PathToHoliness

I was reminded how fragile life can be this morning when I learned that a good friend of mine passed away suddenly. I’m still waiting to find out more as the family takes time to deal with the shock.

In fact, shock is what I feel. He was a super champion for life and I know we’re all going to miss him. I’m sure there’s a reason for this and someday we might find out what that is.

In the meantime I pray for his soul and his family.

I’m sure I don’t need to remind you to vote today but I am anyway?

I’ve decided not to listen to any more of the rhetoric. I’ll read about it in the news tomorrow. But that doesn’t mean I don’t care. I’ve done my duty and registered my vote. Now it’s up to the rest of the country to stand up and be counted.

Does your one puny little vote count? You bet it does. What do you think makes up that big number at the end of the day? So, no matter what side you’re on please get out and add your vote. As I heard someone say yesterday, we have the freedom to do this at the cost of many, many lives and they should not be forgotten. I also think our vote is a way to honor those who are still in harm’s way defending our right to do this.

The travelling statue of Our Lady of Fatima is here in Jefferson City, MO. It arrived at Immaculate Conception Church this afternoon and will be there until tomorrow when it moves on to Our Lady of Lourdes in Columbia, MO.

My wife and I were able to stop for a visit for a little while this afternoon. Kneeling in front of Our Lady really helps bring a sense of peace in this crazy world.

If you ever have a chance to see the statue please take the time to offer some prayers for her intercession.

I have to be out of town next Tuesday so it was off to the Callaway County Courthouse today to vote by absentee ballot.

I know the election isn’t until next Tuesday but I urge you to use this right and make your voice heard. We really need to see the proposed Amendment 2 here in Missouri defeated in a big way.

Every vote does count!

At the University of Missouri football game yesterday a plane flew around the stadium pulling this sign.

Let’s keep getting the message out about the truth of this boondoggle and get it defeated next week.

If you need any information please let me know and I’ll be happy to send or point you to it.

In Missouri it looks like we’ve got a number of big names weighing in on the Amendment 2 ballot initiative that would allow human cloning and the destruction of human embryos. I haven’t seen this ad on tv yet but it’s on YouTube and got mentioned in USA Today, although I couldn’t find it in their online edition.

Let’s just hope people will look beyond the emotionalism and see the truth. Vote No on this please.

This would be the good. The people with common sense who are having to spend their hard earned money stopping this horrendous state constitutional amendment 2 that would allow human cloning even though the people behind it claim otherwise.

Don’t be fooled people. The enemies of life are clever.

This would be the bad and the ugly all wrapped into one.

Their billboards show a baby as if what they’re proposing would be good for them. Unfortunately they just want to create babies so they can kill them and harvest their parts. Not something I’m particularly fond of.

No, we don’t need or want embryonic stem cell research in this state or anywhere else.

Somehow the people of Missouri have allowed themselves to be suckered in by an emotional pitch for a pack of lies. The result is a state constitutional amendment that would not only allow human cloning but prevent any law from restricting research on human embryos.

It’s kind of hard to believe that people can be this cruel but then look at abortion in this country. This is all about money and one family in Kansas City who has already spent almost 16 million dollars promoting this phony amendement 2 problem.

So, if you really want to know the facts about what’s going on here I suggest you check out Reflections of a Paralytic. Of course I think it’s great. It’s my daughter’s new website. I’ll let you learn her story by visiting her website and looking at the growing amount of resources she’s linking to on the prolife issue and especially this cloning proposal we have facing us. BTW. That’s her wheelchair in the picture.

I can’t say how proud I am of her and what she’s doing. It’s very well done. In fact, look at what was just written about her on Kansas City Catholic. Her website already has more traffic and visitors than this one!

Things are sure heating up here in Missouri this election year. We’ve got a supposedly tight race for Senator with incumbent, Senator Jim Talent who has to run against this lady. I think we need to pray for both of them. Jim’s a good prolife legislator who I know personally and think highly of. Claire, well, let’s just pray for her.

Unfortunately Claire, who is supposed to be Catholic and a member of my parish here in Jefferson City, MO is very pro-death. I don’t know how people like that resolve that conflict in their minds. It’s sad really.

That’s my spiritual director, Fr. Bill Korte, with me in a quick picture I had taken when I saw him last week.

I try to see Fr. Korte once a month for spiritual direction. Work this summer has made that difficult but we found time finally. Having a spiritual director is highly recommended so that you’ve got someone who knows you and can make sure you’re staying on the path.

If you aren’t receiving spiritual direction you might ask your pastor who he would recommend. Maybe he would be available to see you periodically!

The mid-Missouri Cooperators of Opus Dei got together yesterday for our monthly Circle meeting. It’s a time to listen to some spiritual reading, a meditation on our faith, conduct an examination of conscience and have time for fellowship.

The presenter for us was Nate Tyson, who is a super-numerary of Opus Dei. To learn what that means and a little more about Opus Dei I interviewed Nate after our meeting. Nate talks about the structure of what we call “The Work,” how people get involved to support the apostalate and how he learned about it personally.

You can listen to my interview with Nate here: Nate Tyson Interview (9 min MP3)

It looks like Cardinal Sean O’Malley is joining the blogging ranks. At least he’s going to blog his trip to Rome and depending on how that goes he might make it an on-going project. Let him know what you think! Here’s what the site says:

Cardinal Seán returns to Rome, as a newly elevated Cardinal, to celebrate the noted Padre Pio Mass, attend to Archdiocesan business and to formally accept Boston’s Titular Church, Santa Maria della Vittoria…

“I want to share with you, Catholics of Boston, my experiences as I return to Rome as a Cardinal and more importantly, I want to share with you a sense of what it is that Boston’s Archbishop does on business in Rome representing the people of the Archdiocese.”
– Cardinal Seán

I talked with Justin at the Wespine Study Center in St. Louis today and found out that they’ve got a website now!

You can find Wespine online. That rhymes.

Wespine Study Center sponsors educational programs emphasizing character development, leadership and service for men of all ages. Its activities reach primarily to the metropolitan St. Louis area but also extend to nearby cities including St. Charles, Columbia, Jefferson City, Kansas City, Omaha (NE), Springfield (IL), and Memphis and Nashville (TN).

There’s certainly a lot of erroneous information floating around the media over a statement that Pope Benedict made recently. I think the main confusion is not only over what he said that has irritated the militant Islamic folks who I don’t think speak for their people but more over what he said in terms of an apology. The Pope didn’t apologize for what he said and there’s no need for him too. The media and these hate mongerers have taken things very out of context for their own personal reasons/gain.

Here’s what the Pope did say prior to the Angelus in Rome on Sunday:

“At this time, I wish also to add that I am deeply sorry for the reactions in some countries to a few passages of my address at the University of Regensburg, which were considered offensive to the sensibility of Muslims. These in fact were a quotation from a medieval text, which do not in any way express my personal thought.

“Yesterday, the Cardinal Secretary of State published a statement in this regard in which he explained the true meaning of my words. I hope that this serves to appease hearts and to clarify the true meaning of my address, which in its totality was and is an invitation to frank and sincere dialogue, with great mutual respect.”

I don’t think he can be any more clear.

When I was in Chicago recently I attended Mass at St. Joan of Arc church in Lisle.

It looks like a brand new church and although I kind of like a more traditional backdrop to the altar they had this stained glass window.

The picture doesn’t do it justice. It is beautiful and something that makes spending time meditating near the Blessed Sacrament more enjoyable.