I just realized tonight that people were posting comments to my blogs and that I had to moderate them. I had quite a few responses, thank you!
However, I don't believe I will be allowing comments to be published. I will continue to read them, if you wish to post, and respond to you in person via email. Most of you who read this, the very small number of you, are friends and family and I'd rather respond that way. I didn't create this blog as a message board, after all. It's a log of my thoughts and such, and a way to communicate and evangelize to my friends and family. If you just stumble across this blog, and really want to interact, leave your email in your comment and I will respond.
But please, continue to respond. Either by email or comments. I will promise to read them from now on. It's nice to know people are paying attention, at least.
That being said, there are a few issues about the comments.
1. This is MY blog. And I'm Catholic. Don't come here and post your tired old copy and paste arguments against the Catholic church. To begin with, you can go to the links at the bottom of this page and look up all your tired old arguments, Catholics have answered them all. We have been around for 2000 years, and have had lots of time to become THE authority of Christianity and the Bible. And additionally, this is safe haven for the Catholic faith. I'm Catholic. I will evangelize my Catholic faith. And I'm proud to be Catholic. It's the One, True Religion. Don't bring your book club, weak, false, shadow faith in here.
If you have honest questions about the Catholic faith, and just aren't looking to regurgitate your Kirk Cameronite tracts, I will be glad to correspond with you!
2. If you're Nicole, please stop demeaning yourself on the radio for people to hear. Stop promoting your respect-less stupidity for other people, and young girls, to hear. Stop sleeping around and spreading your legs for everyone. Stop prostituting yourself and your integrity for 2 washed up D-list radio hacks who only want to rip on you for cheap laughs and to keep their job. If you do all that, maybe I'll read your comments. And I'll pray for you in the meantime that you come to your senses and gain some self respect. :D
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Friday, April 27, 2007
Grandma Mary
I've been thinking of my Grandma Jozwiak a lot lately. She was a great woman that only at the end of her life did I get to know well. She truly was the center of our family, everyone gathered around her on the holidays. Everyone came to her house. The drank, ate, played cards, visited, argued, and loved their family. But it was always about seeing her. Without my Grandma at the center, our family all fell apart and to this day we don't see the cousins and extended aunts and uncles. My Grandmother had a lot of hardship in her life; poverty, cancer, death of her youngest son, another son who went to war (my dad), a husband with heart problems. Yet she sowed great seeds and created a deep and wide family. And in the brief time I got to spend with her after my grandfather's and mother's death, before she too left us, I got to spend cherished time and learn about her and her life. She had a great smile, a great laugh, and I've always wanted to be able to speak Polish because of her.
When I see older people at church, and praying, I think of her. I think that she went to church every week her whole life. I think that she was a dedicated catholic woman, and despite a lifetime of hardship she never waivered. And I realize that my parents, despite all their faults and shortcomings, were the same way. They didn't make it to 80+, but all their lives they went to church. Every sunday. I don't know how much they understood about the religion, or if they ever questioned it. But I do know that they went, every sunday. And they dragged their 4 rotten kids with them, especially this rotten kid who wanted nothing to do with it. Even though my father took off as soon as mass was over to go watch whatever game was on at the time, he still went every week, and tried to go when he was away working. And it bothered him when he couldn't go, and it bothered him when his oldest rotten son came home from college and wouldn't go to Christmas mass with him. And even though my mother was miserable and unhappy with everything in life and had a rotten self-pitying attitude toward everything, and pushed everyone away from her, she went to church faithfully every week. And even though she had a rotten kid that didn't want anything to do with the church and faught her at every chance, she insisted that he went and got confirmed and learned SOMETHING about the faith. Thank God!
And I think of all this, and I remember my Grandma Jozwiak saying her rosary at her kitchen table, and I think to myself how stupid I was. And how great God is that He brought me back. Because that is a rich family tradition, and heritage, that these people were dedicated to because of faith and family. And I almost threw it away. It's a gift that has been passed down to me, and thanks to them I know the fullness of faith that exists in the Catholic church. Not just a bible class, or fancy music and slick words from an angry preacher. A full faith that offers so much, the body of Christ on earth to help me get closer to God. My family passed that along to me. In words and actions. It's a priceless heirloom greater than any inheiritance. It came to me from my parents, and grandparents, and great grandparents, and people I don't even know about that never lived in this side of the Atlantic. And it is TRULY a great gift. God is wonderful, thank GOD!
Take care for now.
Tom
When I see older people at church, and praying, I think of her. I think that she went to church every week her whole life. I think that she was a dedicated catholic woman, and despite a lifetime of hardship she never waivered. And I realize that my parents, despite all their faults and shortcomings, were the same way. They didn't make it to 80+, but all their lives they went to church. Every sunday. I don't know how much they understood about the religion, or if they ever questioned it. But I do know that they went, every sunday. And they dragged their 4 rotten kids with them, especially this rotten kid who wanted nothing to do with it. Even though my father took off as soon as mass was over to go watch whatever game was on at the time, he still went every week, and tried to go when he was away working. And it bothered him when he couldn't go, and it bothered him when his oldest rotten son came home from college and wouldn't go to Christmas mass with him. And even though my mother was miserable and unhappy with everything in life and had a rotten self-pitying attitude toward everything, and pushed everyone away from her, she went to church faithfully every week. And even though she had a rotten kid that didn't want anything to do with the church and faught her at every chance, she insisted that he went and got confirmed and learned SOMETHING about the faith. Thank God!
And I think of all this, and I remember my Grandma Jozwiak saying her rosary at her kitchen table, and I think to myself how stupid I was. And how great God is that He brought me back. Because that is a rich family tradition, and heritage, that these people were dedicated to because of faith and family. And I almost threw it away. It's a gift that has been passed down to me, and thanks to them I know the fullness of faith that exists in the Catholic church. Not just a bible class, or fancy music and slick words from an angry preacher. A full faith that offers so much, the body of Christ on earth to help me get closer to God. My family passed that along to me. In words and actions. It's a priceless heirloom greater than any inheiritance. It came to me from my parents, and grandparents, and great grandparents, and people I don't even know about that never lived in this side of the Atlantic. And it is TRULY a great gift. God is wonderful, thank GOD!
Take care for now.
Tom
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Confession!
I went to confession tonight, and I just wanted to come on and say "Thank GOD!" we have this wonderful sacrament in the Catholic Church. And to encourage others who fear or reject this sacrament to go. It doesn't hurt, the priest isn't going to judge you or smack you over the head for bad sins. It's a blessing to be able to get these things off your mind, soul, and heart, and ask God for forgiveness. Jesus himself heard confessions, forgave sins, and instructed His priests He left on earth to do the same thing. It's a gift from Him to us. TAKE ADVANTAGE of such a great gift! It's like hitting the lottery, and you win every time!
And to those who insist they can confess directly to God: Sure you can. But why not get the WHOLE benefit from the sacrament and do it the right way?
In the words of JPII: Do not be afraid! God loves you, go to confession and take part in your church!
Meahwhile, yes it's been a while since I posted but it's busy time for me. And it's a struggle keeping this fire stoked while getting immersed in working again. I'm likely to become obssessed with work at the expense of all other things, and I don't want it to be that way. I came back to God because that old way wasn't working out, and I didn't want to work my life away without coming closer to God.
Last week was a tough week with the Va Tech shootings. It seemed to take a 100 years to get through. When I went to mass on Sunday, it seemed like I hadn't been in forever, even though it was a week. I got wrapped up in work, in the tragedy of my friend dying, life, the Tigers, everything. I really needed what the mass gave me last week. I was at a low, and going to church last Sunday was a booster shot in the arm from God. The gospel reading was about Jesus asking Simon/Peter (the ROCK on which Jesus built his church) if he loved Jesus 3 times. Thankfully our priest took time to explain the meaning of this passage, based on original writing. Jesus was asking Peter to agape Him, or love him unconditionally and fully. But Peter kept answering that he loved him fidelis-ly, or in a friendly or brotherly way. Yet Jesus did not get mad, or chastize Peter for being afraid of loving him unconditionally, He accepted it and promised to help Peter and start over with him. Just as Jesus is always willing to start over and teach us again, and again, and again, and again.
It was what I needed. After a week where I had ignored my faith for other things of this world, here was Jesus speaking to me, telling me to come back, He will start over with me if I need to. And those were welcome words. Like water to a thirsty man.
Jesus is a wonderful God. God is wonderful. God is loving and forgiving and we forget that, think that He can't love us because we don't love ourselves or are ashamed sometimes. But the truth is, He is always willing to start over with us. We shouldn't be so stupid or arrogant to think otherwise.
And to those who insist they can confess directly to God: Sure you can. But why not get the WHOLE benefit from the sacrament and do it the right way?
In the words of JPII: Do not be afraid! God loves you, go to confession and take part in your church!
Meahwhile, yes it's been a while since I posted but it's busy time for me. And it's a struggle keeping this fire stoked while getting immersed in working again. I'm likely to become obssessed with work at the expense of all other things, and I don't want it to be that way. I came back to God because that old way wasn't working out, and I didn't want to work my life away without coming closer to God.
Last week was a tough week with the Va Tech shootings. It seemed to take a 100 years to get through. When I went to mass on Sunday, it seemed like I hadn't been in forever, even though it was a week. I got wrapped up in work, in the tragedy of my friend dying, life, the Tigers, everything. I really needed what the mass gave me last week. I was at a low, and going to church last Sunday was a booster shot in the arm from God. The gospel reading was about Jesus asking Simon/Peter (the ROCK on which Jesus built his church) if he loved Jesus 3 times. Thankfully our priest took time to explain the meaning of this passage, based on original writing. Jesus was asking Peter to agape Him, or love him unconditionally and fully. But Peter kept answering that he loved him fidelis-ly, or in a friendly or brotherly way. Yet Jesus did not get mad, or chastize Peter for being afraid of loving him unconditionally, He accepted it and promised to help Peter and start over with him. Just as Jesus is always willing to start over and teach us again, and again, and again, and again.
It was what I needed. After a week where I had ignored my faith for other things of this world, here was Jesus speaking to me, telling me to come back, He will start over with me if I need to. And those were welcome words. Like water to a thirsty man.
Jesus is a wonderful God. God is wonderful. God is loving and forgiving and we forget that, think that He can't love us because we don't love ourselves or are ashamed sometimes. But the truth is, He is always willing to start over with us. We shouldn't be so stupid or arrogant to think otherwise.
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