So, if there is a day without a post-DO NOT PANIC.
Will keep you updated on this. And, tomorrow, for various reasons, I shall not be posting until later in the day.
STM
Tuesday, 18 February 2014
Scheduled No Posts Days
Because of eye operations, hopefully, going as planned in the next month, I shall have some days without postings, unless I can scheduled some ahead of time.
So, if there is a day without a post-DO NOT PANIC.
Will keep you updated on this. And, tomorrow, for various reasons, I shall not be posting until later in the day.
STM
So, if there is a day without a post-DO NOT PANIC.
Will keep you updated on this. And, tomorrow, for various reasons, I shall not be posting until later in the day.
STM
Beginning of a one-system in America?
End of the GOP? Start of a one party America?
Let’s Read the Polls About Amnesty
http://www.eagleforum.org/publications/column/lets-read-polls-amnesty.html
by Phyllis Schlafly
February 12, 2014
http://www.crisismagazine.com/2013/common-core-a-threat-to-catholic-education
The Congressional Budget Office just reported that Obamacare will shrink the U.S. workforce by 2.5 million full-time jobs. That’s stunning confirmation of how Barack Obama’s favorite legislative legacy is (as even Democrats have admitted) a “train wreck.”
The job loss is caused by businesses reducing their employees’ hours in order to avoid paying the employee mandate to buy insurance. Even more striking is the callous way Obama’s friends are trying to put a happy face on this bad news by claiming that Americans who are reduced to part-time jobs by Obamacare will be better off because they are liberated to exercise choice about how they spend their unemployed hours. As the New York Times wrote, it will be “more possible” to leave jobs (or reduce hours for less pay) because “new government subsidies will help pay premiums.”
more on site above....
?
Another JP Morgan Banker Leaps to His Death
Read more at http://www.maxkeiser.com/2014/02/hong-kong-man-becomes-7th-banker-to-die-under-mysterious-circumstances/#WVqZygeu0t4QqRHz.99
Read more at http://www.maxkeiser.com/2014/02/hong-kong-man-becomes-7th-banker-to-die-under-mysterious-circumstances/#WVqZygeu0t4QqRHz.99
Snowden voted in rector....
Heroic whistleblower? Alleged criminal? Coward? Whatever your label for Edward Snowden, the former CIA man has been given a new, official title by Glasgow University in the United Kingdom: the prestigious 'rector' title, following a vote amongst students.
The rector at Glasgow is effectively a figurehead appointed to represent the concerns of the student body.
Snowden is reported to have beaten three other candidates in the poll: cyclist Graeme Obree, author Alan Bissett and Scottish Episcopal clergyman Kelvin Holdsworth.
Previous rectors at the university include Edmund Burke, Winnie Mandela, Mordechai Vanunu, and former Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy.
Creepy
Ireland moves farther and farther away from Catholicism...................
The Irish Times, a daily Irish newspaper that claims an adult readership of more than 320,000 along with more than 3.6 million unique online users per month, has banned the term “pro-life” from its pages.
The Life Institute reports,
It’s official: in case you missed it, the Irish Times has confirmed what we all knew to be true – the paper has banned the use of the term pro-life as a news description.In an editorial on free speech and robust debate (the irony), the paper wrote:“And while this paper, for example, does not allow the use by our reporters in the context of reporting the abortion debate of the loaded term ‘pro-life’ as a news description, the expression may be quoted from others or used by opinion writers.”
The editorial in question, which can be found here (and which is actually not centered on the topic of abortion), is ironic, indeed. The paper first waxes eloquent about ground rules of decency and decries the use of extremist terms in public debate and then summarily pats itself on the back by saying that “to prevent or be unduly prescriptive about the use of such political hyperbole in debate would be dangerously to curtail the limits of free speech and freedom of thought.”
A Note on Twitter Today
Sadly, some other Catholic tweeters and I have to block more and more Millenials on twitter. The reason is simple, but disturbing.
For some reason, this present generation of youth, even Catholic youth, use profanities almost daily. Why such words which reveal a "potty mouth" as one famous tweeter notes, have been allowed by parents or adopted even by so-called faithful Catholic youth, is a mystery to me.
To state that words such as bloody, bugger, G.....d.., Oh my G....., f.... and so on, do not mean anything defies belief. For centuries, many words now employed by youth have been defined as not only low class, but extremely rude.
I hate blocking Millenials, but until they decide to use appropriate speech in conversation, some of us cannot allow them to be part of these conversations.
So sad, as opportunities for teaching then become lost.
I cannot imagine this type of language in colleges or universities.
So, I have to block....
For some reason, this present generation of youth, even Catholic youth, use profanities almost daily. Why such words which reveal a "potty mouth" as one famous tweeter notes, have been allowed by parents or adopted even by so-called faithful Catholic youth, is a mystery to me.
To state that words such as bloody, bugger, G.....d.., Oh my G....., f.... and so on, do not mean anything defies belief. For centuries, many words now employed by youth have been defined as not only low class, but extremely rude.
I hate blocking Millenials, but until they decide to use appropriate speech in conversation, some of us cannot allow them to be part of these conversations.
So sad, as opportunities for teaching then become lost.
I cannot imagine this type of language in colleges or universities.
So, I have to block....
Second popular re-post for today
Thursday, 28 November 2013
How To Create a Peter Pan
Many women with whom I speak have discussed with me the number of men who are not acting like men, but like boys. Many reasons have created this huge group of Peter Pans. Sadly, I know that many women are not able to follow the call of marriage and raising children because of the lack of the Protector Males.
I have many posts on Peter Pans, Protectors and Predators-just follow the tags.
However, I have been thinking about why there are so many Peter Pans.
I can share, after some observation and thought, how to create a Peter Pan.
1) Never allow your sons to learn how to do any work around the house. Do not let them learn how to cook, or use tools, or do garden work.
2) Never allow your male children to endure suffering. Coddle them, feel sorry for them, and give in to their
weaknesses.
3) Never make your sons work without pay.
4) Be rude and mean to women, including your wife, if you are the husband. This creates Peter Pans.
5) If you are the mom, treat your sons like your husband instead of like sons. They will never grow up respecting women, which is a sign of a Peter Pan. They will want to marry moms instead of helpmates.
6) Never allow your sons to fail and then to get up and try again.
7) Never allow your sons to do hard things on their own,. Micro-management creates Peter Pans.
8) Let them watch lots of tv and do lots of gaming. Let your sons think that entertainment is more important than
3) Never make your sons work without pay.
4) Be rude and mean to women, including your wife, if you are the husband. This creates Peter Pans.
5) If you are the mom, treat your sons like your husband instead of like sons. They will never grow up respecting women, which is a sign of a Peter Pan. They will want to marry moms instead of helpmates.
6) Never allow your sons to fail and then to get up and try again.
7) Never allow your sons to do hard things on their own,. Micro-management creates Peter Pans.
8) Let them watch lots of tv and do lots of gaming. Let your sons think that entertainment is more important than
work. Peter Pans do not learn to work.
9) Never protect your wife and daughters. If you do, you will be making a Protector Son, instead of a Peter Pan.
10) Always shield your sons from physical pain of any sort. Of course, Peter Pans never learn to deal with physical pain.
Maybe some dads who are readers will not like to do these things and will honestly raise sons to be Protectors.
My female friends and I would be astounded! I am sure that TLM and home schooling parents create Protectors.
What do you think?
9) Never protect your wife and daughters. If you do, you will be making a Protector Son, instead of a Peter Pan.
10) Always shield your sons from physical pain of any sort. Of course, Peter Pans never learn to deal with physical pain.
Maybe some dads who are readers will not like to do these things and will honestly raise sons to be Protectors.
My female friends and I would be astounded! I am sure that TLM and home schooling parents create Protectors.
What do you think?
Popular Repeat Post Today
Thursday, 17 May 2012
Protectors, predators, and peter pans--a five post day
This is a five post day, so scroll down for all the goodies. Before I move on to something else, I have been thinking of raising Catholic boys to be men again, as I consider working in schools again as a substitute teacher. I always end up teaching boys....hmm. I teach boys to be men.
There are three categories of men: Protectors,
Predators and Peter Pans. Now, young boys learn
to be one of these types. I want to write about this
from my own experience in teaching, observing and
being in Confirmation prep, which, interestingly enough, allows one to watch the maturation or not of young
people becoming responsible about their spiritual lives.
That phrase "becoming responsible" is the key and
That phrase "becoming responsible" is the key and
what every good Catholic mum wants her boys and
girls to be. We raise children to become independent, responsible, with properly formed consciences and
so on.
Sanctifying grace informs the virtues given through baptism, but these virtues must be accepted, trained, practiced,
Sanctifying grace informs the virtues given through baptism, but these virtues must be accepted, trained, practiced,
as in sailing a boat or being an accomplished painter. One can have gifts one never uses. Let me outline the three
men types, starting with the best.
The Protector is the man who realizes that one of his responsibilities in life as a man is to protect a wife and family, or, in extension, as with a monk, a community, or a parish priest, a parish, or as a bishop, an entire diocese.
The Protector learns to live the virtues, given to him by God through the sacraments. He embraces his role in the
The Protector is the man who realizes that one of his responsibilities in life as a man is to protect a wife and family, or, in extension, as with a monk, a community, or a parish priest, a parish, or as a bishop, an entire diocese.
world as a protector, being full of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as counsel, knowledge, wisdom,piety and the four cardinal or moral virtues, fortitude, temperance, prudence and justice. Such virtues as perseverance or fortitude,
and temperance are necessary daily habits, as well as the others. Of course, the first three Theological Virtues,
Faith, Hope and Charity, are a given. The Protector lives the virtuous life and teaches those around him to do
likewise. The man who is a Protector also knows that he must be the wage-earner, the provider, the champion of
the weak and helpless.
The Predator is a narcissist who only thinks of his own pleasure and needs. He looks on women and even other
The Predator is a narcissist who only thinks of his own pleasure and needs. He looks on women and even other
men totally from his viewpoint of what he can gain from these victims, or objects. The Predator is a sexual or
military aggressor. So many women do not recognize the traits-bullying is one of the most obvious.But other
Predator traits include selfishness, deceit, and a lack of self-mastery.
The Peter Pan has not grown up and lives either in the malaise of victim-hood (see my January post) or in the false security of irresponsible childhood. This type of man never grows up, wants to be taken care of and does not want children or any stake in the world, of which he is afraid. Frequently, the PP only engages in self-sex, that is masturbation, a sign of his immaturity and selfishness.
Catholic parents build character in their children at home. This is one of our primary duties. We look for the opportunities to instill personal responsibility and success. We watch for the signs of maturation. We try and help the male persons in our families grow into Protectors, rather than Predators and Peter Pans. When a good father is eyeing the young men who come to date his girls, he should be able to tell immediately whether the young or not-so-young men are Protectors, Predators, or Peter Pans.
Many women have not found a Protector. These men, real men, are rare indeed, as society has preferred to nurture Predators and Peter Pans, who are politically more pliable. Only Protectors live the Catholic virtues. I pray for my sisters in Christ who, sadly, have not been married or had children, or who are lonely in this big, bad world for the
The Peter Pan has not grown up and lives either in the malaise of victim-hood (see my January post) or in the false security of irresponsible childhood. This type of man never grows up, wants to be taken care of and does not want children or any stake in the world, of which he is afraid. Frequently, the PP only engages in self-sex, that is masturbation, a sign of his immaturity and selfishness.
Catholic parents build character in their children at home. This is one of our primary duties. We look for the opportunities to instill personal responsibility and success. We watch for the signs of maturation. We try and help the male persons in our families grow into Protectors, rather than Predators and Peter Pans. When a good father is eyeing the young men who come to date his girls, he should be able to tell immediately whether the young or not-so-young men are Protectors, Predators, or Peter Pans.
Many women have not found a Protector. These men, real men, are rare indeed, as society has preferred to nurture Predators and Peter Pans, who are politically more pliable. Only Protectors live the Catholic virtues. I pray for my sisters in Christ who, sadly, have not been married or had children, or who are lonely in this big, bad world for the
lack of Protectors. Many of us go directly to God, His Son, and the Holy Spirit for our Protection.
I think of St. Joseph. He was the Protector par excellence. Many other saints show that they were Protectors.
I think of St. Joseph. He was the Protector par excellence. Many other saints show that they were Protectors.
I think of Blessed Louis Martin, St. and King Henry, St. Thomas More, and even unmarried Protectors, such as St. Pius IX, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, St. Philip Neri. St. Damien of Molokai, and many others.There is a saying going around the Net:
Real Men do not love the most beautiful women in the world. A real man loves the woman who can make his world beautiful...that is the attitude of a Protector.
St. Paul said, Husbands, love your wives, as Christ also loved the church, and delivered himself up for it- see
St. Paul said, Husbands, love your wives, as Christ also loved the church, and delivered himself up for it- see
5:25-in the Letter to the Ephesians.
Bishop Jenky is a Protector. Those monks above are Protectors. The Catholic Men in England in the 1950s are Protectors. St. Joseph is the Protector. Do you know a Protector? Sisters, pray for at least one in your life, and
Bishop Jenky is a Protector. Those monks above are Protectors. The Catholic Men in England in the 1950s are Protectors. St. Joseph is the Protector. Do you know a Protector? Sisters, pray for at least one in your life, and
if you find him, love and cherish him. He is one of a rare breed.
One More Hour for the Memorare Pledge and Update
Please sign up or tell me in comments how many Memorares you are willing to say for the new liberal arts college wanting to open up in Ireland.
See the previous posts on this, please. I shall add the poll numbers to this list tomorrow.
The Memorare Pledge Challenge is going around twitter. I shall keep track. Also, tell me in comments how many you will say for this college. TAC grads, please join in as there is a connection. I think they want 3.5 Million Memorares. If you are on twitter, pass on and use #IrishMemorare. But, I need numbers to keep track, please. So use EITHER poll, comment box, or twitter to tell me the numbers. Thanks so much.
30
3
70
2
2
30
3
30
5
2
20
See the previous posts on this, please. I shall add the poll numbers to this list tomorrow.
The Memorare Pledge Challenge is going around twitter. I shall keep track. Also, tell me in comments how many you will say for this college. TAC grads, please join in as there is a connection. I think they want 3.5 Million Memorares. If you are on twitter, pass on and use #IrishMemorare. But, I need numbers to keep track, please. So use EITHER poll, comment box, or twitter to tell me the numbers. Thanks so much.
30
3
70
2
2
30
3
30
5
2
20
2
81,000
50
50
5
plus the ones of the poll 960
100
83
83,017
Total to date
Keep them coming and let me know the number. Thanks everyone, we need a lot more.
50
5
plus the ones of the poll 960
100
83
83,017
Total to date
Keep them coming and let me know the number. Thanks everyone, we need a lot more.
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.
Ame
|
The Death of Creativity-Part Two
Slaves do not create. Free people create. Creativity grows out of three things in a civilization: the first is leisure time to create; the second is a spiritual view of the world, not merely a materialistic one; the third is a group of patrons who will support those in the community who are artists.
As a poet and a painter, as a writer of fairy tales and stories, novellas and plays, I write more and more in a vacuum of those who cannot understand symbols or images.
David Jones wrote a long time ago that WWI was the "Break" of Western Civilization. Before that war, most people, even "peasants" knew the common symbols and images of the West, such as chalices, the fleur-de-lis, the unicorn, and such symbols of authority as crowns, scepters, and orbs.
Now, without a common Christian basis, without a common world view which includes the spiritual and not merely the material, civilization turns into a utilitarian machine geared at the god Mammon.
A stressful life full of activity either seen as necessary or necessary, destroys the ability to create.
Without prayer, creativity becomes an image of the wicked witch in the mirror desiring only power and control over the lives of others. Ugliness comes from sin and the evil one. Period. Are you allowing ugliness to take over the culture of your house? Have you lost the ability to judge what is beautiful and what is not?
The Death of Creativity-Part One
Man and woman were created by God in His Image and Likeness. That Image and Likeness includes free will, the intellect, and creativity. I have noticed a huge lack of creativity in the arts of all kinds. Most fine art and music is either retro or derivative.
Most fashions, except for a few "houses" now reveal only a desire to sexualize men and women even more, and provide a glimpse of further degradation of gender.
Most architecture seems to revert back to the ugliest types of monumental and tasteless designs, as the rational bends under the weight of imperialism of all sorts.
Men and women cannot be truly creative without God within the core of the soul, heart, mind. As we are made in God's image and likeness, we either submit to His Rule and become like Him, or try to become like little gods, making all in the image and likeness of ourselves.
Making music or fine art into our own image and likeness may be called "idolatry".
One humans become the centers of creativity, satan follows quickly, as men and women become bored with themselves and seek a false titillation.
America has fallen into an ugliness which has never been seen before in human creations.
If parents let their children be surrounded by ugliness, these parents will watch these young people slip away from religious sensibilities.
For the pursuit of religion is the pursuit of beauty and truth.
Ask yourself these questions. Is there beauty in my life? Do I listen to beautiful music and look at beautiful fine art to feed my soul? Do I know that God is Beauty? Do I pursue Beauty?
Do I know that my own seeking the Image and Likeness of God forms part of my seeking Truth?
Most fashions, except for a few "houses" now reveal only a desire to sexualize men and women even more, and provide a glimpse of further degradation of gender.
Men and women cannot be truly creative without God within the core of the soul, heart, mind. As we are made in God's image and likeness, we either submit to His Rule and become like Him, or try to become like little gods, making all in the image and likeness of ourselves.
Making music or fine art into our own image and likeness may be called "idolatry".
One humans become the centers of creativity, satan follows quickly, as men and women become bored with themselves and seek a false titillation.
America has fallen into an ugliness which has never been seen before in human creations.
If parents let their children be surrounded by ugliness, these parents will watch these young people slip away from religious sensibilities.
For the pursuit of religion is the pursuit of beauty and truth.
Ask yourself these questions. Is there beauty in my life? Do I listen to beautiful music and look at beautiful fine art to feed my soul? Do I know that God is Beauty? Do I pursue Beauty?
Do I know that my own seeking the Image and Likeness of God forms part of my seeking Truth?
Apologies to Readers from the Wood Between the Worlds
I am living in Iowa still, and the winter here has been harsh. We had another blizzard this morning and more snow is predicted for Wednesday and Thursday. The deer in the backyard had snow up to its flanks this morning.
I have not been able to write much, as you have seen, for two reasons. I have been very ill with asthma for almost three months now, and I am very tired.
However, the good news is that I am meeting people who are interested in podding. This is something I wrote about last week in the community series. I highly suggest thinking of this plan.
I shall not be in Iowa after the end of March. Keep me in your prayers.
I call this the Wood between the Worlds. This is not a new name for me to apply to Iowa. This state is always like limbo, or purgatory, as it seems to be merely an unknown door to another world. As my son said, and many before him, Iowa is a place where those over twenty leave as soon as possible. The siren song of prosperity is an empty melody and the Middle West is dying.
Sometimes, I feel like the little guinea pig, safe and eating grass but utterly in a plain and sleepy world.
One needs a yellow ring and a green ring.
Will write more later later tonight.
Monday, 17 February 2014
Logic and Ethics
If you are a high school or college grad and never had to take Logic or Ethics, it is your duty as an adult to do so.
One cannot be a saint unless one can think objectively.
Re-posts on this theme. And, follow the tags, thinking like Catholics.
Among young Catholics of a certain age and among some slightly older converts, there is a huge confusion as to objective and subjective truth. For some reason, mainly the pushing of relativism in the educational systems for over 40 years, most younger Catholics cannot think rationally or logically (not quite the same think) concerning the Teachings of the Catholic Church.
I have written on this before on this blog-follow the tags on thinking like Catholics, etc.
But, the problem does not merely make discussions or teaching difficult for the orthodox, catechist, but makes conversion difficult, as many people want to come into the Church for emotional reasons.
That there is a huge confusion on the application of doctrine to individual moral cases seems so widespread that one can hardly imagine such a large group of Catholics who have never be taught to think like Catholics.
Protestant thinking invaded the Church over 40 years ago with the weakening of the teaching of catechism and the introduction of charismatic renewal, with the emphasis on emotional religious experience.
But, lately, I am concerned at the number of young converts who are not being challenged in RCIA or in personal catechesis to think rationally.
The problem becomes compounded by the acceptance of so-called emotional conversion experiences which take the place of a slower, methodical approach.
Some dioceses in the States are moving to a two-year RCIA format. To me, this is excellent, as one cannot cover the doctrines of the Church with people who are coming out of absolutely no Christian background or who have been brainwashed by relativism in less than a year, and two years would be better.
If a convert has been reading the Doctors of the Church, or the Early Church Fathers a la Newman, the conversion classes could be shortened. Good priests who do the teaching one on one can make such decisions on an individual basis.
The worst catechized are the college and university students who have converted in that setting and have been accepted after cursory courses.
How can we change the entire thinking structure of a person to think like a Catholic?
I am convinced we need to go back to St. Thomas Aquinas, to the Socratic Method of question and answer and demand a real digestion of the CCC. Also, as I taught Mystagoia in the past, the Church should require that extra year, and not make it optional.
The Church is weakened by those who convert and do not understand the basics. I am talking almost daily with converts who have never heard basic teachings on sacramental theology, the meaning and definition of grace, or the ideas of salvation in and through the Catholic Church only.
There are few who understand the huge difference between objective criteria and subjectivity.
Can we pull back on the numbers games and slowly bring in people who will not be confused, or who fall away once they come to understand what should have been introduced along the way in RCIA or private catechesis?
Here are some past posts on thinking like a Catholic....
Last year, a baby Jesus was vandalized in Pennsylvania. The statue was made to look like Satan and had satanic symbols on the back of it. The anarchist symbol is clearly visible on the front. What strikes me about this
It may be too late, but we need a generation of apologists who are trained in debate and know the Catholic Faith inside and out. What I have seen in discussions concerning the events of the past few days indicates a woeful ignorance on the part of most Catholics regarding history, politics, civics, and debate.
What happened in the school systems of America and England was the destruction of rational discourse.
Very few young people know how to debate. They cannot think rationally and objectively. They do not have the knowledge they need to argue points of religion or politics.
We may have lost the battle already, or maybe not.
War is the result of a breakdown of communications and aggression. So there is an oppressor and a defender, offence and defence.
Why cannot some people understand that Catholics can take the offence in arguing and win? We have the best teaching in the world and God for the Founder of our religion.
Ours is not a man-made but a revealed religion and we are given grace to understand and appropriate our Faith.
What has happened is that relativism and subjectivism have destroyed people's ability to think.
One must learn how to think. Those who know how to think must teach others.
I taught logic for more years than I can remember. I taught debate. It must be learned.
Very few of my university and college students knew how to think before my classes.
They learned.
If Catholics cannot enter into debate and argument, we cannot evangelize.
Souls are being lost because some of us are lazy and many are ignorant of the Faith, even priests.
This must change.
We Catholics have 4,000 years of salvation history at our finger tips, as explained by the Catholic Church.
We have encyclicals, catechisms, sermons, the writings of saints, and more. We have the teaching of Christ, Who is God, Himself.
We can only win. We cannot lose the argument. But, if we are ignorant or lazy, we give the argument away.
And, we are not arguing or debating trivia. We are engaged in warfare for the souls of men and women. We are fighting for civilization.
If we lose, it is our own fault. We need prayer but we need intelligence and training as well.
One cannot be a saint unless one can think objectively.
Re-posts on this theme. And, follow the tags, thinking like Catholics.
Tuesday, 26 November 2013
Thoughts After Some Conversations with Converts
Among young Catholics of a certain age and among some slightly older converts, there is a huge confusion as to objective and subjective truth. For some reason, mainly the pushing of relativism in the educational systems for over 40 years, most younger Catholics cannot think rationally or logically (not quite the same think) concerning the Teachings of the Catholic Church.
I have written on this before on this blog-follow the tags on thinking like Catholics, etc.
But, the problem does not merely make discussions or teaching difficult for the orthodox, catechist, but makes conversion difficult, as many people want to come into the Church for emotional reasons.
That there is a huge confusion on the application of doctrine to individual moral cases seems so widespread that one can hardly imagine such a large group of Catholics who have never be taught to think like Catholics.
Protestant thinking invaded the Church over 40 years ago with the weakening of the teaching of catechism and the introduction of charismatic renewal, with the emphasis on emotional religious experience.
But, lately, I am concerned at the number of young converts who are not being challenged in RCIA or in personal catechesis to think rationally.
The problem becomes compounded by the acceptance of so-called emotional conversion experiences which take the place of a slower, methodical approach.
Some dioceses in the States are moving to a two-year RCIA format. To me, this is excellent, as one cannot cover the doctrines of the Church with people who are coming out of absolutely no Christian background or who have been brainwashed by relativism in less than a year, and two years would be better.
If a convert has been reading the Doctors of the Church, or the Early Church Fathers a la Newman, the conversion classes could be shortened. Good priests who do the teaching one on one can make such decisions on an individual basis.
The worst catechized are the college and university students who have converted in that setting and have been accepted after cursory courses.
How can we change the entire thinking structure of a person to think like a Catholic?
I am convinced we need to go back to St. Thomas Aquinas, to the Socratic Method of question and answer and demand a real digestion of the CCC. Also, as I taught Mystagoia in the past, the Church should require that extra year, and not make it optional.
The Church is weakened by those who convert and do not understand the basics. I am talking almost daily with converts who have never heard basic teachings on sacramental theology, the meaning and definition of grace, or the ideas of salvation in and through the Catholic Church only.
There are few who understand the huge difference between objective criteria and subjectivity.
Can we pull back on the numbers games and slowly bring in people who will not be confused, or who fall away once they come to understand what should have been introduced along the way in RCIA or private catechesis?
Here are some past posts on thinking like a Catholic....
10 Jul 2013
To think like a Catholic is to see the reality of the world through the Eyes of God and not one's own eyes. If you have lost the gift of discernment or wisdom given to you in baptism through sin and compromise, pray for such.
13 Apr 2012
Too many of the courses are based on a particular professor's private interests instead of a Catholic world-view. Our priests, bishops and cardinals need to learn to think like Catholics and in too many cases, this perspective is ...
13 Nov 2013
Too many people think America will not become like the broken big brother of Europe, too ... The City of God is not a millennial-type of utopia, but the spiritual city to which we, as baptized Catholics, all belong. But, it must be ...
13 Nov 2013
I have met too many people who are leading Catholics astray by a false emphasis on feelings and experiences, and I have many articles on such here on this blog. ... I cannot trust him, as he is thinking like a Protestant.
18 Nov 2013
Think like a Catholic, pray like a Catholic, and live daily life in the counter-culture which is true Catholicism. God gave us His Son, Who established the Church on earth to help us in our salvation. Do not waste this great grace.
15 Nov 2013
Who is stopping the marginalization of Catholics from discussions in the public sphere? Who is stopping the core curriculum, which is brainwashing? Who is preparing their children to think like Catholics even under stress?
07 Aug 2013
There is a huge campaign in the States at this time and some Catholics are allowing themselves to join the group which is calling a prominent person a name. Let me explain something. Arguing a moral point should never include a reference ... I think these are sins of hatred. Logic was required in private Catholic high schools in the States, at the freshman or .... Let's get back to being like Jesus....Yes, by challenging the present fear of offending. 8 August 2013 16:42.
17 Jul 2012
One piece looks like bones, and another is in the shape of a small crustacean. I was thinking of how my dwelling is built with the ruins of another ancient time of ancient creatures which were once alive. Will there be any ...
21 Nov 2013
We are blessed as Catholics to have both the gift of faith given to us in baptism, and The Faith, passed down to us through the Teaching Magisterium of the Catholic Church. I would like to ask you, dear readers, in these last ...
15 Feb 2012
Because I am thinking of the Catholic use of the media today, here is Campion's Brag. If you remember, he printed this up at Stonor House, and distributed it, among other places, at the parish in Oxford. Brave, brave member ...
11 Apr 2012
Traditional Catholic Blog .... from the pulpit on such matters. He's likely to come off as some Mooslim-like perv who gets excited at the thought of a women's ankle, or sound like an old gay queen in the process. If there's no one ill dressed in the church, why lecture. If someone has got on long tailored shorts in hot weather in church in a tourist area, they'll think they are being singled out for persecution and they may never darken the church door again. Not a good thing.
28 Apr 2013
... knew Catholic doctrine and we today don't. Besides, in times of crisis and distress, when we are not thinking clearly, it is precisely the things we have memorized that come most readily to our aid when we need them. ...The suggestions you make are wonderful, and I have spent a great deal of time with websites like Catholic Icing, Catholicmoms, and A Shower of Roses to get inspiration and mentoring on this journey. It is of great comfort to me to hear of someone ...
16 Nov 2013
Traditional Catholic Blog ... Fair-weather friends tend to be those who only want to be friends if they can gain something from the relationship, or think that what they are gaining are material benefits. I have found out recently that I have been dropped by middle-class minded people who are not interested in understanding or ... These nuns radiate the love and grace of God, and shine like little, hidden saints. They promised to pray for me. I was very touched by their real ...
12 Jul 2012
Here are my reasons why liberal Catholics, especially and some trads have fallen into the trap of the "single vocation", which I do not think exists, except for the above calls. One, selfishness. Our individualistic, selfish and.... I do agree with you, that the single life is not a vocation but in rare circumstances, yet I and some friends like me are really really uneasy with (or perhaps lack the courage for) the dating site concept. I now wonder, are we culpable of not seeking ...
02 Oct 2013
If you are a Catholic and a socialist, you are not thinking like a Catholic. One needs to repent of holding on to false ideologies of all kinds, if one is going to follow Christ in the teachings of His Church. One cannot pick and ...
15 Nov 2013
Think about the travels of SS. Francis, or Dominic, or Catherine of Siena, or Francis Xavier, or Isaac Joques. The Catholic Church is the only institution in the world which has always transcended boundaries. Missionaries, nuns and priests, brothers and sisters, have travelled the world in the past without problems on entry or stay. Convents could set ... Please join me in prayer, as, like St. Paul, I feel called to Europe to work for Christ and His Church there. I have a great ...
25 Jun 2012
Some of these wreckovations are politically, ideologically motivated by "Catholics" who either think like Protestants or Marxists. Still, like a worn-out mantra, people decry the use of beauty in church architecture, vestments, ...
16 Jan 2012
I also think there has to be good reason for not having children. The grand example are two of my favorite Catholics, Jacques and Raissa Maritain, who on the Isle of Wight, as Benedictine Oblates, took a vow of celibacy "for ...
10 Sep 2013
Perhaps Catholics have never read the Decree Against Communism, written in 1949 by Pope Pius XII and reconfirmed in 1962 by Bl. John XXIII. .... Labels: Gramsci, heresies, rabbits, socialism, thinking like Catholics ...
18 May 2013
The Renaissance and the Reformation have shaped the modern western individual, who is not weighed down by external burdens like merely extrinsic authority and tradition; people feel the need to “belong” to institutions less and less (and yet .... The purpose of this contribution is to help Catholics find a key to understanding the basic principles behind New Age thinking, so that they can then make a Christian evaluation of the elements of New Age they encounter.
19 Apr 2012
Many great writers already quoted on this blog, including Garrigou-Lagrange, believe this is not a call only for those special mystics who are obviously given such graces, but for all Catholics. .... I think perhaps the relationship of those who live by the private revelations, those people I have met in abundance in both the Midwest of America and in Ireland and England, indicated that they do fall into a community of people who live ...... Wear Your Tribulation Like A Rose.
30 Nov 2012
Think that the FSSP is a compromising order (I really do not like this one) 5. Think ... I know many good Catholic trad priests who have told me the faculties are not given to SSPX priests and that the Confessions are not valid.
16 Sep 2013
16) (= "to speak to the heart" or "to oneself"), mean "to think." The heart .... Labels: love, marriage, thinking like Catholics ... I think that it is a great book, but the last part from the Makarian Homilies is the best bit of the comment.
08 Jan 2013
The European friends of mine cannot understand wanting to be in charge of your own space. They are think like socialists, even the Catholics. What shocks me is their blind trust in their governments, and worse, the feeling of ...
02 Jun 2013
These good people are self-deceived into thinking that the externals of faith mean they are saved. Interior disposition is ALL in .... to TwitterShare to Facebook. Labels: catholic teaching, magical thinking, thinking like Catholics ...
12 Nov 2013
Are you acting as if your children will not need to be different, special, super-Catholics and saints in the days to come? Do you think they will face a world like yours and mine growing up? Are you forming saints? I see too ...
02 Feb 2013
All I know is that I don't "get" them and would like to understand more - how is that they are so "switched on" and single-minded about TOB? It's interesting, too, that the "TOB" camp promotes the YOUCAT to Catholic youth, ...
04 Dec 2012
I am truly concerned about the present youth who cannot and will not think objectively. If you have ... Now, we shall see the triumph of the Prince of Darkness, unless Catholics begin to think like Catholics-objectively.
16 Nov 2013
He said that right now in these difficult times, many Catholics were not paying attention to building the Kingdom of God, but asleep, busy about other, less important things. Like the unjust judge, they were ignoring not only the ...
04 Jun 2013
I have written about this many times, but one more time will not hurt....in fact, this post is another contradiction of more magical thinking ... Labels: catholic teaching, magical thinking, private revelations, thinking like Catholics ...
02 Dec 2012
Most people I know could not function like that, traditional Catholics or otherwise. 3 December 2012 04:40 · Supertradmum said... Matthew, one of your comments accidentally got deleted. Please re-post. Thanks. I think it was ...
08 Sep 2013
One would think that it, and its author, never existed. Fortunately, it was written in a manner which is ideal for spoken-word production. It is clear, forthright, concise, descriptive, it is like a mountain stream in a desert, with a reputation of miraculously curing spiritual blindness. Rev. Hugh Thwaites ... Hugh Thwaites SJ, Humani Generis by Pope Pius XII: This encyclical concerns false opinions which threaten to sap the foundations of Catholic Teaching. It corrects the false ...
Thursday, 13 December 2012
Subjectivity, relativism, Satanism and anarchy
Last year, a baby Jesus was vandalized in Pennsylvania. The statue was made to look like Satan and had satanic symbols on the back of it. The anarchist symbol is clearly visible on the front. What strikes me about this
situation is the complete logic of the connections between the hatred of religion, Satanism and anarchy.
I am truly, truly concerned about the Millennials. I am truly, truly concerned that if the youth of the West do
I am truly, truly concerned about the Millennials. I am truly, truly concerned that if the youth of the West do
not rise up and take the lead in converting others, we shall not only lose our culture and more so, our civilization,
but lose the opportunity to catechize the entire world.
The horror of subjective thinking has created an entire generation of relativists who span the earth.
This is one reason why Islam is attractive. Relativism is a philosophical position based on materialistic views of life, history, philosophy. So is Islam.
But, I digress. Relativism and subjectivity has ruined the youths' ability to believe in critical thinking.
Many of these youth no longer believe in reason. They do not believe in free will, the soul, or reason. This is a
The horror of subjective thinking has created an entire generation of relativists who span the earth.
This is one reason why Islam is attractive. Relativism is a philosophical position based on materialistic views of life, history, philosophy. So is Islam.
But, I digress. Relativism and subjectivity has ruined the youths' ability to believe in critical thinking.
Many of these youth no longer believe in reason. They do not believe in free will, the soul, or reason. This is a
serious development, planned by the social engineers from the 19th century who do not want a thinking public.
They have now got it. It some countries, this lack of the belief in man's ability to reason is completely gone,
They have now got it. It some countries, this lack of the belief in man's ability to reason is completely gone,
except for a few.
So many young people will go to hell because they do not believe in reason and free will.
Are you surprised at this statement?
On my blog and especially in the perfection series, I have said over and over that in order to become a saint,
So many young people will go to hell because they do not believe in reason and free will.
Are you surprised at this statement?
On my blog and especially in the perfection series, I have said over and over that in order to become a saint,
one must become objective. This is essential. If one cannot stand back and see one's own sin and the state
of one's own soul, a person lacks the humility and impetus to come to God.
All the saints, as I have said many times, were objective. Subjectivity is the mind of evil-why?
Non servium. The real relativist cannot serve any laws, rules, or hierarchy outside of himself. The logical
All the saints, as I have said many times, were objective. Subjectivity is the mind of evil-why?
Non servium. The real relativist cannot serve any laws, rules, or hierarchy outside of himself. The logical
consequence of subjectivism is anarchy, but sadly, the real relativist cannot reason about consequences.
I am very concerned, not for myself, but for all of those whose subjectivity will lead them to moral anarchy.
One cannot argue with most relativists as they cannot think. They deny reason. They deny rational discourse.
Pray for these youth when you meet them. Their souls, which, with free will and reason, were made in the
I am very concerned, not for myself, but for all of those whose subjectivity will lead them to moral anarchy.
One cannot argue with most relativists as they cannot think. They deny reason. They deny rational discourse.
Pray for these youth when you meet them. Their souls, which, with free will and reason, were made in the
image and likeness of God. They refuse that image and likeness. They are culpable in that they choose lifestyles which follow their subjectivity.
God never gives up on any of us. He pursues us until the last moments of our lives. He is Faithful. But, we have
God never gives up on any of us. He pursues us until the last moments of our lives. He is Faithful. But, we have
free will.
Thursday, 13 September 2012
Where are the young apologists?
.jpg) |
| Giovanni Battista Crespi The Blessed Virgin Guiding St. Dominic to Victory over the Albigensians |
What happened in the school systems of America and England was the destruction of rational discourse.
Very few young people know how to debate. They cannot think rationally and objectively. They do not have the knowledge they need to argue points of religion or politics.
We may have lost the battle already, or maybe not.
War is the result of a breakdown of communications and aggression. So there is an oppressor and a defender, offence and defence.
Why cannot some people understand that Catholics can take the offence in arguing and win? We have the best teaching in the world and God for the Founder of our religion.
Ours is not a man-made but a revealed religion and we are given grace to understand and appropriate our Faith.
What has happened is that relativism and subjectivism have destroyed people's ability to think.
One must learn how to think. Those who know how to think must teach others.
I taught logic for more years than I can remember. I taught debate. It must be learned.
Very few of my university and college students knew how to think before my classes.
They learned.
If Catholics cannot enter into debate and argument, we cannot evangelize.
Souls are being lost because some of us are lazy and many are ignorant of the Faith, even priests.
This must change.
We Catholics have 4,000 years of salvation history at our finger tips, as explained by the Catholic Church.
We have encyclicals, catechisms, sermons, the writings of saints, and more. We have the teaching of Christ, Who is God, Himself.
We can only win. We cannot lose the argument. But, if we are ignorant or lazy, we give the argument away.
And, we are not arguing or debating trivia. We are engaged in warfare for the souls of men and women. We are fighting for civilization.
If we lose, it is our own fault. We need prayer but we need intelligence and training as well.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)