Marriage Tips from a Couple Married for 87 Years

Posted on 11 August 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From the National Organization for Marriage:

Marriage Tips from a Couple Married for 87 Years

Zelmyra and Herbert Fisher married on May 13, 1924.  In 2008, they broke the Guinness World Record for being the longest married living couple.  Both died at the age of 105–Herbert in 2011 and Zelmyra in 2013.

Before their deaths, the Fishers answered fourteen questions about their relationship and what made their marriage last for nearly 90 years.  One of their tips will comfort anyone who is preparing for marriage or hoping to strengthen his or her marriage:

“There’s no secret to our marriage, we just did what was needed for each other and our family.”

Here are a few of the questions the Fishers answered:

What was the best piece of marriage advice you ever received?

Respect, support, and communicate with each other. Be faithful, honest, and true. Love each other with ALL of your heart.

You got married very young – how did you both manage to grow as individuals yet not grow apart as a couple?

Everyone who plants a seed and harvests the crop celebrates together. We are individuals, but accomplish more together.

At the end of bad relationship day, what is the most important thing to remind yourselves?

Remember marriage is not a contest, never keep a score. God has put the two of you together on the same team to win.

What’s the one thing you have in common that transcends everything else?

We are both Christians and believe in God. Marriage is a commitment to the Lord. We pray with and for each other every day.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, One Man & One Woman, Our Catholic Identity | Tagged ,
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5000 pilgrims walk from Chicago to Marian shrine in Indiana

Posted on 10 August 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Pilgrimages are little lives.  We encounter people, who have their own issues and goals.  We find out things about ourselves.  We have our faces set towards the goal.  There are hardships.

I saw this at nwi.com:

Polish Catholic pilgrims march across Northwest Indiana

HAMMOND | A river of mostly Polish Catholic pilgrims, including priests in ankle-length cassocks and baseball caps, flowed down Hohman Avenue Saturday afternoon.

Pictures of Pope John Paul II bobbed above the surging, singing crowd. Whistles buzzed and pilgrims prayed as they walked en masse down the middle of the street.

They walked in sandals and sneakers and high-end hiking boots, with floppy hats to shield them from the sun. They wore yellow scarves and religious pins. They hoisted banners, Polish flags and pictures of St. Mary, an important figure in the Catholic faith. They sang along with hymns that blared from the speakers of support vans.

[…]

An estimated 5,000 pilgrims — many immigrants who speak Polish as a first language or first-generation Polish-Americans — made their annual 33-mile journey on foot between a South Side Catholic Church and the Our Lady of Czestochowa Shrine in Merrillville. They embarked on the two-day walk from St. Michael Catholic Church, passing through Hammond and Munster on Saturday while on their way to an icon of the Black Madonna, a longtime symbol of Poland that’s believed to have healing powers.

[…]

Patrick Grabowski has been marching in the 27-year-old procession — a major event for the Chicago area’s Polish community — for four years. He says his legs get really sore but he’s learned to bring enough supplies, such as extra socks to change into during breaks. He said the long, tiring walk helps him feel closer to God.

“You feel good about yourself, that you completed the whole journey,” Grabowski said.

Robert Sokolowski drove an hour down from the north Chicago suburbs after first hearing of the pilgrimage a few days ago because he wanted his young son Ben to have a spiritual experience. Many of the marchers bought their children, often younger kids in strollers.

[…]

Marching for such a long distance forces pilgrims to be contemplative, Sokolowski said.

“You reflect on life, what’s important,” he said. “You have to give something to get something back.”

Read the whole thing there.

Perhaps some of you have made walking pilgrimages.  I have thought about the Camino.  But whether your pilgrimages have been walking or motorized, they are, when undertaken for spiritual reasons, a microcosm of life.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Hard-Identity Catholicism, Just Too Cool, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, New Evangelization, Our Catholic Identity | Tagged , , , ,
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“Nobody wants to tell the truth! … They say openly if you don’t convert, we’ll kill you. It turns out they actually mean it.”

Posted on 10 August 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Here is a cold cup of reality from former Speaker of the house Newt Gingrich for the viewers of CNN on 8 August:

“Nobody wants to tell the truth,” he complained. “The truth is this is a radical Islamist group. They say openly if you don’t convert, we’ll kill you. It turns out they actually mean it. There’s no complexity… The president couldn’t even honestly describe ISIS last night because it goes against his ideology.”

“Nobody in the American State Department, nobody in the White House, not just Obama, but for three or four administrations, we’ve not had the courage to confront how bad this is, and it’s getting worse.”

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Your Sunday Sermon Notes

Posted on 10 August 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Was there a good point in the sermon you heard at Mass for your Sunday obligation?

Let us know!

Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
23 Comments

D. LANSING: Two birds, one lease, less killing. Fr. Z says: “Nuke the place.”

Posted on 10 August 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I make suggestions at the end.

At the top, Fr. Z kudos to Bp. Boyea!

From Aleteia:

Catholic Parish Solves Two Problems with One Lease

Catholic Parish, 1; Abortionist, 0.

After years of prayer, a Catholic parish in Lansing, Michigan found a way to get rid of an abortion clinic in their neighborhood: They leased an entire floor of the building that housed the clinic, forcing the doctor who committed abortions there to move out.

Father Steve Mattson, pastor of the Church of the Resurrection, explained in an interview that members of the parish had been praying for years in front of WomanCare, the only remaining dedicated abortion clinic in Lansing. Five times, the 40 Days for Life campaign gathered to pray on the sidewalk in front of the clinic. Abortion opponents even raised funds to rent a billboard across the street, using the sign to offer assistance to women facing unplanned pregnancies. [God bless these people.]

“God’s timing is perfect,” said Father Steve. In a letter to parishioners, he explained that this year, the parish is planning to welcome four sisters from the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist. The sisters will teach at the parish school and at Lansing Catholic High School. They would need a convent; and as he considered the options, the space that seemed most appropriate for their needs was already occupied by his residence and the parish offices.

With the goal of finding new office space close to the church, Fr. Steve considered re-purposing an existing space, such as the parish hall. But that, too, was needed. He set out to explore other options, and then it seemed the Holy Spirit took control. As he explained on the parish website:

“As time passed, the Lord made clear that our need for temporary office space and our parish commitment to pray and fast to end abortion might come together providentially. Encouraged by the prayers of the faithful at our parish, we began to explore whether the owners of the building that housed WomanCare would consider leasing the space to the Church of the Resurrection instead of the abortionist. Their openness to the discussion led to further praying, fasting, and ongoing discussion with lay leaders of the parish and pro-life leaders in our community.” [What popped into my mind just now? Horace P. Bogardus.]

[…]

With that in mind, Bishop Earl Boyea, bishop of Lansing, has signed a 33-month lease on two suites totaling 4,100 square feet on the first floor of 1601 E. Grand River. Plans call for the south suite, where the abortionist has operated his business, to become the parish offices. The north suite will house a chapel and a new pro-life center. Father Steve announced the move to his parishioners on August 1. The parish will begin occupancy on October 1.

As they wait to move into their new parish offices, parishioners of the Church of the Resurrection is praying that this will be the end to abortion in the parish boundaries. The abortionist, Dr. Roumell, is 78 years old. Father Steve is hopeful that Roumell will retire [and repent] instead of seeking a new location for his practice

A blessing is being planned for the October 1 move-in date to rededicate the space that had been the setting of bloodshed and death. I will instead be dedicated to God’s purposes.

[…]

Read the rest there.

Never underestimate the power of fasting with prayer.

I suspect there are folks in the Diocese of Lansing reading this.  I applaud you.  But do not rest on your laurels.  Do you remember what the Lord said about cleaning something out and then the devil attacking more fiercely afterward?

And when an unclean spirit is gone out of a man he walketh through dry places seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith: I will return into my house from whence I came out. And coming he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then he goeth, and taketh with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is made worse than the first. So shall it be also to this wicked generation.  Matthew 12:43-45

Continue to pray and to fast and make reparation.

Also, if I may be so bold as to offer a suggestion to Bp. Boyea.  While it is unclear what is mean, in the story above, by a “blessing”, may I recommend the use of the pre-Conciliar Rituale Romanum?  In the section on exorcism, in Chapter III, there is a rite of “Exorcismus in Satanam et Angelos Apostaticos… Exorcism of Satan and the Fallen Angels”. This is used for places. The rite can be used by bishops or by priests who have permission. I wouldn’t fool around with anything from the Book of Blessings.

Use the older Rituale Romanum.

Moreover, I would do it more than once, or have priests repeat the process.

Go into every nook and cranny of the place, omitting not a single one.  Sprinkle every corner and crack abundantly with Holy Water, also blessed with the older Rituale. If I were doing this, I would even use blessed salt around the perimeter of the whole place, the corners of the rooms, and over the floors before laying new carpet, perhaps also with medals.

In such a place, where so much evil has taken place, the clutch of the Enemy will be strong indeed.

Do not use half measures. Nuke the place.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Emanations from Penumbras, Fr. Z KUDOS, Hard-Identity Catholicism, Sin That Cries To Heaven | Tagged , , , , , ,
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10-13 August PERSEID METEOR SHOWER and SUPERMOON

Posted on 9 August 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Are you ready for the “Tears of St. Lawrence”?  This is a nickname for the Perseid Meteor Shower.  Each year your Earth passes in its orbit around your Yellow Sun through dust and debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle. Don’t believe anyone who tells you that the Perseid Meteors are called the “Tears of St. Lawrence” just because they coincided with the Feast of St. Lawrence.   With that hyphenated name, this comet is surely a liberal comet, which is why it makes St. Lawrence cry… see?   You knew there was a better explanation.  But I digress.

The annual Perseid Meteor Shower is upon us.  From SpaceWeather:

PERSEID METEOR UPDATE The Perseid meteor shower is underway as Earth moves into the debris stream of parent comet Swift-Tuttle. According to the International Meteor Organization, the constellation Perseus is now spitting out meteors at a rate of about 20 per hour. In a normal year, those rates would increase 4- or 5-fold as the shower reaches its peak on August 12-13. But this is no normal year. In 2014, the glare of a supermoon will interfere with Perseid visibility, capping visible meteor rates at no more than ~30 per hour.

Now for the good news: The Perseids are rich in fireballs, and many of those extra-bright meteors can be seen in spite of the lunar glare.

But this year we have also a Supermoon.  The moon will be at perigee, some 14% larger and 30% brighter.  Not great for meteor watching, but this is very cool.  There are several Supermoons this year.

Here is a video to watch with your kids.  Get them interested in the sky!

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And Supermoon and the Perseids:

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Watching the great show of the night sky can plant powerful lifetime-lasting memories. Don’t underestimate the power of a moment of rousing up sleepy children to go out and see something in the night sky!

My own memories include, as a boy, going out onto a frozen lake in the dead of winter where there was almost zero ambient light to sully the velvet backdrop and seeing a comet for the first time.  I watched the Perseids with my mother a few years ago when she came to visit at the ol’ Sabine Farm.  Once I lay upon my back on a terrace overlooking the amphiteatre of ancient Cumae and counted the Lagrime di San Lorenzo.

Posted in Just Too Cool, Look! Up in the sky! | Tagged , , ,
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Why Fr. Z harasses you to GO TO CONFESSION!

Posted on 9 August 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Friends, examine your consciences daily and go to confession regularly.

We are going to get God’s justice whether we want it or not.  But, while we still live, His mercy is for the asking.

You are going along… doodee doodee dooo… and you catch a glimpse of something from the corner of y

BAM!

You do not know at what moment you may be called by the Lord, the Just Judge, the King of Fearful Majesty, to account for your life.

Watch to the end.  It is short.

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These people had a close call.  It could have gone otherwise.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Four Last Things, GO TO CONFESSION | Tagged , ,
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Number of American Nuns plunging

Posted on 9 August 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I saw this at the Pew Research Center:

U.S. nuns face shrinking numbers and tensions with the Vatican

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), which includes representation from more than 80% of American nuns, [The key is “from”.  The LCWR is only comprised of “leaders”, not of the individual members of different communities.] is set to hold its annual assembly next week in Nashville. [They denied me credentials.] The meeting comes as the organization continues to draw scrutiny from the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church, and also at a time when there has been a steep decline in the number of nuns.  [Huge losses in numbers.  And the average age is soaring, such that the graph will soon look like the trajectory of an anvil dropped from an airplane.]

The Vatican first began taking a hard look at some organizations of U.S. nuns about five years ago, eventually ordering an investigation and a “doctrinal assessment” of the LCWR – and a plan for organizational reform.  [That assessment is not concerned with whether or not sisters live in apartments or wear habits, and such.  It concerns doctrine, formation.]

While the church’s specific concerns with the nuns are complex, a few major areas were highlighted in a 2012 Vatican document, which said the LCWR was “silent on the right to life from conception to natural death” and that Roman Catholic views on the family and human sexuality “are not part of the LCWR agenda in a way that promotes Church teaching.” The document also raised concerns about “radical feminist themes” at programs sponsored by the LCWR, and cited addresses at LCWR assemblies that “manifest problematic statements and serious theological, even doctrinal errors.” [Look at the speakers the LCWR has had over the last few years.]

More recently, Cardinal Gerhard Mueller, the prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, criticized the LCWR in an April address before a meeting with the organization and reiterated the Vatican’s intention to require approval for speakers and awardees at LCWR events.  [The LCWR ignored the Congregation this year.  That didn’t go over well.]

In addition to Vatican scrutiny, nuns also face a big challenge in their dwindling ranks. The total number of nuns, also called religious sisters, in the United States has fallen from roughly 180,000 in 1965 to about 50,000 in 2014 – a 72% drop over those 50 years – according to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University. While the total number of priests (diocesan and religious) also has fallen over that period, it has done so at a much slower rate (from about 59,000 to 38,000, a 35% drop).

Globally, the number of nuns also is declining, but not nearly as fast as it is in the U.S. [What, then, are the sisters in these USA doing wrong… or rather, wronger?] In 1970, U.S. nuns represented about 16% of the world’s religious sisters; now, American nuns are about 7% of the global total (just over 700,000), also according to CARA.

A 2012 Pew Research Center survey found that U.S. Catholics were widely satisfied with the leadership of American nuns and sisters. Half of the Catholics surveyed (50%) said they were “very satisfied,” while an additional 33% said they were “somewhat satisfied” with nuns’ leadership. Only 4% said they were “very dissatisfied.” [Denial is not just a river in Egypt.]

A separate survey we conducted in 2013 asked U.S. Catholics, in an open-ended question, to name the most important way the church helps society: helping the poor – part of the core mission of the LCWR – or other charitable works, was by far the most popular answer (27%).

So, their groups are dying off.   Pretty sad.

And, this year, they have decided to hide behind closed door.

 

Posted in Liberals, The Drill, The future and our choices, Women Religious | Tagged , , ,
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Are you annoyed by webpages that play videos automatically? Solution!

Posted on 9 August 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

A happy tip of the biretta to one of the smartest talk radio show personalities in these USA, Vicki McKenna for the following.   Thank you! Thank you!

I pick this up from one of her tweets:

Click HERE

Also, you can follow me on Twitter… I’m just sayin’…

 

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Fr. Z KUDOS | Tagged , , ,
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IRAQ: Watching with horror, prayers, concern.

Posted on 8 August 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

First, I am convinced that what is going on in Iraq is going to have dangerous consequences for us here in these USA and for Western Europe.  Prepare your minds and gird yourselves.

Pres. Obama flippantly called these heavily-armed and successfully murdering savages the “JV team”.  JV TEAM?

I have followed quite a few stories about the horrific actions of ISIS or whatever its called this week.  Islamic terrorists killing people.   Pewsitter has been a good source for links about the plight of Christians.  I also give props to Rorate for a few important items.

Tonight a priest friend sent this, which I hadn’t seen elsewhere:

Anglican Vicar of Baghdad: ‘Child I baptized cut in half by ISIS’

[Anglican Communion News Service] The five-year-old son of a founding member of Baghdad’s Anglican church was cut in half during an attack by the Islamic State on the Christian town of Qaraqosh.
In an interview Aug. 8, an emotional Canon Andrew White told ACNS that he christened the boy several years ago, and that the child’s parents had named the lad Andrew after him.
“I’m almost in tears because I’ve just had somebody in my room whose little child was cut in half,” he said. “I baptized his child in my church in Baghdad. This little boy, they named him after me – he was called Andrew.”
The fact that Andrew’s brother was named George after St George’s Anglican Church in Iraq’s capital demonstrates the strong ties the family had to the church there. The boy’s father had been a founder member of the church back in 1998 when the Canon had first come to Baghdad. White added, “This man, before he retired north to join his family was the caretaker of the Anglican church.”
Baghdad is part of the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf, which is included in the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East, a member church of the Anglican Communion.
Though the move north should have proved safer for the Iraqi Christian family, the Islamic State made sure that it became a place of terror. “This town of Qaraqosh is a Christian village so they knew everybody there was part of their target group,” said White. “They [the Islamic State] attacked the whole of the town. They bombed it, they shot at people.”
The Islamic State group captured Qaraqosh overnight Aug. 6/7 after the withdrawal of Kurdish forces.

[…]

The world is getting crazy dangerous, folks.  I don’t know about you, but we are going to see terrible things here, in the aftermath of what is happening there.

Pray for these poor people.

Meanwhile… more from the Religion of Peace HERE:

ISIS Sets Up Sex Slave Market to Sell Hundreds of Christian Women

[…]

Witnesses reported that, of the 500 Christian women abducted from Mosul alone, the ones who were deemed attractive were taken to ISIS princes to be their personal sex slaves.

Shoebat.com translated a statement from Red Crescent spokesman Mohammad Khuzai:

“Elements of ISIS kidnapped women from the Yezidis and Christian as Sabaya (war booty slaves), and subjected them to be sold.”

Sts. Nunilo and Alodia, pray for us.

Posted in Mail from priests, Modern Martyrs, The Coming Storm, The future and our choices, The Religion of Peace, Urgent Prayer Requests | Tagged , , , , , ,
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