Chesterton Quote

“We do not really want a religion that is right where we are right. What we want is a religion that is right where we are wrong.”

G. K. Chesterton

Being a man

Joel from On the other foot posted this blog about how "being a man aint macho"

here are some quotes from it:

"Erma Bombeck once listed off qualities her dad had had, and one of those was that he was always the one who went to the parking lot in the rain to get the car. That's a man. The women and children may stay under the shelter; a man may not. If someone's going to get wet, it should be you."

"Men speak a different language from women. You should be able to handle "Woman" as a second language, but it's never going to come naturally to you. Don't make it your native tongue. Women talk through their feelings, but if you do it, it just sounds neurotic. Talk when you have something to convey to someone else."

"Religion is not a female thing. I don't mean that it's supposed to be male-dominated, but it is male-led. Look around you at Mass, and see how many families are there without Dad. Don't let yours (when you have one) be one of them. Make sure your kids see you genuflect and kneel. Make sure they know you pray. They may appreciate their mother's faith, but it's yours they'll imitate. If you want to raise Godly sons, show them what one looks like."

"That's the essence of being a man. Sometimes what you have to do sucks. That's the way it is. A man has both rights and duties, but when there's a conflict between them, duty always wins. Period. Your rights will be compromised over and over, but your responsibilities must never be. A man does what needs doing and worries about his rights some other time.

Don't be a guy. The world is full of guys. Be a man.*"

On the other foot

Crucified with Christ

Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer
I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life
I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son
of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.


--------------------
In ancient Israel, momentous events were marked
by a permanent pile of rocks to remind the people
of the great things the Lord had done for
them.  Each Friday afternoon stands as a permanent
"pile of rocks" for us (particularly during Lent)
reminding us to contemplate what the Son of
God did for us and what it cost him to do it. 
In baptism, we have been joined to the events of
that Friday afternoon long ago in a living
reality that has put our old self to death and
raised us with Christ to sit with him in the heavenlies. 
We live and love now because he lives and loves in and
through us.  That is a gift of love that we shall never
fathom, but it is one we can receive every moment
of our lives, however little we comprehend it. 
When Friday comes (and throughout Lent), take some
time to thank Jesus for his crucifixion for you,
your crucifixion in him, and the eternal life you
now share in his everlasting love for
you.

A word of encouragement from Catholic Exchange

Be not afraid

Be not afraid!
---------------

Psalm 27:1
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?


--------------------
John Wesley once said that he wanted just a few men who feared nothing
but sin and loved nothing but God. Yesterday's verse was for a day of
fearing sin and "getting right with God" as our Fundamentalist friends
might say. Today's verse is to show us the other side of the coin:
namely, if God is for us, who can be against us? If we really and truly
believe that God is watching over us and is guarding us, then nothing,
not even death, is ultimately going to be a problem for us. That does
not mean that Christians can expect a pain-free life. We are assured
that both pain and death are part of the Christian life, as they were a
part of Christ's life. But these things cannot conquer us, just as they
could not conquer Jesus. Pain only makes us sharers in his suffering
and co-laborers for his people. Death only ushers us into heaven where
death has no more power. So dwell in God's stronghold today and, as
the Holy Father says, "Be not afraid."

**************************************************

Just a Word of Encouragement
from Mark Shea & Jeff Cavins

Catholic Exchange

Ignatius Loyola prayer

Take Lord, and Receive
all my liberty,
my memory,
my understanding,
and my entire will -
all that I have and call my own.

You have given it
all to me.
To you, Lord,
I return it.
Everything is yours;
do with it
what you will.
Give me only your love
and your grace.
That is enough
for me.

~Ignatius Loyola

Confessions of a forty-day monk

from On the other foot

Confessions of a forty-day monk

With Lent about to drop upon us like an anvil on Wile E. Coyote, it seems like a good time to resurrect a column I wrote for a local Christian magazine a couple of years ago. Catholics will find it kind of a no-brainer; it was intended to explain Lent to Evangelical Protestants.

Hooray! It's that time of year again! Time to mourn, repent, and deprive ourselves of lots of fun and goodies!

Sound weird? To a lot of Christians, it does. Most Evangelical churches don't pay a lot of attention to the calendar anyway, except for Christmas, Easter, and Super Bowl Sunday. Lent is ranked right up there with Candlemas and Epiphany; a vaguely archaic practice that's faded into one of the more harmless quirks of Catholicism. Before I started writing this, I asked some of the Protestants I know what they did about Lent; I was answered with a unanimous "Huh?".

Like many Catholic practices, Lent is more widespread than most Westerners think. Besides liturgical churches like the Episcopalians and Lutherans (some of 'em, anyway), all of the Traditional churches outside the Protestant spectrum observe it. In fact, if anything, the Catholic version of Lent is one of the least extreme ones. (Every year I'm glad I didn't turn Orthodox, or Coptic. They have a Lenten regimen that makes ours look wimpy.)

During the forty days before Easter, Lent observers give up something they like. I usually give up TV (and movies, and most other forms of electronic entertainment). I've known others to give up chocolate, or the Internet (braver souls than I), or even broccoli. Anything that's enjoyable and not a sin can be given up for Lent.

This strikes most Protestant Christians as pointless masochism. And if that's as far as we go with it, it is. What Lent is supposed to be is a time of clearing away the things of the world so we can concentrate better on our spiritual lives.

It's a funny thing about Lent. It starts in late February or early March (March 2, this year), which is not a notoriously joyous time of year anyway. The winter weather that looked so charming during the weeks leading up to Christmas now just looks dreary, and spring is little more than a distant dream. In the same way, Ash Wednesday (the opening act of Lent) is a reminder of the bleakness of our own souls without God's mercy. Fasting through the day is a tummy-rumbling way to keep our eyes on Christ (and on the donuts some sadistic heathen had the gall to bring to the office). When the cross is drawn on our foreheads with ashes, it reminds us that our efforts at righteousness are nothing more than dirt. (And I find it prompts curious questions from people who see me going around all day with a smudge on my forehead. Excellent chance to share my faith while assuring everybody that yes, I do know how to wash my face, thank you.)

As Lent goes on, it gets harder and harder to stick to the routine. I start out with a sense of zeal, a desire to surrender everything for Christ. I attend church every morning (my parish schedules Mass an hour earlier so worshippers can still get to work on time), unplug the TV and set out a vigorous prayer timetable. Since one of the Catholic disciplines is abstaining from meat on Lenten Fridays (it used to be all year, but times have changed), I studiously search out fish and vegetarian recipes in the vain hope that the kids will eat the stuff. I'm on fire and ready to go! At least for about a week and a half.

Along about the second Friday, it starts to get old. When the alarm rings an hour earlier every morning, the bedsheets pull me back down like a bungee. I find myself about three days behind on the prayer schedule I swore I'd stick to. I can't abide the taste of fish (especially given my cooking skills), and I start to suspect that tofu is a tool of Satan to torment the faithful. Once I even (I'm embarrassed to admit this) slipped into the tavern next door to my office to have a cup of coffee and watch some talk show I didn't even enjoy. Lent becomes, frankly, a pain in the patoot.

Which is exactly what it's supposed to be. It's easy to proclaim my love for the Lord when there's no hassle involved. The key to Lent is remembering. Remembering to walk past the TV the kids are watching without stopping to look. Remembering that it's Friday – again. Remembering to pray even though I don't really have time. Having to pay attention to the outward disciplines of Lent makes it easier to listen to the voice of God, and diverting my eyes from the good things I take for granted the rest of the year makes it necessary to focus them where they belong, on the Giver of good things.

By the time I arrive at Palm Sunday, a funny thing has happened. I've stopped muttering vague threats at the alarm clock. I've gotten used to the bean-and-rice burritos that have become a Friday staple. What looked at first like a long prison sentence has become more like a stay in a monastery. The noise and worry of everyday life has faded, and the Lord fills my thoughts even when I'm not concentrating specifically on Him. And spring seems to have sneaked up on me while I was busy watching God.

The whole thing comes to a head on Good Friday. It's another fast day, and the liturgy that night is somber and sad. We have reached the depths of mourning with the death of the Lord. We go home without even the closing blessing, which leaves a feeling of something unfinished. And indeed, it is.

Saturday night, we return for Easter Vigil. It's dark when we arrive, and the candles that are distributed are unlit. Then, from the back of the church, a light appears, moving slowly forward while the priest chants the Exultet, the opening words of the liturgy:

"This is the night when Jesus Christ
broke the chains of death
and rose triumphant from the grave...

"Rejoice, heavenly powers!
Sing, choirs of angels!
Exult, all creation around God's throne!
Jesus Christ, our King is risen!
Sound the trumpet of salvation!"

This is it! This is what Lent has been leading up to. The grim doggedness of Lent vanishes like the darkness in the face of the light emanating from an open Tomb. Like sin being washed away, the joy of Christ's resurrection washes over us, and we forget that we ever lacked anything.

Lent is the metamorphosis, not only of winter into spring, but of a carnally-distracted man into a spirit-filled one. When we empty ourselves of everything else, the Lord comes in to fill the gap. But being weak, I need the enforced emptying that Lent brings.

I think St. Ephraim of Edessa summed up Lent the best:

How many times have I promised, yet every time I failed to keep my word. But disregard this according to Thy grace.

Grant forgiveness, O Lord, send also strength. Convert me, that I might live in sanctity, according to Thy holy will...

I am unworthy to ask forgiveness for myself, O Lord, for many times have I promised to repent and proved myself a liar by not fulfilling my promise. Thou hast picked me up many times already, but every time I freely chose to fall again...

How shall I recount all the gifts of Thy grace, O Lord, that I the pitiful one have received? Yet I have reduced them all to nothing by my apathy – and I continue on in this manner. Thou has bestowed upon me thousands of gifts, yet miserable me, I offer in return things repulsive to Thee.

Yet Thou, O Lord, inasmuch as Thou containest a sea of longsuffering and an abyss of kindness, do not allow me to be felled as a fruitless fig tree; and do not let me be burned without having ripened on the field of life...

If the path that leads to life is strait and narrow, then how can I be vouchsafed such good things, I who live a life of luxury, indulging in my own pleasures and dissipation? But Thou, O Lord, my Saviour, Son of the true God, as Thou knowest and desirest it, by Thy grace alone, freely turn me away from the sin that abides in me and save me from ruin.

And He does.

On the other foot

God Wastes Nothing

God wastes nothing!
--------------------

2 Corinthians 1:3-7
For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we
share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your
comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort,
which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that
we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken; for we know that as you share
in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.


--------------------
The simple obvious "solution" to evil is to simply never allow it to
happen. This seems wisest to us, yet for his own profoundly mysterious
reasons, God has disagreed with us and chosen to conquer evil, not by
annihilating it, but by making even evil the paradoxical servant of God
and by thereby ennobling those who have endured it with the same glory
as his Son. At the heart of the Christian faith is the mystery of the
cross and of redemptive suffering. Even God himself has suffered evil.
But in so suffering he has more than merely defeated evil, he has made
it the occasion of good that makes death itself a door into heaven and
not just a hole in the ground. It is a mystery that is literally
beyond words. If you are bearing your cross today, know that through it you
are being made, in the darkest and most impenetrable mystery of the
universe, an agent of God's power and work in the world for the salvation
of others. In the light of the cross, nothing-not even suffering-is
wasted.

**************************************************

Just a Word of Encouragement
from Mark Shea & Jeff Cavins

It is an honor and a pleasure to share with you our recently produced
two-minute flash movie tribute to our Catholic Faith, "Proud to Be
Catholic." Enjoy the presentation -- and please be sure to forward it to
your family and friends!
Proud to be Catholic

Pater Noster

From Saint Peters Helpers

Pater Noster, The Our Father

Okay folks, here's our first lesson in Latin: The Our Father. If you don't know it yet, then what a better way to learn it than to sing it. Follow along by singing the lines indicated in red.

Our instructor will be the Servant of God, Pope John Paul II.

Just click here => PATER NOSTER

Pater noster qui es in coelis,
Our Father in heaven,

sanctifcetur nomen tuum.
hallowed be your name.

Adveniat regnum tuum,
Your kingdom come,

fiat voluntas tua,
your will be done,

sicut in coelo et in terra.
on earth as it is in heaven.

Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie,
Give us this day our daily bread,

et dimitte nobis debita nostra,
and forgive us our debts,

sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostri,
as we also have forgiven our debtors,

et ne nos inducas in tentationem,
and do not bring us to the time of trial,

sed libera nos a malo.
but rescue us from the evil one.


(Matthew 6,9-13) St. Peter's. Rome, March 22,1995

~Courtesy of Sony Classics~

posted by Saint Peters Helpers at 5:18 AM

Mary the Ark of the Covenant

Mary: The Ark of the New Covenant
From©Catholic Answers, Inc.

Why do Catholics call Mary the Ark of the New Covenant? Answering that question will take us on a journey through the Old and New Testaments.

For example, Luke wove some marvelous things into his Gospel that only a knowledgeable Jew would have understood — a Jew who knew Jewish Scripture and had eyes to see and ears to hear. One of the things he would have understood is typology. So what is typology?

We all know that the Old Testament is full of stories, people, and historical events. A type is a person, thing, or event in the Old Testament that foreshadows something in the New Testament. It is like a taste or a hint of something that will be fulfilled or realized. Types are like pictures that come alive in a new and exciting way when seen through the eyes of Christ's revelation. Typology is the study of these types and their fulfillment. Augustine said that "the Old Testament is the New concealed, but the New Testament is the Old revealed" (Catechizing of the Uninstructed, 4:8).

The idea of typology is not new. In his letter to the Romans, Paul says that Adam was a type of the one who was to come — Christ (Rom. 5:14). Early Christians understood that the Old Testament was full of types or pictures that were fulfilled or realized in the New Testament.

Here are a few more examples of biblical typology:

• Peter uses Noah's ark as a type of Christian baptism (1 Pet. 3:18-22).
  
  
• Paul explains that circumcision foreshadowed Christian baptism (Col. 2:11-12).
  
  
• Jesus uses the bronze serpent as a type of his Crucifixion (John 3:14; cf. Num. 21:8-9).
  
  
• The Passover lamb prefigures the sacrifice of Christ (1 Cor. 5:7).
  
  
• Paul says that Abraham, in his willingness to sacrifice Isaac, "considered that God was able to raise men even from the dead; hence, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back" (Heb. 11:19).

The Ark of the Old Covenant
God loved his people and wanted to be close to them. He chose to do so in a very special way. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, "The prayer of the people of God flourished in the shadow of the dwelling place of God's presence on earth, the ark of the covenant and the temple, under the guidance of their shepherds, especially King David, and of the prophets" (CCC 2594). God instructed Moses to build a tabernacle surrounded by heavy curtains (cf. Ex. 25-27). Within the tabernacle he was to place an ark made of acacia wood covered with gold inside and out. Within the Ark of the Covenant was placed a golden jar holding the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant (cf. Heb. 9:4).

When the ark was completed, the glory cloud of the Lord (the Shekinah Glory) covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle (Ex. 40:34-35; Num. 9:18, 22). The verb for "to cover" or "to overshadow" and the metaphor of a cloud are used in the Bible to represent the presence and glory of God. The Catechism explains:

In the theophanies of the Old Testament, the cloud, now obscure, now luminous, reveals the living and saving God, while veiling the transcendence of his glory — with Moses on Mount Sinai, at the tent of meeting, and during the wandering in the desert, and with Solomon at the dedication of the temple. In the Holy Spirit, Christ fulfills these figures [types]. The Spirit comes upon the Virgin Mary and "overshadows" her, so that she might conceive and give birth to Jesus. On the mountain of Transfiguration, the Spirit in the "cloud came and overshadowed" Jesus, Moses and Elijah, Peter, James and John, and "a voice came out of the cloud, saying, 'This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!"' Finally, the cloud took Jesus out of the sight of the disciples on the day of his Ascension and will reveal him as Son of man in glory on the day of his final coming. The glory of the Lord "overshadowed" the ark and filled the tabernacle (CCC 697).

It's easy to miss the parallel between the Holy Spirit overshadowing the ark and the Holy Spirit overshadowing Mary, between the Ark of the Old Covenant as the dwelling place of God and Mary as the new dwelling place of God.

God was very specific about every exact detail of the ark (Ex. 25-30). It was a place where God himself would dwell (Ex. 25:8). God wanted his words — inscribed on stone — housed in a perfect container covered with pure gold within and without. How much more would he want his Word — Jesus — to have a perfect dwelling place! If the only begotten Son were to take up residence in the womb of a human girl, would he not make her flawless?

The Virgin Mary is the living shrine of the Word of God, the Ark of the New and Eternal Covenant. In fact, St. Luke's account of the annunciation of the angel to Mary nicely incorporates the images of the tent of meeting with God in Sinai and of the temple of Zion. Just as the cloud covered the people of God marching in the desert (cf. Num. 10:34; Deut. 33:12; Ps. 91:4) and just as the same cloud, as a sign of the divine mystery present in the midst of Israel, hovered over the Ark of the Covenant (cf. Ex. 40:35), so now the shadow of the Most High envelopes and penetrates the tabernacle of the New Covenant that is the womb of Mary (cf. Luke 1:35) (Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, The Shrine: Memory, Presence and Prophecy of the Living God).

Luke weaves additional parallels into the story of Mary — types that could be overlooked if one is unfamiliar with the Old Testament. After Moses died, Joshua led the Israelites across the Jordan River into the Promised Land. Joshua established the Ark of the Covenant in Shiloh, where it stayed for more than 200 years. One day the Israelites were losing a battle with the Philistines, so they snatched the ark and rushed it to the front lines. The Philistines captured the ark, but it caused them great problems, so they sent it back to Israel (1 Sam. 5:1-6:12).

David went out to retrieve the ark (1 Sam 6:1-2). After a man named Uzzah was struck dead when he touched the ark, David was afraid and said, "How can the ark of the Lord come to me?" He left the ark in the hill country of Judea for three months. David danced and leapt in front of the ark and everyone shouted for joy. The house of Obededom, which had housed the ark, was blessed, and then David took the ark to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:9-14).

Compare David and the ark to Luke's account of the Visitation:

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord" (Luke 1:39-45).

Here are the parallels:

• Mary arose and went to the hill country of Judea. Ein Kerem (where Elizabeth lived) and Abu Ghosh (where the ark resided) are only a short walk apart. Mary and the ark were both on a journey to the same hill country of Judea.
  
• When David saw the ark he rejoiced and said, "How can the ark of the Lord come to me?" Elizabeth uses almost the same words: "Why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" Luke is telling us something — drawing our minds back to the Old Testament, showing us a parallel.
  
• When David approached the ark he shouted out and danced and leapt in front of the ark. He was wearing an ephod, the clothing of a priest. When Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant, approached Elizabeth, John the Baptist leapt in his mother's womb — and John was from the priestly line of Aaron. Both leapt and danced in the presence of the ark. The Ark of the Old Covenant remained in the house of Obed-edom for three months, and Mary remained in the house of Elizabeth for three months. The place that housed the ark for three months was blessed, and in the short paragraph in Luke, Elizabeth uses the word blessed three times. Her home was certainly blessed by the presence of the ark and the Lord within.
  
• When the Old Testament ark arrived — as when Mary arrived — they were both greeted with shouts of joy. The word for the cry of Elizabeth's greeting is a rare Greek word used in connection with Old Testament liturgical ceremonies that were centered around the ark and worship (cf. Word Biblical Commentary, 67). This word would flip on the light switch for any knowledgeable Jew.
  
• The ark returns to its home and ends up in Jerusalem, where God's presence and glory is revealed in the temple (2 Sam. 6:12; 1 Kgs. 8:9-11). Mary returns home and eventually ends up in Jerusalem, where she presents God incarnate in the temple (Luke 1:56; 2:21-22).

It seems clear that Luke has used typology to reveal something about the place of Mary in salvation history. In the Ark of the Old Covenant, God came to his people with a spiritual presence, but in Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant, God comes to dwell with his people not only spiritually but physically, in the womb of a specially prepared Jewish girl.

The Old Testament tells us that one item was placed inside the Ark of the Old Covenant while in the Sinai wilderness: God told Moses to put the stone tablets with the Ten Commandments inside the ark (Deut. 10:3-5). Hebrews 9:4 informs us that two additional items were placed in the Ark: "a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron's rod that budded." Notice the amazing parallels: In the ark was the law of God inscribed in stone; in Mary's womb was the Word of God in flesh. In the ark was the urn of manna, the bread from heaven that kept God's people alive in the wilderness; in Mary's womb is the Bread of Life come down from heaven that brings eternal life. In the ark was the rod of Aaron, the proof of true priesthood; in Mary's womb is the true priest. In the third century, St. Gregory the Wonder Worker said that Mary is truly an ark — "gold within and gold without, and she has received in her womb all the treasures of the sanctuary."

While the apostle John was exiled on the island of Patmos, he wrote something that would have shocked any first-century Jew. The ark of the Old Covenant had been lost for centuries — no one had seen it for about 600 years. But in Revelation 11:19, John makes a surprising announcement: "Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple?'

At this point chapter 11 ends and chapter 12 begins. But the Bible was not written with chapter divisions — these were added in the twelfth century. When John penned these words, there was no division between chapters 11 and 12; it was a continuing narrative.

What did John say immediately after seeing the Ark of the Covenant in heaven? "And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; she was with child" (Rev. 12:1-2). The woman is Mary, the Ark of the Covenant, revealed by God to John. She was seen bearing the child who would rule the world with a rod of iron (Rev. 12:5). Mary was seen as the ark and as a queen.

But does this passage really refer to Mary? Some say the woman represents Israel or the Church, and certainly she does. John's use of rich symbolism is well known, but it is obvious from the Bible itself that the woman is Mary. The Bible begins with a real man (Adam), a real woman (Eve), and a real serpent (the devil) — and it also ends with a real man (Jesus, the Last Adam [1 Cor. 15:45]), a real woman (Mary, the New Eve [Rev. 11:19-12:2]), and a real serpent (the devil of old). All of this was foretold in Genesis 3:15.

John Henry Cardinal Newman wrote about this passage in Revelation:

I would maintain is this, that the Holy Apostle would not have spoken of the Church under this particular image unless there had existed a Blessed Virgin Mary, who was exalted on high and the object of veneration to all the faithful. No one doubts that the "man-child" spoken of is an allusion to our Lord; why then is not "the Woman" an allusion to his mother?

Later in the same chapter we read that the devil went out to persecute the woman's other offspring — Christians — which certainly seems to indicate that Mary is somehow the mother of the Church (Rev. 12:17).

Even if someone rejects Catholic teaching regarding Mary, he cannot deny that Catholics have scriptural foundations for it. And it is a teaching that has been taught by Christians from ancient times. Here are a few representative quotations from the early Church — some written well before the New Testament books were officially compiled into the final New Testament canon.

Athanasius of Alexandria (c. 296-373) was the main defender of the deity of Christ against the second-century heretics. He wrote: "O noble Virgin, truly you are greater than any other greatness. For who is your equal in greatness, O dwelling place of God the Word? To whom among all creatures shall I compare you, O Virgin? You are greater than them all O [Ark of the] Covenant, clothed with purity instead of gold! You are the ark in which is found the golden vessel containing the true manna, that is, the flesh in which divinity resides" (Homily of the Papyrus of Turin).

Gregory the Wonder Worker (c. 213-c. 270) wrote: "Let us chant the melody that has been taught us by the inspired harp of David, and say, 'Arise, O Lord, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thy sanctuary.' For the Holy Virgin is in truth an ark, wrought with gold both within and without, that has received the whole treasury of the sanctuary" (Homily on the Annunciation to the Holy Virgin Mary).

The Catechism of the Catholic Church echoes the words from the earliest centuries: "Mary, in whom the Lord himself has just made his dwelling, is the daughter of Zion in person, the Ark of the Covenant, the place where the glory of the Lord dwells. She is 'the dwelling of God . . . with men"' (CCC 2676).

The early Christians taught the same thing that the Catholic Church teaches today about Mary, including her being the Ark of the New Covenant.

Steve Ray is the author of Crossing the Tiber, Upon This Rock, and St. John's Gospel. He is also co-author of Catholic Answers' Papacy Learning Guide. You may contact him through his web site, www.catholicconvert.com

©Catholic Answers, Inc.

Psalm 121

Psalm 121

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From whence does my help come?
My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved, he who keeps you
will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade
on your right hand.
The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night.
The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from
this time forth and for evermore.

Chesterton Quote

quote about love

"Love is not blind, That is the last thing that it is. Love is bound; and the more that it is bound, the less is it blind. Love is bound the reality of the beloved, a reality that is fundamentally true, good and desireable. Love does not build castles in the air, but establishes sturdy foundations"

G.K. Chesterton -Orthodoxy

Readings for Feb 22 2006

Originally posted at myspace on Feb 22 2006

Wow todays scripture readings just happened to have two of my favorite verses both on the same day... Psalm 23 and Mt 16:13-19

Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle

Psalm: Wednesday 11

Reading I
1 Pt 5:1-4

Beloved:
I exhort the presbyters among you,
as a fellow presbyter and witness to the sufferings of Christ
and one who has a share in the glory to be revealed.
Tend the flock of God in your midst,
overseeing not by constraint but willingly,
as God would have it, not for shameful profit but eagerly.
Do not lord it over those assigned to you,
but be examples to the flock.
And when the chief Shepherd is revealed,
you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 23:1-3a, 4, 5, 6

R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Gospel
Mt 16:13-19

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi
he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Simon Peter said in reply,
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

Todays readings

Genesis 1:1

Originally posted at myspace on Feb 21 2006

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

--------------------
Patrick Glynn in his book "God:The Evidence" mentions that the
atheistic philosophers Denis Diderot and David Hume advanced the idea that
given infinite time, nature would by chance alone eventually hit on the
order we see around us.  Glynn points out that the modern version of the
argument often takes the form of an analogy: Given infinite time, a
monkey with a typewriter would eventually type the works of Shakespeare. 
He goes on to show the absurdity of this atheistic concept.  Remember
that with God, nothing is left to mere chance.  Everything you encounter
today, everything you eat every person you meet every breath you
breath, every word you speak, every blade of grass you walk on is the result
of a world created with unimaginable balance and forethought.  Step
into God's world today and honor him in everything you do.

**************************************************

Just a Word of Encouragement
from Mark Shea & Jeff Cavins
http://www.catholicexchange.com/bday/index.html

Originally posted at Myspace on February 20th 2006.

Seek his face!

Whatever is he growing in his beard?

Below is an illusion that has been around for a while, but never ceases to fascinate. Relax and concentrate on the four small dots in the middle of the picture for about 30 to 40 seconds. Then take a look at a wall near you, or any smooth, single colored surface. You will see a circle of light form. Blink your eyes a couple of times and a figure will begin to emerge.

What do you see?

A good way to start

Well, I started this blog but never finished it, unfortuneatly I do that with alot things. I have been posting articles and pics on my blog at myspace (www.myspace.com/auroramike71) but they are not being archived there.

It looks like Ive lost most of my early blogs over there! So I will use this blog as a permanent home for my blogging activities.

Thanks for reading!