"The Monastery"

I'm sure most of my readers remember "God or the Girl" - the A&E reality documentary about four men deciding whether to enter the priesthood. After reading updates following the documentary, all of them have decided not to enter as of the moment.

Well, if you liked it, you'll like this (probably)...

TLC has come out with "The Monastery", which is about five men spending 40 days at the desert Monastery Our Lady of the Desert in New Mexico. However, I honestly don't think they could have picked a set of people more likely never to enter a monastery. I'm doubtful, but hopeful, these people will truly find Christ in this monastery. It premeries on October 22nd at 10 PM ET/PT.

Updates:

I didn't watch the first episode because I forgot about it. But, it appears other blogs agree with me. In the comments at Lamland, Willa writes: "I nearly threw a pillow at the screen when the Marine amputee (Alex?) refused to make a show of respect at Mass and then said he wouldn't even go through the motions until he knew exactly what it was all about."

Blog Reviews of the First Episode:

1. LAMland: "Unlike God or the Girl, it's very artificial in every possible way...right now I'm tempted to give this one two big thumbs down."
2. Thresing Grain: "My favorite moment: Brother Rodrigo's conversation about the Virgin Mother--the question-'was the Virgin-really a virgin?' (I paraphrase here) He so lovingly spoke of his mother-stating she was 'his mother' and you don't speak or blaspheme her at all. You could see the love on his face and hear the tone of love in his voice. He got the point across to the men. You could hear a pin drop when he was speaking with them. And there were other moments. I recommend viewing this program and ask that prayers be offered for the success of the Holy Spirit."
3. Against all Heresies: "It seems that a majority of the participants are atheists, agnostics or malcontents who engage the monks in debate about "women rights and gay rights". How tiresome and completely predictable."

My Reviews of following episodes:

• Episode 2
• Episode 3
• Episode 4

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Wal-Mart and Gay Rights?

Update (November 21, 2006) from AFA.net:

Thank Walmart which has announced it "will no longer make corporate contributions to support or oppose controversial issues unless they directly relate to their ability to serve their customers" .

Update (November 9, 2006) from AFA.net:

In a show of support to help homosexuals legalize same-sex marriage, Wal-Mart has agreed to automatically donate 5% of online sales directly to the Washington DC Community Center for Gay, Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender People. The cash donation will come from online purchases made at Wal-Mart through the homosexual group's Web site. This move follows Wal-Mart's joining the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce and agreeing to give generous financial help to that organization also.

Every purchase made online for books, music, videos, clothing and accessories, children's clothing and toys, and electronics at the site will automatically send 5% of the sales to the CCBLBT People. The agreement is an indication that Wal-Mart is totally committed to supporting the homosexual movement.

Wal-Mart also gave a generous cash donation to the Northwest Arkansas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center, helping to provide a place where homosexuals can come together to "socialize."

Many observers feel it would have been a wise business decision for Wal-Mart to remain neutral in the cultural battle over homosexual marriage. But this was an ideological decision by Wal-Mart - not a business decision.

From AFA.net:

When Wal-Mart announced their support for the homosexual agenda a few weeks ago, they meant what they said. You will remember that Wal-Mart asked for, and received, permission to join the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). The company announced they were giving two large grants to NGLCC. The world's largest retailer was rewarded with a position on the board of NGLCC. Wal-Mart also announced they would give preference to homosexual-owned businesses in purchasing products.

Justin Nelson, president of NGLCC, said he expects Wal-Mart to use its influence to pressure suppliers like P&G, Johnson & Johnson, and Gillette to give homosexual businesses preferential treatment. Wal-Mart is also working on a plan to provide domestic-partnership benefits to homsexual employee "partners." The NGLCC is a leading promoter of homosexual marriage.
...

A quick search of Wal-Mart's website turned up the following number of items for sale:

Gay - 1148
Lesbian - 468
Transgender - 40
Bisexual - 38
Gay Marriage - 26

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Pope Benedict XVI Visits Pontifical Lateran University

On October 23, 2006, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI visited the Pontifical Lateran University for the opening of the Academic Year for the Ecclesiastic Universities. Catholic News Agency reports:

Following a Mass celebrated to mark the beginning of the Roman academic year, Pope Benedict XVI offered a few words of reflection for students and faculty of the Pontifical Universities and Athanea of Rome. The Holy Father encouraged the students gathered to strengthen their spiritual life and to be prepared to receive the truth which, he noted, comes from God and not from a popular consensus.

The Holy Father noted the tremendous diversity of nations from which the Pontifical students originate. “At the start of this new academic year,” Pope Benedict said, “we praise the Lord for this special community of professors and students, which declares so eloquently the universality and the unity of the Catholic Church. A community still even more beautiful because it principally addresses the youth, giving them the opportunity to enter into and engage in institutions of high cultural and theological values, and offering at the same time, the possibility of enriching pastoral and ecclesiastic experiences.”

The Pope insisted that the Pontifical institutions should focus on, “the important priority of spiritual life and the need for concern, along with cultural growth, for a balanced human development and a deep religious and ascetic formation.”

“Those who want to be a friend of Jesus and to become an authentic disciple, whether seminarian, priest, religious, or layman, can cultivate an intimate friendship with Him in meditation and in prayer,” the Pope insisted.
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Pope Benedict XVI said something we can all learn to take to heart: ".... an education in silence and contemplation...is necessary to be able to listen with the heart to God who speaks. Only if they proceed from the silence of contemplation can our words have a certain value and usefulness and not fall into the inflation of the world's speeches which seek the consensus of public opinion. "

Image Source: REUTERS/Dario Pignatelli (Vatican)
2nd Image Source: AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, ho

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Words of Inspiration: October 23, 2006

"If we want a love message to be heard, it has got to be sent out. To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it" (Mother Teresa)

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Man sees Jesus in the Eucharistic Host

Andy Petty was only in the Catholic Eucharist Adoration chapel at the request of his fiance. He had been a member of the Worldwide Church of God, which, for 30 of the 40 years he had been attending, taught that the Catholic Church and the Pope were the antichrist. They also taught that Jesus had short hair, not long hair and a beard.

So, when he looked up at the host (which he still thought of as a "cracker") in the monstrance that day and saw a man with a beard, he literally looked around to see where it was being projected from. He couldn't find any evidence of projection equipment and his fiance said she didn't see "the man with the beard" in the host.

Miraculously, his pastor told him it was a gift from God and encouraged him to convert to Catholicism, which he did. He now attends Eucharist Adoration once a week with his wife.Eucharist Adoration is open to anyone, of any faith.

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Behold the Heart of Jesus!

"Behold this heart, which has loved men so much, that it has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming itself, in order to testify to them its love and in return i receive from the greater number nothing but ingratitude by reason of their irreverence and sacrileges and by the coldness and contempt which they show me in this sacrament of love. But what i feel the most keenly is that it is hearts which are consecrated to me that treat me like this. Therefore, i ask of you that the friday after the octave of corpus christi be set apart for a special feast to honor my heart, by receiving holy communion on that day and making reparation to it by a solemn act in order to make amends for the indignities which it has received during the time it has been exposed on the altars. I promise you that my heart shall expand itself to shed in abundance the influence of its divine love upon those who shall likewise honor it and cause it to be honored"

(Jesus' Words to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque)

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Pray the Rosary for the Pope

Please post this graphic on your blog and let your readers know that they can post it on their blogs too! Fellow friends in Christ, between November 28th and December 1st Pope Benedict XVI will be journeying to Turkey. At this time in history, the Holy Father desperately needs our prayers. And the Rosary has been called the most powerful prayer after the Mass. At Fatima, Mary asked all mankind to "say the Rosary every day to obtain peace for the world and the end of [World War I]." And, concerning herself, she said, "I am the Lady of the Rosary."

Start praying the Rosary for the Pope today! I will frequently post reminders about this on my blog for the next month.

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NBC will not show Madonna's "Crucifixion"

Deo Gratis! (Thanks be to God!)

I just read on Catholic Fire that NBC will not be showing the part of Madonna's Confessions tour when she is hanging on the Cross. It is a mockery of Jesus Christ's Crucifixion!

Catholic League's Bill Donahue said the following:

“NBC did the right thing, but the fact that it did not say why the offensive part of Madonna’s concert was cut shows cowardice. What NBC should have done is to admit that since it refused to air the Danish cartoons that Muslims objected to earlier in the year, it felt obliged not to treat Christians in a discriminatory manner. On September 20, I wrote to NBC chief Bob Wright making this point.

“Pressure politics were at work, too. On September 29, a letter was sent to Bob Wright by Brent Bozell, president of the Parents Television Council, and me, warning him that we would boycott one of the sponsors of the Madonna concert if the ‘Mock Crucifixion’ part were not excised; we would decide via a conference call the next day which sponsor would receive our Christmas present. In addition to the Catholic League and the Parents Television Council, the following groups said they would join the boycott: American Family Association, Morley Institute, Christian Film and Television Commission, Jews Against Anti-Christian Defamation, Traditional Values Coalition and Women Influencing the Nation.

“Congratulations to all these groups, and most especially to Don Wildmon’s American Family Association for being out in front on this issue.”

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Praying the Rosary for Pope Benedict XVI

Fellow friends in Christ, between November 28th and December 1st the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, will be visiting Turkey. At this time in history, the Holy Father desperately needs our prayers. And the Rosary has been called the most powerful prayer after the Mass. At Fatima, Mary asked all mankind to "say the Rosary every day to obtain peace for the world and the end of [World War I]." And, concerning herself, she said, "I am the Lady of the Rosary."

So, please I will be posting a few days before his trip all the way through December 1st. I will be posting how to pray the Rosary as well as posting the mysteries for that day. Please join me in spreading news around other Catholic blogs! Please participate!

Also, feel free to display the graphic above on your blogs. I created it for that reason. I got this idea from the suggestion of Argent by the Tiber.

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A Prayer for the Sick

O Lord Jesus Christ, who during your brief life on earth went about doing good to all men and women, be merciful to me in this my hour of special need.

Divine Healer, your tender heart was ever moved at the sight of pain and affliction. I beg of you, if it be your holy will, to help me regain my strength. Send forth healing to all who suffer, whether in mind or body. Grant to each of us that peace of mind which you alone can give.

Father in heaven, I thank you for all the good things that you have bestowed upon me, especially for the precious gift of life. Thank you for having so loved the world that you sent us your Son, Jesus Christ, who died for our salvation.

Jesus, my savior and friend, grant to all people the blessings of good health both in mind and body. Help us to do your will in all things. Give us strength to love and heal one another, ever remembering your words, "Whatever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto Me."

Recommended Reading: Saints for the Sick: Heavenly Help for Those Who Suffer

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