Wednesday, December 31, 2008

First Baptist Church of Brackettville
301 N. Ann Street
Pastor: Jeff Janca

Pastor's Quote for the Month


John Bunyan: Wherefore, though the Christian, as a Christian, is the only man at liberty, as called thereunto of God; yet his liberty is limited to things that are good: he is not licensed thereby to indulge the flesh.


Men's Fellowship Breakfast

Saturday, January 17, 2009

9:00 AM


Fellowship Lunch


Sunday, January 18, 2008

After the Morning Service

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

"... a free hand to eradicate every last Jew from Palestine and the Arab world"


Adapted from this source: Mr. Matthew E. Bunson's Hitler's Mufti, "This Rock" magazine, January 2009.

"Recent work by historians and apologists has revealed that an influential, international religious leader was also an ardent supporter of Adolph Hitler.

"His name was not Pope Pius XII but Hajj Amin al - Husseini.

"This Grand Mufti of Jerusalem recruited whole divisions of fanatics to fight and kill in the name of extremism.

"[He had a] triumphant reception on November 28, 1941, with Adolph Hitler.

"This was described by al - Husseini in his own memoirs: Our fundamental condition for cooperating with Germany was a free hand to eradicate every last Jew from Palestine and the Arab world. I asked Hitler for an explicit undertaking to allow us to solve the Jewish people [sic] in a manner befitting our national and racial aspiraions and according to the scientific methods innovated by Germany in the handling of the Jews. The answer I got was The Jews are yours (Ami Isseroff and Peter Fitzgerald - Morris, The Iraq Coup Attempt of 1941, the Mufti, and the Farhud)

"Al - Husseini was able to organize thee divisions of Bosnian Muslims who were then trained as elements of the Waffen - SS.

"The Muslim Waffen - SS forces fought across the Balkans against Communist partisans and then assisted in the genocide of Yugoslavian Jews and in the persecution and slaughter of Gypsies and Christian Serbs in 1944 and 1945.

"The brutality extended to Catholics as well, for the Muslim Waffen - SS cut a path of destruction across the Balkans that encompassed a large number of Catholic parishes, churches, and shrines and resulted in the deaths of thousands of Catholics.

"By the end of the war, al - Husseini's fanatical soldiers had killed over 90 percent of the Jews in Bosnia.

"Hajj Amin al - Husseini's legacy was to inspire generations of terroists, Islamic jihadists, and such dictators as Saddam Hussein of Iraq.

"The foremost exemplar of his influence was a young terroist and distant relative who became one of his most ardent students: Yasser Arafat, the future leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organization [PLO] ..."

A good read! :)

"This Rock's" Ms. Michelle Arnold on the Virgin Mary


In which the Roman Catholic Church contradicts both our St. Mary Magdalene's Parish Charismatic Group leaders & one (or more) of our morose and curiously sad and perhaps most certainly inadequately trained Deacons!


Question from January 2009 edition:

"If Mary was born without original sin and did not sin during her life, then does that mean that she did not need to be saved by Jesus?"


Adapted and highlighted from what Michelle gives us as the Roman Catholic Church's response:

"Christ's death on the cross as an eternal event; as such, its graces could reach back in time, as well as forward.

"This means that the grace that Christ would win on Calvary could be applied to Mary in anticipation of Calvary.

"This was how she was saved from any stain of sin, both original and actual.

"Medieval theologians created the analogy of two people approaching a pit.

"If one falls in and is rescued from the pit, and the second is preserved from falling into the pit, both are saved, and it even could be said that the one whose fall was prevented is saved far more completely than the one who is raised from the pit. (See also By the Book, This Rock, October 2007.) -- Michelle Arnold "


Was the Child Jesus really a sort of Sixth Grade Frankenstein?


[Note: Please don't confuse this with Ms. Terri Field's Fifth - Grade Frankenstein, who is an adult substitute teacher!]

The Child Jesus as a misbehaving sort of Sixth - Grade Frankenstein was the way, more or less, that around 175 +/- of us heard Him described this past Saturday, December 27, 2008?

And that estimate includes several fellow deacons, and at least one nominally believing priest?

At Brackettville's St. Mary Magdalene's Cathodic Church?

In a at times, at least, a hot - tempered and aggressive homily, by a senior Deacon no less?


Because by some bizarre coincidence, the answer came to our mail box less than 48 hours later!

And this is what the Roman Catholic Church teaches on the subject.

Question:

"When Jesus was on earth in human form, did he commit sins like other humans?"


Adapted from Mr. Jim Blackburn, of "This Rock" magazine, January 2009, give us the straight answer.


"Jesus never sinned.

"The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, Following the holy Fathers, we unanimously teach and confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ: the same perfect in divinity and perfect in humanity, the same truly God and truly man, composed of rational soul and body; consubstantial with the Father as to his divinity and consubstantial with us as to his humanity; like us in all things but sin. (CCC 467)

"So how did he, in his humanity, keep from sinning?

"He submitted his will completely to the will of his Father."

Jim then goes on to quote verbatim from this same Catechism of the Catholic Church:

"Christ possesses two wills and two natural operations, divine and human.

"They are not opposed to each other, but cooperate in such a way that the Word made flesh willed humanly in obedience to his Father all that he had decided divinely with the Father and the Holy Spirit for our salvation.

"Christ's human will does not resist or oppose but rather submits to his divine and almighty will. (CCC 475) Jim Blackburn"

"What is the danger in using the enneagram?"


The answer to this is by Mr. Jim Blackburn, of "This Rock" magazine, January, 2009.

"The pontifical document Jesus Christ, The Bearer of the Water of Life: A Christian reflection on the New Age cautions us that the enneagram, when used as a means of spiritual growth introduces an ambiguity in the doctrine and the life of the Christian faith (1.4)."

Monday, December 29, 2008

Mr. Scott Burns lashes out at Mr. Madoff!!

"Madoff case sparks rage"

"$50 billion crime equivalent to about 3 years of typical thefts"



Adapted from this source: The San Antonio EXPRESS - NEWS. Sunday, December 28, 2008. Business Section.


"Media accounts immediately labeled the disappearance of $50 billion, allegedly master - minded by Bernard Madoff, as the largest fraud in history.

"It is a greater wealth loss than having a household name company -- such as Walt Disney, Anheuser - Busch or Boeing -- vanish without a trace.

"One way to measure the extent of the damage is to compare the $50 billion to measures of loss in the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports.

"In 2007, there were 9.8 million crimes against property in the United States.

"This included about 2.2 million burglaries, 6.6 million larceny - thefts and 1.1 million car thefts.

"I think you'll agree 9.9 million crimes represent a veritable army of miscreants.

"In spite of that, our total losses to property crimes in 2007 were a mere $17.6 billion.

"To be sure, it didn't feel mere if you suffered a burglary.

"But when you add all the losses in 9.9 million property crimes, it's just a fraction of the estimated $50 billion loss attributed to Bernard Madoff."

So, what do you get when you add 3 full years of such crime statistics??


"Add the three years and you get $51.7 billion.

"Using that value, what Bernard Madoff is accused of doing has caused losses caused by all the conventional thieves in America for nearly three full years..."

A good read!! :)


St. Mary Magdalene's Altar Server Show-up HONOR ROLL!



Saturday, December 27, 2008. 5:30 p.m. Mass. TEAM Mr. Johnny López.

Sunday, December 28, 2008. 10:30 a.m. Mass. TEAM Mr. Adam Resendez +/- Mr. Daniel Molinar.


Exciting exchange of Deacons' roles at Saint Mary Magdalene's!


Yes!

Today marks the first 30 -day anniversary of The Big Inside Paper-trash Burning Mitote of Saturday, November 29th, 2008.

Results:

Deacon Tweedlety Dum sits out three - consecutive weekends of nine consecutive masses total.

Meanwhile:

Deacon Tweedlety Dee does them all, letting Deacon Tweedlety Dum off his leash in between times.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

"Father Pacwa: Discernment key to transforming culture"


Adapted from Archbishop José H. Gomez's archdiocesan publication, "Today's Catholic" newspaper, December 19, 2008. By J. Michael Parker.


"Father Mitch Pacwa, S.J., founder and president of Ignatius Productions and a popular author, speaker and talk show host on the Eternal Word Television Network [EWTN], spoke Dec. 6 [2008] at the Pilgrim Center of hope's annual prayer breakfast at the Omni Hotel.

"More than 600 people attended.

"[T]he Jesuit priest said, It's very difficult for many people today to discern God's will because, since 1968, there's been a decrease in teaching of the facts of our faith.

"He told a story of a lunch conversation a group of U.S. bishops once had with Pope John Paul II in which one bishop said that many American young people are not morally culpable of mortal sin when they commit adultery and fornication because they don't know it's sinful.

"Father Pacwa said imitating John Paul's Polish accent, no the young people are not culpable -- but for the bishops who do not teach the faith, it's a very big sin.

"The audience responded with enthusiastic applause.

"Then the priest made the point If you don't know about God, if you don't know about the facts of our faith, the commandments of God and the church, if you don't know the Gospel and the history of God's relationship with people, how are you going to do any kind of discernment?

"But the Judeo - Christian tradition has thousands of years of God revealing himself to humanity and commanding people to do amazing things that changed the world, he added.

"He cited St. Benedict.

"[T]he priest said, Is it any wonder that Pope Benedict XVI named St. Benedict Europe's patron saint? It it weren't for St. Benedict's community, European culture would have been lost, including the classics of ancient Rome. Benedictine monks copied down many books that remian classics to this day...

"Monks in the Middle East transcribed the works of Plato, Aristotle and many other Greek philosphers, scientists and scholars that otherwise would have been lost.

"Although atheists often portray faith as opposed to reason and many modern universities ridicule faith in God, Father Pacwa pointed out that it was the Catholic Church, inspired by Muslims, that established the first universities in the West and invented the concept of school systems.

"[T]he priest said, Discernment of what God wants is part of our biblical history, but it's also inerent in the history of the church. Its assumptions are that God is good and that he wants to speak to us and guide us ......"

A really good read! :)



Former WW II Marine Corps platoon leader hanging in there still!



It really made my day, just as it always has, to read Colonel Ed Danowitz's upbeat comments: It was so good to hear from you and [to] remind me of the wonderful days in C.A.P Thank you for all that you did for Corps, Country and me. God Bless!... Semper Fidelis... [Col. & Mrs] Ed Danowitz...

Fr. Cornelius Scanlan, OMI, still truck'in at 79 years young!


It was great hearing again from this fine priest; he assures us he's still riding for the Roman brand, or as he puts it: I'm still -- even at 79 years of age -- able to help out here and there using those priestly gifts of celebrating the Eucharist, etc... May your Christmas be be grace - filled...

Come to think of it, I believe it was Mr. David Hunter Hawk Pierce who mentioned sometime back seeing Fr. Cornelius 'way over in Sanderson fulfilling his priestly duties once again...

Friday, December 26, 2008

First, St. MM's ladies learned about the teenage Homeboy Jesus!

Remember?

"The One whose Mother nagged Him for leaving His dirty socks all over the floor."



Nowadays, it's:


Ms. Ginny Kubitz Moyer:

"One woman's Holy Virgin is another woman's homegirl..."



Somewhat casually adapted from this so - called American Catholic source: "U.S. Catholic," January 2009. Page 10.

Ms. Ginny Kubitz Moyer, Mary and Me: Catholic Women Reflect on the Mother of God ( St. Anthony Messenger Press).

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

Dennis' preliminary note:

That homegirl motif includes, by the way, one or more of our own St. MM deacons, and why shouldn't it? After all, if you're a hardworking deacon willing to get up at some really early hour of the morning to bend some ladies' ears over how easy it is for today's woman to relate to the Virgin Mary, 'cause she, too, had to nag her teenage homeboy Jesus to pick up His dirty socks off the floor, what else -- if anything at all -- can you not readily accept? :)

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

Now, for today's awesomely revolutionary quote:

"One woman's Holy Virgin is another woman's homegirl ...

"There's no one single image of Mary that speaks to women today, and in this lies her power.

"She's the woman with a thouand faces and a thousand titles, transcending the boundries of culture and age."

St. Mary Magdalene's Catholic Parish Christmas Mass Stats:

A 15% decrease in estimated net attendance, overall?



Year: 2007


411 +/- total Mass attendance for three(3) Masses.


Christmas Eve First Mass @ 7:00 pm. 250 +/- Enthusiastic choir along with a Youth Group Pageant & a Post - Mass Parish Christmas Party. And! In an assist to our hardworking and enthusiastic young organist, an equally young Mr. Tipps played his wail'in SAX!

Christmas Eve Midnight Mass @ ??!! pm. 80 + / - Again, an enthusiastic choir plus a Youth Group Pageant. Again! Mr. Tipps played his wail'in SAX!

Christmas Day Mass @ 9:00 am. 80 + / - Everybody quietly wished one another "Merry Christmas," and headed on home en rumbo a su rancho!


Year: 2008


345 +/- total Mass attendance. But! This time there's only two (2) Masses. No Youth Group Pageant, no choir, and no Parish Christmas Party. However! The by - now legendary Mr. Tipps once again came to our little town to help our hardworking organist by playing along with her music his wail'in SAX!

Christmas Eve Mass @ 6:00 pm. 225 + / -

Christmas Day Mass @ 10:30 am. 120 +/-



Wildly Crude & Non - scientific Statistical (ha, ha!) Variation:


"Christmas Mass Attendance for 2008 showed an approximate drop of 15% from last year's 2007 Christmas Mass Attendance."
:)


"Relevance," if any?

Humm ... o.k. I see your point!

Well!


Given the crudity of the mathematics involved, I'd say anything that shows a fluctuation of less than 25% from one year to the next could indeed be statistically negligible.

Who knows? Christmas
2009 will make or break the trend, most likely!

And so ...


Merry Christmas
2008 to All,

And
to All a Happy New Year 2009!

St. Mary Magdalene's Catholic Parish Altar Servers Show - up Roll of Honor



Wednesday, Christmas Eve, December 24, 2008. 6:00 pm Mass. TEAM Mr. Daniel Molinar.

Thursday, Christmas Day, December
25, 2008. 10:30 am Mass. TEAM Mr. Johnny López & Mr. Adam Resendez.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

St. Mary Magdalene's Women's ACTS Retreat:


Spaces
are going fast!




As last Sunday's parish bulletin puts, albeit rather bluntly: "This is the last week that registrations will be open exclusively to St. Mary Magdalene's women parishioners.

"Next week, the registration will open to include the surrounding parishes in Del Rio, Uvalde, and Eagle Pass."

[Hopefully this means these tough, street - wise & no - nonsense dedicated young Christian ladies are carefully (and perhaps wisely) excluding Sabinal!]

"Please turn in your registration and deposit as soon as you can.

"There are 23 spots still available."

As we recently told one of the young, experienced retreatants who will now be a Team Member herself for this pivotal event, the Holy Spirit won't be the only spirit with a role to play.

If past history is any guide to future history, sometime around 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm Saturday, assuming they start Thursday night, there'll be the occult equivalent of a low - intensity strike.

We can be sure, however, that these ladies know the score as well as what they'll have to be prepared to do to protect their charges.

It's just that it may be a bit disconcerting to find themselves under attack from what would seem otherwise an unlikely (as in highly unlikely!) source.

But, hey!

That's how we learn things, here in this bad 'ole real world....

George Weigel on what Maggie Gallagher calls:


"The Decadent Catholic Corridor"


Adapted from the Archdiocese of San Antonio's newspaper "Today's Catholic." Friday, December 19, 2008. Page 10. The two Americas and the culture of death, by George Weigel.


"[W]hat this year's election cycle clarified decisively is that the great public fissure in these United States is between the culture of life and the culture of death.

"Then we come to adult catechesis.

"This year, the pro - abortion candidate carried every state in what Maggie Gallagher calls the Decadent Catholic Corridor -- the Northeast and the older parts of the Midwest [curiously enough, that includes at least one ordained deacon in St. Mary Magdalene's Catholic Church along with other parishioners aged 60 and over, too, not a few of them likewise K of Cs!].

"Too many Catholics there are still voting the way their grandparents did, and because that's what their grandparents did.

"This tribal voting has been described by some bishops as immoral; it is certainly stupid, and it must be challenged by adult education."

"to unsettle settled patterns of mindlessness" = Catholic Brackettville's challenge?


"That includes effective use of the pulpit to unsettle settled patterns of mindlessness.

"This year, a gratifying number of bishops began to accept the responsibilities of their teaching office; so now, must parish pastors [That's assuming, Mr. Weigel, that said pastors even believe in Jesus Christ in the first place themselves; which through long casual observation we've been able to confirm our own superstitious or simply atheistic priests here locally most certainly do not! :)]."

Some demons require special powers to exorcise


"And we need prayer -- lots of it.

"Some demons require special powers to exorcise.

"As of Nov. 5 [2008], it is clear that certain of them have taken up residence in the United States of America [¡Guau! "An overflow of them from Brackettville?" Da*m*n, maybe we are going places nationally!]."







Monday, December 22, 2008

"Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 1009 Trail St., Floresville, Texas 78114"



Phone: 830 - 216 - 7706 (Metro)

FAX: 830
- 393 - 9071.


Web address: http://www.churchsh.org


Pastor: Rev. Phillip D. Henning.


Adapted from this source: The Archdiocese of San Antonio, online directory.

www.archdiosa.org/ParishLocator/ParishInfo.asp?ID=4089

"Sacred Heart School prepares for new year"


Adapted from this source: Wilson County News . com "Nannette Kilbey - Smith, August 8, 2007."


"Father Pius Ezeigbo will celebrate the Masses with the school's faculty and students until December [2007].

"Principal Kim Patek said, And I've met our new pastor, Father Phil Hennings, who's currently on sabbatical. He'll be here in December [2007].


"Wilson County News . com" August 1, 2007. "The Rev. Pius Ezeigbo celebrated the funeral Mass on Saturday at 10 a.m. in Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Floresville."

"Wilson County News . com" September 5, 2007. "A funeral Mass was celebrated at 10 a.m. on Tuesday in the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Floresville with Father Pius Ezeigbo as celebrant."

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

"Valley Baptist: Meet the Chaplains -- Page 3: "Pius U. Ezeigbo, B. Th Pastoral Care Resident."

Adapted from this online source: "2007 Valley Baptist Health System [VBHS]"

www.valleybaptist.net/services/ministry/chaplains/chaplains3.htm





José Revueltas: México es "un Estado ideológico total y totalizador"



Adaptada de esta fuente original El Zócalo de Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, México. Miércoles 17 Dicembre 2008. Por Carlos Ramírez, correo electrónico:

cramirez@indicadorpolitico.com.mx .

"La clave de cualquier reforma se localiza en el Estado.

"Y ahí la izquierda ha decidido caer bajo el embrujo populista del corto plazo y del control corporativo de organizaciones sociales.

"Se trata de la izquierda con ignoranica ideológica, de la izquierda que leyó a los priístas Carlos Sansores y Lugo Verduzco pero que decidió olvidarse de José Revueltas, sin duda el ideólogico de izquierda más lúcido.

"Fue Revueltas el que resolvió el jeroglífico de la hegemonía del PRI: La clave estaba en en el Estado mexicano, al cual definía como un Estado ideológico total y totalizador.

"Agregaba que el secreto de esta dominación total no se encuentra en otra parte que en la total manipulación por el Estado del total de las relaciones sociales...

"O el gobierno de Calderón saca el debate sobre el pacto anticrisis del congreso y abre su spropios espacios o al pacto le va a pasar lo que a las reformas anteriores: Sólo reforzarán al Estado priísta."

¡Guau! :)

Jorge Villegas: "Coahuila pidió al Congreso de la Unión que se reimplante la pena de muerte."



Para el secuestrador que mate a su víctima.



Adaptda de esta fuente original: El Zócalo de Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, México. Miércoles 17 de Diciembre de 2008. correo electrónico: jvillega@rocketmail.com .

"Coahuila pidió al Congreso de la Unión que se reimplante la pena de muerte.

"Aplicable en un caso específico: Para el secuestrador que mate a su víctima.

"Somos muchos mexicanos los que nos openemos a la pena capital.

"Por razones humanitarias y también por el riesgo de error fatal e irreparable.

"Pero la propuesta, aún sin llegar a los códigos, sirve de advertencia.

"El secuestro ya colmó la paciencia de los ciudadanos; ya rebasó toda medida.

"Quizá necesitamos la pena de muerte en la ley.

"Y que se aplique excepcionalmente.

"Sólo contra las bestias que aplastan los derechos humanos de los inocentes."


¡Bien dicho, amigo!



"Pfrengle Principle: Income is king"

Mr. Scott Burns Says it!

I believe it!

That settles it!

Never forget that income precedes value


Adapted from: The "San Antonio EXPRESS - NEWS." Sunday, December 21, 2008.

Now, this excerpt:

"One of the best lessons I've learned was not in a classroom.

"It was from a crusty machinist in Rochester, N.Y.

"I haven't seen him in 25 years, but the lesson has stayed with me.

"It seems particularly important now.

"His name was Jerry Pfrengle, so I call it the Phrengle Principle: It's all about the income. To have value, you need income. Never forget that income precedes value.

"Jerry Pfrengle was a machinist who started with a handful of machines.

"He grew it into a much larger shop.

"He could do just about anything with metal.

"Jerry was also a collector.

"He collected automatic screw machines machines and other metal - working equipment, all bought at scrap metal prices.

"Jerry would wait for a turn in the market.

"When it came, he either put the machine to work in his own shop or sold it at a large profit.

"[H]e told me, The big companies give them away when the economy is off, and small companies pay a premium for them when they they have orders in hand.

"Value was all about the income you can produce with an added machine, he explained.

"Without orders, the machines were only worth their scrap value -- and even that would be low when everyone else was scrapping, too.

"But with orders, a single busy machine could provide a living for a machinist, pay the rent and put money in Jerry's pocket.

"Or it could be sold at a fat premium.

"Jerry told me, The swings in value are always extreme, they're much more dramatic than the swings in income.

"So I [Mr. Scott Burns!] have a suggestion.

"Next time you are impressed by a decline in value, check income.

"It's scary out there when you view the world by wealth.

"So just remember -- it all starts with income.

"Wealth and value are artifacts created by income..."

Good point, señores, thanks fro the timely reminder, and a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all, too! :)

St. Mary Magdalene's Altar Server Show - up ROLL OF HONOR!



Saturday, December 20, 2008. 5:30 pm Mass. Team Mr. Johnny López.

Sunday, December 20, 2008. 10:30 am Mass. Team Ms. Samantha DeHoyos + Mr. Jerry Lee DeHoyos.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

"Andrew Caradagas, un ex - sacerdote católico que enseñaba la Historia de la Iglesia en JSBC"


Adaptada de esta fuente original: Asombrada por la Verdad, Patrick Madrid editor. Y luego, tomado de esta historia de fe por Tim Staples llamado: "La Biblia Me Convenció."

Páginas 275 - 276.


"Imagínense lo que sería anunciar públicamente en el Colegio Bíblico Jimmy Swaggart el plan de convertirme al catolicismo.

"Los profesores me interrogaban instensamente.

"De hecho, casi me llamaron para entrevistarme con el mismo Jimmy Swaggart.

"En su lugar tuve una confrontación con el experto de la facultad en cuanto al catolicismo romano: Andrew Caradagas, un ex sacerdote católico que enseñaba la Historia de la Iglesia en JSBC.

"Nuestra discusión fue una aventura.

"Él no tenía idea de lo que yo había estudiado.

"Intentó persuadirme del error del catolicismo diciéndome que no hubieron Papas hasta el quinto siglo.

"Su cara enrojeció cuando empecé a citar los Papas de mucho antes del quinto siglo sobre la autoridad del obispo de Roma.

"Reclamó [este padre traicionero y sobre todo, tan blasfemador] que la Eucaristía fue una invención medieval.

"Yo cité los escritos del primer y segundo siglos como Ignacio, Justino, e Ireneo sobre el tema de la Verdadera Presencia de Cristo en la Eucaristía.

"Lo triste es que yo sabía que él sabía y que no debería estar hablando así.

"Al hablar de cada doctrina me di cuenta de que no había abandonado la Iglesia por razones de doctrina.

"Confesó que había tenido unas malas experiencias en la Iglesia que lo llevaron a salir.

"Nuestra conversación terminó repentinamente cuando me dijo que la Iglesia Católica que yo estudiaba existe sólo sobre el papel.

"Me advirtió que estaría muy desilusianado con la Iglesia Católica como existe en la realidad.

"Al despedirnos, se acercó y mirándome murmuró, ¡No te vas a convertir al catolicismo; ya eres católico!

"Salí de su oficina con sentimientos de tristeza y alivio.

"No había nada que yo pudiera hacer para ayudarlo, y por cierto, él no podía ayudarme a mí.

"Nadie en JSBC podía contestar mis objeciones y creo que fue en este momento que me di cuenta, totalmente, que tenía que convertirme al catolicismo.

"Nunca en mi vida me sentí tan solo..."

Friday, December 19, 2008

"Brackett's first ever priest to offer mass of celebration"


The Brackett News, Thursday, December 18, 2008.

Humm ... Like the first of an estimated 5 to 7 dedicated young men from St. Mary Magdalene's Catholic Parish current Youth Group & Altar Servers -- ably mentored by such dedicated and inspired other young people as Mrs. Glenda Flores + Mrs. Janie DeHoyos & Mr. Jerry DeHoyos & Mrs. María Elena Molinar -- these 5 to 7 young men themselves most likely scheduled for ordination to the Roman Catholic Priesthood by no later than December of 2023?


"Mark your calendars. 'way in advance!" :)

Why?!

Because most likely by that time today's Deacon Clay Hunt, III, will be one of the younger Auxiliary Bishops in America.

And with a very specific role to play, when that time comes.

Not only that, but -- hopefully! -- surely most of the current crop of aging apostate priests and bishops ages 50 and up will be long out to pasture on some bogus emeritus status or the other!

Free to amuse themselves to their little hearts' content with any number of indoor trash - burning rituals of their own devising! :)

Like we saw here in the Night of the Big Mitote, Saturday, November 29, 2008.


All of which gives this upcoming celebration a special triumphant flavor, you bet!!


And so:


Congratulations everyone, but especially to the H.C. & Molly Hunt Family!!

First Baptist Church, Bracketville, Texas.



Pastor Jeff Janca


"Christmas Eve Candlelight Service"


At 7 pm December 24


301 North Ann Street

"No God, No Peace; Know God, Know Peace"


Pastor Ned Sitzes, Frontier Baptist Church, Brackettville, Texas.


"It's easy to be an angel when no one ruffles your feathers"


Pastor Ned Sitzes, Frontier Baptist Church, Brackettville, Texas.


Come Celebrate the birth of Christ...


At Frontier Baptist Church's


Christmas Eve Candlelight Service.

5:30 p.m. December 24, 2008

Corners of Ann & El Paso Streets in Brackettville, Texas.


Tip of the hat to la comadre Lourdes, for reminding us of all this!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

"10. EWTN's Raymond Arroyo said on the November 13 Laura Ingraham program..."


"Perhaps as many as 50% of U.S. bishops voted for Obama"


Adapted from endnote number 10 in the "Catholic Family News," December 2008. "Election 2008 And The Revolution in Catholic Attitudes." By Mr. John Vennari.

"10. EWTN's Raymond Arroyo said on the November 13 Laura Ingraham program, The bishops I spoke to say that maybe half of their brother bishops if not more voted for Obama, because they thought the symbol of Obama would overcome racism and be a great healer and unity [sic].

"Arroyo further comments that he was not able to verify the number, but it is still worth noting that the bishops he spoke with are of the opinion that perhaps as many as 50% of U.S. bishops voted for Obama."

¿Qué importa saber quien soy?



¡Ni de donde vengo, ni por donde voy!


Radio:

La Rancherita del Aire


Piedras Negras, Coahuila.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

"Better than Santa Claus?!"

Meet St. Nicholas the Wonder - Worker.


Adapted from "The WORD among us" -- Daily Meditations for Advent 2008.

We are told this about the author that: " Ms. Louise Perrotta is an editor for The Word Among Us."

As this excerpt tells us:

"This bishop of the early church -- the real person behind the figure of Jolly Old Saint Nick -- might not strike you as an obvious choice when it comes to interceding for a desperate case.

"But Nicholas has long been the most beloved of the wonder - worker saints honored by Eastern Christians.

"Even his bones are wondrous.

"Ever since his death in the fourth century, they have secreted a liquid that has been associated with many physical and spiritual healings.

"Historians agree, that Nicholas was born in the second half of the third century and that sometime in the next century, he became bishop of Myra, in Asia Minor (modern Demre, Turkey).

"The biographies tell how Nicholas became a monk, visited the Holy Land, and was chosen bishop by divine intervention.

"Highlighting his devotion to Jesus, they recount his imprisonment and tortuure during Emperor Diocletian's persecution of Christians.

"Some sources mention a stormy encounter at the Council of Nicea (year 325), where Nicholas is said to have struck Arius for denying the divinity of Christ.

"Not only that: for most of his life, Nicholas exercised two very dramatic spiritual gifts: healing and mighty deeds (I Corinthians 12:9 - 10).

"More recently, Francesco Introna, a professor of forensic pathology, used the latest techniques to analyze the data on the skull [of St. Nicholas].

"His findings revealed a Nicholas with a broken nose -- perhaps another souvenir of imprisonment.

"The 1950s studies also included an examination of the manna [from St. Nicholas' bones].

"Scientists said the liquid was not easily explainable and determined that it did indeed come from the bones, not from an outside source.

"Recognized as an authentic relic, the manna is collected every May 9, which marks the translation of the bones from Myra to Bari [in Italy].

"Orthodox and Catholic join together to celebrate the feast, making it an ecumenical event.

"So many people could use a miracle!

"I expect that when I get to Bari, I'll be thanking God -- and his servant Nicholas -- for a happy ending to many more stories...."

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

"Miles Jesu's " Ms. Jessica Berends, age 23:

Noah ... and a Flood of Grace



Adapted from her story in "Miles Jesu" monthly magazine, December 2008.

Cautionary Note: these writers do not use the Capital Letter I Run Amok!

I guess maybe for the same reason they publish whatever they like that's favorable to the notion of repeated pilgrimages to Medjugorje!

Yet, Jessica's personal story rocks for this Christmas Holiday.

Big time!


So, here's an excerpt:

"I grew up going to a place every Sunday called the Unitarian - Universalist Church.

"In its beginnings, the Unitarian faith was about as Protestant as one could get -- it took the Reformation one step further and renounced belief in God as Trinity (hence Unitarian).

"Nowadays, the Unitarian -- Universalist Church is synonymous with moral and religious relativism.

"The church we went to every Sunday was, as i grew to understand, just a meeting place for people who espoused whatever belief system they liked.

"There were atheists, agnostics, pagans, Wiccans, Buddhists, fallen - away Jews, and many fallen - away Catholics, all sipping coffee together after the service."

One side effect of such disbelief in absolute truth is a lack of morality


"One side - effect of such disbelief in the existence of absolute truth is a lack of morality.

"Unitarians will say that they have seven principles which govern their lives, and that these form a type of morality.

"But these principles are never explained.

'Thus, while a plaque in the Unitarian foyer told me i needed to respect each person's human dignity, i had no idea what that meant, and was never held accountable if i broke it.

"If God was spoken of, it was always in the context of spirit or higher being.

"During the Christmas service, for example, the D.R.E. wouldn't let the youth choir sing any songs with Jesus or God in them."

My conversion came as much of a shock to me...


"My conversion came as much as a shock to me as it did to the people i knew.

"One day when i was 13, my dad was watching a news program on a major station when i happened to walk into the living room.

"The news lady was saying that some scientists found Noah's Ark on the top of a mountain.

"I didn't know many things about Judeo - Christian tradition, but i did know what Noah's Ark was.

"[W]hat came to my mind was, Oops, I guess it's all true. I better go read my Bible.

"[A]mazingly enough i had heard three things about the Catholic Church -- that Catholics thought their Pope was a trustworthy leader because he was the successor of Peter, that they believed the Communion they received in church was actually Jesus, and that Mary was somehow important."

If the Bible was inspired by God...


"If the Bible was inspired by God, then i would believe whatever i read in it and what whoever doctrine made the most sense.

"I had to wait many weeks until the end of John's Gospel to find out what Catholics really believed abut Mary.

"At that moment, i felt Mary become my mother.

"This coming Easter i will be five years old (spiritually).

"The Catholic Faith is the greatest gift that anyone could have.

"Often during the day, and especially at Mass, God brings to my mind everything He did in order to bring me to this point, and i think, i can't believe i'm here; i shouldn't be here.

"But thanks be to God that i am."

"Ed. note: Jessica, age 23, joined Miles Jesu in December 2006 and is a member of the ladies community in Chicago..."