An Aid To Memory

I got a new cell phone (and number) because my last phone basically died, and the reception with my former company was somewhat weak in my area. I decided to go with a new company, partly so I could get free mobile-to-mobile minutes, so I can make some very important calls without having to worry about minutes. Well, maybe the calls I make aren’t earth-shatteringly important, but I enjoy them. Maybe I just enjoy talking. I also got a camera/video phone, which is just one more thing for me to play around with. I am sure my picture taking with it will get annoying to friends and family rather quickly. Oh well, that is one of the perks ;).

Ok, ok, maybe this isn’t blog worthy, but I’m excited!

Obviously I am an English speaker, and most of my readers are (judging by the search engine referrers, etc). However, you may have noticed some parts of the blog have been in Italian and Spanish. The reason is not a system glitch that I have failed to notice, but rather this has been an attempt on my part to learn and/or refresh my knowledge of other languages. I don’t think I need to explain the importance of knowing multiple languages in our current world and Church. Now if only Typepad would have a Latin language option…

Anastasia has commented about over-catering to youth in churches. I agree with Anastasia that youth need to be mentored properly in a church, and I would say that youth need to be included in our churches in a real way. I also agree with the main crux of her point, which is that letting youth be in charge, is, well, a bad idea.

Let me agree and add my own thoughts. Why is everybody saying worship must be changed to attract youth? First of all, when I was a youth, I was serious about chasing women, and that was about it. Second, no Christian church could ever cater to me, save providing a place to hang out, but then again, most youth aren’t exactly saying hanging out in churches is cool. So catering to me as a youth wouldn’t have worked at all, and it would have alienated the rest of the congregation, not to mention watering down Christian tradition. I would have laughed if a church did all that for cynical ol’ me.

I think that many youth would rather be fully included in the congregation by being brought up to the level of mature Christian, rather than being presented with a trendy worship service or dumbed-down catechesis catered just to them.  I am all for youth groups and including youths in our worship and church life, because youth (like believers of all age) certainly need to find other Christians their age for encouragement and socializing, but the assumption that "we have to do this or else the youth won’t like it" misses the point in many ways.

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger has been elected Pope Benedict XVI. The media has already begun to either mislabel his positions (calling Ratzinger "fundamentalist") or else explain away his election (he was elected as a "transitional" pope, which is what many who oppose the Catholic faith within and without hope).

The Cardinals have chosen a man who takes seriously his role in guarding the faith of the Church, which is no surprise to those of us inside the Catholic Church. Needless to say, I am excited about Pope Benedict XVI’s election. I am seriously thinking of writing him a letter telling him I am praying for him, and asking him to please begin the cleanup of Catholic higher education.

Black smoke has risen from the Sistene Chapel, showing that the Cardinals have not decided on a new pope. This is normal, since this is often a vote when Cardinals vote for those individuals they may admire or respect, even if these individuals have no chance of getting a majority of votes. However, we may see a new pope in the next few days. Either way, we cannot stop praying! We can never stop praying for the pope, cardinals, bishops, priests, and deacons, because whoever is chosen pope has some tough issues to deal with, along with those under him.

Anglican-turned-Catholic Shawn is now active in the Catholic Blog World, giving us his Proud Mackeral Snapper blog. Check it out! I have always wondered where the term "mackeral-snapper" came from and why it is a term for Catholics. Anybody know? Anyway, welcome Shawn!

Image from: http://www.charterboats-uk.co.uk

The media is speculating that German Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger is currently the frontrunner for pope. While I would be pleased because such an appointment would deliver the final blow to those inside and outside the Church who wish to make the Catholic church another (declining) mainline Protestant body, this is simply media speculation. The conclave (from the Latin "with key") of Cardinals meets tomorrow to begin the process of choosing the new pope. Keep praying!

But it was worth it to see former Vigilantes of Love front-man Bill Mallonee last night in Worthington, Ohio. It was a great evening. Jonathan and Carmel blog on their experiences too. We have been fans of the Vigilantes of Love and Bill for some time now, and I have seen these guys live more than any other band, once at Eddie’s Attic in Atlanta and another time at Bernie’s Bagels (the Distillery) on Ohio State Campus.

Interestingly, I stood next to some Catholic seminarians attending the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio. We had an interesting conversation between songs. I found out that Bill Mallonee became Catholic recently! When we chatted after the concert, he mentioned that he returned to the Catholic faith in the last 10 years, and remarked how he likes how the faith is "sacramental." That is truly exciting to hear from one of my favorite musicians of all time. As I have listened to his music over the years, my brother and I used to say "he should really be Catholic," because of the sacramental nature of his lyrics, which are very symbol-heavy. If anybody "gets" the incarnation, it is Bill!

Bill writes music that is more complex than what gets played on popular radio stations, and he litters the songs with theological references. Here are a few excerpts from one he sang last night that he wrote about the death of Julie Miller’s (a country-rock artist) brother, called "Apple of Your Eye":

There is no shadow of turning with Thee,
when the waves of my sin, were rolling over me;
bring me to the shore, bring me to the shore
there’s no more despair or night,
all the tears get washed away,
from those apples of your eyes

Image from www.billmallonee.net

Whose funeral could unite the leaders of Iran, Israel, the United States, and Syria at one event, and even get the leaders of a few of these nations to shake hands and make conversation? Pope John Paul II’s funeral of course. This is a testament to the great spiritual power and dignity this man has. John Paul II pray for us.

Yes this is a sad time for us, but we see so clearly the fruits of John Paul II’s work living on even after his death. It is truly amazing. I was watching some of the funeral at work today between classes and before I went to work. I just stand in wonder at how the world has honored the holy father in this way.

AOL recently linked over to Jonathan’s Blog (and Maria’s as well), bringing many visitors. As a result hundreds of people left comments and prayers in tribute to John Paul II. We have compiled these comments as a tribute to John Paul II on our main page. The comments are beautiful, and show the love for John Paul II across cultures, ages, and regions. They are very touching, and we hope you enjoy them. If you wish to add your own comment, please email at afc@ancient-future.net. 

note: being part of a tribute, these comments are not to be defamatory. We reserve the right to refuse any comment. The tribute page will be updated.