Oreo Cookie Church

Once again, I want to wish all my blogger friends a blessed Easter. May the rest of the Easter season be as fruitful for you as, I hope, the preceding weeks have been.

Nadine worked hard during Holy Week getting caught up on her correspondence. The season is a bit easier for her, now that she has twelve thousand of her first cousins and seven thousand second cousins trained in the finer nuances of Easter deliveries.

I also want to thank all those wonderful folks who voted for me in The Catholic Blog Awards. Tony (Soprano) was only able to garner enough votes in the pews to put me in sixth place for Best New Catholic Blog, but considering the competition, I am very honored.

Carolina Cannonball at The Crescat is running another important Catholic Blog Competition. I nominated myself in all categories because I crave attention and adulation. My motto has always been, “Bad attention is better than no attention at all.” I will be nominating others in various categories and you may want to stop over and nominate your “favorite.” Please note this is not “sour grapes”, but more in the spirit of poking fun at ourselves.

And the good Lord knows, at least I think He does, that healthy humor is good for the soul. Over the past few weeks, I have been scandalized by some of the comments showing up at my favorite blogs. The vitriolic level and personal attacks have reached a level that can only be described as disgusting. And as usual, it is coming from the opposite sides of the same coin. On the one side, we have the ultra-conservative folks, and on the other the ultra-liberal. Jeffrey, at Roving Medievalist, posted a link to a very good article on this subject, which you can read HERE.

In the middle of this battle are the majority of Catholics, average folks who go to church on Sunday and for the most part, have no idea of what this ugly storm is all about. My husband so perfectly described it this morning as a church that has become an Oreo. Each of the cookie halves represent the two extreme factions, and the white frosting in the middle represent “everyday Catholics” - those who pay the light bill by donating the majority of the money scooped up every Sunday by the ushers. Without the “white stuff”, the two halves will not hold together.

There can be no denying the presence of problems in some parishes, most notably in the liturgy, of which music is an integral part. However, slinging insults at one another is not going to solve anything or bring about any meaningful change. Prayer, gentleness, and humor can work wonders. We need not look any further then Jesus for an example of how we should be behaving.

Coming Soon

I will be starting my series on the Twelve Steps for Catholics tomorrow. I will be celebrating my 18 birthday in AA this coming July, but like all alcoholics, I really only have “one day at a time.” People I consider to be way smarter and better writers have addressed this subject, but I also believe, “If only the most gifted bird sang, the forest would be a quiet place.” Therefore, I will be adding my “chirps” to the forest.

Obedience

Yesterday’s readings from Mass asked us to give even more of ourselves. We are to empty ourselves in order to receive more grace, more blessings, and more of the promised gifts.

In the readings for today, God is sending us the message of obedience. We have developed a disdain for authority in this country and in our church. The Catholic Church does not run as a democracy. It has a “pecking order” and those of us who are the laity have a place and a purpose in this order.

Imagine how difficult it would be for a large company to run efficiently if all the employees decided, day by day, what position they would hold. An approach like that would lead to chaos. Eventually they would end up in a free-for-all if everyone chose the same position on any given day.

A very nice lady in Minnesota I am acquainted with just passed away at the age of 102. Every day this lovely lady went to Mass, and every day she prayed her rosary. She prayed for those in her life who may have strayed from the path that Jesus had given them. She did not criticize or complain. She understood her place in the church and her mission in the world. If the manner in which the Mass was celebrated was a concern of hers, she never said so. If her priests or Bishops, most of whom she outlived, did not perform up to her expectations, she just prayed more.

People like her are the backbone of the Church. They are obedient and prayerful. They recognize what the readings for today are saying. Walk in humility and obedience, and you can change the world. Guard your thoughts and your actions. A friend in AA is always saying, “I change me, and you get better.” That is the core of the message of Jesus.

"The greatest among you will be the one who serves the rest" Matthew 23:11

Catechism of the Catholic Church

901 "Hence the laity, dedicated as they are to Christ and anointed by the Holy Spirit, are marvelously called and prepared so that even richer fruits of the Spirit may be produced in them. For all their works, prayers, and apostolic undertakings, family and married life, daily work, relaxation of mind and body, if they are accomplished in the Spirit - indeed even the hardships of life if patiently born - all these become spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Hail, Full of Grace

Over the past few years, our Protestant brothers and sisters have been holding Mary in higher regard than in the past. For some, however, it is still a very sticky point of doctrine they just don’t want to wrap themselves around.

For Mary to be born without original sin is, in particular, difficult for them to understand, or for that matter, want to believe. Even many Catholics today do not understand this doctrine. Far too many Catholics think today’s celebration is about Jesus being conceived without sin. And, some even think it means Mary was conceived “by the power of the Holy Spirit”, which she was not.

For Mary to be immaculately conceived means that from the moment of conception Mary was preserved from the stain of Original Sin. Mary had the potential to be born with Original Sin, but God stepped in with the redeeming grace of Christ. He is God, after all, and is perfectly capable of doing this.

We hear this most plainly when the Angel Gabriel says to Mary; “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28). Many of the recent translations say something wimpy along the lines of “highly favored one.” Yes, Mary was highly favored, but “full of grace” tells us so much more. For Gabriel to recognize her as “full of grace” lets us know that this indwelling of sanctifying grace had already happened.

One of the main objections to the Immaculate Conception is Rom. 3:23 where we are told, “all have sinned.” Furthermore, Mary said in Luke 1:47; “ My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” If she had no sin why would she need a Savior?

As to “all have sinned” we know a little baby cannot commit a sin. You have to have an awareness in order to sin, which a baby is incapable of having. St. Paul was most likely referring to Original Sin in this passage. So, we have come full circle. We are all subject to Original Sin, even Mary. At the moment of conception, however, Mary was kept spotless - a perfect vessel for Our Lord and Savior.

This woman who was cast in the role of Mother of God is also our Mother. She is someone you can turn to in times of need. She is someone who loves and understands you, and she is the one who teaches you the true meaning of obedience. When Mary said, “be it done unto me according to Thy will”, she gave us a vision for a way of life we all should be striving to live.