Prayers didn't cause the terrorist attacks in Paris, murderers did

  On 13 November, 2015, members of the Islamic State carried out an assault on the city of Paris, île de France, France.  Paris, as you may know is the most populous city in France, and one of the most visited cities on earth.  France has a peculiarly high Muslim population for a western European country, although most of them would not do anything of this nature.  Which brings me to my next point.  Is religion responsible?  Well, saying that the attackers had "religious motives" does not in and of itself mean religion is responsible.  You can make an excuse for almost anything.  I saw a Buzzfeed article that asked that people not pray for Paris, as "prayer was responsible for the attacks".  I must admit to being a little confused by the statement, and not just because of the sheer stupidity of it.  My prayers did not kill Parisians at a rock concert and a football match.  Many of those people were around my age, some younger.  A few were even Muslim.  Murderers killed these people.  Murderers were not responsible because someone prayed, they were responsible for the attacks because they were murderers.  Can religion turn people violent?  Certainly, but that does not mean it is the religion.  I can't say whether the ISIL attackers are true Muslims or not, as I am not Muslim and I cannot make that pronouncement.  I am Catholic and other Catholics have killed in the name of God (Sack of Constantinople, for instance), they were also excommunicated from the Church because of it (everyone seems to forget that part).  I will say that I can think of many times where Atheists reacted in unjustifiable violence.  Like the communists killing the entire Russian royal family, including children.  That was irreligious violence.  So religion, or in the latter case, irreligion, may not be the problem.  My guess is that there is a psychological component.  In the United States, radicalisation is not too terrible uncommon (which is really sad).  Much of the time, people become radicalised in prison as Islam does not have a clergy class, an Imam does not have to be formally trained, and what happens is that radical Muslim imams make their way into prisons as chaplains.
With all of that, I leave you with this verse from the bible:  "Et Dieu essuiera toute larme de leurs yeux, et la mort ne sera plus, et il n'y aura plus ni deuil, ni cri, ni douleur, car les premières choses ont disparu. " Apoc 21:4
 God bless France, pray for Paris.

A boy in a dress is not a woman

  In these days of political "correctness", gay "marriage" and Bruce Jenner, everything that we know s is not, and everything that should not be is.  Here on campus there is someone, who is quite obviously male, that fancies wearing dresses and what not.  Wearing dresses doesn't make you female either.  In fact, I can't really think of many instances of the women I have dated wearing dresses.  If the dude wants to wear a dress, fine, I can't stop it.   But I am VERY uncomfortable with this fact.  If I say something to someone in charge, they will just tell me they can't tell anyone.  If I tell any of my fellow students, they will just tell me I am a bigot.  So what to do?  I must admit, I am a little confused as to WHY we accept this.  Yes, there are cases of cross-dressing that may serve a purpose (such as nuns fighting in the Spanish Civil War), but to me this is just gross.  I don't even like to wear shorts, so I can in no way shape or form see why this man would want to wear a dress.  I am not trying to sound "judgmental" (does anyone actually know what that word means)?  I am just trying to make the point that this is what happens when a nation turns its back on traditional morals.  I know it automatically makes me a bigot in this day and age, but I want to vomit thinking about it. 

That's not marriage

  Last month, an entire nation was forced to accept a position that man in said nation did not want.  That marriage was not in fact between a man and a woman.  Even more disappointing, is that a Catholic was responsible for the final ruling.  We were told that because of the Supreme Court rulings on contraceptives, that we knew marriage was not about the lifelong union of a man and a woman.  People cry equality, but whose equality?  We won't be free to speak our minds anymore.  Next month, I will be attending the University of South Carolina-Aiken, a very good public university at least by academic standards.  But they're already given in to the culture.  When I was at Aiken Technical College, a woman in a hallway shoved a box of condoms in my hand, which I promptly threw away.  I guess she didn't notice that cross around my neck.  I have a friend who is married and the same thing happened to him.  He said something along the lines of "what would my wife think"?  His line of thinking is more or less closer to what marriage should be viewed as.  Marriage is not a contract, as we so often say in legal terms, it is a covenant, and this covenant is not just between the couple, but between the couple and God.  This type of relationship is impossible in homosexual unions.  I have heard people say many times that "Jesus never said that marriage is between one man and one woman".  He said exactly that.  Read Mark 10:1-12.  Save marriage.  Stop calling yourself "moderate" or "progressive", you're not moderate when you directly contradict Church teaching, and you're not "progressive" when you think that sex is only about animal instinct.  Jesus loves you, live for him.  

For my father

  Today is the anniversary of your death.  You went through more than enough purgation in your last life, I can't imagine why you would need more.  Still, I pray for the repose of your soul on a daily basis.  Even if you are in purgatory, I know you suffer, but you rejoice for that day when you enter paradise.  I know, Dad, that your father had the same disease you had, and one of your brothers has died from it, and another has the diagnosis.  I know Dad, suffering has meaning.  Every time I've gazed upon a crucifix, or looked at the cross around my neck (which I rarely remove, I wear it even in the shower).  I know the saying is true "amor vincit omnia", the Romans knew it, and I know it too, and I ask, if you are in everlasting paradise Dad, to pray for me.  I miss you Dad, but I know that if you hadn't died, I wouldn't have my little sisters.  Shannon, my twelve year old sister, is so much like me.  She has some of the same issues I do, and I know that you'd pray for her too just as you'd pray for me.  Dad, when I was 21, I dedicated my life to Christ.  I was Baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, received my Confirmation and my first Holy Communion.  I have pieces of paper proving as much.  One of my favourite possessions is your Baptism certificate.  It says that you were Baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, at St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran church Davenport, Iowa.  It has a quote from the Bible, "He that believeth and is Baptized, shall be saved". (Mark 16;16).  I am a little confused how you were a Lutheran and were born in 1952 but Baptized in 1961, since Lutherans generally Baptize infants (says the Catholic that was Baptized at 21).  I have heard (according to your eldest verifiable daughter and my eldest verifiable sister) that you became Catholic on your deathbed.  I don't know if it's true, but I like to believe that it is.  If not, I know you at least wanted to be Catholic.  Our family always said Grace before meals, sadly, we don't do that anymore.  I've tried to pick up the habit of making the sign of the cross before eating, but sometimes, I legitimately forget.  Dad, I want you to know that, through your suffering, I know suffering has meaning.  I love you Dad, pray for me.

When did science become a religion?

  If you hadn't noticed by now, I write quite a bit on the topic of fad atheism.  I have been reading books on evolutionary biology since I was twelve, so calling me "Anti-Scientific" is a little confusing to my ears, since, whilst I may not know the ins and outs of ATP production, I am most certainly not Anti-Scientific.  But here's the thing, science can only deal with things that are observable.  In other words, science cannot explain whether or not there is a God because modern science has come to the conclusion (much like communists before them) that the only reality is material reality, they do not believe there is a rational way to explain the metaphysical, as they don't believe metaphysical exists.  No, science has become Scientism, a religion unto itself, a religion with as many adherents as reddit accounts.  Science cannot disprove the existence of God, no matter when certain 23 year old "former" Christians think.  I respect atheists that honestly are searching for truth, but the ones that are atheists because they read a summary of Richard Dawkins, or because they have a wifi connection, not so much.  No one converts to scientism on their death bed,  Trying to imagine how Sacraments would work in scientism.  Their Holy Texts seem to be anything written by Hitchens or Dawkins.  I am not angry at people for being atheists, so people may be convinced there is no God, what I am angry at is how Anti-Scientific atheism has gotten, whilst simultaneously accusing people (especially Christians) of being Anti science.  I also admit to a particular confusion as to why they lump all Christians together and seem to think we are all Fundamentalist Protestants.  Do understand, I am not making a pronouncement on all atheists, but I fail to see why for something to be true I must be able to prove it with the scientific method.  What about the fact the modern atheist hero, Richard Dawkins, has been "proven" (by the way, science doesn't work that way) wrong on his idea of the "selfish gene" (which, by the way, is where the word meme comes from)?  In other words, there's no scientific evidence such a gene exists, so why should I trust Richard Dawkins again?
By the way, does anyone know how to make it where I don't get pro-atheist (Anti-Science at that)! video suggestions on youtube?  Thanks for your time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApLgbO_z2tg

When people say "I've seen no compelling evidence for God's existence"!

  What they're really saying is "I haven't been looking".  Sure, they may have been raised by a decent, church going Christian family.  May have even accepted Jesus at one point.  But then something happened.  Maybe they were hurt.  Maybe they saw someone else suffering.  Maybe they prayed.  And prayed.  But maybe they felt their prayers were unheard.  Maybe they came to the (selfish and probably inaccurate) conclusion that, since God didn't answer their prayers, God must not exist.  I could go into reason for the fallacy between making a decision that God doesn't exist based solely on faulty logic.  But to be fair to the non-believer, what is the alternative?  On the one hand, you have the person that claims to love God but would rather let their child die than have a blood transfusion after an auto accident.  On the other, you have those who reject all metaphysical reality and claim that something has to be material to be real (this is the same idea that brought about communism, by the way).  So what do you do?  This individual has prayed and prayed for God to alleviate suffering, maybe in a friend or a family member, and he sees that his friend or family member is still suffering.  When he thinks about how some people are not healed, and he knows some people rely entirely on prayer to relieve an injured child, he comes up with the most logical belief that he can think of: There is no God.  Now, the logical flaws with this argument are numerous, and I won't go into detail here, but I have found that those that hold a materialistic ideology can never seem to answer me about this question: "If God doesn't exist, why should we"?  They can give me all the scientific evidence that want, and that's fine, science is cool, but it still fails to answer that question.  Do you want compelling evidence for the existence of God?  Look around
-Adam Charles Hovey

Please watch this video

Sometimes, the things people say hurt very badly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2NB42_nEFQ

I was liking this series until....

About 30 minutes into this episode, an Episcopalian receives communion at a Catholic Mass.  Everyone at that monastery knows he is Episcopalian.  And in fact, up until this episode, I had only seen him get blessings during Mass.  I really hope someone chastised the both of the afterwards.
https://vimeo.com/23118161.  I think I may write a post on why Episcopalians may NOT receive the Eucharist at a Catholic Mass. I am just upset that I saw that. I had never seen this series up until either yesterday or the day before, and I think it originally aired in 2006, at which time I was not Catholic, and I was 18 anyway.  It's interesting seeing what life is like inside a monastery but that bothers me.  The Episcopalian guy may really believe in transubstantiation, but he was not properly deposed to receive the Eucharist.  Honestly, if I had seen it in 2006, I wouldn't have cared.  Oh it's true, religion changes people.  I hope he was admonished, I do.
-Adam Charles Hovey.

50 Shades mentality and the death of Western culture

  I had heard of the book, have never read it.  I have read a synopsis of it, I have even spoken with people who have read it, including friends.  I have read reviews, paraphrases, and quotes from the book.  I will not be reading it.  I will not be seeing the film, which is to be released here in the states the day before St. Valentines Day.  Interestingly, St. Valentines Day is on a Saturday this year, so that means 50 Shades of Grey will be released on Friday the 13th.  I am not particularly superstitious, and I do understand from a marketing standpoint why films are usually released on Fridays, but still.  Maybe it will be unlucky for superstitious people that think abusive relationships are romance.  Maybe they'll see this drivel in person, and realise the way to love is not through degradation and abuse.  I have a friend, let's call her, V.  V. is a Christian, she is a member of the Anglican church in North America, a body that broke away from the main Anglican tradition in the United States (the Episcopal church) due to fears that it was becoming too "liberal" (I already said I hate political terms).  V. was cohabiting with a boyfriend for a while (and may be still again, I have not spoken to her in some time, so I have no idea), but I convinced her to move out and she moved into a dorm.  Now, I was once visiting V.'s dorm, and I saw it.  The "book" "50 Shades of Grey", to which she responded "I like romance".  Okay, I like romance too.  Walks in the park, maybe seeing a movie (NOT 50 Shades), going to the lake, going for a hike, going out to eat, heck even swimming.  Those  all may be romantic without being degrading.  So, I told her exactly what I thought.  "This isn't romance, this is pornography".  I found out some things about the book 50 Shades, and it originated as a piece of Twilight Fan fiction.  Okay, Twilight is bad.  (I admit to having seen the first one, as my roommate at the time watched it, I did not like it as much as he did), but there can at least be a sense of morality in the series (even if it is overtly, or rather, covertly Mormon).  Look, you can talk about the relationship in 50 Shades of Grey, and argue they are "consenting adults", that does not make it right.  I thought for a very long time, I deserved to be used (let it show that I am a male) and I started thinking, that there may be a problem with the logic.  Does anyone deserve to be used?  No.  We all deserve to be loved.  From the least to the first, and the first to the least.  Again, having never read the book I don't know too much about details, but I do know, the main character Christian was molested when he was 15.  Maybe the young woman in this book should have actually been a shoulder to cry on instead of agreeing with some very sexual explicit demands.  And if things got out of hand, she should have done what any sane woman should have done.  Left.  No woman should have to put up with abuse even if it's "consensual".  And coming from a family where one of my closest family members committed suicide because of an abusive wife, the same goes for men.  50 Shades of Grey is not literature.  It is not a novel.  It is poorly written drivel for those who don't know what sex is for.  Sex can be Holy (in the context of marriage).  50 Shades of Grey is most certainly not that.  And the fact it has sold over 100 Million copies, solidifies my belief that it is the end of western culture.  And the fact, there is a movie being released this week based on the "book" I think may actually confirm this belief.  Unless we step up and condemn it for what it is.  It's porn.

If Christ didn't find the Catholic Church

 Then who did?  There's the Old Constantine canard.  This is odd, since if Constantine was so involved in the First Council of Nicaea, should it have reflected Constantine's Theology?  Constantine was (at least at the time) more sympathetic to the Arian beliefs (Arians believed there was a "time when the Son was not").  If Constantine was so involved, why is modern Christology so Trinitarian?  And then you hear the argument that the Church was influenced by Paganism, then it would have had to be so early on.  Consider those who claim that the Eucharist is a Pagan invention.  Well then, I guess St. Paul (1 Corinthians 11:23-30) was a Pagan!  What of St. Ignatios of Antioch (one of my favourite Apostolic fathers), if he didn't believe that this was really the Body and Blood of Christ, why did he write so vehemently defending the Eucharist?  Furthermore, what Pagan religion believes that Bread and Wine become their god or gods?  Egyptians, Mithraic cults, Roman and Greek Pagans, had meals of bread and wine offered to their gods, but they did not, believe that they became the Body and Blood of said gods.  (Side note: It actually seems, that Mithraic cults borrowed from Christianity, not the other way around, Justin Martyr had some writing on this issue).  If Christ did not found the Catholic Church, than those that attack the Church as being founded by Constantine may have a point.  If it wasn't for this.  Most people who call themselves Christian accept the canon of the New Testament.  Which was given to them by the Church.  (For the record, I am a supported of the earlier dates of the New Testament books), most would accept the Doctrine of the Trinity, no problem, the Virgin Birth, and the Sinless of the Lord, and many also accept the Apostle's Creed.  The Anti-Catholic's own logic, would mean, that if their assertion were true, their beliefs would be from Constantine, not from God.  Good thing we Catholics have history on our side.  Just remember, what the Lord said to Simon Peter about the Church "And the Gates of Hell shall not prevail".  And they most certainly have not!
-Adam Charles Hovey

Fasting

  In Mark 9:14-27, Jesus drives a Demon out of a boy.  Some of the disciples asked him why they could not cast out this demon, to which Jesus responds "This kind cannot be driven out by anything but  prayer and fasting" (Mark 9:29).  Really though, how often do we fast?  I don't want a show of hands, but do you know how important fasting is?  In the Latin Church, we are only told to fast twice a year, just because this is the requirement, does not mean it should be the minimum!  One of my favourite Saints is a Lebanese Maronite Catholic by the name of St. Charbel Makhlouf.  St. Charbel Makhlouf was a hermit that fasted regularly.  He only took one meal a day, and no more.  During Lent (Great Lent), he was to eat no meat, dairy, or eggs.  He prayed, and as he was a Priest, he offered the Mass (Divine Liturgy) daily.  St Charbel is an inspiration to me because this how I want my spiritual life to be.  Now, I have no interest whatsoever in being a Priest (and God bless the men that do!), but I think that we could all use a little monastic living once in a while.  In the Western Church, Ash Wednesday is soon.  When was the last time you fasted? (Don't tell me, I don't want to know).  When was the last time you did an act of charity?  Your last confession?  Do you Pray regularly?  We have more than one penance.  Our life should regularly be lived as a penance.  I went to Confession this morning, I had what some people would consider a rather severe penance, but I love Penance.  The harsher the penance, the better!  Fasting is a type of self mortification, a way for us to grow in holiness to God.  If you can, try to fast at least twice a week (I understand some people have medical problems and may not be able to do so).  Don't forget to Pray when you fast, because to paraphrase Matt Fradd, "Fasting without prayer is, well, dieting".  God bless.
-Adam Charles Hovey

Vocations

  So many of us have felt that we are called to marriage, and some have felt they are called to religious life, whether they are or not, I think we shall let the Church decide.  That said, I have thought long and hard about it, and I thought I may want to be a monk.  Then again, thinking about it, I think I may want to get married.  I have found a woman (I am a college student) that I didn't even realise I liked until yesterday.  Why do I bring this up?  Because some people are NOT called to religious life, just as some people are not called to a marriage vocation.  Many are called to neither (I always thought it was odd we had the emphasis on one or the other).  Now, that said, if I do get married, my job is to teach my wife and children the Faith.  Did you know that marriage is about helping your spouse get to heaven?  Is that not awesomeness?  Now, I will point out that I know of a few validly ordained Catholic priests that are married (Two of which I have met, both former Orthodox, Eastern Catholic biritual priests) as well as one in Augusta that became a priest through a the Pastoral Provision.  They are very hard working men, and a really good defense of the Western norm of clerical celibacy (remember, celibacy is a discipline not a doctrine.  I remember talking to one of these priests about what it was like to be married and to be a Catholic priest, he said "why would you want to be crucified twice"?  But he also stated that "two crucifixions means two resurrections".  He's a bit of a pessimist, but I like him anyway).  I have been engaged twice (not that the second one will admit to it, not sure why she is so hostile toward me, wait, keep reading, you're about to find the answer), the second woman I was engaged to is a Baptized Catholic that is now Anti-Catholic, and much of the reason I became Catholic (this was about a year and some minutes after she and I broke up that this happened, she was there at the church when I was Baptized, Confirmed, and received my first Holy Eucharist).  She wanted to get Confirmed, which is why I started going to Church with her anyway, to the best of my knowledge, she never did, but she's on her third Baptism, so there's that :'(.  So I pray for her.  That's another thing I have been thinking about, in all honesty, how often do we tell people we are going to Pray for them, just to forget about them?  Back to the original point of this post.  We must remember, it is not us that makes the call, it is God working in us.  Some of us will have happy marriages, some of us will have broken ones.  Some of us will spend time in seminaries only to realise we do not belong there, some of us will stay at a monastery for a while to realise that this may not be the right path for us.  And that's what it's about.  God calls us to holiness.  He calls us back to him, sometimes, we just have to figure out how to get there.
-Adam Charles Hovey

Doing the right thing

  Today, when I was going with my mother to do a bit of scrap metal, we witnessed black smoke not too far from where I live.  Well, we went a bit further up, and noticed there were no fire engines, nor firefighters in that locale.  I wanted to run in, but mother warned me against it.  Eventually, however, the fire got so bad, that I couldn't just wait, so I, another two men, and my mother all rushed in.  Now, there was no one in there (Thanks be to God!), but I couldn't let someone else's life be on my conscience.  Even if I would have died (I obviously did not), I would know that at the moment of my death, I'd have died doing the right thing.  I found out who owned the house, though I had never met him, I'd most certainly have risked my life for him.  And why would that be the right thing to do?   Well, we know Jesus is still alive, correct?  We know he is alive in the Eucharist, no?  But we don't know him in the same way his Apostles knew him, yet he saw fit to die for the sinner typing this and the sinners reading this.  He died to save our lives.  And I would have gladly done that for this man.

Pope Francis is not a communist or a socialist

  The reason I post this is because I keep seeing people on Twitter saying this stuff, and it frustrates me.  So many people are trying to force political terms on a religious leader, which is a problem in and of itself.  It should be remembered that Karl Marx, though an ethnic Jew, was antagonistic toward religion.  So with that, I leave you with the Catechism's view of Capitalism and Socialism.  From the Catechism:

2425" The Church has rejected the totalitarian and atheistic ideologies associated in modem times with "communism" or "socialism." She has likewise refused to accept, in the practice of "capitalism," individualism and the absolute primacy of the law of the marketplace over human labor.207 Regulating the economy solely by centralized planning perverts the basis of social bonds; regulating it solely by the law of the marketplace fails social justice, for "there are many human needs which cannot be satisfied by the market."208 Reasonable regulation of the marketplace and economic initiatives, in keeping with a just hierarchy of values and a view to the common good, is to be commended."

Let's stop trying to force modern political terms on the ancient ideas of Christianity.  
(Note: Spelling and grammar errors are due to distractions)

Being Pro-Life, and not just saying we are

  I was listening to Catholic Radio yesterday, I think Trent Horn and Patrick Coffin.  They were taking calls from Pro-Choice people, only, and I realised that, I don't find the pro-choice argument very convincing.  That said, I can understand why some people think pro-life people are hypocrites, because some are.  Now, I am not going to get into the political aspect of this (though I think abortion should be illegal and have no problem saying this).  There's one problem I have with terminology.  Catholics shouldn't be liberal or conservative.  Those are secular terms that do not reflect the realities of faith.  Back to the Pro-life cause.  One thing we Catholics have excelled at is social justice.  We have made sure people have had clean water, were treated fairly, and had enough to eat.  I would argue that, taking a stance against abortion is in itself, if we are to use secular terms, "liberal".  Many of the more liberal minded people really are sincere that people might not have enough to eat, might end up homeless, or might get involved in crime if steps are taken to prevent these actions.  Those are, in and of themselves, noble actions.  Until the subject of abortion comes up.  We often hear that Pro-life people don't care about babies after their born.  This is untrue.  The Catholic Church having orphanages (as well as other religious groups) is proof this is false.  Maybe it is true; maybe some children will be unwanted by their parents, but no child is truly unwanted.  The fact that the number of abortions outnumbers the number of adoptions is cause for concern.  Abortion is in fact murder, it is the killing of another human being.  Now, they are right to say some "Conservative" People aren't very consistent with being pro-life (and to some extent, that is true), but I would argue, as someone against capital punishment (CCC #2267), that I find it ironic that some more liberally minded people think capital punishment is unjust (and indeed, in many cases it can be), but the common logic for Pro-Choice people is that it is better to kill an unborn child than to bring an unwanted one into the world.  Telling people abortion is wrong does not mean you are judging their soul.  It does not mean you are condemning them to hell.  And when you pray to end abortion, (I cried during my whole Rosary today), pray for those that have had abortion, those that have thought about having an abortion, and those souls killed through abortion.  Not to say there are some bad ways to deal with abortion.  For instance, the Westboro Baptist Church version of protesting is probably not the ideal way to get people on your side.  I have been involved with Aiken County Pro-Life, I have gone to the capital of South Carolina to March for life (can't make it to DC), I have prayed outside of abortion clinics when I worked next door to one.  I did the life chain for a few years.  And somewhere, I got slack.  But now, now that I've heard what pro-choicers have to say, I think it's time to once again, walk the walk, instead of just talk the talk.  God Bless.  Pray for an end to abortion, please.