"Philadelphia horror"

We have been very busy with all kinds of God’s amazing stuff the past few days, and I’m just starting to catch up on the news. I can’t (but also I can) believe what I’m hearing about an abortionist in Philadelphia. The subheading below sums up the evil situation: “Abortionist and 9 associates arrested on murder charges; Grand Jury alleges he killed viable babies with scissors, spread diseases among patients, gave woman fatal drug overdose.” An online article from “California Catholic Daily” tells the grewsome story. It’s a story that I ask GW Catholics to follow as it goes to trial. It could be very interesting to see what develops from this. A friend sent me the following experience that one of his friends had with this doctor of death:


"5 years ago he was doing abortions in both Philly and Wilmington Del. I had a very hard desicion to make, but decided to end my pregnancy. I went to him, not knowing about what he really did. I was improperly drugged, then they overdosed me. He lied about how old the fetus really was. I believe that my baby was born alive. The nurse in the room with us slapped me and told me to shut up. (no kidding) In his haste, he ripped a 3 inch gash in my uterus hitting a major artery. I bled to death in my boyfriend's car. Only a miracle saved me, the fact that it was so cold out, my body temp had dropped and I went into shock. Now, thanks to him, I can't have anymore children. The damage done to my uterus made it neccesary to have an emergency hysterectomy. I told you it was far worse than they said...... I could tell you all the details, but what I've told you is the basic"


Philadelphia horror

Abortionist and 9 associates arrested on murder charges; Grand Jury alleges he killed viable babies with scissors, spread diseases among patients, gave woman fatal drug overdose

From Operation Rescue and Grand Jury reports

Philadelphia, PA -- District Attorney R. Seth Williams released a 281 page Grand Jury Report yesterday (1/19/11) that was the basis for murder charges against abortionist Kermit Gosnell and nine of his associates. Included in that report were photos of some of Gosnell's victims.

We are posting copies of these images on our website so that the full truth of the horrific nature of these crimes can be understood.

In the report, the Grand Jury notes that several agencies and groups became aware of what has become known as Gosnell's "shop of horrors" but did nothing.

“This case is about a doctor who killed babies and endangered women,” said the Grand Jury’s report. “What we mean is that he regularly and illegally delivered live, viable, babies in the third trimester of pregnancy – and then murdered these newborns by severing their spinal cords with scissors. The medical practice by which he carried out this business was a filthy fraud in which he overdosed his patients with dangerous drugs, spread venereal disease among them with infected instruments, perforated their wombs and bowels – and, on at least two occasions, caused their deaths. Over the years, many people came to know that something was going on here. But no one put a stop to it.”

Just the day after the death of Karnamaya Mongar, Gosnell had applied for membership to the National Abortion Federations, whose meager guidelines Gosnell could not meet. Even though an NAF staff person spent several days in Gosnell's abortion mill noting numerous violations, they did not think to report him to the proper authorities.

The grand jury also had a stern rebuke for regulatory organizations who looked the other way, giving their stamp of approval on his criminal practices.

These people who saw the abuses yet stood idly by, or worse, encouraged the behavior that has now shocked the nation bear some responsibility for what happened in Philadelphia. In fact, they deserve criminal prosecution just as much as Gosnell and his cohorts because their silence not only enabled the crimes, but gave tacit consent to them.

Operation Rescue calls for massive reforms in the way abortionists and abortion clinics are handled by regulatory agencies nationwide. Kermit Gosnell's shop of horrors is certainly not the only abortion mill of this kind in operation in America.

"Operation Rescue calls for immediate emergency inspections of every abortion clinic in the nation. We have often said that if this were to ever happen, no abortion clinic would remain in operation because we have yet to discover one that adheres to all the laws that apply to them. There is no doubt that proper enforcement of the laws already in place would save the lives of women like Mrs. Mongar and babies such as the ones whose tragic images we have posted on our website," said Operation Rescue president Troy Newman.

"As the 38th memorial of Roe v. Wade approaches, it is time for Americans to consider the horrors of abortion and demand that government abolish this barbaric practice forever."

Warning! Photos are extremely graphic and disturbing. All photos are from the Grand Jury Report released by Philadelphia District Attorney R. Seth Williams. To view the photos and the article in full, click on today's title.

3rd Sunday - homily

Recently, I went with some students and the FOCUS missionaries to the Polish Embassy to see a screening of a documentary, "Nine Days That Changed the World". It is a film that narrates and analyzes Pope John Paul II's trip to his native Poland in 1979. The film is very well done; you feel like you're there! You see the huge crowds - millions of people were there everywhere the Holy Father went. Poland was in darkness then, under the regime of communism. The pope was a great light! The Polish people connected with the message of their hero - a message of freedom, faith, the Cross, and solidarity. The people united around this message and the regime was in trouble. Amazingly, this led to the fall of communism in Poland, the Soviet Union, and all of Eastern Europe. Nine days that changed the world.

Poland was in darkness - the darkness of communism. College can bring darkness for some people in a few ways: the darkness of sadness or depression, the darkness of sin, and the darkness of ignorance. When I was in college, I had all three going on! I remember being 20 years old on a college campus and saying to myself, 'I'm in darkness'. At that time, I didn't know Christ. I knew about Christ but I didn't know Him. At that time, my light was Juliette O'Hare. I knew her in high school. She was a beautiful and sweet girl. She moved to California and became Miss San Diego! We talked on the phone a lot. Then, she invited me to move out there. I was like, "um, yeah". I had my light - California, Miss San Diego, all that. My bags were packed.

God must have had a good laugh over this. The saying is, "if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans". I had my plan and was ready to go. Then, He intervened. Long story short, I unpacked my bags, and He began to show me the real light, His Son, Jesus Christ. You know what's it like when the lights go out in your house or room. It's a little scary. You can't see things as they really are You think you know what's in front of you and then jam your knee into something...ouch. That was me the first part of college. I was in the dark. God showed me the light, mainly through Truth. It started with the Eucharist. He turned on the light switch when a priest said to me, "'this is my body' means this is my body". That's when the light went on. I started to see the Truth about Confession and all the teachings of the Church. God showed me the light which is His Son.

Christ is the light! He is the light of the world. It was His light that came to Poland in 1979. It was His light that came to Corinth when St Paul preached to people who didn't know about Jesus. It was His light that came to me in college. He wants to bring light to Foggy Bottom. He wants to bring light to this campus. But, He needs your help. He's actually given you his title of "light of the world". He says you are "salt of the earth and light of the world". He wants you to bring to others. You know people who are in darkness. You know people who are in sadness - bring them joy! Bring them a smile...you never know how much that can help someone who's having a tough day. You know people who are in sin - bring them to Confession! Bring them to mercy and healing. You know people who are in ignorance - bring them the Truth! Show them the Gospel.

How do you do that? It's quite simple. It's a simple invitation. Jesus invites the Apostles to the light with two words: "follow me". He says two words and they leave everything to follow Him. Invite people to the light. Invite them to Mass, to Bible Study, to Tuesday dinner. You'll be surprised at the response. People in darkness ate desperate for light. In your dark house or room, we immediately go for our cell phone light, candles, or a flashlight. Your invitation could be exactly what people are looking for. Invite those who are in darkness to come to the light...from sadness to joy...from death to life. Bring them to the light...the Light of the World, Jesus Christ.

FOCUS Conference!!

Today, 40 GW Catholics will leave for the FOCUS Conference in Baltimore.  My guess is that this is the largest group of students to go on retreat or conference in the history of the GW Newman Center (if someone knows of a larger group, please let me know). 

We had a pre-conference party on Monday night, and our students are pumped for this!  One of them messaged me on Facebook: "I feel something big is coming!"  Same here, brother!  It should be an amazing weekend with the Holy Spirit and 1,500 other college students from local universities (there are three other FOCUS conferences happening around the country this month).

If you're not going this weekend, please pray for us.  Here is a video from last year's national conference.  For those who are going, get psyched!

Why is sex before marriage wrong?

Short answer: because Jesus says so.

A student asked me this question last year, and that was the answer I gave him. I told him and the others in the discussion that in Mark 7:21, Jesus lists serious sins, "murder, adultery, theft, fornication (sex outside of marriage)". While he showed respect for our Lord's teaching, he went on to argue for fornication. Sometime later, he passionately summed up his position: "I just don't think there's anything wrong with sex outside of marriage". I replied, "so, you disagree with Jesus".

Just about every young Catholic who has ever asked me this question does not know Mark 7:21. They do not know that Jesus has said that sex before marriage is wrong. Once they find out that God has condemned fornication, they still want to know why it's wrong. In other words, they now get THAT sex before marriage is wrong, but still don't get WHY it's wrong.

Sex before marriage is wrong because it involves lust, not love. You're thinking, 'how can you say that, Father?' Granted, when I'm speaking to unmarried people who are involved in a sexual relationship (the time when people most disagree with the Church's teaching), I gently and slowly make this point clear. They usually realize it before I have to spell it out. I can say it because it's true. I am speaking about the act itself, not the couple. The couple can truly love each other, but still commit sins of lust. Even married couples can commit sins of lust against one another (e.g., oral sex).

Any sexual act* outside of marriage is a sin of lust. A sin of lust occurs when you use another for your own sexual pleasure. You reduce them to being merely an object of your sexual desire. We can contrast lust with love by saying simply that lust means taking from another while love means giving to another. When the unmarried couple engages in sex, they enter into lust, not love. How? Because they are taking from the other, not giving. They CANNOT give themselves to the other. An unmarried couple has not given their love to each other in marriage, so they are incapable of fully giving their love to each other physically. This is a HUGE point in understanding why sex outside of marriage is wrong and bears repeating. An unmarried couple has not given their love to each other in marriage, so they are incapable of fully giving their love to each other physically. If it's not love, it's lust.

"But, Father, I really love my boyfriend. It's not about sex, it's about making love". Where do we get the idea of "making love", anyway? Is it from movies and TV? If Hollywood is the authority on love, then yes, you and your boyfriend of four weeks truly love each other and express that love every time you exchange the most intimate human act of sex. But, Hollywood is not the authority on love- God is. He is the author of love! "God is love" (1 Jn 4:8). And, the author of love has written (in the first book of the Bible, Genesis) that sex is for two purposes: procreation and union (between husband and wife). An unmarried couple can't truly unite, so they can't "make love", as God intends. God intends them to be married and to be open to life when they have sex! Engaging in sex as God intends is truly making love. Then, sex is sacred, holy, beautiful, pure, and good. Outside of that, sex is evil, as Jesus says in Mark 7:21.

*to see what constitutes a sexual act, check out my upcoming post, “How far is too far?”

John Paul II to be beatified!!

On Friday night, a group of our students and FOCUS missionaries invited me to the Embassy of Poland for a viewing of the documentary, "Nine Days That Changed The World". Newt Gingrich, a convert to Catholicism, and his wife produced this impressive and powerful film. It narrates the story of Pope John Paul II's visit to his native Poland in 1979 with the help of experts who explain the global significance of his trip. His pilgrimmage played a large role in bringing the fall of communism in Poland and the Soviet Union. Also, it revealed the power of the Holy Spirit, the Gospel, and solidarity among a unified people. We will try to show the film at the Newman Center sometime soon. I highly recommend it! To view the film's trailer, please click on today's title.


Ironically, last Friday was when the Vatican announced that John Paul II will be beatified on May 1.Praise God! Here's an article about this exciting news:


Benedict XVI to Beatify John Paul II

Pontiff's Great Fame of Sanctity Acknowledged

VATICAN CITY, JAN. 14, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is planning to preside over the beatification rite for John Paul II on May 1, Divine Mercy Sunday, in the Vatican.

A communiqué from the Congregation for Saints' Causes announced that today the Pope, in an audience with the congregation's prefect, Cardinal Angelo Amato, "authorized the dicastery to promulgate the decree of the miracle attributed to the intercession of Venerable Servant of God John Paul II (Karol Wojtyla)."

This was the final step in the process preceding the beatification rite, which will be celebrated on Divine Mercy Sunday, a feast day instituted by John Paul II.

The communiqué noted: "It is well known that, by pontifical dispensation, his cause began before the end of the five-year period which the current norms stipulate must pass following the death of a Servant of God.

"This provision was solicited by the great fame of sanctity which Pope John Paul II enjoyed during his life, in his death and after his death.

"In all other ways, the normal canonical dispositions concerning causes of beatification and canonization were observed in full."

The diocesan investigation into the cause for beatification of the Pontiff took place between June 2005 and April 2007. On Dec. 19, 2009, Benedict XVI authorized the promulgation of the decree on his predecessor's heroic virtue.

Miracle

The congregation then examined the report of a miraculous healing through the intercession of John Paul II: the cure from Parkinson's disease of Sister Marie Simon Pierre Normand of the Little Sisters of Catholic Motherhood.

The reports of medical and legal experts on the French nun's healing were submitted to the dicastery for scientific examination last Oct. 21.

The congregation noted that its experts, "having studied the depositions and the entire documentation with their customary scrupulousness, expressed their agreement concerning the scientifically inexplicable nature of the healing."

Thus, on Dec. 14, the theological consulters began an evaluation of the case, and "unanimously recognized the unicity, antecedence and choral nature of the invocation made to Servant of God John Paul II, whose intercession was effective in this prodigious healing."

On Tuesday, during the ordinary session of the congregation, the members expressed their "unanimous approval."

The prelates expressed belief in the miraculous nature of the recovery of Sister Marie Simon Pierre, "having been achieved by God in a scientifically inexplicable manner following the intercession of the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II, trustingly invoked both by Sister Simon herself and by many other faithful." The conclusions were then submitted to Benedict XVI for approval.

2nd Sunday - homily

On Tuesday night, one of the greatest priests of Washington will be leading our Tuesday discussion. Father Dan Leary is a good friend of mine who will be telling us “Stories of Healing”. He’s an amazing priest but is crazy. He’s nuts! He’s crazy funny and crazy holy. To give you a taste of his sense of humor: when Fr Dan was a seminarian, he played a practical joke on a pastor. He was stationed for a summer at a parish which had a house for the pastor. When the pastor went away on vacation, Dan Leary put a “For Sale” sign in front of the pastor’s house! People had stopped by and left messages about buying the house. When the pastor returned, he was not happy…! So, Tuesday night should be a lot of fun – Father Dan will probably make a good amount of fun of me- but it will also be really good. Fr Dan has a thriving healing ministry. He has been given the gift of healing and many people have experienced Christ’s healing through him. He is planning on bringing two women who have experienced healing through him.


It will be a timely discussion as we approach the March for Life. The women will speak to us about the healing they have received from the Church after having abortions. Fr Dan told me they are some of the most powerful people in his parish. He represents the Church so well in that he provides so much healing and mercy to women who have had abortions. Before I get into the March for Life, it’s important to point out that the Catholic Church provides more healing for women who have had abortions than any private institution in the world. Let me represent the Church’s outreach here: if you or anyone you know has participated in an abortion, I am here to help you in any way. My door is always open for healing and mercy.

The March for Life is coming up on Monday, January 24th. It is one of the greatest days of the year! Hundreds of thousands of people descend on the Mall to celebrate and defend life, most of whom are high school and college students. Young people are actually leading the March now! One of the reasons they are so involved is that they see abortion as the greatest injustice of our time. Also, they realize that they could have been aborted; thank God their mothers and your mothers chose life! If you’ve never been, you’ve got to go. In fact, every GW Catholic should make every effort to be involved in the March for Life in one way or another. There will be thousands of college students there from all over the country. They will make many sacrifices to be there: taking off more than day of classes, driving many hours in cars or buses, sleeping on floors, going without showers, etc. I am asking GW Catholics to sacrifice, too: take the day off from classes on Monday the 24th. I know, big sacrifice!

There are two things we are offering you to be a part of the March. The first is the Rally and Mass for Life at the Verizon Center. It rocks! There will be 25,000 young people there celebrating life and faith. The group from GW that went last year really enjoyed it. Amy will take a group of 25 of you. You will meet at 7 am at the Newman Center (again, sacrifice!) and spend the morning there. Then, you’ll come back to Newman for lunch. For those who can’t go to Verizon, I will celebrate a Mass at 12:45 at Newman. Then, we’ll have lunch with the group from Verizon and walk down to the March. We’ll even give you a “GW Catholics for Life” scarf to help keep you warm. Everything is free except transportation back from the March or if you want to get food and beverages on Capitol Hill afterwards. You need tickets for the Verizon Center, so please sign up after Mass.

Why do we march? We march to represent. God calls us to represent life, especially life in the womb. God loves life. He loves babies – He became one of them! God loves life and hates abortion. He calls us to represent life, defend life, and march for life. So, we represent life, especially life in the womb. The womb is one of the most sacred places on earth. This is where God first lived on earth. It should be one of the safest and most peaceful places on earth, but it has become one of the most dangerous. Did you know that there over 3,000 abortions in the United States every day? More Americans die every day to abortion than on 9/11. Unborn babies are the most defenseless people on earth. They are people, and they cannot defend themselves. So, we defend them. There are among those who Jesus calls “the least of my brothers and sisters” in Matthew 25. He will judge us based on how we treated them and all the poor.

God speaks about life in the womb many times in Scripture. We have one of the main lines from Isaiah 49 in tonight’s first reading: “God formed me as his servant from the womb”. God formed me as his servant from the womb. Before Isaiah was ever a prophet, he was God’s servant…from the womb. Before any of us become students, teachers, lawyers, priests, or whatever, we are God’s servants first and foremost. God formed each of us from the womb. He formed us personally: He gave us our personalities, gifts, and vocations. Whenever I celebrate a wedding, I say to the couple that when God created you, he had your wedding day in mind…He had my ordination day in mind. He gave each of us our vocation in the womb! He formed us spiritually: He gave us our souls at conception. He formed us physically: He gave us our bodies in the womb. At conception, each of us had our own DNA. Eighteen days later, we had beating hearts. Twenty-five weeks later, we could hear like adults and even pick up on our mothers’ moods. He formed each of us from the womb…as His servants.

Finally, brothers and sisters, as we prepare to receive the grace of the Eucharist, let us be not afraid. Be not afraid to be God’s servants in the world. Be not afraid to do His Will and live holiness. Be not afraid to answer His Call whatever it may be. Be not afraid to be pro-life and defend life in all stages. Be not afraid to march for life. There will be others telling you not to go – friends, roommates, even family members. Don’t do the will of others, do God’s Will. On January 24th and in life, be not afraid to live out the words of our psalmist, “Here am I, Lord, I come to do your will”.

Biblical humor (part 2)

CHIPOTLE  after 7:30 pm Mass this Sunday, Parish Hall at St Stephen's.  Alongside the burritos, we'll have sign-ups for March for Life, Alternative Spring Break, Wednesday Adoration, Ski Retreat, Liturgical Ministers, and World Youth Day.  Phew, it'll look more like a student org fair...!

--------------------------------------------

"Wise man, huh?" (wise man takes shovel to the face)



"Well, if it isn't Joseph and Mary"... OUR SON IS GOD




CAMEL WASH..."Youth Group Fundraisers in Biblical Times"




"Tragically, the first youth minister in history was fired for breaking all ten commandments...'dodgeball accident'"



"Christians"



"You idiot, he said, 'Cast the nets'!"




"Thou shall not gill...Fin no more...Perfect - Great moments in logo design"



"Whaddya mean? That wasn't YOU who just said, 'Good morning'?"



Biblical humor (Part 1)



"And God separated the light from the dark"




"During the forty years of wandering in the desert, there wasn't much to read...Let my People (magazine) go!"




"Jesus clears the temple"




"Jacob the Stutterer told me it was PomPom Sunday"



Sign - Danger: Bridge Out..."The other disciples were always visiting Doubting Thomas in the hospital"



"The disciples had to admit that even at shadow puppets Jesus was clearly the best"




"During a lively game of pickup basketball, Peter denies Jesus three times"




Sign: It's a Miracle - over 5000 served...."He thinks the sign is a bit much"



March for Life + GU conference

A friend of mine who runs his own blog site sent the following invitation to me which I pass on to GW bloggers. The O’Connor Conference is the same weekend as the FOCUS Conference, so those not going to Baltimore should try to make this conference at Georgetown. EVERY GW Catholic should be involved in this year’s March for Life (Jan 24) in one way or another.


The Newman Center will send 25 students to the Verizon Center for a Rally and Mass with 25,000 other students from around the country. This event rocks! Rally and Mass are from 7:30am-11:30am.  Transportation and lunch will be provided.  To get more info and to sign up, email Amy at amy@gwcatholic.com.
For those who can’t go to Verizon, we’ll have a Mass for Life at 12:45 pm at Newman chapel. After Mass, the group at Verizon will join us for lunch downstairs. Then, we’ll walk down to the Mall to join hundreds of thousands for the March. To sign up for (Mass and) lunch at Newman, email me at chaplain@gwcatholic.com.
 
We will also provide yellow scarves that say "GW Catholics for Life".  We'll be doing some representin' while we keep warm!  The only costs of the day will be after the March - if students choose to grab drinks or food on Capitol Hill and/or pay for transportation back to campus.
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Upcoming Event: The 12th Annual Cardinal O'Connor Conference at Georgetown

The annual March for Life here in Washington, marking the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's dreadful Roe v. Wade decision on January 22, 1973 - the Dred Scott decision of our times - is coming up on Monday, January 24th. For those of my readers who will find themselves in the Washington area, I highly encourage you to consider attending the 12th Annual Cardinal O'Connor Conference and its associated events at Georgetown University over the weekend immediately prior to the March. Named in honor of His Eminence John Cardinal O'Connor, the late Archbishop of New York, the conference is the largest pro-life student conference in the country, and is co-sponsored by Georgetown University Right to Life, Georgetown University Knights of Columbus, Georgetown University Catholic Daughters of the Americas, and University Faculty for Life.

Among the many learned and interesting speakers, discussion leaders, and panelists scheduled to appear at the conference are Helen Alvaré, Professor at George Mason University Law School; Mother Agnes Mary Donovan, S.V., Superior General of the Sisters for Life; His Excellency William Lori, Bishop of Bridgeport, Connecticut; His Excellency Edwin O'Brien, Archbishop of Baltimore; keynote speaker Lila Rose, well-known student activist at UCLA; Thomas Brejcha, President and Chief Counsel of the St. Thomas More Society; and Kathryn Jean Lopez, editor-at-large of National Review Online. The annual Thomas King, S.J. Award, named in honor of the late Father King - whom all Georgetown undergraduates of a certain age will remember very well indeed - will be given in recognition of an outstanding collegiate pro-life group.

On Saturday, January 22nd, the evening prior to the conference, a Mass for Life will be celebrated by His Eminence Francis Cardinal George, Archbishop of Chicago, in the historic Dahlgren Chapel of the Sacred Heart, located at the heart of Georgetown's old campus. This will be followed by a "Luau for Life" reception in the Copley Hall Formal Lounge, just a short walk from the chapel, in support of Washington's Northwest Pregnancy Center. The Center was founded by Georgetown University students and alumni back in 1983 and is today the largest crisis pregnancy center and maternity home in the city.

Please note that the website for the conference provides online registration until January 21st, however I have been told personally by the Director of the Conference that walk-in registrations will be accepted.

For those who are interested in reading a bit more about Cardinal O'Connor's views on abortion, I would encourage you to read a lengthy piece where he answered a number of questions frequently raised with him on the subject. I suspect that many readers will be surprised to learn that His Eminence held views which, in many respects, will strike Republicans as being Democrat positions - for example the Cardinal's appeal to trade unionists, a group whom he supported all of his life. Indeed, the Cardinal was often a strident critic of U.S. military actions throughout his episcopate. What this piece shows us is that the protection of life in all its forms is not a Republican or a Demoracrat issue, it is a human issue.

In this article, Cardinal O'Connor reminds us of how we must fight to save every life, and gives the very telling example of Moses, who himself was targeted for destruction at the time of his birth:

May I ask that everyone remember the story of Moses. By decree of the state, he should have been put to death at birth. A brave woman refused to kill him, and hid him in a basket in the reeds at the water's edge. His life was saved and God chose him to lead the Israelites to the promised land. If we spent the rest of our lives in an effort to save one Moses, or any other infant, could our struggle be called wasted? If any of us went into a burning building, or dove into icy waters, to save one baby, the community would bestow a medal for heroism, and we would always remember saving a single life. God knows the lives you have saved, even if you don't. Thank God for you.

The ending of this passage is an important point for us to consider. For those of us who are God-fearing people, we know that God sees and knows all that we do. Each of us, in our way, can be called upon to do something to rebuild the respect for human life which our society has been abandoning for some time now, and which continues to erode. What better way, for those of us able to attend, to shore up against that erosion than to meet with others who are as committed to this issue as ourselves, and thereby find ways of working together in this most noble of causes.

Baptism of the Lord - homily

As a seminarian, I looked at priests celebrating baptisms on Sunday afternoons after Masses and thought, ‘that would be a drag’. I didn’t really see myself getting pumped up for this, especially when there’s football on. But, then, I started celebrating baptisms as a deacon. I realized very quickly that it is an honor and a privilege to celebrate the sacrament of Baptism. And, one of my first baptisms helped me to see what a gift Baptism is. After the baptism, the father of the child came up to me and said, “that is the best gift I will ever give my child”. This blew me away. Think of all the gifts parents give their kids – and I don’t just mean Christmas gifts. They give their kids so many gifts, but the best gift of all is Baptism…the gift of faith…the gift of eternal life. That father was so right! I have used his line at every baptism since then.


One of my favorite baptisms was a few years ago in Southern Maryland. Friends of mine asked me to baptize their baby daughter. It was during Mass in a small, crowded Church. Everyone was really into the baptism. Everyone except one person – the baby girl. She cried the whole time! Ironically, the only time she stopped crying was when I poured the water over her head (it’s the opposite of what usually happens…the babies usually are chill until that cold water hits their bald heads). We called it a ‘mini-miracle’; she is destined to be a saint! One of the most powerful situations involving baptism was last year at GW hospital. I baptized a GW student who had tragically fallen five stories. By God’s grace, he survived long enough for me to baptize him. As incredibly difficult as that situation was for the family, it brought them comfort knowing their son is now with God forever.

Let’s be clear – we need to be baptized to be saved. Jesus says in John 3:5 that “no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit”. John 3:5. Tell it to your family members, friends, or roommates who haven’t been baptized. You’d be surprised at their reaction. I used this line one time with a couple I was becoming good friends with who asked me to baptize their sixth child. (Actually, I use it at every baptismal prep class.) I asked them why they wanted to baptize their child. Ultimately, they said it was for their son to go to Heaven. In the conversation, I learned that the father hadn’t been baptized. I told them about John 3:5 and asked the wife is she was worried about her husband entering the kingdom of Heaven. Immediately, the husband – the husband! – said to his wife, “yeah, don’t you want me to get to Heaven?” A year later, he was baptized and is now a practicing Catholic.

Tonight, we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus. Why was our Lord baptized? It wasn’t to be saved – He is the Savior…the one who saves. It wasn’t to repent – He never sinned so there was nothing to repent. One of the reasons Jesus was baptized is to show us the way to salvation. There are other things He does that He doesn’t need to do to be saved but shows us the way to be saved – takes up His cross, celebrates the Eucharist, takes care of the poor, lives the Beatitudes, etc. He is like a coach who wouldn’t ask his athletes to do something he wouldn’t do. We’re only going to follow Him if He leads us.

Another reason Jesus is baptized is to show us He is “all in” for us. He goes all in at the Jordan river. He fully submerges himself in the waters of the Jordan to show his commitment to us. He is all in. He is all in in the Jordan; He is all in on the Cross... for us. When He comes out of the Jordan, it is an incredible scene: the Spirit descends and the voice of the Father is heard: “this is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased.”

It is my hope that you will be “all in” for Jesus this semester. He is all in for you, be all in for Him? I promise you, if you go all in this semester as he went all in in the Jordan, the Spirit will descend and come upon you. And, hopefully, in some way, you will hear the voice of the Father say to you what he said at your baptism: “this is my beloved son / daughter, with whom I am well pleased”.

Finally, two points about the Eucharist in relation to today’s feast. The first is that the Eucharist is the best way to live out our Baptism. We’re not saved just because we’re baptized; we need to live it out. Baptism gives us faith and life in Christ; the Eucharist nourishes faith and life. The second is something I want you to consider as I elevate the Host during consecration: the words of the Father. As I elevate the Host, the Father says the same thing to us that He said at Jesus’ baptism: “this is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased.”

"Do you trust Jesus?" - Msgr Thomas Wells on youtube

I have spoken and written much about my good friend and spiritual father, Msgr Thomas Wells, who was killed ten years ago.  I came across three videos on youtube with Fr Wells which are below; they are taped one month before he died.  It's a great gift and treat for those of us who knew him to see and hear him again.  For you students, I hope you get some sense (as much as video can provide) of his holiness, brilliance, humor, and love for Jesus and His people.  Btw, if you pay attention to his homily, you will probably notice that he is speaking more to the parents than to the kids...genius.

“How can I be strong in my faith?”

Here are recent questions and comments from anonymous bloggers. I ask our student bloggers who are looking for things to do while they slumber at home (!) to help and answer the third question. C’mon, you all know how to help answer the person’s question, “How can I be strong in my faith?” Please leave your specific suggestions asap.

1)"A question....for the people that have demonic possession...how does this happen? I have been told you have to "invite" this to happen. We allow this by participating in various games and movies. So my question is..how does this happen to people.”

The best thing to do, Anon, is to read Fr. Euteneur’s book, “Exorcism and the Church Miitant”. He goes through all of the scenarios on how demonic possession happens to people. Here is a partial answer to your question:

“In general, the devil or any demon has not power to possess or enter a person who lives in a state of grace…Demonic evil can only operate on a person with the consent of the human will. There are two exceptions to this general rule. One is when God in His Providence allows a person in a state of grace to be afflicted by a demon…The other exception to the rule is when an innocent person becomes the victim of a satanic curse or witchcraft of some sort” (pp.36-37).

“Aside from true victimization, the ‘standard’ way the devil possesses people is through a process of subtle and perverse invitations to gain the person’s free consent. There is no inadvertent possession. Demons usually come in through some sort of acquiescence of the human will” (p.42).

“There are three main reasons why someone who confesses the Name of Jesus may have a demon. First, Christians can be slothful in their practice of the faith or vulnerable to demons through unrepentant and unconfessed sin. Christ cannot fully protect even His followers who do not invoke His protection consciously. Second, the Lord allows Christians to suffer in this way to ‘test’ or ‘prove’ them in the fires of adversity. The devil is most effective in offering that kind of spiritual testing, and sometimes it comes as internal obsessions rather than merely external forms of persecution. Third, ‘God wishes to give us a true knowledge and understanding of ourselves’ and show us how impossible it is to advance in His service without the aid of His grace.

“Some have wondered how it is possible for the devil to inhabit a body which St. Paul says is the ‘temple of the Holy Spirit.’ It would seem that God and Belial cannot exist in the same place at the same time. But an unclean spirit may enter and inhabit a body in the same way that sin may enter and stain a soul: by the human will, which gives permission for its entrance. Or to use an analogy: a demon may enter a body in the same way a Satanist may enter a church building; either through a deliberate wicked action or a free invitation. The mere fact of God’s Presence in a place does not prohibit the action and activity of human or spiritual evil though a place may be sacred” (pp.108-109).



2) “I think it's SUBconscious, not UNconscious. : )”

This was a comment from my homily on the 3rd Sunday of Advent. I was thinking that, too, Anon, when I read the following line from Fr. Benedict Groeschel, a priest and a psychologist, in his book, Courage to be Chaste: “Dreams are experiences which permit the unconscious to rise to the surface of the mind” (p.94). Webster’s dictionary does say that the unconscious is the “part of the mind containing the psychic material of which the ego is unaware”.


3) “I was away from the Catholic church for about 2-3 years and would like to know how I can be strong in my faith?”

My post, “Five Fundamentals of a Firm Faith” (10/5/10), should help on a general level. And, bloggers will offer specific ways to be strong in your faith…(I hope).

iCatholic!!

One of our grad students emailed this to me: "Just discovered that Magnificat is a free app through itunes for your iphone or ipod. Thought you might want to pass that along through your blog. Just found it and recommended it to a friend."

Magnificat is a huge hit at the Newman Center, so this is really good news.  Also, this got me digging into all of the iCatholic stuff out there.  I started this over two hours ago...there is a TON of cool Catholic stuff for iPhones, from iTunes, and including Catholic podcasts.  I have been thinking for a while about the best way to make all of these very helpful and immediate tools available to GW Catholics.  I'll be working with our team of engineers (one of them worked on the last space shuttle launch...no joke), but if bloggers have better suggestions, I'm all ears.

Catholic podcasts through iTunes:
Go to the iTunes store.  Search for "catholic".  Scroll down to podcasts, and then click on "see all podcasts".  I just downloaded three excellent ones for free: Scott Hahn's Sunday Bible reflections, Catholic Answers (Radio - one episode of Jimmy Akin), and the SaintCast.  Lots of cool, free stuff there!

Catholic apps through iPhone app store:
Below are some of the best ones that I've seen that GW Catholics would be interested in.  They aren't free but are just a couple of bucks.  Another Catholic blog site said that these are free on iTunes, so check that out.  I could access them on iTunes on my computer, but not on my phone.

Answers 4 Catholics
iRosary
Catholic Mass Times
iPieta (Catholic Teaching, Calendar, and Prayer)
Catholic TV
iCatholic Radio
Catholic Singles
iConfess (Confession handbook and guide)
Catholic News Feed
The Saint Cast App (Catholic saints on call)
Catholic Handbook
Bible Douay-Rheims
Divine Office
iMissal Catholic (Mass readings, Calendar, Lectionary)

Also, click on today's title for "On the U.com" (College Catholic Podcast) which is an affiliated podcast of sqpn.com (another great site).  I told you, there is a TON of cool iCatholic stuff that is free and easy to access (well, easy for you).

Here's a video that a bit of a spoof but makes the point in a minute that I've spent the last two+ hours trying to make here:

Feast of the Holy Family - homily

I read a story in last week’s sports section about two Washington Redskins getting into a fight after practice. They got into an argument during practice, things escalated, and then fought each other in the weight room later. One of the players said afterwards that he couldn’t remember what started the whole thing on the practice field. This reminded me of a point I make to couples preparing for marriage. It is a teaching point for all of us. The point isn’t just that the Redskins are in total disarray; that’s obvious in so many other ways. The teaching point is to stay away from emotional language when in arguments, especially among married persons. My guess is that these players got into an argument over something insignificant and then said things that that escalated into a fight. The advice I give engaged couples is to stay away from using words like “always” and “never” – “you always do this”…”you never do that” – when in an argument. These are the things that the other remembers – ‘does he really think that?’ You don’t really mean it but get caught up in the emotion of the moment. And, that’s the stuff that really hurts the other. It’s hard to take emotionally charged statements back. So, be cool and rational when getting into disagreements with spouses, family members, and friends.


I doubt that Mary and Joseph ever used emotionally charged language when they got into any kind of disagreements. The reason is because of the profound respect they had for each other. Their respect for the other was passed on to Jesus and it helped to form, shape, and mold him to be the man he would become. Respect in the home is huge! Parents often come to me about a problem with their teenager and how they can’t get their teen to obey them. I tell them that they need to present their position in respect of their teen. If they don’t respect them, they might lose them for good. Kids respond well to respect.

The respect of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph is rooted in virtue. It was a home of virtue in which Jesus was raised. The Holy Family lived out the virtues, especially the ones St. Paul writes about in today’s second reading (Col 3) – “heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience”. We might look at the virtue of the Holy Family and see they are way up there while our families are way down here. It might seem unrealistic to think that our families could ever reach their level of virtue. It might be good to take one virtue on which to improve so that we begin to make some progress in imitating Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. One virtue to suggest is humility.

Humility is necessary for all of us Christians to live. It is especially vital in families. Humility is necessary for love. Love means gift of self…to give yourself to others. It takes humility to do this. If we look at the greatest sign of love in the world – Jesus Christ on the Cross – we see the incredible humility he had. He humbled himself in being born as we are celebrating at Christmas and in giving himself fully to us on the Cross. It takes humility to love and to be loved. It takes humility to let others serve us. This is the underpinning for St. Paul’s whole point of being “subordinate”. “Wives, be subordinate to your husbands” means ‘wives, let your husbands serve you!’ Husband, serve your wives! “Children, obey your parents”; let your parents serve you. If people are trying to serve us, then they have our best interests in mind. They want what’s best for us. This is a point I make to kids (even some GW students) when they are upset that their parents are being so strict. They complain about it and then I ask them, “do your parents love you?” They say yes, and I stress that their parents are acting out of love. They might be being a little overbearing, but they truly want what’s best for you.

The point about humility might best be made in talking about our relationship with God. God loves us and wants to serve us. He has told us what’s best for us through His teachings, commandments, etc. If we receive these in humility, then we let God serve us. But, too often pride gets in the way and people say, ‘God, I know that you say this, but I’m doing that….I know you say I need to go to Mass on Sunday, but I’m doing something else’. Or worse, they say, ‘God, I know better than you’. ..’Mom and Dad, I know better than you’…’Honey, I know better than you’. Pride is very dangerous. Humility is necessary in order for those in the family to serve each other. Humility is necessary for love and forgiveness to exist in families.

Finally, brothers and sisters, there is one guarantee about how to keep our families together. If families come here to Mass every Sunday, they will stay together. If they come here to pray together, hear the Word of God together, receive the Eucharist together, then they will stay together. Parents ask me how to get their kids to Mass. I tell them to talk to their kids about the Eucharist. Tell them that Jesus says they need the Eucharist to have life and to get the Heaven. Each of us needs the Eucharist to have life. Immediate families need the Eucharist…our parish family needs the Eucharist….our Church family needs the Eucharist to stay together. “The family that prays together stays together”.

"A Christmas Parable"

Merry Christmas to all GW Catholics and bloggers!!


"A Christmas Parable"
by Louis Cassels




“Once upon a time there was a man who looked upon Christmas as a lot of humbug. He wasn’t a Scrooge. He was a kind and decent person, generous to his family, upright in all his dealings with other men. But he didn’t believe all that stuff about Incarnation which churches proclaim at Christmas. And he was too honest to pretend that he did. “I am truly sorry to distress you,” he told his wife, who was a faithful churchgoer. “But I simply cannot understand this claim that God becomes man. It doesn’t make any sense to me.”

On Christmas Eve his wife and children went to church for the midnight service. He declined to accompany them. “I’d feel like a hypocrite,” he explained. “I’d rather stay at home. But I’ll wait up for you.”

Shortly after his family drove away in the car, snow began to fall. He went to the window and watched the flurries getting heavier and heavier. “If we must have Christmas,” he thought, “it’s nice to have a white one.” He went back to his chair by the fireside and began to read his newspaper. A few minutes later he was startled by a thudding sound. It was quickly followed by another, then another.

He thought that someone must be throwing snowballs at his livingroom window. When he went to the front door to investigate, he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the storm. They had been caught in the storm and in a desperate search for shelter had tried to fly through his window. “I can’t let these poor creatures lie there and freeze,” he thought. “But how can I help them?” Then he remembered the barn where the children’s pony was stabled. It would provide a warm shelter.

He put on his coat and galoshes and tramped through the deepening snow to the barn. He opened the door wide and turned on a light. But the birds didn’t come in. “Food will lure them in,” he thought. So he hurried back to the house for bread crumbs, which he sprinkled on the snow to make a trail into the barn. To his dismay, the birds ignored the bread crumbs and continued to flop around helplessly in the snow. He tried shooing them into the barn by walking around and waving his arms. They scattered in every direction - except into the warm lighted barn.

“They find me a strange and terrifying creature,” he said to himself, “and I can’t seem to think of any way to let them know they can trust me. If only I could be a bird myself for a few minutes, perhaps I could lead them to safety. . . .”

Just at that moment the church bells began to ring. He stood silent for a while, listening to the bells pealing the glad tidings of Christmas. Then he sank to his knees in the snow. “Now I do understand,” he whispered. “Now I see why You had to do it.” ”

"Ache of Singlehood"

The error that I saw in yesterday's video was that Mary messaged Joseph after the Annunciation, "I'm going to be pregnant".  She became pregnant at the Annunciation, so her message should have said, "I'm pregnant."  Just keeping you theological wizzes sharp!


Here is a video one of our grad students sent me.  It's quite good.  The woman on the video is Jackie Francois who is a speaker, singer, and talented performer.  We might try to get her to come to GW!!

The digital story of the Nativity

This is a funny depiction of the Nativity story making its way around the internet, "The Digital Story of the Nativity".  I spotted one theological error in the story which is rather subtle. See if you can find it.

4th Sunday of Advent - homily

I don't know if you get into the meaning of dreams or care to understand and interpret them. Dreams can be fascinating experiences. Psychologists tell us that in dreams the unconscious comes to the surface. Some of us might freak out learning what's in our unconscious after a bizarre dream or two. We see holy men have holy dreams in Sacred Scripture several times. Holiness is in their unconscious. I dream about football; well, I try, at least. You see what's in my unconscious! Lately, I've been watching old videos of the Washington Redskins' Super Bowl years before I go to bed with the hope that I'll dream about at least a winning season. I just can't even imagine it otherwise.


The Church has put a lot of stock in a dream by a pope. Pope Leo XIII had a dream at the end of the nineteenth century that was wild. He dreamt that God and Satan were having a conversation. God offered Satan one century to rule the earth. Satan chose the twentieth century. If we look at what happened during that century, we might think there is something to this. After the dream, Pope Leo was so shaken that he wrote the "Prayer to St. Michael" - "...defend us in battle..be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil..." Many parishes still recite that prayer today.

St. Joseph has a dream in today's Gospel. An angel appears in his dream. Has an angel ever appeared in one of your dreams? Joseph is a holy man. He dreams about Jesus...before Jesus is even born! What was he thinking when he woke up from the dream? Was this real? Was this a message from God? Was this a good angel in his dream? It could have been a bad angel like it was for Adam and Eve.

That discernment is real for each one of us. The image we get from cartoons or media of a good angel on one shoulder and a bad angel on the other is real. I have people coming to me often in spiritual direction, asking if certain messages or experiences are from God or the devil. How did Joseph discern that this was real and it was from God? One of the indicators is that he was "righteous". Joseph was right with God. He was holy and just. That would help him immensely to recognize God and what God is saying to him. Living holiness helps each of us to know what's from God and what is not. If we are "righteous", then we can discern more readily - and oftentimes more quickly- God's Will on a daily basis. With bigger things, we need prayer and spiritual direction to help us. Joseph knew right away (without the help of a spiritual director) that this was from God and he acted accordingly.

It's fitting that the birth of Christ would come about through the message of an angel...to Mary and Joseph. The birth of sin came about through the message of an angel - a bad, fallen angel. If we compare Joseph with Adam in their responses to the angelic appearances, we see sharp differences. Joseph received the angel's message in virtue, namely humility; Adam received his in pride. Joseph did the Will of God and "took his wife into his home"; Adam did his own will and he and wife "hid themselves from the Lord". The fruit of Joseph's encounter with the angel was the birth of Christ and eternal life for us; the fruit of Adam's encounter with an angel was the birth of sin and death.

Brothers and sisters, you are like St. Joseph at this Mass. Well, except this is no dream; the Mass is real! You receive God's message -God's Word - in silence. You actually have more speaking parts at Mass than Joseph had in the Gospel (he says no words but his actions speak loudly). If you receive the Lord's message in virtue, then you do as the Lord commanded and take Him into your homes: you take the Eucharist into your bodies and souls.

Finally, this Saturday, we will celebrate the event of a little baby being born in a horse's stall. This baby is said to be the Savior of the world. Is this event for real? Or is it just a dream? The question for each of us is, if this event is real, then what is my response?

Help for addiction and stress

"Holy/Happy Hour" tonight, GW Catholic grad students.  Holy Hour from 7-8 pm, Happy Hour in Foggy Bottom afterwards.  Come join us!
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I've been working with a college student (not at GW) for a couple of years who is trying to overcome an addiction to cutting.  This student has struggled mightily to get help, even with a very strong Catholic spiritual life and seeing multiple counselors in a short amount of time.  The student just emailed me this week; hopefully there's been a breakthrough! I post the email anonymously here in case, as the student writes, it might help any of our students with addictions.  There's also a link to the program's website to check out.


"I just wanted to share with you what I'm doing right now. I saw a counselor right before finals week and he recommended that I give a 60-day online program a shot because I don't have time to go to St. Louis to the inpatient hospital for cutters. This program is through Setting Captives Free and it's called "By His Wounds." It's Scripture-based and it's incredible. It's all about changing my perspective on cutting. It's really working. It's REALLY hard, don't get me wrong. It's opened a lot of wounds that haven't healed correctly and it definitely hurts, a lot, but I know that if I get through all 60 days, I won't ever cut again.


I just finished day 12 and it's definitely getting harder as I go, but I'm determined to fix this once and for all. These lessons are completely changing my perspective on cutting. I know my cutting hurt God, but I'm seeing more how it damaged my relationship with Him because I wanted to be in control. It's all that letting go and letting God thing. I know I can't fix this myself. I've tried a billion times, as you know all too well. If I can stop cutting once and for all, I know that whatever I set my heart on, I can do. I really am all in this time. If I wasn't, I wouldn't have started this program and I sure wouldn't have continued doing it. I've only cut twice in the last 5 months, which is a HUGE improvement on what it used to be. I'm still taking life one day at a time.

I quit counting days and I'm just going with the month by month thing. It's making it a little less overwhelming and I don't think everyday about how long it's been. Like I texted you, as miserable as I am right now, something won't let me cut and something won't let me quit all together. So, here I am. I'm taking all my crap and putting it at the foot of the cross because it's too much for a 20-year-old kid to deal with. God's gotta take over.

Here's the link to the site. You should check it out. It might help any of the students you know who are struggling with addictions because there are programs dealing with stuff like sexual impurity to gambling to self-injury.

http://www.settingcaptivesfree.com/courses/his-wounds/

So if you could pray that I have the strength to get through this program, that'd be awesome."


On a topic that's not unrelated, here's a video about getting help with stress in college.  GW Catholic bloggers, let me know if you want me yo try to get this woman to speak here.

Christmas or Xmas?

Is the Abbreviation “Xmas” Really a Secular Slight of Christmas? Or is it Something Else?


By: Msgr. Charles Pope (http://blog.adw.org/)

Forty years ago, when I was in grammar School, the militant secularism of today was almost unknown. The war on Christmas so common today was lampooned in those days by cartoonish figures like the “Grinch who stole Christmas,” or “Scrooge” in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Back in those days there were laments that Christmas was too focused on toys and Santa and not enough on Jesus. That, however, was an internal Church and family matter. But in the secular world, Christmas was still the common term used everywhere: Christmas trees, Christmas sales, Christmas holiday, Christmas break. It’s Christmastime in the city!

In the public schools I attended we sang Christmas Carols at the annual Christmas concert. And I don’t just mean the secular “Jingle Bells…Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer” variety, but even strongly Christian and religious songs: Joy to the Lord the Lord is is come!…..O Come All Ye Faithful….Come let us Adore him, Christ the Lord!….What Child is this who laid to rest on Mary’s lap is sleeping. In High School (in the 1970s) the Choir even sang O Magnum Mysterium by Victoria. Very high church…and all very religious. It was Christmas after all!

The rampant and militant secularism of today which banishes the word “Christmas,” banishes Christmas trees, Santa, and even the word ”holiday” (since it is rooted in Holy day) becomes: Happy Winter Festival to you too! That sort of militant secularism, and triumphalist atheism was unknown forty years ago except in some very limited circles.

And yet during those times there was a common usage of the abbreviation “Xmas” It was common to get a Christmas Card and someone wrote, “Merry Xmas.” I don’t recall any of us thought of it as a secular thing in those days. I remember, as a child, asking my mother where the expression came from. She explained that “X” was the first letter in Greek for “Christ” and she promised to show me the symbol next Sunday in Church. Sure enough the next Sunday she showed it to me on the Church wall. It was really what looked to me like a P and and X. It was the “Chi – Rho” symbol you see at the top right of this post. Chi (X) and Rho (R) being the first two letters for Christ (x= ch in English and what looked like a P to me was really an “r” in Greek).

From Sacred to Secular – So Xmas WAS a Christian abbreviation for Christmas. It hasn’t been until more recent years that I have heard some claim that Xmas is an attempt to “keep Christ out of Christmas.” It is understandable that some would think in this was since, to the uninitiated, it looks like Christ has literally been “X’d out.” It takes a little explaining to recognize Christ in that “X” and, as world becomes more secular, and many Catholics are not taught the meaning of ancient symbols any longer, it certainly does look like Christ is missing from “Xmas.” Historically he is not really missing at all. But this not well understood.

Historical Roots of the “X” – The use of “X” for Christ comes from a time prior to the printing press when books were literally “manuscripts,” that is, “written by hand.” Abbreviations in those times were common. In the ancient manuscripts of Gregorian Chant there are many abbreviations like sclorum = In saecula saeculorum, Dne = Domine, ala = alleluia. In many manuscripts “X” or the “chi rho” symbol were used for Christ. Ink, paper and time were precious and Abbreviations. To some extent these have returned in the text world: LOL, IMHO, CUL8r, etc.

So “Xmas” does not really have secular roots or imply some intentional omission of Christ. It is an ancient abbreviation.

However, many today do take exception to its use and it CAN in fact be an attempt to “X” Christ out of Christmas by some. In virulently secular times where it is considered acceptable to exhibit outright hostility to Christmas and Jesus, it would seem Xmas is problematic. Other things being equal, we want to be as explicit as possible that it is Jesus Christ to whom we refer. We should also be sensitive to the fact that many are bothered by the term Xmas even if we are not.

Advice – Generally speaking I avoid the term today even though, due to my training, it does not bother me. Tactically speaking I also avoid it due to the fact that we need to unambiguously announce Jesus and “X” just doesn’t do that anymore. However, we should also avoid being too easily offended in a matter such as this where usage has recently shifted. We may take offense where none is intended. Thin-skinned Christians are not helpful to turning the tide of anti-Christian fervor today.

So, in the end, perhaps a middle ground regarding the term “Xmas.” Avoid its use for the reasons stated but do not easily take offense regarding it either. There are bigger battles.

This video is from the Merriam Webster site. They have many videos and interesting words studies here: http://www.merriam-webster.com/video/index.htm

Getting into the Christmas spirit

Pancake dinner tonight!  Mass at 5:30, dinner, and games.  All-night Adoration - a Newman Center tradition during finals - from 9 pm to 9 am.  Come receive the peace of Jesus in the midst of stress and anxiety.

"Come to me all who labor and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest" - Mt 11:28.
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Here's a video to help all of us get into the Christmas spirit:

3rd Sunday of Advent - homily

Today is "Gaudete Sunday". Gaudete is Latin for "rejoice". We rejoice in the Lord and He rejoices in us. I rejoice in all of you. We have had a good semester at the Newman Center, thanks be to God and you. I love you all for who you are. You are children of God and my spiritual kids while you are here. But, my love and admiration for you grows whenever you show that Christ is here. And, this is what you have done this semester as I'll go through in a moment.


Christ is here! This is really the focus of what St. John the Baptist asks Jesus in today's Gospel. He is asking, 'are you the Christ? Is Christ here?' Christ was his hope. He spent his whole life waiting for, preparing for, and hoping for Christ. This is why Jesus says no one born of woman is greater than John the Baptist. John's hope is Christ and his hope is realized when he hears that Christ is here. Pope Benedict has told us that Advent is a season of hope; John the Baptist is the embodiment of hope during Advent.

Jesus gives evidence that He is the Christ in answer to John's question. It is the same evidence that the prophet Isaiah wrote about 700 years before it happened; John would have recognized that it's what Isaiah prophesied. It's the same evidence that Christ is here at GW!

"the blind regain their sight"...two students have regained their sight this semester. Not physical sight, but spiritual sight. They were blind in their Catholic faith, but now see everything through the eyes of faith.

"the lame walk"...at least two times this semester, GW Catholics have helped the lame walk. A few Saturdays, they helped residents at Gift of Peace who can't walk get to lunch or Mass. Recently, one of our students has been hospitalized because of a muscle syndrome. Other students have been visiting her every day to encourage and support her in her therapy as she tries to walk again soon.

"lepers are cleansed".. All diseases in the Gospel represent sin; leprosy might represent serious sin. Serious sin has been cleansed this semester here. I realized the other day that it's been about once a week that a student has come to Confession after 10 years. It’s often been because other students have invited them to go to Confession.

"the deaf here"...probably the most powerful story from this semester comes from a student who works in a university department. One day, she was talking with other students in the department about abortion. She told them that her views on life were at the "core of her being". The core of her being! They had never heard this before - "the deaf hear" - and struggled to find anything in their lives that they believed in so strongly.

"the dead are raised"...there are several examples of students whose faith has been raised to life this semester, mainly through the work of the FOCUS missionaries. Their faith was dead; now it is alive and vibrant.

"the poor have the good news proclaimed to them"... One of the most inspiring things I've seen as chaplain here is students leading other students to live chastity. It's not just been within relationships. For example, guys telling other guys to exercise more to burn off sexual energy or reminding themselves to be a man of love, not lust. And, the advice has helped them get over the hump to live chastity. Amazing! Also, students have been proclaiming the good news to their non-Catholic friends in our Bible studies. One student who lives an exciting life here told me last week the most exciting thing in his life is bringing his Jewish friends to Bible study.

So, Christ is here! The one thing that I'd challenge you on for next semester is this. Certainly, keep up the good work, but bring more Catholics here...to Mass, to the Newman Center, to Bible study. Christ is here and they should be here to experience Him. And, He is especially here at Mass in the Eucharist. He is visibly present in the Eucharist while invisibly present through you in all the ways I've described.

Last thing and the one thing I hope you remember from this semester..deep in your hearts: you are good and you are loved. God created you, so you are good. God don't make junk! You are loved. God loves each and every one of you. I love each and every one of you. You are good and you are loved.

"Exorcism" - part III

Ice-skating and Christmas party, tonight.  Meet at Newman Center at 5:30 pm.  Ice-skating at National Gallery of Art, dinner, games, and a movie.
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Part III of “Exorcism”…excerpts (pp. 193-197) from the book, “Exorcism and the Church Militant” by Fr. Thomas Euteneuer:


Session Four (October)

After several months, due to a severe family crisis and much prayer, Angie decided to return to the exorcism process because she saw the need for it again. This was a great grace. This session however, proved to be frustrating and inconclusive due to Angie’s ongoing distrust of the process and reluctance to cooperate interiorly with the exorcism…


Session Five (The Following Day)

In this two and a half hour session, the power of prayer was evident… At least three members of the team heard the words, “It is finished,” at the end.

Session Six (Mid-December)

This session lasted three hours and was the most discouraging of the six exorcisms up to this point… It was also the most violent of all the sessions up to that point… In the end there was no expulsion, but the exorcism had at least brought her some peace in her difficult moments.


Seventh and Last Session (February, one year to the day after the first session)

Undoubtedly, this was the most grueling of all seven exorcism sessions. The exorcism lasted four hours and required the full strength of six people to hold Angie down from the violent actions of the final, possessing demon…

Suddenly, at about the two hour mark, Angie had what can only be described as a “vision” in the course of the exorcism. We were not sure if it was from the Lord or from the demon so I rebuked the spirit of deception several times, and the vision continued for another fifteen to twenty minutes. Angie was actually “seeing” as if on a screen in her mind, a clear and shocking picture of all the evil that had been perpetrated on her and had pervaded her life for so many years… In fact she was seeing her life for the first time as the Lord saw it. She said that she now understood “what” exactly happened to cause all this and “how” it happened; she never understood these things so clearly before…

As the exorcism continued, the demon began to react with more violence: continuous attempts at biting us; writhing around, pushing back, jumping up and forward, swinging arms violently… The demon was grabbing and breaking the crucifix; grabbing and crushing the exorcism ritual book… There were also many insolent words from the demon such as his constantly yelling at me, “shut up!” and taunting such as “you can’t do anything” and “I am strong, I can take it,” even in the midst of the worst pain that the ritual was causing her. He even called me “kiddy” and “child” numerous times, to which I always responded “yes, I am a child of God,” to deflect his arrogance.

The final expulsion came when Angie herself made a valiant attempt to forgive her uncle in her heart and also to forgive God for permitting her to go through all this pain and sorrow. That was a crucial moment and sticking point in her faith life. The Satanists had attacked her very relationship with God, and the spiritual abuse was the worst damage of all. She also made an attempt to die to her “old life” and live a new life in Christ in a concrete act of faith. After the third or fourth repetition of this act of faith, Angie “snapped to” instantly and was surprised to see that she was on the floor. She remembered virtually nothing about the exorcism except her vision and the final act of faith that she had made consciously. The violence was over and her peace returned.

Marian Apparition in U.S.!

Marian Apparition in US Declared Worthy of Belief


Our Lady Appeared in 1859 to Belgian Immigrant in Wisconsin


GREEN BAY, Wisconsin, DEC. 8, 2010 (Zenit.org).- On today's feast of the Immaculate Conception, patroness of the United States, apparitions of Our Lady in Wisconsin have been given official diocesan approval.

Reading from his decree at a special Mass today at the Champion, Wisconsin, shrine, Bishop David Ricken of Green Bay stated, "I declare with moral certainty and in accord with the norms of the Church that the events, apparitions and locutions given to Adele Brise in October of 1859 do exhibit the substance of supernatural character, and I do hereby approve these apparitions as worthy of belief -- although not obligatory -- by the Christian faithful."

Today’s declaration makes Our Lady of Good Help at Champion the first and only site in the United States of an approved apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Dazzling

The apparitions -- there were three -- occurred in 1859. Our Lady spoke with Adele Brise (1831-1896), a young immigrant from Belgium.

It was early October when Brise saw Our Lady the first time: a lady clothed in dazzling white, with a yellow sash around her waist and a crown of stars around her head.

The vision slowly disappeared after several moments, without speaking to Brise.

The following Sunday, Oct. 9, Brise was on her way to Mass when the Lady returned. After Mass, Brise had the chance to ask her confessor about the apparitions, and he told her that if it were a heavenly messenger, she would see it again. He encouraged her to ask in God’s name who it was and what it desired of her.

On the return trip home, Our Lady again appeared and Brise did as her confessor had recommended.

“I am the Queen of Heaven who prays for the conversion of sinners, and I wish you to do the same," the Lady responded to Brise's question. "You received Holy Communion this morning and that is well. But you must do more. Make a general confession and offer Communion for the conversion of sinners. If they do not convert and do penance, my Son will be obliged to punish them."

One of the women with Brise asked her with whom she was speaking and why they couldn't see anyone.

“Kneel,” said Brise, “the Lady says she is the Queen of Heaven.” At this, the Lady looked kindly at Brise's companions and said, "Blessed are they that believe without seeing.”

The Lady continued, “What are you doing here in idleness while your companions are working in the vineyard of my Son?”

“What more can I do, dear Lady?” Brise asked.

“Gather the children in this wild country and teach them what they should know for salvation.”

“But how shall I teach them who know so little myself?” Brise replied.

“Teach them their catechism, how to sign themselves with the sign of the cross, and how to approach the sacraments; that is what I wish you to do," the Lady said. "Go and fear nothing. I will help you.”

Brise's father built a small chapel on the site and Brise went about fulfilling Our Lady's mandate, a mission she continued until her death in 1896.

Approval

Bishop Ricken's approval comes after an almost two-year investigation of the events and their consequences, which he initiated in January 2009.

The Diocese of Green Bay has published information on its Web site regarding apparitions in the Church.

The statements clarify that it is a diocesan bishop and not the Holy See nor the episcopal conference that is responsible for judging the authenticity of apparitions that are said to have occurred in his diocese.

The statements further noted that not all alleged apparitions are given Church approval, and in the United States, for example, supposed apparitions at Necedah, Wisconsin, and Bayside, New York, were examined and declared to be false.

"No one can prove the supernatural," the statement recalled. "The Church judges apparitions on the basis of their consistency with sacred Scripture, sacred Tradition and the teachings of the Church, the subsequent spiritual benefits in the lives of people, and whether there is anything in the life of the seer that detracts from the credibility of the account."

Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Come Home for Christmas! Confessions today, Newman Center, top floor, 4-6 pm and 8-10 pm. Invite other GW Catholics to Confession!!


Happy Feast of the Immaculate Conception! Holy Day of Obligation. Mass at 12 noon. There is some confusion about today’s feast. “Catholic Answers” provides some good insights to all of this as well as a useful analogy. Here are some excerpts from one of their online articles:


It’s important to understand what the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is and what it is not. Some people think the term refers to Christ’s conception in Mary’s womb without the intervention of a human father; but that is the Virgin Birth. Others think the Immaculate Conception means Mary was conceived "by the power of the Holy Spirit," in the way Jesus was, but that, too, is incorrect. The Immaculate Conception means that Mary, whose conception was brought about the normal way, was conceived without original sin or its stain—that’s what "immaculate" means: without stain. The essence of original sin consists in the deprivation of sanctifying grace, and its stain is a corrupt nature. Mary was preserved from these defects by God’s grace; from the first instant of her existence she was in the state of sanctifying grace and was free from the corrupt nature original sin brings.

When discussing the Immaculate Conception, an implicit reference may be found in the angel’s greeting to Mary. The angel Gabriel said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Luke 1:28). The phrase "full of grace" is a translation of the Greek word kecharitomene. It therefore expresses a characteristic quality of Mary.

The traditional translation, "full of grace," is better than the one found in many recent versions of the New Testament, which give something along the lines of "highly favored daughter." Mary was indeed a highly favored daughter of God, but the Greek implies more than that (and it never mentions the word for "daughter"). The grace given to Mary is at once permanent and of a unique kind. Kecharitomene is a perfect passive participle of charitoo, meaning "to fill or endow with grace." Since this term is in the perfect tense, it indicates that Mary was graced in the past but with continuing effects in the present. So, the grace Mary enjoyed was not a result of the angel’s visit. In fact, Catholics hold, it extended over the whole of her life, from conception onward. She was in a state of sanctifying grace from the first moment of her existence.

Fundamentalists’ chief reason for objecting to the Immaculate Conception and Mary’s consequent sinlessness is that we are told that "all have sinned" (Rom. 3:23). Besides, they say, Mary said her "spirit rejoices in God my Savior" (Luke 1:47), and only a sinner needs a Savior.

Let’s take the second citation first. Mary, too, required a Savior. Like all other descendants of Adam, she was subject to the necessity of contracting original sin. But by a special intervention of God, undertaken at the instant she was conceived, she was preserved from the stain of original sin and its consequences. She was therefore redeemed by the grace of Christ, but in a special way—by anticipation.

Consider an analogy: Suppose a man falls into a deep pit, and someone reaches down to pull him out. The man has been "saved" from the pit. Now imagine a woman walking along, and she too is about to topple into the pit, but at the very moment that she is to fall in, someone holds her back and prevents her. She too has been saved from the pit, but in an even better way: She was not simply taken out of the pit, she was prevented from getting stained by the mud in the first place. This is the illustration Christians have used for a thousand years to explain how Mary was saved by Christ. By receiving Christ’s grace at her conception, she had his grace applied to her before she was able to become mired in original sin and its stain.

"Exorcism" (part II)

Part II of “Exorcism”…excerpts (pp. 188-193) from the book, “Exorcism and the Church Militant” by Fr. Thomas Euteneuer:



History and Symptoms

Angie (not her real name) was a native of another country and had been suffering demonic problems since she was a teenager, due to the wickedness of certain family members who were steeped in the occult. According to her testimony, her aunt dedicated her to Satan at an early age, and her uncle promised the devil that he would deliver the soul of his niece if only Satan would make him rich. When she was a teenager, she unsuspectingly gave them a series of personal items and pictures, which they used in satanic rituals to curse her and send demons into her. She was vulnerable to them because they were family members who, at that time, apparently she still had affection for. She did not know they were taking advantage of her innocence and performing satanic rituals to destroy her life.

When I met her, eighteen years later, she was in a constant state of internal suffering. She daily experienced visions of snakes, owls and wild animals, paranormal experiences of dead relatives and other creatures speaking to her and appearing to her, dreams of being buried alive, physical attacks and blockages, assaults by terrible lascivious images and sensations, evil presences punishing her for various things…Her real suffering can be seen in this paragraph that she wrote at the time of the initial evaluation:

Around July the “devil” came again, stronger this time. This situation is unbelievable. The devil (men and women) are visiting me almost every night, they buried me alive twice, dogs and other monsters are chasing me and arresting me. I lost my job and many more, and everybody walked away from my life again. I cannot describe what is going on right now with words. This may what hell and death feel like. It is like they are reading me. They know my intentions, where I will go and what I will do the next day and they have the ability to stop it. The more I pray the stronger and horrifying their ‘replt’ is. I am even hearing voices at this moment…

Exorcism process

The process of Angie’s exorcism lasted one full year and spanned seven sessions. Due to its convenience, the sessions were conducted in the Protestant church where she was attending the prayer group. Each session included anywhere from two to six helpers, with a mixed team of Protestants and Catholics, but the rite was authorized by the local Catholic bishop, and I was the authorized exorcist. It was a full, solemn Catholic exorcism. During all seven sessions, Angie remembers nothing at all of the many hours spent on the exorcisms. Her only lucid moments were when we took breaks as well as one final experience of enlightenment in the seventh session described below.

Session one (February)

This session lasted nine hours, but this was because I was not experienced at that time and did not understand the need to restrict the length of sessions due to people’s natural limitations. It was apparent from the beginning that there was some kind of serpent demon because, when I first placed the crucifix on her head, Angie slid out of the chair onto the floor like a snake. This demon was cast out. A second demon emerged calling himself “Legion” and said that he was 15 demons strong. This “coalition” of demons was not cast out in this session; but at the end of the whole exorcism process, we could account for all 15 demonic entities. In this coalition there were several of the other demons in her who called themselves with the names of the family members who were the victimizers. These were likely the possessing spirits of those family members that they sent into Angie by their curses and satanic acts.

Session Two (mid-March)

…The exorcism prayers and a specific prayer of breaking undid the effects of all the satanic actions, and the exorcism cast out the possessing spirits of the group of magicians (what the demons described the evil spirits of the men who had participated in rituals with the uncle). The possessing spirit of the uncle was stronger, and it did not leave. Nonetheless, Angie felt immense relief after the session…

Session three (late March)

This session lasted three hours and identified two other possessing spirits with family names – i.e., apparently two other family members had also victimized her by occult acts, but up to that point she was unaware that they were involved. These left after some prayer and commanding with the ritual…

…Interlude and Crisis Period

After the third session, Angie seemed exhausted by all the spiritual warfare for so many years and the stress of the sessions, and regretfully, she decided to short-circuit the process. It was obvious to the team that the remaining demons were attacking her faith and, despite the overwhelming ‘success’ of the expulsions thus far, she was not convinced this process was really helping her. She wrote:

I am writing to inform you that I do not believe that the Lord really wants to heal or free me. For a reason unknown to me, he is letting me burn in hell…Fr. Tom, please annul any plan for exorcism and/or any other type of deliverance. You cannot pray for someone who does not believe in prayers anymore…I AM GIVING UP. I AM DONE. THAT’S IT FOR ME. IT’S MORE THAN I CAN HANDLE. I tried for almost 20 years. You can’t say that I didn’t try.

…Since no one can be forced to undergo an exorcism, we reluctantly suspended the process and just continued to intercede for her and maintain contact with her…

TO BE CONTINUED…