tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85954520266037937862024-03-19T03:16:48.596-05:00A Talking DonkeyThen the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she asked Balaam, “What have I done to you that you beat me these three times?”:
God is willing to speak through the mouth of any old _ _ _ !George Vogthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13578975569849500958noreply@blogger.comBlogger220125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8595452026603793786.post-65872912989481850992014-10-30T09:15:00.000-05:002014-10-30T09:15:11.485-05:00If I Was Anywhere Near Ebola<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghdNXI1L2QjXsUbOJ_HHDiAUhKzX9zqlnHRBdG1o4SzbH1d_7_AHV2k8LJfSSydZrgV4rVe_x3bjKVDKSqgBC9hAQeHXohEMwjTz9vWgUKO028XLWfnLOf8XAHs4m3tdwSJLcXSzdWid8/s1600/quarantine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghdNXI1L2QjXsUbOJ_HHDiAUhKzX9zqlnHRBdG1o4SzbH1d_7_AHV2k8LJfSSydZrgV4rVe_x3bjKVDKSqgBC9hAQeHXohEMwjTz9vWgUKO028XLWfnLOf8XAHs4m3tdwSJLcXSzdWid8/s1600/quarantine.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
Most of us claim that we don't like to be told what to do. Apparently Kaci Hickox does not want to be told what to do either.<br />
<br />
Fair enough. However, "fair" isn't always right or just, and in this particular case, the truth that "fairness" can and is often rooted in selfishness is clearly illustrated.<br />
<br />
While it is true that we should be panicked, we should be cautious and prudent. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and the Joint Chiefs of Staff apparently agree, ordering that troop returning from West Africa be quarantined for 21 days.<br />
<br />
Here's where politics begins to separate what is right and what is fair, what is prudent and what I believe is careless.<br />
<br />
Asked about the difference in U.S. policy regarding these troops and civilian doctors and nurses returning from the region, a spokesman for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that Civilian medical professionals are better able to self-monitor because of their background and training while the troops have no medical training.<br />
<br />
Further illustrating this cockamamie is the President himself. His reasoning?<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"The military is a different situation, obviously. They are not there voluntarily; it's part of their mission that's been assigned to them by their commanders and ultimately by me, the commander in chief, so we don't expect to have similar rules for our military as we do for civilians."</blockquote>
<br />
If Hickox is the model for how health professionals are smarter than the rest of us because of their training, I'd say this approach is a major fail.<br />
<br />
If I thought I had been anywhere near Ebola, no one would have to put me under quarantine. I love my family, friends, and even strangers enough to do that myself.<br />
<br />
Why in the world would I want to even remotely risk the lives of others because I could not be selfless enough to stay away from them for 3 weeks?<br />
<br />
I would not get on a plane, train, subway, taxi, etc. I would not go out to have my favorite sandwich or cup of tea. I would not run a marathon or even walk around the block. I would want my family kept away from me, not because I would not miss them, but because I would TRULY want to act "out of an abundance of caution" to avoid the possibility of making them sick.<br />
<br />
I hope that you would do the same.<br />
<br />
If you have not self-educated yourself about Ebola, I suggest you do so. <a href="http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/" target="_blank">This article from the WHO</a> is a good place to start. Did you know that men can transmit Ebola through their sperm 7 weeks after being declared Ebola-free? No? Didn't hear that one did you?<br />
<br />
But hey, at least 3,000 Americans won't die from Ebola today. That would be from abortion. <br />
<br />George Vogthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13578975569849500958noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8595452026603793786.post-17536042931526695572014-09-17T06:26:00.001-05:002014-09-18T07:00:57.502-05:00Who Was Nancy Ann Craig Bumgardner?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMsfqKlCT_ndqA50WRx3vAyPEoRI-olfbwWstx1RCF2mnkLG8UcsFfuL7lsX4eFMVmhi3tn8htMGD6O-2lxutS0zLP1SvXpF3nOw0L6z2SV6D2NeIhIIwaBiRhBLG8KCLgYRd2el-H_7o/s1600/pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMsfqKlCT_ndqA50WRx3vAyPEoRI-olfbwWstx1RCF2mnkLG8UcsFfuL7lsX4eFMVmhi3tn8htMGD6O-2lxutS0zLP1SvXpF3nOw0L6z2SV6D2NeIhIIwaBiRhBLG8KCLgYRd2el-H_7o/s1600/pic.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Tomorrow morning, we will lay to rest my
mother-in-law, Nancy Ann Craig Bumgardner. Most of the world will not notice,
but I want to share with you just a little about who she was.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Nancy Ann Craig was born in Eldorado
(El-door-ay-doe), Arkansas on March 13, 1940.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">She lived most of her adult life in Louisiana, loved
sports (especially football and NASCAR), the outdoors, animals (especially horses),
flowers (especially roses), and Elvis.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Her favorite pro team was the Saints, and her
favorite college teams were LSU and Arkansas. She felt torn each year when LSU
and Arkansas played each other, and so she would wear a combination of their
colors (purple, gold, and red </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Her favorite drivers were Dale Earnhardt and Jeff
Gordon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">For the past 9 years (since Hurricane Katrina) she
lived in Central Louisiana in a small town named Jena (Gina), and I spoke with
her very often by phone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When my wife’s stepfather (Mr. George) passed away a
year and a half ago, we tried to convince her to come to North Texas, but after
considering this for a while, she told us that she appreciated that, but we had
our own lives, didn’t need to bother ourselves about her, and besides, she was
very happy where she was.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">She owned a modest mobile home, and was very excited
when she made the final payment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">She had a handful of friends who helped her in
various ways. Of these especially were Rosetta (who would drive her to the
grocery store every Thursday, take her to the doctor or pharmacy when needed,
and to her monthly trips to the beauty shop), Sonny (who was her handy man and
took care of her lawn – she would tell us “Sonny can fix anything! He’s slow as
Christmas, but he’s real good.”), and Chris (Sonny’s helper).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Sonny and Chris would visit her frequently to watch
and discuss sports. She would cook for them when they came over and really
appreciated their company. She affectionately referred to them as her men and
would say that they were funny and made her laugh – “but, boy, can they eat!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">She would purchase little gifts and trinkets for her
friends and family, especially her grandchildren. She had a mail order
catalogue and would purchase these gifts as she could afford to, saving them
for when she got a visit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">She did the same for my wife and for me, always
trying to think practically for the gifts as well. One example: When we visited
her in the hospital, we would stay at her home in the evenings. I found that
she had several small but very bright reading lights. I told my wife that these
seemed perfect for my Morning Prayer reading, and I would borrow one until I
could get my own. That same day, she discovered 4 boxes of those very same
lights. Each box had an initial on it – K,G,B, & M, our initials. When we
opened them, we discovered that she also had put our initials on each of our lights
with felt stick-on letters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">One step into her living room, and it’s obvious what
her life was about. There are family pictures everywhere, and especially of her
grandchildren. In just one section of wall about 4ft wide, I counted 24
pictures of them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">She was very sentimental as she held on to many
things – it seems like almost everything – but especially from my wife’s childhood.
We found lots of my wife’s baby things, kindergarten cap and diploma, report
cards, etc., right through to her college days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When she got excited she would quickly shift the
weight back and forth between her left and right feet. We call this the Grandma
Shuffle, and it might be inherited as we have seen our youngest do the same
thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">If she </span><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;">wasn't</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> sure what to say, she would just say
“whatever.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When her food was ready in the microwave, she would
not take it out until the digital readout displayed “Enjoy your meal.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">She was pretty thrifty and you would be surprised
what she could do with aluminum foil. One of her aluminum foil inventions was a
perfectly cut window shade for her door. She rigged it with a magnet clip to
the door so that she could easily open and close it as needed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">She had a plastic ball with red tape mounted to a
spring and attached to her mail box at the street. She would lift the aluminum
foil shade and look out of her door window. If the ball was sprung up, she
would know the mail arrived. She had limited mobility and did not want to waste
a trip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Until recently, we believed that she was in pretty
good health for the most part. She had her annual physical in May and said the
doctor just thought her blood pressure was a little high and wanted her to keep
a record of it for a month.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Rosetta took her to the hospital on June 21</span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> because she could not swallow anything, not even water. My wife and I were on
the Marriage Encounter weekend when we received the phone call from Sonny. When
I called her at the hospital, she said, “Sonny done went and called you didn’t
he? I told him y’all were doing something important and </span><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;">didn't</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> need to worry
about me.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">That is how she was; more concerned about being a
worry to anyone else than for herself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We were originally told she had a very small tumor
in her neck. Then, we learned it was esophageal cancer. She told me she wanted
the surgeon (Dr. McCoy) to tell me about the surgery and what might happen
during and afterward. The surgeon did not paint a nice picture, even if the
surgery would go perfectly. The next time I spoke with her, she asked if Dr.
McCoy told me everything. I said, “Yes.”, and she said, “Well, that’s that.”
That was her way of saying she knew it wasn’t good but didn’t want to discuss
it further.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;">The night before the surgery, she told me she was a little scared, but kept asking how Kendra was doing. She told me not to let Kendra worry too much.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">She told us, well demanded really, that we not visit
her until she was ready to get out of the hospital because there was nothing we
could do at the hospital. We later found out that she told Sonny to relay the
same thing to her friends.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">When we did visit after things </span><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;">weren't</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> going so well,
she was unable to verbally communicate, but she was able to get her message
across by other means such as pointing, nodding, and mouthing words. Once she
asked where the children were. We told her the hospital would not allow them to
visit, and that they were with my parents. She pointed to the door of the ICU
room and clearly mouthed, “Go home!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">After the first surgery on July 3<sup>rd</sup>, she
never made it out of the ICU. She had a very rough go of it that included many
ups and downs, 5 surgeries, and countless procedures.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">In the end, we were thankful to be at her side when
she passed at 12:45 p.m. on September 5</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">We are most thankful however, that she made a
decision on July 23 </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">to be baptized in the hospital. Afterwards,
she was visited frequently by Fr. Bob of St Francis Xavier Cathedral, and by
Fr. Taylor of St. Rita Parish. We were also there with her when Fr. Bob
administered the Anointing of the Sick. These are of great comfort to all of
us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">There are many different dynamics among family and
in-laws. I spoke with Nancy very regularly. I called her “mom” and she liked
that. But most of all, she was my friend.</span></div>
George Vogthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13578975569849500958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8595452026603793786.post-59020080550019826162014-07-11T10:28:00.001-05:002014-07-11T10:28:15.945-05:00Does everything happen for a reason?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7IynzVfXiZ6KHPQ6v8OeIj32fUKLSuQmibODI_TdluSnUQzOgeNCbHXeeLV2E8lJNvrJYeux7Bbg2gAh9wkQmgfyZIIYmQC9O_8m7JdtA9vKH0y3i-ri9fCKidmhHUfkRHBvdonESMcQ/s1600/crucifix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7IynzVfXiZ6KHPQ6v8OeIj32fUKLSuQmibODI_TdluSnUQzOgeNCbHXeeLV2E8lJNvrJYeux7Bbg2gAh9wkQmgfyZIIYmQC9O_8m7JdtA9vKH0y3i-ri9fCKidmhHUfkRHBvdonESMcQ/s1600/crucifix.jpg" /></a></div>
<b><i><span style="color: #c27ba0;">"Everything happens for a reason."</span></i></b><br />
<br />
I have heard this many times. Often, someone will say this when trying to understand some difficulty, hardship, or grievance. Sometimes a well-meaning person may even say this to another in attempt to console the other who is experiencing such.<br />
<br />
I say well-meaning because I'm sure this is said with sincerity and empathy, although it is also said because as humans, and especially Christians, we sometimes struggle to find meaning and purpose in life itself, but this is especially the case in moments of crisis, tragedy, and loss.<br />
<br />
The truth though is that this is a common misunderstanding of what Saint Paul writes in Romans 8:28:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><i><span style="color: #674ea7;">And we know that to them that love God, all things work together unto good, to such as, according to his purpose, are called to be saints.
</span></i></b></blockquote>
<br />
If you examine the two thoughts here, you will clearly see the difference.<br />
<br />
"Everything happens for a reason" proposes that all good and bad befall a person according to God's Will, that every single circumstance or situation is somehow brought on or caused by God.<br />
<br />
"And we know that to them that love God, all things work together unto good, to such as, according to his purpose, are called to be saints" is quite different however.<br />
<br />
First of all, "to them that love God" is obviously not directed to all since it should go without saying that not all love God. There's something even a bit deeper here, but for the sake of simplicity this will suffice.<br />
<br />
Then "all things work together unto good", while seeming to suggest a "happy reason" for a sad circumstance, it is actually another example of the difference between happiness and joy. It is impossible to be happy all of the time, especially in difficult times, but we can always find joy.<br />
<br />
Joy is being able to look beyond the sorrow and suffering to a hope and trust which is placed in God, based upon His promise. It is the ability to see this life for what it is, temporary, while having the assurance of God's desire ("according to his purpose") for our eternal salvation ("to such as... are called to be saints").<br />
<br />
"Everything happens for a reason" proposes that all existence is being controlled and arranged by God exactly as He plans it, and we are all puppets on a string, carrying on throughout our lives consigned to acting without choice.<br />
<br />
This eliminates God's gift of free will for us, and it is a heresy.<br />
<br />
Free will, a gift from God. God desires that we choose to love Him above all things. He desires that we turn our eyes to Him, to seek His Will in all things.<br />
<br />
This freedom is also what makes us responsible. That responsibility is to ourselves, to God, and to others. This three-fold responsibility is also why the Sacrament of Reconciliation is so important, but I digress. When one acts according to his own desires rather than the desire of God, those actions (sins) also affect others.<br />
<br />
Sin. If you are looking for someone or something to blame for the aforementioned misfortunes, sin is your target, not God.<br />
<br />
While repentance and forgiveness may remove sin, the effects of the sin remain. In my Faith Formation classes, I use the example of one child having a bad day, and as a result, being mean to another child. As a result, that child may be mean to another, and so on.<br />
<br />
Another example is that of an adult, who poorly chooses to become intoxicated and drive a vehicle, is the cause of an accident, killing someone else.<br />
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Sure, the sin can be forgiven, but the damage is done, and the effects of the sin remain. One need only think of the grief the loss of the accident victim will have on an untold number of persons and the multifaceted impact the loss of the individual will have on many lives, to begin to understand the compounded impact of the effects of sin throughout human history.<br />
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"And we know that to them that love God, all things work together unto good, to such as, according to his purpose, are called to be saints" proposes that God loves us enough that He never tires of adjusting our path to re-conform to His purpose.<br />
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This does not mean that it will be easy for us, nor does it mean that we will avoid suffering or that everything that happens to us will be "fair." It does not mean that we will understand everything that happens to us either. Sometimes it will be a Mystery.<br />
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We can know and understand some things about a Mystery, but not all.<br />
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It is in these times though that I think about the greatest Mystery of all, and it does bring comfort to me; comfort, awe, and Hope.<br />
<br />
The greatest Mystery to me is that God chose to become one of us and die the horrific death that He did on the Cross for the forgiveness of sin. Why? Why did He choose to do it in that way? Couldn't He just "snap His fingers" and fix everything? Couldn't He just do a do-over?<br />
<br />
It's a Mystery.<br />
<br />
For the past several weeks, I and my family have experienced our share of difficulties. I do not find comfort in "Everything happens for a reason", but I do find comfort in<br />
<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #674ea7;">And we know that to them that love God, all things work together unto good, to such as, according to his purpose, are called to be saints.</span></i></b>George Vogthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13578975569849500958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8595452026603793786.post-74490828948034909522014-07-08T09:02:00.002-05:002014-07-08T09:02:54.627-05:00Learning to Pray (Moving past goo goo, ga ga)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In "<a href="http://atalkingdonkey.blogspot.com/2014/07/learning-to-pray-introduction.html" target="_blank">Learning to Pray (An Introduction)</a>" we began to look at prayer at a very basic level, from the perspective of an infant who is learning to communicate with his or her parents through non-verbal means and defined Christian prayer as <b>relationship with Christ</b>.<br />
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In the pursuit of education, one's ability to understand and expound that which is learned is made possible by a gradual development of the curriculum. As this development continues, the learner is best served by occasional reviews which reinforce what has been learned and further enables the learner to continually progress in his or her studies.<br />
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The same is true with the formation of faith and prayer. This is not to suggest that the approach to these should be undertaken in a merely academic manner. Again, prayer is relationship with Christ. We are not just seeking to know about Him, but rather to KNOW Him.<br />
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And yet, when one sets out to know someone, if that person is really important to him or her, does he or she not seek to learn all that is possible about that person? If you have ever been in a relationship with someone, and that relationship was very important to you, then you understand.<br />
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So it is with our relationship with Christ and our understanding of prayer as we continue.<br />
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While the infant and parents begin to love each other through non-verbal means of communication, the development of that relationship is enhanced as the infant learns to speak.<br />
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At first it begins with "Goo goo, ga ga." Both the infant and the parents have no idea what those sounds are, but those sounds serve to reinforce the love that has already been substantiated in the relationship.<br />
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Gradually, the child forms the ability to enunciate a word or two.<br />
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How special must it be for that child as he or she realizes that its parents understand him or her! Likewise, the proud and loving parents embrace the child's <b>limited ability</b> to verbally communicate.<br />
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Stay with me on this baby thing, there is a purpose here.<br />
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How does the child learn to speak? The parents have spent a considerable amount of time speaking to him or her, especially focusing on those important words, "Mommy" and "Daddy."<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">“This is how you are to pray: Our Father..."</span></i></b> - <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Matthew 6: 9</span></blockquote>
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What joy the parents experience with the simple yet beautiful music of their child's voice speaking their name! What joy the child experiences when he or she realizes, "Mommy and Daddy understand me!"<br />
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The child's ability to speak these simple words does not signal his or her readiness to present a thesis, nor do the parents expect such. They are pleased and satisfied with the sound of their names for now.<br />
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When the Christian seeks to learn how to pray, where does he or she turn if not to Christ Himself?<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><i><span style="color: #a64d79;">"Lord, teach us to pray..."</span></i></b> - <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Luke 11:1</span></blockquote>
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Jesus knew the joy that both the Father and we would experience with these first words:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">“When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come."</span></i></b> - <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Luke 11:2</span></blockquote>
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We all face troubles, some pain, loss, or other suffering. These are moments when it's hard to know how to pray. In our suffering we may feel like little helpless children, struggling to form the right words.<br />
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Jesus understands this as well. Suffering on the cross, in calling to God the Father, Jesus uses the word, "Abba." As <a href="http://atalkingdonkey.blogspot.com/2014/04/holy-week-2014-who-are-you.html" target="_blank">I have written about before</a>, this is the word that little children used for their fathers; "Daddy!"<br />
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<b>Assignment for the day:</b> Say those first words of the Our Father, but use the word "Daddy." <b><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">"Daddy, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come."</span></i></b> Reflect on that and the joy that it gives to God to hear your voice speaking to Him, blessing His Name. I bet you say it more than once.George Vogthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13578975569849500958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8595452026603793786.post-10801983022757337622014-07-07T15:35:00.000-05:002014-07-07T16:12:33.832-05:00Learning to Pray (An Introduction)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #a64d79;"><b>"For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy."</b> </span>- <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Saint Thérèse of Lisieux</span></blockquote>
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"What is absolutely essential to the Christian life?"<br>
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I suspect most Christians, should they ponder this question for even a brief moment, would conclude that prayer is essential to the Christian life.<br>
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I bet there have been many times you've heard (or said) "I would really like to have a better prayer life." For the Christian, what is really being said is "I seek to have a better relationship with Christ."<br>
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I propose that regardless of the state of our own personal prayer life, there is always room to grow and improve. For if Christian prayer is relationship with Christ, does the true Christian not seek to constantly and continually grow and improve that relationship?<br>
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While we may seek a better prayer life, we may often find ourselves to be inadequate or "dry". We might set out with some plan that soon thereafter falls by the wayside. Why is that?<br>
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Perhaps it is our misunderstanding of Christian prayer at the very basic and fundamental level. Do you think that prayer is all about words?<br>
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Does a baby understand it is loved by its parents? How is that? Do you think it is because the baby understands its parents when they tell him or her "I love you"? Of course not! The baby understands that the parent loves him or her because of the parent's actions!<br>
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Ah, the baby's ability to understand that it is loved begins with the actions of the parent. As the baby learns and grows, the relationship between baby and parents grow too. The baby learns to express it's love for his or her parents in ways that they most certainly understand. This is true long before the baby is able to express such affection through verbal communication.<br>
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Think of yourself as that baby and God as the parent. We know how to do this! It is at the core of our being, and that should be a comfort to anyone who thinks, "I don't know how to pray."<br>
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Kendra and I recently went on a Marriage Encounter weekend. On the second evening of the weekend while Kendra and I were reflecting on the day, we discussed one of the presenting couples. "Have you noticed how Judy looks at Ron?" I asked. "How couldn't I?" Kendra responded.<br>
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We went on to discuss some of the little ways that each member of the presenting couples had displayed love and affection for each other. These were <b>all</b> non-verbal means. They were each able to visibly express their love for each other to one another <b>and to us</b> without saying a word.<br>
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If our prayer is relationship with Christ, then we are able to understand His love through non-verbal means. We are able to express our love to Him through non-verbal means. Others are able to visibly recognize our relationship with Christ through such means, and this all works toward some benefit in the salvific plan of God.<br>
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<b>Assignment for the day:</b> Think of someone special in your life today. That person is a gift from God to you; a non-verbal means of His communication to you. Think about that gift today - and smile.<br>
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There, you did it! What a nice little prayer.George Vogthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13578975569849500958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8595452026603793786.post-52754317382235948222014-06-24T11:33:00.003-05:002014-06-24T11:33:32.581-05:00Dallas Pro-Life Boot Camp<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Gudea, sans; font-size: 24px; line-height: 31.920001983642578px; margin: 0em 0em 1em;">
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Youth For Life Pro-Life Boot Camp is one of the best opportunities for young people to become involved in the work of the pro-life movement.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Gudea, sans; font-size: 24px; line-height: 31.920001983642578px; margin: 0em 0em 1em;">
Boot Camp is for students entering high school, who are ages 14-17.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Gudea, sans; font-size: 24px; line-height: 31.920001983642578px; margin: 0em 0em 1em;">
Activities include praying at Dallas and Fort Worth area abortion centers, talks from experts on pro-life issues, skits, pro-life testimonials, Mass and the Sacraments and volunteer projects.</div>
<h5 style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Crete Round', serif; font-size: 28.799999237060547px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px;">
<span class="color-primary" style="color: #cc0000;">Abortion Around the World</span></h5>
<h5 style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Crete Round', serif; font-size: 28.799999237060547px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px;">
<span class="color-primary" style="color: #cc0000;"> * </span></h5>
<h5 style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Crete Round', serif; font-size: 28.799999237060547px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: 28.799999237060547px; line-height: 1.5em;">The Real War on Women</span></h5>
<h5 style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Crete Round', serif; font-size: 28.799999237060547px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px;">
</h5>
<h5 style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Crete Round', serif; font-size: 28.799999237060547px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px;">
Session 1: June 27 - 29<br />Session 2: July 25 - 29<br />University of Dallas, Irving</h5>
<hr style="background: rgb(6, 97, 166); color: #0661a6; font-family: Gudea, sans; font-size: 24px; height: 1px; line-height: 31.920001983642578px;" />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Gudea, sans; font-size: 24px; line-height: 31.920001983642578px; margin: 0em 0em 1em;">
Pro-Life Boot Camp is co-sponsored by the <a href="http://www.prolifedallas.org/" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.5s ease; color: #0661a6; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.5s ease;">Catholic Pro-Life Committee, Respect Life Ministry of the Diocese of Dallas</a>, and<a href="http://www.fwdioc.org/pages/respect-life-about" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.5s ease; color: #0661a6; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.5s ease;">Respect Life of the Fort Worth Diocese</a>.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Gudea, sans; font-size: 24px; line-height: 31.920001983642578px; margin: 0em 0em 1em;">
For more information on Youth For Life Boot Camp, contact Youth For Life Director Jacquelyn Smith at 972-416-9591 or<a href="mailto:jsmith@prolifedallas.org" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.5s ease; color: #0661a6; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.5s ease;">jsmith@prolifedallas.org</a>.</div>
George Vogthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13578975569849500958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8595452026603793786.post-30430332706719238182014-06-19T10:49:00.000-05:002014-06-19T10:49:03.579-05:00Baby Changes Everything, Demands Sacrifice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There's a story in the Bible meant to illustrate the wisdom of Solomon. The first time I heard the story I was a very young boy, and I suspect most people with even a juvenile knowledge of the Bible are familiar with it as well.<br />
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However, to summarize, 2 women approach King Solomon seeking his judgement in their case. The women each had given birth to sons, but one of the boys suffocated in the night as the mother lay on top of him.<br />
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Both women claimed the child to be hers. One claimed there was a dubious switch, and the other denied it.<br />
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Solomon orders the child be brought to him and cut in two halves with a sword, a half of the child to go to each woman.<br />
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At this, one of the women begins to plead with Solomon, saying “Please, my lord, give her the living <b>baby</b>—do not kill it!” even as the other women said, “It shall be neither mine nor yours. Cut it in two!”<br />
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Solomon, seeing that the woman who plead for the infant's life was the true mother, awards him to her, and becomes "renown" for his wisdom in the matter.<br />
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I always liked the story, but while reading this morning I noticed the footnotes:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: purple;">* [3:26–27] The true mother reveals herself by an uncommon and tender word for the child, “<b>baby</b>.” With this, and the woman’s willingness to give up her child, Solomon realizes that she is the true mother, and quotes her words exactly in rendering his judgment. </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">1</span></blockquote>
I never really gave that any thought or even noticed it before, but it brought a smile to my face that one word, "<b>baby</b>", changed everything.<br />
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Oh, and that's not all either. I also love that it is stated "and the woman’s willingness to give up her child" that shows Solomon "that she is the true mother."<br />
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The true mother, ready to sacrifice all, including her connection to the baby, so that he might be spared and live. Beautiful.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">1</span> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">- NAB (USCCB) <a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/1kings/3">http://www.usccb.org/bible/1kings/3</a></span><br />
<br />George Vogthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13578975569849500958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8595452026603793786.post-10542665563773817472014-06-17T09:25:00.000-05:002014-06-17T09:25:50.582-05:00My date with some Baptists in the boat of Jesus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A few months ago I was invited to speak to a group of men at their monthly prayer breakfast and did so this past weekend. The breakfast was at LakeWay Baptist Church in The Colony, about 8 miles away. <div>
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There are some pretty significant theological differences between Baptists and Catholics so I wasn't sure if that would somehow be a hindrance to my presentation, but I was determined to be who I am and to let the Holy Spirit do the real work. </div>
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Oh, their pastor was there too. He didn't run me off or rebuke me or anything so I guess the Holy Spirit being in charge worked. ;-)</div>
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Seriously, it was a great experience for me, and I believe the men enjoyed our time together as well.</div>
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I was asked to talk about my experience through Hurricane Katrina, and more specifically, how my faith sustained me and my family through that trying time. I did talk about those experiences, but also about the other storms, the various unnamed storms of life that are every bit as turbulent, dangerous, and even deadly.</div>
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When I was preparing, I set out to make some brief "bullet point" notes or outline to follow, but that's never really been my style. In fact, I always work backwards. I write out what I want to say, and then make the outline afterwards. But this time, I just left my presentation completely written out; all ten pages.</div>
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When I practiced, I found myself looking at the pages often, and that worried me. There's probably nothing worse than having a presenter read from notes. I think I was worried about what I might forget to say or that I would leave out something that was important.</div>
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In the end, as I said, I just asked the Holy Spirit to do the work, and all went great. My notes were there as a security blanket (I guess I will always have control issues) but since the presentation was very personal, I used them probably even less than if I had used an outline instead.</div>
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As we prayed afterwards, nearly all of the men picked up on the "storm" theme, affirming to me that all of us are facing some storm or another throughout our lives. More affirming though was that it was evident that the true message was delivered and received appropriately.</div>
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That is that we are in the boat of Jesus. It's His boat, not ours. When we forget that we are in the boat of Jesus, when we take our eyes off of Him and focus on the storm - how powerful it is instead of how powerful God is, and what it might do to us, how it might hurt us, what it might take away from us - we are in danger of drowning; in every way a man can drown.</div>
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As it turns out, there were a few things that I didn't say, some things I thought were significant, but in the end I guess they really were not.</div>
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But here's the point I actually set out to make with this post: I was moved by what I witnessed as the Holy Spirit working in these men's lives. It seemed to be reciprocal. Because we all opened our hearts to God and allowed Him to be in control during that time, not focusing on what separates us but on what unites us, we were able to allow Him to accomplish some new work in all of our lives.</div>
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My date with those <strike>Baptist</strike> Christian men in the boat of Jesus was a very uplifting experience.</div>
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Father, that we may all be One. +++</div>
George Vogthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13578975569849500958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8595452026603793786.post-10561631565866999432014-06-06T09:11:00.001-05:002014-06-06T09:11:18.586-05:00Blind<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, so that he saw the angel of the LORD standing on the road with sword drawn; and he knelt and bowed down to the ground. - <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Numbers 22: 31</span></blockquote>
<br />
This verse is from the Scripture passage which is the inspiration for the <a href="http://atalkingdonkey.blogspot.com/p/the-name.html" target="_blank">name of this blog</a>.<br />
<br />
Balaam was obviously blind to the presence of the angel of the Lord. He was only focused on the donkey. More accurately, he was focused on the donkey not doing what he wanted her to do. He was thinking about himself and what he wanted to do, where he wanted to go.<br />
<br />
Scripture tells us that God communicated with Balaam before this donkey business, and that Balaam had obeyed God in the past. But now he was doing his own thing. Blind.<br />
<br />
It turns out that Balaam is no hero. He instructs Balak how to get the Israelites to curse themselves through vice. Balaam is offered as an example of a false prophet in <a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/2peter/2" target="_blank">2nd Peter</a> and <a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/jude/1" target="_blank">Jude</a>, and even gets a mention (negatively) in <a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/revelation/2" target="_blank">Revelation</a>.<br />
<br />
It's not only vice and avarice that are "stumbling blocks" and contributing to our blindness.<br />
<br />
Regardless of the state of our relationship with God, when we begin focusing on ourselves and see the circumstances in our lives only as they affect us, we become blind to what is important. Even worse, we become blind to what God might be trying to work in and through us.<br />
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<br />George Vogthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13578975569849500958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8595452026603793786.post-44226699941215714102014-04-19T09:03:00.000-05:002014-04-19T09:03:20.064-05:00Hell Trembles With Fear<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today is Holy Saturday, 2014.<br />
<br />
Jesus has lived, died, and is now in the tomb. "Darkness covers the earth."<span style="color: red; font-size: xx-small;">1</span><br />
<br />
Nearly 2,000 years later, we know that the tomb could not contain Him. We know that the shrouded Light rose from the bowels of the earth, shedding His brilliant Light upon a sleeping, no, dead world shrouded by sin.<br />
<br />
The grieving and mourning of those that loved Him must have been unbearable. Yet, Liturgically speaking, that is where we also find ourselves.<br />
<br />
Mourning and grieving over our participation in the sufferings of a God who loves us so much that He became one of us. Mourning and grieving in our trials and sufferings as well.<br />
<br />
But there is a peace in knowing that this is not the end of the story; for Christ, nor for us.<br />
<br />
Just as we are now able to see the tomb containing Him Whom was present at the Creation, knowing that His Resurrection, His Victory is merely moments away, we learn to seek and to find joy a midst our trials and sufferings. We know that we too share in that Resurrection and Victory. This helps us to "get through", helps us to endure and to go on.<br />
<br />
We do not belong to this world. We belong to Christ. He offers new and everlasting life.<br />
<br />
This, my friends, makes hell tremble.<br />
<br />
Oh; tonight is the Easter Vigil. It is my favorite Liturgy, rich in Scriptural readings (17 counting the Responsible Psalms) that recount God's plan of salvation through history. We'll see Baptisms, First Communions, Professions of Faith, and Confirmations too!<br />
<br />
The Second Reading in today's Office of Readings is from "an ancient Homily on Holy Saturday." Here it is:<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: red;">The Lord descends into hell</span></h3>
<br />
Something strange is happening—there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear.<br />
<br />
He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, he who is both God and the son of Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the cross, the weapon that had won him the victory. At the sight of him Adam, the first man he had created, struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone: “My Lord be with you all.” Christ answered him: “And with your spirit.” He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying: “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”<br />
<br />
I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and for your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated.<br />
<br />
For your sake I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth. For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead. For the sake of you, who left a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden.<br />
<br />
See on my face the spittle I received in order to restore to you the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in my image. On my back see the marks of the scourging I endured to remove the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See my hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once wickedly stretched out your hand to a tree.<br />
<br />
I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you.<br />
<br />
Rise, let us leave this place. The enemy led you out of the earthly paradise. I will not restore you to that paradise, but I will enthrone you in heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life, but see, I who am life itself am now one with you. I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God. The throne formed by cherubim awaits you, its bearers swift and eager. The bridal chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity.<br />
------------------<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: red;">1</span> Isaiah 60:2</span><br />
<br />
<br />George Vogthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13578975569849500958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8595452026603793786.post-37686477247844847792014-04-14T08:35:00.000-05:002014-04-15T07:42:00.176-05:00Holy Week 2014: Who Are YOU?<div>
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I did not set out to give up blogging for Lent, but it turns out that it's taken me from Ash Wednesday to Holy Week to get one in here. (I'm currently quite busy with some very important work, and blogging is just low on the list of priorities at the moment.) Even this post will be a "cheat" since it is just a re-working of one of my favorite reflections:<br />
<br />
We have now entered Holy Week of 2014.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
During this Holy Week we will have many opportunities to spiritually walk with Jesus.<br />
<br />
Yesterday, Palm Sunday, we began this walk with Him as He was received with shouts of <i style="font-weight: bold;">"Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!"</i><br />
<br />
The Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, or the Easter Vigil) is one liturgical celebration. If you have never participated in all three consecutively, I encourage you to do so.<br />
<br />
On Holy Thursday, we will be with Jesus as He institutes the Eucharist and the ministerial Priesthood; we will be invited to stay and pray or to fall asleep in His darkest hour.<br />
<br />
On Good Friday, we will walk with Him as He is betrayed, reflecting perhaps upon the ways we too have betrayed Him. We will follow Him as He is deserted, beaten, illegally tried, condemned, inhumanely tortured, spit upon, and ridiculed. We will be there as the shouts turn to <b><i>"Crucify Him! Crucify Him!"</i></b><br />
<br />
We will witness Him carrying the cross, falling under the weight of the cross, crawling under the weight of the cross; already so near death that Simon is forcibly pressed into service to help Him. Perhaps for a moment, we will reflect upon the opportunities we have to help Him as well.<br />
<br />
We will witness Him take our sins upon Himself so that the chains of sin can be broken.<br />
<br />
Adam and Eve ate of the tree of life thus bringing death into the world. Jesus, the Lamb of God, hung on a tree of death bringing the gift of everlasting life to a world that does not deserve Him, desperately needs Him, and obstinately rejects Him.<br />
<br />
We have the opportunity to be present as our Lord gives us to His mother and gives His mother to us; to be there as He gives up His Spirit, dies for us, and is laid in the tomb.<br />
<br />
On Holy Saturday, I will blog about that day. However, today I want to encourage you to see yourself through the eyes of the witnesses.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Who are YOU in the Passion of the Christ?</h4>
<b><span style="color: purple;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: purple;">The Pharisees</span></b> – Knowledgeable of religion, its practices and traditions, but unable to see that God is in our midst…so busy with what we think is important that we are deaf to what Jesus is telling us is really important.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><b>Judas</b></span> - When we grow weary that the mission of Jesus may not be what we want it to be. We become self-absorbed, thinking that we know better than God. In choosing our own will over God's Will, we betray Him.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><b>Peter</b></span> – When we allow fear to overwhelm us. When we are afraid to stand up for what is right and true. When we are afraid to proclaim or even acknowledge our Faith. When, although we have walked with Jesus, touched Him, spoken with Him, seen the wonders He has done…right in front of us; we run away at the most critical of times.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><b>The crowd</b></span> – When we close God out and listen to others and allow them to influence us to accuse others wrongly or to shout for blood.<br />
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<b><span style="color: purple;">Herod</span></b> – Reducing Jesus to some small wonder-worker or looking for some magical sign.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: purple;">Pilate</span></b> – When we give in to the crowd telling us what to do, pressuring us to do something…even when we know it isn't right. Or when we are so caught up in ourselves and our own worries that we attempt to create our own truth or deny there is such a thing as truth…even when THE TRUTH, Christ is there before us.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><b>The soldiers</b></span> – When we continue to sin, although our sins tear at, bruise, scourge, and pierce our Lord…all while He is pleading for us, <b><i>"Father, forgive them."</i></b> Here, the word He uses is ABBA, a word that was really used by young children when addressing their fathers. A word that may be better translated as <b><i>"Daddy"</i></b>. <b><i>"Daddy, forgive them."</i></b><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><b>The scoffing criminal crucified next to Jesus</b></span> – When we allow ourselves to become so angry and bitter that we are actually angry and bitter with God.<br />
<br />
Perhaps we are like some of these people. Perhaps we are like all of these people. One thing is for sure though. We are, each and every one of us;<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: purple;">Barabbas</span></b> – the notorious sinner who truly deserved to die, and in fact had already been condemned to death…but instead, Jesus, our God who humbled Himself and became one of us, took our place on the cross and died for us so that we might live.<br />
<br />
<b>It's hard to accept</b> that we are like many of these people, that we hurt the Lord by our actions. But it's important to remember that while we are not perfect, we are not totally imperfect either. It gives me hope to see myself in some of the other witnesses as well. Maybe we are like:<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: purple;">Simon</span></b> - Yes, at first reluctant to carry the cross, but picking it up anyway; and certainly transformed by that journey to Golgotha and seeing a forgiving Christ praying and offering Himself for all...for you.<br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><b>Veronica</b></span> - When we see Jesus in the poor, the weak, the innocent yet condemned of the world; and we don't just stand by...we act!<br />
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<b><span style="color: purple;">Mary</span></b> - When we love our children so much; knowing that they are really a part of us; feeling, really feeling the pain that they suffer; wishing that we could make the hurt go away....submitting to the Will of God, no matter how painful.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><b>The penitent thief</b></span> - When we accept what we truly deserve but find the Grace and the courage to rely on Divine Mercy...<b>and receive it!</b><br />
<br />
God bless you. +++George Vogthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13578975569849500958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8595452026603793786.post-4248121970140289152014-03-05T11:52:00.000-06:002014-03-05T11:52:20.552-06:00Not Catholic? Great! Read this about Lent. Catholic? You too!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today is Ash Wednesday, and once again we begin Lent.<br />
<br />
Now if you're not Catholic, watching Catholics this time of year can be confusing, and I know that for some it even becomes frustrating.<br />
<br />
Even if you're Catholic, you might not be clear about what the <a href="http://atalkingdonkey.blogspot.com/2014/02/examining-purpose-of-lent.html" target="_blank">purpose of Lent</a> is. Maybe you just do the same thing over and over again each year without a <a href="http://atalkingdonkey.blogspot.com/2014/02/time-to-lent-up-whats-your-plan-look.html" target="_blank">real plan</a> just because that's what you've always done. Maybe you're just doing what you think the Church tells you to do.<br />
<br />
"Tells you to do?" Yeh, that can be a real hangup if you're not Catholic. But that's also why you stand to benefit greatly from observing Lenten practices; maybe more than many of your Catholic friends.<br />
<br />
Well, what I am saying is that the real benefit of the Lenten journey is the result of an <b>interior desire to improve your relationship with God</b>. That means doing it because it's the right thing to do and you want to do it.<br />
<br />
Improving your relationship with God is about <b>conversion</b>, an on-going process of conforming to the Christian life. That means conversion really relates to our disposition with ourselves and others as well as with God.<br />
<br />
We accomplish conversion through examination of conscience, admitting our faults, reconciliation, spiritual direction, empathy and action with regard to the poor and suffering, working for and defending what is right and just, enduring suffering and persecution ("take up your cross daily"), etc.<br />
<br />
During Lent, we give special attention to the need for <b>prayer</b>, <b>fasting</b>, and <b>almsgiving</b>. I've used the term "<b>rightly ordered</b>" before, and I will use it here again. To be clear, this means the correct order of things. Rightly ordered, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are expressions of interior penance.<br />
<br />
In Matthew 6: 1-18, Jesus presents the proper order as coming from within. Some people get hung up on what He states not to do, but the point He makes is to DO them, but to do them from the heart, the interior.<br />
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Now that <b>penance</b> word. Penance expresses our contrition for our sins and our intention to turn away from sin and our attachment to it. Interior penance is best expressed through - you guessed it - prayer, fasting, and almsgivng.<br />
<br />
So if the correct order comes from within, why does the Church insist Catholics focus more closely on these during Lent? Because we're human. We have a tendency to forget and/or neglect how to do something without practice.<br />
<br />
That is why we say we are "practicing penance." Hopefully, if we practice well enough, we'll get good at it and begin to do it on our own. Perhaps recognizing the benefits of the outward actions will prompt the interior motivation I have been speaking of.<br />
<br />
Okay, so today is Ash Wednesday. It's a day of fasting and abstinence. And there'll be more abstaining on Fridays during Lent. You probably get the "fasting" part, but "abstinence?"<br />
<br />
Abstaining from meat is a form of penance. It is a very small sacrifice which reminds us of THE sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.<br />
<br />
When the Church says "do not eat meat on Fridays during Lent", unfortunately it is the outward act which receives the attention. However, the Church is giving us this very small and very simple directive, a precept of the Church, to help us to recognize that we are to grow, to mature beyond a small mandate onto deeper expressions which spring from the interior conversion of the heart.<br />
<br />
Enough for today. I hope you find this useful.<br />
<br />George Vogthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13578975569849500958noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8595452026603793786.post-37264141913266047672014-02-28T10:38:00.003-06:002014-02-28T10:39:48.447-06:00Time to Lent Up! What's Your Plan Look Like?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div>
A former manager (and an old friend whom I miss) used to say, </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"If you want to be successful, you have to follow this outline:<br />
<ul>
<li>Know your <b>goal</b>. </li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li>Make your <b>plan</b>. </li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li><b>Write</b> your plan.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Work</b> your plan.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Review</b> your plan <b>daily</b>.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Never</b> give up."</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<div>
Ash Wednesday will arrive in less than 5 days. If you're reading this, you <b>cannot use the excuse</b> that it caught you off guard.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Don't wait til the last minute, quickly coming up with "something to give up or do for Lent" just as a formality or out of obligation. You're much better than that and certainly are called to be much better than that.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I encourage you to "Lent up" this year. Take your Lenten journey to the next level, whatever level that may be. Stop eating the "baby food" of your Faith when there's an unbelievably satisfying banquet that awaits you.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You know what I mean, so I won't even put the guilt trip on you by actually stating <b>that lame thing you keep repeating</b> every Lent. The one that is your "go-to". </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Let's face it. If it was that tough, you wouldn't keep choosing the same thing over and over. If it was something that really edified your Faith, you would have quit it all together (if it's a "give up " thing) or would have continued it regularly (if it's a "going to do" thing).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
While you <b>pray</b> about this, thinking about what your plan will be, keep in mind <a href="http://atalkingdonkey.blogspot.com/2014/02/examining-purpose-of-lent.html" target="_blank">what the purpose of Lent is</a> in the first place.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Right, plan. Make a plan, not just a quickie item or two. Consider a combo: Give up something and utilize the savings (financial or time) on something good or spiritually constructive.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Perhaps an <b>outline</b> of your plan could be:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>I recognize <b>A</b> as being something in my life that I struggle with or that is holding me back from having a more meaningful relationship with God, so I am going to <b>eliminate A</b> from my life.</li>
<li>I recognize that <b>B</b> would be something that I could really use or do that will help me grow spiritually or with my walk with God, so I am going to <b>add B</b> to my life.</li>
<li><b>Additionally</b>, I see <b>X</b> as something in my life that I enjoy. I see <b>Y</b> as a need that my church or someone else has. <b>X</b> is not necessarily "bad" for me, but by eliminating this particular thing from my life <b>during Lent</b>, I can use the money (or time) that I usually spend on <b>X</b> to give to <b>Y</b>.</li>
</ul>
<div>
While this is just <b>one suggestion</b> of what your plan outline might look like, feel free to use it for yourself. You just have to fill in <b>A</b>, <b>B</b>, <b>X</b>, and <b>Y</b>.</div>
</div>
<div>
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<div>
Of course I don't mind telling you that first, your <b>goal</b> should be to <b>become more like Jesus</b>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Then <b>write</b> your plan down. Look at it. Read it over. Know it.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
When Lent arrives, you will be immediately ready to <b>work</b> your plan. Do what you set out to do.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
No matter how much you think you know your plan, <b>review</b> your plan daily. Reviewing it visually once you have put it into practice may help you to see things that can be modified to help you achieve the goal you have set.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
If you falter or mess up, don't give up. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start again. <b>Never</b> give up. </div>
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God never gives up on you.</div>
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George Vogthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13578975569849500958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8595452026603793786.post-34852434957520205292014-02-26T10:05:00.000-06:002014-02-26T10:05:07.904-06:00Examining the Purpose of Lent<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi32lwxt5Xw4BAqgrzwtYFfgMTBecns8IcQOZ5PdOKA8F8RZNZPc_RKGPA0TP86gG01h1ca3Oa4RjRGFZqhvqjpCdt9WST2UNpSCCa4SOiGXey0kf0XWxWsLD0quA-Z_D3_8h3JU67ShY4/s1600/lent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi32lwxt5Xw4BAqgrzwtYFfgMTBecns8IcQOZ5PdOKA8F8RZNZPc_RKGPA0TP86gG01h1ca3Oa4RjRGFZqhvqjpCdt9WST2UNpSCCa4SOiGXey0kf0XWxWsLD0quA-Z_D3_8h3JU67ShY4/s1600/lent.jpg" height="161" width="200" /></a></div>
The beginning of Lent, is one week away. We will be hearing more about penance, fasting, abstaining, etc. People will be talking about what they are "giving up" and when they "are allowed" to do this or that.<br />
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It can be easy to lose sight of the real meaning of Lent if the focus is solely on rules or on penitential acts and not on the interior transformation that the Church intends to guide us to and that God is calling us to.<br />
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Christians are called to be transformed and conformed more closely to Jesus. We are called to a conversion that is constant and continuous. Lent presents an opportunity to more closely examine our commitment to this conversion and to reorient our lives in a more Christ-like manner.<br />
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Rightly ordered though, it is the interior which prompts the exterior. This means that our Lenten practices should be internally motivated. This internal desire to become more like Jesus finds meaningful expression in outward signs and actions. These outward signs and actions in turn call us to an even deeper exploration of the meaning of the Christian life, increasing our desire to become more like Jesus, and so on, and so on.<br />
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To become more like Jesus should be our goal during Lent. Observing its practices with an understanding heart truly open to that end can help to shape and transform our lives and thus "the world."<br />
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In the coming weeks I will write more about the Lenten journey and hope to encourage you along the way.George Vogthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13578975569849500958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8595452026603793786.post-57395274576684514862014-02-17T09:39:00.000-06:002014-02-17T09:39:01.877-06:00Learning to Speak Spanish May Make Me a Better Lector<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have a great appreciation and love for my service as a Lector in my Parish. A while back I wrote <a href="http://atalkingdonkey.blogspot.com/2012/09/lectors-serious-call-to-service.html" target="_blank">this post regarding Lectors and service</a>.<br />
<br />
Three weeks ago I wrote <a href="http://atalkingdonkey.blogspot.com/2014/01/can-burro-become-bi-lingual.html" target="_blank">this post about learning to speak Spanish</a>.<br />
<br />
At the time I did not see a connection between the two, but I do now. That's what I'd like to share with you here.<br />
<br />
Something that has become very clear to me is that in the Spanish language (and I understand many others as well) there is a much more precise pronunciation of words and syllables. Much more precise. In fact, it has become clear to me just how lazy one can become speaking only English.<br />
<br />
Hailing from the New Orleans metropolitan area for the first 38 years of my life has formed in me an extra "lazy" pronunciation. We have a very "laid-back" pronunciation (accent). Oh, and sorry Texans, but living here for the past 8 1/2 years has not really been much help either.<br />
<br />
This has become evident, almost painfully so, as I have completed a little more than 3/4 of the first level (there are five levels) in the Rosetta Stone course. The course affords me the opportunity to hear myself speak the language. Oh brother!<br />
<br />
It becomes even more obvious when I attempt to speak with friends whose native language is Spanish. Many times they correct my pronunciation of words that I "thought" I had achieved the proper pronunciation for. I am pretty hard on myself, so it's difficult to learn that what I accept from myself is not really acceptable.<br />
<br />
However, this type of correction is exactly what I need and want and why I appreciate the honesty of my friends for helping me with this. You see, I am truly motivated to do this correctly and not just "get by" or accept something that is less than what I am able to achieve.<br />
<br />
Just "scratching the surface" to explain a bit, there are 29 letters in the Spanish alphabet, not 26. (Oh, I understand that as of 2010 this has been "changed" in some locations to 27 letters, but I believe that it is more accurate to stick with the 29. Yes, yes, I know that even that was disputed by some. And yes, I have gone beyond the RS course in my studies.) Even the letters which correspond with the English alphabet have their own names and pronunciations.<br />
<br />
Last week I came up in the rotation for service as Lector. This means that I began preparing right around the time I began to realize these things about my pronunciation in Spanish. So as I was preparing, I thought to myself, "You already take this service very serious, but perhaps you need to concentrate harder on a more exact pronunciation of the syllable during your readings."<br />
<br />
I did, and I was pleased with the result. I will continue to include better pronunciation in my prayer and preparation. I am happy that this is a "side benefit" or result of my learning to speak Spanish.<br />
<br />
Now I really need to get the rolling r sound down with those "rr" words!George Vogthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13578975569849500958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8595452026603793786.post-91902992645411679902014-02-16T07:30:00.001-06:002014-02-16T07:30:17.239-06:00Need Prayers for Baby. NOW!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoTHgBJx-TWbH0vZ3q3jKzqZVRHSdmotOjU-I5JTHMKObhqQEfEIpcTMkgaBR2tNtOB5WhRIZgzO5GeSvxjOmRH_ZPehsqMUpMu7JgqxWm3jyov_rWMZFyoYGHUN4CKq8t13-2gUIfJCU/s1600/Tuesday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoTHgBJx-TWbH0vZ3q3jKzqZVRHSdmotOjU-I5JTHMKObhqQEfEIpcTMkgaBR2tNtOB5WhRIZgzO5GeSvxjOmRH_ZPehsqMUpMu7JgqxWm3jyov_rWMZFyoYGHUN4CKq8t13-2gUIfJCU/s1600/Tuesday.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
PLEASE pray for baby "Tuesday" who has been given this name because Monday is the day Tuesday is scheduled to be killed by abortion.<br />
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Pray this child will LIVE.<br />
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Oh, and there's some late-breaking developments that are promising, so please stop NOW and pray.<br />
<br />
Thank you friends.<br />
<br />
#prayforbabyTuesdayGeorge Vogthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13578975569849500958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8595452026603793786.post-57910859583787587472014-02-12T14:10:00.001-06:002014-02-12T21:51:24.277-06:00Help A Young Person On RetreatOur Parish's Director of <a href="http://www.stfoafrisco.org/faith_youth.asp" target="_blank">High School Ministry</a> (Tammy Weber) is planning a Spring Retreat February 28 - March 2.<br />
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These retreats are great for our high school youth, and Tammy does a great job of getting them plugged into their Faith in many ways.<br />
<br />
There are about 10 students that need assistance to join the retreat. The cost for each student is $140, but if you can help with anything at all, it would be greatly appreciated.<br />
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Please <a href="https://www.eservicepayments.com/cgi-bin/Vanco_ver3.vps?appver3=tYgT1GfNxRUldiimjHMvOSJd7EUwxjVSyVXTPa9eWbHo-7YkZiNiYhc46uwjFenmums9tj3wI7okSf0MyMa8urocXV_SjKEbSzh_Isv8laM=&ver=3" target="_blank">click on this link</a>, and then scroll through the list until you hit <b>Youth Events:</b> Near the bottom of that list, enter the amount you can help with in <b>"Partial Payment of Event."</b><br />
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There will be a small bar to the right of the amount and indicate <b>"donation for HS Spring Retreat."</b><br />
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You <b>do not</b> have to set up a profile unless you wish to keep track of your donation. If you do, it is simple and fast.<br />
<br />
If you are a parishioner and already have a profile set up, it is even faster since your payment information is already stored.<br />
<br />
Thank you, and please remember to keep our group in your prayers for the retreat.George Vogthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13578975569849500958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8595452026603793786.post-65766909524215605322014-01-27T11:00:00.000-06:002014-01-27T11:08:42.546-06:00Can a Burro Become Bi-Lingual?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The idea of speaking other languages has intrigued me since childhood. I remember really enjoying the story of the Tower of Babel. I thought it was pretty interesting to think that at one time everyone may have spoken the same language. Of course, I "knew" that they must have all been speaking English up to that point.<br />
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That innocent childhood naivety has not translated into my own personal bias against learning another language; something I cannot say for many monolingual persons living in the United States, especially those who speak only English.<br />
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Personally, I find it ironic that people in a country which has long boasted of its diversity and touting itself as the great "melting pot" would not only be resistant to multilingual integration into its society, but in many cases are outright hostile towards the thought of it.<br />
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I could write at length about my theories as to why this attitude persists or give reasons why I believe it is impractical, illogical, and a contributing factor to our consistent decline in both education and economics on the global scene. However, this blog is generally about my Faith and interpersonal experiences, so that's what I really intend to write about.<br />
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Growing up in Southeastern Louisiana, I was exposed to a lot of cultural integration. I lived in the New Orleans Metropolitan area for Pete's sake. On top of that, it was not unusual for me to hear maternal relatives carrying on conversations in a complete mixture of French and English, switching back and forth between languages mid-sentence.<br />
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Later, I worked for a company that employed a large percentage of Hispanic and Vietnamese workers. I enjoyed interacting with many of them and took an active interest in learning a few words here and there. Unfortunately, most of what I learned, I am unable to put to use. You see, I really try not to use that type of language (foul) anymore. :-)<br />
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Now living in North Texas, I belong to a rather large and very diverse Parish. Our Parish got its start as a mission for Spanish-speaking ranch hands, farmers, and their families. These days, we have a majority of Parishioners who speak only English, but we have retained a large Hispanic population as well.<br />
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I believe that I have been as or more supportive of the efforts to integrate cultural diversity in the Parish as anyone, and I have several bi-lingual friends. Our Parish offers "English as a Second Language" classes, and I have pestered my Pastor on several occasions to consider "Spanish as a Second Language" classes as well.<br />
<br />
I first considered the Rosetta Stone course while in Louisiana, but it was more than $600. I have seriously considered it for the last 4 years, but it has remained quite expensive. I nearly purchased it this Christmas as there was a "bargain" for all 5 Levels for $298, but that's still a heavy price tag for us. As you can see though, I have been "on the fence" so to speak for quite some time.<br />
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Alas, I have been knocked off of that fence, and will finally be learning to speak Spanish. I "bit the bullet" and purchased all 5 Levels of the Rosetta Stone Spanish (Latin-America) course. It's a steep price tag for my family at $314 plus tax, but anyone who really knows me knows that when I am determined to do something, I pretty much get it done - plus my wife said I could.<br />
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Although it's offered in several formats, I chose the CD-ROM version for reasons that are not important to this post. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my lessons which are scheduled for delivery by tomorrow's end.<br />
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Meanwhile, after exhausting amounts of research, I have determined that RS alone is not the way for me to go. I will attack this endeavor on various fronts, and I have already begun.<br />
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I found a truly free (even ad-free) app for my Kindle called "Duolingo" which I absolutely love. I've earned about 500 "coins" which I admit I do not know much about, but 99 of those coins earned allowed me to get another app for my Kindle at no cost to me - Basic Spanish for Dummies. Additionally, I have decided to occasionally attend Mass in Spanish, listen to some Spanish radio, and have asked some friends who speak Spanish to begin conversing with me only in Spanish.<br />
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So what did it? What literally knocked me off the fence and - as my wife says - "created a monster?"<br />
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I recently went on a job interview. I am not going to reveal the name of the prospective employer (and please don't ask) for various reasons. However, I will say that this employment would be ideal for me and for my family. The problem? Being bi-lingual (meaning English and Spanish) is a "very strong" desired ability of the prospective employee.<br />
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While I truly believe that my passion to contribute to their efforts, coupled with my personal abilities would be extremely favorable for them as well, I expect that this will turn out to be a "deal-breaker" and exclude me from gaining employment with this employer.<br />
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Although I see the irony in my long-standing belief of linguistic integration, I'm not upset with anyone except myself. I feel my procrastination in learning to speak Spanish may have hurt my family in some way.<br />
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But I am determined not to find myself in this situation again. I'll try to blog from time to time about my progress and about what I think of the various learning techniques I will be using.<br />
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Adios.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />George Vogthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13578975569849500958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8595452026603793786.post-75568992599084027112013-12-30T11:18:00.000-06:002013-12-30T15:32:49.984-06:00Viva la Vida: Kendra's Call, Part 2 (Sort of)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A while back I started this Viva la Vida series. In it, I have been highlighting some significant events during the course of my life with respect to faith and family. I have never set out to make chronological posts, rather a sort of mash-up of events.<br />
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Although with this post I am continuing the story of when Kendra (my wife) first heard the call (the call of the Holy Spirit, that is), it also is not an exact chronology of events.<br />
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But if you haven't read it yet, you'll want to <a href="http://atalkingdonkey.blogspot.com/2013/12/viva-la-vida-when-kendra-first-heard.html" target="_blank">click here to read part 1</a> first.<br />
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And for a little fun, all subtitles today are brought to you by the band Boston.<br />
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<h3>
Can'tcha Say You Believe in Me</h3>
<br />
Patience has never been one of my strong suits, and I have never been comfortable giving up control. I don't even like sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle very much.<br />
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After being strengthened in my certainty that God was truly calling me to reconcile my relationship with Him, and of course wanting to share this relationship to Him with Kendra, I made some mistakes that I think a lot of Christians make. I pushed a bit too much. Also, I attempted to "get through" to her by some of the same means that God used to get through to me.<br />
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These are 2 very big no no's. God doesn't push, He pulls. And since we are all unique, He calls each of us in unique ways however similar they may seem on the surface. Kendra needed to experience God in her own way, not mine. And I could not control that.<br />
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I very distinctly remember one night, praying as I was driving home from work. As I stated in the last post<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="color: #a64d79;"><b>The whole thing was taking a toll on our marriage. And why not? I was no longer the person she had married.</b></span></i></blockquote>
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<h3>
More Than a Feeling</h3>
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I became very overwhelmed by my inability to "make her" believe. It was a similar "feeling" that I had when I had finally given in to God just a few months earlier - you know, finally surrendered. It was through that similarity in emotion that God reminded me that no one person and no one "event" had brought me back to Him. No, it was quite a collection of persons and happenings - and I realized that in some way, God used the whole experience of my life.<br />
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(More than a year after this realization, Fr. Timothy Heines stated in a Homily, <b><i><span style="color: #a64d79;">"Conversion is not an emotion or a one-time experience. Conversion is a life-long process."</span></i></b> I often remind myself of this in my self-reflection. It helps me from getting too high or too low on myself.)<br />
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But that night driving home, it was a sort of epiphany. I pulled on the side of the road at the Louisa Street exit in New Orleans. I told God that I realized what I was doing was not working, that I seemed to be making things worse not better. I told Him that I realized my job was to introduce Him to Kendra and to set a good example of the Christian life - that I realized that it was He that would truly draw her to Himself, and that I was simply one of many instruments that He wanted to use. I asked Him to help me to be patient.<br />
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<h3>
Higher Power</h3>
<br />
I really meant that thing about "help me to be patient", but I guess God knew that would be a lot tougher task than reaching Kendra, because it was almost immediately that I saw a few small traces of His "working" on her. Little by little, we were having conversations about God that were started by Kendra, not by me.<br />
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While these were not always positive conversations, it was dialogue that needed to take place - and was assurance to me that somehow this was going to work out.<br />
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One example of this is the day Kendra agreed to have Brandon baptized. We were on a shopping trip to Target. I had been praying, asking God to help in this exact matter (the baptism). We had not done much talking during that 35 minute drive, but when I parked the car Kendra stated out of the clear blue, "I suppose you would like to have the baby baptized." I affirmed that was my desire, and she replied, "Well, I guess that's okay, but don't ask me to have anything to do with that." Agreed. Check. ("God, I trust you'll take care of that too." - and He did of course.)<br />
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<h3>
The Journey</h3>
<br />
And so Brandon was baptized. Kendra was there. And now, she had revealed to me that God was stirring her heart to believe in Him.<br />
<br />
I think about that now, and how difficult that conversation must have been for her. You know, no one likes to admit that they may have been wrong about something - about anything usually. Kendra is no different in that regards. I'm sure it was tough for her to bring up to me, but she stepped out of her comfort zone, asked what to do next, and when I left it to her to figure out between herself and God, well, He took over.<br />
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I said things were about to get different, and they were. This doesn't mean that they were always easier. Some tensions went away, but not all. I think much of this was my fault.<br />
<br />
You see, Kendra began really challenging me in my Faith. She started asking questions - a lot of questions. "Why do Catholics do this?" and "Why do Catholics do that?" Well, quite honestly I began to realize that there were a lot of questions that she asked that I did not have a clue about - not a clue. That made me feel uncomfortable - very uncomfortable.<br />
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I thought that she was challenging my Faith because she was attempting to disprove it. My inability to properly defend the Faith blinded me to the reality that Kendra was earnestly seeking God, trying to find her way through the darkness. Kendra doe not do anything "on a whim", but rather researches everything. I didn't realize that she had begun her research of Catholicism.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><i><span style="color: #a64d79;">"We drive by night. Nevertheless our reason penetrates the darkness enough to show us a little of the road ahead. It is by the light of reason that we interpret the signposts and make out the landmarks along our way."</span></i></b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(The Ascent to Truth - Merton)</span></blockquote>
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<h3>
A New World</h3>
<br />
In reality, this discomfort of mine was the best thing that could ever happen to me. It forced me to become a better Catholic, to do my own research to find out what the Faith really is about and teaches. I would no longer be a casual Catholic, but would begin to avail myself of the multitude of resources available - and the more I learned, the more I fell in love with this great Faith.<br />
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Along the way I discovered that Kendra had bought Catholicism For Dummies and enrolled herself in an online Catechism course. At first she said she was doing these things because she owed it to Brandon to know more about what the Catholic Faith teaches. But soon she too was wanting more.<br />
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<h3>
Don't Look Back</h3>
<br />
A friend had suggested I read "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. Kendra agreed to read it together with me. I'm not sure if it was the first chapter or not, but very early in the book, Warren speaks of the importance of Baptism.<br />
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Kendra asked if I thought Baptism was important. I said I did, and we discussed why. Before I knew it, she was making an appointment to meet with Fr. Hayes.<br />
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We began to meet with Fr. Hayes about having our marriage convalidated and enrolling Kendra in RCIA. Kendra was attending Mass with me regularly and even became involved in a couple of ministries in our little small parish.<br />
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We attended our first RCIA meeting together.<br />
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Then came Hurricane Katrina.<br />
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Other posts in the <a href="http://atalkingdonkey.blogspot.com/search?q=Viva+la+Vida" target="_blank">Viva la Vida series</a>George Vogthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13578975569849500958noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8595452026603793786.post-42306429188699524142013-12-28T11:20:00.000-06:002013-12-28T11:20:24.208-06:00Fabricating Francis<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuI1vgBc4vt_jHsVfkwvNfvRSF_WVfLrdm2zH-flLAXwZRCPK4EBY-EYwNsOeoFPRD8v4gRo2BQETuWp93CWlgFjoFXUEiVNem0aUbrSL1OjUabhu8Am7x-dmBup78d15hW12MQkI3jmc/s1600/fracis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuI1vgBc4vt_jHsVfkwvNfvRSF_WVfLrdm2zH-flLAXwZRCPK4EBY-EYwNsOeoFPRD8v4gRo2BQETuWp93CWlgFjoFXUEiVNem0aUbrSL1OjUabhu8Am7x-dmBup78d15hW12MQkI3jmc/s1600/fracis.jpg" /></a></div>
When Time announced that Pope Francis was named its Man of the Year, I <a href="http://atalkingdonkey.blogspot.com/2013/12/pooping-on-pope-party.html" target="_blank">announced that I didn't care</a>. I even <a href="http://atalkingdonkey.blogspot.com/2013/12/my-cold-black-heart.html" target="_blank">poked a little fun at myself</a> for stating such, but that doesn't change what I think about Time's decision.<br />
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As I stated previously, it's not because I don't like Francis. It's not about him at all. It's about Time and more specifically about the motives I believe that much of the press (secular and non-secular in some instances) as well as a considerable number of persona have in "promoting", recognizing, or other-wise praising Francis.<br />
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It's my opinion that the aforementioned persons and entities at best misunderstand and at worst hate the Church. Some hate religion in general with a particular disdain for Christianity and a maximum detestation of Catholicism.<br />
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This is clearly evident by the euphoria over perceived change that many are boasting Francis brings to the Catholic Church.<br />
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All popes bring with them change to some degree or another. They're human, and God uses their own personalities and differences, just as He does with each and every one of us.<br />
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But it is what I perceive to be an intense desire for doctrinal change that I take exception to.<br />
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Now, there is a wide gap between "misunderstand" and "hate", so if you are one of those who fall into the "euphoric infatuation with doctrinal change category", I do not presume to know or judge the state of your heart nor your motives.<br />
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What I do know is that from the very beginning of his papacy, there has been an attempt by many to fabricate Francis. That is to say that many are trying to make him into what they desire rather than allow him to even lay the groundwork for his papal ministry.<br />
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We can't help it, can we? We are so used to this soundbite world where we deduce an entire theory based on one sentence of a thousand-word speech. We think in terms of politics, sides, and camps - where for instance the president makes a speech. Someone tells us what he is about to say, he says what he has to say, someone tells us what he "meant", and then "the other side" tells us what he "really meant."<br />
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We don't want to just shut up and listen, to observe, to reflect, and discern lest we discover it is not the Church that must change but rather it is we who must change.<br />
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<br />George Vogthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13578975569849500958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8595452026603793786.post-74135607165295697332013-12-27T10:33:00.000-06:002013-12-30T11:13:19.626-06:00Viva la Vida: When Kendra First Heard the Call<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYnC04cF7ZaVSJ8wRurIw5KnZii2zwC2P3ARMygvyJrh_zI7Vtuu8sTzeDqoJnKRyo9zJ-r_bi4N_EU-rqZl_IsKBt7uo6BHYiAplcgyp_LEV0JgKPlpmGuN285xhAjmCE_pVdXMa45Gs/s1600/k+call.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYnC04cF7ZaVSJ8wRurIw5KnZii2zwC2P3ARMygvyJrh_zI7Vtuu8sTzeDqoJnKRyo9zJ-r_bi4N_EU-rqZl_IsKBt7uo6BHYiAplcgyp_LEV0JgKPlpmGuN285xhAjmCE_pVdXMa45Gs/s1600/k+call.jpg" /></a></div>
The day after Christmas; it's probably a day that many people spend trying to relax and recuperate. For some, it is a day to return to their jobs, trying to focus on their particular work, difficult as that may be.<div>
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<div>
Our garbage disposal broke during the afternoon on Christmas Eve. I'm not too good at repairing things or installing replacements, so I intended to buy a new disposal and pay someone to install it. But a friend suggested to me that it was an "easy fix", and although that generally means "only moderately difficult" for me, I was able to successfully get the job done.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Naturally I feel accomplished by this, and normally it would be noteworthy in the annals of Donkey-do's, but December 26 is already a special date to me - for multiple reasons, all of which are much more special than my figuring out some DIY task.</div>
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As I mentioned last year (<a href="http://atalkingdonkey.blogspot.com/2012/12/december-26-is-big-deal-in-my-house.html" target="_blank">in this post</a>), December 26 is the feast day of my patron saint (Saint Stephen), the anniversary of Brandon's baptism, the anniversary of the first time Kendra attended Mass with me - when Kendra went all but kicking and screaming yet heard the Holy Spirit speaking to her, and one of many times God reminded me that He knows what He's doing, and it's best for me to get out of His way sometimes.</div>
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<br /></div>
<h3>
Get it together</h3>
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It was 2004, and God had already been "working" on me. After more than a decade away I was attending Mass. With the help of my pastor (Fr. Dennis Hayes), my reconciliation and spiritual life were taking shape. Unfortunately, Kendra was not on board - not even close.</div>
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Unbaptized and perhaps best described as agnostic at the time, it's easy to understand why Kendra was confused by my seemingly sudden transformation. Until a person feels the tug of the Holy Spirit for themselves, it's difficult to comprehend what that means.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Compounding this was some not-so-positive experiences she had in the past and my mistake of thinking it was my responsibility to persuade or influence her to "find" Jesus. The whole thing was taking a toll on our marriage. And why not? I was no longer the person she had married.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Now we were at a point where I was beginning to learn that it was my responsibility to introduce my wife to Jesus, but that things would be best if I left the "real work" to Him - beginning to anyway.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<h3>
Get her to the church - this time</h3>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Brandon was born on November 27, and although Kendra had already agreed that he could be baptized, there was never an agreement or commitment by her to attend or to have any part in it or his religious life whatsoever. In fact, hours before Mass that morning she told me that she thought she would just stay home. I casually said "Okay", and began getting ready - quietly telling God that I trusted Him, but that I would really appreciate if He would somehow get her to change her mind.</div>
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Soon afterward, Kendra began getting ready and said she would go. We would sit in the back row though, and she reminded me that this was not something that she was looking forward to. Check.</div>
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<br /></div>
<h3>
I'm so smart</h3>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Despite the tension, I was excited that she was coming. I was sure that she would really "get something" out of Fr. Dennis' Homily. Right up until the time that I realized it was the deacon's weekend to preach.</div>
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"Come on God! What are You doing? This is not the way I planned it." Those are the exact words that went through my head as Deacon Al Miester was about to begin speaking. Instantly though, bumps raised on my arms, and I could feel the blood escaping from my face along with a tingle down my neck and back.</div>
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God reminded me that I am a silly little man, that He is God, and He knows what He's doing.</div>
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It was the Feast of the Holy Family. Deacon Al began to talk about his mother - that she was not Catholic, but had agreed to have him baptized.</div>
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This message was for Kendra. I knew it. But did she? Was she even paying attention? I simply prayed as he continued, speaking of how his mother was the parent to teach him about the Catholic Faith - and how one day, because of her study of the Faith in order to properly dispense such to her son, his mother decided to convert to the Catholic Faith herself.</div>
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Brandon was baptized. We went home and had a little family celebration. I said nothing about the obvious. I dared not get in God's way with my silly little foot in my silly little mouth.</div>
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<br /></div>
<h3>
Shut up and brush your teeth</h3>
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The next morning, Kendra approached me while I was brushing my teeth. "That was interesting what that man - what do you call him, a deacon? - what he said yesterday." she said. </div>
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I kept brushing.</div>
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"Did you ever feel like someone was talking directly to you, like you were the only one in the room - even though there were a bunch of people around?" she asked.</div>
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I kept brushing - wanting to pop.</div>
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"What do you call that?"</div>
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<br /></div>
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A question. I asked God to help me not louse it up. "That's the Holy Spirit Kendra." I said, "It's called the Holy Spirit - working in the deacon and working in you."</div>
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I went back to brushing. Very clean teeth that day.</div>
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"I feel like I'm supposed to do something. What am I supposed to do?" she asked honestly.</div>
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Again, doing my best to finally trust God, I told her exactly what to do. Okay, not really. "I don't know Kendra. That's between you and God. I suppose you should ask the Holy Spirit what to do next."</div>
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I went back to brushing, and thanking God quietly.</div>
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Things were about to get really different around our house.</div>
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------------------------------------------------------</div>
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Other posts in the <a href="http://atalkingdonkey.blogspot.com/search?q=viva+la+vida" target="_blank">Viva la Vida series</a></div>
George Vogthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13578975569849500958noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8595452026603793786.post-4233217474014504972013-12-21T09:13:00.001-06:002013-12-27T10:21:34.171-06:00Teen Taken From Parents to Spend Christmas in Psych Ward<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7BQpxggMLNy_FnTa0aLJxvwpWey60yU70obOvL0swfJR9LbB9rXuAGB7NSkapL_RIwevayWMBxTARFx02asmdYpelTn2aLll6YnIOtkZ_86yHRDoDoeONU-QXSUKqVisDT2X6epxt_E/s1600/Justina+Pelletier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7BQpxggMLNy_FnTa0aLJxvwpWey60yU70obOvL0swfJR9LbB9rXuAGB7NSkapL_RIwevayWMBxTARFx02asmdYpelTn2aLll6YnIOtkZ_86yHRDoDoeONU-QXSUKqVisDT2X6epxt_E/s1600/Justina+Pelletier.jpg" /></a></div>
There is <a href="http://www.boston.com/2013/12/20/judge-rules-state-should-retain-custody-teen-caught-medical-controversy/ljRBLSKEA3Xd6e1ZUIWthN/story.html" target="_blank">a case from Connecticut</a> (being heard in Boston) where a teen, Justina Pelletier, has been taken from her parents by child protection authorities - ten months ago! And now the decision on whether to rightfully return her to her parents has been delayed until January 10, 2014 at the earliest.<br />
<br />
This should serve as a wake up call to all parents, but especially those with special needs children.<br />
<br />
As far as I can tell, Justina's parents are guilty; guilty of following her doctor's guidance and treatment guidelines for <a href="http://mitochondrialdiseases.org/mitochondrial-disease/" target="_blank">Mitochondrial Disease</a>. This is a complex disease.<br />
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One thing I am certain of; spending Christmas in a hospital psychiatric ward cannot possibly be in the best interest of Justina.<br />
George Vogthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13578975569849500958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8595452026603793786.post-18697579739280267632013-12-18T10:46:00.001-06:002013-12-18T10:48:55.527-06:00Your End Time Is Coming Like Burger King<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBBFHSC2A4rfkmMhULidp7o1BrluhcVkV7KeXjApBPPkUHNXstWW1PBlpb59vObqk3nCgmvDRsPvOUXWbUmRvG24BslZ3dalNuK4Y6KuyQMEzc0hHZS0ejWoE7jXv2H1jX6emOqqpp9eQ/s1600/bk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBBFHSC2A4rfkmMhULidp7o1BrluhcVkV7KeXjApBPPkUHNXstWW1PBlpb59vObqk3nCgmvDRsPvOUXWbUmRvG24BslZ3dalNuK4Y6KuyQMEzc0hHZS0ejWoE7jXv2H1jX6emOqqpp9eQ/s1600/bk.jpg" /></a></div>
Kathy Schiffer <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/kathyschiffer/2013/12/the-world-has-finally-ended-for-soothsayer-harold-camping/" target="_blank">reports</a> that the world has finally ended for Harold Camping.<br />
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Just bringing up Camping's name might make some laugh or roll their eyes, but many of his followers (or former followers) really believed him and made some pretty poor choices based on his predictions of the world ending on particular dates.<br />
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In general, we are very interested in the future and how things might turn out or end. Christians are no different. In fact, I think we are more susceptible to be overly concerned with the "end times".<br />
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Advent - "coming" - is a time for preparing for the Kingdom of Christ. We reflect on the meaning of the Incarnation and the Parousia (the "Second Coming"), but also upon the state of the Kingdom of Christ in our own hearts.<br />
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It's a good time to think about "the end", but not in the way Camping talked about. It's a good time to think about your end and what that will mean, because your own personal end time is certainly coming. Do you know the day or the hour of that time?<br />
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That's why the Church teaches us to focus more about the preparation of our own hearts for the "<a href="http://www.catholictradition.org/Classics/4last-things.htm" target="_blank">last things</a>" rather than the particular circumstances of the "end times".<br />
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Kathy links to another post of hers about Camping which is a pretty good read about what the Church says about what many think about when they think about "the end times", the so-called rapture. <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/kathyschiffer/2011/05/whoa-harold-apocalypse-this-year-says-christian-broadcaster/" target="_blank">Read it here</a>.<br />
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Those "last things"?<br />
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Death, Judgment, Hell, Heaven.<br />
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In "the end" it will be Heaven or Hell, and it will be like Burger King; "Have it your way." Only, our lives will have determined the order we placed. There will be no combo, but I bet the family meal will be great.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">When he comes at the end of time to judge the living and the dead, the glorious Christ will reveal the secret disposition of hearts and will render to each man according to his works, and according to his acceptance or refusal of grace. (CCC 682)</span></i></blockquote>
George Vogthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13578975569849500958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8595452026603793786.post-25299280874206125262013-12-12T10:14:00.003-06:002013-12-12T10:14:39.401-06:00My Cold Black HeartTuesday I <a href="http://atalkingdonkey.blogspot.com/2013/12/cynicism-creates-curmudgeons-not.html" target="_blank">wrote about</a> not being cynical and grumpy.<br />
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Wednesday I was <a href="http://atalkingdonkey.blogspot.com/2013/12/pooping-on-pope-party.html" target="_blank">pretty cynical about</a> the pope being named Time's person of the year.</div>
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Today is just a grumpy day - ask my family.</div>
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Asked yesterday why I "hate happiness" (and hoping that was friendly sarcasm), the answer is "I don't, but I guess sometimes my heart gets a bit cold and a bit <b>blackened</b>."</div>
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In proof and honor of my dry sense of humor, here's today's tribute - from Joan Jett and the <b>Blackhearts</b>.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/HPkTGm4RtVM?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>George Vogthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13578975569849500958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8595452026603793786.post-57389694078177666002013-12-11T09:20:00.000-06:002013-12-11T09:26:52.123-06:00Pooping on the "pope party"?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QIKZaJEih9sWcoHmC3evvHBf3ddoa3J6nJ1DlFtY3tcWkQ9MpGz3p-9F_9jjWG92Eve5lzTBfsfesKNBBrUmwZUywf11imTd_gh125zcs1FlW_5bjaP2qpT80WOYzKD9CtfS5mWswuc/s1600/timepoty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QIKZaJEih9sWcoHmC3evvHBf3ddoa3J6nJ1DlFtY3tcWkQ9MpGz3p-9F_9jjWG92Eve5lzTBfsfesKNBBrUmwZUywf11imTd_gh125zcs1FlW_5bjaP2qpT80WOYzKD9CtfS5mWswuc/s1600/timepoty.jpg" /></a></div>
So Time has announced that Pope Francis is its <a href="http://poy.time.com/2013/12/11/person-of-the-year-pope-francis-the-peoples-pope/" target="_blank">Person of the Year</a> for 2013.<br />
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I see lots of excitement on social media - including from <a href="http://atalkingdonkey.blogspot.com/2012/09/st-nagatha-patron-saint-of-nagging-wives.html" target="_blank">my wife, St. Nagatha</a>.<br />
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To this I say, "I don't care".<br />
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Now before you think I've got some deep-rooted problem with Pope Francis (I don't) or that I am just a "party-pooper" or something, hear me out.<br />
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The reason I don't care about the pope being Time's person of the year is the long history of who (and what) has been chosen in the past. Just<a href="http://content.time.com/time/interactive/0,31813,1681791,00.html" target="_blank"> look back at the list</a> of the past several decades.<br />
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It's about who they think influences the news, not who is truly significant to the <b>good</b> of humanity. (They say so in the link above.)<br />
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Not with me yet? Now <a href="http://poy.time.com/2013/12/09/top-ten-finalists-for-person-of-the-year/" target="_blank">look at the top ten finalists</a> for this year's spot.<br />
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By the way, with three days left, Miley Cyrus <a href="http://poy.time.com/2013/12/02/miley-cyrus-leads-times-person-of-the-year-poll-with-3-days-left/?iid=obinsite" target="_blank">was in the lead</a>.<br />
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Any questions?George Vogthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13578975569849500958noreply@blogger.com0