29 June 2017

Year 15 of a cross that does not get any easier.

It was on this day, and at this time, when my mum passed away, 15 years ago. As I mention often times enough,  of course in your charity if you can offer prayers for me, my mum, and my family, I'd be much appreciative of it.....

Much often times, I say, like it was yesterday is a lived reality, not some hyperbolic expression. There are some days of course which are easier than others, and some days where near break downs happen, I'd like to say that the new normal is so not normal, it takes stability and tosses it to the side.

15 years after the fact, it's not any easier than it was when it first happened. I suppose that now with age comes some slight attempt at wisdom. But more often times, it's battling the feelings of why then, why at that point in my life, and battling the anger and wrath that often goes through my head, and certainly this year with the death of my aunt, it's been not any easier.

A lot of people will point to the story of Job, and how he lost everything....and still kept faithfulness. I am no where near that holy (nor pretend to be so), I often tend to think the saints were much more human than we're lead to believe....and probably had their doubts and fights with God as well.

Of course, I'm still at Sunday Liturgy, and weekday Liturgy whenever possible, but some days it's extremely hard to keep a staight face. I'm still very Catholic, even if barely climbing the ladder of holiness. I think back to all the times that mum did not let me go explore with my friends who weren't Catholic for Sunday Mass, every Sunday we went. (Even if it meant literally dragging me :p)

To say that she's missed is an understatement. There are many big events that are coming, and although I know that she's watching from above, it's not the same without her here. It's not like there's way to call and hear her voice again. It's kind of difficult, especially thinking of the big M's (Marriage and movement)

May mum's memory be eternal and she have blessed repose.

O Lord, in your goodness, remember your servants and forgive whatever sins they committed in their life for no one is sinless but you alone. You have the power to grant rest to the departed.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever Amen.

With the saints, O Chrisat, give rest to your servants, where there is no pain, sorrow, nor mourning, but life everlasting.


26 June 2017

Thought of the day

"I've been used, broken, broken again, and will be broken some more, yet, I am still here, and I refuse to let the stupidity of others to dictate how I will live, and how I will respond to various situations."


20 June 2017

100% controversial, yet 100% accurate statements....

1. It is possible to not be a fan of someone, not particularly like their policies, and or thought process, and not wish death upon them, nor simulate death through any means.

I do not know where people get this strange idea that we absolutely must kill everyone who disagrees with us. It is an irrationality that needs to stop right now. Disagree with someone, totally, don't threaten to kill them, and don't act like complete morons....or even simulate the act of killing or beating someone up. It's a bit much.

While I'm on the topic, it's a bit over the top to constantly call people names, 24/7. It's blatantly obvious that one does not like a particular candidate, or idea, alright, fine, fine, we get it, but make of some substance how your idea or thought process will make the solution better than insert idea here.

2, Rome does not have a monopoly on Catholicism, neither does Constantinople have a monopoly on Orthodoxy either.

People suddenly find out you're not the world's biggest fan of *insert your favourite private devotion here* and they look at you with dear in the headlights, or give you the look of death, like somehow spirituality is supposed to be uniform, and everyone must absolutely do the exact same thing, always and everywhere.

The Rosary is nice, but it's not the end all be all of Marian devotion and Marian life. Theology of the Body is nice, but it's not the only approach to the theology of the sexes either. The Jesus Prayer is wonderful, but it's not the only way to summarise the Faith. St Thomas Aquinas is wonderful, but not the only theologian in the Church's history, and he is not the magisterium. You get the point, really that within the objective Truths of the Faith, there are many ways to express them, and many ways to live them out. What each person needs depends on various factors.....and that's one reason to have a spiritual father or mother to approach these kinds of topics with.

3. It is possible to have Muslim friends, think highly of them, and also be concerned about the vocal minority.

I've known Muslims all of my life, they'd never do anything crazy like blow up a building, or go on a suicide mission. (They also know I'd raise hell on them if they did such a thing). But it's well possible to be concerned with things like terrorism, and literal interpretations of Quranic verses without condemning those that aren't doing those things. It's pretty easy to see where terrorists get their inspiration from, that's been well documented, and I'm not trying to point that out. Rather, I am going to say that, one should not have to live in fear living in a big city.  OF course, it's also true that various governments paid for jihads over the years as well....My point being, what Islam stands for is something that various schools of Islamic thought need to come together and solve for themselves. We can't solve that for them, nor should we try to solve it for them. So, when there's hashtag, not all muslims, no one is dare saying that all Muslims are committing violent atrocities, no one is dare saying that there aren't other forms of terror, (paid or otherwise).....I think it's important for both sides to listen to one another, but people are so caught up in their ideological corners that they fail to hear and listen to one another.

4. It is entirely possible to have a deep faith, yet struggle very much.

As I like to say, we all have our crosses, some are more heavier than others. It does not make one a hypocrite, if one is struggling to carry their cross. People just throw words around left and right and have zero clue what they mean. It's much of a headache.

5. The attempts to be inclusive, have resulted in more exclusivity than inclusivity.

So many places say, ...we want to be inclusive, but by doing so do the exact opposite of what they intend. It'd be better if they were more honest with what they meant. We only mean inclusive, if you agree with the things that we have to say or do, not if you disagree with us. I don't just mean this within political or religious circles, I mean this for everything.

There are very few people, who I truly think are open minded and truly listen to all opinions. There tends to be those people that will hear your opinion, tune it out, and go on. Those that will hear your opinion, take things into actual consideration, and if they work, possibly consider changing their opinion, and lastly those that listen and go with the flow. I tend to think all people are closed minded, some are open-eared.....now how does this apply to the above?

We welcome all people, except those that disagree with us....Those that want reverent liturgies, go somewhere else. Those that think that homosexuality is wrong, go somewhere else, you're bigoted, If people were perfectly honest, they just want a society where everyone says all things are a-okay, and just whatever everything. There can be zero room for dissent, or rather, they just want robots that don't think for themselves and come to different conclusions.

I have never thought my classroom or my world, to be a place where I tell people what to think, or even how to think. I've always thought my place to be to present ideas, and from that, people are able to put pieces of a puzzle together.

In addition, we can't legislate kindness, I think it's rather ridiculous to force people that don't wish to associate with x, to associate with x. It's kind of a double edged sword so to speak when we do try to legislate kindness, which in the long run, may well do more damage, than good. When people are forced to associate, there's an inward animosity towards this forced association, and results in attitudes which would have been kept indoors to be put in the open, which isn't always a good thing in my opinion.....Lest we get it confused, I'm simply stating the means towards achieving certain ends can't come via force. I'm all for ending certain trains of thought, but it's not going to be done through legislation or ad campaigns. It's going to have to come from an entire change in culture as well as thought. (Which may well be near impossible because of how academia is well taken over by those of a particular thought process in the vast majority of places)

6. There's a reason the saying is think twice, speak once....

In particular when one says something that can be interpreted in a particular way, or when one gives out information that they are not supposed to. Sometimes people are clueless to the things they say....but stupid is what stupid does and there's no excuse for things that should be blatantly obvious.