From the estimable Ironic Catholic an idea I wish I had though of :
NPR marks ‘Kick a Catholic Week’ with new t-shirt pledge drive gift
Of course there is a lot of buy in for this idea from the media in general.
In this busy workaday world with so many distractions and noise trying to have an active prayer life is difficult at best. We fill every moment of our lives with outside stimulus with our phones, computers, television, and all our time saving appliances that leave us with no time left.
And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. –Revised Standard Version. (1 Ki 19:11–13)
The prayer-to-distraction ratio in our prayer lives is very small and outside stimulus drowns out the still small voice not even allowing it to be a voice crying out from the wilderness.
It is easy to represent this as a mathematical relationship of of prayer power to the noise power.
Yet how do we know what is an acceptable ratio for our lives and maintain the proper perspective from using consumer products or being consumed by products?
Well if you want to hear that still small voice than the new SSV-33 full spectrum distraction analyzer is the product for you!
The SSV-33 measures the prayer signal-to-noise ratio in units of Distraction Babels (dB) or distrabels. The distrabel is a logarithmic unit in that it can also take into account the log in you own eye. The distrabel is also a factor of 10 Commandments.
Simply turn on the SSV-33 and point it around you to get a reading of the amount of distraction pollution around you. A high distrabel reading means you need to start turning off devices around you and/or shutting down activities that have become unbalanced in prudential use of time. While use of goods and involving yourself in activities is morally neutral, the greater good is taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us as St. Teresa of Avila would say.
The SSV-33 full spectrum distraction analyzer will not measure seeming sources of distractions like spouses and other people. Contrary to popular opinion people are not distractions but persons to be loved and even their quirks and annoyances provides us channels to respond to grace. Hell is not other people, Hell is selfishness brought to its final end.
The sooner you start the better since studies have shown that prolonged exposure to distractions can cause you to become spiritually deaf. Though if this happens we also offer the St. Peter Spiritual Hearing Aid. The St. Peter Hearing Aid harnesses Apostolic power to let you hear Jesus since Jesus himself said to the Apostles “He who hears you, hears me.”
Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things pass away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
He who has God
Finds he lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.
And the SSV-33 full spectrum distraction analyzer will get you there!
One of the arguments for the existence of God is the teleological argument, or argument from design.
With this weekends NFL playoff games there is apparently a new argument for the existence of God, the Tebowlogical argument, or argument by completed passes by touchdown in the final moments of a game.
Being that Tim Tebow is from the same town I live in and went to a Baptist church blocks from my own parish I have some prejudice to like him. Even if I am annoyed that his church has it’s own parking garage, while parking at my parish is quite limited.
That he annoys so many people because of his open discussion of his faith is also a point in his favor. The irrational reaction is quite interesting and apparently you can wear any advocacy on you sleeve just as long as it is not Christianity. Though his families involvement in the Philippines with statements like “Of the 86 million Filipinos, we estimate that over 65 million have never once heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ” does not exactly warm my heart, especially considering my wife is Filipino. All those Catholic Filipino’s will be surprised that when the Gospel is read at Mass they didn’t hear it.
Regardless the Tebowlogical argument seems to go both ways as both a proof for the existence of God and for his nonexistence. Especially as both wins and losses are tied to his Christianity.
Apparently some seem to think that God closely watches the stats of a game to help them reference scriptural verses. His last weeks win ending in 316 passing yards is tied to the 3:16 he use to display in his eye black. Now imagine if he loses this weekend’s game and passes for 330? John 3:30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Of course Patriot fans would think that it was Tom Brady who must increase. Though exactly how does the passing yards to scriptural passage connection work? Is it just the Gospel of John or can other books be referenced. If so how do you infer which book? Hard to decide unless the receivers name is Mark, Matthew, Luke, or John.
Plus how does the physics of a God-influenced football game work? Are arm and leg muscles divinely inspired or is the flight of the football affected on the way to the receiver? Or is air resistance changed in route?
Regardless I would like to see Mr. Tebow become a Catholic, just as I want the same for all. After all all if he thinks he is hated and disparaged now he might as well get the full treatment of hate and disparagement.
I do hope LarryD updates his The Catholic’s Examination Of Conscience Guide To The NFL Playoffs so I can get my bets in.
Many people are aware of the fact that we don’t know the exact number of Magi and that the number we use is based on the number of gifts. Also the idea of them being kings is also rather dubious and the term Magi is vague in that it covers a lot of areas between wise philosophers and astrologers.
Knowing this I can understand why the popular Epiphany hymn made the choice it did because “We indeterminate number of men with a vague occupational definition” just does not have the same ring to it.
First off a joke for those programmers among you.
Why do Programmers get Halloween and Christmas confused?
I am not one of those who freaks out about Halloween. I certainly have very fond memories of Halloween as a kid. There are though some trends that annoy me.
Halloween seems to get pumped up more and more each year. In the past you might have seen some light decorations which mainly consisted of jack-o-lanterns. There was a very small minority of people who would elevate their decorations to a higher degree. Now it is much more common to see houses and their lawns decorated and now there are even Halloween Light shows.
I realize that it is now the semi-eqivalency between Halloween and Christmas that annoys me, it is that the commercialization for Halloween is approaching the commercialization of Christmas. Before you could see tacky inflatable Christmas decorations and now we have tacky inflatable Halloween decorations. Halloween Wreaths have also appeared in stores. You hardly see kids wearing anything but a store-bought costume.
Maybe this is just merchandiser relativism in going after anything that brings in a buck. But I want Christmas to be much more commercial than Halloween since Christmas is much more important! How dare they start to have commercial parity. Oh wait – maybe that isn’t exactly what I mean. But I won’t turn myself into a “holiday” movie by telling you about the real meaning of Christmas. Just start with Luke and read through.
I just glad Linus of Peanuts was unsuccessful in promoting “The Great Pumpkin” as a commercial venture. Good thing Halloween doesn’t have a fantasy person like the Santa Claus as given us by Coca-Cola. Glad they didn’t subvert another one of our saints for commercial reasons. Bishop St. Nicholas and the various St. Valentines must get teased about this all the time in Heaven. Though it is rather ironic that the vigil for the Feast of All Saints didn’t get this treatment. On second thought maybe it would be a good thing if Halloween had such a character – that way Tim Allen could stop making worse-and-worse Christmas movies and move on to worse-and-worse Halloween movies.
How long before we start getting “family movies” with the premise of a family learning the “real” meaning of Halloween? Though I guess I shouldn’t snipe to much at anything that promotes the importance of family no matter how trite.
Though speaking of the truth of Halloween, here is a link I have posted before. An article by Father Augustine Thompson, O.P. on what Mark Shea would call Pseudo-Knowledge in that All Saint’s Day was a baptism of a Pagan holiday to override it.
So if you are going to have some fun on Halloween or watch a horror movie or two, just remember as a vigil we are to get ready for the Feast of All Saints, those great exemplars provided for us to grow in holiness. Especially the following Feast of All Souls.
Update: Here is another bad idea in the Christians against Halloween camp – JesusWeen
This idea of mine started out on Twitter.
Now there has been a good amount of funny ideas parodying the “occupy” movement such as “Occupy Arrakis, the spice must flow.”
Besides how about changing the world by occupying the confessional or an adoration chapel, how about “Occupy Planned Parenthood”? This last idea would have a couple of things going for it. For one it would really annoy liberals to use the occupy meme in saving the life of the unborn. But then I realized there is already a “Occupy Planned Parenthood” and it is called “40 Days for Life” and has as a benefit actually doing a large amount of good.
Creative Minority Reports covers an article in the Miami New Times that must be seen to be believed. If the article and accompanying picture was in The Onion it would be hilarious. It has all the markings of a parody except in fact being one.
By the way the picture was taken by a photographer whose biography screams “ax to grind”
Tabatha Mudra was born on the side of the road in south eastern Iowa in the early 1980’s and later adopted into a family of pious Estonian Vagabonds. Unscathed by the confines of Estonian dogma as a child,
Oh those mean dogmatic Christians who actually went and adopted a child and tried to teach her truth.
How the media sees Christians
Tom at Disputations posts How to overcome envy over the depth and beauty of other people’s blogposts
There are several effective methods. Here is a non-exhaustive list:
- Convert envy to zeal. “Boy howdy, I’ll write a blog post of my own, with this as my model and exemplar!”
- Convert envy to pride. “I’ve got to admit, I can really spot a deep and beautiful blogpost when I see one.”
- Convert envy to vainglory. “This, clearly, is the pearl produced by my comment on that post back on June 26.”
- Convert envy to sloth. “You know, I bet if… say, when do the Brewers play?”
- Avoid envy altogether. “I don’t read that blog anymore.”
I would add:
- Convert envy to contention. “Wow those beautiful and thoughtful blogposts take too long to read, I’ll just unsubscribe from that *#&$# blog.”
- Convert envy to greed. “I’ll just link to that excellent blog and comment on it in the hope of getting a link back to increase my Google Adsense revenue.”
- Downgrade envy to jealousy. “I really admire the writing and wish them well, but why are they picked up to write for the National Catholic Register and Patheos?