The CatholiCity Message
Volume XVIII, Number 12 – October 1, 2014
Dear CatholiCity Citizen,
On the Feast of Saint Therese of Lisieux, known affectionately worldwide as the Little Flower, I warmly invite you to Part-Two of my first-ever (and last?) two-part CatholiCity Message. (If you missed it, you can read Part-One, on the Pornography Epidemic and overcoming deeply-rooted sin here.) Today I bring you our group prayer, extensive quotes, upcoming feast days, and a surprise.
As I drove to Mass today, it was shocking to see everyone going to work and school. Don't they realize it's my birthday?! Don't they know it's the Little Flower's Feast Day?!
Virtually all of the items in today's message, after this first one, are excerpts from other writers. But enough about them.
Did you know I have nine sisters and one brother? Their names are Rosemary, Anne, Beth, Patty, Maria, Joey, Geraldine, Maureen, Angela, and Cathy. We grew up in a huge house in a middle class suburb in New Jersey; it was built by the president of one of the railroads on the Monopoly board. Can't remember which: B&O? My father, son of a Scottish immigrant and a child of the Great Depression, who was normally hilarious, got very serious when it came to convincing us we were on the verge of destitution, especially in regard to the house's staggering utility bills. He was always talking about "making changes" and "cutting back."
My many sisters, when not literally riding me and Joey horseback up and down the three floors—each with a landing—(and they called me "Piggy-Ore") were less convinced and formed an early habit of leaving the lights on in every room of the house. My father used to half-jokingly give directions to our home by advising visitors to "follow the giant glow" on our street. Thus, so convinced was I that my entire family was days away from being tossed out onto the streets, and lapping up approval from Dad, I spent a good portion of my happy childhood flicking off light switches—no exaggeration, usually a dozen or more times a day—sometimes with my sisters in the room. Their screams and curses of dissatisfaction ring in my aural memory sweeter than any Mozart symphony. Ingrates. I was saving their lives.
When my youngest sister went off to college, my mother attended an orientation meeting on campus in a large auditorium filled with a couple thousand parents. My mom happened to sit in the first row in front of the speakers' podium. The administrator began by asking the audience members to raise a hand if this was their first child to go to college. Naturally, a good percentage raised their hands. Then he asked if any parents who had a second attend college—fewer raised their hands—and so on through three and four children. By the time he got to five children in college, my mom was the only parent in the room still raising her hand, and astonished murmurs began to buzz throughout the auditorium. On and on the administrator, now taking his time and milking the moment, paused before asking with drawn-out mock skepticism, "Six children?" Then, "Seven children?" Silently, mom raised her hand again and again. At "Nine children?" the crowd began to cheer and clap. Finally, after the speaker asked if she had eleven children go to college, my mom raised her hand even higher and cried out, "Yes, and she's the last one!"
Standing ovation.
Thanks mom. And every mom reading this. All our birthdays are really about you, the saints of the modern age. And Dad, I'm still turning off those lights.
From J. Budziszewski's "On the Meaning of Sex"
The beauty of a lovely woman has three elements. One element is the beauty of her humanity, of that which makes her a rational being. Another element is the beauty of her femininity or womanliness, of that which makes her a woman. The last is the beauty of her personality, of that which makes her who she is. The first is common, the second polaric, the third particular to herself… In turn, although womanliness is a single thing, I may admire it in two different ways. I may exclaim, "How wonderful it is in itself, that such creatures exist!" But as a man, I may exclaim, "How wonderful it is for such creatures as me, that such creatures exist!" The first is delight in the beauty of women per se; the second is delight in the difference, the correspondence, the complementarity of their sex to my own.
From J. Budziszewski's Wikipedia Page
One of Budziszewski's research interests has been to analyze what he regards as general human tendency to self-deception. The problem arises from a theoretical tenet defended by Thomas Aquinas, who he said "we must say that the natural law, as to general principles, is the same for all, both as to rectitude and as to knowledge."This claim amounts to saying that the most general principles of right and wrong are not only right for everyone but known to everyone, even though the same cannot be said of their remote implications. According to Budziszewski, Aquinas is right. He argues that often, even when people appear to be ignorant of the moral basics, the hypothesis that they are self deceived provides a better explanation of their actual behavior.
This leads to Budziszewski's theory of guilty knowledge, of violated conscience. Following Aquinas, Budziszewski distinguishes between synderesis, which supplies the first principles of practical reason and which he calls "deep conscience," and conscientia, which he calls "surface conscience" and supplies judgments about particular acts. According to Budziszewski, conscience operates in three different modes: In the cautionary mode, it alerts us to the peril of moral wrong and generates an inhibition against committing it. In the accusatory mode, it indicts us for wrong we have already done. In the avenging mode, it punishes the individual who knowingly does wrong but refuses to admit that he or she has done so. Conscience is therefore teacher, judge, or executioner, depending on the mode in which it is working.
From R.R. Reno in Imprimus, April 2013
In their recent book, American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us, Robert Putnam and William Campbell focused on the practice of saying grace before meals as an indication of religious commitment and found a striking correlation. Seventy percent of those who never say grace before meals identify as Democrats, compared to slightly more than 20 percent who identify as Republicans...Meanwhile, among those who say grace daily, 40 percent identify as Democrats and 50 percent as Republicans.
From Mother Dominica, Letter to the Mary Foundation
Many times people do want to come back but don't know how to go about it. We have had many people tell us that. And others who were led astray by a false notion. Once the truth of the Catholic teaching is explained to them in a non-threatening and kind manner they "come back" right away. Be assured of our prayers to back you on on your good work.
From Saint Maximilian Kolbe
We need prayer, prayer, and still more prayer.
From TIME Magazine, July 2013
...the TIME poll found that 25% of American women and 5% of American men say they are taking antidepressants...
From John Crosby's Book Review in First Things, October 2013
We cannot just decide to praise God in the same way that we can decide to think about him; only in existing in him and through him, and only as empowered by him, can we praise him. We praise God not with our initiative but in response to his initiative: Vocata invocat Dominum, "the one who calls upon the Lord has first been called by him."
From Pope Francis
We (as priests) too are men and sinners and are also tempted. You see what our difficulties and temptations are. Let us (priests) therefore set aside every form of arrogance, to bend down to all whom the Lord has entrusted to our care. Let us (Catholics) keep a special, very special, place for our priests, especially for them may our heart, our hand and our door stay open in every circumstance.
I Don't Have Room to Quote All of R.R. Reno's Article
Russell Reno, who goes by R.R. Reno, the editor of First Things, is fast becoming one of my favorite authors in the history of my favorite authors. He wrote a simple, insightful article on why people become Catholics, listing eight reasons, in June of 2014.
From an Email Sent by My Sister Maria, Queen of Bad Puns
She was just a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.
No matter how much you push the envelope, it would still be stationery.
I was wondering why the baseball kept getting bigger, then it hit me.
Two silkworms had a race but ended up in a tie.
From the Internet Somewhere
As the story goes, an old wealthy hotel patron spotted a penny on the ground and spryly bent to snatch it up. The doorman asked him why he bothered, considering how rich the old man was. The old man replied, showing him the coin, "You see this here, it says, In God We Trust. With every coin I bow before God, and pray in thanks, for he is not merely the source of all my wealth, but of every good thing in I have ever received."
From My Refrigerator, Stuff for My Sons To Do
Baseballs, Hit Them
Basketballs, Shoot Them
Bike Rides
Blocks, Wood
Board Games
Chess
Chess
Chess
Church, Pray
Drawing
Fishing
Friend, Invite Over
Friend, Go Visit
Go Downtown
Hike in Park
Legos
Model Making
Movies
Museums
Marian Shrine
Playgrounds
Play Doe
Put something together
Puzzles
Play Catch, Baseball/Football/Rugby
Radio Cars
Reading
Saw, Cut, Nail, Build Stuff
Scrabble
Swim
Sledding
Take something apart
Train Set
Toy Guns
Watch Planes at Airport
Walks
Walk to Stores
Some Upcoming Feastdays in October
- Thursday, October 2, Feast of the Guardian Angels
- Saturday, October 4, Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi. His prayer is worth memorizing.
- Tuesday, October 7, Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. The Muslims lost this battle because of her.
- Wednesday, October 15, Saint Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church. Said, "God alone suffices."
- Tuesday, October 16, CatholiCity 54 Day Rosary Novena Begins.
- Tuesday, October 28, Feasts of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles. Begin your Novena to the Help of the Hopeless, Saint Jude, on Monday, October 20.
One Catholic Quote
In times of aridity when I am incapable of praying, of practicing virtue, I seek little opportunities, mere trifles, to give pleasure to Jesus; for instance a smile, a pleasant word when inclined to be silent and to show weariness. If I find no opportunities, I at least tell Him again and again that I love Him; that is not difficult and it keeps alive the fire in my heart. Even though this fire of love might seem extinct I would still throw little straws upon the embers and I am certain it would rekindle.
Saint Therese of Lisieux, in a letter to her sister Celine
Hey, Let's Pray to That Girl
In North America, at least, when you go into a Catholic Church, you are most likely to see four statues: Mary, Saint Joseph, Saint Anthony and Therese of Lisieux. Mary and Joseph? Of course. Saint Anthony? Eight hundred years of answering prayers with miracles. Sure. Yes. Got it. Therese? She died in obscurity in 1897 at age 24, in a cloistered convent! Within fifty years, she was everywhere. Much of it had to do with her powerful and deeply moving autobiography (changed my life!), which was recommended by popes, and along with her other spiritual writings, led to her being declared a Doctor of the Church long after her popularity skyrocketed. Mostly, I tell, she is everywhere and everywhere loved because she answers prayers and her personality comes through from heaven as if she were in the room—no, better, in your heart. If I were king of the world, nobody would go to work today. On her day, anything is possible, so ask her, like I do, for whatever you want, or, in her spirit, like a kid, ask for everything beyond everything. All of us, tens of thousands together, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit...
O Little Thérèse of the Child Jesus, please pick a rose for me from the heavenly garden and send it to me as a message of love. O Little Flower of Jesus, ask God today to grant the favors I now place with confidence in your hands [State Your Request]. Saint Thérèse, help me to always believe as you did in God's great love for me so that I might imitate your Little Way each day. Amen.
Veal Parmesian Is In My Near Future
That's what I'm enjoying tonight, my boys treating; one local joint comes close to my mom's, but not close enough. I am dog tired because, as a red-blooded American, I was up late with Xavey and Clete rooting for the Kansas City Royals, in solidarity as a Red Sox fan for all their decades of frustration. I keep thinking of all the little kids following the Royals for the first time and how happy I am for them. I don't know if you heard about the game, but it is already being called one of the greatest games of all time. Our condolences to the Oakland Athletics fans. I like your team, too. I am only required to dislike the Yankees.
Please, email me with your reaction and thoughts, even if it has nothing to do with this or yesterday's message. Let's keep praying, working, and loving...
With Mary,
Bud Macfarlane
