The Simple Solution of World Hunger and Poverty

I've heard many religious people preach on poverty and world hunger and offer their simple and easy way to beat it. It's the billionaires and millionaires! If only those greedy businesspeople would give a tiny part of their wealth to the poor, we'd eradicate poverty and all would be great!

It sounds so simple. Rich people have "too much" and poor people have too little. So the rich just have to give money to the poor and bam, problem solved. I have many issues with this sentiment and I believe it causes more harm than good.

These days everyone seems to want to save the world. They want to end world hunger, end pollution, end fossil fuels, save the whales, end global warming, etc. People seem to think in the grandest and most grandiose of terms. Why go for something small like helping your neighbor with something when you can save the entire planet!

It's a very enticed proposition and one that leads to great damage in my opinion. Let me explain why.

I have heard this phrased in various ways, but how can someone expect to "change the world" when they can't even change the sheets on their bed. It's a legitimate question. Think of yourself. Think of a negative characteristic or issue you've been dealing with. Perhaps you are impatient, maybe you are messy, perhaps you are rude or inconsiderate. Maybe you don't do your fair share of chores. The list could go on. Now, just think of the difficult you had or are having in overcoming this relatively minor flaw. So you can't even overcome something this small and yet you expect at the flick of a finger, you can change over 7 billion people? You must be a real optimist!

By trying to change the world and not ourselves, we are passing the buck on to everyone else while convincing ourselves that we are morally upright and perfect. We adopt a sort of relativist mentality whereby our failures are insignificant and meaningless and we are doing our part to rescue every man, woman, and child on the Earth. Wow, what a sense of moral superiority one can achieve through this!

In fact, many people neglect to do even small things as they are too busy focusing on the big things. Yet, they probably have little if any real impact on the so-called "big things", despite what they tell themselves. People try to convince others to vote a certain way. They spend dozens of hours informing themselves, discussing their opinions to others, etc. In the end, most likely they will get the influence of exactly one vote and have no other impact. Yet they could have spent those countless hours helping out a neighbor, visiting family, or working on becoming holier.

The issue of global poverty is not as simple as saying well look at this huge corporation that had profits of $X Billions of dollars. They simply have to transfer that money and poof, problem over. Again, when we think this way, we shift all the responsibility to everyone else. "I'm not responsible for poor people, that's the responsibility of billionaires." I'm not saying billionaires shouldn't help if they have the means, but I am saying we shouldn't scapegoat our own responsibility on them.

Global poverty is a complex issue. It will not be solved simply by throwing money at it. Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have pledged to give tens of billions of dollars toward eradicating poverty. Will poverty be over once this happens? Of course it won't. I'm not holding them up as moral paragons as there are many issues we could discuss. But I am talking about the concept of money solving all problems.

As Catholics we believe in the value of work. It's better for a man to work and earn money to provide for his family rather than become permanently dependent on someone else to support him. Jesus said to feed the hungry and clothe the naked. But he meant it in a personal one-on-one way, not please advocate for rich people to give stuff to the poor.

The other part is that we don't know how rich we are. If you are reading this from a computer or expensive mobile device, you are relatively rich. In fact, to be among the global one percent, you only have to earn something like $36,000 per year. That's really not that much. What if someone from a poor country was speaking to you and said you should support them because you are among the 1%?

Sure, you could say you may be in the 1% but others are richer. First of all, that's got nothing to do with you. You are given commands by God Almighty. They can't be deflected onto someone else. Secondly, could someone with $10 million say they are not responsible because there are billionaires out there with much more? Could someone with $1 billion say he isn't responsible because Jeff Bezos has almost $200 Billion? Of course that would be absurd.

I also think we as human beings are designed to help those around us first. It has to be a personalized approach. I heard this as one of the key problems with government poverty-reduction strategies - it's completely impersonal. If you know someone who is struggling financially, you can help them but more than financially. Maybe you can help find them a job. Perhaps you can help them with any addiction issue they may have. Perhaps you can provide a place to stay in some circumstances. But you are an accountability partner and you can do much more good than them receiving a paycheck from an anonymous source.

Another point is that poverty is not a simplistic issue. Tens of billions of dollars have been given to poor people and poor countries and yet there is still much poverty. Poverty is going down a lot globally though, but this decrease has very little to do with charity. It has more to do with a global market for products and services and increased efficiency brought by capitalism. Charity definitely has its place, but again I think it mainly has to be personalized.

Stop blaming everyone else for the problems of the world. Help out a relative you've neglected, make amends with an old friend, help out someone who is hard on their luck. Don't think you have to change the whole world and demand others to do your work. Look forward to seeing your comments and have a great day!

Prayer for Those Suffering from Pneumonia and/or Covid

 

St. Bernardino of Siena - Patron Saint of Those Suffering from Respiratory Illness

I would like to share with you a prayer that I wrote for the patron saint of respiratory illnesses, St. Bernardino of Siena. I wrote this myself so please pardon me if it is not the greatest of prayers.

I am writing this prayer because pneumonia is a highly-searched illness and I wanted to provide a Catholic prayer in response to it. Covid is also a respiratory illness so one can also pray this prayer for that intention as well. Without further ado, here is the prayer I composed:

Prayer to St. Bernardino of Siena (Patron Saint of Respiratory Illness)

Lord, Father all-powerful and ever-living God,
You led St. Bernardino of Siena to help those suffering during the Plague.
Lord, you also assisted and cured St. Bernardino of Siena of his respiratory illness.
You gave St. Bernardino strength and courage to preach beautifully to the people of Italy.
I ask you, St. Bernardino, through your powerful intercession, to pray to God Almighty
For the intention of (State Intention Here)
Pray that the Lord brings healing, peace, love and joy to this person.
I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Update: Thank you for viewing.

Civil Unions for Homosexuals? (10/21)

Well-done homily on the subject. Worth listening to.

Is Pope Francis Starving For Attention? His latest disheartening comments about gay civil unions.

Pope Francis has once again made headlines over his careless comments. The mainstream media and world in general is fawning over his latest remarks in which he advocates civil unions for gay people. Rather than defend and explain Catholic doctrine, which he should do since he's, you know, THE POPE, he just randomly goes on some tangent about giving legal rights to gay people, etc.

His exact words in new documentary titled Francesco, state:

“Homosexual people have a right to be in a family. They are children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable over it. What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered.”

Why is the pope even commenting on this? Gay people do not have a "right" to a family. What does this even mean. People have the right to start a family, but gay people can't even procreate. So what does this mean? Does it mean a gay man has the right to live with another gay man and have a child or children live there as well? How is this a "right"?

Has Pope Francis forgotten that homosexual acts are sinful and condemned by the Church he leads? Affirming people living in sinful situations does not help them! I don't mind if he affirms their inherent dignity or says they have the right to respect, etc. That all makes sense. But to say a state has the obligation to create a special type of "marriage" for gay couples is absurd.

Again, it goes back to the basics. What is marriage? Is it any combination of consenting adults? Is procreation an aspect of marriage? Is a business partnership a marriage? I mean, marriage has a definition. If it doesn't have a definition, then it's meaningless. Why even have a word?

But if it does have a definition, what is it? Is it the union of 2 consenting adults? Okay, why not three consenting adults? Why are you limiting it? So if it can be any number of people, what else is in the definition? Does it have to be procreative? Well if it can involve gay people, then the answer is no. So now what is it? It's nothing. So what is there to want?

Some might say it's a legal arrangement. Well, you can have legal arrangements that aren't marriage. But marriage has always been something that is special and unique. It pre-exists Christianity. But it has certain key factors. It has been used around the world to create and sustain families. Gay marriage does none of this and it violates basic natural law.

This all boils down to a problem of non-specificity, a lack of clarity. St. Thomas Aquinas would define all of his terms and be very precise. He would use exact language. Fr. Ripperger points this out as well in many of his talks. He too will often define a word when using it so that everyone is on the same page.

On the other hand, look at Pope Francis. Specifics are his Kryptonite. As Patrick Coffin puts, he uses weaponized ambiguity. You can't just start with one premise and then throw the baby out with the bath water based on it. To put it concretely, just because gay people are human beings loved by God, it doesn't mean we throw out the definition of marriage that we have had for centuries. Just because we must respect everyone, it does not mean we must condone all activity. We need clarity on these things.

The pope has reneged on his duties. Is he waiting for someone else to preach sound doctrine? Has he forgotten that he is the pope, our spiritual father? It seems he has. 

I feel as though Pope Francis has abandoned his spiritual children. He has gone off seeking the approval and affection of "others". In this case, the "others" are the media, the secular world, etc. He is doing everything he can to get in their good books. He doesn't realize they are just using him. Does he think his actions are attracting the enemies of the Church into the Church? If he thinks that, he is sorely mistaken.

Men who leave their families to be with another woman almost never end up marrying that woman in the end. Once the other woman was done with him, it was over. So it is with the evil secular world. They will try to attract you, but once you're in, they spit on you and leave you in the dirt.

I recently read a quote from Pope Benedict XVI concerning Pope John Paul II. To paraphrase, he said Pope John Paul II never sought popularity or to be liked. He was willing to present the unadulterated truth and to "take the blows" that came with it.

Sadly, it seems we now have the opposite of this in Pope Francis.

P.S. I hate to be so harsh. I just feel upset by all of this. I hope the pope realizes soon what he is doing. In the meantime, we must always pray for him.

Trump and Biden Debate

I watched much of the debate last night featuring Joe Biden and Donald Trump. I will first and foremost say that I prefer Donald Trump over Joe Biden for many reasons. Whatever Trump may do during the debate does not change the substance of their positions. Having said that, let's take a look at the debate and what happened.

From my point of view, I cannot defend the actions of Donald Trump during this debate. He continually interrupted, made irrelevant points, etc. I think he discovered that he could flummox Biden by interjecting random comments. Biden often took the bait. He would go off his planned speech and try to address whatever word or phrase Trump through out. Trump used this to knock Biden off-kilter.

People were saying Trump was debating Chris Wallace along with Biden. I kind of get where they are coming from. Biden seemed like he was being attacked by Trump and so Wallace would step in to defend him. One commentator asked, why not just have the candidates in a room without a moderator and just have at it. At this point, that's almost what it was.

These are not just the actions of Mr. Trump. I have noticed this type of comportment in various debates, whether in the US or Canada or locally. Instead of both parties having an understood agreement that they will let the other speak, they seem to be using tactical bullying and talking-over to get their points across. It's more of a battle than simply a battle of words.

More civil debates seemed to rely on the premise that "I will let you speak and get your full point across. Ultimately I don't want people following you, and so it would be better for you to not even say your points of view. However, if I am to get my own point across, I will sacrifice the chance to interrupt you so that I can have a chance to speak myself."

Nowadays, it's more like don't let the other person get a point across lest people may be convinced by his argument. Make the other person look ridiculous, incoherent, etc. Perhaps they are attempting to appear dominant. The person who speaks over the other more wins?

Either way, I think it is a blow to what debates aspire to. As someone I know mentioned, if this were a high school debate, they would both be told to sit back down and get an F.

People choose sides, it's just what people do naturally. But I think you can be in favour of a candidate without condoning his behavior. I definitely do not want Biden to win, I think he has a very dangerous party and dangerous ideas. The style of debate is not the same as the platform of the parties. Therefore, I think Trump should win and lead the country. There is a lot at stake.

If you want to see a big difference from the new style of debate, check out a debate featuring Ronald Reagan. He argues well but he is still cordial and follows the rules of etiquette. If Trump is the proponent of Law and Order, it starts with your comportment.

Church and State: Covid

Catholic churches are reopening in Canada and around the world. I've noticed a few things that speak to a lack of separation of CHurch and state, and show the CHurch acquiescing to every request of the state without question and going overboard. Let me explain.

Churches were allowed to reopen about 6 weeks ago in Newfoundland, Canada. Unlike many other public places such as businesses, churches were some of the last places that were allowed to open. When they did finally open, they were limited to 50 total people in the church building. This is far less than the number allowed at other similarly-sized establishments. For example, the Basilica, which is one of the biggest churches in Canada, could only have 50 people.

Not only could they only have 50 people, they adhered to restrictions other places did not even consider. The church I attend has been following "protocols" far more strictly than anywhere else. You have to answer a survey each time you enter the building, then you have to wear your mask while you walk anywhere. When you sit, masks are optional because everyone is more than 6 feet apart with area cordoned off.

But one particularly strange part I found was the extreme lengths churches will go to announce every little detail of how to act while receiving communion, as if everyone is in constant danger. Again, nothing like this happens outside the church, such as in shopping areas and grocery stores. There is an announcement at the beginning of Mass, and then one right before communion. And it's not a small, short announcement either. It's a long, detailed message going into every possible detail about maintaining distance, sanitizing hands, how to receive communion, etc.

Remember, in NL, we only have one active case, and that is very recent, and it is someone under the age of 19 who is a known person. And yet, as mentioned, the church adheres to these regulations with more fervor than anywhere else.

But what upsets me the most is that never in any other area does the local church broadcast specific regulations and procedures for anything else. There is never any mention of only Catholics in the state of Grace being allowed to receive communion. They are seemingly quite lax in that area. Yet, when the state asks them to make an announcement on Covid, they don't know how far to go. They go way above and beyond, even beyond the wildest dreams of the most cautious politician.

Why is this? Why do they only seem to place value on temporal things such as government announcements and seem to downplay the importance of eternal things? It seems to me there is far more risk in the latter.

I'm not saying don't make any messages concerning Covid, but I am saying make other announcements. Perhaps announcing that the church is a sacred place and that people should not whisper throughout the Mass. Perhaps mention that only Catholics in the state of Grace should receive communion. Maybe talk about confession from time to time.

We shouldn't just always kowtow to what the government says. Whatever happened to separation of Church and state? We are only reinforcing the idea that the state and all the earthly orders of politicians are more important than Jesus Christ and our eternal salvation.

Modern-Day Obliviousness to Morality

Woe to you that call evil good, and good evil: that put darkness for light, and light for darkness: that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter.- Isaiah 5:20

It seems to me that as the world embraces more and more immorality, it ironically starts to think it is becoming more and more morally virtuous.

This became all the more clear lately as social justice warriors go around looking for statues of men who lived centuries ago to tear down because of their alleged imperfections. As though now that this latest generation has conquered all sin and is a paragon of moral virtue, it can now set its sights on bygone generations.

If this does not epitomize pompous self-righteousness, nothing does. While people of this generation hardly know or recognize the seven deadly sins or 10 commandments, they not only feel qualified to tell their own generations what they are doing or did wrong, but feel justified in searching for iniquities from the last 500 years.

I wouldn't even mind this so much if this newest generation wasn't one of the most immoral and hypocritical of our entire human history. They have taken the words above from Isaiah not as a warning but as instruction. Practically every sin imaginable is not only accepted, but celebrated and when this generation does target a particular sin, they almost always get it wrong by misidentifying where the sin is and why it is sinful.

The ten commandments are set up in order of importance. The first commandment, to Love God alone and to worship Him only is more important than the commandment to honor one's mother and father, which is more important than the commandment to not murder. Almost all of the 10 commandments are routinely violated by the latest generation. They have turned every commandment on its head and become quite passionate in arguing for the opposite. The same goes for the 7 deadly sins. Truly a reversal has taken place with them.

I remember at work one time a coworker joking about the idea that we would even need the 10 commandments. He laughed that they were obvious and so why would we need commandments to tell us what to do. There was a slight amount of truth in what he was saying. As Catholics, we hold that the 10 commandments form part of the natural law which is naturally knowable by all people. And yet, if these 10 commandments were so obvious, why is it that our society embraces the breaking of each one of them?

Take for instance the fourth and sixth commandments: honor your mother and father and do not murder. In Canada, with the introduction of euthanasia, it became legal to kill your mother or father. Most people are okay with this. It, of course, started out slow, saying that only elderly people with a terminal illness could choose to take their own life. Yet now, the criteria for who is "permitted" to kill themselves is ever-expanding. They are taking away the age requirement, as well as the terminal illness requirement. Now they are saying people with depression can kill themselves. What differentiates this all from suicide?

People are on board. They no longer honor their mother and father, and when they become too much of a burden, they encourage their parents to just end it. Parents, themselves not wanting to be burdens, are pressured into this.

Of course, some morally good doctors oppose killing patients as it violates their oaths. So does the government allow these good doctors to follow their consciences? Of course not. They are forced to send the patient to another doctor who will in fact kill the person.

The majority of Canadians, being highly immoral, have accepted state-sanctioned murder. They use Orwell-type words to sanitize what is truly happening, and phrase it as a personal choice and dignified. How can killing a vulnerable person be dignified for anyone? They publish articles by those who choose to be killed and without fail advocate this amazing system. We of course never hear any counter arguments.

I once read an article in the local newspaper where a doctor lamented the fact that in Newfoundland and Labrador, not enough people are killing themselves. He "blamed" strong families and other things on this negative situation. So he was trying to get the message out that offing oneself is a great choice and that you should avail!

It won't be long before this option to kill oneself becomes an obligation. People will be told they are selfish for opting to live longer. Bill Gates himself rhetorically asked in a public speech whether it's better to "let" an elderly person live longer or if it's better to hire 10 teachers. This rhetorical question will be asked of the elderly as well before long. They will be made to feel guilty for not doing the responsible thing of killing themselves once they reach a certain age or have a certain health prognoses.

This is just one example of a grave violation of the commandments. It would be easy to find dozens of examples of violations of each of the other commandments as well. But unlike any other time, we do not as a society condemn these violations, but rather celebrate them, and wonder how they can be expanded to include more people. We are surrounded everywhere we go with evil. Anyone who is good will be severely punished. This is just a friendly reminder of that.

If you decide to be a good person, just remember that you will be persecuted and prosecuted. You will face many difficulties. But I think if you are aware of this, it might make it a little easier to accept. Jesus Himself told us this:

The eighth beatitude says: "Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Remember those words as you do what is right.

Prayer for an End to the Coronavirus / Covid19 Pandemic

St. Roch, Patron Saint against pandemics.

Here is a prayer to a patron saint against diseases and illnesses, in particular against epidemics such as the one we are currently experiencing (more information about the saint is found at the end):

O Blessed Saint Roch,
Patron of the sick,
Have pity on those
Who lie upon a bed of suffering.

Your power was so great
When you were in this world,
That by the sign of the Cross,
Many were healed of their diseases.

Now that you are in heaven,
Your power is not less.
Offer, then, to God
Our sighs and tears
And obtain for us that health we seek
Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

St. Roch was born with a birthmark of a cross on his chest. He became a powerful intercessor while on earth. He contracted the bubonic plague, as can be seen in his statue above. However, he survived with the help of a dog who would bring him food.

St. Roch's holiness started at a young age, when he would fast, along with his mother, twice a week, even while he was nursing.

He followed in the footsteps of St. Francis by giving away all of his earthly possessions to help the poor, which were left to him by his parents who died when he was only 20 years old.

Pres. Trump Watches Mass Via Live-Stream at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Thanks Cardinal Dolan |

Pres. Trump Watches Mass Via Live-Stream at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Thanks Cardinal Dolan |: Let us pray for our president! ��

Governor Cuomo's Blasphemous Comments Addressed

Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York said some blasphemous comments which are addressed quite well by Bishop Robert Barron in his article. In it, he explains that God isn't just one of many causes, but he is the ultimate cause of all things and is "to be" itself. It's a great read. Check it out here.

What I do besides this blog. One thing is my Omega-3 business.

I know this isn't the usual topic, and feel free to skip this one if you are just interested in Catholic information. But I just wanted to do a quick shout-out to my online website called Plantology.ca On this website, I primarily sell a product called Terra Nova Omega-3 Seal Oil capsules. Seal oil contains a very high level of omega-3 and is very good for your health.

Did you know: Catholics in Newfoundland were given permission to consume seal during Fridays of Lent as it was considered an aquatic animal and thus classified as a fish?

I just wanted to mention this business here on this website to let people know some of the things I do outside of this blog. I'm trying to really get my business off the ground, so I just wanted to take a minute to let my readers know about this site.

I am from Newfoundland, Canada and Atlantic harp seals are a very abundant species. In fact, in 6 million seals, there are about 10 seals for every person in our province! Seals are one of the best sources of omega-3 supplements. The reason is that they have already converted various other forms of omega-3 into a type that is readily available for use in the human diet. As a comparison, plant sources of omega-3 can only be used at a rate of about 10-15% by the human body as it comes in the form of ALA.

On the other hand, seal oil contains high levels of DHA, EPA, and DPA which are specific types of omega-3s and are vital in human health. We cannot create our own omega-3 compounds and so they must come from our diets. Unfortunately, most people's diets have a lot more omega-6 than omega-3. As a comparison, most diets have at least a 15:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3. Many have more, even as high as 50:1. It is recommended that at most our ratio be 4:1, and some even say 1:1 would be optimal.

Seal oil contains a reversed amount compared to the average diet, coming in at 1:7.5. That means for every 1 unit of omega-6, there are 7.5 units of omega-3.

Unfortunately, seal oil is not allowed to be sold in the United States. I think there is simply a general ban on all seal products. This is unfortunate because seals are harvested in a very humane and sustainable way. They are not farmed and live their entire lives in their natural environment and only adult seals are ever killed. Plus the number taken is such that their overall population will not decrease.

So if you are from Canada or from Asia, please check out my website at www.Plantology.ca. Place an order if you are interested. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

I appreciate you giving me this opportunity to talk a little about my business. I hope it was not too disruptive. I won't be posting a lot about Plantology.ca at all. I may not post anything about it again. Please let me know if you are upset or unhappy with my decision to post this. Having said that, stay tuned for great Catholic content and thank you for being a loyal reader!

Catholic Confirmation During Coronavirus (Covid19) Pandemic

As the final article in this series wherein I look at the 7 sacraments and whether / how they can take place, I will be taking a look at the sacrament of Confirmation.

There are many considerations when it comes to confirmation that makes it unique compared to other sacraments. The sacrament is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in a special way. It increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit (aka the Holy Ghost) which include wisdom, knowledge, right judgment, understanding, courage, piety, and fear of the Lord. The sacrament deepens ones connection with God and gives a more intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.

In most places in the world, the sacraments have been cancelled, including the sacrament of confirmation. My friend was going to receive the sacrament of confirmation this past Easter Vigil but it was cancelled. In fact, I was meant to be his sponsor. I was a little nervous to go ahead with it since I rarely leave the house. I am probably overreacting to the whole thing.

My friend found out his sponsor did not need to attend for the sacrament to take place. He contacted the archdiocese to see if there would be any way for it to go ahead but unfortunately they said it could not.

I understand the longing he has to be confirmed and receive the Holy Eucharist. It's not only him but also his girlfriend who are both looking to join the Church and this has become a great time of waiting. But I believe there is virtue and holiness in all of this just as God can bring holiness from any situation. We make situations holy by how we react to them. If we trust in God's providence, we can get through this. Perhaps it will ultimately lead to greater joy and closeness to God.

I trust the archbishops who have made this difficult decision. I do not feel people should put themselves at risk for these things. I think God protects his people, but we also cannot act foolishly. Jesus Christ himself said he would not jump off a tall building to test God and see if he would be caught.

Confirmation is a hands-on sacrament, literally. There isn't any way of going about it while having social distancing. Also, although it may be legal, as in the case of marriage, to have very few people present, is that ideal? Having a larger group can be edifying and really demonstrate the holy faith to others, something we need these days.

Therefore, overall, I would say trust God and his plan. Be humble and do not become angry. Realize that the desire for the sacraments is a holy desire and it comes from a place of Faith, Hope, and Charity, and this ought to bring great comfort for it means God loves you and wants what is best for you.

Have a great Easter everyone!

Good Friday is not the Same as Easter Sunday

(picture from https://sarasmusings.wordpress.com/tag/easter-sunday/)

I just wanted to quickly note something I've noticed over the past few days - people combining Good Friday and Easter as if they are the same thing. This is particularly true of politicians. I noticed it with President Trump. I like President Trump's speeches when it comes to Catholic feast days. He has definitely done a lot more than other presidents and our own Prime Minister. He doesn't just mention the name of the holy day and then go on talking about something else, he actually delves into quite a bit. He's not afraid to talk about "Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" and that he is a Christian which is refreshing. He doesn't feel the need to qualify everything he is saying or give a shout out to everyone. At the same time if he were to recognize some other group, I wouldn't expect him to throw in random references to Christianity.

But one thing I did notice is that when speaking about Good Friday, he just kept going to Easter. Yes, the two are obviously connected and are really two ends of a single event. I understand that. But they are also opposites in a way. Jesus Christ is tortured, crucified and dies on the Cross. It is a very solemn and tragic day in the Christian calendar. He dies because of our sins. The Good Friday service is very solemn, dark, and sad. During Easter Vigil, we symbolically wait by the tomb in the cover of night, with just candles to light the way. This is because of what has happened to our savior.

On the other hand, Easter is the greatest triumph in the Christian calendar. The greatest day of celebration and joy. Really the total opposite of Good Friday. Our sins are forgiven and Christ beckons us to "Go in peace!" That's why Easter is filled with bright and happy colours, joy and celebration.

In Trump's speech, when speaking about Good Friday, he did make reference to it being solemn, but when speaking off the cuff, he just immediately would equate it with Easter. I think a distinction needs to be made. In the case of Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, I'm really not sure what he said about Good Friday. Probably nothing at all. He may have made some random shout-out to Easter at some point. I will look it up, but I know he would never talk about his own faith (he's supposedly Catholic), or say anything meaningful or relevant. He would probably just use politician-speak and have a very generic message. But maybe I shouldn't assume that until I see it.

In any event, I think people need to be clear about the difference of Good Friday and Easter. We have to embrace both just as our lives are not only filled with joy and happiness but also difficult times. But in both, we know that we do not have a God that cannot relate but one who became incarnate so that he suffered more than anyone else and can thus relate to our own suffering.

I hope you continue to have a joyful Easter!

Most Recent Research Confirms the Shroud of Turin is the Burial Cloth of...

Prayer, Scripture sustain faithful as they await delayed sacraments - Grandin Media

Article about my friend and his family who live in Alberta!



Prayer, Scripture sustain faithful as they await delayed sacraments - Grandin Media: The Easter Vigil was set to be the defining moment in Roomi Burney’s life. For two years he prepared for his baptism and confirmation into the Catholic Church, but that plan came to an abrupt halt. As a precaution against the coronavirus, all baptisms, confirmations, and first communions that would have taken place this spring

Fish & Chips: Christ without the Cross

In our modern-day world, most people only want the good stuff. When it comes to religion, most people in my area have abandoned their Christian faith and the only remnant that remains is their adherence to the "good stuff", by which I mean pleasurable aspects of religious celebrations. They probably are not even aware of where these traditions and celebrations come from.

I can give a few examples. One is the absolute madness with which people seek out Fish and Chips on Good Friday. It has become a major tradition. At popular fish and chips restaurants, there are hundreds of people lined up waiting perhaps a couple of hours to get their "feed" of fish and chips. It has simply become a tradition that is completely detached from its original meaning.

Catholics are asked to fast and abstain from flesh meat on Fridays of the year and in particular Good Friday. In fact, Good Friday is one of only 2 fast days mandated by the Catholic Church, at least in Canada. Because fish is not considered a flesh-meat, it can be consumed. But to ignore all of Lent and then on Good Friday have a huge feast of Fish and Chips completely misses the point! It is meant to be a penitential day, a day of reflection, a day where we remember the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and the agony he endured to bring about our salvation. It is not a time for festivities and joyous gatherings.

In our local area, there was a lot of news about how people would get their fish and chips in the midst of a pandemic. Would places be open? How would people line up?

Perhaps people would have been better to stay home and practice some form of penance or fasting.

I'm not saying this from a place of pride, I'm simply showing how people have abandoned all the penance and have only embraced the pleasure. They want the resurrection without the crucifixion. They want the joy without the sorrow. They want Christ but not the Cross.

I, too often, have fallen into this myself. I seek out the easy way to do things, not the right way. But I have started to realize that the easy way doesn't lead to happiness. We are happy when we seek to do the will of God. I am not saying I am there yet, but I do recognize that fact.

Another example of this happening is things like Mardi Gras and even Carnival in some places. These events preceded Lent. Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday and was a time when people used up all their animal products including fat, because these items are prohibited during Lent. Nowadays though, while many people celebrate Mardi Gras, few do much for Lent. Nothing much will happen until their perverse Good Friday and then Easter. Of course, Easter is highly publicized and celebrated, although again for the wrong reasons. Chocolate, candy, parties, etc. There's nothing wrong with that. In fact, I would encourage people to celebrate Easter in a cheerful and lively way. But it only really makes sense after going through Lent. Again, otherwise it's Christ without the Cross.

This year I undertook a program called Exodus 90, which is a 90-day instead of 40-day program that precedes Lent. I certainly wasn't perfect in my adherence to all the rules of the 90-day practice, and at the tail-end with the pandemic ongoing and my own issues, I kind of fell off the wagon to some degree. Things went better in the last few days during the Triduum.

If done correctly and ideally, Exodus-90 called for the foregoing of many pleasures in life. The rules included only being allowed cold showers, no alcohol, no snacking, no candy, sugar, or desserts, no TV, no sports, etc. It also included substantive prayer time each day, rising early each Saturday morning for a group meeting, and checking in with our "anchor" to monitor our progress and share our struggles. Plus, we are to do some form of intense exercise 3 times per week.

It was very challenging, and as mentioned, I did slip a few times. However, it was an overall good program. If done correctly, it brings great joy to Easter, but it also detaches us from our vices and sins and just general laziness. I have made amends to get up around 6:00 every morning. So far it hasn't been perfect, but it is MUCH better than before. I am also endeavoring to pray every morning.

Doing the program, although imperfectly, has really given me some valuable insight and I will use that as a springboard going forward.

Exodus-90 stands in great contrast to the way of life promoted in our modern-day secular world. One in which excess is barely enough. I think people would find great joy in experiencing both penance and joy, they go hand-in-hand.

I hope you're having a great Easter. God shows us that he loves us because although Lent is 40 days, Easter is 50 days until Pentecost. No matter what struggles we are going through right now, God is telling us that much more joy awaits us now (if we come close to Him) as well as in Heaven.