I have always loved the Rosary. Even before I became a Catholic, I loved the Rosary. I remember as a kid, watching shows and movies featuring Catholics fingering their rosaries, and wondering what they were. By the time I was in junior high, I had learned to say the Rosary, and even managed to sneak into a Catholic bookstore to buy a cheap plastic one that I hid at home (Baptist households frown on such things, don'tchyaknow). I still have that old worn out rosary, having had to restring it a few times over the years. I had it with me when I went off to college and took the plunge to start studying to be received into the Catholic Church. I had it with me when I took my first Communion. I have several others now, some nice antique wooden ones, heavy hematite sets, a ladder rosary, even a large 15 decade one with belt clip, but that old plastic one is still my favorite. A few years ago I got into making knotted cord rosaries, and have gotten to prefer them as my go to for a prayer. I find the making of them relaxing. I can do it while watching tv, or doing medidation where I concentrate on the appropriate prayer when tying each knot.
There's some great sites online about making these, my two favorites being:
http://www.rosaryarmy.com/
http://web.mac.com/geerlingguy/articles/religion/knot-rosary.html
What's great about making your own is that you can make specialized rosaries for chaplets. People who just use a rosary for the traditional Rosary are missing a lot of beautiful prayers and meditations. There are some wonderful prayerful chaplets and alternate rosaries. Check out these online resources:
http://campus.udayton.edu/mary//resources/chaplet.html
http://www.catholicdoors.com/prayers/chaplets.htm
It's funny. When I told my parents I was converting (trust me, that was not a fun time, and it's still a painful thing to think about 30 odd years later), one of the biggest objections was to the use of the Rosary. I have no idea why non-Catholics are so bothered by it, unless because of it's emphasis on Marian devotion. For me, it was a gift from God, as it started my feet on the path to the Catholic Church. If you haven't used yours in a while, take it out, and let it renew your faith.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Gay Marriage? No!
I don't believe in Gay marriage. Marriage is defined by the Church as being a sacrament, between a man and a woman. Two people of the same gender cannot marry sacramentally.
That said, I do not believe that people married in a sacramental marriage should be afforded any special civil rights. Marriage is a religious institution and should not have any standing in secular society. What I believe is that there should be secular civil unions, open to anyone regardless of gender, that affords rights to property ownership and transference, income tax filing status, etc. If two people want these rights, there should be a mechanism for filing a civil union contract that would bestow these rights upon them. Religious status should have nothing to do with this civil union.
Then the churches can decide who does and does not qualify for a marriage according to the teachings of the churches without government interference. If a couple get married in the Church, they are then free to file for a civil union to receive the secular benefits of a union.
Look at it this way. We don't receive any special secular benefits from Baptism. We aren't allowed to vote because we've received Confirmation. We certainly aren't excused from secular crimes because we've received absolution from Confession. Why then should we expect preferential treatment by secular authorities because we've undergone the Sacrament of Marriage? Let the secular government decide what's necessary for a civil union, and let the Church, as its right, decide what's necessary for a valid sacramental Marriage.
That said, I do not believe that people married in a sacramental marriage should be afforded any special civil rights. Marriage is a religious institution and should not have any standing in secular society. What I believe is that there should be secular civil unions, open to anyone regardless of gender, that affords rights to property ownership and transference, income tax filing status, etc. If two people want these rights, there should be a mechanism for filing a civil union contract that would bestow these rights upon them. Religious status should have nothing to do with this civil union.
Then the churches can decide who does and does not qualify for a marriage according to the teachings of the churches without government interference. If a couple get married in the Church, they are then free to file for a civil union to receive the secular benefits of a union.
Look at it this way. We don't receive any special secular benefits from Baptism. We aren't allowed to vote because we've received Confirmation. We certainly aren't excused from secular crimes because we've received absolution from Confession. Why then should we expect preferential treatment by secular authorities because we've undergone the Sacrament of Marriage? Let the secular government decide what's necessary for a civil union, and let the Church, as its right, decide what's necessary for a valid sacramental Marriage.
Why, as a Catholic, do I support Barak Obama? I’ve been asked this several times, and it’s really surprised me that there’s an assumption that a good Catholic cannot support Obama. It seems to me that it usually boils down on his being pro-choice on abortion. Many Catholics seem to think being pro-choice automatically makes one unfit for Catholic support politically. Of course, that assumes that the Catholic position on abortion is always right, but that’s another topic.
I believe the problem is that many Catholics use the stance on abortion as the ONLY yardstick. They have become single-issue voters, which is very dangerous. No one candidate, of course, will fit all the criteria for choosing the perfect candidate. There is no perfect candidate. What we must do is discern who will be the best man for the job, taking EVERYTHING into consideration.
Democratic programs are much more pro-family than Republican initiatives. Under Republicans, we would become slaves to the profits of corporations, with little incentive to provide much needed daycare for working mothers. Pensions plans would continue to fail, and efforts to privatize social security would leave people penniless when retirement age arrived (just see what the stock market is doing and thing, would you want your retirement savings dependant on it?). Do you think it was the Republicans that championed the 40 hour work week, worker’s compensation, the right to unionize, pension systems and health care? No, all this was fought for by Democrats, progressives, and socialists.
Catholics need to wake up and not let themselves be fooled into being one-issue voters. Yes, let Obama know you disagree with his stance on abortion (though allowing abortion to legal hardly forces you to have one. You can still act on your conscience and not have one). Don’t, however, vote for someone just because they are “pro-life” over abortion when they otherwise support policies that lead to the breakup of the family, poor medical care leading to the deaths of children, the further divide between the rich and poor of the country, and the state sponsored murder of people in a corrupt criminal justice system.
I believe the problem is that many Catholics use the stance on abortion as the ONLY yardstick. They have become single-issue voters, which is very dangerous. No one candidate, of course, will fit all the criteria for choosing the perfect candidate. There is no perfect candidate. What we must do is discern who will be the best man for the job, taking EVERYTHING into consideration.
- For me, I cannot understand how anyone who purports to be a Christian can support what the Republicans stand for in this country. Consider the following:
- Republicans are so pro corporate interests that they ignore the rights of the individual citizens.
- Republicans are adamantly pro capital punishment, which the Catholic Church claims to be as evil as abortion.
- Republicans are against any kind of health care reform that would benefit those in need, or even the working middle class.
- Republicans are against social programs desperately needed by the poor, instead wanting to push the burden onto the private sector and churches.
- Republicans believe in armed military intervention where US corporate interests are threatened, and are willing to engage in torture.
- Republicans align themselves with the Christian Fundamentalists who, despite allying with Catholics on issues of abortion, steadfastly maintain that Catholics are not true Christians and actively discriminate against us.
Democratic programs are much more pro-family than Republican initiatives. Under Republicans, we would become slaves to the profits of corporations, with little incentive to provide much needed daycare for working mothers. Pensions plans would continue to fail, and efforts to privatize social security would leave people penniless when retirement age arrived (just see what the stock market is doing and thing, would you want your retirement savings dependant on it?). Do you think it was the Republicans that championed the 40 hour work week, worker’s compensation, the right to unionize, pension systems and health care? No, all this was fought for by Democrats, progressives, and socialists.
Catholics need to wake up and not let themselves be fooled into being one-issue voters. Yes, let Obama know you disagree with his stance on abortion (though allowing abortion to legal hardly forces you to have one. You can still act on your conscience and not have one). Don’t, however, vote for someone just because they are “pro-life” over abortion when they otherwise support policies that lead to the breakup of the family, poor medical care leading to the deaths of children, the further divide between the rich and poor of the country, and the state sponsored murder of people in a corrupt criminal justice system.
First post
Hello. Some of you may remember me from my old blog (now defunct and removed) on Live Journal. I'm starting over again on Blogger. In the coming days, I'll try to post a few of my more popular older posts on here to they're still available for reference.
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