From Real #Catholic TV: Archbishop Raymond Cardinal Burke: Sex and Obedience

I am so excited that Archbishop Burke has been named a Cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI! Michael Voris has another powerful video regarding something Archbishop Burke said -- that those who fall into sexual sin are reaping the fruit of disobedience.

This is a profound statement. Voris claims that the Catholic Church will not experience a return of those who left until the clerics start becoming more obedient. I couldn't agree more.

Years ago, when I was attending the University of Dayton, which is a Marianist college, I visited with a priest to discuss with him intimacy, sex, and marriage. I was expecting traditional Catholic counsel. What I received instead was this regarding pre-marital sex: "As long as you really love someone, it can be offered as an act of worship to God." Not "Prayerfully consider whether you are called to the vocation of marriage, for such a vocation protects the sacredness of the sexual union between a man and a woman." Nothing of the sort. Instead, the priest was "thrilled" to speak to a student about such things and communicated a perspective on sexuality that, now looking back, was in direct conflict with the Bible and the Magisterium.

Is it any wonder that many Catholics left the Church? If the Church preached nothing different than the world, then what was the point of waking up early every Sunday to attend Mass? Especially if one was nursing a hangover?

Many have mocked "Catholic guilt" as though Catholics seen sex as "sinful" and if they enjoy it outside of marriage, then they are "burdened" with guilt. How warped a view! God created sex for procreation and as a sacramental bond between a husband and wife. Our "hooking up" culture, where sex is seen as a recreational sport, has only resulted in brokenness, contributing to a low self-esteem, and encouraged those who engage in such activity to only look to their own satisfaction as they use others for their pleasure.

I wasn't a popular young woman. Mainly because I refused to sleep around. Even after I left the Catholic Church, the foundation of Catholic doctrine stayed with me. I understood that sex was to be celebrated within the bonds of marriage, and allowing a young man who had no intention of committing himself to a relationship with me, would only eventually hurt me and cheapen my view of myself. I wasn't entirely successful with my intentions. But the times I lapsed made me realize how important it was to find a husband who would cherish me. It took many years of singlehood before that happened, but once it did, I was brought into a fullness of understanding regarding true love and intimacy.

The world mocks such things because there is (again) sacrifice involved. It is a sacrifice to say "no" when everyone else seems to be saying yes -- and having such a great time doing it. It is a sacrifice to wait until marriage. It is a sacrifice to be called to the vocation of Holy Orders and deny yourself. Jesus said "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Mark 8:34 RSV) Those aren't easy words. They are words that are as sharp as the nails that were driven through the hands and feet of our Blessed Lord. A commandment that clearly says submission and obedience. The rewards of following Christ cannot be overestimated. Those who submit their will to His receive many graces, some that can be seen in this world and others, I believe, will be unfolded after we pass into everlasting life.

I pray that the Church will begin to hold the standard high once again for sexual purity. The enemy of our souls knows how important this area is, which is why he is fighting so hard to deceive people and to keep them trapped in his lies. Lord, have mercy.

Michael Voris' "The Vortex" on the Traditional Latin Mass #Catholic

I've been watching more of these Real Catholic TV videos online. I like Voris more and more! Here is a Catholic broadcaster who is completely devoted to Catholic teaching and promoting Catholic identity.

Everything he says in this video is so true. I love the Traditional Latin Mass exactly because it isn't "watered down." The liturgy is strong and un-tampered with; and it encourages me greatly that this is the Mass that built our strong saints. When I am participating in the TLM, I feel a powerful connection with my Catholic lineage, the history of those who have gone before me, and a sense of encouragement from our heavenly brothers and sisters in Christ.

My focus is on what Christ has done on the Cross. I still get teary-eyed when our priest lifts up the Holy Eucharist and offers it up, raising his arms toward heaven and repeats the words our blessed Lord said to His disciples on the last night of His freedom on earth. The Last Supper, which Jesus Christ celebrated before entering His Passion, is not "a meal," but a commemorative act, giving thanks to His Father for providing all things, most especially the Perfect Sacrifice to atone for mankind's sin.

These thoughts do not come easily when I'm at a Mass where the priest rushes through the offering or adds different phrases to "embellish" the act. And through all the years that I grew up with the Novus Ordo Mass, I have finally realized what I missed. Now that I'm reclaiming what has rightfully been my birthright as a believer, I will not yield it so easily and I will place my efforts toward promoting the Traditional Latin Mass as often as I can.

My faith has been strengthened by the TLM in ways I never expected. It's my hope that if you as a Catholic have never attended one, that you would at least once. Allow the silence of that profound moment at the altar permeate your soul. Allow yourself to rest and meditate on the work of our Lord. Yes, there are certainly N.O. Masses being offered that have reverence, but you can know that when you attend a TLM, it will always be there.

Praise God for our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, who has restored this precious rite. It is giving life to so many, including me.

New "Castitas" Video - Focus

A very dear lady wrote to me to ask how I handled temptation when I was single. In this video, I explain how I was convicted over my entertainment choices. Very often, placing God first means looking like "the church lady" to others. If we're serious about following Christ, we have to die to the opinion of others and fully embrace Him.

When you think of it, what will last - Entertainment Tonight or God? :-)

Hope you enjoy it. Hint: YouTube changed their screen size. Choose "Watch in high quality" at the right-hand bottom of the video to get a clearer view. Isn't it funny that my topic is focus but my video ended up fuzzy? Ha!

Reveille

I didn't post anything yesterday for Veteran's Day. So here is something a day late, but still very heartfelt. God bless those who serve in the military and God bless the United States!

(Mantilla nod to The Digital Hairshirt. Have some tissues handy when watching)

New "Castitas" Video: Words

Short and sweet! Yes, I will be able to do a video within 5 minutes!

Gregorian Chant Video

I came across this video. It would be good to listen to it early in the morning. I loved the photographs.

Blessings to you. :-)

Da Pacem Domine/Grant peace, O Lord, to those that worship
Uploaded by Catholique_Apostilic

"Castitas" Video - College and the Alpha Male: Part One and Part Two

Okay. I'm coming off as a complete goob during Part One when I refer to the online radio show, Catholic 2.0 with its host, Commander Craig. For some reason, I called him "The Captain" instead of "The Commander." Sheesh!

I "met" Brian P. Craig through Facebook and thought his concept intriguing. Since I worked at a radio station eons ago, I can vouch for the fact that producing radio isn't easy, especially when you're trying to do everything yourself. So I definitely am giving him a big "nod of the mantilla" for boldly going where few people would ever go.

In these videos, I talk about the book, Sex & the Soul: Juggling Sexuality, Spirituality, Romance, and Religion on America's College Campuses by Donna Freitas. I never heard of Donna Freitas until I heard her interviewed on Catholic 2.0. (Show Date: 8/2/08) I was fascinated because it focused on an area and demographic I wanted to reach. Her book is surprising, bittersweet, and wistful in its description of the "hooking up" culture that exists on college campuses.

Although I wasn't able to go into as much detail as I would have liked, I want to reiterate here that women have the power to change that culture. However, in order for it to change, there must be a large population of women who say, "No more." Those who keep saying "yes" even when they'd rather not, make it difficult for everyone else to say "no." I'm not a feminist per se, but I'm all for sisterhood solidarity when it comes to protecting women's chastity and virtue. Men have had it too easy for far too long and women are now bearing the brunt of the sexual "freedom" from the sixties. In fact, I'd say that women are more oppressed by societal expectations that she is "liberated" than they were in the 1950's.

I don't believe women can date like men or sleep around like men. The sexual experience for women is near to her heart because God has created it so. After watching girlfriend after girlfriend try to play it loose and fancy-free, every one of them ended up broken and empty.

Perhaps this is why I feel so strongly about doing what I am doing. I don't want to see young women get caught in the same trap. Cherish yourself because God cherishes you. He has created you for beauty and love - not to be treated like a cheap pair of shoes worn by every selfish guy on campus. God will give you the strength to say no as long as you are open and willing to hear His voice. When you are at your weakest, He will quickly rush toward you, scooping you up and bringing you close to His breast. You can rejoice in knowing you are not alone and not without resources. God will meet your every need.

So, here is Part One:



And...Part Two: (After much editing, I barely got it in under the 10 minute mark!)

New "Castitas" Video: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

I'm slowly getting my life back in order after The Big Move. I will say St. Anthony is getting a good workout as I beseech him to help me find stuff. I tried to be careful with my packing but needless to say, it will take a few more days to unearth everything. (Especially the library book that was due yesterday...)

This video was prompted by the news story of Jennifer Aniston's boyfriend breaking up with her via text message. I was slightly surprised. I'm aware of the whole "friends with benefits" phenomenon where people text an acquaintance to see if they'd be up for an amorous rendezvous. Ending a relationship by sending text over a cell phone is perhaps the flip side of the 21st century's idea of intimacy.

The video is a little over 15 minutes long. I decided to go with Google this time and forgot about their quality. My apologies for that, the extreme lighting, the wailing cicadas in the background...I'm still in a learning curve regarding creating videos. Maybe if you have it on while not watching it will be more enjoyable!

I met a lovely young woman after church this past Sunday and hope to get to know her better. I'm going to be organizing a "real life" meeting for college-aged Catholic women in my area very soon. The purpose would mainly be to provide a stable support group for women who wanted to live chastely, with dignity and self-respect while trusting in God for their future.

Here's the video, cicadas and all!

New Video: You Are a Garden

I created two more videos, which is actually one teaching. (I was better in keeping each segment closer to the allotted 10 minutes...)

In these videos, I discuss how a single woman is to guard her heart and look at herself as something precious. God is cultivating us in many ways and for a woman desiring marriage, He doesn't want just anyone tramping about the garden. :-)

I shot the videos in a different location, which may work better watching me sit behind a computer!

I hope you enjoy them.

Video One


Video Two

Self-Esteem and the Battle of the Mind

I taped another entry for my Castitas group. Bear with me as I figure out a few things. I pieced together two separate tapings. I have no idea why the lighting was different because nothing seemed to change. I simply stopped after my 10+ minutes and then started for the next segment.

I tried my best to edit the video so it would be exactly ten minutes for each segment. Alas, I was unable to do it! So I posted the entire thing on Google Videos. (The video runs 20:47) I also would like to improve the sound quality.

Meanwhile - the content: I am speaking about the relationship between having self-esteem and the battle in our minds. There is a direct connection to how we see ourselves as Christians and our ability to ward off the attacks of the enemy. When we know who we are in Christ and able to meditate constantly on the Word of God, we are better equipped to resist temptation and keep focused on what God wants of us. As a Catholic, I am understanding the role of the Sacraments more and realize they also play a very important part in strengthening our faith.

I'm not sure if I communicated my message as clearly as I had hoped. I will be revisiting this topic again. It is one I feel very strongly about and is currently relevant to younger people who are more susceptible to societal pressures than ever before.

Thanks for watching and if you have any helpful tips, please pass them on!

Oh, and I'm not thrilled with the still shot Google used on my video. It looks like I'm half-snookered. Yeesh...

Sooo....Guess What I've Been Up To?

Vidblogging.

Or in other words, "video blogging." I decided to try my hand at videotaping a message and found it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be! First, my hands were doing things I never thought they'd be doing (as in wildly waving all over the place as I was talking...). Secondly, there was this weird whooshing sound the perceptive microphone captured and I realized it was the ceiling fan.

Then the light coming in from the window gave my face a weird cast. Oy...there are many considerations to videotaping that I am just beginning to learn.

I spent yesterday doing several "test" runs and then finally recording a full 19 minutes of a teaching. However, I decided to re-record everything today because 1) 19 minutes is too long and 2) practice at least starts the journey toward perfection. It's going to definitely be an area of growth. Bear with my spurts and stumbles. I hope what I said will encourage some young women.

I also discovered that my smaller Casio camera did a much better job with the video quality and sound. Unfortunately, after 7 minutes this morning of taping, the battery died. So I had to start from scratch using my Kodak Easy Share camera, which presented the issue of having a .MOV file instead of an .AVI. (.AVI files are easily edited within the Microsoft Movie Maker program.) I'm not impressed with the compression of the files, so my apologies. It came from converting the .MOV files to the .AVI files with the only program that worked for me today. (I tried four others to no avail.)

So, without further ado and in my "not-so-good-hair-day" and "froggy voice" moments, here they are. ("Honor" had to be divided into two sections since YouTube has a limit on the length of videos.) Also, I'm going to be on vacation the next few days and won't be near a computer until Saturday night. Have a great rest of the week!

My Introduction:





"Honor" - Part I



"Honor" - Part II