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"Say What?" Monday Catechism Series #1
Introducing a new series on this blog: each Monday I'll be posting a gem from our Catechism of the Catholic Church that is interesting or remarkable.
This week's Interesting Catechism is about discrimination against those with homosexual tendencies. It may come as a shocker, but the Church actually does believe that homosexuals should be accepted and loved. But this paragraph is followed by another that explains that acceptance does not mean honoring or promoting same-sex marriage, nor is the Church saying that those with homosexual tendencies should act on them. Persons with homosexual tendencies are called to chastity and Christian perfection.
2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.
2359 Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.
+JMJ
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"One Body, Many Blogs" - Review
I love the elegance of this little ebook compiled by TJ Burdick who is also one of the many contributors. TJ asked several successful Catholic bloggers one question "In your opinion, what are the 'ten commandments' that Christian bloggers should keep in mind while pressing on in their digital mission?" This question combined with a diverse group of Catholic bloggers creates a broad range of blogging advice ranging from profound to profoundly hilarious.
The contributors include T.J. Burdick (TJBurdick.com), Deacon Greg Kandra (The Deacon’s Bench), Lisa Hendey (CatholicMom.com), Devin Rose (St. Joseph’s Vanguard), Kevin Knight (New Advent), Frank Weathers (Why I Am Catholic), Jeff Miller (The Curt Jester), Katrina R. Fernandez (The Crescat), Brandon Vogt (BrandonVogt.com), Marc Barnes (BadCatholic and 1flesh.org), and Susan Windley-Daoust (Ironic Catholic).
If you are a Catholic blogger this ebook will give you some good food for thought, and if you are considering starting a blog this ebook will give you a good foundation of blogging principles to start from.
So check out the One Body, Many Blogs website and buy the book here. All the proceeds go to support the San Jaun Diego Academy, a Catholic immigrant school in Michigan.
My Favorite Commandments from the Ebook
TJ Burdick 5. Jesus should be your only focus Think of your blog as a way to portray your relationship with Christ so that society can understand that relationship. People are looking for truth and the best way they can find it is by living it vicariously through your blog. In order to do that, they must be able to connect with your writing. Make your posts relatable and the truth seekers on the web will find the Truth of Christ in your words. If He is interested, Jesus will make your work known. If not, then know that He is content with having it for Himself.
Deacon Greg Kandra VIII. Pray. Before any post, any comment, any reaction, take a moment and take a deep breath and offer a quick prayer for heavenly intercession and guidance. The act of blogging can really be a kind of prayer, if we work at it. And: I think we should.
Marc Barnes 1. Don’t suck. There is a tendency within the Christian world to think the work we do will be good work, if only we do it for God. This is not true. Whatever work we do will be good work if and only if we do it well. Truly “writing for God” is not something lackadaisical. It does not come with holy feelings. Writing for God means harnessing the intellect, making full use of the talents He endows us with, seeking inspiration in Him, and producing excellent writing, in both style and content. Anything less is no service to God, no matter how well we think we are witnessing, giving testimony, or whatever Christian euphemism we want to use to disguise the fact that we can’t be bothered to make something awesome.
The Vatican 1. Silence and word: two aspects of communication which need to be kept in balance When word and silence become mutually exclusive, communication breaks down, either because it gives rise to confusion or because, on the contrary, it creates an atmosphere of coldness; when they complement one another, however, communication acquires value and meaning... In speaking of God’s grandeur, our language will always prove inadequate and must make space for silent contemplation. Out of such contemplation springs forth, with all its inner power, the urgent sense of mission, the compelling obligation “to communicate that which we have seen and heard” so that all may be in communion with God (1 Jn 1:3). Silent contemplation immerses us in the source of that Love who directs us towards our neighbours so that we may feel their suffering and offer them the light of Christ, his message of life and his saving gift of the fullness of love.
From Pope Benedict XVI, Message of His Holiness for the 46th World Communications Day, Silence and Word: Path of Evangelization. May 20, 2012
Devin Rose 1. Pray before writing each post. Is this a good post? Are you trying to just be sensational or jump on the latest Catholic blogosphere buzz to get more visitors? Discern whether what you are planning to write about is helpful or not.
Susan Windley-Daoust 2. Don't take it too seriously. It's just a blog. Really, it's your scribbles on whatever came to mind that you self-published on a computer. That's it. Any thoughts of how you will change the face of the culture or Catholicism or liturgy or politics is probably prideful wish-fulfillment. Humility is the queen of the virtues, right? It's a BLOG, not Homer's Odyssey.
Does Jesus Hate Tattoos?
Check out this great article on tattoo taboos, Leviticus, and the tattoo on Jesus' thigh by the world renowned Nate Addington.
"Every so often someone, usually of the elderly female variety, will raise one of three standard objections to tattoos.
1.) Someday you are going to regret that
2.) When you are old those are going to look horrible
and of course
3.) You know God does not like tattoos, it just isn’t Christian.
To which I always respond that I have never regretted, even for a fraction of a millisecond, any of my tattoos. Furthermore, when I am old and orchestrating wheelchair street races in the local nursing home, me and all my geriatric buddies will stretch out our wrinkled skin, take a shot of our prune juice, and share the stories of our tattoos while reminiscing about the good ole’ days when we were young and gas was only $4.00 a gallon."
Obama Invited to Say Mass at Notre Dame
I'm excited to see that the University of Notre Dame is finally being a little more inclusive and less judgmental and intolerant.
Lumen Christi Award
I was recently honored with the Lumen Christi Award by fellow blogger and friend Nate who writes over at MyHopeBox. I know personally that he is a man of great faith and possesses a passion for Jesus and that shines through in his ministry and his writing. Seriously, go check out his blog and subscribe.
Favorite Saint:
Currently it would have to be St Francis Xavier. He was close friends with St. Ignatius of Loyola and a missionary to India and Japan. To get a feel for his zeal for souls and deep love for the Lord, I highly recommend the book Set All Afire by Louis de Wahl. He desired so ardently to be shot like an arrow into the dark of India and mission territories, but his active life was coupled with an intense union with Jesus through an unrelenting prayer life.
Favorite Part of the Mass:
Receiving Jesus Christ and then returning to my seat to sit in dumbfounded contemplation of the extraordinary miracle that just took place. The Infinite allowed Himself to be consumed by the finite. Love allowed Himself to rest in a broken man. The great Jesus allowed Himself to be caressed by one of his weakest disciples. Sometimes I think this simple but profound act is so intimate and close to my heart that Holy Communion should take place behind a veil.
Favorite Part of Being a Catholic:
The Eucharist, but since I mentioned that in my last answer, I'm going to go with prayer. Prayer is my life's foundation. Without a prayer life that really is a romantic relationship with God, I would be infinitely less of the man, father, husband, friend, youth minister, son, and Christian that I am today. There is such a sweet condescension in prayer on God's part that flatters me every time I raise my eyes to heaven. Living with and in Him is always an adventure.
Passing It On:
I would like to nominate Kevin and Casey over at TheCatholicLandMovement.org. They write a lot about the restoration of Catholic culture, distributism, strong families, and a movement of Catholic families back to living off the land. It is a blog worth checking out, and worthy of the Lumen Christi Award.
[Interview] Arleen Spenceley Writes About Sex
Arleen Spenceley likes to talk about sex. And as a Catholic young adult who is also a staff writer for the Tampa Bay Times, she is very good at it.
I first came across Arleen's writing by way of a link to her blog, and the first thing I noticed was how disarmingly charming her writing is. She reels you in with a story and a laugh and is the farthest thing from preachy. But her work doesn't aim merely at making you laugh (which she does very well) but also at making you think.
Tampa is my home town, so when I found out that she writes for the Tampa Bay Times and is promoting chastity and the truth of Christ through the local news of my hometown, I was pumped to say the least - "You go Catholic writing girl you! Talk about that sex and how awesome chastity is!"
Arleen graciously agreed to answer some questions that have been on my mind ever since being exposed to her writing, and I think you will enjoy her answers. The Catholic Church needs more evangelists like Arleen who are in the world but not of the world spreading the message of the Gospel with charm, wit and joy.
How did you become a staff writer for the Tampa Bay Times and what about writing makes you most passionate?
Believe it or not, the short answer to part one of this question is fried chicken. Here's the long answer: In high school, I worked as a cashier at Popeyes Chicken (where we do good 'bayou'!). One afternoon, a customer came to the counter, and he looked totally familiar. I remembered while I took his order that he was a local paper's publisher, and recently, he had given a talk to my school newspaper's staff. I told him I was going to be a journalist. He told me he needed writers and gave me his card. That high school kids could write for a paper hadn't dawned on me 'til that day. I was so excited by the opportunity, so, I called him and left a voicemail. No response. So I sent an email. No response. I never did hear back. Bummed, I brought it up to my school newspaper's sponsor, who suggested I call an editor at the other local paper. So I did. A couple days letter, I met face to face with an editor at the Times. A few days after that, he gave me my first assignment as a Times correspondent. I wrote as a correspondent for the second half of my senior year of high school through the summer before I graduated with my bachelor's degree in journalism. In the spring of 2007, I applied for a staff position and after a short series of interviews, I joined the staff in July the same year.
In answer to part two of this question, while I am passionate about writing, I think I write because I'm passionate. And I love grammar.
Some of your articles published in the Tampa Bay Times include "Why I'm Still a Virgin," "Why I quit facebook, twitter and texting" and "It's time to reshape our beauty standards." For RELEVANTmagazine.com, you've written "What it's like to be Catholic in a Protestant world." You write a lot about sex, relationships and the drawbacks of a generation saturated by social media.
What has been your experience expressing such strong Catholic values in the Tampa Bay Times, and what kind of feedback do you receive when you write?
All the essays you've listed are actually among the ones I've loved writing most. While I also write feature stories, opinion is my preference. As a Roman Catholic Christian, I can't not infuse what I write with my faith and every time I do it, it's absolutely exhilirating. When I wake up on a Sunday and remember that well over 400,000 people are at their breakfast tables eating their waffles and reading about why I'm saving sex for marriage, I'm humbled and amazed and grateful for the privilege.
The feedback is always overwhelmingly positive. Especially when I write about sex (twice for the Times since 2009), I get a lot of notes and calls from people who are Christians - Catholic and Protestant - who are encouraged, or want to encourage me, or who are compelled to share their own stories with me. I've actually been moved to tears by some of it, like the lovely voicemail I got from a 90 year old man, who's been married for 70 years to his 90 year old wife. Both were virgins at their wedding. It's responses like his that make the bad feedback bearable (i.e., "You're a virgin because you're probably not a hot babe." and "Who gives a #&$! why you've never been laid?").
In your opinion, how is engaging local news media outlets a good way of engaging the culture and bringing a Catholic presence to mainstream media?
Depending on the publication, you're really handed an incredibly large platform on a figurative silver platter. I remember the day my first Times story appeared in print. While I drove to school that morning, I saw the Times wrapped in plastic at the ends of all the driveways. It was so surreal to know that I, some random person, got to tell a story to all these people I don't even know. While that story wasn't earth shattering (it was about an amateur country music club), I realized that whatever I wrote would be hand delivered to the culture. So when the opportunities began arise to write essays about my lifestyle (which is profoundly part of my faith in Jesus Christ as a Roman Catholic Christian), I couldn't imagine a better way to engage the culture and bring a Catholic presence to the mainstream media.
I'm wondering how many other good Catholic writers are doing what you do, and why there aren't more Catholic writers out there speaking up in secular newspapers. What's your take on this as someone who does it on a regular basis?
This is a really good question. I'm stumped! There are plenty of practicing Catholics and plenty of newspaper writers, but my guess is that "practicing Catholic who writes for a newspaper" is such a specific niche that we really are just that few and far between.
How can Catholics go about engaging their local news either online or in print?
So many ways! When your church or ministry hosts an event that's open to the public, send a press release about it to your local paper. If something's happening at church that might be a story, pitch the idea to a reporter. (And give us at least a couple weeks' notice.) Write letters to the editor (lots of papers will print them!) when an opportunity arises to explain or clarify what the church teaches. Leave comments on stories online that model the kind of life Christ leads us to live.
How can readers support good writers such as yourself who write for the newspapers they read?
Pray for us! Share what we write with your families and friends, your students, your ministries. Facebook, Google+ and tweet the heck out of our stories. And send us feedback. I can't speak for every writer, but I always appreciate knowing how what I write impacts the people who read it.
What is your advice to budding Catholic writers who are trying to develop their writing skills in order to engage the culture and take part in the New Evangelization?
If you can write, write more. The more you write, the better you'll get. Start a blog. Ask writer friends to proof-read and criticize your work. And read. Read stuff written by good writers. Sometimes, before I write, I pull up my paper's archives and read features by a couple colleagues who are a Pulitzer Prize nominee and winner, respectively. It inspires me, and gives me something to emulate. The better we write, the more likely readers will read what we write to the end. And when what we write is part of the New Evangelization, we absolutely want them to want to finish reading it. _________________________________________________________________________
So get to work! Support good writers in your local newspaper, start writing, and start engaging the local news and spreading the Gospel!
You can find Arleen and all her published writing at www.arleenspenceley.com where she also blogs regularly. And be sure to go support her by giving her a LIKE on her facebook page.
These are a few of my favorite pieces by Arleen:
- I'm not saving myself for marriage (I'm saving sex)
- Fifty Shades of Virginity
- Why I'm Still a Virgin
- Confessions of a Catholic Christian
- It's time to reshape our beauty standards
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7 Quick Takes Friday!
Jennifer Fulwiler hosts 7 Quick Takes every friday on her blog Conversion Diary, so this Friday I decided to get in on the fun and give you the 7 quick takes that were on my mind this week. Enjoy!
My sister and her fiance came into town and I surprised my wife with a day of taking make-up "engagement" photos at an abandoned house and barn in the middle of nowhere. We never got around to taking professional couple pictures when we got engaged, but my sister has a super sweet camera and some mad photo skills. It was way more fun than I expected, and we definitely got a ton of laughs and a ton of unreal photos.
I'm impatiently waiting like a hungry chubby 5th grader at the back of a buffet line for my good friend Chris to finish the post production editing of a video project soon to be released on this blog. *Hint Hint* It rhymes with "Support a Catholic Speaker Month".
Just wait...it'll be delicious.
I would like to also mention the unsung hero of our photo escapades, the set man Peter (my sister's fiance) who carried props, carted cribs, held our baby, and sat around watching us get our picture taken for an hour and a half.
I cringe a little bit (okay a lot) when I dabble in politics, and I certainly don't believe that Republicans have a monopoly on all that is good and true and Christian in the world. But this video really showcases the blatant contradiction in today's popular idea of tolerance which is: Tolerate everyone, except those who don't tolerate everyone. And by tolerate they mean, everyone has the right to believe they are right, and no one can prove anyone wrong.
"How open are you?" "Open enough to include everyone." "Who wouldn't you include?" "We wouldn't include those beer toting fakers down in Florida."(Republicans)
My sister's fiance told me about this site, CatholicIQ.com. A fantastic 101 question quiz set to sacred music and breath taking works of art, this website is a really great idea. I appreciated that it wasn't all random and useless Bible or Catholic trivia, but was all very practical and essential to the life of a Catholic (well okay, except a few questions, like "How many total verses are in the Bible?") Apparently if you get a lower score they'll send you a free Catholic book to help boost your Catholic IQ. Check it out, and see if you can score at least a 180!
I've really been digging the band The Head and the Heart recently (Can you say Fides et Ratio? I think I feel a blog post coming on...) and its a little because of this:
So many decisions in life and in the music we love can come down to a critical tug between the logic in our heads and the hot red blood beating through our hearts. Seattle’s The Head and the Heart live authentically in that crux, finding joy and beauty wedged there.
Right? And a lot because of this:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AclhwQKlgfw&w=560&h=315]
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I want to try a free book giveaway. Be on the lookout for a tasty Catholic book to chew on that I'll be mailing to one of you, free of charge, in the coming weeks. Brandon Vogt has inspired me with this, and I think it's a great and charitable way to counterbalance the personal vice of my relentlessly expanding library....
My wife on a regular basis: "More books?" Me: "You can never have too many good books!"
Yeah yeah, I know, I know, just don't argue with me okay? :)
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Gotta give props to Jennifer Fulwiler @ Conversion Diary for all the great work she does, and for an inspiring blog. Go check out her site and all the Catholic goodness to be had.
For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!
All Hipsters Eventually Become Catholic
If you've been living in a bomb shelter under your parent's house since 1990 and don't know what a hipster is, then go here and read up to get a rough idea. I think they're Catholics.
Hipster refers to a subculture of contemporary young adults. They like independent music and wearing unpopular clothing styles. Hipsters love things that aren't mainstream, and they love irony and paradox. They love having their own art, culture, and hipster jargon. They love reading the books no one recognizes and listening to the music you wouldn't know about.
Lots of people I know have opinions of hipsters. Some flat out hate them. They have been called names like "the embodiement of postmodernism" by critics. Some turn their noses up in contempt, but secretly (or not so secretly) dress like them. In fact, a hipster would turn up his nose if you called him a hipster.
The Word on Fire blog gives some good insight into how to evangelize this subset of our modern culture, but I don't think we have to be too worried:
Hipsters eventually become Catholic.
This is less of a fact and more of a prophecy. But haven't you felt the same way deep down?
Aren't you, as a Catholic, somewhat charmed and intrigued by hipsters?
Next Generation Hipster Manifesto
Isn't it true that living out the Catholic faith in modern society is the ultimate anti-mainstream life of non-conformity and going-against-the-flow? And the Catholic culture we've inherited provides a wealth of uncool topics to chose from.
Eventually all the dingy coffee shops will be places where you can spot a guy wearing skinny jeans, an impractical scarf, and donning a green tattoo of St. Basil on his arm.
The new hispter loves going to daily Mass at his parish, where the pews are filled with no one under the age of 50. He did it before it was cool.
That guy in the corner with the thick rimmed glasses and bowling shoes sipping a chai latte? He's wearing a St. Benedict crucifix while reading a leather bound copy of “Medieval Religion and Other Essays” with yellowed pages. He’s been on a Christopher Dawson kick these past months. (If you don't know about him, you aren't a Catholic hipster and you should really look into him.)
You can tell the likes of the Next Generation of Hipsters by their out of place lingo. They use words like "interretium" when referring to the internet, are known to dance and shout "Veni, veni, veni Locamowae cum me", and have stickers on their bikes that say "Sona si Latine loqueris".
Latin is a "dead" language you know. How much more not mainistream can you get?
They form book clubs and meet in the back of the local open-mic cafe to chuckle over G.K. Chesterton - you wouldn't understand.
They argue about how Tantum Ergo should be chanted, and have Gregorian Chant for all Seasons as a channel on Pandora.
They believe whole heatedly in subsidiarity, and they pick up their vegetables from a local farm CSA program wearing their paradoxical clothing.
They date seriously and are excited to live a life of chastity and monogamy. Being single and sleeping around is so safe and boring and mainstream anyways. It's a cowardly garden-variety life running from responsibility, never risking rejection or failure, and being too timid to attempt the challenge of choosing the one you will spend the rest of your life loving in total selflessness. And try raising other human persons for 18 years at a time once you are married.
The next generation of hipsters refuse the mediocrity of self-indulgence. The popular existence of floating from one drunken party to another memory-less night, that's easy. It takes no thought or self-reflection or individuality. What a familiar story. Getting consistently high is too simple - what a lame and bland existence.
Try to make a decision that lasts the rest of your life - get married. That's risky. Have a child and try to get him to heaven. What a lofty goal. Live through the ups and downs and feel the pains and joys of REAL life experienced to the full with the wide spectrum of human emotion and experience.
These Catholic Hipsters of the New Generation don't accept the widespread belief that suffering (and therefore life) is pointless. These hipsters have the radical notion that they are in a love affair with a God that is bigger than the universe, knows them better than they know themselves, and longs for them and their perfection like a deer pants for water. Now there is the premise of an outside-the-box life worth living.
Because Jersey Shore and the sex, drugs, and rock and roll of the average has so been done before a GAHJILION times.
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This is part of a series of posts called the Catholic Hipster Manifesto.
**Comment and add some of the activities and interests of the Ultimate Catholic Hispter. I know you've seen one. Of course you're not one.
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