tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225650422012-01-12T22:50:36.610-08:00NO CRYING AT MY FUNERAL - by Paul Dion"Christian life is not to avoid dying but learn how to die well." (Mark Shea)
This is a www.ParishWorld.net blog.
Paul Dion is a lifelong Catholic who has strong convictions about the relationship that human beings strive to construct with God. He has been sharing his faith with the Catholic community for many years. Come and join him in his on-going expression of discipleship.Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.comBlogger1721100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-60838466754342091102011-12-04T12:55:00.001-08:002011-12-04T20:45:07.781-08:00WELCOME HOME -- ISAIAH 40
Welcome Home! Today the faithful of St. Christopher parish in Moreno Valley heard Father Macabio, MS reflecting on his deeply personal reaction to chapter forty of the Prophet Isaiah. His introductory remarks explained the historical setting of the Scripture reading that Catholics all over the world heard today. (December 4, 2011)
Isaiah was promising the exiled and enslaved Israelites thatPaul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-41723619739927005702011-11-27T21:14:00.001-08:002011-11-27T22:11:09.589-08:00ALMOST THREE WEEKS LATER -- A CRY FROM THE GRAVE
This day begins the era of endless silence for a voice that has been supporting me for thirty-four years. The entire experience of this beginning is marked by the end of an era.
It all began to come home to me when I decided that to solve a small language question, I would email a Japanese friend of mine who follows this blog. When I thought of doing this, I immediately realized that I Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-73851660837434428082011-11-19T15:11:00.001-08:002011-11-19T21:46:11.832-08:00SALVATION BY FAITH [ALONE] ? NOPE
Here we are. The sheep and the goats. The believers and the doers . The Ark builders; the Circumcizers; The Altar builders; The Seder organizers; The Exodus leaders; the Conquerors; The Prophets, The Kings; The Temple builders; The Widow and Orphan protectors; The Martyrs, [think Maccabees] and the Apostles. All of these and more on the right.
Then there are the Rich who know that they Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-33486707819343588632011-11-19T11:04:00.001-08:002011-11-19T11:36:42.951-08:0021st CENTURY MARTYR # 5
Father Jim Brown
We continue our tribute to martyrs of our times.
This is a dynamic Ceylonese (Sri Lankan Tamil) parish priest who was murdered with impunity while on his way to his humanitarian mission. At the time of his ultimate and non-negotiable witness for Christ, this brave Jesuit was all of forty years old. He was killed by the special forces of the Sri Lankan, anti Tamil Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-20210825971157139992011-11-12T14:53:00.001-08:002011-11-12T14:57:29.854-08:00TALENTS -- MINE IS THAT I TALK BACK
This passage
of Matthew has a tradition all its own.
It is traditionally used as source of inspiration for work, for
development of strong personal growth, of the overcoming of fear of retribution
and the strengthening of personal courage in the face of risk. It is traditionally used as a teaching to
make the point that the talents that we have received from God require us to
make every Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-1314997171211421842011-11-04T22:09:00.001-07:002011-11-04T22:09:46.073-07:00
REMEMBERING ≠ NOSTALGIC REMINISCING
REMEMBERING = STAYING JOINED TO THE COMMUNITY
For the last couple of weeks, I have been reflecting on the true
meaning of remembering. Then, the other
day I was struck by the fine weather and so I opened fully all four windows of
the auto I was driving and just enjoyed myself driving around like I used to
when I was 17. It was then that I gotPaul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-2050141211953153492011-10-29T22:38:00.000-07:002011-10-29T22:38:33.375-07:0021ST CENTURY MARTYR #4
Annalena Tonelli, 1943 - 2003
Lay Volunteer
This is a person who lived the evangelical counsel that Jesus gave to the rich young man who approached him and asked what he had to do to get to heaven. Jesus told him to obey the commandments. When the young man said that he had done that all his life, Jesus told him, you still have something to do, "Go, sell all you have, give the proceeds to Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-33895846664042577862011-10-25T00:15:00.000-07:002011-10-25T00:15:49.195-07:0021ST CENTURY MARTYR #3
SUORA LEONELLA SGORBATI
A beautiful, young and dedicated young lady became a glorified soul by the right hand of God when she was shot down in Somalia by evil maniacs. The worst element of them all is that she was shot in the back. In the back! After thirty years of selfless dedication in the training of people whom she loved in the name of God, she was rewarded by the cowardly act of being Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-50059641515431016252011-10-05T23:16:00.000-07:002011-10-05T23:16:45.421-07:00THESE DAYS THERE ARE NOT SO MANY MARTYRS #2
Clement Shahbaz Bhatti (9 September 1968 – 2 March 2011), popularly known as Shahbaz Bhatti, was a Pakistani politician and elected member of the National Assembly from 2008. He was the first Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs from November 2008 until his assassination on 2 March 2011 in Islamabad. Bhatti, a Roman Catholic, was an outspoken critic of Pakistan's blasphemy laws and thePaul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-10417956474648826522011-09-26T14:23:00.000-07:002011-09-26T14:23:51.557-07:00THESE DAYS THERE ARE NOT SO MANY MARTYRS # 1The title of this post is a quote from the pulpit on the feast day of the Memorial of Saint Andrew Kim Taegõn, priest and martyr and Saint Paul Chõng Hasang, martyr and their companions, martyrs.
Not so fast, Father. You might want to check the news occasionally about what is going on in Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Yemen, Syria, China, North Korea, Indonesia and other exotic and interesting places Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-17103840522068822172011-09-24T22:30:00.000-07:002011-09-24T22:30:11.536-07:00RANDOM THOUGHTS? REALLY -- UNH-UH -- IT'S GOD TALKING
OBIOU - TABOR? - SINAI? - MORIAH?
It is impossible to live a Catholic life without being a dreamer. When I stop and think about it I realize just how much I dream. My dreaming rarely takes place during sleep. I dream all day long. Sometimes even 25 hours a day! Unlike Jacob, Joseph and the Magi, I get my dreams during the day. I'm too busy with more important things at night. When Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-15544546457871478442011-08-26T14:23:00.000-07:002011-08-26T22:55:50.401-07:00YOU DUPED ME, LORD!
Reading 1 Jer 20:7-9You duped me, O LORD, and I let myself be duped;
you were too strong for me, and you triumphed.
All the day I am an object of laughter;
everyone mocks me.
Whenever I speak, I must cry out,
violence and outrage is my message;
the word of the LORD has brought me
derision and reproach all the day.
I say to myself, I will not mention him,I will speak in his name no more.But Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-15780191369308998392011-08-23T15:55:00.000-07:002011-08-23T15:55:35.835-07:00Allow me some comments about life and some of the lessons that God teaches us through it.
Winning isn't all it's cracked up to be. I am not making this up. I used to think that winning was "the ONLY thing." Then I lost a few. The first ones were always because the other guys had been lucky. There were some when the other guys caught us on a bad day. Then, there were always the cheaters on Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-81562955434968998902011-08-12T12:02:00.000-07:002011-08-12T12:02:13.307-07:00CANAANITE WOMAN -- WHO IS SHE?It is always interesting to see Jesus being tough on someone. For so many of us Jesus is a nice, gentle, forever merciful person. So many of us do not bother to go beyond our acceptance of the stereotypical Jesus of the sweet holy card art. So many of us gloss over the parts of the Jesus story that show Him exercising His Father's Justice and living out His Father's decisions. So often we Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-3582908489637450932011-07-15T19:46:00.000-07:002011-07-15T19:46:58.504-07:00
SHALOM
It is with great pleasure that I move over and give some space to a meditation that does justice to the spirituality of "SHALOM." This reflection comes from the heart of a person who knows that security in life comes only to those who live it in the constant presence of God. The effective presence of God is the true SHALOM. I invite you all to open yourselves to our brother's Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-38689062709910621252011-07-09T23:27:00.000-07:002011-07-09T23:31:47.220-07:00COMPETITION -- ME AGAINST THE WORLD -- ME, IN THE WORLD?
THIS IS NOT JUST HUMOROUS,
IT IS CHALLENGING
Thank you, Doug Savage. This is a very demanding thought. The "thought" of competition came to me this morning while listening to the story of how the sons of Jacob had to swallow their pride and their guilt since they had decided to throw themselves at the feet and the mercy of their brother Joseph. He, whom they had nearly killed, but Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-69074128182646830462011-07-08T23:07:00.000-07:002011-07-08T23:07:06.426-07:00"LET 'EM LEARN ENGLISH"You've heard this before, I'm sure. I have heard it too. In fact, I myself confess that I have even said it a time or two too many. With that, I plunge into a reflection about an old French Canadian saying, Qui perd sa langue, perd sa foi.
Who loses his language, loses his faith.
The truth that underlies this saying is akin to the Church saying, Lex orandi, lex credendi. What we pray, we Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-36630715775904460642011-06-24T23:50:00.000-07:002011-06-25T21:13:37.882-07:00JOHN THE BAPTIST, DOOR TO THE NEW AND EVERLASTING COVENANTIt is a little late to be writing about John the Baptist whose feast day was June 24. I must confess that this great moment sneaked up on me from behind a screen of other thoughts. Then, all of a sudden, I was at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the priest was announcing the solemnity of the feast of John the Baptist. I happen to reside in Southern California where there are precious few Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-16912109062580967102011-05-28T23:37:00.000-07:002011-05-28T23:45:16.869-07:00TRUTH, SWORD, FIRE, WATER -- TWO EDGES EACHReady, get set, GO!
It's been a long week. You know the kind. The ear-worm won't go away. The gout that awakened you on Monday imposes itself on you for the whole week, no matter what you do. The dear friend who got evicted with a three day notice calls every day. You make three wrong number calls in the same week, each one for the same number. You change an important password, write it downPaul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-19360030355676986082011-05-28T23:00:00.000-07:002011-05-29T22:12:02.789-07:00THIS WEEK HAS BEEN HELL! BAD WEEK, PART 2Hellfire and Brimstone.
NOT.
I have put up this picture of hell because the traditional picture of fire, Lucifer's forked tail and three pronged pitch fork doesn't translate the reality of hell. Mostly because like heaven, hell is not a place. it is a mode of being. Traditionally, fire has been the suffering of choice in descriptions of hell. This serves us well on the level of our Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-21188353487938081092011-05-02T13:46:00.000-07:002011-05-02T15:24:11.797-07:00ARE YOU SURE THAT YOU ARE PRO-LIFE?The news about the demise of Osama bin Laden has certainly shaken the world. It is rather impressive that such an action could be kept secret in this day and age. My personal reaction to the news touched me more on the moral side rather than the political. I will then take the liberty of presenting you these very personal considerations.
Is there anyone among you who would like to stand on a Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-13095041070199453382011-04-23T18:50:00.000-07:002011-04-23T18:50:51.598-07:00RESURRECTION
ONE OF THE FEW REMAINING TOMBS LIKE THIS
I don't want to be disrespectful, but would you blame someone for wanting to get away from the traffic noise? Of course not. Surely, Jesus wasn't laid to rest by the side of the paved road that you see here. Besides, this particular tomb is in the Galilee. That's close to 100 miles north of Jerusalem, so some rich person must have occupied this onePaul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-13381566266807550402011-04-10T14:34:00.000-07:002011-04-10T14:44:01.064-07:00DEM BONES,DEM BONES
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOSWaJPC2yY&NR=1Give it a listen for old times' sake
What better time to let you know, once again my spirituality of life here and life after here. Today (April 10, 2011) together with millions of other Catholics I heard the story of Ezechiel prophesying to the bones of the departed. The vision that he had was set up by God to encourage him to preach a message Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-61425854171780993192011-03-06T22:50:00.000-08:002011-11-29T14:47:32.590-08:00AN OLD MAN’S COUNSEL --This is a poem which has been shared with me by a long time friend, George Woodworth. It is not my friend who wrote it but a long past relative of his, his grandfather, George W. Woodworth. This man's writings were published often in the Milwaukee newspaper of the time as is noted at the end of the composition. Most of the poems are not of a religious or spiritual tone, but there are some, Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-50942666495522511202011-03-04T23:46:00.000-08:002011-03-04T23:46:24.677-08:00REAL DISCIPLES -- SEE PREVIOUS POST5Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. '6Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 7And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-90728755702569634812011-03-04T22:38:00.000-08:002011-03-04T22:38:22.096-08:00YOU CANNOT SERVE TWO MASTERS -- $$$$, AND ???A couple of thoughts about the effect of wealth on people. Nothing serious, just some opining of two people who heard the same talk in church the other day.
We both noticed that with all the talk about wealth not being important in life, God sure knew how to pick the wealthy to help Him get established. The Bible makes no bones about making the point that Abraham was a well heeled dude. You Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-45485670693289355732011-02-11T13:19:00.000-08:002011-02-11T13:19:28.849-08:00NO MATTER WHAT ANYONE TELLS YOU, HERE'S WHAT JESUS SAYSLately, I have had a lot of discussion about marriage and the Catholic "intransigence" regarding the eternal bond of the sacrament of Matrimony. As it turns out, the "intransigence" is not as tough as Jesus would have it. I invite you to the following study, shortened in order that you may stay awake all the way through.
Let me start by quoting two key passages from Matthew's Gospel.
Matthew 5:Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-738164569308346342011-01-21T22:42:00.000-08:002011-01-21T22:42:51.877-08:00DYNAMIC, SPIRITUAL MEMORY, A SOURCE OF STRENGTHSomething happened today that is so human that it can only come from G0d. For a long time now, the Voice from my Kitchen and I have been following Keith Olbermann, commentator featured on MSNBC. For a long time now we have lived alongside him, through the protracted illness and eventual death of his father to the time when he announced his departure from the commentator's chair that he had heldPaul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-51213431944677901222011-01-14T23:14:00.000-08:002011-08-22T12:55:07.946-07:00HOW "GOOGLE" PUT ME IN MY PLACENOPE, NO PICTURE TODAY. I remember the silly sayings of George Gobel, of innumerable moons ago. "Funny thing happened to me today. I was walking downtown when I turned into a drug store." That didn't happen to me, but in fact a funny thing did happen to me today. If you want to call it "funny."I don't know why, but after writing all that stuff about one million eyeballs, I decided for the Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-42324421347201688542011-01-09T23:22:00.000-08:002011-01-09T23:22:05.842-08:00SCANDAL OF THE WEAKThe shooting spree that took place this week in Arizona has awakened in me a deep conviction that I have had since my teen years when I was in a Roman Catholic seminary in formation for the priesthood. It was there that I heard for the first time the proposition that the behavior of the priest must be above reproach to the degree that even the “weakest” among the members of the faithful would Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-38300357662797445612011-01-06T22:18:00.000-08:002011-01-06T22:18:38.796-08:00JESUS IN THE JORDAN -- MY TAKE
THE TRINITY IS MANIFESTED
I want to engage you in a meditation about the Baptism of Jesus that will not take you down the well-worn paths that you've been trodding now for years as you hear homilies, reflections and meditations that all sound about the same. I have been listening to my heart and head having a conversation with the Holy Spirit and I will try to express what it is that I have Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-49532316645431769742010-12-29T21:48:00.000-08:002010-12-29T21:48:17.545-08:00GOLD, FRANKINCENSE AND MYRRH
THE KINGS MEET THE KING
The other day I got an idea that struck me as something that is totally new to me and had never entered into my life before. I have been rolling it around in my gourd since then and I have finally decided to try to put it down in concrete terms. I have to tell you that it is once again another religious thought, or at least one that takes its meaning from my Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-39180003474930918162010-12-29T07:14:00.000-08:002010-12-29T07:32:53.856-08:00
The picture at the immediate left is a view of some of the 125 boxes prepared for the families who were judged to be the most in need of help at this time. There were more than 125 families in the program, mainly through the food bank distribution center of the parish, but the overflow of about 100 families was channeled to two other Non-Profit Social/Spiritual programs who partner with thePaul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-16581061367780679012010-12-22T23:29:00.000-08:002011-01-08T00:01:23.633-08:00CREMATION IS NOT FOR ME; SEE BELOW FOR WHY NOT TO CRY AT MY FUNERAL
Swing low, Sweet Chariot...
Caution; This not a serious piece
This is a picture of a persistent thought that I have had since I was at least 18 or 19...something like that. Something happened today that unlocked it all and so I have to tell you about it. It has been a part of my life for a long time. The only person who really has met this part of me face to face multiple times is my spousePaul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-9109026748227646502010-11-24T23:45:00.000-08:002010-11-24T23:49:47.303-08:00HALF A CENTURY OF GROWING A SACRAMENTYup, 50 years ago today a young man (he was young then) and a young lady (she's still young, of course) walked up the aisle to stand in front of the altar to promise before God that they would supporrt one another on the way to heaven for as many years as He would give them on this earth. So here they are, 50 years later, still alive and still saying nice things about one another behind one Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-6567910437274611552010-11-16T22:58:00.000-08:002010-11-17T23:48:47.207-08:00THE SOURCE OF KINGLY POWER IS IN SERVICE TO THE WORD OF GOD
HOW JESUS CONQUERED PETERDid you ever receive something that you did not expect from a person that you honored so much that you had no way of expressing your gratitude except to try to refuse to accept the offering? I chose this picture to celebrate Christ the King because I was attracted to the artist's interpretation of Peter's attitude. I can't help but Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-72242666289412762492010-11-08T20:03:00.000-08:002010-11-08T20:13:31.965-08:00FALL ON YOUR KNEESPart 3 of my response to "Pope Benedict to Catholics: Kneel For Communion."
As I promised, here is part 3 of my response to the email sent around by a St. Christopher parish staffer.
"The man who learns to believe learns also to kneel..." (Josef Cardinal Ratzinger, The Spirit of the Liturgy) This is an especially significant statement because it brings us back deep into the Hebrew Bible.
"Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-65924471276531981522010-11-04T21:43:00.000-07:002010-11-04T21:43:08.167-07:00DON'T BURN MY BIBLETo friends, indifferent strangers and enemies alike, I present the following reflection on one piece of totally erroneous "truth" making the rounds on the Internet.When you receive something by email, or run across something on Google, use your brains and make common sense judgements about what you have received...even from relatives, friends, indifferent strangers and enemies. We forge ahead:
IPaul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-87818725141824072692010-10-31T22:42:00.000-07:002010-10-31T22:42:23.006-07:00STAND TALL AND BE COUNTEDI promised you a continuation of my response to the Email about the pope’s requirement that people should kneel and take communion on the tongue when he presides at the Holy Mass. I am going to tell you what I carry in my heart about this posture. So, here's part 2
First, it is the posture of dignity. It is the part of our prayer that thanks God for the cooperative responsibility that He Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-45481843187461166782010-10-30T13:12:00.000-07:002010-10-30T13:18:54.390-07:00STAND UP FOR COMMUNION IN THE HANDA lengthy two-part response to a lengthy email making the rounds on the Internet.As usual, when someone writes a lengthy email to make a point, and a bunch more forward it around the world, there is some truth and a lot of error in the message. The second installment of the response will talk about why we stand for communion. So, here we go.
Let’s read the email, first.
Pope Benedict to Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-29000964006549925862010-10-15T21:32:00.000-07:002010-10-15T21:38:17.560-07:00FROM ICU TO "HOC EST CORPUS MEUM"October 15, 2010Saint Frances Cabrini ChurchYucaipa, California
The young man in the middle, Father Alex Gamino, is smiling because he has just been ordained a Roman Catholic priest. He stands there, strong and proud between his mother and father plus Bishop Gerald Barnes (left) and co-adjutor bishop Rutilio del Riego. Everyone in attendance (well over 1,000) is smiling too. Father Alex is a Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-1154323900592067522010-09-22T21:58:00.000-07:002010-11-20T23:53:25.485-08:00Let 'em eat dog foodBy Paul Dion, STL
On one Sunday when we heard the story of the multiplication of the loaves according to John, (6; 1 – 15) and the feeding of the large crowd by the prophet Elisha (2 Kgs 4:42-44), my parish priest, Fr. Romy, addressed world hunger and the ways that it touches all of us.
Early in his address to the congregation he said, “That horrible reality of hunger is a human tragedy. It is Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-92049804731755045282010-09-20T00:12:00.000-07:002011-02-02T20:29:55.772-08:00JESUS HAD IT RIGHT (JOHN 21;18)
"I tell you most solemnly, when you were young you put on your own belt and walked where you liked; but when you grow old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will put a belt around you and take you where you would rather not go."
Imagine being led around by these two fine specimens of human nature! In a previous post I described my bout with a Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-21604253227427439722010-08-21T14:24:00.000-07:002010-08-21T14:29:48.270-07:00THIS HALF-PINT HAT IS ALL MAN; ALL 80 YEARS OF HIM
RARE SIGHT
...And I thought I was old!
This is not a picture that I took, but I'll tell you why. I saw a hat just like this in the pew in front of me just yesterday. That's right, I said "pew." I was participating in the holy sacrifice of the Mass yesterday morning and I had a hard time concentrating on the rite. I couldn't stop wondering if the hat was a real symbol of the life history ofPaul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-36093478917413652622010-07-30T15:18:00.000-07:002010-07-30T16:32:54.872-07:00HER BLOOD CRIES OUT TO GOD FROM THE EARTH OF MORENO VALLEY
To Cain, God said, "should our countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it."
8Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.9Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" And he said, "I do not know. Am I myPaul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-44184623416879588482010-05-23T19:01:00.000-07:002010-05-23T20:11:09.875-07:00JESUS, MY GOD, I NEED YOUThe other night I caved in to the nagging of my Lord, Jesus. He dragged me to a night of recollection, reflection and meditation especially tailored to volunteer ministers of the parish. It's not that I didn't want to go. It's just that I have negative feelings about going in front of Jesus on someone else's terms rather than my own. Yes, even if the someone else happens to be Jesus, Himself.Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-1057700761325899322010-05-22T17:15:00.000-07:002010-05-22T17:36:10.555-07:00GOD, I KNOW YOU WANT ME HERE (2)The day after I learned of the situation in which Grandma was now living, I went to have a short conversation with Daughter. I wanted to know some of the details of her mother's condition. As it turned out it is about typical for a long-time dialysis patient. Things break down, infection takes over and the end of life is near. There is nothing that can save a person in this set of Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-41946175225781516192010-05-21T12:59:00.000-07:002010-05-21T13:12:51.661-07:00GOD, I KNOW YOU WANT ME HEREFor the last three and one-half months I have been the topic of conversation, in and out of my own house. Friends and relatives would come to the house and wonder about the state of my health. There was always a sincere expression of gratitude to God for my rapid recovery. There were always the hugs and kisses that show strong caring. I would go to Church, at first in a wheel chair and then, Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-48224941961802575232010-04-20T20:57:00.000-07:002011-06-30T23:23:02.157-07:00It Doesn't Take Long To Get Old
It Doesn't Take Long To Get Old
By Paul Dion, STL
It has been nearly two years since I last came to you with my spiritual musings. While I was away, I dedicated myself to earning a living the only way I know how. HARD WORK. As it turns out, Mother Nature gave me a lesson in prudence and common sense. 72 year old people can't do what 32 year old people can. Here is my first meditation inPaul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-56536330330194563312008-11-20T09:04:00.000-08:002010-04-21T14:48:15.635-07:00SERVANT KING(S)Servant KingsBy Paul Dion, STLThis Sunday is a day when we are going to scratch our heads and ask ourselves about this celebration that we call Christ the King. If ever there was a celebration that seemed out of character, this could be the one. We remember all the readings and the homilies that we have heard about Jesus being merciful, kind, generous, patient, forgiving and healing. We look Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-73607677895965767932008-10-04T21:35:00.000-07:002008-10-04T21:42:29.754-07:00The TRUTH is LIGHTLuke 11: 33 - 36[33] "No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. [34] Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness. [35] See to it, then, that the light within you isPaul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-13355636048818543732008-09-29T18:14:00.000-07:002008-09-29T18:28:44.168-07:00NEW CHILD AT OUR HOUSE We have this cute little girl at our house. She was sent to us by God and we love her.Even our children love her. They have no jealousy about the love that we pour into this little lady. In fact, they contribute generously in pouring their love out to her. When we are not there, they hold her hand to help her take a few halting steps. They warm her water, her milk and her soup with great joy. Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-55622962606103427822008-09-25T15:15:00.000-07:002008-09-25T17:19:36.618-07:00A LITTLE CORNER OF HEAVENJack and Charlie Two 80 -year-old men, Jack and Charlie, had been friends all of their lives. When it was clear that Jack was dying, Charlie visited him every day. One day Charlie said, 'Jack, we both loved playing golf most our lives, and we played many years, and on many different courses. Please do me one favor: when you get to Heaven, somehow you must let me know if there's a golf Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-19124967337940261432008-08-22T14:49:00.000-07:002008-08-22T16:05:47.765-07:00BIBLICAL GEOGRAPHY IS THE FIFTH GOSPELI agree with Phil Bloom. I agree with the reflections and meditations and homelies found in the magazine today. They are well thought out and underscore the spiritual depth of the authors. I appreciate them all. They make me think and they make me reach out to God Himself. In that sense, I know that it is going to be a good weekend. I am going to add something to the weekend because I hardly everPaul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-73811414629333841022008-08-14T14:47:00.000-07:002008-08-14T16:24:59.050-07:00VOTE YOUR CONSCIENCEYou will notice that the whole of the country has "politics fever" these days. There is even a new book by a Catholic Archbishop about Catholicism and politics. Some of the thoughts in the book are very challenging. They fly in the face of some of the "conventional wisdom" that we encounter every day. In fact, some of his statements even fly in the face of our conscience. What? Why do I say that?Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-67923986151996718272008-08-07T16:50:00.000-07:002008-08-07T17:30:03.057-07:00TO VOTE, OR NOT TO VOTE == THAT IS NOT THE QUESTIONNote:Every week at ParishWorld.net we have a Burning Question for all of you readers. We do go to some lengths to make these questions relevant to the meaning of what it is to be a real disciple of Jesus Christ. This week, we were the ones who got the Burning Question, not in the public forum, but in the form of a personal e-mail to the publisher. We therefore offer you, the readers of Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-80860404979509250902008-08-01T11:11:00.000-07:002008-08-03T10:03:36.453-07:00DIES IRAE...O MORS... NOT!!The smiling widow shown here welcoming the earthly remains of her husband in the narthex of the church before the beginning of the liturgy is none other than the long time wife of Bob Brancamp whose story is the post preceding this one. This was not a "Dies Irae" (day of wrath) funeral. This was not an "O mors inevitabilis, mors amara, mors crudelis" (O inevitable death, bitter death, cruel deathPaul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-77741069756801252792008-07-24T14:23:00.000-07:002008-07-24T15:49:15.949-07:00IN THE BOSOM OF ABRAHAM"The whole lifetime of Enoch was three hundred and sixty five years. Then Enoch walked with God and he was no longer here, for God took him." (Gen. 5: 23-24)Bob Brancamp, pictured above took God's hand this morning and is not here any more. His soul, along with "...the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment will touch them (him). (Wisdom, 3:1)This is not the only picture that wePaul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-69529014232095846812008-06-14T13:21:00.000-07:002008-06-14T13:53:05.002-07:00TIM RUSSERT -- DEVOUT CATHOLICThis is not a eulogy about Tim Russert. I did not know him personally, so I do not come here to eulogize him. I come here as a person who makes comments about Catholic life for the Internet Catholic Life Style Magazine, "ParishWorld.net".Tim died suddenly, at work, on Friday, June 13, 2008. He was the moderator of the television show, "Meet the Press" for more than 20 years. It appears in Sunday Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-88121764096541419062008-06-12T13:58:00.000-07:002008-06-12T14:37:29.701-07:00A PRIEST COMES TO LIFEIt was June 8, 2008 when Father Eduardo Aguirre came back to St. Christopher Parish in Moreno Valley to celebrate his first Mass. The reception was nothing less than magnificent. The Church was packed, for two Masses in a row. The plaza in front of the church was overflowing. There were some tents to accommodate the faithful who wanted to receive his first blessing. They were protected from Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-82619809996150356482008-04-20T21:19:00.000-07:002011-01-29T11:31:07.086-08:00ANTI-CATHOLIC PROTESTANTS TAKE THEIR BITE OUT OF THE POPEYou knew that it had to come. The Protestants would get their placards greased up and stapled onto stakes to express their hatred for the Pope. Where do these "Christians" come from? Well, there's the "former" priest who now is speaking on television and "U-Tube" and other places. 20 years a priest he was. If he knew any better, and if he was able to run to his "Sola Scriptura" environment, he Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-91884248978044555292008-04-16T22:48:00.000-07:002008-04-16T23:32:24.479-07:00PROUD TO BE CATHOLICProud to be Catholic. That's right. Whenever the world needs a little shaking up, the country that takes up less ground than most municipalities in the world has the tools. Whenever the white robed leader of that Church/State steps out onto the world stage, God is telling us that it's spiritual seismic time.That has perhaps not been truer than it is these days. The leader of the Catholic Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-1885134386832837102008-04-13T15:16:00.000-07:002008-04-13T15:31:38.799-07:00THIS PARISH IS DULL, THERE'S NOTHING TO EDUCATE THE PEOPLEAs the saying goes, "If I had a nickel for every time I heard that complaint, I'd be drinking Pernod and Champagne on the Riviera." Read on to see where my nickels have gone.In a parish that shall remain nameless, some three or four weeks ago, on Easter Sunday a survey was conducted to welcome those who don't come often and to find out what could be done to give them more satisfaction as membersPaul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-20194745902612175012008-03-24T15:56:00.000-07:002008-03-25T17:06:49.419-07:00VIRTUE -- WHAZZAT?Last week ParishWorld.net ran a top story that was entitled, "Has the Notion of Sin Been Lost?" I looled at that headline and said to myself, "Sure, and why not? It should be lost, forever, and replaced with the notion of virtue." Sadly, both of these notions are on the endangered list. Sure we are surrounded by people who don't think that pre-marital sex is sinful; sure we are Surrounded by Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-86158311757933611502008-03-20T09:53:00.000-07:002008-03-20T09:59:14.185-07:00MORE THINGS CHANGE, MORE THEY STAY THE SAMEAt every stage of the change of liturgical seasons I go back to my mother's missal from 1942 to see what the Church had to say about the new season. I was reading the introduction to the season of Easter this morning and it struck me that what the Benedictine Monks who put out this missal wrote there as an instruction is as true today as it was yesterday. We may have adifferent reaction to the Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-52825168354633024832008-03-12T22:59:00.000-07:002008-03-12T23:10:59.831-07:00Holy Week with JesusWe share with you, our readers, the Holy Week spiritual journey of one who walked the streets of Jerusalem during Holy Week less than one full year ago. Please come back to this daily and be a part of "The Holy Week experience Live from the Holy Land."If you have ever had a strong experience, you know that every time you talk about it you say, "I remember it like it was yesterday." Eleven Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-56084096105982546872008-03-12T14:21:00.000-07:002008-03-13T22:05:36.370-07:00THE BUS RIDE, etc. MEDITATION AND QUESTION ABOUT PERSONAL HONESTYI have a friend whose elder brother is a Lutheran Pastor. He has had large communities in Illinois and in the South. As far as I can tell, he is a holy person. I am quite friendly with his brother and I know that the family has its foundations set firmly on Christian morality. This story may or may not be about Pastor W..., but it could be.This came to me from Woody, Pastor W...'s brother, my Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-47692841880932668032008-03-06T20:36:00.000-08:002008-03-04T23:04:58.229-08:00I'VE NEVER BEEN THIS OLD BEFORE(I am on the left)The other day my son asked me how I felt at my age. I said that I didn't know yet because this is the first time I've ever been this age. I asked him why he didn't ask me how I felt when I was 18 or so. I remember that quite well. After all, I've been 18 nearly four times now. Now that, I can handle. It seems that every time I am 18, I get a change of life. The first timePaul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-17771410310658471362008-03-04T19:19:00.000-08:002008-03-04T20:35:50.446-08:00THIS IS WHERE THE PEOPLE AREHere we are, two days after the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress and I am trying to fight off an ear-worm that keeps asking the question, "Why San Bernardino and no one else?" For two years now I have spend the majority of my time at the Congress in the exhibit hall of the Anaheim Convention Center. This is a forest of commercial exhibit booths where the denizens of Corporate America Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-43073018683011019982008-02-16T21:25:00.000-08:002008-02-16T21:37:30.637-08:00STAY OR GET UP AND GOGn 12:1-4a Mt 17:1-9Abram went as the Lord directed him Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish I will buildPaul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-60600480028494583592008-02-13T22:34:00.000-08:002008-02-13T22:41:00.282-08:00FAITHFUL CATHOLIC, FAITHFUL CITIZENThe other day the Publisher and the Theology Editor of ParishWorld.net attended the joint vicariate meeting of the San Bernardino Diocese. It turns out that this is an annual event when at least one priest and the staff of every parish come together at the Pastoral Center and have a day of conviviality, informational get together, constant light snack buffet and two solid conferences/Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-88098655455204245472008-02-11T00:15:00.000-08:002008-02-11T00:20:56.116-08:00SERPENT IN THE GARDEN, SATAN IN THE DESERTSerpent in the Garden, Satan in the DesertGenesis, 3 Matthew, 4We heard some great stories at today's Mass, didn't we? We listened to the temptation and fall of Adam and Eve on the one hand and the victory of Jesus over Satan on the other. Our Holy Mother the Church told us those stories this morning for our own good. She knows that Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-7207016212134552072008-01-18T21:07:00.000-08:002008-01-18T21:18:40.901-08:00Dad by the HourI was the feast day of the Holy Family, just a few weeks back. It has always been special to me because It was our Family's patron Saint Feast day, per order of my father. Every year my father used to give an offering for a Mass to be said for our family's intentions. I some ways, it was more difficult for me to be away from home for my first absence at this celebration than it was to miss Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-63599095043611451602008-01-15T23:09:00.000-08:002008-01-15T23:19:08.623-08:00WHY HAVE YOU NOT COME TO ME?This morning, 1/15/2008, I had a very emotionally explosive experience. I invite you all to spend a moment or two with me.I do not want you to think that this is one of those "chain letter" type of stories. This is a true narration of an honest person's Christian encounter. I know the person who is telling the story. This is a catechist and a Bible Study Session Leader in our parish. This isPaul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-1163206207948790742008-01-03T16:45:00.000-08:002008-01-03T12:21:03.170-08:00GERMS AND THE SACRED BODY OF CHRISTBy Paul Dion, STL“Our faith tells us the germs and bacteria that affects those who administer the body and blood of our Lord cannot possibly be shared with others due to the protective forces that surrounds those sacred species.”I do not accept that the Body and Blood of Christ can communicate anything bur the best of health - spiritual, mental, and physical. The lips and hands of sinners, Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-67437635953369103662007-12-23T14:09:00.001-08:002007-12-23T14:27:25.408-08:00SOMETHING'S MISSING, MAYBEOnce upon a time there was born a story that is said to be true, but no one really knows for sure. Like so many stories that we know, it is true in the deep spiritual message that it carries, if not exactly in the strict historical sense of the setting in which it is placed. I am choosing to relate it during this Christmas season because my present situation reminds me of the story just about Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-77839292826756387542007-12-16T16:45:00.000-08:002007-12-16T17:12:32.620-08:00THE VISITING PRIESTSunday, December 16, 2007 started off quite well. I was in a city some 90 miles away from my usual residence. We participated in the first "Simbang Gabi" (Filipino traditional pre-Christmas early morning novena) Mass of the pre-Christmas novena at 7:30 AM. The weather was clear and crisp. The pastor was onhis game and the homily was worth sitting for. We left the church and went to the hallPaul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-16880956884398974282007-12-12T23:47:00.000-08:002007-12-15T13:27:19.116-08:00Encountering the Living Christ – “OM NAMAH SHIVAYA”The case against Peter Phan author of the book "Being Religious Interreligiously"by Paul Dion, STLBelow is an excerpt from a flyer distributed to participants last September during "Catechist Day" at a parish we will keep unnamed. Oh yes, the parish is very real, and this story we are sharing really did happen.---------------------------------------------- "CATECHIST DAY"ST. "It will remain Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-49285034580299088242007-11-23T10:48:00.001-08:002007-11-23T13:46:18.530-08:001962 Latinists...Ecce! Macies meus pedibus vestris jam jacet!Notes from the Thanksgiving celebration of the 10:00 AM Holy Mass in a large southern California parish. It was a celebration of gratitude of more than 1,000 members of a multicultural community that knows how to pray together. It is a place where mutual support is the name of the game. It is a place where, such as yesterday, the celebration of the Eucharistic Banquet exhalts the ability of Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-38043566251850052382007-11-03T13:42:00.000-07:002007-11-03T13:48:06.779-07:00EARLY NOVEMBER MUSINGSI’ve been waiting a long time to get to heavenIn fact, since nineteen hundred and thirty seven.It is now two thousand and double “O” seven,A wonderful stretch of ten times sevenTo keep me waiting for the invite to heaven.I’ve told you all not to cry at my funeralBecause I’m not one who’s fond of bereavin’And mostly not one who’s going to fuss about leavin’Since I have been waiting so long to get Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-41367876019334563582007-11-01T23:04:00.000-07:002007-11-01T23:13:38.937-07:00HEAVEN IS ALL TREATS AND NO TRICKSThis is a story of a family who found a better way to give meaning to October 31, Halloween.The Velasquez family, Lily and Felipe and their two sons, Andy and Robert are devoted Catholics who participate in the Mass every Sunday. Three years ago we started a more systematic Home Faith Formation program in the parish in which the family participated. Once a month the families met together for Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-21952084283771738142007-10-07T18:02:00.000-07:002007-10-09T23:48:08.040-07:00THE CATHOLIC INTERNET -- REALLY, NOW!I wonder how many of you have been surfing the 'Net over the last few weeks or months looking for some doctrinal, spiritual, Catholic nourishment. Knowing that the Internet is a quasi boundless ocean of Catholic information, I have decided to step off the curb and venture to cross the "Information Highway" without getting hit too hard.There are many attractive invitations that draw people into Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-43436851056172932442007-10-03T11:18:00.000-07:002007-10-03T11:23:09.723-07:00RESPECT LIFE SUNDAY -- WHAT LIFE?RESPECT LIFE SUNDAYThis is one of the days that causes me to wonder, wonder, wonder. What is it that we are respecting. Are we respecting the life of the planet? Are we respecting the life of the microbes, the insects and the germs? Are we respecting the life of the animals with which we share the earth? Are we respecting the living plants in their multitudinous forms? Are we respecting thePaul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-13423066729530397932007-09-13T12:50:00.000-07:002007-09-15T14:05:02.108-07:00PRODIGAL SON -- HE LIVES ONDear Readers, this Sunday the world is going to consider the folly of the man who has come to be known as the Prodigal Son. It is a parable that is perhaps better known than many of Aesop's fables. It is going to be a boring Sunday for many of us, because this is one of those days when it will be difficult to find a real creative presentation of what Jesus intended when He told the story. I have Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-40771270734190592802007-09-10T00:08:00.000-07:002011-01-27T15:27:23.819-08:00HOLD YOUR APPLAUSEI am 74 years old. I have an advanced degree in Theology. I don't think that I have missed a Sunday Mass 10 times in my life. I have participated in the Holy Mass hundreds of times on Sunday and during the week. I have done this in hundreds of churches in at least 10 countries plus the West Bank. Needless to say I have listened to countless homilies and slept through more than I can count. But Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-77402092804012768892007-09-04T16:09:00.000-07:002007-09-03T19:10:09.833-07:00LETTER TO THE PUBLISHERDear Publisher:I have just spent an hour reading selected articles from ParishWorld.net. I have to be totally frank with you. I rarely, if ever do this. I invest a lot of time in the creation and upkeep of the material in the publication, but I rarely read more than what I have to in order to accomplish my mission to the end product. Today, though, I am taking it easy because I am trying to get aPaul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-48206028813037565232007-09-03T10:32:00.000-07:002007-09-15T14:06:22.801-07:00GOD'S PLAN OF SALVATION CALLS FOR HUMAN WORKSThis is simple. The Catholic Church teaches that human works, in and of themselves do not have the power to save us. Check this out:Council of Trent, 1547, the Church convened to issue a proclamation on justification. In Canon 1 the Catholic council declared:“If anyone says that man can be justified before God by his own works, whether done by hisown natural powers or through the teaching of the Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-69140494435710613462007-09-03T10:05:00.001-07:002007-09-15T14:06:57.020-07:00DEAD SEA SCROLLS in SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA The Dead Sea Scrolls are our bridge to a period that laid the foundation of western traditions, beliefs and practices throughout the past two millennia. My wife and I went to San Diego to visit the exhibit. It is touted to be the largest ever to be assembled outside of Israel since the discovery of the Scrolls. The exhibit is being presented by Joan and Irwin Jacobs of San Diego, California. Mr.Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-41811455068121144562007-08-30T00:23:00.000-07:002007-09-15T14:07:35.034-07:00PRAYER -- GOD AND THE CALIFORNIA LOTTO"My prayers are always heard and answered. God either gives me what I want or He takes away the desire I have to make it mine." (Dennis Sheahan, Resident Sage and Keeper of the Aphorisms)Strive for success and remember you won't get what you want unless you want what you get. (Yogi Berra, Native of St. Louis where English was rarely spoken)The other night my wife and I were finishing our night Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-45988375998903618552007-08-23T21:32:00.000-07:002007-09-15T16:30:30.554-07:00MARRIED PRIESTS NOT SEEN AS A SOLUTIONArchbishop Defends Celibacy (I do too)ADELAIDE, Australia, AUG. 16, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Allowing priests to marry is not the answer to the shortage of priestly vocations. Archbishop Wilson of Adelaide, who is also the president of the Australian bishops' conference, wrote a letter for the National Vocations Awareness Week that began in his archdiocese Tuesday."You often hear it said," the Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-59641059838020214252007-08-23T15:36:00.000-07:002007-09-15T16:31:46.379-07:00WHAT DID YOU FIND WHEN YOU LEFT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ?I start the answer to this question by saying that I have never left the Catholic Church. All I can do is to recount what I observe, what I read and what I hear, especially from those who come back to the Catholic Church after having "strayed", their word. I also start this by saying that I am originally from New England where there was and still is a high percentage of Catholics despite the factPaul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-37516362979477120292007-08-16T22:07:00.000-07:002007-09-15T16:32:26.442-07:00FROM WOLVES TO DOGS TO PEOPLEIs there someone in the United States of America who has not heard about the dog fighting story involving Michael Vick? For the record, here is my personal take on animals in general.Animals are creatures of God and as such they are to be respected. They are creatures that have a degree of mental capacity. They have the abiblity to live side by side with us. We recognize that from the moment of Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-44154418966711883562007-08-03T20:57:00.000-07:002007-09-15T16:33:35.519-07:00MOTU PROPRIO ELECTING A POPECMotu ProprioHey, all you Church dilettanti and afficinados(as) of the internal workings of your favorite Institute. Did you know that before Summorum Pontificum another important Motu Proprio had been promulgated? I did not know of it, and yet I consider myself to be a rather avid watcher of Vatican news. Believe me, I do not gest when I say that this Motu Proprio was also of eminent importance.Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-75923440769561080732007-07-30T23:08:00.000-07:002007-08-01T21:55:22.171-07:00SHOULD UNMARRIED DATING COUPLES KISS?I haven't heard this question in 45 years or so. I remember when I went to the dance that was being held for the seventh and eighth graders of the Immaculate Conception School where I was being educated by the Presentation of Mary nuns. We were specifically told by them that kissing one another was not allowed. My mother and father specifically told me that kissing the girls was not allowed. My Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-7517893253903183442007-07-30T12:21:00.000-07:002007-08-01T21:57:20.627-07:00OPEN LETTER TO PRIESTS (Mostly in English)Reverendi Domini:Reverend Gentlemen:Haec citatio ex documento concilii Vaticani II "Sacrosanctum Concilio" obtinetur.A) Normae generales22. § 1. Sacrae Liturgiae moderatio ab Ecclesiae auctoritate unice pendet: quae quidem est apud Apostolicam Sedem et, ad normam iuris, apud Episcopum.§ 2. Ex potestate a iure concessa, rei liturgicae moderatio inter limites statutos pertinet quoque ad competentesPaul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-9124456668036572342007-07-25T20:37:00.000-07:002007-08-01T21:59:46.016-07:00Mother and Daughter before God You are looking at a picture of the meaning of life. The person on the left raised 8 children, the first of whom is standing in a yellow t-shirt and blue apron. The old person in the lounging chair is approaching the time of her handshake with God. The younger person is the eldest child of the person in the chair. This picture was snapped at the occasion of an Independence Day barbecue party in Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-90075433765999217942007-07-15T16:53:00.000-07:002007-07-15T17:22:35.520-07:00WHY AM I CATHOLIC? CUR CATHOLICUS SUMUSThis question was asked of me today by none other than St. Luke himself. It was also asked of about 1,200,000,000 others around the world. All of us heard the same question. Even those who do not receive ParishWorld.net heard it. Listen closely and you will hear it again:"You, however, must again heed the LORD'S voice and carry out all his commandments which I now enjoin on you. Then the LORD, Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-9583737761809499872007-07-12T23:30:00.000-07:002007-07-12T23:52:22.905-07:00Dies Gaudii, Dies Lacrimarum, Dies Gratiae Hominibus Bonae VoluntatisSummorum PontificumI enjoy reading the comments that my opinion has elicited. They are polite, kind and well put. They also deserve a response, or at least a reaction from the author of the blog.Many, and I mean, many, say that it is not the Latin that they seek, but the spirit of sacredness and holiness that they get from the ritual. They are elevated by the quiet, the silence, the ability to Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-24686881663614923482007-07-11T11:47:00.000-07:002007-07-11T14:56:43.922-07:002 MOS. AGO I WAS RIGHT-WING -- NOW I'M DEAD CENTERWednesday, September 20, 2006NO APOLOGY NEEDED, THANK YOUI wrote this on the above date. I was right."Benedict XVI will not apologize. He spoke the truth about Islam in Germany about one week ago. He knows it. The Muslim religious leaders know it. The Christian Theologians and Historians know it too. The Pope will not apologize for speaking the truth. I don't blame him and neither should you. Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565042.post-10304994408876287892007-06-30T16:38:00.000-07:002007-06-30T17:28:00.677-07:00SONshine Summer shines onSummer SONshine comes to St. Christopher parish in Moreno Valley once every year during the last week of June. It never wanes and it never loses its intensity. It warms every single corner of the community and it never fails to light up faces with SONforce brilliant smiles. The camp colors this year were especially hot, orange and blue. 100 orange shirts marching to bible story sessions, Paul Dion, STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565128278576668444noreply@blogger.com0