Let's Go, Black and Gold!



Tonight I get to see my first live NHL game! And to make it better, I get to see my Boston Bruins! It's to bad I had to move all the way to Pittsburgh to finally see the Bruins play, though.
I'm sure it will be worth the wait!

Dogma of the Immaculate Conception



"The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin."

I Want Everyone to be Catholic

"We are called to love each other. When you love someone you want the best for them. The best for them is the Catholic Faith...So I want everyone to be Catholic!"

-A very rough paraphrase from Fr. John Corapi

Reading List

Over at Pontifications, there is a theology reading list for college.

It is as follows:

Part I

Diogenes Allen, Philosophy for Understanding Theology

Irenaeus, On the Apostolic Preaching

Athanasius, On the Incarnation

Basil, On the Holy Spirit

Gregory of Nazianzus, On God and Man

Cyril of Alexandria, On the Unity of Christ

Augustine, Confessions

Frederick Christian Bauerschmidt, Holy Teaching: Introducing the Summa Theologiae of St. Thomas Aquinas

Robert Wilken, The Spirit of Early Christian Thought

Boris Bobrinskoy, The Mystery of the Trinity

Leo Davis, The First Seven Ecumenical Councils (325-787)

Robert Sokolowski, The God of Faith and Reason

Thomas Oden, Systematic Theology (3 vols)

Part II

Günther Bornkamm, Jesus of Nazareth

N. T. Wright, Paul: In Fresh Perspective

Brevard Childs, Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments

Karl Barth, Dogmatics in Outline

Henri de Lubac, Catholicism: Christ and the Common Destiny of Man

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Introduction to Christianity

Servais Pinckaers, The Sources of Christian Ethics

Looks like a good list. I however, have only read Augustine's Confessions and Ratzinger's Introduction to Christianity from the list. I've read quite a bit of Ratzinger's books and many other theology books. I am currently working on a stack that is beside my desk which includes Origen, Newman, Chesterton, Ratzinger (of course), Kreeft, and various books on church history. When I'm finished with those, then I will tackle the Pontificator's list.

Does anyone else have any suggestions?

Your Faith Has A Motive





"Convert those who do not believe with the example of your life, so that your faith has a motive. If God's Word pleases you, act accordingly-not only God's Word in your heart, but in your life so that you will form God's family, united and pleasing to His eyes in all your actions. Don't doubt, brethren, that if your lives are worthy of God, unbelievers will find faith."

-St. Augustine

Tagged!

from Ancient and Future Catholic Musings

Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so.

1) Jeni
2) Anastasia
3) LutherPunk
4) Jonathan (AFCM)
5) Irish and Dangerous (Me, Danny)

Next select five people to tag
1)Dilexitprior
2)Antonia
3) Dymphna's Well
4) St. Peter's Helpers
(Note: If you've already done this, that counts, lol)

What were you doing 10 years ago?
February 1996: I was a Junior in high school. I don't really remember yesterday. Do you expect me to remember 10 years ago? I was most likely performing in a play at West Orange High School in Orlando, Fl.

What were you doing 1 year ago?
Enjoying my first month of being married!

Five snacks you enjoy:
1) Cape Cod Potato Chips
2) Swiss Rolls
3) Snack Pack's Puddings
4) Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream
5) Lay's Baked Potato Chips

Five songs you know all the words to:
A. Any Sinatra song
B. Any Elvis song
C. Any Dave Matthews Band song
D. Name an Irish song and I'll sing it!
E. Most of Johnny Cash's songs

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
A. Pay off my debts and my family's debts
B. Give most of it away to Catholic Churches and charities
C. Help my friends out
D. Start a scholarship to help underprivileged kids go to college
E. Buy alot of books

Five bad habits:
A. Surfing blogsites excessively
B. Way too much coffee
C. Sleeping in late on days off
D.
E.

Five things you enjoy doing:
A. Being married to Laura!
B. Defending the Faith
C. Reading
D. Watching movies
E. Teaching

Five things you would never wear again:
A. Pants with elastic waists
B. Shorts
C. Mid drift shirts
D. Most clothes from the 80's
E. tacky ties

Five favorite toys:
A. G.I. Joe's
B. Tonka trucks
C. Hot Wheels
D. Remote control cars
E. He-Man action figures

Kids Love Latin!

Read about Fr. Jim's experience with school kids and the blessing of throats over at Dappled Things.

Pope Chart

Some people have posters on their walls that have all of the U.S. Presidents on it; I have one with all the Popes on it! It was purchased from JMJ Bookstore, my favorite Catholic Bookstore in Pittsburgh!

Happy To Serve God

3 young women live out the reality, share the joy of contemplative life.

Irish Saint Of The Day: Saint Brigid

St. Brigid was born in 453 at Faughart, County Louth, Ireland. She was the daughter of Dubtach, pagan Scottish king of Leinster, and Brocca, a Christian Pictish slave,who had been baptized by Saint Patrick. Just before Brigid's birth, her mother was sold to a Druid landowner. Brigid remained with her mother till she was old enough to serve her legal owner Dubtach, her father.

She grew up marked by her high spirits and tender heart, and as a child, she heard Saint Patrick preach, which she never forgot. She could not bear to see anyone hungry or cold, and to help them, often gave away things that were Dubtach's. When Dubtach protested, she replied that "Christ dwelt in every creature". Dubtach tried to sell her to the King of Leinster, and while they bargained, she gave a treasured sword of her father's to a leper. Dubtach was about to strike her when Brigid explained she had given the sword to God through the leper, because of its great value. The King, a Christian, forbade Dubtach to strike her, saying "Her merit before God is greater than ours". Dubtach solved this domestic problem by giving Brigid her freedom.

Brigid's aged mother was in charge of her master's dairy. Brigid took charge ,and often gave away the produce. But the dairy prospered under her (hence her patronage of milk maids, dairy workers, cattle, etc.), and the Druid freed Brigid's mother.

Brigid returned to her father, who arranged a marriage for her with a young bard. Bride refused, and to keep her virginity, went to Bishop Mel, a pupil of Saint Patrick's, and took her first vows. Legend says that she prayed that her beauty be taken from her so no one would seek her hand in marriage; her prayer was granted, and she regained her beauty only after making her vows. Another tale says that when Saint Patrick heard her final vows, he mistakenly used the form for ordaining priests. When told of it he replied, "So be it, my son, she is destined for great things."

Her first convent started with seven nuns. At the invitation of bishops, she started convents all over Ireland. She was a great traveller, especially considering the conditions of the time, which led to her patronage of travellers, sailors, etc. Brigid invented the double monastery, the monastery of Kildare that she ran on the Liffey river being for both monks and nuns. Saint Conleth became its first bishop; this connection and the installation of a bell that lasted over 1000 years apparently led to her patronage of blacksmiths and those in related fields.

She died 1 February 523 at Kildare, Ireland of natural causes and buried in Downpatrick, Ireland with Saint Patrick and Saint Columba. Her head was removed to the Jesuit church in Lisbon, Portugal.

I couldn't wait to post this "Irish Saint of the Day." I've been thinking about it for months. St. Brigid is one of my favorite Irish saints, along with Saint's Patrick and Brendan!