Christmas, ALREADY?

Today I went to a friends house to fix some computer issues. When I got home, I turned on the TV, which I am disconnecting at the end of the month, to see if anything is on… One channel is non-stop Christmas movies today. Isn’t it a bit early?

Now, don’t get me wrong… I love Christmas… And I think celebrating the birth of Christ, Jesus, should be done every day of the year.

BUT, we haven’t even celebrated Thanksgiving here in the US. Historically, until recent years, the start of the “Christmas Sales/Movie/Show” season was with the crossing of Santa Clause in the Macy’s Day Parade on Thanksgiving day. This year seems even earlier for the start than last year, by about two weeks! Decorations have already started showing up a few weeks ago as well, again, two weeks earlier than last year.

Christmas is NOT about presents and gifting each other. It is the Mass of Christ’s birth. I pray daily that we get back to that concept! This coming season is a time to celebrate the birth of Christ, and the salvation He has given us in His life, death, and resurrection.

I enjoy the movies, I enjoy looking at the decorations (although I hate putting them up myself…), I enjoy the food of the season, especially the cookies my mother use to make, and I enjoy some of the parties that happen at the time. But I DO NOT like the commercialization that has come to the season.

Bring Christ back to CHRISTmas!

The Order of Brothers of Reconciliation

As my ever changing life continues to move forward, I have opened a new lay community that is pending approval and supervision of the Bishop of the Dioceses of Lexington Kentucky. This Order, The Order of Brothers of Reconciliation is open to all Catholic men eighteen years of age or older (no upper limit, except based on health and mental status, and the Canon of the Church) who are in communion with the Holy Roman Catholic Church and able to meet the requirements of Religious Life per the Canon of the Church.

To learn more about the new community and to express your interest, go to The Order of Brothers of Reconciliation’s web page and follow the links there.

We are also looking for US tax deductible donations, which you can find more information on here. Prayers for our growth and approval and supervision by the Bishop are greatly needed and accepted as well!

In Christ!

I STILL don’t get it…

Ok, when you go to any countries President/King/Queen/Religious Leaders/etc., you go in your “Sunday Best” as it use to be called. Well, everyone but the US sports teams of course… And possibly our President and his wife when they visit important people…

That said, Christians call God our King. So when we go to His house the Church, why are we no longer wearing our “Sunday Best”? Yes, I know, the important thing is to come to Church in the first place. I get that, and I understand that. BUT!! And that is a big BUT!!

But, you are going to visit and listen to your King. Wear your best cloths, even if they are not great, wear them. This normally doesn’t mean your rattiest shorts, beach flip flops, tank tops, holey blue jeans, etc. In today’s economy, at least here in the US, almost everyone has better cloths than what I just described.

When I was a child, in the 60s and 70s I don’t think I ever saw anyone go to Church in play cloths. Just today I saw someone at Church in her pajama bottoms and fluffy slippers! Yes, you read that right, in pajamas and slippers!! FLUFFY slippers!

Dressing down for God just doesn’t make since to me, although it shows to me further signs of secularization and further rot in our societies. Not a pretty sight in my eyes…

In Christ,

Don

The Sabbath…

Many years ago, when I was a child, I wondered why the Bible showed us that the 7th day of the week was a Holy Day, but the Churches my family went to all had the “Holy Day” on Sunday, the 1st day of the week. I never understood it. I asked a minister when I was in my early twenties, why we went to Church on Sunday instead of Saturday as decreed by God in the Bible in giving us the 10 Commandments. The answers I was given didn’t ring right with me, and consisted of “We are celebrating the Resurrection of Christ”.

When Jesus was alive, He kept the Sabbath on Saturday. In fact, the second earliest document that states a change to Sunday was in 74AD for a few small groups, but the general exception of the Christian faith “moving” the Sabbath to Sunday was over 300 years after Jesus passed away. It was not founded on any comments in the Bible, or any such decree from God.

God clearly said that He was celebrating the completion of His work of Creation of the Universe and human kind. The Sabbath was given to all man to be the 7th day of the week, Saturday on the current calender, not Sunday. Why does the Catholic Church and most Protestant Churches celebrate on Sunday?

My research shows a few reasons for this:

The more I pray on this and the more I read the Bible, the more I feel compelled to follow the Commandments of God and take Saturday as the Sabbath. I am still Catholic, will still go to Sunday Mass (and soon to Mass every day with a change in my work schedule), but from sundown on Friday, till sundown on Saturday I will be refraining from work, reading the Bible, and meditating on Christ, the Bible and life. During this time frame, I will not be on my computer, will not be using the phone to check emails, Facebook, Twitter, etc. This does open Sunday to work, such as mowing the lawn as needed, and any other work I have been refraining from doing on Sunday. I feel confident this is what God has told us to do.

In Christ,

D.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Ok, Santa JUST went across the screen at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and it is now officially, for me, the beginning of the Holiday Season! (Spiritually the Holy Season starts Saturday with the beginning of the Advent Season.)

I am now OK with decorations being up, and with the playing of Christmas music, etc. (Although I could listen to most of the Christmas music year around…)

I do ask that you remember what this season is about though. It is not about giving and receiving gifts, but remembering the birth and life of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior (for those that believe).

Just “Who Is Jesus Christ?” – A Book Review

The list of books available to select from this time around from The Catholic Company Book Reviewer Program made it hard to choose a book to read. There are some great sounding titles there. At first glance I passed on this book, “Who is Jesus Christ?” for many reasons. One of those reasons is that every Protestant Preacher seems to lean on and preach mainly out of this book, and not out of the whole Bible. But I kept coming back to it, and I finally picked it. I’m glad I did!

This books was a great read. It went through the 25 titles and names given to our Savior and Christ, Jesus. In each naming, Eric Sammons, the author, gives great detail behind each title, the meaning of that title or name, and why it is important. He adds text from the Leaders and Doctors of the Church and what they have had to say about the titles/names as well, adding more credence to what he says. He ends each section with a question about that name or title or the meaning behind it and how it effects you, or your response to it, which really got me thinking on many levels.

This book is a MUST READ for any person starting in theology, or at any level of theological studies, and should be read by every Christian, especially Catholics!

This review was written as part of the Catholic Book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Who Is Jesus Christ? Unlocking the Mystery and be sure to check out their great selection of baptism gifts while you are there.

Christmas, Already?!

Ok, so I was driving through down town Ashland Kentucky yesterday, and what did I see? Well, all the Christmas decorations were on the poles and going across the streets already! And it isn’t even Thanksgiving yet!! And I heard my first Christmas songs on the radio already too!! Folks, it is WAY to early to start celebrating Christmas!! Let Thanksgiving come and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade happen, in which Santa brings up the close of the parade and officially starts the Christmas season.

While we are at it, let us all remember what Christmas is about. The celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. It is not about presents, partying, etc! Well, it is a birthday party for Jesus, so I guess the party part is legit, but let us please keep our focus!!

Believing in Jesus – A Book Review

Over the past 15 years, I have been studying various religions and the theology behind those religions. Six or so years ago I began “homing” in on the Catholic faith and converted a few years ago to the Catholic faith. I continue to grow in my “new found faith”, and in that function of growing, I am always wanting to get a deeper understanding of where the Church stands on things, and why.

This book was a great find to help me grow in understanding in the faith that God has led me to.

This book follows, loosely, the American version of the Catechism of the Church book released a few years ago. It does a very good job of describing why the Church believes as it does, ties it to the Bible, and explains the differences on a concept between the Catholic Church and other Christian Churches in the Protestant areas.

I HIGHLY recommend this book for any Christian, so they can better understand where the Catholic Church comes from in it’s theology of life.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Believing in Jesus – 6th Edition Revised and be sure to check out their great selection of Mary statues while you are there.