Coucoumellisms

  But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.  ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless.  Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and  foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will  be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’   (Matt 22:11-13)   I came across another version of the "Which of These Made a Vow of Poverty?" memes on facebook the other day, and I re-posted it with my own commentary, but I'd like to add a few things; one was pointed out by a friend, and the other I came across while reading Bible stories to my two youngest. WHAT is the point of this meme? That it is morally wrong to wear ceremonial robes to a ceremony? So what now? We can't wear wedding dresses to a wedding? We can't wear graduation robes to a graduation? Military personnel ...

I get e-mails from Amnesty International, and most of the time, I support them.  I don't give them money, because they do support abortion, but every once in awhile, I'll sign their petitions, because mostly, they work to free political prisoners, who, for the most part, are working for change in places where corrupt governments are in power, and doing it in a respectful, peaceful way.  This is not exactly the case for Pussy Riot: Pussy Riot is a Russian feminist punk-rock collective based in Moscow. Founded in August 2011, it has a variable membership of approximately 11 women ranging in age from about 20 to 33, who wear brightly colored balaclavas and use only nicknames during interviews. They stage unauthorized provocative guerrilla performances in unusual public locations, which are edited into music videos and posted on the Internet. Their lyrical themes include feminism, LGBT rights, opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom they regard as a dictat...

I was listening to Father Barron's Catholicism Series last night, and he mentioned something that stuck with me.  He said something about the difference between Christians (and people from certain other religions) and the secular world, is often the difference between knowing we are sinners and not knowing it. Someone who knows he is a sinner and knows he needs to ask forgiveness no matter how hard it is, will be quite different and react quite differently from someone who would rather ignore the fact that they are a sinner. As a parent, it is easy for me to get mad at my kids and blame them when things don't go as planned, even if it isn't entirely their fault.  It's not easy to let go of pride and say I'm sorry.  I think it's even harder when you don't even believe in sin or God, or that we are all sinners who need forgiveness. I have seen two dear friends go through their spouse cheating on them in recent years, and I have a theory:  face...

I've been thinking about this for a few days now, and finally wrote something down in words. It all has to do with this quote from the song Sigh No More by Mumford and Sons that a friend shared with me earlier this week : Love, it will not betray you, Dismay or enslave you, It will set you free  And I'm just going to copy/paste what I already wrote : It's one of those things that just rings so obviously true. But I've been thinking... I have questions, like how does this apply in circumstances where you are constantly around people that you must love (family, coworkers, whatever) but who consistently directly or indirectly (with or without knowing it) hurt you with their ideas, attitudes, incapacity to work things out, whatever? How does one show love to a person one doesn't even trust anymore anyway? I'm not talking about caring for their safety or well-being or even just doing nice things for them. We're all capable of being nice to people we d...

Book of Deuteronomy 32:18-19.20.21.  You were unmindful of the Rock that begot you, You forgot the God who gave you birth. When the LORD saw this, he was filled with loathing And anger toward his sons and daughters. "I will hide my face from them," he said, "And see what will then become of them. What a fickle race they are, Sons with no loyalty in them!" "Since they have provoked me with their 'no-god' And angered me with their vain idols, I will provoke them with a 'no-people'; With a foolish nation I will anger them." http://levangileauquotidien.org/main.php?language=AM&module=readings&localdate=20120730

Livre du Deutéronome 32,6bc.18.19-20ab.21 Peuple stupide et sans sagesse, n'est-ce pas le Seigneur, ton père, qui t'a crée ? Tu oublies le Rocher qui t'a mis au monde le Dieu qui t'a engendré, tu le dédaignes. Le Seigneur l'a vu : et de colère il a repoussé ses fils et ses filles. Il a dit : « Je leur cacherai ma face, et je verrai ce qui leur arrivera. « Ils m'ont bravé par un dieu de rien, exaspéré par leurs vaines idoles, je vais les braver par un peuple de rien, les exaspérer par des gens stupides. http://levangileauquotidien.org/main.php?language=FR

The whole contraception debate going on right now in the US?  It's not about anyone's right to contraception.  Contraception hasn't been banned, you can still go out and pay for your own contraception to cover your own personal needs.  Actually, half the time, you don't even need to buy them because they get handed out for free. That's beside the point.  If you want to avoid having children, that is your decision, and it is normal that you should pay for that decision.  It's not like pregnancy is a disease to be avoided.  It's more like an option, a private decision.  One that shouldn't implicate the rest of us. Especially those of us who believe contraception is wrong. If a non-Catholic company wants to include contraception in their health-care insurance, that is their business.  If a Catholic company does not want to include contraception in their health-care insurance, that should also be their business. If you have a problem with that...

(This needed to be translated) If ever Facebook needed a "dislike" button, it would be for this picture:    ... with the following caption:   GUESS WHICH ONE MADE A VOW OF POVERTY? Well, I ask you, guess which one has no salary?  The right answer is:   Neither one .  The pope does not receive a salary .  All his needs are taken care of by the Vatican.  When he leaves on a trip, he takes out just enough money to cover his expenses , and that is all.  When the pope dies, in general, he leaves all his personal possessions to the Vatican, (with the exception of Pope Paul VI who left a few small items to his secretary). What other world leader has no salary?  If Prince William wanted to buy himself a slick sports car for afternoon ballads in the English countryside, I am certain he would not hesitate to do so.  And yet, he too lives off of money "donated" by his "faithful followers", (otherwise known as income tax). ...

Si jamais Facebook avait besoin d'un bouton "N'aime pas" Ce serait bien pour cette photo-ci:  ... accompagnée de ce commentaire:  DEVINE LEQUEL DES DEUX A FAIT VOEU DE PAUVRETÉ ? Et bien, devine lequel des deux n'a pas de salaire?  La bonne réponse est : Ni l'un, ni l'autre.  Le pape n'a pas de salaire .  Tout lui est fourni au Vatican,  il peut sortir assez d'argent pour couvrir ses besoins lors des voyages et c'est tout.  Quand le pape meurt, en général, il laisse ses possessions personnelles au Vatican, (à l'exception de quelques petites choses laissées à son sécretaire par le pape Paul VI) Quel autre "dirigent" dans le monde n'a pas de salaire?  Quand le Prince William veut s'acheter une belle voiture de sport pour des ballades dans le campagne anglais les dimanches après-midi, je suis certaine qu'il ne s'en prive pas.  Pourtant, lui aussi, vit de l'argent "donné par ses fidèles...

Season of the Witch promised to be full of angry, power-hungry, cruel, tyrant Catholic priests and did not disappoint on that account, excepting perhaps one single priest. Its view on the Crusades was the usual simplistic and uninformed crap. For your information, in 712, Arab Muslims invaded Spain (a christian country) from Morocco, and they didn't stop there. When did the Crusades take place? The first (and only successful one) took place in 1095. So just how long did it take Christian countries to get their act together, and stop battling each other long enough to get together to fight a common ennemy? Hmmmm, you do the math. No, the Crusades weren't about power-hungry, hate-filled Christians attacking the peace-loving, minding-their-own-business Muslims, simply because not sharing the same fatih made them enemies of Jesus Christ.  Not only is that extremely simplistic, it is quite simply wrong. These particular muslims; Sarrasins, were neither peace-...

So apparently, (don't ask me for references, this was a comment made to me by someone), the pope has banned vuvuzelas. Huh? Yeah, all the journalists were saying, at least he's letting us keep our chairs.  (This said in a smug tone, with a smirk) So I am supposed to be ashamed to be Catholic now, because the pope has banned vuvuzelas? 1.  I doubt the pope banned them himself, I suspect that the people who work with him to organize public audiences probably banned them. 2.  Technically, I'm sure vuvuzelas haven't been banned per se, not in general as the first comment seemed to suggest.  Catholics may still blow vuvuzelas at soccer games without having to visit a confessional afterwards.  They've probably just been disallowed from public audiences with the pope, because... 3.  ... as hard as this may be for some people out there to understand, some of the catholics (I'd even hazard a guess that most of the catholics) going to see the pope in a...

I found out from Maryssa's catechism teacher last night that the parishes are no longer allowed to send announcements for catechism through the school system anymore.  So, parents who want their children to go to catechism will no longer be informed of the availability of classes, nor the inscription times.  The parish will have to rely on ads in newspapers from now on.  (If that doesn't get banned too in future) Now if no one were allowed to put publicity through schools, that would be one thing, but I happen to have sent publicity through my kids' school myself, in hopes of recruiting new players for my daughter's soccer team.  I have also received all kinds of publicity from summer camps and other places through the school. So it's quite obvious that we are only banning one group here. Wouldn't you call that discrimination? I sure do. What about my right to information?  Why is it that a minority "élite" can decide for me what kind of info...

One of my pet peeves is hearing the typical atheist/agnostic come up with the war between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland as an example of how religion spurs war. Let's review this shall we?  Englishmen crossed the waters to Ireland and conquered it.  Most of Ireland managed to boot the English out eventually and become their own country again.  Unfortunately, a small parcel was not so lucky.  The English stayed. A hundred years pass.  Two hundred years pass... The descendants of the original Irish are still Irish.  The problem is, the descendants of the English can no longer be considered English.  For generations, they have not lived in England.  Therefore, they too are Irish. However, all is not well in the state of Northern Ireland.  The conquerors (aka the descendants of the English) are still nagging the conquered (aka the descendants of the original Irish) and this is creating a little unrest. Now, we could have c...

I cannot imagine a more unfitting song than John Lennon's "Imagine" sung to help Haiti. I have come across a number of artists here and there, singing to raise funds for Haiti, and choosing that song, of all songs. To like a song, I have to like the lyrics. I hate the lyrics of Imagine. Imagine there's no heaven It's easy if you try No hell below us Above us only sky Ah yes, an atheist's song to represent the vibrant faith of the Haitian people, who, in the face of incredible poverty and destruction continue, not only to believe in, but to praise GOD. How utterly ironic. They don't need John Lennon or his song. "Imagine there's no Heaven", now there's a depressing thought. To quote the great conceited fool John Lennon himself; "Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue with that; I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first - ...

I am posting this whole article because I got it by e-mail and they haven't posted it on their website yet. The legal ramifications of this concern me because I already have opposition to my bringing up my kids in the Catholic faith. I think some of their "possible outcomes" are a tad far-fetched... but then who thought polygamy in Canada would ever even be considered and it is being seriously considered in BC courts at this very time... Here is the e-mail I received from UFI: Being a parent is one of the greatest joys we have in this world. Being able to guide, direct, encourage and support your child is what being a parent is all about. That could all come to an end for parents all over the world if the treaty named the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is ratified. Currently, only two countries have not ratified this treaty: the United States and Somalia. This treaty will substantially change the rights parents have to raise their children and will tre...

Another good article by Ezra Levant http://ezralevant.com/2008/10/alberta-hrc-christians-have-no.html

Religulous vs An American Carol : (Bill O'Reilly) (...) This week marks the opening of two highly charged movie comedies. The first, "Religulous," is a Borat-style journey starring Bill Maher that is designed to demonstrate that anyone who believes in God is a total moron. The second, "An American Carol," is a slapstick satire that pokes fun at the far left. Director David Zucker, who did the "Airplane" movies, mocks Michael Moore, Rosie O'Donnell and other liberal enthusiasts. Full disclosure: I have a small part in "Carol." (...) (...) No question but that both movies are going to anger some folks. Maher in particular is a provocateur. Promoting his film on "The View," he told one of the women, a believer, that she should go to a mental hospital. Borat would be proud. On the "Carol" front, more than a few people will be horrified that movie icon George Clooney is mocked. Talk about roping a sacred cow! Belittlin...

Susan Martinuk Calgary Herald Friday, October 03, 2008 So . . . two priests walk into a bar. Oops, wrong joke. So . . . two priests walk into the Ministry of Education. One priest says, "I'm registering a complaint. I don't like the way you teach sex education and talk so freely about sexuality in English, health and biology courses. The way you present these topics fails to affirm our deeply-held religious beliefs and our lifestyle of abstinence." Without any discussion, the Ministry officials tell the priest, "Why don't you write the course on Sex Ed? And while you're at it, write a set of guidelines to help teachers better affirm your beliefs and lifestyle in every subject and in every grade. We'll make it happen -- YOUR curriculum will soon be OUR curriculum." Of course, the scenario is ludicrous. Except that it already happened in British Columbia, where two gay men claimed the public school curriculum failed to affirm their sexuality. The c...

Susan Martinuk Calgary Herald Friday, August 22, 2008 (Just doing the copy - paste kind of blogging again, but these people know better than me what they are talking about...) Some 2,500 years ago, doctors were both healers and killers. Abortion and euthanasia were commonplace, and the type of medical service rendered depended on who was paying the bill or how the 'payee' asked the 'doctor' to take care of the patient. That ended in 400 BC, when a Greek physician named Hippocrates decided that patients deserved better and wrote an oath to affirm the sanctity of life and the doctor's duty to protect it. Doctors who took the Hippocratic oath could then offer patients an element of trust and care that was previously non-existent and, for obvious reasons, Hippocratic physicians became the physicians of choice. Well-known anthropologist Margaret Mead commented on this marked shift in the physician's role by saying, "For the first time in our tradition there was ...

Today's first reading: Book of Amos 3,1-8.4,11-12. Hear this word, O men of Israel, that the LORD pronounces over you, over the whole family that I brought up from the land of Egypt: You alone have I favored, more than all the families of the earth; Therefore I will punish you for all your crimes. Do two walk together unless they have agreed? Does a lion roar in the forest when it has no prey? Does a young lion cry out from its den unless it has seized something? Is a bird brought to earth by a snare when there is no lure for it? Does a snare spring up from the ground without catching anything? If the trumpet sounds in a city, will the people not be frightened? If evil befalls a city, has not the LORD caused it? Indeed, the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants, the prophets. The lion roars-- who will not be afraid! The Lord GOD speaks-- who will not prophesy! I brought upon you such upheaval as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah: you were like a brand...