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Catholic Books

July 10, 2008

Here is a list of books that either I own or wish to read in the future. This seems to be a nice solid list of Catholic faith and education. If you have others to offer or change, please let me know. Note that all links are to books on Amazon.com.

Jesus

Mary

Apostles

Saints

Books about and/or by Saints.

Bibles and Bible study

Books that are either bibles or those that focus on bible study.

The Mass and Fundamentals of Catholicism

Praying

Theology of the Body

Latin

On learning the language.

Misc

Other interesting books that don’t easily fit into other categories.



Catholics on the Internet

July 8, 2008

Just a little portal post about Catholic resources on the internet that I find interesting and frequent, many ran by priests. This is just a list, without any particular order. Check them out, add the podcasts to iTunes… Add the blogs to your RSS feed reader… link up with other Catholics in social networking.

Podcasts

  • (web) (rss) Daily Breakfast with Fr. Roderick
  • (web) (rss) Rosary Army Catholic Podcast
  • (web) (rss) Catholic Answers LIVE - This Week
  • (web) (rss) Catholic:Under The Hood
  • (web) (rss) LifeTeen.com presents Sunday Sunday Sunday
  • (web) (rss) Catholic Movie Reviews
  • (web) (rss) The SaintCast - Catholic Saints on Call
  • (web) (rss) What Does The Prayer Really Say?

Video

Blogs

  • (web) (rss) Bro Chris Gama’s Facebook Notes
  • (web) (rss) Catholic Saints
  • (web) (rss) FatherRoderick.com
  • (web) (rss) Franciscan Focus
  • (web) (rss) Jesus Goes to Disney World
  • (web) (rss) Life as a Catholic
  • (web) (rss) LifeSiteNews.com Headlines
  • (web) (rss) Rise and Pray
  • (web) (rss) The New Liturgical Movement
  • (web) (rss) What Does The Prayer Really Say?
  • (web) (rss) Whispers in the Loggia

Social Networking

To not make this annoyingly long, just limiting to clergy and those that live the religious life by vows on mostly Facebook. You can branch out from there easily.



Sunday Mass Readings: May 25, 2008

May 19, 2008


Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, The Holy Eucharist.

Going over the readings of Sunday this week, as noted on http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/readings/052508.shtml. You can read all the scriptures there and below are just my notes and thoughts on each. This most likely includes how they are relevant to me this week and not Theology analysis of the readings. It’s what they mean to me right now.

Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a
How much does God have to show us before we do not lose sight of Him? Do not lose sight of God, notice and pray on all He has blessed you with. All you need is God, have faith in Him and you will be taken care of.

1 Corinthians 10:16-17
Speaking on how the Church is all bound through the same union, the same Christ, the gift and sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. It is truly amazing.
Also, maybe more an issue now-a-days is also the saving of the liturgy as it also helps ensure that we are one Church and in doing the same thing in Mass, we are stronger in one body. Save the liturgy, save the world?

John 6:51-58
Jesus directly speaking on the Eucharist. He explains it’s purpose and significance. Unlike most Protestant sects, Catholics take it literally, in that they actually eat and drink the body and blood of Christ. It isn’t symbolism or a metaphor, it is really Christ that Catholics are eating and drinking. Through Jesus we have eternal life and know Him.

For people like me that want to become Catholic and be able to partake of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, it is painful to not be able to. You can feel His presence.
Just a bit longer, as I have to go through RCIA. At Easter of next year I’ll be able to and it will be a wonderful day!

Photo ©2007 Br Lawrence Lew, O.P.



What is “Fasting” All About?!

April 30, 2008

It is about the blessing of suffering. Why is it a blessing?! It is a blessing for a couple of reasons. First, it allows us to have a more real connection with the suffering that Christ took during the passion (as detailed [at least] in the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary). Second, for whatever we’re fasting for it brings the topic to be more direct as it will allow you to focus more deeply.

One thing I decided to commit to is the pledge to fast, at least once a month of water and bread only for 24 hours, for the purpose as detailed at e5men.org.

Fasting is not as “crazy” or “outlandish” as some may think. It is actually part of Catholicism and Christianity that seems to be ignored except for Lent. It is a healthy spiritual practice for stronger prayer and penance, which brings us closer to God and helps pay for your sins now on earth instead of in purgatory.

To quote the “Catechism of the Catholic Church”, 2043:

The fourth precept (”You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church”) ensures the times of ascesis and penance which prepare us for the liturgical feasts and help us acquire mastery over our instincts and freedom of heart.

Here are some interesting quotes from http://www.scripturecatholic.com/fasting.html:

Psalm 35:13 - David says, “I afflicted myself with fasting.” David recognized that fasting drew him closer to God. Fasting makes us aware of our dependency on God.

Esther 4:3,16 - people fasted for days to atone for sin. Although Jesus remits the eternal penalty of our sin, we can atone for temporal penalties due to our sin.

Tobit 12:8 - prayer is good when accompanied by fasting. Throughout salvation history, God has encouraged fasting to be coupled with prayer.

Acts 13:2-3; 14:23 - the apostles engaged in prayer and fasting in connection with ordaining leaders of the Church. Prayer and fasting have always been the practice of the Church.

Luke 2:37 - Anna the widow worshiped God with fasting and prayer night and day. The Church has always taught that, by virtue of our priesthood conferred in baptism, our fasting participates in the priesthood of Christ by atoning for the temporal punishments due to our and other people’s sins.

It is very helpful for me. I will be fasting of just water and tuna (bread is not horrible to me as I’m have a low-carb eating lifestyle), just keeping tuna down is difficult.

If you are like me and are struggling with sin or just want to come closer to God, give fasting a try. If you are married or not, check out e5men.org.

Suffering is a blessing, not meant to cause you harm. It is not pleasant, yet make the most of your time here on Earth. All it takes it one try… just be sure to pray, even more than normal during this time.

For review, here are the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary:

Tuesdays and Fridays. Also Sundays in Lent.

1. The Agony of Our Lord in the Garden. Reading: Luke 22: 39-46.

2. The Scourging of Our Lord at the Pillar. Reading: Mark 15: 6-15.

3. The Crowning of Our Lord with Thorns. Reading: John 19: 1-8.

4. The Carrying of the Cross. Reading: John 19: 16-22.

5. The Crucifixion and Death of Our Lord. Reading: John 19: 25-30.

Photo credit ©2006 Br Lawrence Lew, O.P.



Pray More; Pray for Others

April 15, 2008

A message I got from last Sunday’s Mass (forth Sunday of Easter) was that I needed to pray more and pray for others. I also got this message from a friend of mine. We’ve prayed together twice and it’s super awesome. We prayed the Rosary together last night, even though I was not totally with it from lack of sleep it was really great.

Praying for others is growing to be part of my prayers; some I stick prayers on at the end on almost every time I pray. God is love, it is great to pray for others and try to show this unselfish love. There is something really great about praying for others for me. It is a total unselfish act. Sure, I may tell others that I will pray for them sometimes, yet it is more to help them than build up some selfish ego of prayer awesomeness.

I know I need to pray more. It is kind of interesting how it works out. The more I struggle and work to follow God’s path and do the right thing, it is easier to pray. It is now easier to be humble and just be willing to speak with God, it’s almost exciting at times. Praying is opening a channel with God, Jesus, The Holy Spirit and all the Saints, which is beautiful. It isn’t about having the prayers answered really (though that is nice), it is more about the line of personal communication.

I am working more to pray for others, there are many people that are asking for prayer and also people in my life I want to pray for (even if they didn’t ask). It something I am becoming more conscious of now and I have faith that it is doing some good. God has his own plan, yet praying for his help and for him to touch those that feel that he’s forgotten them is a great thing.

Sometimes it is easy to pray, other times it is not as much. Mainly because I am not a Saint, that I still struggle with my old ways that I am trying to break. The old thought patterns and old habits, all get in the way. The first step is just recognizing them as they happen or before they happen. I do pray more naturally now and it doesn’t feel awkward at all.

I hope that I can get more strong in prayer over time, and that my future wife and family will be able to pray together. We could all realize and enjoy the love of God; helping bring each other closer to heaven with our time here that has been gifted to us.

The power of prayer is really profound, yet not in some mystical magical sort of way. It is profound as it brings us closer to God, and is a way learning God’s love so that we may know love of each other.

Photo credit ©2008 SteffanyZphotgraphy.



Struggle and Prayer

April 12, 2008

Struggle and PrayerThe more I learn about Catholicism and the teachings of Christ and the Church, the more I know of my own sin and shortcomings. Being aware of them is wonderful, yet working to correct them and do the right thing in my life is a hard struggle.

Prayer is becoming more a part of my life, I just need help. I tend to ask for strength all the time as it is just too much for me a lot of the time to manage. I know I’m not the only one that is struggling to be the good person that God wants us to be. I think that all practicing Catholics (or Protestants even ;)) deal with this problem.

One of our greatest gifts from God is free will, yet it is also what makes this so difficult. The more I learn about myself, the more it is difficult.

Can you relate?

Photo credit ©2005 David Nelson



An Unexpected Hand

April 11, 2008

The first Mass I went to, I didn’t expect much. To be honest, I only went because I promised a friend I would. I didn’t expect to be so uncomfortable and out of place. What I really didn’t expect was to feel something real grip me when the priest was giving his sermon.

Normally if someone said something like that to me, I’d figure that they were in a low point in their life and desperately needed something to look up to… or needed something to hold on to… or were crazy…

Yet, it was real! I didn’t expect it, yet something really true and gripping took a hold of me that day. I’d like to think that I felt the hand of God that day. It is not something fake or all in my head. It may seem crazy, yet it has a hold of me and I am passionate to learn all I can.

I just wanted to document this, as it seems out of the blue that I am now interested in the Church and Christianity. It is true, it happened all of a sudden. I did a complete 180 in the span of a single moment of unexpected awesomeness. I have been told this is rare.

Yet, I feel what I feel and know it to be true. I don’t need anyone to prove it to me or convince me of it. It is the truth and I know it with every iota of my being.

I have always been a skeptic and always needed complete proof. I feel I have it, not in my hand where I can touch it, yet I just know. It’s like how you know you love someone. You just know and it can’t be proven.

I look forward to going to Mass each time. It is like the clergy are speaking directly to me and the Holy Spirit is delivering it, which may even be the case. Each time, it is exactly what I needed to hear. It is very uncanny and remarkable, yet it is really happening.

It is truly life changing. I am not out to change anyone else, yet I just wanted you to know what has happened to me.

Photo credit ©2008 SteffanyZphotgraphy



More books: Mary, Divine Mercy, Catechism

April 10, 2008

Just ordered some more books, bit by bit getting more of the information I want to have in my brain. When you’re passionate about something, there’s never enough information.

From listening to the CatholicUnderTheHood.com podcast about “Seeking the Divine Mercy”, a nun spoke at length about the topic. She spoke of the “Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska” and used it as a reference for Divine mercy, so will be getting that. You should give the podcast a listen or two, it’s really great and you may learn a lot. If I ever go to Poland, I’ll be sure to go there (if possible). You can learn more by going to thedivinemercy.org.

Next, an aspiring Catholic wants to learn much about Mother Mary, so I am getting True Devotion to Mary. Excited to learn more about on this topic.

And just the last book is one all aspiring or existing Catholics should have, “Catechism of the Catholic Church”.



I Prayed the Rosary for the First Time

April 8, 2008

A new random Catholic friend/aquantance I met online suggested that I pray to the Rosary as I was asking how I deal with loneliness. This has been a bad losing-friends week and since being single again, I have much less friends. She also suggested that everything happens for a reason and we don’t understand the purpose, which I totally agree with. Yet, it doesn’t help my situation any…

So, I decided to pray to the Rosary. Not knowing how, other than skimming online documents, I used a PDF document I found online at newadvent.org on “How to recite the Holy Rosary”. I followed it. I looked up and read the bible passages.

Something unexpected happened. During the course of saying the “Hail Mary…”s I had tears build up. I’m still not sure why, as it seemed to be happening on it’s own. I also felt renewed and I really did meditate on the meaning of what I was saying… especially since it isn’t second nature to me yet.

I didn’t have any sort of great revelation or great sobbing, so no theatrics or entertainment to read about there. What did happen that I didn’t see coming was that it became more than just the physical act of moving along the Rosary with my finger and thumb, more than just reading and saying phrases over and over. It just because something more.

I will definitely be praying to the Holy Rosary again. Much thanks to my friend/aquantance for helping me.

Here’s my the Rosary I got from giftscatholic.com (I like the wood and simpleness of it, nothing fancy or expensive). I still have some to create for rosaryarmy.com and will keep one for myself as a ‘rugged’ one to take with me everywhere.



Books arrived; More coming

April 8, 2008

The books I ordered arrived and they are pretty awesome. The bible was much smaller than I expected and is more like a travel size one. Not very useful for study and research. So, I ordered another one, yet it’s much bigger. Here is what I ordered:

Seems there is a lot of ignorance and misunderstandings related to marriage and sex in Catholicism, so I wanted to educate myself. Since you can’t pick and choose what parts of Catholicism you like, I’m learning what I can about it. It’s a very important topic as I want my future wife to also be a Catholic.

Still enjoying learning everything, I’d probably even say passionate about learning all I can about Catholicism.



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