the Spring. There are some obstacles in my way at the moment. If I don't go to study in Rome, I might take a trip in May to Rome. Please pray for me as I begin another semester here at Franciscan. You are in my prayers as well.

I am off to have a beer and cigar on my front porch.

Catholics should imitate Mary and say 'yes' to God, Pope Benedict says

Check out what Pope Benedict XVI says about Catholics imitating Mary. We should always do what Mother does. We are blessed to have such a Pope that loves his flock.

Catholics should imitate Mary and say 'yes' to God, Pope Benedict says

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The Assumption of Our Lady

Defined a Dogma by the Catholic Church on November 1, 1950. The Definition of the Dogma is that the Immaculate Mother of God, the Ever Virgin Mary having completed the course of her earthly life was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.

There are five general sources of support for this Dogma:

1. The consensus of the teaching church –

Pope Pius XII asked the Bishops of the world in 1946 -

a. Is the Assumption definable?

b. Do you and your flock desire a definition?

8 million petitions over 95 years wanted this Dogma declared. There was a petition from the Fathers in Vatican I to make this a dogma.

2. Sacred Scripture – Pope Pius XII returns us to Genesis 3:15 and the teachings of St. Paul on sin. Mary shares the same victory over sin and death Jesus does due to their mutual entity with Satan and sin. St. Paul tells us (Romans 5-8, 1 Cor 15, 24, 26) the effects of the seed of Satan are sin and death, therefore Mary had to triumph over sin and death. She triumphs over sin through her Immaculate Conception and triumphs over death in her Assumption.

a. Luke 1:28 – Full of grace: her being full of grace would not be tainted by the effects of sin which would not be bodily death.

b. Psalm 131:8 – Arise O Lord out of your resting place and you and the Ark which you have sanctified.

c. Rev 11:19 – Mary as the Ark of the Heavenly Jerusalem

d. Rev 12:1 – Woman crowned is the woman assumed.

3. Sacred Tradition – First clear reference in the homilies of St. Gregory of Tours (+593) by this time there are established liturgies.

4. Sacred Liturgy – In Egypt and Syria there are liturgies on our Lady by the 5th and 6th centuries. There is a clear and common teaching. By the 7th century, the Assumption is celebrated in Gaul and 8^th century it’s celebrated in Rome. 12th century – accepted as doctrinal teaching.

5. Connection between the Assumption and other Marian Dogmas –

a. Theotokos – Mary would be presented from the decay of the grave by a privilege their her divine son could grant her.

b. Immaculate Conception and the Assumption – the Assumption is the natural effect of the Immaculate Conception.

Now arises the question that has been debated for centuries and is still debated today - Did Mary Die? There are two schools that make their respective arguments on this question, the Mortalists and Immortalists.

First, the Mortalists position is that Mary experienced a temporary separation of spirit and body but without body corruption. Her spirit would assume directly into heaven and her body would be on earth for three days like Jesus. She wants to be a disciple. [Stronger position] Pope John Paul II favored this position. The Eastern Church also views this position as the Dormition of Mary (August 14).

Second, the Immortalists position is that Mary with Body and Soul intact was just assumed into heaven. She could not do this on her own power. Her assumption is active.

Personally, after studying this Dogma and reading of I have read about it, I favor the Mortalist view. My favoring of this view is rooted in the Death of Christ. If Jesus had to die, why wouldn't have Mary had to die? Both were perfect and without sin, but I think Our Lord allowed his Mother to see death. Her body did not corrupt as our bodies do at death. Like Jesus, the body of Mary remains here on earth for three days. The Body of Mary is then assumed into heaven where it is united again with her soul.

Then there is the question, Where did Mary die?

1. Jerusalem – She ended her life with the Apostles in Jerusalem.

2. Ephesus – Mary did go with John to Ephesus.

Mary, Assumed Body and Soul into Heaven - Pray for Us!

This information came from notes that I took in Theology 655 - Mary in the Modern World with Dr. Mark Miravalle, Spring 2009.

A Baptist Knocking At My Door, Part 4

As promised in Part 3, I would answer the questions Matthew brought up in his lastest email to me. This is by far the most extensive response I have given him so far. Sorry for the length everyone! I have a hard time saying things simply.

Dear Matthew,

I apologize for my absence over the past few days, but I have been dealing with a medical issue and spending some quality time with my family while I am back home in Phoenix. Before we get back to our discussion, I wanted to thank you for sharing with me some personal information about your life. It is good for us to know one another on a personal level. I have B.A in Philosophy and a Masters in Secondary Education. You know already that I am working on a second masters in Theology. I enjoy watching baseball and football. I am a big NY Yankees and NY Giants fan. I also enjoy playing golf when time permits.

Okay...let's return to the Saints. Yes, Jesus did walk the earth and yes he did experience all things that we experience without sin, but that still does not take away from his glory if we ask our fellow humans, who were just like us, to pray for our intercession. The saints in heaven are in the presence of God perpetually. The saints worship God, but they also intercede for us if we request them to do so. Not sure what you meant when you said, "those saints are worshipping God and not interceding for him." The saints are in full communion with God since they are in heaven with him. Having others pray for us should be a good thing. It should not be despised or just thrown aside. It's essential that we ask Christ to pray for us directly in all that we desire (John 14:13-14). This is something that the Catholic Church encourages quite a bit during the highest form of worship and prayer - the Catholic Mass. The Mass is the central form of worship which is directed towards God and Jesus, not the saints. However, this does not mean we should not ask our fellow Christians to pray for us, especially those in heaven, who are in the ever presence of God and Jesus. Those who claim that our fellow Christians in heaven do not hear our prayers are narrow-minded. The Bible points out to us in numerous places that those in heaven (which includes the angels) pray with us and for us. Please see Psalm 103:20-21, 148:1-2, and Revelation 8:3-4.

Furthermore, you bring up the words - "dead saints" a few times in your latest response to me. I imagine you are referring to Deuteronomy 18:10-11 when God commands not to talk to the dead. However, Christ himself speaks to the dead! At the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:3, Mark 9:4, Luke 9:30), Jesus speaks with both Moses and Elijah. Moses represents the Old Law and Elijah is the greatest of the prophets. They appear to attest to the authority of Christ. What God does not allow when speaking with the dead is the practices such as seances that want to contact spirits. God commands us not to contact the dead to gain information - we are to look to the prophets for that. There is clearly a difference between trying to contact the dead for personal gain and asking a fellow Christian who has passed to pray for us on God's behalf. In regards to your point about James 1:5-7 -- you are taking it out of context to fit your argument against me. It does state that we should ask God for wisdom if we lack it, but it says nothing about not praying to others who also have wisdom and have gone before us. You clearly misunderstand what the passage is saying. Also, Jesus does not say that we can't pray to the saints. Prayers that are offered as intercession for others is "good and pleasing to God" (1 Timothy 2:3). I am not sure what you are trying to prove when you say that Jesus gave us the Our Father and that he did not say pray to saints.

I am happy to hear that you have heard of Augustine. He is one of my favorite fathers of the church. His conversion story, Confessions, is a classic. Have you ever read it? His mother, Monica, who is also a canonized saint, prayed for his conversion. Finally after 25 YEARS (can you imagine?) of prayer from his mother, he converted. What other Early Church Fathers have you read or heard about? Please tell me. I love the Early Church Fathers.

Asking for the intercession of the saints is not something the Catholic Church just decided to make up one day. This practice of praying to the saints began in the Early Church. The catacombs throughout Europe, specifically in Rome, clearly show that the Early Christians asked the saints to pray for them. In the catacombs in Rome, there are writings on the walls asking for Paul and Peter to pray for them. The Early Church was persecuted and the Early Christians knowing that both Peter (crucified upside down) and Paul (beheaded) were martyred for the faith prayed for their intercession and guidance since they could be martyred as well.

In regards to Catholics worshipping religious pictures and statues of saints -- this claim has been made for hundreds of years. I still can't believe people bring this up. You think that Catholics are breaking the commandment in Exodus 20:4-5 and 32:31, right? First, it is correct to warn people about idolatry. From the early days of the apostles, the Catholic Church has boldly condemned the sin of idolatry, the early Church Fathers condemned it and so have many Church councils. Someone who calls a Catholic an idol worshipper simply because he or she has a statue of a saint or a picture of Jesus in his home, clearly is ignorant of what the Bible teaches about statues. Second, there are many scripture passages where God clearly commands that statues be made. When giving instructions on how the Ark of the Covenant was to be made, he speaks of the cherubim statues (Exodus 25:18-20). Again, David's plan for the temple which included statues of angels (1 Chronicles 28:18-19). Also, in Ezekiel 41:17-18, the prophet speaks of the images that were to be carved in the inner room and on the nave looking like cherubim. More so, in Numbers 21:8-9, we read about when Moses was told by God to make a statue of a fiery serpent (bronze serpent) and set it on a pole so whoever looks at it would be healed (they were bitten by a plague of serpents for punishment). This passage clearly shows that the statues were not just religious decorations, but could be used within a ritual.

So why do so many faithful and practicing Catholics have statues, paintings and other religious devices in their homes or on their front porch (I imagine you saw that in Steubenville on your mission trip)? Simply: Catholics use statues and religious images to depict or recall the person. By looking at pictures of the saints or Jesus, it helps Catholics to remember that person in a more visual way. Think about this Matthew. As human beings, we come to know the world through our five senses. Having a statue or a picture amplifies us to use our sense of touch and sight more. Catholics DO NOT worship these pictures or statues. We do not bow down to them as the Greeks and Romans did with their gods. They are merely there to help us pray more and to remember more what that person was like here on earth. I have a statue of Saint Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, in my living room. I ask St. Joseph to pray for me so I can be a great role model for other men since he is such a great role model for men. Imagine his vocation, he was to care and protect Mary and Jesus! What a job! I do not worship that statue, but it helps me to remember who he was when he lived on this earth.

Let's put it another way - do you have pictures of your family and friends either in your home, wallet, or your dorm room/apartment at school? Why do you have these pictures? Is it to remember who they are and how important they are to you?? Do you worship these "images"? Do you bow down to these "images"?

Just as you use pictures of your family members, those still alive and those who are deceased, to remember them when you are away from them, so do Catholics use the pictures and statues to remind them of our brothers and sisters in Christ who have gone before us. Catholics also use statues and religious art as tools for teaching. Throughout the history of the Church, there have been periods of illiteracy (illiterate = those who cannot read). The Church would use the religious art to often explain the Biblical stories to the faithful. In Art History, Stain Glass Windows were known as the "Bible of the Poor." [Make sure you click on that link for stain glass windows]. I imagine that your community has images of Jesus and other biblical pictures they use for Sunday school. Catholics also use statues to remember certain people and events, similar to Protestant communities who have three-dimensional nativity scenes during Christmas.

Well...I think that is a good place to stop for now. I have given you a lot to read and think about regarding the saints. Remember, this is just one topic. Wait till we get to Scripture and Tradition, The Last Things, The Blessed Mother, The Sacraments, the Papacy and so much more. If you want to wait and get back to me after you return from your missionary work in Nicaragua on August 21, that is okay too. If you want to write me before you go too, that is fine as well.

You are in my prayers. Pray for me.

In Christ,
Tom

Please pray for Matthew's conversion!