Video: Rape Victim - survived, recovered, forgave, thrived

At 16-years-old Kelly Putty was kidnapped and raped. But after she became a Christian, she was able to forgive her attackers and energetically help others to find their own healing in Christ. See her testimony of forgiveness. The Christian Broadcasting Network. To see more testimonies from CBN and The 700 Club , go to http://www.cbn.com

Click here for direct link or type http://www.blogger.com/publish-confirmation.g?blogID=4375505699500077798&postID=8841593465744458131&timestamp=1259027957065&javascriptEnabled=true

Rep. Patrick Kennedy practically excommunicated as bishops bans him from Holy Communion.

Bishops getting more courageous in upholding the faith. Rep. Patrick Kennedy has been practically excommunicated for pro-abortion positions! Banned from communion by RI bishop who requested him to not receive Holy Communion. Read the entire account here or at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091122/ap_on_re_us/us_ri_bishop_kennedy

Blog: Don't ask what the priest said at Confession, How I encouraged spiritual reading, St. John Bosco's novel approach to Confession

Don't break the seal of confession
Last week, the parents of the first communicants were required to attend a lecture from the pastor about the sacraments.  It reminded me not to ask my kids about what the priest would say to him because, that is a violation of the seal of Confession.


St. John Bosco made saints by confession
One of the novelties of St. John Bosco's method is that he encouraged his boys to go to confession as ofter as the church allows i.e. once a week.  That was a novelty back then and is even now.  But it works because there are over 30 people on the way to canonization because of this.  The theology is that you get grace every time you receive the sacrament.  So, would you rather get it once a week or less frequently?


Spiritual reading for my boys
My boys, 10 & 7 yr. olds, keep asking me for jobs to earn money because they do not have an allowance.  I give them extra jobs on top of their chores like weeding the garden or mopping the house.  Tonight I saw my 10 year old boy finish a 100+ pages of Harry Potter and that gave me an idea to encourage spiritual reading.  I offered all of them a penny per page for extra reading  and 2 cents if it is about the saints or the Bible.  I told my son not to read about witches but try the Hardy Boys instead.  He is open to the idea.


Not martyr material yet
During our marriage preparation classes, I recall being told that sometimes you have to pull back from your kids to recharge yourself.  On Saturdays, I function as the butler/dad to my 4 kids - specially with my 2 year old.  Today was a little hard as she would pull me from bed to the dinner table.  After I have served her with a glass of milk, a bowl of cereal, a banana and some juice, she still pulls me beside her as though she wanted me just to stand next to her.  But I was really exhausted - mentally, emotionally and  physically.  I recalled the lesson and took some time for myself to recover by locking myself in the bedroom to take a nap.  Later, I told my wife about it and she said that my daughter might be missing me a lot.  She does call me at work during the day and babble.  She's 2.

Opposition to Pro-Abortion Laws Gains More Support from Various Christian Groups

It's not a Catholic issue anymore.  And with support from the mainstream churches, the opposition to pro-abortion policies and laws has become a formidable force.  145 Christian leaders from various denominations have  united to oppose pro-abortion laws like those embedded in the health-care proposals.

Excerpt:

By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
Published: November 20, 2009

Citing the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s call to civil disobedience, 145 evangelical, Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christian leaders have signed a declaration saying they will not cooperate with laws that they say could be used to compel their institutions to participate in abortions, or to bless or in any way recognize same-sex couples.


“We pledge to each other, and to our fellow believers, that no power on earth, be it cultural or political, will intimidate us into silence or acquiescence,” it says.
The manifesto, to be released on Friday at the National Press Club in Washington, is an effort to rejuvenate the political alliance of conservative Catholics and evangelicals that dominated the religious debate during the administration of President George W. Bush. The signers include nine Roman Catholic archbishops and the primate of the Orthodox Church in America.

Read full article at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/us/politics/20alliance.html?_r=2&partner=rss&emc=rss  or click here

Video: A letter to Satan

Direct link:  http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=26145462cb5b63af56c7 or click here

Seminary Memoirs: Salesian Purity and 'Delicatezza'

St. John Bosco emphasized chastity as the hallmark of his religious society.  If the Jesuits are renowned for their obedience, the Franciscans for their poverty, then the Salesians (of St. John Bosco) will be distinguished by their chastity.  He was prophetic in insisting that those working with boys should excel in this virtue because they will be in grave danger.

When I was in the college seminary back in Asia, we slept in dorms where there are around 50 beds in one big enclosure.  Whenever we changed or went for showers, we wrapped a towel around our waist.  That was one of our practices of  'delicatezza'  - translated as a mix of of refinement, sensitivity, modesty, purity and chastity.  We even washed our own underwear even if we had a laundry service.  Whenever we talked to women, we look at the entire face and not in the eyes.  We don't tell green jokes and we controlled our curiosity or practiced custody of the senses.

When I went to the States, I met religious brothers who talked about mooning others during summer camp.  I know what mooning is and I was shocked that men with vows of chastity would drop trou just  for the fun of it.  But I did not react.  It must be an American thing, I thought.  Then I met others who talked about nude beaches in California.  I guess I have to be realistic because the kids know about these too.  Then there were others who talked about how they look when wearing spandex trunks.  I must have stood out that someone said that a women can be raped in front of me and I would not know about it.  I just let that one pass.

Then, there was this professor at Catholic U who was teaching a form of sexual morality that is not in conformity with Catholic ethos and morals.  So, he got canned.  But he was there for a few years teaching his lunacy.  How many clerics bought his venom?

How much of this is cultural?  And even if this were so, Christianity is counter-cultural.  It is not of this world.  Looking back, I know that the strict 'delicatezza' way of preserving purity is the way to go.

Video: Spirited Worship for the Uninitiated (How to Keep Up in a Charismatic Prayer Session)

If you ever end up in a spirited worship service and you haven't been introduced to that style, then here are a few basic pointers.



Source http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K4fveLQZZQ or click here