Fun run for seminarians at St. Pius X September 9, 2011
Posted by Tantumblogo in Basics, Dallas Diocese, General Catholic, priests.comments closed
St. Pius X parish in Dallas is having a 5K fun run associated with their Oktoberfest celebration on Saturday, September 17 (why doesn’t anyone have Oktoberfest in OCTOBER?!?). Registration form below. Registration is $25 and the proceeds go to help fund diocesan seminarians.
Oktoberfest 2011 T-shirt Order Form
I just like saying Pope St. Pius X.
I have fallen in love with this old chant September 9, 2011
Posted by Tantumblogo in Art and Architecture, awesomeness, Basics, General Catholic, Glory.comments closed
So, I’m a convert, I’ve led a sheltered existence, but I’d never heard old Roman chant until a few days ago. Now I can’t get enough of it.
Here’s something more modern – Cistercian chant from maybe 12th-13th century:
I think the accompanying photos of medieval churches and Scripture is almost as interesting!
I’m going to load as much on my new phone as I can. Now have something better to listen to!
Yes, I am crazy!
Willing acceptance of suffering is a great good September 9, 2011
Posted by Tantumblogo in awesomeness, Basics, Dallas Diocese, General Catholic, Glory, Interior Life, North Deanery, Virtue.comments closed
From Vera Sapientia (True Wisdom) Book III, Chapter 8 Lazarus Poor and Infirm
‘I am poor and sorrful, O God, help me.’ (Ps 68)
This is the voice of the poor and infirm sighing to God for His Kingdom. O poor and infirm man, bear patiently for a short time the pains of the body and the want of food and clothes, for you shall not be long here to suffer. Give thanks to God, for its better ot be chasitised now with the poor and weak than to be tortured hereafter with the great and rich.
Remember your past sins, by which you offended God and your neighbor; bear the chastisement of the Lord for their remission, for which you have neither sincerely repented nor fully satisfied. Remember also, for your consolation, all the great sorrows and sacred wounds of Christ; for He bore for you more and greater sufferings. Bear in mind also, for your encouragement, that Lazarus, poor and covered with sores, was joyfully received into Abraham’s bosom; and fear the end of the pampered rich man, who, after all his feasting, was buried in hell, from which he shall never be delivered.
See now which is better for you to choose – whether to suffer a little now, to be in want with the infirm Lazarus, and to be forever happy with Christ; or to have, with the rich glutton, abundance of pleasure for a short time, to die suddenly, to be buried in hell, and to burn for ever with the devils. These few words are sufficient for the intelligent. Blessed is he who understands, and in good time corrects himself of his evil ways, that he may not be damned with the wicked and tortured with great punishments. For those whom holy words do not now affect or correct shall afterwards be torn without profit, with cruel stripes, and shall be tortured without intermission.
From these evils poor and infirm Lazarus was freed, and joyfully carried by holy angels into Abraham’s bosom. Hear, moreover, the many benefits of God mercifully given to this poor Lazarus. He had not friends to visit him or any to aid him, but only dogs came and licked his sores. He had these only for comfort in his misery; and what is more miserably than a man to be destitute of human comfort, and to be left to beasts for it?And yet a word of impatience or murmur does not come from the mouth of this afflicted man, but, on the contrary, thanksgiving and praise. [It is very difficult to thank God for sufferings, but there is great Grace attached with willingly, and gladly, accepting suffering]
You, therefore, O weak man, do not murmur if you are left for a while without consolation, and if you feel the pains of infirmity, but consider that these come to you by the dispensation of Divine Providence, that being afflicted and chastised here, you may not perish hereafter. He [Lazarus] perhaps fell into very small faults, buy you hvae been guilty of very great sins. Therefore bear patiently the pains of infirmity, and rejoice that you are sometimes abandoned by men, that you may merit with Lazarus to enter the gate of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Our modern culture tells us that suffering is absolutely unacceptable – that it should never be willingly endured, and that we should expend great efforts to keep ourselves comfortable at all times. I have been greatly seduced by this cultural thinking – I find it difficult to put up with any degree of suffering, let alone be glad for it. But any suffering we endure now, even though while we endure it may appear it will never end, is so short and transitory in comparison to our final end. God has great Mercy for those who willingly accept suffering, and suffer it with a joyful heart.
There are more wonders to creation than we can imagine September 9, 2011
Posted by Tantumblogo in awesomeness, Basics, General Catholic, Glory.comments closed
A recent photo from NASA (I’m surprised I beat Fr. Z to the punch):
Along with a video composed of hundreds of thousands of still images taken by the Cassini spacecraft:
God promised Abraham that his descendants would be in number like the grains of sand on the seashore or the stars in the sky. What a promise!
And we have barely begun to explore even our own solar system, let alone the cosmos. And to think that God created all this wondrous beauty by a single command.
We are but dust……….
A Blog for Dallas Area Catholics 