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Monday, September 17, 2012

When Will The Next Pope Be Elected

next pope
Who will be the next Pope?
Image from flickr by Sergey Gabdurakhmanov
Have you ever wondered when the next Pope will be elected? Of course we know that either of two things must happen in order for the next Pope to be elected:
1. the current Pope must have passed away
2. the current Pope must resign

That's what Canon Law states.

But we can never predict the moment of either occurring. Actually, we can predict when the current Pope will die anyway.

Impossible, you say! Read this pope prophesy...


Those of the younger generation may not of course remember half of the following.

1981  & 2005 - Two  Interesting Years

Interesting  Year 1981
1.  Prince Charles got married.
2.  Liverpool crowned soccer Champions of  Europe .
3.  Australia   lost the Ashes.
4.  The Pope died.


Interesting  Year 2005
1. Prince Charles got  married.
2.  Liverpool crowned soccer Champions of  Europe .
3.  Australia   lost the Ashes.
4.  The Pope died.

Lesson  to be learned: The  next time Charles gets married, someone should  warn the  Pope.

Will this be listed as pope history? :)

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Free PC Daily Bible Guide

Do you want to increase your Christian faith?

Besides daily prayer, one of the best ways to edify your faith is to read and study the Bible. Here's a new guide that is installed on your PC and it delivers your Daily Bible Guide and it's free.

Click on the image below, register and install the software and your set...

 

If you think this will help another soul who is searching for God, share this post.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

The Harbinger by Cahn - Is It An Ancient Fable?

the harbinger by cahn
Are these really a Harbinger?
Image by Irargerich via Flickr
We are just 3 into having concluded the 11th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York.

Today, I watched this video produced by CBN, of an interview with Jonathan Cahn, author of the New York Times Bestseller - The Harbinger.

If you think this could be a conservative Christian's imagination run wild, watch the video and conclude.

Cahn's book is a hotseller not just because Christians flocked to buy it but even secular people are buying it.




Have you read the book yet? It was launched in January 2012. You may get it here from Amazon, by clicking the image below.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Are These Liberal Nuns?

liberal nuns donation drive
Liberal Nuns Donation Drive
image from PinkMoose on Flickr
If nuns advertise sinful activities, does it make them liberal nuns?

Read on and decide...


A man is driving down a deserted stretch of highway when he notices a sign out of the corner of his eye...

It reads:

SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS
HOUSE OF PROSTITUTION
 10 MILES

He thinks this is a figment of his imagination and drives on without second thought.

Soon he sees another sign which reads:

SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS
HOUSE OF PROSTITUTION
 5 MILES

Suddenly he begins to realize that these signs are for real and drives past a third sign saying:

SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS
HOUSE OF PROSTITUTION
> NEXT RIGHT

His curiosity gets the best of him and he pulls into the drive. On the far side of the parking lot is a stone building with a small sign next to the door reading:

SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS

He climbs the steps and rings the bell. The door is answered by a nun in a long black habit who asks,

'What may we do for you! my son?'

He answers, 'I saw your signs along the highway and was interested in possibly doing business....'

'Very well my son. Please follow me.'

He is led through many winding passages and is soon quite disoriented.

The nun stops at a closed door and tells the man, 'Please knock on this door.'

He does so and another nun in a long habit, holding a tin cup answers the door.

This nun instructs, 'Please place $100 in the cup then go through the large wooden door at the end of the hallway.'

He puts $100 in the cup, eagerly trots down the hall and slips through the door pulling it shut behind him.
The door locks, and he finds himself back in the parking lot facing another sign:

GO IN PEACE.
YOU HAVE JUST BEEN SCREWED BY
THE SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS.
SERVES YOU RIGHT, YOU SINNER

Thursday, September 6, 2012

How To Raise Good Catholic Children

how to raise good catholic children
Good Children
image by Tela Chhe via Flickr
If you're a Catholic parent, have you ever wondered how to raise good kids?

If you have, you may have searched Google or Amazon or your neighborhood bookstore for a title. You would have picked one up and you would have read some baffling advise from the author who has a PhD in Child Psychiatry. That's the problem with the modern science (or pseudo science some people say it is) called psychiatry.

After reading such books you'll end up believing that your parents should never been allowed to have kids, because they brought you up bad, according to the modern author's philosophy.

Actually you can always pick up a good Catholic book written by a real parent. In fact, Mrs. Mary Reed Newland, a mother of 7 children wrote such a book that was republished in 2004 by Sophia Institute Press.

The book, titled "How to Raise Good Catholic Children" was originally published fifty years ago. So you can imagine how solid her advise would be in this 336 page book, that is not adulterated by modern wimpy advise.

Here's what one modern reader says...



Every Catholic family should have a copy of this book in their family library!


Because the advise is based on experience and not theory, Newland gives actual examples to guide parents.



It is full of wonderful insights and examples.
Here's what you will discover from the timeless insight from Mary Reed Newland:

  • Genuine love of the Rosary
  • A sense of the dignity of work
  • Devotion to Mary and the saints
  • A proper love for the love of the things of this world and the things of Heaven
  • Attentiveness at Mass
  • Love for the Eucharist
  • An understanding and love for purity
  • The ability to make good Confessions
  • and much more.


Get your personal copy from Amazon by clicking the image below...

Monday, September 3, 2012

Father Capodanno - The Grunt Padre

Lt. Fr. Vincent R. Capodanno
image from Wikipedia
This morning as I was having breakfast at 8:00 am at home, the neighborhood was quiet. The only sounds I could hear were the neighbor's puddle yelping and a crow announcing its presence. Not a sound from a human or any human created devices.

As I was letting that silence soak in, I couldn't help remember how chaotic the situation must have been on Monday, 4 September 1967, in Que-Son Valley in then South Vietnam.

On that day, I was two months short of 5. My parents used to rear chickens in those days to reduce our food bills. As usual, during the morning of that day, I was probably playing with the chickens and stepping on their poo while 500 miles to the north of my hometown (Kuantan, Malaysia), US Marines were fighting the North Vietnamese Army and stepping on booby traps and mines. Among them was Father Capodanno, administering Last Rights to the dying and patching up the wounded.

That was also the day that Lt. Vincent Robert Capodanno was martyred - after obtaining 3 Purple Hearts - all in ONE day!

I first heard about Servant of God, Lt. Fr. Vincent Capodanno while doing some research on Hero Priests in 2010. I was preparing to present a vocation camp for the Confirmation Class of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Puchong, Malaysia. I wanted to showcase to these kids that priests can also be heroes, despite the media portraying all Catholic priests as sexual predators preying on children.

I created a video to highlight priests who are worth emulating that you can watch here...



My apologies to the Capodanno family for misspelling the family name.

For Christmas 2011, I bought the book titled, The Grunt Padre: Father Vincent Robert Capodanno, Vietnam, 1966-1967, for my 19-year old son, Jared. In this age, when kids have role models in small 50 Cent denominations or sound like M&M, something is seriously wrong. I hope this chronicle of Father Vincent's life will inspire him to serve and sacrifice too.

Wouldn't somebody with such a story like this inspire you more...



  During those early hours, Chaplain Capodanno received word of the battle taking place. He sat in on the morning briefing at the 3rd Battalion's Combat Operations Center. He took notes and listened to the radio reports coming in. As the elements of Company "M" and "K" prepared to load the helicopters. "Fr.Vince" requested to go with them. His Marines needed him. "It's not going to be easy" he stated. As Company "M" approached the small village of Chau Lam, the North Vietnamese opened up on the 2nd Platoon, which was caught on a small knoll, out in the open. The fighting was fierce, hand to hand at times, and the platoon was in danger of being overrun. Father Capodanno went among the wounded and dying, giving last rites and taking care of his Marines. Wounded once in the face and suffering another wound that almost severed his hand, Father Capodanno moved to help a wounded corpsman only yards from an enemy machinegun. Father Capodanno died taking care of one of his men.



For some inexplicable reason I hold Fr. Capodanno as my own hero priest. I'm not sure if it's because I wanted to be a priest when I was in my early tweens and teens, or because I was an Army Reserve Second Lieutenant or is it because he was the saint who was closest to me in time and space. I'm in the midst of reading this book and I was thrilled to read that the Grunt Padre participated in Operation Rio Blanco from Nov. 20 -27, 1966. 20th November 1966 was my 4th birthday. There's a running joke in my family that dates associated with my sister, Jackie, are jinxed - so I was amused that on her 1st birthday, May 11, 1966, Fr. Capodanno received both the National Defense Service Medal and the Vietnam Service Medal.

I write this on the 45th anniversary (it's the 4th of September in Malaysia) of Fr. Vincent's departure into eternal life and I hope that if you are looking for a hero to emulate or a role model for today's youth, present them with this gripping book. If you think this book will help your parish priest or even your Bishop, get him a copy.



My name is Ray Lowry and I was the last Catholic priest to see Vince alive and the first to see him dead. On 6 Dec. 1966 Vince and I changed jobs; I went out to 1/7 on the Batangan Peninsula and Vince replaced me at 1st Med. Within weeks of arriving in Vietnam I had heard stories about Vince and he indeed "became a legend in his own time". His CO at 1/7, Lt.Col. Buzz Lubka, told me that Fr. Capodanno "could walk on water." He was an inspiration to me and made me a better Chaplain for knowing him. I'll never forget the night he died but that is a story in itself. Fr. Mode has indeed captured the essence of the man. I still think of Vince daily. I am honored to have known him and to have shared my life with him as a Chaplain with the Marines in Vietnam. May God grant his noble soul eternal rest

I had the ultimate priveledge to work on part of the book prior to publication. This initial introduction to Father Vincent Capodanno was life changing. Even in death, the Father continues to give a message of love. Father Mode did a fantastic job in telling of Father Vince Capodannos heroism and love for his fellow human being. He gave the ultimate sacrifice of love for his "grunts". Being the wife of a Marine, I understand secondhand the bond of the Marine Brotherhood but to see it portrayed in Father Capodannos life story, it takes on new meaning. When you read it, you too will have a cause to change for the better. Fr. Capodanno is truly an inspiration! Donna Bragg

Jesus said the harvest is great but the laborers are few. On Labor Day 1967, one of God's few laborers went home after a bountiful harvest...

You may get the book from Amazon by clicking the image below...

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Sexual Surrogate Therapists - Can Christians Use Their Services?

sexual surrogate therapists 
Sexual Surrogate Therapists - image by MeganSchuirmann via Flickr
What got me into writing this article was the news yesterday I read on Yahoo about Helen Hunt's new movie, "The Sessions".



The film, formerly titled The Surrogates, was one of this year’s best reviewed films at the Sundance Film Festival, and is the first film of the year so far to get the Oscars buzzing. In the film, Hunt plays a sex therapist, which is being called her “boldest move” on the big screen thus far in her career.
At the risk of being viewed as naive, I'd never heard of this term until yesterday, although I've heard of sex coaches before - last month actually.



Think you're good at sex? The sex coach—yep, we said sex coach—will be the judge of that. He literally paces the sidelines of your bed, calling the plays and (gently) critiquing your moves. He wants to take you and your teammate to the promised land—and do you really want to argue with the Phil Jackson of boning?
Although there is now a movie promoting such services and people are going to become much more aware of such services, if they haven't already, it's still something most people don't avail themselves of.



Although use of surrogate partners is rare among patients of both genders, they are increasingly being used by women whose physical or mental health problems prevent them from enjoying a healthy sex life, experts say. In the past, such therapy was employed almost exclusively by men.
Movies such as The Sessions will create an increase in people using such services, not everybody will. Everyone knows that there are prostitutes and social escorts (who do more than just escort you), but not everyone goes to them. Just as Viagra is available for men, not all men who have sexual dysfunction use it.

What exactly does a sexual surrogate do?



Mare says: “I earn my living by sleeping with other women’s husbands or boyfriends. But I am in no way a prostitute as sex surrogacy is legal, as long as it is done in a therapeutic and healing atmosphere.

“People are paying for counselling and to cure their problems — not sex.

“I am helping improve and change the sex lives of thousands of men, which means I am also helping improve the sex lives of their wives and girlfriends.
The  cartoon below that I received in my email many years ago, begs the same question as sexual surrogacy...



Now, the point of this post, is to discuss whether it's permissible for a Christian man or woman to have sex with a sexual surrogate in order to improve on their sex life and therefore to improve on their marriage?

Of the premise of such a question is that sex is the foundation of a happy and fruitful marriage. From a Christian perspective, Jesus said that this would tantamount to adultery. Actually the solution to a lackluster sex life in marriage can be cured by attending a Theology of the Body session.

According to Pope John Paul II's TOB, it's love that leads a fruitful sex life and not vice versa. So a married couple who lead a dissatisfying sexual life, has a problem in the spiritual arena rather than a purely physiological deficit.



Our world is saturated with sex but remains starved for love. Why? Perhaps as Waylon Jennings put it, we’re “Lookin' for love in all the wrong places, lookin' for love in too many faces.”
Is the Catholic Church saying that it has the answer to the world's sexual emptiness? Here's the answer...


the Catholic Church has a vision of sexual love far more glorious than anything Sigmund Freud, Hugh Hefner, Britney Spears, or Howard Stern could dream of or imagine.
Attend a TOB program and you will never view marriage as a joke or a burden anymore.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Catholic Colleges - Which Are The Best

Catholic Colleges - image by Tim Green via flickr
I'm sure with all the controversy among Catholic Colleges, many parents are wondering which are the top or best Catholic Colleges to send their kids to, so that they get a good Catholic education.

It's important where you get such a list from. According to a list of top universities in the US, 6 Catholic colleges made it to this list.



Forbes magazine has issued its annual U.S. college and university rankings. Six Catholic schools made it into the top 100 out of the 650 schools listed this year.

The colleges listed in the top 100 are University of Notre Dame,  No. 12; Boston College, No. 26; Georgetown University, No. 38; College of the Holy Cross, No. 41; University of Santa Clara, No. 72; and Villanova University,  No. 83.
If you want to be certain of the Catholic credentials of a Catholic college, you shouldn't rely too much on Forbes, which after all is a secular publication and need not necessarily be loyal to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. See what they use to evaluate the colleges on their list.



The list “focuses on educational outcomes, not reputations.” Forbes also looks at the best bang for the undergraduate buck.
If you want a list of good Catholic colleges to send your kids to, look to the Cardinal Newman Society, who produce their own list of top Catholic Colleges in the US annually.

This is what the CNS says about the Catholic colleges on Forbes' top 100 list.



None of these would score very high on a test for Catholic identity, and some (especially Boston, Georgetown, Holy Cross, and Santa Clara) would score very low.
Watch the video for the list from a recent publication...



Check out the list produced by the Cardinal Newman Society here - http://www.thenewmanguide.com.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Oral contraceptives - Is the Catholic Church right?

Oral Contraceptives - image by brains the head via flickr
What does the Catholic Church teach about oral contrraceptives? Or for that matter about any form of contraception?


In 1968, Pope Paul VI issued his landmark encyclical letter Humanae Vitae (Latin, "Human Life"), which reemphasized the Church’s constant teaching that it is always intrinsically wrong to use contraception to prevent new human beings from coming into existence.

Contraception is "any action which, either in anticipation of the conjugal act [sexual intercourse], or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible" (Humanae Vitae 14). This includes sterilization, condoms and other barrier methods, spermicides, coitus interruptus (withdrawal method), the Pill, and all other such methods.
Note the highlighted text above. Why is it wrong?


Evidence that contraception is in conflict with God’s laws comes from a variety of sources that will be examined in this tract.
Of course if you're an atheist, a follower of another religion or a Catholic who picks and chooses what to believe (i.e. a Protestant actually), then what conflicts with God's laws is immaterial. But the rain falls and sun shines on those who understand the laws physics and those who don't or even deny the existence of such laws.

Does the Catholic Church really know something that the others don't? Here's a scientific discovery that may make you think that Pope Paul was onto something.


Women who use contraceptive pills are 50% less competitive during the 21 days of the month when they take the drug, which contains the sex hormone progesterone, according to Thomas Buser of the University of Amsterdam.
Christians (and people of other religious persuasions) believe that when you go against God you will be penalized. The Hindus and Buddhists call this bad karma. And what exactly are your forfeiting?


Some researchers have said that aversion to competition may help explain the low number of women in top corporate positions.
As if this weren't enough, it looks like the men too want to jump in earnestly with a male version of an oral contraceptive.


When scientist began testing the JQ1 compound, they hoped that it would be effective in cancer therapies by causing tumor cells to reboot, and halt their harmful effects on the body. Unfortunately, the drug doesn't appear to work against cancer in the way that researchers had thought it would. However, JQ1 may end up being an extremely important discovery after all: It turns out that although it can't fight cancer, it does fight sperm production, making it a potential key to the production of the first male birth control pill.
So, what will the negative consequence be for men on this potential male birth control pill.

In my 22 years in the health care industry, I've noticed that every drug that interferes with the body in some way will ALWAYS cause a negative side effect.

I guess as Christians it's always safer to follow God's laws, no matter how inconvenient or nonsensical it was sound to us.

Lolo Jones, the US Olympics hurdles athlete is proud to remain a virgin and says,


On Tuesday night, HBO's "Real Sports" outlines Jones' world on and off the track, including her struggles to remain a virgin.

A clip of the HBO piece was posted on the show's website Monday. The 29-year-old Jones discussed her dating challenges.

"It's just something, a gift that I want to give to my husband," Jones said. "But please, understand, this journey has been hard.

"If there's virgins out there, I'm going to let them know, it's the hardest thing I've ever done in my life — harder than training for the Olympics, harder than graduating from college, has been to stay a virgin before marriage."
If you need help in uderstanding the Catholic Church's teachings on human sexuality and relationships, I recommend you attend a Theology of the Body session at the nearest parish offering such sessions.

Further reading:
http://dare.uva.nl/document/181761