Church Facts I Learned This Year

This month marks my one year anniversary for blogging! I started blogging about Catholic-centric things in late October 2010, so in celebration, here a list of Catholic facts I never knew until this year:

Prayer candles in Chicago

1. Abortion is a severe mortal sin and committing it can lead to excommunication. The catechism outlines that there are certain grave sins can only be absolved through a good confession with the Pope, the bishop of the place or priests authorized by them (see the Catechism - #1463).

2. Any confirmed Catholic can baptize someone into the Catholic faith. A friend had to wait several months before he could have his daughter baptized, so he created a plan to line his the car seat with holy water balloons in case of an accident. He said it would be his dying breath, baptizing his daughter. I hope he drives more carefully and makes it to the planned baptism. UPDATE: Someone who commented graciously informed me that in extremes, one does not need to be a confirmed Catholic (or baptized at all) to baptize someone (CCC 1256).

3. You don't have to go through a Catechism program in order to get baptized and confirmed into the faith if you were baptized into most other Christian faiths. If someone was baptized with water and the Holy Spirit, they can study the doctrine of the Church and we can welcome them into the Church year-round.

4. Taking Communion on the tongue is actually not the most traditional way to receive the Eucharist; receiving Him in the hand was the original method. The only reason the Church started distributing the Eucharist on the tongue was because superstitious, uninformed people thought the Eucharist was a magical talisman. They would conceal the Eucharist in their hands at Mass and plant them in the fields to improve their crop. For more, listen to this -- one of our diocesan priests gave a talk about praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

Elaborate altar - St. John Cantius in Chicago

5. The altar was meant to face east in a church, representing the direction of Christ's birthplace. As churches were built, the altar slowly moved from the middle of the room toward the side, but the priest continued to face east. Once the altar hit the east wall, the priest still faced east, putting his back to the congregation. It was never a way to block out the congregation or exclude. The priest and the people were reverent and facing God together.

6. Catholics cannot get married or baptized during Lent.

7. Catholics cannot take the symbolic communion that Protestant churches serve. Because Protestants do not preserve "the proper reality of the Eucharistic mystery in its fullness...[,] Eucharistic intercommunion with these communities is not possible." (Catechism, see 1400)

8. My one companion is darkness (Psalm 88, Liturgy of the Hours, Night Prayer)

Thank you for joining me on this journey!

DIY in pitchas, 7QT, Volume 49

Click here to read the original post at ConversionDiary.com

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Truly quick quick takes: The fun DIYs I've discovered recently, in pictures!

This lovely lady made her wedding dress out of vintage curtains!

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Homemade laundry detergent: $6.00 for 576 loads. Uh, yes please.

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DIY decoupage, just in time for Christmas crafting!

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Step-by-step how to install under-the-sink shelves. It's enough to make me want to clean...

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Closet dividers made from old CDs. Wow, this is like chocolate for my OCD palette. Not only do I have a use for those old CDs, but I can organize my closet again and again!

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Want the light in the background of a depth-of-field photo to appear in shapes? DIY it! For the non-photogs out there, the contraption that makes this possible is called a bokeh.

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Vinegar runs at about $1 for a gallon. That squashes any competition for chemical cleaners and now you have a list of 45 uses for the cheaper alternative. No brainer, PLUS you can pretend you are your grandmother as you clean everything you can find with vinegar.

Easier than you think

Today is day 183 of the romantic relationship with my beau. Six months, half an anniversary, the six-mensiversary, a nanoversary, halfaversary, something somewhat silly to celebrate. Or is it?

Rather than swoon to you about the awesome man in my life, I thought I'd take a crack at how we got here. How did I land a great, Catholic man who wants to grow in Christ with me? Where did I go right that God would present me with someone who truly wants to discern God's plan? What help can I possibly be to others with only six months under my belt?

How we got here

Whenever people "give advice" to single people from their [haughty] chairs, it often inspires temptation of mild violence. I hope to avoid that.

Love his face

I've known my beau for almost three years now, so our road has been a long one with a large percentage of a friendship-only identity. We met in a young adult club. I can hear the sound of facepalms everywhere:

Of course you met at church! I've already tried that! I exhausted my pool there, give me another direction!

Remember that the majority of our relationship has been strictly friendship; we surprised each other as we became better friends. "Hey! Where have you been?"

A little over a year ago, after a series of weekly dinners in a group of church friends, several non-church-related events, and many email exchanges, my beau and I became great friends. We became best friends.

Then, despite my best efforts to control my mind (like nailing warm butter to a wall), I looked up one day and realized I had a big crush on my best friend.

Believe me when I say the "trust in God," "it happens when you least expect it," "you have to be happy being alone before you can be happy with someone else" cliches bugged me to no end. So as not to cause another wave of facepalms I won't explicitly say those cliches are mostly true... I'll just hint at it.

Get to the practicalities before I click out of this post.


Read more at VirtuousPla.net... I promise, I really give practical points.

Suspicious Superstitions?

Scapulars

"Mel Gibson and Me" by Julie at The Corner with a View
"I Feel Weird" by Trista at Not a Minx, a Moron, or a Parasite

"Suspicious Superstitions?" by Elizabeth at Startling the Day
"Guest Post: Scapulars are Distractors from What’s Really Important" by B.

The "Bright Maidens" were originally three from the oft-mentioned, widely-speculated upon demographic of young, twenty-something Catholic women. Now, we all take up the cross to dispel the myths and misconceptions. Welcome!

I never realized how superstitious Italians and Irishmen are. They are also very proud people, so I'll be clear: I get to say this because I'm both Irish and Italian (with German, for good measure).

Italians will not drink with out clinking glasses and you must take a sip from the glass before setting it down after clinking. It's an involved process and must be handled with care. One must never toast with a glass of water in this exchange, however, because that is bad luck and will have a table-full of nervous Italians trading glances.

The Irish believe that a deceased aerospace engineer has it out for them. Edward Murphy, Jr., they say, preys on the Irish through his rule, Murphy's Law. "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." There are many other superstitions involving bad omens that prey on the Irish. For instance, did you know women with red hair are most unlucky?

Is she unlucky? Or just unwise...

That is, as they say, the luck of the Irish.

Though I think superstitions are mostly silly and pessimistic, many stress that they can be dangerous if one truly believes the minute act causes a rip in the universal order of "luck." If superstitious people honestly think that having red hair or toasting with water in one's goblet will result in misfortune, they excuse a certain amount of faith in God and natural order.

This is what makes people so uneasy about the idea of a scapular. The item resembling a necklace, if worn at the time of death, is said to be a "ticket to Heaven." Using this kind of language closes the proverbial door on discussion because it seems obviously superstitious.

"Take, beloved son, this scapular of the order as a badge of my confraternity and for you and all Carmelites a special sign of grace; whoever dies in this garment, will not suffer everlasting fire. It is the sign of salvation, a safeguard in dangers, a pledge of peace and of the covenant" -Our Lady of Mt. Carmel to St. Simon Stock, 16 July 1251

I once wrote it off as superstitious and if I had worn a scapular anyway, I wonder if that would have been sinful. If I'm wearing it with false faith, I'm not really wearing it as a "badge of confraternity," and I'm therefore trying to avoid the pain of hell without the desire to be in union with God.

A scapular played a triumphant role in my reversion, but that's another story. When I wore it that day, I wore it with a profound faith that Mary would not have lied if she had made this promise. I was trying to turn back to God and my faith was in faith alone, though I was holding on by a thread.

I understand why people would object to the practice of wearing a scapular. As Catholic Christians, we believe, as the Bible explains, we will be judged for our faith and works (Romans 2:6, etc). It seems almost "unfair" that someone would bypass the system when it seems their only motivation is to avoid hell in the easiest way.

I argue that wearing a scapular with the believe in Mary's promise is an act of faith, and is therefore an expression of both faith and works.

What other ways do we believe lead us to Jesus' merciful judgment to bring us into Heaven? We believe our job as a spouse is to bring each other to Heaven. We believe parents are meant to lead their children to a path to Heaven. We believe that absolution of sin heals us as much as we can be healed on Earth, and in effect, if we were to die immediately after leaving a good confession session, we trust we'd go to Heaven.

"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me'" -John 14:6

It all comes down to God's mercy and we should never presume we can limit it by determining we know who goes to Heaven and who goes to hell. We can have faith that our loved ones are in Heaven, but absolute statements about those going to hell take on God's role.

Discern it, reflect on Mary's words, and listen to see if God is calling you to wear an outward sign of faith. Perhaps wearing one will be a reminder to behave more like the person God created you to be.

Oasis week - 7QT, Volume 48

Click here to read the original post at ConversionDiary.com

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How'd I do? Two weeks of a blog desert and then I hit you with five posts in one week!

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Did you know that contraception is a 3000-year-old practice? Yeah, Ancient Egyptians would put animal dung inside a woman's body and use other methods to maker her womb uninhabitable. Centuries later, physicians concocted potions and spermicides that often sterilized or killed the woman. Talk about preventing pregnancy...

If you've ever wanted a bite-sized explanation of NFP spoken by the impressive Jason Evert, here you go.

Many people have staunchly challenged me by saying NFP is the same thing as contraception. I can never come up with a sufficient explanation to rebut this inaccuracy. Jason does a great job of explaining Dr. Janet Smith's analogy of bulimia and dieting as they reflect the difference between contraception and NFP. Check it out!

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Haunted houses confuse me. You willfully enter a house with the promise that someone in there is PAID to scare the poo out of you. And then their co-worker does it again.

See some rockin-horrible faces from a haunted house scare!

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I posted my first YouTube video this week!

And at the end of it I invite you (especially young women) to email the Bright Maidens with your own video, introducing yourself, and we'll post it to the channel. Then we can get this #Cathsorority project started, gathering young, female voices of triumph for Christ and His Church!

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Guys, I didn't forget about you. Far from it, I actually called you out a little. I mean it well and I say it because Jesus trusted you with this message first:

"It is my wish, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument." - 1 Timothy 2:8

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You may have remembered that I traveled to the Seattle area a few weeks ago. Here is your first peek into what I did there! The lovely Allie Terrell has graciously hosted me on her blog where I wrote about a cathedral my beau and I visited in Victoria Canada.

Delight over the unique mesh of Native Canadian art and traditional Victorian decorations!

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Next week the Bright Maidens will tackle the admittedly tough subject of scapulars. This is a very Catholic-specific topic and my research is leading me in some interesting directions. Whether you like them, hate the, don't understand them or make them in your spare time, I hope you join us on Tuesday!

Remember to visit this post if you would like to subscribe to our Google Calendar alerts and know about topics in advance!

Cathdudes, we need you

I told you I'd be back and I think this week proves it. I feel compelled to apologize for the blogging overload, but then I immediately say to myself, "HEY, you are back in the groove. Apologize not for your grooviness." Then I wonder why I talk like Yoda when I talk to myself.

I'm over at VirtuousPla.net today, pointing a big ol' finger at the men in this world. Yes, YOU! Bonus: I doctored a Superman photo and created SuperCathDude, complete with Vatican symbol on the chest. Glory! -- UPDATE: The links are fixed now.

Calling all young men with a blossoming Love for Christ! Your time has come, brothers. You have been called up.

"It is my wish, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument." - 1 Timothy 2:8

We need you and your manliness to take one for the team and be Catholic dudes. Step out of the blogosphere every day and be Catholic dudes for lost and struggling dudes.

Abs-olution of steel!

We need men to step up unabashedly and show us why even the best examples of men in the media fall short of what we deserve and what our world deserves. Yes, we’re human, but that doesn’t mean we should aim to eat from the dumpster when there’s a feast waiting in heaven (source: Jason Evert).


Barney from How I Met Your Mother: Please, men, show us how satirical this terrible example is for men. Show us how his hyperbolic “player” ways are insulting to men and women alike every time he tricks a woman into going home with him and proceeds to talk about it like he won a little league trophy.


Gibbs from NCIS: Believe me, I am definitely a fan of this man and his stoic heroism, but he’s not the best male figure on TV. He got married three times after his true love, his first wife, was murdered. He avenged the murders of his wife and daughter in a brutal, execution-style sniping. This man takes morality into his own hands, following his own rule book. Men, we need you to show us how affirming humility and vulnerability before your Father are.

Read more here...

Traveling within the Church

The lovely Allie of Here is the Church has graciously allowed me to post on her blog about a church I found in Victoria, British Columbia. Don't worry, I don't go overboard on my curious love for all things Canadian:

America is never more divided than on the topic of Canada.

Perhaps that was an overstatement, but I often laugh at the split opinion amongst Americans when speaking about Canada. The majority of the United States is ignorant about the Great White North, but that doesn't stop them from having opinions about it:

Why isn't it the 51st state in the union? Isn't that where snow comes from? Hockey, eh?

Personally, I have a fervent, yet random love for Canada. After all, the first novel I read was the Prince Edward Isle-set Anne of Green Gables. That can make a big impact on a girl. 

It has always fascinated me to think there is an English-speaking country just north of us. When I met several Canadian friends a few years ago, I realized they are so much different than Americans, despite our similar language. Eh?

This summer, I took my first step on Canadian soil and I wish I had a Bryan Adams song to sing for you to commemorate it. I traveled all the way to Seattle for work, where my boyfriend flew out and toured around with me.

We spent a full day on the ferries and in Victoria, British Columbia solidifying my opinion of Canada:

Canada is much like the offspring of America and Europe, while still having its own, unique atmosphere. 

After several hours of walking around the beautiful, tourist-filled city of Victoria, my boyfriend and I stepped into the first Catholic church we found to sit in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Lo and behold, I think we found one of Victoria's most popular and beautiful churches, St. Andrew's Cathedral.

According to their website, St. Andrew's Cathedral was dedicated on October 30th, 1892.

The red carpet gave it a homey, small church feel, but the size prevented that perspective from taking over. It was the perfect metaphor for the Catholic Church: not only could we walk in there, worshiping the same God, but we could sit in front of the same Sacrament in a busy city, and still feel a "small town" tug.

More pictures and WORDS at Allie's blog!

Ramen Noodle Weekends Lead to Happiness

Color me only a little surprised to read the ten happiest jobs involve playing hopscotch with the poverty line.

Forbes contributor, Steve Denning, wrote that these content individuals reported being the most satisfied with their jobs above all others, as surveyed by the National Organization for Research at the University of Chicago.

This man is happy.

People of the clergy, firefighters, authors (all of them, not just the J.K. Rowlings of the world), special education teachers, teachers, artists, operating engineers and others say they have the best jobs. Admittedly, I cherry-picked these because they are on the lower end of the pay-scale.

The other three, physical therapists, psychologists, and financial services sales agents, see benefit both on their paycheck and in the faces of those to whom they cater.

Curious, the similarities in the top ten happiest jobs, no?

Look at this in comparison to the ten worst jobs. Director of information technology, director of sales and marketing, product manager, senior web developer, technical specialist, electronics technician, law clerk, technical support analyst, CNC Machinist, and marketing manager -- call me crazy, but these jobs sound like high-paying, high-competition positions.

They're the kind of jobs that have an important image, that play a key role in the way a business, non-profit, or government entity works. Hmmm

Did you see what is right at the top of the ten happiest jobs? It's much like the reports that only .02% of NFP-practicing married couples get a divorce... If you really put faith in numbers and quantitative evidence... follow the yellow brick road (Please refer to this post, if you are a single man and this wonderful lady if you are a single woman).