Pope in the Bronx!
Monday, February 04, 2008
What a blessing! Pope Benedict XVI is coming to the US in April. When I heard he would be saying 2 public masses I was excited. One would be in Washington and one at Yankee Stadium. I knew Yankee stadium would be awesome! My 2 great loves converging! Most of the tickets go to local parishes so I didn't think I had a chance. I asked my buddy Nathan who lives near Washington to see if he could get tickets for the Washington mass.
On a whim I called the Diocese of Rochester to see if they had any tickets. They didn't and I signed up for the waiting list. Then I asked my mom to check with SS Peter and Paul which is a Byzantine Catholic church. She forgot on a Friday but Saturday in the bulletin Father Mike was looking to see if anyone wanted to go to Yankee Stadium to see the Pope say mass! Heck yeah!!! So I called and along with Sarah and her parents are going in April. I am soo excited.
More updates to follow!
Posted bypiscotikus at 9:45 PM 0 comments
Weekly wisdom
Sunday, January 13, 2008
I have been enjoying Father Corapi's weekly wisdom. If you haven't heard, Fr Corapi is doing a weekly show on his web site for about $10 bucks a month you get the weekly broadcasts. This week Fr spoke about the truth. And at the end he mentioned a doctor who asked him if he could prescribe birth control. Fr. said no. Then he told the story of a couple who were both pharmacists who owened their own pharmacy and after listening to Fr. Corapi realized they could no longer sell OCs. Well there was outrage and protests. But then some of the local Protestant churches started preaching that these people were doing what they thought was right and finally the Carholic churches got behind them as well. Well, they ended up having to open 2 more stores because of the response. God blessed them for their faith. I have heard this story before and have often felt god wanting me to open my own pharmacy. I've been afraid because I know nothing of owning my own store and to be honest I am afraid as well. I have had a friend who recently opened a store but I also recently took a job at the VA pharmacy. This job has minimal exposure to dispensing OCs and the other people I work with know where I stand and take care of those orders for me.
Posted bypiscotikus at 10:37 PM 0 comments
A quote from St Francis and a new job
Saturday, September 15, 2007
"Remember, you are what you are in the eyes of God, and nothing else."
Pray for me as I begin a new job at the VA hospital on Monday. One of my hopes is that with at least 4 pharmacists there at all times I won't have to dispense any birth control. I also hope the regular business hours allows me more time with my family. We'll see.
Posted bypiscotikus at 10:11 PM 0 comments
Offering it up
Saturday, August 04, 2007
I had an opportunity this evening to offer up a little suffering to God. It's something I've been working on to become holier. It's not easy, though it sounds easy, to say "I forgive you/them". But in practice, at least for me tonight, it wasn't easy.
It's times like these you really see how
much God loved us when you look at a crucifix and see Jesus dying (literally) to forgive us.
Posted bypiscotikus at 6:43 PM 0 comments
Two glipmpses of the Real Presence
Friday, August 03, 2007
Two of the past weekends I have had a great and powerful love for the Eucharist made present to me in the two parishes I've attended mass. I'd like to share them with you.
The first was 2 weekends ago at Ss. Peter and Paul Church in Auburn, NY. This is where I grew up and attended Catholic school and mass all during my childhood. I was home two weekends ago and went to Church with my mom and Grandma on Saturday evening. After I received communion I noticed as I was walking back to my pew, about 25% of the people behind me weren't going up for communion. Now while this may not necessarily be a good thing, what I took from this moment was that people still believe in the real presence and know that they shouldn't receive if in a state of mortal sin. It showed me that reverence is still strong in my home community.
This past weekend I went to Church at St. Mary's in Alexandria VA. As I entered there were signs on all the doors calling to attention the real presence in the tabernacle and to be quiet and turn off your cell phone. Then the priest explained in his homily why he doesn't use Eucharistic ministers (because his Church isn't big enough to require them) and it was the first mass I went to where the priest did not allow a sign of peace. Now I know a lot of people who would be offended by the removal of the sign of peace, but it was easier to contemplate the Eucharistic Jesus at that point in the mass. I think a sign of peace should be offered at the beginning of mass or at some point just after the homily. The Liturgy of the Eucharist needs to be focused on the Eucharist.
The Eucharist is a gift we take so much for granted these days. It no wonder people leave the Church when there is so little attention paid to the Eucharist. It is Jesus! Really and physically present like no other way. If we as Catholics don't live our lives desiring Jesus in the Eucharist every day, how can we expect to bring others to Christ?
I think I'm going to read ECCLESIA DE EUCHARISTIA and put up some commentary in the next few days.
Today is the first Friday of August. Why not find a Church offering adoration and spend some time with the Lord.
Posted bypiscotikus at 11:20 AM 1 comments
Labels: Catholic, Chuch, Eucharist
Happy Father's Day!
Monday, June 18, 2007
Happy Fathers Day dads!
Wait a minute... Doesn't the Bible say Call no man Father? (Matt 23:9)
This verse is taken way out of context by anti-Catholics. It's also very easy to debunk. St. Paul even calls himself a father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. (1 Cor 4:15)
More.
Posted bypiscotikus at 9:08 PM 0 comments
Labels: Catholic
God and Survivor
Monday, May 14, 2007
Watching the finale of Survivor last night 2 things stood out to me.
First of all, Boo in his questioning of the final 3 addressed Dreamz and his Christianity. After Dreamz had accepted the truck from Yau-man Dreamz "promised to God" that he would give immunity to Yau. Wether or not Boo remembered that I don't know, but at the final tribal council he asked Dreamz 'as a Christian' wether or not he was playing Yau from the outset. Dreamz said he was. Boo said, “I still believe in you, but I still believe you’re an immature Christian, and I hope that one day, you will be a strong Christian man and be able to tell the devil, ‘Dangle all the money you want in front of me; this Christian is not for sale.’”
Props to Boo for bringing up his faith!
Secondly after Earl had won, and they were re-hashing the Dreamz betrayal, I noticed quite the groan and gasp from the audience when Dreamz said, I swear to God."
I can understand why people would gasp at such a comment, but I can harldy imagine that everyone who has gasped has never sworn to God and broken that promise. I wish Dreamz would have apologized for breaking a promise to God. However he didn't and like so many of us we make false promises and use God's name in vain all too often, wether we think we're good people of faith or not. We live in such a backward country. We have abortion on demand, pronography, povery all around us and yet we have the nerve to be 'shocked' when someone else breaks a promise to God. We need less pride in this world and more humility.
In the end Earl won and I was happy beacuse I liked Earl. We won without any backstabbing or trickery. Just one strategic move after another. I wish Yau would have won, but maybe on a all stars we'll get another opportunity.
Posted bypiscotikus at 2:57 PM 1 comments
Great News
Thursday, May 10, 2007
500 priests will be ordained this year.
Article
Posted bypiscotikus at 8:53 PM 0 comments
The Beatitudes
Monday, April 30, 2007
My next series of posts are going to deal with the beatitudes.
Marcus Grodi's weekly bible study Deep In Scripture did a great 5 episodes on the beatitudes. I encourage you to listen to them. They are free and you can find them in the archives.
For the time being just meditate on them.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Posted bypiscotikus at 8:24 PM 0 comments
Labels: Bible
Today is Divine Mercy Sunday. It is very fitting we celebrate it on the Second Sunday of Easter. We need God's mercy. We thank him for it. We say Lord have mercy so much however we forget that we truly do need it.
We are sinners. Without God's grace and mercy we would be dead. It has been said, that if all the sin in the world were added together, it would be but a drop in the ocean of God's mercy. How lovely and infinite God's mercy is.
Thank you Lord for your infinite mercy. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Pray for God's mercy not only for yourself, but for all those who need it most.
More on Divine Mercy Sunday
Posted bypiscotikus at 10:30 PM 0 comments
